WHAT GOOD CAN I DO?

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When the Lord of life and glory speaks of the recompense that shall attend acts of Christian kindness, he does not say a bag of money or a goblet of wine shall be recompensed, but, "Whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward," Matt. x. 42. You must be ill provided for indeed, if you cannot command a cup of cold water!

It is the will and not the power that is wanting; for every human being that breathes, and possesses the use of his faculties, may do good. Look around you for opportunities of usefulness ; for sometimes, if you cannot do a kind deed, yet a kind word, ay, even a kind look, will be useful. A small kindness, if well timed, may be more useful than a great one performed without consideration.

No sooner did the Philippian jailor in sincerity exclaim, "What must I do to be saved?" than an answer was given to him, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house," Acts xvi. 30, 31. And no sooner shall you, with equal sincerity, ask, "What good can I do?" than opportunities will present themselves on every hand, and you will be ready to acknowledge, that he who really desires to do good, may be useful.

THE NATURAL CREATION.

A THOUGHT to a thoughtful man is somewhat like a meal to a hungry man; for the mind requires food as well as the body. He who can see nothing but wisdom, and power, and beauty in the natural creation, knows not half its value. Good it is to regard in the works of God the power and wisdom of God, and to gaze with delight on the transcendent beauty that decorates earth and heaven; but he who would drink deeply of that spirit of thankful delight which the true lover of nature enjoys, must be keenly susceptible to the goodness and love so universally mingled with the visible creation.

A voice has gone forth, that nature shall be felt as well as seen by man; that it shall harmonize with his affections, be accommodated to the moods of his mind, and blend with his very being:

"To him who, in the love of nature, holds
Communion with her visible forms, she speaks
A various language ;-for his gayer hours
She has a voice of gladness, and a smile

THE NATURAL CREATION.

And eloquence of beauty; and she glides
Into his darkest musings with a mild
And gentle sympathy, that steals away
Their sharpness ere he is aware."

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The rising sun is in unison with the energy of man ; the kindling skies call forth his imagination; the buds and flowers animate his hopes; and the sere leaf and the soft shadows of evening move him to salutary reflection. When he feels at ease, the motionless mead, the silent rural scene, and the still waters, are as music to his emotions. And when he walks abroad, at war with himself, fevered with wrong, wounded by calumny, or stung with self-reproach, the waving trees and murmuring rills are peacemakers; the very hues of creation are oil and balm to him; there is mercy in the cool green of earth, and the mild blue of heaven, for they calm his troubled spirit, and sooth him to repose.

As an old man, I speak feelingly and gratefully on this subject; for few have revelled more freely amid natural scenery than Old Humphrey; and none are more indebted than he to its healthgiving properties and peace-restoring powers. Those who have no relish for nature's banquets, will do well to endeavour to attain it; and to him who possesses it, and yet guiltily foregoes

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THE NATURAL CREATION.

his opportunities of visiting the country, I would

say in the words of the poet

"Oh, how canst thou renounce the boundless store

Of charms that nature to her votary yields:
The warbling woodland, the resounding shore,
The pomp of groves, the garniture of fields,
All that the genial ray of morning gilds,
And all that echoes to the song of even;
All that the mountain's sheltering bosom shields,
And all the dread magnificence of heaven;

Oh, how canst thou renounce, and hope to be forgiven ?"

Courage, Christian! Creation tells us that there is a God, good, and great, and glorious; and Revelation tells us, that "this God is our God for ever and ever," Psa. xlviii. 14.

THE PEDANT.

ARE you open to reproof? for if so, there is hope of amendment in every error; but if you are obstinate and high-minded, you are in a pitiable case.

We are told that a pedant, being shipwrecked, and seeing every one around him clinging to something to keep himself afloat, laid fast hold of one of the anchors.

This story at first seems a little extraordinary. That a man vain of his knowledge should manifest such extreme simplicity and folly, is hardly to be believed; but if we look about us in the world, and regard the actions of mankind, or examine narrowly the errors of our own hearts, we shall not be quite so much surprised at the pedant's absurdity.

It is very true that the man of books, in his eager desire to preserve life, adopted the readiest means to insure his destruction; but it is equally true that we are continually committing acts of folly and inconsistency. Heirs of immortality, as