A LITTLE girl was Nelly Gray, She was but eight years old, Of Indian nations far away She had been often told. A MISSIONARY BALLAD. A MISSIONARY BALLAD. She knew that though their land is fair, When Nelly thought of children there, The news to bear to the children there It gladdened that mother's heart to know And she gave her little clothes to sew, So Nelly worked for many an hour, And when the work was all complete, Though how much money was got for it But little Nell was glad to know And she prayed that God in heaven would bless That they all might turn from their wickedness, Now children dear, who read or hear Can you not pray-can you not work But Nelly loved her Saviour too, For well she knew that she and you And 'twould be indeed a fearful sight, While you who lived in a land of light Then while, like Nell, you pity them, For the Saviour, who loved and died for them, YOUR OWN CHAPTER. "Thou God seest me !"-Gen. xvi. 13. HIERE is a very short text, and I am going to write on it a very short sermon. I hope if you forget the sermon you will remember the text, for if you do, it will keep you out of a deal of mischief, and lead you to a deal of good. Let us divide the text, and ask, I. Who is it that sees you? I. Who is it that sees you? It is GOD. 1. He who is so holy that he cannot bear to look upon iniquity, and if an angel were to commit it, would drive him out of heaven. 2. He who is so strong that he could cast down Satan into hell, and could, therefore, easily destroy a little child that dared to sin against him. 3. He who is so just that he will not pass by transgression, but call all men to account at the judgment-seat of Christ. 4. He who is so omnipresent that he fills all places, just as the air fills the room, and is there always looking upon you, and marking down everything you think, and do, and say. It is this God who sees you. Not your father, or mother, or teacher only, they may be far away, but the great and holy God, who fills all worlds and sees all things. Thou GoD seest me!" "Oh may this thought possess my breast, YOUR OWN CHAPTER. But we ask again, II. When does He see you? Always. 1. When you are quite alone. He saw Eve in the garden eating the fruit though quite alone. He saw Cain kill his brother Abel, though quite alone. He saw Moses murder the man, though quite alone. He saw Daniel in the lions' den, though quite alone. He saw Nathaniel under the figtree, and John in Patmos, though quite alone. 2. When you are in the midst of others. There being many boys and girls together does not prevent his seeing you. I, or your teacher, or your parents, might lose you in a crowd, and not see what you did, but God | does not. If there were thousands there, he sees each one the same as if they were alone. 3. When you are in the dark, and when you are in the light. David says, "the darkness and the light are both alike to thee." 4. When you are doing right, and when you are doing wrong. You may do wrong though nobody sees you, and then God's eye is on you. You may do right, and everybody think it was wrong; God sees it and will make it clear to others too. In short, God's eye is ever on us, at home and abroad, by day and by night. Read the 139th Psalm, and see what David says about it, or what Watts says, "Within thy circling power I stand, Let us ask, III. Why does God see you? the forbidden fruit. There was a wicked When Joseph was tempted to do wrong, 1. To keep you from doing wrong. man once told a minister, that if he had remembered this short text, it would have saved him from shooting his father; but he forgot it, shot his father, and was imprisoned for life. Had Cain thought about it, he would not have killed his brother; and had Eve, she would not have tasted 66 3. To bring you to judgment. St Paul says, He is witness," and you know that on the day of judgment he will be the one great witness that will bring out the truth; and throughout the year on which you now then his book of remembrance will be open-have entered make it the watchword of ed, and all he has seen be brought to light. your life-the constant check upon your Will you then bear in mind this little text, spirit-" Thou God seest me?" THE NEW YEAR AND THE NEW VOLUME. MY DEAR YOUNG FRIENDS, This Number begins a new year and a new volume, and it seems but right to say something to you about them both. It is a new year. May it be a happy one, each day being brighter than the one that went before it, and each hour bringing to you fresh proofs of mercy from your God. Two things will be necessary in order to make it happy. First, that you are good; and, second, that you are useful. "To be good is to be happy," and to be useful is to make all glad around us, and to bring gladness to ourselves. This is a new volume of your paper, and by the form of the present number, you will see we have made some alterations. 1. We have enlarged the size, giving you more matter than we did before, and allowing you a wider margin, to let you bind it up better than the last. 2. We have lowered the price, charging only 4d. a dozen, which will enable your teachers to let you have a whole quarter's papers, by paying them one penny at the beginning of each such term. 3. We have altered the matter. 