let him learn to direct them by the providence and word of God. True greatnefs confifts in goodness-in being useful to mankind. Those individuals usually called great have been the deftroyers, not the benefactors of our race. A private station is as much a poft of honour as the most elevated. Indeed, properly speaking, there are no private stations; every man is a public man, and equally interested with others in the welfare and progrefs of his fellows. The lowly reed is as perfect in its kind as the lofty oak, and answers equally the end of its creation.

He is

It is true, however, that the more elevated the station a man holds in fociety, the more refponfibility he is under both to God and man. alfo exposed to more dangers and temptations. Envy, that hates the excellence she cannot reach, will carp at him, and flander shoot her poisoned arrows at him. Happiness feldom dwells with greatness, nor is fafety the child of wealth and honours. "But he that humbleth himself-in due time-shall be exalted."

A ftriking inftance of the danger of greatness may be found in the fall of Cardinal Wolfey. This ambitious man lived in the reign of Henry VIII., king of England. He was that monarch's favourite minifter. He is faid to have been "infatiable in his acquifitions, but ftill more magnificent in his expenses; of great capacity, but still more unbounded in enterprise; ambitious of power, but still more ambitious of glory." He fucceeded he was raised to the highest pinnacle;

but he fell under the displeasure of the king. The inventory of his goods being taken, they were found to exceed the moft extravagant furmises. Of fine holland, there were found eleven hundred pieces; the walls of his palace were covered with cloth of gold and filver; he had a cupboard of plate, all of maffy gold; and all the rest of his riches and furniture were in the fame proportion; all of which were converted to the use of the king. A bill of indictment was preferred against him; he was ordered to refign the great feal, and to depart from his palace. Soon after he was arrefted for high treafon, and commanded to be conducted to London to take his trial.

When he arrived at Leicester Abbey he was taken fick-men faid he poifoned himself. His diforder increased. A fhort time before he expired, he faid to the officer who guarded him: "O had I but ferved my God as faithfully as I have served my king, he would not have forsaken me in my grey heirs." He died fhortly after, in all the pangs of remorse, and left a life rendered miferable by his unbounded ambition for great

nefs.

GUILT.

In fplendour rifing, view "the king of day,"
And darkness chafing from the earth away;
The beaft of prey escapes before the fun,
To thickest covert, ere his work is done;
The birds of night now flee away apace,
And hide fecurely in fome gloomy place;
While the blithe lark, elate, pours forth its lays,
And warbles to the fun its notes of praise.
So guilty men purfue, in devilish mood,
The trade of plunder, and the deed of blood;
They work in darkness without fhame or fear,
And fkulk in darkness when the day draws near;
While confcious innocence walks forth upright,
And, like the lark, rejoices in the light.

SEE where the glorious fun is rifing in majesty and ftrength. Darkness has fled from his prefence, and now there is nothing hid from his rofy

light. See the beaft of prey flinking off to his den. Stung with hunger, and athirst for blood, he roamed round in the darknefs of night. Lighting upon a fheepcote, he breaks into the enclosure; the bleeting, helpless lambs become his prey; fome he devours, others he leaves mangled and torn upon the ground. Detected by the light, he sneaks away; he plunges into the foreft, and hides him in its thickeft fhade.

The birds of night-the bat and others-fly away before the rifing light. The mufic of the awakening choir, blooming fields, and spicy gardens, poffefs no charms for them. Mouldering ruins, among thickest shades, where the toad finds a fhelter, and the ferpent hiffes-this is their favourite dwelling-place; while the gay lark, high mounting, pours forth his praises to the folar king. He is gladdened by his beams, and welcomes his approach with all the melody of fong.

"Thou, O Lord, makeft darkness, and it is night, wherein all the beafts of the foreft do creep forth. The fun ariseth, they gather themfelves together, and lay them down in their dens."

The engraving is emblematical of guilt; for happy would it be for mankind, were the beafts of prey and birds of night the only disturbers of the world's repose-the only destroyers that walk abroad in darkness. Alas!

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When night

Darkens the streets, then wander forth the fons
Of Belial, flown with infolence and wine."

Then, too the robber goes forth to perpetrate his deeds of violence and rapine; then, too, the adulterer, and kindles a fire that will burn to the lowest hell; and, fhrouded in the mantle of night, the man of blood stalks forth, and works his deeds of death.

In this way, man, made in the image of God, becomes allied to the most malignant part of the brute creation, companions, and co-workers with them. What degradation! Alas, alas! how are the mighty fallen!

Look again at the folly and ignorance of wicked men in fuppofing themselves concealed, because they cannot see. It is related of the oftrich, that she covers her head only with reeds, and, because she cannot fee herself, thinks fhe is hid from the eye of her purfuers. Thus it is with the workers of iniquity in the night-time; they may indeed be hid from the fleeping eyes of mortals, but the ever-wakeful eye of Jehovah looks full upon them. When they fay, "Surely the darkness shall cover me," even then "the night is light" all around them. "Clouds and darkness are round about Him; they are Jehovah's habitation, therefore what is mistaken for a covering is the prefence-chamber of the Holy God, who "compaffeth thy path, and thy lying down, and who is acquainted with all thy ways."

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"Every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, left his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to