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STARS.

The golden glow is paling
Between the cloudy bars;
I'm watching in the twilight
To see the little stars.

I wish that they would sing to-night
Their song of long ago;
If we were only nearer them,

What might we hear and know!
Are they the eyes of Angels
That always wake to keep
A loving watch above us,

While we are fast asleep?
Or are they lamps that God has lit
From His own glorious light,
To guide the little children's souls
Whom He will call to-night?
We hardly see them twinkle
In any summer night,
But in the winter evenings

They sparkle clear and bright.
Is this to tell the little ones,
So hungry, cold and sad,

That there's a shining home for them,
Where all is warm and glad?
More beautiful and glorious,
And never cold and far,
Is He who always loves them,
The Bright and Morning Star.
I wish those little children knew
That holy, happy light!
Lord Jesus, shine on them, I pray,
And make them glad to-night!

FRANCES RIDLEY HAVERGAL.

HOME LESSONS FOR THE LORD'S DAY. THE BROKEN COVENANT.

WHAT special act of providence did God

exercise toward man in the estate wherein he was created?

'Mamma, what is a special act of providence?' asked Katie, when she had read these words.

'Something extraordinary, quite out of the usual course of God's government, is called a special providence. It is by His constant providence that God makes the sun to rise and set daily, and preserves the

lives of all His creatures. But when in answer to the prayer of Joshua the sun stood still in the midst of heaven for a whole day; when the Israelites walked through the Red Sea on dry land; and when the Hebrew children came unhurt out of the fiery furnace, these were special acts of God's providence.'

'These were miracles, mamma, and the answer to the question is not about a miracle at all, it is, "When God had created man, he entered into a covenant of life with him, upon condition of perfect obedience, forbidding him to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, upon the pain of death."

When God deals with any one in a very unusual manner, it is a special act of providence, though He does not work a miracle. When He commanded Abraham to offer up his son Isaac, this was a special act of providence. It was a very unusual command, given for a special purpose-to prove the sincerity of Abraham's faith by his obedience. What is the special act of providence named in the answer?

'It is God's entering into a covenant of life with man.'

'You know what the covenant or agreement God made with Adam was. Harry can tell us what God did for Adam and Eve while they were holy and happy like Himself?'

'God put them into a beautiful garden where there were a great many trees, and flowers, and plants of every kind, and a river to water it, and the tree of life of which they might eat and live for ever.'

'And what about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?'

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That was the one, the only one in all the garden of which God said they were not to eat, or they would die.'

That is the covenant God made with Adam, and he was able to keep it. God had written the first and great commandment on his heart, and now He required him to shew his love by his obedience. This was a special act of providence, because no one else was ever placed in the same position as our first parents. Do you

know, Willie, what is the difference between the covenant God made with Adam before the fall, and the covenant He makes now, with those who seek him?

'God did not tell Adam to believe in Jesus. I think that is the difference, mamma.'

'That is the great difference. Adam was promised life upon condition of his own perfect obedience to God's law; we are promised life if we receive the Lord Jesus and trust in His perfect righteousness. There is another point of difference between the covenant God made with Adam in Eden, and the covenant He makes with His children now. Read the 16th answer, Willie, and you will know what I mean.'

""The covenant being made with Adam, not only for himself, but for all his posterity; all mankind, descending from him by ordinary generation, sinned in him, and fell with him, in his first transgression.'

'Adam represented all his children, the whole human family, excepting the Lord Jesus, and when he broke the covenant of life it became the covenant of death to all mankind. All have broken it.'

'How could Adam represent us so long before we were born?' asked Willie.

'Adam represented all mankind in the same way that Jesus represents all who believe on Him. Jesus is the second Adam, He kept the covenant which the first Adam broke. Read Rom. v. 19.'

"For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners; so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.'

Now we shall read in Genesis iii. the sad story of sin's entrance into our beautiful world, of Satan's temptation, and of how

"Our father ate forbidden fruit,
And from his glory fell;

And we his children thus were brought
To death and near to hell."

