fusion and novelties introduced, and nothing gained at last a mere 'spasmodic awakening' — nothing but 'animal excitement.'" And here he gave the sign to his deputy skeletons" Discredit it, discredit it, all you can." Away went the deputy skeletons through the crowd, tattling, "No revival! no revival! only spasmodic awakening! nothing but animal excitement!" But just now they were startled and stunned by the powerful voice of Ezekiel, with which the whole valley rang again-"Thus saith the Lord God, Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live ;" and lo! the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet an exceeding great army. And there was glory to God in the highest. And there was the joy of life from the dead. The brother greeted the brother redeemed from the grave. The father hailed, blessed, and embraced the son. Glad angels spread their rainbow wings over the enrapturing scene, and sung, "The dead is alive, and the lost is found."

As for the skeleton preacher, he escaped from the living multitude; then turned, and gazed over the scene with more than fiendish indignation. He gnashed and ground his naked teeth, struck his bony hand on the dry ribs of his breast, then turned, and set his face for the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, elsewhere called Tophet, muttering, as he went along, "Yes, this is the result of the revival. I am unsettled. The relationship between me and this church is dissolved. Perdition on such revivals! This is the result of allowing such evangelists as Ezekiel to roam over the country, preaching. Perdition on such revivals! Yes, I'm unsettled; and now I must look out

for another location." As the skeleton preacher went muttering along toward the Valley of Tophet, he was met by one of the sons of the prophets, who perfectly understood the whole case. He was a plain, straightforward, out-spoken man, ardently devoted to the cause of God and the salvation of men. He heard the mur

murings of the skeleton for a few moments, and his anger was kindled, and he thus addressed him: "Meagre, miserable skeleton! are you raving and wrathful because your great congregation has awaked to life, and your control over them is at an end? Do you think that the great Majesty of heaven planned the scheme of redemption in eternity, and established his beloved church on earth, for no higher object than that such a wretched rackheap of dry bones as you should be bolstered up in some comfortable location? Do you think that all the wheels of creation, providence, and redemption should be stopped, for fear that such a foul, frightful scarecrow as you should be driven from its roost! Wretched skeleton! What madness has possessed thee! What worse than demon has entered into thee! Yes, you're unsettled, and deservedly so. You attempted to hurl back the Spirit of the Almighty. You lifted up your dry bones to resist the growing conquests of the glorious Immanuel. You're unsettled; yes, because you hated light, and hated life. You continued dead, and your bones very dry; and you wished to keep all as dead and dry as yourself. Why did not you hear the word of God? Why did not you awake to life? Why did not you have flesh and sinews, and skin cover your dry bones? Why did not you receive the breath of heaven, and live? You might then have remained in the congregation

of the living.

You are cast out, because there is no
Your bones are fleshless, frightful,

breath in you.
and very dry. Avaunt, wretched skeleton!" The
chop-fallen skeleton preacher made no reply, but went
on his way toward the Valley of Tophet. The en-
trance of the valley was dark and dismal. Heavy
clouds hung over it, and shut out the light of heaven.
The exhalations of the valley arose like columns of
ascending smoke, and from the depths within sounds
issued like weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth.
The skeleton approached. His "ruling passion was
strong up to the very moment when he entered the
gloomy vale. "This," he exclaimed, "verifies the
doctrine I have maintained for years. The conversion
of souls costs too much, and the resurrection of the
dead costs too much. Here I'm unsettled. I must
look out for a new location; and there is little likeli-
hood that I shall better my condition. Perdition on
revivals! Tell me not that God is honored, the Re-
deemer glorified, sinners saved, the dead alive, the lost
found, the angels rejoicing. What are all these things
to me? Here is an evil that outweighs them all-
I'm unsettled! Perdition on revivals!" Muttering
and blaspheming thus, while he gnashed his naked
teeth, the skeleton plunged into the horrible valley,
and I saw him no more.

THE LITTLE AUGER AND KING
SOLOMON.

AN EXTRACT FROM THE "BOOK OF THE ACTS OF SOLOMON," MENTIONED 1 KINGS XI. 41.

Now it came to pass, while King Solomon was building the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, that very many tools and instruments were employed by the king in this great work. "And King Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men. And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses; a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home. And Adoniram was over the levy. And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bare burdens, and fourscore thousand hewers in the mountains; beside the chief of Solomon's officers which were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, which ruled over the people that wrought in the work. And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house. And Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders did hew them, and the stone-squarers: so they prepared timber and stones to build the house." "And this is the reason of the levy which King Solomon raised; for to build the house of the Lord, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo,

and Gezer. For Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up, and taken Gezer, and burnt it with fire, and slain the Canaanites that dwelt in the city, and given it for a present unto his daughter, Solomon's wife. And Solomon built Gezer." "And he built Tadmor in the wilderness, and all the store-cities, which he built in Hamath. Also he built Beth-horon the upper, and Beth-horon the nether, fenced cities, with walls, gates, and bars; and Baalath, and all the store-cities that Solomon had, and all the chariot-cities, and the cities of the horsemen, and all that Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and throughout all the land of his dominion." (1 Kings v. 13; ix. 15—17.)

And it came to pass, that among the great variety of instruments employed in building the house of the Lord, there was a little auger, that had a spirit of high ambition. It is not more strange that a little auger should have a spirit of high ambition, than that the trees, in Jotham's time, should go forth to anoint a king over them, and that the olive, the fig tree, the vine, and the bramble, should converse together on the subject. (Judges ix. 8-15.) So this little auger was greatly troubled with an ambitious spirit the same spirit that has often proved a source of anguish and trouble among the children of men.

Now, it came to pass, that on a certain day King Solomon came up to look upon the workmen, and to see the progress of the work. And behold, as the king was passing near the little auger, it opened its mouth and hailed him, saying, "Hear! hear! that I may speak to thee, great king of Jerusalem.”

King Solomon stopped, and looked upon it. "Ha!"