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66

ANGER.

CHILDREN, did you e'er behold,
Such a pettish angry face;
Tempers kind are children's gold,
Tempers bad a child's disgrace.
Words you may have often seen,
This sad face presents to mind;
Read them over once again,
Seeking good advice to find.

Now I'll copy them for you,

From the little "Hymns of Truth ;" Hymns which every one is true, Suited songs for early youth:— Passion, little girl or boy,

Surely is a horrid thing; It would happiness destroy,

Like the scorpion's venom'd sting.

"Tis a short insanity :

When you see a pettish lad, You a little madmen see,

Or a creature full as bad.

It would deeply grieve my heart,
Any little child to view,
Acting such a foolish part.

How much more, if one of you.
Passion shun, my girl or lad,
If you wish for peace of mind;
Then your father will be glad,
And your mother comfort find.”
True it is that each one's soul,
Is by nature vile and base;

And there's nought can make it whole,
But the Saviour's blood and grace.

Still we see that habits bad,
May be form'd in early years;
Which shall make the pathway sad,
Sow a crop of groans and tears.
Habits that are good for time
May be form'd in early days;
Which shall make the conduct shine,
Even while there is no grace.
Oh, 'tis well to bend the bough,
As you'd have it seen again;
Boys remember even now

You are forming into men.
Angry children will be soon
Scowling cruel ones upgrown;
Dawn bespeaks the kind of noon,

Soon you'll reap what now is sown.
Yet I'd never have you think,

While your hearts are void of grace,
You've escaped from ruin's brink,
You can have in heaven a place.
Here, to Jesus you must come,
Or hereafter at His throne,
You will hear your awful doom,

Sink beneath His awful frown. ED.

A NEW YEAR'S ADDRESS. "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment."-Heb. ix. 27.

DEAR LITTLE GLEANERS,-By the time you see these lines the days, weeks, and months of the year 1868 will be for ever gone, and 1869 will have arrived. How many of us may be permitted to see its close, God only knows; for "it is appointed unto men once to die;" the word of God declares

this, nature proves this, and we are bound to believe it. Many have been called out of time in 1868; and to whom the messenger of death may next be sent we know not, But this we do know; that it is appointed to all once to die; our time may not be far hence.

"Can we, by faith, survey with joy

The change before it come,

And say, Let death this house destroy,
I have a heavenly home ?"

A
person who can say this truly must of necessity
be a Christian, a follower of Christ.

Now, to prove how it will be with us at and after death, we must prove whether we are Christians

or not.

If we wish to prove we shall "die the death of the righteouss we must prove whether that we are living the life of the righteous.

And as the Scripture speaks of two characters only, it is necessary to draw a line of distinction between the two, that we may see on which side we are. There are a people called heathens who worship gods of wood and stone; can these be called Christians? No, they are idolaters. Then the infidels, who say there is no truth in God's word; no eternity of suffering nor joy. There are also those who care not what may be hereafter, so that they enjoy themselves now. These are not Christians. There are those also who worship the Virgin Mary and Saints, and who worship even bread and wine, and say it is the real body and blood of Christ. These are idolaters and not Christians. Others are trying to get to heaven by their own works; but they will surely find that their best works are nothing worth. Where, then, shall we look for Christians?

can

I once heard a minister relate something he had heard of an apple tree which is well worth

repeating. It is this: the apple tree in the spring is covered with blossoms, but how many of these fall off, and how many of the apples fall off before they come to perfection, and how many that

remain are rotten at the core!

Now, as we have found no Christians as yet, we will leave the crab-tree, and the tree of sour grapes, and that which bears no fruit, and see what we can find on the apple tree; and we shall find that even this will require proving. We find many professors in the Church of God, who in time of trial fall away. Thus, in the parable of the sower, some seed fell by the wayside, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up; others fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it; that is, worldly objects took their attention, and they bore no fruit. Thus the blossom fell off before any fruit appeared. Again, some fell on stony ground, and immediately it sprang up, but because it had no root it withered away.' These began where they should have ended, even with joy: this seed or holy word they received not in their hearts, but in their heads only, and their hearts remained but hearts of stone; so that, though graceless ones may profess much and continue for awhile, like unsound apples, they will fall off. Many, though they have professed the name of Jesus, go back, and walk no more with Him. Who, then, can be saved? Well might the Scriptures say, "Examine your own selves," &c.

Then the apples that remain, how many are found rotten at the core! Here it is self-examination is needed; we see some fall off early like blossoms, and some fall off later like imperfect apples; and, alas! many who hang on to a mere profession until death are like apples-rotten at

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