SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE LAW OF GOD. SOME Europeans in New Zealand had engaged natives to accompany them on a journey, and carry their luggage. The Sabbath overtook them on the road; the Europeans wished to proceed; but the natives said, "No, it is Sabbath; we must rest." The travellers went forward without their native attendants, and refused to pay them when they had accomplished the journey with the luggage, because they would not travel on the Sabbath. The natives inquired, "What are we to do with the law of God?" and received for answer, "What have we to do with the law of God? what is that to us ?" One of the natives retorted by saying, "You have much to do with that law. Were it not for the law of God, we should not have exercised the forbearance we have, on your re fusal to give us payment. We should have robbed you, and taken all you possessed, and sent you about your business. You have that much to do with the law of God."-Juvenile Missionary Magazine.

COUNSELS.

LOST wealth may be restored by industry; the wreck of health regained by temperance; forgotten knowledge restored by study; alienated friendship soothed into forgetfulness; even forfeited reputation won back by patience and virtue. But whoever again looked upon his vanished hours, recalled his slighted years, stamped with wisdom, and effaced from heaven's record the fearful blot of wasted time.

Prosperous Providences are for the most part a dangerous state for the soul. The moon never suffers an eclipse but at the full.

Many a man shifts his sins as men do their clothes

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they put off one to put on another; this is but waiting on the devil in a new livery.

Our business is to seek a perfect conformity to the will of God, and leave him to give us such comforts as he sees good.

As every shred of gold is precious so is every minute of time.

"NOT A PLACE LEFT.”

I LATELY rode about forty miles on the top of a mail coach. The afternoon was beautiful; the trees were clothed with richest foliage, and the fields appeared as if covered with one vast carpet of loveliest green and yellow, spread out by the great God for man and his flocks to tread upon. The birds of the air too were joyful, singing sweet songs to their kind Creator, who showered upon them the mellow sunshine, and enabled them to bathe their wings in such soft and balmy air. Had it not been that my heart was rather sad with private sorrow, and the poor horses that drew our coach along were panting from fatigue, I could almost have forgotten that I was in a world of sin and suffering at all.

Away, in the distance, at the end of a by-path, two men were standing. One was an old man, and he wanted to get on the coach. He hailed us as we approached him, but the coachman did not stop to take him up; he merely called out to him as we hurried past,- Not a place left, Sir,—all full to-night," and in a few minutes we were out of his sight. I thought he gave a sad look of disappointment, but there was no time to say a word.

Perhaps, his business was very pressing; he might have been going to the funeral of a distant friend, or hastening away with a sorrowful heart to see one die: still, it was

128 LESSONS FOR THE SABBATH AND THE SCHOOL.

all the same, there was "not a place left for him," and he had to remain behind.

I could not help feeling grieved for him, and wishing he had secured his seat beforehand; but while thus musing, a different thought came into my mind. There will be no such disappointments in heaven—all will get a place" there who are fit to go, and not one shall be left out. "All the places" there are secured beforehand. “I go to prepare a place for you," says Jesus, "and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also." What a blessed prospect to have such a home and such a friend.

But there will be disappointments at the gate. De, luded souls will go there seeking a place, but, without finding one, because they lived in sin, and neglected the Saviour.

Reader, have you secured a place there? If not, do so without delay. How fearful would it be for you to find yourself standing outside, after all those whose names are in the book of life have entered in, and in answer to your cries receive the fearful reply—" Every saved one is here— not a place left—all full !"

"THE MORNING STAR;" or, The American Children's Missionary Ship.

We were crossing the Atlantic ocean. It was a bright Sabbath, towards the end of July, and the "Pacific" (soon after lost without any left to tell how) was speeding her way steadily through the water. We were so poor a sailor that the brightness and the smoothness alike failed to make us feel comfortably at home, and most of the day was passed reclining on one of the couches in the lower saloon. Some children from New Orleans, with all the vivacity of the sunny South, were playing about the cabin, and to keep them quiet for a little, we called them to us, and soon had them clustered around our couch, while we tried to interest them with a tale from the New Testament story. On the opposite side of the room, in a somewhat similar half-sickly state, sat a tall, quiet, pleasant-looking SEPTEMBER, 1857.

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gentleman; he was reading, but ever and anon he looked up from his book as if attracted by the antics of the children. Presently he pulled from his pocket two little books, and crossing the cabin he gave them to us, saying, Perhaps your young friends will be interested to hear you read them these." We thanked him, and were soon deep in one of the Tract Society's juvenile biographies. By-and-by the children were called away, and our new friend and we proceeded to improve the chance acquaintanceship which mutual interest in these children had begun. We soon found we were both Sabbath-school teachers he in New York, we in London-and being likeminded on many subjects, we were almost inseparable during the remainder of the voyage.

Mr. William E. Dodge, for that was the stranger's name, had been for five-and-twenty years connected, first as a teacher and latterly as the superintendent, with the schools of the Fourteenth Street Presbyterian Church in New York, and he was very glad when he arrived in London, to visit the school with which we were connected at Somers Town. When he left he made us promise that if ever we returned to New York, we should not fail to pay a visit to the scene of his Sabbath labours.

Two years after we were again on our way across the ocean, and early in March of the present year, we found ourselves once more in the commercial capital of the western world. True to our promise we visited the schools of our American friend; there are several, and he took us round to see most of them. The one which he directly superintends is connected with their church, and in asking us to say a few words to the scholars there, Mr. Dodge told them the way in which we had become acquainted on board the steamer, " Pacific," in 1855, how he had visited