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and to read my Bible, and these are mercies for which I cannot be too thankful.

V. True; to be thankful for mercies is the way to increase them. An ungodly man was once bemoaning the case of a blind Christian. "I pity you," said he; " for I think, to be blind must be one of the greatest misfortunes in the world." "True," replied the afflicted Christian; "but your visitation is much heavier than mine, for I have only the blindness of the eye to endure, while you, alas! have the blindness of the heart." So you see, Moreton, that even if your eyes should get worse, you will still have something to be thankful for.

M. To be free from blindness of heart is, indeed, a great mercy; but my manifold infirmities often make me very unhappy. I do not know how it is, but I get more and more dissatisfied with myself, and if I was not sure that the promises of God are yea and amen in Christ Jesus, I should often give myself over for lost.

V. While you distrust yourself, I am not afraid of your drawing back; for God giveth "That soul which grows grace to the humble. most in the grace of God, grows most out of conceit with itself." The warp and the woof of your cloth are not woven more closely together than sin and the human heart; but our gracious Redeemer has put away sin by the sacrifice of

himself, and he has won for us a robe of righteousness, clothed in which we may appear boldly before God. "It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth ?" Rom. viii. 33, 34. He will "give grace and glory; and no good thing will he withhold from those who walk uprightly," Psa. lxxxiv. 11.

A CALL ON A PROUD YOUNG MAN.

Give this note to your father, Harry, when he comes in from his work, and tell him that he must attend to it, otherwise we shall be standing still. I have long wanted to speak a word to you in private, and will now take the opportunity of so doing. You know, Harry, that your father is not very well off in the world, and yor ought to know that anything like pride and vanity in him or in you would be weak and wicked. I believe your father to be an industrious, humble-minded man; but I am afraid that you are not much disposed to follow his example. Dearly do I love to see young persons clean and neat in their dress; it is a good sign but to give way to pride and conceit, is to render themselves hateful in the eyes of all around them. I am afraid, Harry, that you have never thought of this in a right light; for every one who knows you is aware of your

failing. If young people only knew the misery that pride has inflicted on mankind, they would start back from it as from a viper. A sparkling shirt-pin has cost many a boy his character, and a glittering pair of earrings has ruined the reputation of many a thoughtless girl; for ornaments and smart clothing lead into light company, and light company leads to ruin. How is it likely, Harry, that you will work and help your poor father as you ought to do, if you give to the foolish conceit of adorning your perEvery one who knows your situation must be struck with your appearance. Pride is a bad companion to the rich, but it is a much worse one to the poor. To be humble is to be safe, but to be proud is to be in danger. What is it that you are looking forward to, that will warrant the high opinion you appear to entertain of yourself? Both the word of God and the experience of man agree, that “ Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall," Prov. xvi. 18.

way son.

The proud in their pomp, and the vain in their folly,
Amid all their plans disappointment must know;
Their objects are selfish, their ends are unholy,
Their pleasure will shortly be turn'd into woe.
Repining awaits them in every condition,

Though hope, like a flower, for a season may bloom;
For the visions of pride, and the dreams of ambition,
Are bubbles that burst when they come to the tomb.

Think, Harry, of what the Holy Scriptures say: "Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return," Gen. iii. 19. Ought dust and ashes to be proud? Without the grace of God, man is a perishing sinner. Ought a perishing sinner to be proud? Depend upon it, that when a man gets into the troubled waters of temptation and trial, pride is one of the heaviest mill-stones that can be hung round his neck. You must not think that I am speaking unkindly; for there is not an unkind thought in my heart towards you. I want to see you humble, industrious, and happy; and as no one can be proud and happy at the same time, so I want you to push aside the stumbling-block from your path. No one is likely to think highly of you, while you think so highly of yourself: those who know themselves cannot be proud; and those who do not, have nothing to be proud of. I cannot expect that what I have said should be pleasant to you; for your looks tell me that it is just the contrary. Most people make wry faces in taking physic, and I shall be very glad if my advice should prove medicine to you, and restore you to a more healthy estimate of yourself. Farewell, Harry. Remember my parting remark :-Pride is an unbroken horse, that leaps headlong down a precipice; humility is a seed set in the ground,

that springs up blooming and blossoming towards heaven.

A CALL ON A BIBLE READER.

Visitor. You are meditating over the blessed book of peace and mercy and wisdom, I see, as usual, Jacob. Many a crumb of comfort you get, when others are fainting for want of spiritual food to cheer them on their way through the wilderness.

Jacob. Ay, sir, you may rather call the promises of God in Christ loaves of bread than crumbs of comfort. There is in the Bible a feast of fat things for the lowliest follower of the Redeemer.

V. God has spread for us a table in the wilderness, but we are so much wrapped up in ourselves, that we devote but very few of our thoughts to his mercies. One glories in his wisdom, another in his might, and a third in his riches. In short, in anything but the mercy and compassion of our heavenly Father.

J. When we look at ourselves, there is enough to make our eyes run down with tears, and our eyelids gush out with water; but when we view the grace of Jesus Christ, in living, dying, and interceding for us, words are not sufficient to express our joy. "Let not the wise

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