beneath their crushing weight. She looks on awhile in aftonishment at fuch heaven-daring impiety. She stands firm; she is girt about with truth. With a loud voice she gives utterance to her faith," Jehovah, he is the God! Jehovah, he is the God!" The fandy fabrics disappear like the moving columns of the defert.

Sometimes, as a last refort of fiendish malice, the fimoom of persecution is let loose upon her. Earth and hell combine. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, saying, "Let us break their bands afunder, and cast away their cords from us." The watchword is, "destroy, destroy," and the whole power of the enemy is hurled against the Lord's anointed. Her ordinary weapons of defence are here of no avail. She has recourse to prayer." She falls down low in the dust. God is all her trust. He is her help and her shield. She hides herself in Him until this "calamity be overpast." In every conflict she comes off victorious, as long as she continues united and watchful.

"all

In

Sometimes the church is favoured with extraordinary manifeftations of divine power and love; these are to her as an oasis in the defert. The river that makes glad the city of God pours its full streams into the midst of her. She enjoys a glorious revival; it is a foretaste of heaven. She arises and puts on strength. Multitudes are added unto her. Clothed with salvation, she again moves onward in all the power of truth,

and in the majesty of holiness, clear as the fun, fair as the moon, and glorious as an army with banners. Above her waves triumphant the banner of Redemption. Taking up the fong of prophecy as she advances, she sings :

In the wilderness shall burst forth waters,
And torrents in the defert;
And the glowing sand shall become a pool;
The defert and the waste shall be glad,
And the wilderness shall rejoice and flourish,
Like the rose shall it beautifully flourish.

Thus she goes forward from strength to strength, scattering in her path a new creation, until mercy's triumphs are complete, and God is all in all.

Lord, what a wretched land is this
That yields us no fupply;

No cheering fruits, no wholesome trees,
Nor streams of living joy !

Yet the dear path to thine abode
Lies through this weary land;
Lord! we would keep that heavenly road,
And run at thy command.

Our fouls shall tread the defert through,
With undiverted feet;
And faith and flaming zeal fubdue
The terrors that we meet.
A thousand savage beasts of prey
Around the defert roam;
But Judah's lion guards the way,
And guides the pilgrims home.
Through fimoom blasts, with gloomy fears
We trace the facred road;
Through lonely wastes and dangerous snares
We make our way to God.

"He heapeth up riches and knoweth not who shall gather them." Ps. xxxix. 6. "The covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth." Ps. x. 3.

SELFISHNESS.

Look at the selfish man! See how he locks
Tight in his arms his mortgages and stocks!
While deeds and titles in his hands he grafps,
And gold and filver close around him clasps.

But not content with this, behind he drags
A cart well laden with the pondrous bags;
The orphans' wailings and the widow's woe,
From mercy's fountain cause no tears to flow;
He pours no cordial in the wounds of pain,
Unlocks no prison, and unclasps no chain;
His heart is like the rock where fun nor dew
Can rear one plant or flower of heavenly hue.
No thought of mercy there may have its birth,
For helpless mifery or fuffering worth;
The end of all his life is paltry pelf,
And all his thoughts are centred on-himself;
The wretch of both worlds; for so mean a fum,
"First starved in this, then damned in that to come."

HERE is a poor fool "crouching beneath" more than "two burdens." Look at him! see how he pants and heaves, and groans beneath his load. With his right hand he grafps a large bag of gold and filver, together with bonds, titles, deeds and mortgages. In his left he clutches fast, stocks and pledges, while suspended to his left shoulder dangles interest upon interest. Around his waist is buckled a leathern girdle, to which a waggon is attached by means of traces. This is loaded with bags and bales of rich annuities. He appears to have made "a clean sweep" wherever he has been; defolation follows in his train. On the left hand of this receivergeneral stands a female, accompanied by two children. Look at them. They have come through the peltings of a winter's storm, poorly clad as they are, to lighten the poor man's load. They have nothing to carry. See! they are beseeching him to allow them to bear part of his burden. It would help them somewhat; it would circulate the blood and keep them warm; it would benefit him, however, a great deal more, -pehaps fave his life. He looks angry; he growls at them; he curses them in the name of his god, and spurns them from his prefence. The man cannot be in his right mind, furely. Refusing assistance, on he goes again, lamenting very much the time he has loft, for "time" with him " is money." On he goes, puffing and sweating and dragging. At length, still followed by the woman and children, he comes to a bridge thrown across a river rolling rapidly. It looks quite safe; as he proceeds, it bends and cracks with the weight, and just when he arrives at the middle it gives way and down he goes, bags and all; he finks to the bottom like a stone. The dark wave rolls over him; he dieth as a fool dieth; his memory has perished.

The above engraving represents Selfishness refusing the claims of distressed humanity. Perhaps all the manifestations of fin in man may be traced to selfishness as their fource. The warrior in his pursuit of glory; the politician in hunting for power; the covetous in scheming for wealth; the scholar in his aspirations for fame; all act from the principle of selfishness. Here the selfish principle manifests itself in the acquisition of money; in keeping it, and of course fixing the heart upon it as an object worthy to be adored. The Most High, looking down from the height of his holiness, pronounces the man, "fool."