3. By admitting a little simple poetry I hope you will consider all these things improvements, and shew how highly you value them in these three ways. 1. By getting each of your little companions to buy a copy. It is so cheap they can all of them get it, and then it is so easily obtained by giving a penny to your teacher just four times a-year. 2. By carefully reading over all it con tains; and, 3. By putting into practice all the useful and important lessons it may teach. In all that I shall write, your real and highest interests will be sought; and while I try to draw out your feelings for the little heathen far away, I shall never fail to try to draw them out about yourselves. For you the Saviour died as well as for them, and by your own personal faith in him must you too be lost or saved. I shall send it forth every month with prayer to God, the Holy Ghost, to bless it to your souls' eternal good, and I trust, that in the coming year it may prove as acceptable and as useful as in the one now past. Your old friend and well-wisher, C. H. B. Notices of meetings reserved to next month.-ED. Prico d. or 4d. per dozen. Published by J. GALL & SON, 38 North Bridge, Edinburgh. "They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain."-Isaiah xi. 9. You have all heard, I imagine, and many | civilized men, and the reach of any laws of you seen, that devoted missionary Mr Moffat. When he first went to Africa, he was sent up into the country to labour in Namaqualand, and at the village, or Kraal, where an outlawed chief was living of the name of Africaner. This man was the terror of all the country round, and so great a nuisance to the Government, that they offered 1000 rix-dollars to any one who would bring his head. The part where he lived was far beyond the habitations of Feb. 1845. for the protection of the Missionaries. He was surrounded by men as daring and as wicked as himself, in whose hands no one's life or property was safe, and he had a brother, Titus Africaner, who was even more cruel than himself. Many were the murders they committed, and great was the value of the property they stole. The farmers living on the borders of their land were kept in constant dread of them, and often when they had thought all was peace, they heard Africaner's savage shout rise on the midnight air, as he attacked their dwelling to plunder, and perhaps to shed their blood. You many imagine that it was no very cheering prospect for Moffat to go and labour amongst such men; but he felt that God had called him to do it, and he knew that he carried with him that precious gospel, which, if received, would change all their natures, and make them happy and useful beings. His journey was very difficult, long, and dangerous. It lay over hot burning sands in some parts, and in others through deep rapid rivers. Savage lions prowled all round, and often at night the travellers were disturbed by their fearful roaring. They journeyed in a waggon drawn by several oxen, and the slowness of these animals, together with the dangers of the way, made it a tedious journey. As they passed by the different farm-houses in the colony, and told the people where they were going, every one thought them almost insane. To hear of Africaner was enough, but to go and live amongst his people seemed to them little else than madness; and many of the good farmers' wives lifted up the corner of their aprons to wipe away their tears, as they thought of one so young and fair becoming a prey to savage men. avoid the scorching heat, and searching his New Testament to find out if what the Missionary said was true. Nor did he search in vain. The spirit of God blessed this reading, and Moffat's labours to his soul. Africaner became a converted man, and, before very long had passed, was one of the brightest Christians and most devoted friend the Missionary had to boast of. He now gave up all his evil practices, and became truly as humble and simple as a child. His past sins made him often weep, and seemed to keep him very lowly at Christ's feet. 66 At last it became necessary for Mr Moffat to return to the Cape, and he proposed that Africaner should go with him. The good man felt much to refuse, and yet to go seemed to go to his death. "I had thought," he said, you loved me, and do you advise me to go to the Government to be hung up as a spectacle to public justice ? Do you not know that I am an outlaw, and that 1000 rix-dollars have been offered for my head ?" Moffat felt the danger; still he pressed his wish, and promised to protect Africaner from any harm. In three days the point was decided, and Africaner consented to go. He was disguised in a strange dress, and went as Moffat's servant. They got down through the country till they reached the dwellings At last the Africaners' Kraal was reached, of the farmers very well; but here the and Moffat met with a kind reception from danger began, and it required no little clethe outlaw. For some time previous to verness to get safely through. One day this, a German Missionary, called Ebner, they arrived on the farm of a man that had had been living there, but he had not done been plundered by Africaner some years much good, and was forced to leave as soon before, and how to get past was a difficulas Moffat came. Poor Moffat felt much ty. Mr Moffat left the waggon and Afrito be left alone with these wild people; but caner in the wood, and walked up to the he knew that God was with him, and he house alone. The farmer at first was much cast himself on Him. One thing encou- surprised to see the Missionary, for he raged him much: The people were very had heard he had been murdered long bewilling to hear him preach, and amongst the fore by the outlaw, and would scarcely bemost attentive was the outlawed chief him-lieve that it was not his ghost. During self; and often, after the sermon was over, their conversation they walked down towas he seen sitting under some great rock towards the waggon, and the farmer made |