opinions which had so recently dribbled from my pen, that I stood amazed with my remarks in my mind.

Whether a young relation of mine, who some times coaxes me over to let him enter my study, had been there among my papers; or whether the kitten had been endeavouring to decipher them, or cutting her capers in the middle of them, I could not at the time decide: but if one or both of these events had taken place, scarcely could my literary establishment have appeared in a more unfavourable plight.

Cruden's Concordance was lying open, back uppermost; two bundles of letters, one answered, and the other not, were mingled together. Four black-letter tomes, three numbers of the Visitor, Bailey's Dictionary, and a Van Diemen's Land Almanack had been piled up, with the Bible Catechism at top: but, somehow or other, they had toppled over, and lay untidily, stretching half across the table. Papers, printed, written, and ready to be written upon, lay in sad confusion; even my old " trumpery bag" was turned over, half emptied of its contents; and out of the six chairs, five of them were occupied with papers, put down apparently just for the moment, and intended to be removed.

Now, when I came seriously to take myself to task, and recollected, that for some days I had sat down in the parlour, not having been well; when I considered too, that during that time I had frequently gone into the study, and put things down carelessly, here and there, and taken up others hastily, there seemed almost enough evidence to convict me of being the author of my study's disorder. I could not, with a safe conscience, accuse either the kitten or my young relation, and I felt an accusing glow on my cheeks, that either went to, or came from my very heart.

Without waiting a moment longer, I set to work. The chairs were soon emptied; the letters assorted, and tied up in separate bundles; the papers were placed in an orderly manner. Cruden's Concordance was put in its proper place; the black-letter tomes, the Van Diemen's Land Almanack, the Visitors, and Bailey's Dictionary, were once again piled up like a pyramid, with the Bible Catechism at the top; and at the moment I am noting down these remarks, my study makes a very creditable appearance.

You see that I have not spared myself: mind that you spare not yourselves in this matter, for order is an excellent thing. Ahithophel, though

bent on self-destruction, set his house in order; David desired his very steps might be ordered of God; Solomon set his proverbs in order; Luke set in order the truths of the gospel of Christ; and Paul promised to order the affairs of the church of Corinth when he came among them.

In our worldly affairs, in our Bible reading, in our attendance on the word of God, in our religious exercises, and our appeals to a throne of grace, let us be orderly. In short, "Let all things be done decently and in order," and, with a blessing from above, we shall reap from the practice incalculable advantage.

R

THE

IMPROVIDENT TRAVELLER.

A CERTAIN traveller, who had a distance to go, one part of his road leading through green fields, and the other through a tangled road of brambles and thorns, made great preparation for the first part of his journey.

He dressed himself in light and gay clothes, and put a cake in his pocket; he stuck a nosegay in his bosom, and taking a light slender cane in his hand, nimbly proceeded on his way along the beaten path across the green meadows. The sun shone in the skies, and on went the traveller comfortably, pleasantly, and delightfully.

After a while, the road became rugged, and, by the time night drew on, the traveller was in a pitiable plight. His provisions were exhausted; his clothes wet through, and partly torn from his back by the briers; his flowers were faded; and, weary as he was, his slender cane would not bear his weight a stream of water was before him, and darkness around him.

"Alas!" said he, smiting his breast, "I am hungry, and have no food; wet to the skin, and have no dry clothes; weary, and no staff to rest on; I have a stream to cross, and here is no boat; I am bewildered, and have no guide; it is dark, and I have no lantern. Fool that I am! why did I not provide for the end of my journey as well as for the beginning?"

My friends, time is hastening away; you are travellers! You are every moment hastening nearer to the end of your journey, and to the eternity beyond it. If you have made preparation for both, happy are you; but if otherwise, you resemble the foolish traveller.