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Proverbs xxvi. 23, that 'burning lips and a wicked heart are like

A POTSHERD COVERED WITH SILVER DROSs.'

His meaning was, that when a person professes a warm affection with the lips that is not felt in the heart, but something very different, then that person's conduct is like an old sooty pot covered over with silver dross. It looks like solid silver, but it is not really so. And if you were to have such a present made to you, and afterwards discovered the fraud, wouldn't you feel not only disappointed but vexed and angry, and come to entertain a very low estimate of the person who could treat you in such a way? Well, so with professions of love, where no love is felt. They may at first attract and please, but they can only-after discovery-result in disappointment and disgust.

Hence, my advice to you is

BEWARE OF HYPOCRISY.

Dont put on false faces, or profess a love you dont feel, and say that you know all about a thing when you dont. Be real. Rather be silent than speak untruthfully.

At Halloween, in many parts of Scotland, I have seen boys, and sometimes girls too, putting on false faces for amusement, which made them appear so different from what they really were-like old men, when they were hardly into their teens. And here and there, perhaps, you have heard of people engaging in masquerades, putting on wigs and such queer dresses, that you would fancy the world had gone back some two hundred years. But these deceptions are so apparent, that you can't be injured by them; whereas, in the actual business of life, very often serious consequences come out of the bad habit of putting on false appearances. No doubt, boys will be boys,' fond of fun and frolic; but in the midst of all I would have you to be honest to the backbone, and to scorn anything and everything untruthful.

Early in life, beware of little hypocrises. Two boys meet, and one says to the other, 'O, how do you do? I hope you are well.

I am very glad to see you!' And if that be true, it is very beautiful; but if it be false, it is very bad. It is the old sooty pot, covered over with silver dross. Or, two girls meet, and one says to the other, 'What a lovely dress you have got on, and such a nice bonnet-how pretty!' And hardly has this naughty girl, with her warm and flattering lips, got round the corner, when, meeting another girl, she says, 'Did you ever see such an ugly dress as Mary Peacock has got on to-day, and such an old-fashioned bonnet. I wonder that any body would put on such things and make themselves such guys!' Sooty pot again, with its silver dross. Or, there is a person coming up to the house; and looking out at the window, from behind the curtain, one says, 'Ah! there he comes again. What a trouble he is-a bore!' And hardly has the bell rung, when the door is opened, and that same one says, 'O, come away, my good fellow. We are so glad to see you. Please come in and take a chair!' Now, isn't that very like covering the old sooty pot with silver dross? Isn't that putting on a false face?

I say, beware of these little hypocrises, for they are sure to lead to bigger ones, and to sad results. Look at Jacob in the olden time. How his mother so wrongly advised him to play the hypocrite, by putting on a hairy skin on his hands and neck, and make himself as much like Esau, his brother, as possible, and thus go in with savoury food to his old father, Isaac, who was nearly blind and dying. And see how he acted. Standing beside the bed, he declared that he was Esau; and the old father doubting this, feeling his hands and neck, said, 'Well, the voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.' And, still doubting, the blind old father said, 'Art thou my very son Esau?' And Jacob told a downright lie, for he said, 'I am'; and thus he tried to make one sin cover another. O, it was bad! It was covering the sooty pot with silver dross. And by this fraud, he gained the blessing of the first-born; but what a long train of troubles it brought behind it, and how it

caused him actually to flee for his life, and remain for many years in banishment!

Then, you remember Gehazi, that covetous servant of Elisha, who, by putting on a false face, managed to get two talents of silver and two changes of raiment from the Syrian soldier, Naaman, whom Elisha had healed of his leprosy. And just like Jacob, he, too, told a lie to cover his crime. But what was the result? He was smitten with the awful disease of leprosy, under which he suffered and groaned and died. Sin found him out and slew him.