When the children had read the account of our first parents having broken the covenant of life by their disobedience, and mamma had explained to them what the death was which then passed upon all men, telling them that besides the death of the

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body, it meant spiritual and eternal death, little Maggie asked mamma, 'Could Adam and Eve never be saved?'

Neither Adam nor Eve nor any one of mankind could ever be saved by that broken covenant; but God, full of love and pity, told them of the new covenant. He told them that

"One of Eve's descendants Not sinful like the rest, Should spoil the work of Satan, And man be saved and blest." I have got a story for you now, and you must try to find out what it means.

A long time ago, a great king built a fine ship and sent it on a voyage to a distant land. For a few days the wind was favourable, the vessel glided swiftly on her way, and the captain thought not of danger. For a moment the pilot turned the vessel out of its course to examine a dangerous spot marked in the chart, and there she struck on the rocks and was shipwrecked, and her crew were cast on a desolate island. Here their condition was very miserable. They could get no bread; seaweed, shellfish, and injurious herbs were the only food they could obtain. Without protection from the cold by night or the heat by day, disease reduced them fearfully. The king, who had seen the shipwreck, though displeased with the captain for venturing so near the point of danger of which he had been warned, pitied his forlorn condition, and immediately sent out another fine ship, larger and stronger than the first, to conduct the distressed ones to their destined haven. A few of these feeble dying ones rejoiced when they heard the good news of the ship's arrival. They were so weak that they could not even step on board themselves, but the kind captain bore them in his arms and placed them in the ship where all their wants were tenderly supplied; and oh, how those saved ones loved that good captain. Many a message they sent on shore to tell of his goodness, and to entreat those still on the desolate island to come and share in his love.

The captain himself entreated every one of them to come into the ship and be saved,

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for that ship was so wonderfully built, and had so very skilful a pilot, that it was quite impossible it could ever be shipwrecked. And yet, what do you think most of those foolish men did? Some of them said they would much rather remain where they were, and others said they were quite able to sail to the good land on the broken pieces of the shipwrecked vessel which were strewed on the shore, and the good captain, though sorely grieved, was obliged to leave them to their own way. He knew well that none but those who were in his ship would ever reach the good land.

'Maggie, dear, Do you know the meaning of this story?'

I think the ship that was wrecked means Adam, when he disobeyed God, and the wonderful ship that could never be lost means Jesus, who could never sin.'

'Quite right. The first ship is the broken covenant, and the second ship is the new covenant, ordered in all things and sure.'

'And, mamma, who were the people who thought they could reach the happy land on pieces of the broken ship?'

All those who, instead of trusting in Jesus, try to save themselves by their own righteousness, are like those foolish men who thought they could cross the ocean on a frail raft, and refused to come into the good ship, and so perished whenever the

storm arose.

THE STORM ON THE LAKE.

THE

HE storm on the lake!' How ininstantly the words remind one of the sweet old story of the storm, so long ago, on the lake of Galilee, so far away! We seem to see it all;-the wild sudden wind raising wild sudden waves; the little boat quivering and tossing, and filling with water, as the white spray flies over it; the frightened disciples trying to manage the ship, but in vain; the noise and confusion and terror and danger! Then in the hinder part of the ship, a calm, holy Face, weary and wan, but grand and peaceful, asleep on a pillow. So weary, that not till the ship

is filled with water, and all other hope fails, do the disciples resolve to arouse the Sleeper; yet so grand, that they feel, as probably they never felt before, that He is able to save.' Then He awakes,-He, the Man of Sorrows, and the Mighty God. No more need now to struggle with sail and oar and helm; there is no hurry, no strain; there is even time for the tender yet grave words to sink into their hearts: Why are ye so fearful?' And then-then He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, 'Peace, be still. And there was a great calm.'

