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THE THOUSAND YEARS OF PEACE.

MY

Y dear young friends,-There is no book like the Bible. In many respects it excels all other books that have ever been written. It is the oldest history in the world; it contains the best laws in the world; and it gives us such an account of the character and perfections of God as no other book can, unless it borrows from the Bible the truths which it teaches us.

It is not my intention, however, to tell you about the excellencies of the Bible, but to call your attention to something which it has foretold. It excels all other books in this other thing, that it contains prophecies. That is, it foretells things to come; and, among other things, it has foretold us that there will yet be in the world a time of very great peace, prosperity, and blessedness. Many of the prophets have foretold this period of blessedness; almost all of them have made less or more reference to it; particularly David, Isaiah, Daniel, and Zechariah, in the Old Testament; and, more than any of them, John, in the book of Revelation.

David looks forward to it, and tells us what will then be the extent and glory of Christ's kingdom; as in the twenty-second psalm: All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord; and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before Thee.' And, also, in the seventysecond psalm, he shows how peaceful and prosperous the world shall then be.

Isaiah very often refers to it in grand poetic language; and, among other things, says, They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruninghooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. And again: The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.' And again: 'The light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be seven-fold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the Lord bindeth up the breach of His people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.'

Daniel, more than any of the prophets, foretold the ages of darkness, persecution, and bloodshed that would spread their gloom over the world before that period of blessedness. But beyond that period of darkness he saw the glory afar off, when wicked, persecuting rulers should lose their power, and 'the saints possess the kingdom.' He says, 'The kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High.'

All the lesser prophets, except Jonah and Nahum, make some reference to it.

In my boy days I read with great delight the twentieth verse of the fourteenth chapter of Zechariah: 'In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD;' partly, I daresay, because the words 'Holiness unto the Lord' were printed in big letters. I would be glad, my dear young friends, to know that you have read them with great delight for a better reason.

Leaving the Old Testament prophets, we come to John and the book of Revelation. In the three last chapters of this book a great many things are said about this happy period. The description is so grand that it is often taken for a description of heaven itself; but the language is figurative, and not very easily understood. In the twentieth chapter, John tells us that he saw in his vision an angel come down from heaven, who laid hold on the Devil, and bound him with a great chain, and cast him into the bottomless pit for a thousand years; and then the souls of them who were beheaded for the witness of Jesus (that is, men of kindred spirit with them who were beheaded) lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Six times, in as many verses, this period, which we sometimes call the latter-day glory, is said to be of a thousand years duration, and for this reason it is called the millennium, the word being taken from one which signifies one thousand.

Now, it is not my intention to tell you any more about the millennium at this time, but rather to say that I hope you will read

the Bible carefully, and the prophets will tell you more about it; and, since it will be a time when the light of the knowledge of the glory of the Lord shall cover the earth, as the waters cover the sea,' do you take an interest in missions, and help to spread abroad that light. Never spend a farthing of your money for useless, needless things-especially, never give it for intoxicating drink-but try to give something to send missionaries with the Bible to the dark places of the earth. Since it will be a time of great and universal peace, then never quarrel and fight, and do what you can to prevent war-bloody, cruel war. Since it will be a time when all shall love and worship Jesus, do ye Him worship with all your hearts, in the closet, in the family, in the school, and in the church. Since it will be a time when all things shall be holy, be ye holy, for 'without holiness no man shall see the Lord.' And, since God himself has promised to bless the world with this period of glory, go to Him in prayer, and on your bended knees earnestly plead with Him to fulfil His word, and give to His only begotten Son the heathen for His inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for His possession.

'Ask and receive Thy full demand:
Thine shall the heathen be;
The utmost limits of the land

Shall be possessed by Thee.'

It will indeed be a glorious time when all the ends of the world shall turn unto the Lord; and it is drawing nigh. The power of persecutors has passed away at the time appointed, and the glory is sure to follow. Oh, that all, especially the young, would turn their thoughts to it, and be fellow-workers with God in the accomplishment of His purposes! AN OLD SHEPHERD

HOME LESSONS FOR THE YOUNG. MAN'S CHIEF END.

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MAN'S chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him for ever.

These are the words which Willie and Katie were repeating when their good mother came into the room with little Maggie and Harry to give them their Sabbath lesson. 'Do you know the meaning of these words, Willie?' she said.

'I think I do, mamma, for I have been reading the explanation of them in the new book papa gave us this morning.' (Willie's new book was a copy of that excellent edition of the Shorter Catechism explained, by the Rev. J. Inglis.)

You might tell me in your own words, Willie, what you think is the meaning of the answer, Man's chief end,' &c.

'I think it means that God made us to be His loving children, and that it should be our chief delight to honour and obey Him.'

'Yes, Willie; our Father in heaven is so good in Himself, and has so loved us, that surely it should be our chief end to serve and honour Him, and to rejoice in His love.'

'What is chief end, mamma?' said Katie. 'Our chief end is our heart's desire, the one thing we wish more than anything else. You remember the history of Naaman the Syrian. After he was healed Elisha would not receive any money from him, because Elisha's chief end was to give all the glory to God, and to teach Naaman to worship and glorify Him alone. But there was one there whose chief end was to get money. He loved money more than the glory of God, and you know how differently he acted.'

