come quickly, in the fulness of his redemp tion to a groaning and suffering world.

Now, dear children, lay these thoughts seriously to heart. I cannot say with what increased interest I look now-a-days on every child that I see. What will not that child live to see when I am gathered to my fathers! Oh! that there may be rising up in our schools, and in our families, a generation that shall be counted worthy to stand before the Son of man, when he cometh in his judgments and his glory!

The Lord grant that we may all find mercy at his hands in that day.

Amen.

THE AFFECTIONATE BEAR.

THE further north we go, the colder it is: so that, in the parts towards the pole, the whole ocean is covered with ice, and all the JANUARY.

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land with snow. Large islands of ice float on those awful seas. The seamen there are very fond of shooting bears when they find them on the ice. This is what they are doing in our picture. We naturally think bears very rough, unfeeling animals. But it is not so. True, their coats are rough and heavy, but they are exceedingly fond of their young ones. And this reminds me of an interesting story which I think you will like to hear. A ship was taking a voyage in the Arctic Sea; and the sailors had thrown away on the ice some lumps of flesh of an animal they had killed. Near them, lived a bear, which had two young ones, called cubs. The mother-bear smelt the lumps of flesh, and thinking they would be nice food, went to fetch them. She brought each lump away separately, laid every one before her cubs, and divided it between them, leaving a very little piece for herself. As she was fetching the last piece, the sailors fired at the cubs, and shot them both dead. They wounded the mother also. It would have made some of you ery to see the sorrowing mother over her dying young ones. Though she herself was dreadfully wounded, and could only crawl to the place where they lay, she carried the last lump of flesh she had brought to them, tore it in pieces, and laid it before them; and when she saw that they refused to eat, she laid her paws first on one, then on the other, and tried to lift them up; moan

ing all the while most pitifully. She then began to lick their wounds. Finding at last they were cold and lifeless, she raised her head towards the ship, and uttered a growl of despair. The sailors fired on her; she fell between her cubs, and died licking their wounds.

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Here we see a mother's tenderness and affection marking the conduct of roughest beast. And if God has given such feelings even to dumb animals, how much more intense is that love which parents possess for their precious children! What will not a father deny himself in order to give ease or pleasure to his own child? What degree of suffering will not a mother endure, if by it she can give one moment's relief to, or lull one pain, of her little nursling?

Dear children, you know not what your parents have gone through for your sakes. But you are willing to believe that they love you tenderly, O, then, how do you repay them? Do we see cross looks, illtempered conduct, disobedient actions? These are like so many arrows piercing their hearts. O! go and pray to the Lord to make you like Jesus, who was a meek, humble, and obedient child.

EUNICE.

THE PUNISHMENT OF DISOBEDIENCE.

MY DEAR LITTLE FRIENDS, I wish you all the good old-fashioned welcome of

a happy new year; and now, as another twelvemonth has passed away, and is numbered amongst the "days that are gone," I hope you are become better and wiser, more dutiful to your parents, and attentive to your teachers, trying still more to become the "Children of God." The past year has been one of great importance to the world; we have seen many changes in that comparatively short space of time-thrones falling around us-and threatened with terrible things from the hand of the Lord-I mean the dreadful scourge of "cholera." Should not these things, my dear children, teach us to "number our days, and apply our hearts unto wisdom "

I have often promised my own children, I would try and write something for the "Children's Friend," that they might know their mamma would try to please them in that or any other way to do good or amuse; and now she thinks of something for that purpose.

During the past year, in the beautiful city of Exeter, where I reside, a boy of ten or twelve years of age, was told one Sunday to go to church, and left his home, as his father thought, for that purpose, dressed in his best clothes: instead of doing as his father told him, and what he well knew it was his duty to do, being the Sabbath-day, he went to the river, which was not far off, and got into a boat, thinking, no doubt, to have much

amusement; but, mark the consequence of breaking the Sabbath, and disobeying his father-the boat became either unmanageable or entangled, and quickly filled with water. The little boy, not having strength enough to guide it, or perhaps being incapable of doing so from terror, was drowned in a very short time. Little did that poor child think, when he entered that " "pleasure boat," as he fancied, that never again would he leave it with life. What must have been his feelings, when he saw the waters closing over him, and that none were near to help or to save! Bitterly he must have regretted deceiving his father; but such was the case, and his disobedience proved the cause of his death; and the first intelligence his poor father received that his son had not done as he told him, was by persons bringing home his dead body, from its watery grave. Whether this child had a mother, I know not; but if he had, what grief for her and all his family, to think of such an untimely end to her dear child; and to know, that had he done as he ought, and gone to church, it would not have happened.

Should not this, my dear little friends, teach you to attend more to the advice of your parents and teachers? Do not grieve them by disobedience, lest the consequences may be sad, like those I have now told you of.

I have never before written anything for the "Children's Friend," but if you like