make darkness light before you, and crooked things straight, because He Himself has said so? Do you believe, when you come to God, that you WILL receive "whatsoever you ask in prayer, believing"? There is no limit to the promise, except what is implied in that one word, "believing." This is not a subject to be passed lightly by, for we either honour or dishonour God when we make known our requests unto Him. We honour Him when we trust Him; we dishonour Him when we are of a "doubtful mind." Learn a lesson, then, from this little child; for truly it may be said, "Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings Thou hast perfected praise." A. B. THE PRAYER IN THE OLD OAK CHEST. with something of a religious know the cause. He looked on her with mildness, and replied, "I cannot tell you." This only increased her solicitude; he intreated her to withdraw; as she left the room, she cast an anxious and expressive look upon him, and he instantly called her back. He then, with all the feelings which an awakened guilty conscience could endure, told the cause of his agonies-his father's prayer found in the old chest. She thought him deranged; his neighbours were called in to comfort him, but in vain. The prayer had inflicted a wound which the great Physician of souls only could heal. From that period he became an altered man, forsook every way of sin, united himself to the Church of Christ, set his slaves at liberty, and lived and died an humble, exemplary Christian. THE DRUNKEN PARENT. TAKE up the Times or any other newspaper of any date, and read over the "Police Report." You will be almost sure to find accounts of some of the working classes, who have got into trouble through drinking. A most affecting case is recorded in the London newspapers during the month of May, in the past year. A blacksmith, residing in Maiden-lane, Islington, left his forge, and went to the public house to have "a glass." One glass led to many more, and he became like a madman. A more striking illustration of the sad effect of strong drink in destroying all the feelings of parental affection was perhaps never witnessed. On returning home, he had his little girl, two and a half years of age, with him. The poor thing began to cry. This enraged the drunken father. He shook and cursed the child in a manner too fearful to describe. No wonder that it cried still louder. He then seized the helpless little one by her legs, and carried her for some distance with her head hanging down and dragging upon the ground. A lady and gentleman, who were passing, remonstrated with him, and he promised to use the child better. He had not, however, gone much further before he was heard to say, "I'll do for you," at the same time dashing the poor child's head against the railings of the house he was passing. Strange to say, no one dared to interfere, and the police were not within hearing. He continued to drag the girl along the ground until he came to a brick-field, when he threw the child like a stone upon the ground, and then with all his weight rolled himself over its feeble frame. at A policeman was now hand, who took the drunkard into custody. Strange to say, the child was not dead. Her little bonnet and hair had got filled with earth and sand, and thus warded off the effects of the blows. Her wounds were dressed, and by medical care and prison. The magistrate would not inattention she was sufficiently re-flict a fine, but sent him to covered to appear at the police office on the following day. When the man was asked by the magistrate what had induced him to treat his poor child with such cruelty, he replied, "I had been drinking, or I should not have done it." Let this fact be a warning to working men. Keep on the right side of the public house, that is the outside. Touch not, taste not, those drinks which produce such fearful results. PEARL FISHERS IN CEYLON. Ir is said that in the island of Ceylon, the pearl fishers, when they have dived beneath the waves for their precious treasures, and gathered a large quantity of the pearl oysters, heap them together, and leave them to rot under the burning sun of that tropical climate, until the whole atmosphere around is poisoned with the loathsome effluvia of the corrupting mass. And then, when the work of corruption has taken place, the fair and lustrous pearls are found loosened from their putrifying inclosures; and the most precious are eagerly collected, and are sold to gleam amongst the jewels of the great ones of the earth. What an emblem of death! Jesus shall come and change this vile body. Then, this cor ruptible shall put on incorruption. Now the precious pearl, how hidden, how tarnished and sullied, while lying in the fleshly, corrupted nature! Even a holy Job could say, "I abhor myself." Even a holy Paul could only compare himself to a malefactor, with a loathsome dead corpse chained to his leg, leading him to exclaim, in his mental anguish, "Oh, wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" But the hidden pearl shall soon be rescued from all the mass of corruption which lies upon it. The full manifestation of the sons of God, purified from all the dross of evil nature, and far and for ever removed from the influences of the evil one-who can conceive this blessedness? W. THE POINT WHERE INFIDELITY BREAKS DOWN. Two English gentlemen, Mr. | sengers on board, but no one Bancroft and Mr. Weld, were exhibited such strong marks of overtaken with a storm on board fearful despair as Volney; throwa vessel on one of the American ing himself upon the deck, now lakes. In the same vessel was imploring, now cursing the capVolney, the French atheist. The tain, and reminding him that he storm was violent, and the dan- had engaged to carry him safe ger considerable. There were to his destination, vainly threatmany female