And then, look at Judas. What a black heart he had, and yet what flattering lips! For see how, by putting on a false face, he succeeded in betraying his professed Lord and Master! Coming into the garden, followed by a band of armed men, he actually kissed the blessed Saviour, and that led to His apprehension, and to all the sufferings of that eventful night, and to all the agony and shame of the cross thereafter. But Judas was never happy after that. Darkness covered him, and in a fit of melancholy and despair he went away and hanged himself! Therefore, take warning, and avoid putting on false appearances, as, most assuredly, if unrepented of, they will lead to dishonour and shame; as they did in the case of Annanias and Sapphira, who were stricken down dead, because they pretended to give all the price of their land when they only offered a part. They might have given a part and said so; but they gave a part, and said it was the whole and what was that but covering the sooty pot with silver dross? And that will never pass with God.

For mark, He sees and knows everything. The darkness and the light are both alike to Him. He can never be mocked or deceived. He can read your thoughts and feelings, as well as hear all your words. His eyes run to and fro on the earth, beholding the evil and the good. Come and see my telescope,' said a friend, one day. 'It is up in the tower of the house, and I would like you to see it, and tell you a story about it.' So up we went; and there was the big telescope, and here was

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the story. Once,' my friend said, 'I was looking through my glass, and away in the distance, nearly a mile off, I saw two young women, talking with their fingers. They were dumb. And knowing the alphabet, I discovered that the subject of their conversation was a new dress that one of them was about to get. They did not know I saw them and heard their thoughts; yet I did.' And looking round, I said, Oh, isn't that just how it is with us down here on the earth?' Though we dont see God, He sees us, and knows everything we think and do,

'And is writing now the story

Of our thoughts and actions too.' Be sincere, because God loves truth in the inward parts. He wishes you and me to act consistently. Not saying one thing and feeling another. Not making any professions of love either to Him or others, that are not true. Remember what the Saviour said to Peter-Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me? Is it true? Do you really love Me after all that happened yon night?' And Peter said, 'Lord, Thou knowest all things; Thou knowest that I love Thee.' And if you can say the same, happy will ye be.

But do avoid hypocrisy-because some of the most terrible things that Jesus said, were said against this sin. Most kind He was to sinners that came confessing their sins. He forgave them, and said-'Go and sin no more. But to the hypocrites He spoke in words like thunder, while His eye flashed like lightning. Never, never put on false faces, because God knows everything, loves truth, hates hypocrisy, and because of the dreadful consequences that are sure to follow. Remember the sooty pot with its silver dross, and avoid false appearances.

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at once makes you think of some bloom-the loveliest in all the flora.

The Angelica is not so named for its beauty, but for its virtue. It was said to contain properties so wondrously healing and medicinal that only the angelic name could truly express its worth.

For beauty-it has scarcely its share. Yet one may not malign the Angelica. You yourself, little flower-lover, shall judge.

It is a strong plant very much branched-from two to three feet high. The stem is purplish and downy. The leaflets, which grow in pairs on the long

branched stems, are oval and sharply toothed. The flowers grow in large heads, pinkish or purplish white. It is common in damp woods, moist hedge banks, and especially by river sides.

It slightly resembles the Hemlock-of such different fame. But the flowers of the Angelica grow in much larger heads. It is also a downier plant;-the hemlock is quite smooth, with a dlsagreeable smell when bruised, which reveals it plainly enough. Still it is so like as to make a

mistake possible. And little wanderers are much better to leave the Angelica alone.

Another plant for which it may be possibly mistaken is the Marsh Hog'sFennel, or Milk-Parsley. This, however, is a taller plant, and much less commonscarcely known in Scotland. A milky juice may be pressed from its leaves, which hardens to a brown resin, and has given it its most distinctive name.

But the Wild Angelica, like so many good things, is common everywhere. And its rank luxuriance has a fine effect in the tangle of wayside green. You do not need to seek it: you find it wherever you go. The good things and the lovely things are mostly the common ones, as you will find more and more while you learn from nature and life. Learn it always with a deep and willing praise; it will make your years the gladder, and more tuneful with content.

II. W. H. W.

Sabbath Ebening Talks with my Children

ABOUT THE TABERNACLE AND ITS SERVICES.

Q. 25. How many coverings had the tent? A. Fcur.

Q. 26. Of what was the outermost covering made? A. Of badgers' skins. It is not known what the animal is, which in our English Bible is called a badger; but it is evident that this covering was of some hard and durable substance; as we find that shoes were sometimes made of the same material. See Ezek. 16. 10.

