It makes me try to pray that God will be merciful to me, and bless me, and deliver me from all evil thoughts and ways. I can indeed say, 'God be merciful to me a sinner." Poor child, I can truly say hers was an up-and-down path for one so young to walk in. After a time she recovered from that illness (at least to all appearance), and though it left her very weakly, yet her spirits were remarkably good, and always being of a very persevering and industrious habit, she now became anxious to get something that she could do. We tried to dissuade her, reminding her of her weakness; but she was still anxious, and wished her parents to allow her to try for a situation, which she afterwards obtained. It was light for her, but, poor child, she was not without her troubles there, although what she was passing through was at that time unknown to any one but herself, or she would never have stayed there; but in a very short time the dear Lord saw fit again to visit her with a very heavy affliction (which at last proved fatal), and she was removed from it. She said to her mother one day after she had left, "Mother, I will tell you something that has troubled me very much all the time I have been at Mr. H's; it is that I have been so afraid of myself." Her mother said, "In what way do you mean, my dear." She said, "If you and father had known the traps that were set to catch me, I should not have been there so long. The first day I was there I found sixpence in some dust that they told me to gather up, and it gave me such a turn in my feelings as soon as I saw it, because I thought it had been put there to see if I would keep it; and the words directly came to my mind that father repeated when he lost the threepence, 'Thou God seest me.' I gave the sixpence to Mr. H, and as soon as I was alone I knelt down and prayed that God who could keep me from evil would preserve me from every snare and temptation I might meet with. I remember saying, 'Oh, my God, do preserve me from evil. Thou seest the temptation around me; oh, do keep me from taking anything that is not my own.' I looked round the room, and saw quantities of different things that were lying carelessly about. I thought, if I should ever be left to myself and take one!" Her mother said, "My dear child, did you ever feel an inclination to take anything ?" She said, "No, I did not want anything; but I felt afraid to trust to myself, and I knew it was God alone that could keep me from evil. But, mother, I do feel to love you and father for your advice, and for so often cautioning me against so many things that I should not have thought of; but you could not keep me from them. I have often thought of what father said about a man that saw another hanged. He said, 'If the grace of God had not prevented, I should have come to the same end.' And so might I." But I must pass by much that she had to go through while there. She said the conversation was so light and foolish, that sometimes she has trembled to hear it; at another time she would laugh at them, and afterwards feel uneasy, and think she was as bad as they for doing so. But her health again began to decline, and she complained of pains about the body, of weakness, and had a violent cough. She would say, “Oh, mother, you cannot think how it hurts my neck bone when I cough, or reach up, or lift anything." And though there was nothing perceptible at first, yet it got more painful, and began to swell very much. She was advised to give up her situation, but she would say, "I shall do nothing else so easy, and I don't want to give it up, though I am not comfort able. But I have reason to believe that I shall not be there long. I prayed to the Lord to open a way for me, and He did so; and though it is not what I like, yet I know He will bring me out of it in His own time." (To be continued.) "DID YOU FORGET TO PRAY ?” No. IX. OF TRUE TALES FOR LITTLE CHILDREN. POOR Lucy was a little child, Her age was scarcely four; She often to a neighbour went, But soon she thoughtfully observed To her the sight so new appeared, "I pray to the Almighty God." Then will you pray for me?" "Yes, dearest child," her friend replied, That God may claim you as His own, "You have a naughty, wicked heart- And nothing but the blood of Christ Now, after this, she came each day, And quiet as could be Would kneel beside her friend, and say, "Do please to pray for me." One day she rather late came in— The moments pass'd, the time drew nigh When, looking at her friend, she said, This question of the simple child And often whispered to my heart, Too oft, as in life's stormy path With stumbling steps I've hurried on, Jesus, Thou much-neglected Friend, Do Thou Toy Holy Spirit send, To help me still to pray. C. SPIRE. CATCHING THE SQUIRREL. JOHNIE RAY had set a trap in the woodland for squirrels. The "woodland" contained many acres of land, covered with beautiful trees, most of which were walnut. The squirrels loved that place. It was a home for a great many families of them. Johnie thought he would like one of the sprightly little things for his own; and as it was in the spring, when there were no nuts on the trees, and when it might be supposed that the squirrels had eaten up all, or nearly all, their winter's store of provisions, he thought one of them might be tempted, by a nice yellow ear of corn, to go into his box-trap. He set it in the woodland one fine afternoon, and having dropped a few of the bright grains of corn about it for "decoys," as he called them, left it there. A large rock stood not far from the place, and behind it he could creep up quietly, now and then, to see if his trap were sprung. |