as well as male pas-ening in case anything should happen. At last, however, as the probability of their being lost increased, he began loading all his pockets and every place he could think of with dollars, to the amount of some hundreds, and thus, as he thought, was preparing to swim for his life, should the expected wreck take place. Mr. Bancroft remonstrated with him on the folly of such acts, saying that he would sink like a piece of lead, with so much weight about him; and at length, as he became so very noisy and unsteady as to impede the management of the ship, pushed him down the hatchways. Volney soon came up again, having lightened himself of the dollars, and in the agony of his mind threw himself upon the deck, exclaiming, with uplifted hands and streaming eyes," Oh, my God! my God! what shall I do? what shall I do?" This so surprised Bancroft that he exclaimed, "Well, Mr. Volney, what-you have a God now! To which Volney replied, with the most trembling anxiety, "Oh, yes! oh, yes! Ah! every infidel knows in his heart that there is a God; and in danger he owns it. OUR SIN, AND INDIA'S TROUBLES. have been, generally speaking, of so godless and self-indulgent a character, as scarcely to would be permitted long to continue so unchecked. Feeling these facts to be painfully true, we blame, and perhaps justly blame, those in authority who, as we believe, might have remedied these evils; and as our hearts are daily lacerated and torn by unheard-of atrocities, and as we cannot vent our indignation on these inhuman wretches themselves, we vent it in bitter words against those, whom we say might have prevented the sufferings. DEAR FRIENDS,-At a time like this, when all our thoughts have been occupied with the terrible and heart-rending accounts flow-warrant the expectation that it ing into us of the sufferings of our beloved fellow-countrymen in India, the question naturally arises in our minds, what can we have done to call down upon us so awful a judgment? This question has been repeatedly asked, and various have been the causes suggested amongst them. And perhaps the most likely to be correct, is, first, the fact that, notwithstanding the power and influence God has given us in that country, thereby giving us the means of placing his blessed Gospel in the hands of those benighted heathen, we not only neglected to do so, but actually promised that on no account would we attempt to Christianize, but would rather uphold them in their pagan superstitions. Then, secondly, the living and conduct of the English in India But let us take care that, in condemning others, we are not writing bitter things against ourselves. We must remember, a nation is made up of individuals. Then let us each ask ourselves, What have I done to avert this calamity? We are told that the English in India have too often lived a godless, self-indulgent life; and have the English in England lived more godly lives? Speak, my rich reader. How do you live? Is it in the constant fear and love of God? Are you a faithful soldier of the cross, fighting manfully against evil both in your own soul and the world around you? Are you in earnest about religion, striving daily to live as not your own? Or, are you living in total forgetfulness of any or all of these things? Going to church, perhaps, on Sunday, as outward decency compels you, but from Monday morning to, it may be, late on Saturday evening, rushing madly into the world's gaieties, without a thought of your soul, of God, or of eternity? If this is your picture, my reader, do not condemn the English in India till you have pulled the beam out of your own eye;" for believe me, it is your sin that has helped to bring this judg ment on us. 66 And speak, my poor reader, you who have to work hard for your daily bread, have you nothing to do with this dire calamity? Though poor, are you striving honestly and industriously to earn your daily pittance? bringing up your children in the fear and love of God, and hailing the Sabbath, not as a day of idle pleasure, but a day of bodily rest and soul refreshment? Or, do you live, denying (though, perhaps, not by words, yet by actions) that there is such a being as a God? Are your small earnings spent in the public-house and other worse places, while your wife and children are allowed to starve or die? Is the Sunday nothing more than a day of extra pleasure or extra business for you? Then I tell you faithfully, "Thou art the man or woman that has helped to bring this curse on us." And, my fellow-Christians, who of us can say that we are exempt from this terrible accusation? No one! Would to God we could! It is a judgment on us for our negligence and apathy. We are not half awake, not half in earnest. We call the Government dilatory, and are we more active in spiritual matters? We call the sepoys faithless, ungrateful wretches, and are we less faithless and ungrateful to the King of kings! Oh, these are stirring times! Let us think of our responsibilities as God's people! We are the salt of the earth; where is our savour? We are a light set on a hill; how dimly do we shine! We are God's servants, placed here to do His work; how leisurely we do it! How easily satisfied with ourselves! We think it is a crying shame and great national sin that we have done nothing to evangelize India; and so it is. But what have we, as individuals, done towards remedying the evil? How sparingly have we given for the support of the little band of missionaries now out there? What have we done towards sending more? How few and cold have been our prayers for that idolatrous country! Oh, my brethren, with bitter shame and deep contrition we must hang our heads, and, self-accused, confess we have brought this judgment on our country! But what now is to be done? Do not let us sit down in despair, |