1 JOHN III. 18. "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth." DEAR children, who are daily taught Thousands there are, at home, abroad, That "only name," whereby we know. That "only name," in earth or heaven, Oh! if you love this heavenly Friend, Can you withhold his word from those Will you not rather gladly spare And help to send the "joyful sound" Will you not pray that God would bless Your feeble efforts too, And water with his heavenly grace The seed he bids you sow Until the Saviour's precious name Is known and loved by all, And "Jew and Gentile, bond and free," WILLIE'S BURN. OUR Willie has burnt his fingers. How he screams. He has badly burnt them. Where-how? By the furnace fire. Did he not know that the fire would burn him? Yes, he knew it. He knew the law of fire, that it would burn! And how the burn smarts; how it blisters. Poor little boy. Is not the fire wicked, naughty, to torment Willie's fingers so? No; fire is good. It warms our rooms, bakes our bread, boils our pudding, and roasts our méat. God gave us fire for our comfort and use. He also gave it laws to go by; and it is one of the laws of fire to burn. Willie knew that; but he put his fingers in, and broke the fire-law; therefore he must take the consequences. We cannot take the sting from his pain. We can try to help him to bear it, but we cannot remove the smart or scar; and, little boy as he is, he must suffer the punishment which broken laws always carry with them. And this brings us to other things about God's laws, which I want you to notice. 1. The certainty of law. It does what it meant to do. 2. The inexorability of law. Inexorability is a hard word for children, I know; but it means, it does not pity; it is only just; it keeps its word. The law of fire is to burn, and it does burn. 3. It carries its own punishment with it, if broken. And you can understand how severe the punishment for breaking one is in Willie's case. God's laws are excellent friends when you keep them, as fire is; but terrible enemies to the breaker of them. Do Are God's moral laws as sure as his natural laws? his laws about sin overtake the breaker as certainly as the fire burnt Willie? Yes, with terrible certainty. 128 SABBATH LESSONS. The "law of the Lord is holy; his commandments are holy, just, and good," and "in keeping of them there is "But the way of transgressors is hard," great reward." DIAMOND DUST. THE apostle Paul had three wishes, and they were all about Christ-that he might be found in Christ, that he might be with Christ, and that he might magnify Christ. ! IF I had been made a firefly, it would not become me to say, "If God had only made me a star, to shine always, then I would shine." It is my duty, if I am a firefly, to fly and sparkle; not to shut my wings down over myself, because God did not make me a sun or a star. NOTE. It is expected that our Missionary, Mr. Swanson-who will be accompanied by Mrs. Swanson-will sail for China in the course of this month. Remember the Collecting Cards during the holidays.-Contributions received from John Knox's Church, Brighton, and other places, will be acknowledged next month. SUBJECT. SABBATH LESSONS. Question. TO LEARN. Aug. 14 Water from the XLV.-Ps. cxxxviii. 1-3. Rock. 21 The Visit to the XLVI. & XLVII. TO READ. Exodus vii. 1-16. Gergesenes. 28 Moses & Jethro. xxxix. 11-18. XLVIII. & XLIX. exxxviii. 4-6. -- Psalm Exodus xviii. 1-27. Sept. 4. Christ Healeth L.-Psalm lxii. 5—7. Matt. ix. 1-13, the Palsy. THE LIGHTHOUSE AND THE STORM. LITTLE Nancy's mother was dead. Her only brother was a sailor-boy at sea. She and her father lived in a lighthouse on a rock off the coast of Cornwall. The top of the rock alone was above water. On every side was the wide, deep sea. The house was like a tall round chimney, and was built of great heavy stones. At the bottom were little rooms in which Naney and her father lived. A long ladder, instead of stairs, led to a little room at the top of the house, where there were windows all round, and a great lamp in the middle. Every night Nancy's father climbed up this tall ladder to light this lamp. The lighthouse OCTOBER, 1859. L 146 THE LIGHTHOUSE AND THE STORM. saved many ships from being dashed to pieces on the rock, for by day the sailors saw the lighthouse, and at night they saw the light. There were people who lived on the coast, called wreekers, who were wicked enough to rejoice when they saw a ship wrecked, for they used to pick up the goods washed on shore from the wreck. As the lighthouse kept ships from being wrecked, these wicked people hated it. One evening Nancy's father rowed in his little boat to the shore to fetch some food; but when he was going back the wreckers laid hold of him and locked him up in a room. There will be no light tonight, thought they; it looks stormy, some ships will be wrecked, and we shall get some plunder. Little Nancy all this time was alone in the lighthouse. As evening came on she looked out at the door. All around was deep water. On the opposite beach she could just see her father's little boat like a black speck on the water, but he was not there. The sun was going down in dark angry clouds. The wind whistled dolefully. The tops of the waves began to grow white as they rose higher and higher. At last the sun set; there was no moon or stars to be seen; the waves beat against the lighthouse, and covered it with their spray. A flash of lightning came so bright that she was nearly blinded; the thunder followed in a long loud peal. She knew her father could not come to her that night, and how fearful it was for the poor girl to be alone in such a place. But Nancy had been taught to fear, and trust, in God, and she knelt down and prayed that he would take care of her father and her. Then she began to think about the lamp. Who was to light it?. Her thoughts were full of poor might look in vain for the lighthouse, and their ships be dashed to pieces on the rock. sailors who might with At last she |