"That was Gehazi, mamma. He ran after Naaman and told lies to get money from him, and when he came back he told Elisha he had been nowhere. That was another lie. And God sent Naaman's leprosy on Gehazi to punish him.'

Yes, Katie. Gehazi's sad history shows us that if we make anything else than God's glory our chief end we will wander far away from the right path. In the wonderful

Quite right, dear; only those who love Jesus seek to glorify God. All the good men of old made the glory of God their chief end. Enoch and Noah walked with God; Abraham was the friend of God; Joseph acknowledged God in everything that befell him; Moses prayed, "Lord, show me thy glory; "Caleb and Joshua followed the Lord fully; David desired one thing, "To behold the beauty of the Lord; and Paul's earnest hope was, "That Christ might be magnified in his body, whether by life or by death." The chief desire of every one of these good men is expressed in the chorus of Psalm cvii."Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!"

'We should always wish to please God, mamma.'

'Yes, dear, that is to glorify God, and if we make this our chief end, God will be our Father and our Friend for ever. Let me hear you repeat part of that beautiful hymn you learned about our Father in heaven, Maggie?

'Art Thou my Father? I'll depend
Upon the care of such a friend,
And only wish to do and be
Whatever seemeth good to Thee.

Art Thou my Father? Then at last
When all my days on earth are past,
Send down and take me in Thy love
To be Thy better child above.

'I will tell you,' mamma said, 'how a little German boy glorified God. He had been taught to pray, Hallowed be Thy name, and he wished to teach his infant brother to praise the great and glorious name of God our Saviour. Both of the little boys had been seized with measles, and while lying in their little beds their mother overheard the elder one trying to teach his little brother to say hallelujah. But little Hans was only learning to speak, and hallelujah was too difficult a word for him to pronounce. Though he tried again and again he could not say it.

'In a few days little Hans died, and then his young teacher comforted his weeping mother by saying, "Mother, little Hans will be able to say hallelujah now."

Our best praises while on earth are only like the feeble lispings of little Hans. May we like these loving little boys be,

words are truth, and his ways judgment, and that those who walk in pride he is able to abase.

They read too of that awful day when Belshazzar, while feasting in his palace, saw the hand-writing on the wall, and trembled; of his sending in haste for Daniel, who told him that his kingdom would be taken from him, because the God in whose hand his breath was he had not glorified; and how on that very night Belshazzar was slain, and his kingdom taken by the Medes and Persians.

Then mamma reminded them of the ten

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lepers whom Jesus healed; how only one, who was a Samaritan, returned to give glory to God; and how grieved Jesus was when He said, 'Where are the nine?' She showed the children that we had all received greater blessings from Jesus than these lepers had done, and that we ought like the Samaritan to return to glorify Him, and not like the nine to forget all His benefits.

"O thou my soul, bless God the Lord;
And all that in me is

Be stirred up his holy name
To inagnify and bless.'

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Whom have I in heaven but Thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside THEE.

Psalm lxxiii. 25.

WHO IS YOUR BEST FRIEND?

HE

A LIFE STORY FOR THE YOUNG.

Mat. xxi. 16.

E sat upon the platform there,
A simple hearted boy,

With eyes of wondrous thoughtfulness,
And looks of childish joy.

He could not hear, he could not speak;
Nor ever did the voice

Of earthly friend or parent bid
His youthful heart rejoice.

He sat among a silent crowd,

To whom 'twas never given

To speak or hear on earth, but whose
Heart-words were heard in Heaven.*

Within the room an eager throng
Of girls and boys were seen,
Whose merry voices often rang
Out joyous peals, I ween.

And who to see those little 'Mutes,'
Had met together there:
To question each the other band,
Such was their purpose fair.

Soon a child-voice the silence broke,-
'Say, who is your best friend?'
The master took the slate and wrote,
While on it all eyes bend.

Then, rising with a radiant smile,
That simple hearted boy
Approach'd, and wrote immediately,
"GOD,'-with a strange, deep joy.

*'Our thoughts are heard in Heaven.' Wordsworth.

'But,' said the same child-voice once more,
GOD is in Heaven, you know;
Who on the earth is your best friend?
Will you not tell me now?'

What heav'nly breezes must have stirr'd
The hidden founts within,
From all external sounds shut out,
To God's 'still voice' shut in!

For lo! a sudden glory fell
Upon the Mute's fair face,
As rising, he approach'd the slate,
His heart's response to trace.

And then, without a moment's pause,
He wrote,-0 blessèd child! -
'GOD is the best of all my friends,'

And looked to Heaven and smil'd;

Yet did not lay the pencil down,
But wrote on silently,

'Whom, Lord, have I in earth or Heaven, To be compared to Thee?'

And then related joyously

What you have read above, Adding, How happy for his Friend To have the God of Love!'

Yes, truly happy, darling child,
May we who hear and speak,
Possess'd of gifts denied to him,
That hallow'd friendship seek!

His is a wealth surpassing ours;-
Yet open to each heart
That with a lowly, living faith
Chooses the 'better part.'

Then seek we fellowship' with God,
And His beloved Son; a
That we in Him and He in us
May evermore be one! b

That by One Spirit we may have
Access, like that dear boy,
To Heaven as to our Fatherland,'-
GOD, 'our exceeding joy!' d

J. E. J.

a 1 John i. 3. b John xvii. 21. c Eph. ii. 18. d Psa. xliii. 4. Rom. v. 11.