Q. 27. What covering came next? A. One made of rams' skins dyed red; probably the skins of rams which had been devoted to God, and had been presented as burnt-offerings.

Q. 28. What was the third covering? A. One made of goats' hair cloth.

Q. 29. What was the fourth and innermost covering called, and of what was it made? A. It was called 'the beautiful covering.' It was made of fine linen, embroidered with coloured figures of cherubin by a skilful work

inan.

Q. 30. What does this innermost covering set forth? A. The transcendant beauty and infinite excellence of Jesus Christ. The priests alone saw this covering. In like manner, only the Lord's people, the spiritual Israelites, see the loveliness and beauty of Christ's person.

Q. 31. Into how many chambers was the tabernacle divided? A. Into two; one of which

was 30 ft. long and 15 ft. wide; the other 15 ft. square.

Q. 32. What were these chambers respectively called? A. The larger was called 'the holy place,' and the smaller 'the holy of holies.'

Q. 33. How was the holy place entered? A. By one door, situated at the east end of the tabernacle.

Q. 34. What separated the holy place from the most holy? A. The partition veil, which was of the same material as the tapestry which formed the ceiling.

Q. 35. Whom do the gate, the door, and the veil set forth? A. Each represents Jesus Christ, the divinely appointed way of entrance into the heavenly kingdom. Through Him alone we are privileged to enjoy the friendship and favour of God.

Q. 36. Give some passages from the New Testament bearing upon this truth. A. John 10. 1: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.' John 10. 9: 'I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved.'

Q. 37. What spiritual truths are suggested by the door? A. That the way is now open to the altar, where justification is to be had; to the laver, where purity can be obtained; to the holy place, where both light and food are to be enjoyed; and to the throne, where mercy and grace are found.

Q. 38. What furniture was in the holy place? A. At the west end of the room stood the altar of incense; on the north side the golden table, or table of shew-bread; and on the south side the seven-branched candlestick, or lamp-stand. Q. 39. Describe the altar of incense. A. The altar of incense was about 3 ft. high, with four equal sides, each measuring about 1 ft. Its frame was made of acacia wood plated with gold. The incense was burned in a censer placed on the top of the altar, the ashes remaining in, and being carried away with the

censer.

Q. 40. What was the incense made of? 4. Four sweet spices. It was forbidden to make or to use this incense for any common purpose. Exod. 30. 34, 35.

Q. 41. How often was this incense burned upon the altar? A. Twice a day in the morning and in the evening.

Q. 42. What is meant by the phrase, 'a perpetual incense before the Lord"? A. It means that as there was no chimney in the room, the fragrant odour of the incense was ever present in the holy place.

Q. 43. What was the spiritual significance of the burning incense? A. It was an act of worship (Psa. 141. 1, 2); and it typified the

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intercession of Jesus Christ, by whom our otherwise worthless prayers, praises, and work, are presented to God, and made acceptable in His sight.

Q. 44. Describe the table of shew-bread, which also stood in the holy place. A. It was made of acacia wood, overlaid with pure gold. In height it was about 30 inches, in breadth about 20 inches, and in length 40 inches.

Q. 45. Where are instructions given as to the bread that was to stand upon this table, and what are they? A. In Lev. 24. 5-9. The bread was made of fine flour, and was unleavened. It was placed upon the table on the Sabbath morning, and it remained there until the next Sabbath.

Q. 46. What was then the duty of the priests with regard to this bread? A. They were to remove it, and place it in a basket, after which Aaron and his sons were to eat it in the holy place. Other twelve loaves were then brought, and put in two rows upon the table.

Q. 47. What does the term 'shew-bread' mean? A. The term implies 'bread of faces,' or 'bread of presence.'

Q. 48. What do we learn from this? A. That this bread, laid out in the immediate presence of Jehovah, is an emblem of Jesus Christ, the living bread'; and that all the spiritual priesthood of God (all believers) must partake of it.

Q. 49. How can we obtain the benefit of this spiritual food? 4. By partaking of it. We must receive Christ by faith, and receive Him for ourselves. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you.'

John 6. 53.