might pour out their hearts before God;-they would, habitually, care less for the earthly frame which perishes-more for the never-dying spirit.

My dear children'-might a pious mother say'what will you think of your body and its ornaments, when you lie upon a dying bed?-beauty will decay; the form you now take pleasure in adorning will become the food of worms; your last attire will consist only of a shroud, and your countenance, ere the coffin is closed upon it, will be covered with a thick vail, which shall conceal it for ever from every human eye-such is the end of mortal beauty. Let the golden hours now granted you, be spent, not in the adorning of this perishable clay, but in seeking the white robe washed in the blood of the Lamb-desire not earthly ornaments, but long for that vesture of resplendent light, with which the renewed soul is beautified through the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit, and which shall, in the morning of the resurrection, be manifested in unfading glory.'

The following hymns, (some of them perhaps not universally known,) are selected for the use of young persons, who are the subjects of our affectionate consideration in the preceding pages.

EMBLEMS OF MORTALITY.

SEE the leaves around us falling,
Dry and wither'd to the ground,
Thus to thoughtless mortals calling,
In a sad and solemn sound :-

"Sons of Adam, (once in Eden,

Where, like us, he blighted fell,)
Hear the lesson we are reading;
Mark the awful truth we tell:
"Youth, on length of days presuming,
Who the paths of pleasure tread:
View us, late in beauty blooming,
Number'd now among the dead :-
"What though yet no losses grieve you,
Gay with health and many a grace,
Let not cloudless skies deceive you ;
Summer gives to autumn place.
"Yearly in our course returning,
Messengers of shortest stay,
Thus we preach this truth concerning,
Heaven and earth shall pass away."

On the TREE OF LIFE eternal,

Man, let all thy hopes be staid:

This alone, for ever vernal,

Bears a leaf that shall not fade!

66 Questions and Answers.”

Bp. Horne.

Flowers, wherefore do ye bloom?
We strew thy path-way to the tomb.

Stars, wherefore do ye rise?
To light thy spirit to the skies.

Fair Moon, why dost thou wane?
That I may wax again.

O Sun, what makes thy beams so bright?
The Word that said-"Let there be light."

Planets, what guides you in your course?
Unseen, unfelt, unfailing force.

Nature, whence sprang thy glorious frame?
My Maker called me, and I came.

O Light, thy subtle essence who may know?
Ask not, for all things but myself I shew.

What is yon Arch which every where I see?
The sign of omnipresent Deity.

Winds, whence and whither do ye blow?
Thou must be born again to know.

Ocean, what rules thy swell and fall?

The might of Him that ruleth all.
Time, whither dost thou flee?
I travel to Eternity.

Eternity, what art thou-say?

Time past, time present-time to come-to-day.

O Life, what is thy breath?

A vapour vanishing in death.

O Grave, where is thy victory?

Ask Him who rose again from me.

O Death, where ends thy strife?

In everlasting life.

Montgomery.

"WHO taught the bird to build her nest

Of wool, and hay, and moss;

Who taught her how to weave it best,
And lay her twigs across?

"Who taught the busy bee to fly

Among the sweetest flowers;
And lay her store of honey by,
To eat in winter hours?

"Who taught the little ants the way
Their narrow holes to bore?

And through the pleasant summer's day
To gather up their store?

" "Twas GOD who taught them all the way, And gave their little skill,

And teaches children, when they pray,
To do His holy will."

A Child's Reflection.

AMONG the deepest shades of night,
Can there be one who sees my way?
Yes;-God is like a shining light,
That turns the darkness into day.

When every eye around me sleeps,
May I not sin without controul?
No; for a constant watch He keeps,
On every thought of every soul.

If I could find some cave unknown,
Where human feet had never trod,
Yet there I could not be alone;
On every side there would be GOD.

He smiles in heaven; He frowns in hell;
He fills the air, the earth, the sea:-

I must within his presence dwell :

I cannot from his anger flee.

Yet I may flee-He shows me where ;
Tells me to Jesus Christ to fly :

And while He sees me weeping there,
There's only mercy in His eye.

Mrs. Gilbert.

1 Sam. iii. 2, &c.-Children's Appeal.

IN Israel's fane, by silent night
The lamp of God was burning bright;
And there by viewless angels kept,
Samuel, the child, securely slept.

A voice unknown the stillness broke,

"Samuel!" it call'd, and thrice it spoke ; He rose, he ask'd, whence came the word? From Eli? no :-it was the Lord.

Thus early call'd to serve his God,
In paths of righteousness he trod;
Prophetic visions fired his breast,
And all the chosen tribes were bless'd.

Speak, Lord! and from our earliest days,
Incline our hearts to love thy ways;
Thy wakening voice hath reach'd our ear,
Speak, Lord, to us; thy servants hear.

And ye, who know the Saviour's love,
And richly all his mercies prove;
Your timely, friendly aid afford,
That we may early serve the Lord.

Cawood.

Morning.

LORD of my life, O may thy praise
Employ my noblest powers,
Whose goodness lengthens out my days,
And fills the circling hours.

Preserv'd by thy almighty arm,

I pass'd the shades of night, Serene, and safe from every harm, And see returning light.

While many spent the night in sighs,

And restless pains and woes;

In gentle sleep I closed my eyes,
And undisturb'd repose.