should perish." And he did not. Monica lived to see the son for whom she had wept and prayed for many years, at the feet of Jesus. It was once said to a mother, "You must lay your account with some one of your children going wrong: what are they more than others ?" "Never, never, was the answer, "while God is in heaven to hear prayer." This was the utterance of a true mother and true Christian. دو But in order to success, mothers must show their children an example worthy to be followed-an example that shall embody whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy. And along with this Christian example there must be a wise, thoughtful, and loving discipline from the very dawn of reason. Self-will and other evil tendencies and passions of various kinds show themselves in the earliest childhood. And with these the mother must wage a perpetual warfare -a warfare without noise, without violence, but continuous and earnest. And, while exercising discipline, she must be careful to instil Christian truth into the minds of her children-not such truth merely as may be given in answer to the child's question, "Where did the sun and the sea come from?" but such truth likewise as can alone answer the sinner's question, "What must I do to be saved?" Let children be taught from their childhood how God has loved the world and given His Son to die for sinners. Let this most blessed truth be set before them in such ways as are best adapted to their years, with the unceasing prayer, that by the grace of the Holy Spirit it may be the seed of a new and divine life in their souls. And parents who thus act, and teach, and pray, may well commit their children to Him who delighteth in mercy. "HE giveth grace to the humble," pours it out plentifully upon humble hearts. His sweet dews and showers of grace slide off the mountains of pride, and fall on the low valleys of humble hearts, and make them pleasant and fertile.-Leighton. A DROWNING man plucked from the jaws of death is happier with three feet of bare rock than others with thousands of broad acres; so is the humble Christian happier with the hope of heaven than the men of the world are when their corn and wine do most abound, and all things go well with them. THE GODLY HOUSE. Where Faith, there Love; "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." A -Job i. 21. ND the mother gave in tears and pain, The flowers she most did love; For she knew she'd find them all again, SUNDAY EVENING WITH THE CHILDREN. HE Sunday evening is the mother's special hour. As soon as children can understand anything, Bible pictures may be shown to them, and their story told. When they grow old enough, they enjoy reading the Bible together, verse by verse, and having it well explained and talked over; also the repetition of hymns and texts, which come often in sweet lisping accents from baby lips. This should be followed by prayer from the mother, with her children, -a most important duty, from which she will reap a full reward. It should surely never be discontinued altogether, so long as any children remain under the parental roof. It is very delightful to encourage the children to pray too, one after another, thus making it a little prayer-meeting, and a very hallowed season to both mother and children. Let the whole atmosphere be love love shown to one another, but especially love to Jesus, "who took the little ones in His arms, and blessed them," and whose "love passeth knowledge." Yes "The old, old story, Of Jesus and His love." Such a Sabbath evening has produced the remark from a lively school-boy, "Well, Sunday is the happiest day in the week, after all." A little time given to each child alone, when they can open their hearts and tell all their difficulties and troubles, has been highly valued in some families. Parents should endeavour thus to gain the confidence of their children; and who can tell the value of such intercourse, especially to boys and girls at school? Sunday services at home, when a short sermon can be read, and the Scripture expounded, may be made most interesting and pleasant. Children of all ages can enjoy them, and the little ones in the nursery will often go through the whole routine with as much pleasure as their elder brothers and sisters downstairs. A winter evening or summer afternoon spent thus on the Sabbath, with the parents, is sometimes the most profitable part of the day; and the good seed then sown will surely spring up and bear fruit, even though it may be "after many days."-A MOTHER WHO HAS REAPED WHAT SHE HAS SOWN. ANOTHER WORD TO PARENTS.-Try to make Sunday the happiest day in the week to your children. It was so in our home. Never shall we forget the Sabbath evenings of our earlier days. Let me try to give a little account of them. In Scotland there is no evening service, at least, not as a general rule. Morning and afternoon are the times for public worship. That plan has its objections, but it also has its advantages; and very glad am I it was not broken through when I was a child. I said, Sunday evening was a happy time to us little folks, and so it was an early tea, and then our father and mother were all our own. These were emphatically the children's hours. Nothing ever took them away, no going out to spend the evening at meetings or with friends, and no asking of friends to spend the evening with them. If any one dropt in to tea, of course he was welcome, but on the condition that, if he stayed, he must for a little while become a child again. The time was not frittered away; you must not think that. No, it was during these holy happy hours, that the good seed was sown, which, by God's blessing has sprung up and is, I trust, bearing fruit. Oh, fathers and mothers, do not leave to others this task of teaching those who are so dear to you the great and precious truths of the Bible; and let both parents take part in it: too often the religious training is left entirely to the mother. Now our father did not do that; it was his delight to get the little ones of all to come to him first, these Sabbath evenings, and to tell them in simple language "of the sweet story of old," or of Moses in the basket, or of Joseph with his coat of many colours. Then came the elder children's turn. We were each expected to have a hymn ready to say. There was no compulsion about it; we were allowed to choose our own; and I do not think any of us found it a task. It is impossible to speak too highly of the practice of early committing to heart hymns and portions of Scripture; and among the young people of the better classes, it is to be feared that it is not cultivated as it ought to be. Oh, encourage your boys and girls in this; they will bless you for it in days to come. Laid on a sick bed, or wandering in a foreign land, who knows but some verse may come to their memory that may be to them like a message from above. دو Then came the Bible lesson. We all got round the table; a chapter was selected, and explained to us in the most interesting way; many anecdotes and illustrations were brought to bear upon the subject, parallel passages were turned up and examined, and thus were we taught for ourselves how to "search the Scriptures. But it was not merely a Bible lesson; personal religion was pressed upon us in such a manner that we felt our parents were earnest and anxious above all things that we should be God's children as well as theirs. Once I remember our father looking over to our mother, and saying "Oh mother, if I could only see all our bairns followers of Christ, I think I should be ready to say,' Now, Lord, lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace."" To which she answered, with a smile," I think we should like to stay for a while here, even then, to see how things get on.' "" Both desires of their hearts have been granted; all the family are now bound by a closer tie than any earthly relationship. We believe we are bound together in the bundle of life; one child after another has come forward publicly to profess their love to Christ, and they are still spared to help us with their prayers, and guide us with their counsel. A hymn sung, a short prayer offered, something good in the way of fruit or cake afterwards closed the evening for the younger ones; while the elder ones, because it was Sunday, were allowed to stay up to the early supper. Christian parents,-those who honour God, He will honour. Set apart some fixed time in the week for the religous instruction of your children, and let it be sacred to that purpose. Impressions will be made then which nothing in the future will be able to efface. Seed will be sown then which will spring up by-and-by. Do your part of the work earnestly, faithfully; and fear not, God's Spirit will do His. "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it."-A Mother. "Our most important are our earliest years; -Couper. E PRAISE WAITING. (Psalm lxv. 1.) CANNOT praise Thee now, I cannot praise Thee now! When Zion's hill we climb. I cannot praise Thee here, Lord, And in mine eye a tear. All smiling through these tears. I cannot praise Thee here, Lord, But praise is waiting for Thee, We gather in at last. And I will praise Thee there, Lord, In faltering accents, here. Then let me praise Thee now, Lord, For the praise that's waiting for Thee, |