"Faint not, and fret not, for threatened woe, Few though the faithful, and fierce though the foe, (By permission of Mr. Masters. From the "Churchman's Companion.") THE FLOWERS OF NATURE. W. HILL, Author of "The Memory of Language." THE flowers of Nature in fragrance unfold, Delighting the senses-more precious than gold; The fields, clothed in verdure, a carpet display, Of velvet-like beauty, so charming and gay. The beautiful stars-shining gems of the skyThe works of our Maker, so brilliant and high, Still twinkle in beauty, in sweetness appear, On mountain, in valley, our pathway to cheer. The beautiful moon, with its silvery light, The great starry arch, so sparkling and bright, The glorious sun, the bright king of the day, The power of God and his goodness display. But nothing on earth that has e'er met our eyesThe verdure of fields, or the clouds, or the skies, The birds of the forest, that sing to the wind, Can show us the wisdom of God more than mind. (Copyright Contributed.) A WISH. FREDERICK LOCKER. To the south of the church, and beneath yonder yew, A pair of child lovers I've seen; More than once they were there, and the years of the two, When added, might number thirteen. They sat on a grave that had never a stone They tenderly prattled; what was it they said? Dear little ones, did ye know aught of the dead, I wish to believe, and believe it I must, My own, you are five, very nearly the age And some day a true-love your heart will engage, Then visit my grave like a good little lass, And if any daisies should peer through the grass, And place not a stone to distinguish my name, But come with your lover, as these lovers came, And while you are smiling, your father will smile Such a dear little daughter to have, But mind,—Oh, yes, mind you are happy the while— I wish you to visit my grave. (By permission of the Author.) SABBATH MORN. J. E. CARPENTER. SILENCE without, and calm within the dwelling; Through the green lanes the village groups are bending; Sweet to the senses breathe the leaves and flowers; SABBATH EVE. J. E. CARPENTER. I WANDER'D forth one Sabbath eve, For weary hearts some blissful dream. The sun had set behind the hill, No sound disturb'd the tranquil air; very It may be that I slept awhile, For when again I mark'd the skies, CHRIST A TEACHER. REV. R. ROBINSON. OUR Lord Jesus Christ had been long expected to appear in the Jewish church, as a prophet like unto Moses, and his ministry had been characterized as the most beneficial that could be imagined. The people, therefore, formed the highest expectations of his economy, and he framed it so as to exceed all description. He taught. . . . not as the scribes. First, instead of deriving his doctrine from popular notions, human passions, the interests of princes, or the traditions of priests, he took it immediately from the Holy Scriptures, to which he constantly appealed. The truths of natural religion he explained and established; the doctrines of revelation he expounded, elucidated, and enforced, and thus brought life and immortality to light by the Gospel. Next, the doctrines which he taught were all plain facts-God is a Spirit-God sent his Son into the world, that the world by him might be saved-Moses wrote of me-He that believeth on Him that sent me, is passed from death unto life-The dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God-The righteous shall go into life eternal-My kingdom is not of this worldThe merciful are happy-Happy are the pure in heart -few find the narrow way that leadeth to life-many go in at the wide gate that leadeth to destruction. All these, and many more of the same kind, are facts plain and true, and they were the simple truths which Jesus Christ chose to teach. That Thirdly, the motives which he employed to give his doctrine energy, were not taken from sinful secular things; but it was urged home in its truth and importance. This fact is true, and therefore you ought to believe it, whether the world admit it or not. duty is important to your health, to your property, to your comfort, to your salvation, to your pleasing God, and therefore you ought to perform it, whether the world perform it or not. rous. The tempers, in which he executed his ministry, were the noblest that can be conceived. He was humble, compassionate, firm, disinterested, and geneHe displayed in all the course of his ministry such an assortment of properties as obliged some of his auditors to burst into exclamatory admiration, Blessed are the paps which thou hast sucked! others to hang upon his lips, wondering at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth, and all to acknowledge, Never man spake like this man! This was not a temporary tide of popularity, it was admiration founded on reason, and all ages since have admired and exclaimed in like manner. Add to these the simplicity and majesty of his style, the beauty of his images, the alternate softness and severity of his address, the choice of his subjects, the gracefulness of his deportment, the indefatigableness of his zeal . . . . where shall I put the period? his perfections are inexhaustible, and our admiration is everlasting. The character of Christ is the best book a preacher can study. In order to mortify human vanity, to convince the world that religion was a plain simple thing, and that a little common sense accompanied with an honest good heart was sufficient to propagate it, without any aid |