Not long ago I saw a storm of wind on the lake of Lucerne, which showed us how real and exact the Evangelist's description is. The lake of Lucerne is one of the loveliest in the world. We sailed from one end to the other, at first over a wide expanse of exquisite clear green water, with a fairy island here and there, and green and purple mountains all around; while far away, beyond and above, we had glorious glimpses of shining snow mountains. We passed close under the Rigi, where a wonderful railway goes up from the edge of the lake to the very top of the mountain, 5,900 feet high; the railway itself being so steep in many places that it would be stiff work even for a Scotch pony or a Swiss mule to mount. Then the lake narrowed, and for another hour we steamed along between the mountains, till it seemed that we were going to reach the very end, when all at once they opened on the right, and disclosed the grandest scene of all, of which till that moment we had not had the least glimpse. There lay the emerald water, glittering in June sunshine, stretching away for miles ahead, surrounded by dark pines and giant rocks, with touches of brilliant green pasture, and magnificent precipices and gorges; and right before us, under a dazzling blue sky, the great snow mountains, pure and beautiful and glorious beyond anything that mortal eyes can rest upon. Right in the centre rose the superb white cone of the Bristenstock; and winding from its base was the famous Pass of St. Gotthard, leading up into the

heart of the mountains, and then down into the plains of Italy.

But what about a storm on such a day? Just after we turned the corner and entered this beautiful reach, some one said, 'Look! is not that lovely, that line of white ripple and foam, which seems coming towards us!' We looked, and saw it apparently about a mile ahead, in exquisite contrast with the smooth green water. But before any one had time even to answer the remark, we were startled by an unceremonious rush of waiters and sailors, not a word spoken, no time for explanation, only for instant action, they furled up the awning like a flash; seized the seats, and threw them flat on the deck; rushed off with every movable; shouted to the ladies to go below instantly; and even turned the tables on their backs, with their legs sticking up in the air. There was really no time to apologise and be civil, they knew too well what was coming. In a few seconds it came; all at once, and without an instant's warning, the storm of wind' struck the vessel like a shot. There had been no time to go below, all we could do was to hold on to some fixture, and I shall never forget the strange sensation of the sudden stagger of the vessel under the shock. Everything movable was whirled along like a dead leaf; the only table which had been left standing was capsized in an instant, and one or two cups and saucers upon it, though made of heavy ware more than an inch thick, were blown straight along the whole deck, just like thistledown, without even touching the ground! The blast was almost paralyzing, it seemed both deafening and blinding; at first it was impossible even to stand, and one's only chance of getting down stairs into the shelter was to sit on the steps, holding tight, and lowering one's self a step at a time till out of reach of the hurricane.

The line of white foam which we had seen was but the outrider of the wild white waves which leaped and raged all around, where a minute before all had been transparent smoothness and calm. The first fury lasted perhaps half an hour, but it was several hours before it passed entirely.

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This was the famous Föhn-wind, of which I had often heard, but never before felt. It is supposed to be the same which overtook the wicked Gessler on the lake, after he had cruelly forced William Tell to purchase his life by aiming at the apple placed on his little son's head. It sweeps down from the icy heights above the Pass of St. Gotthard, and has been fatal to many a boat on the fair lake of Lucerne.

'He commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. Psalm cvii. 25.

FRANCES RIDLEY HAVERGAL.

PIONEER QUESTIONS

PREPARED FOR THE CHILDREN'S SERVICE.' BY REV. DAVID MACRAE.

SERIES B.-OLD TESTAMENT BOOKS. III.-The Twenty-two Books of Sacred Poetry and Prophecy.

56 How many books are left in the Old Testament? Twenty-two.

57 What do they consist of? Sacred Poetry and Prophecy.

(a) SACRED POETRY &c.

58 What is the first of these? The book of Job. 59 Why so called? Because it tells of the trials of Job's faith.

60 Who was Job? A patriarch of Uz.

61 Is Job a very old book? It is thought to be the oldest in the whole Bible, although it is not placed first.

62 What book comes after Job? The book of Psalms.

63 Why so called? It consists of Psalms or Spiritual Songs.

64 By whom were these written? Most of them by David.

65 What book comes next? Proverbs.

66 Why so called? It consists of proverbs or wise sayings.

67 Who wrote these? Most of them were written by Solomon.

68 Who was he? The Son of David.

69 What is Solomon sometimes called? The Wise Man.