he will into the sleep of death, and awake when and whom he pleaseth out of that deadly sleep.

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Before, the people and domestics of Jairus held Jesus for a prophet; now they took him for a dreamer. Not dead, but asleep!" They that come to mourn cannot now forbear to laugh. "Have we piped at so many funerals, and seen and lamented so many corpses, and cannot we distinguish betwixt sleep and death. The eyes are set, the breath is gone, the limbs are stiff and cold." Vain and faithless men! as if that unlimited power of the Almighty could not make good his own word, and turn either sleep into death, or death into sleep, at pleasure.

There were witnesses enough of her death; there shall not be many of her restoring. Three choice disciples, and the two parents, are only admitted to the view and testimony of this miraculous work. The eyes of those incredulous scoffers were not worthy of this honour. Those that are shut out from the participation of God's counsels, think all his words and projects no better than foolishness. But art thou, O Saviour, ever the more discouraged by the derision and censure of these scornful unbelievers? because fools jeer thee, dost thou forbear thy work?

How could that touch, that call, be other than effectual? (See ver. 54.) He, who made that hand, touched it; and he who shall once say, "Arise, ye dead," said now, “Maid, arise.” Death cannot but obey him who is the Lord of life. The soul is ever equally in his hand, who is the God of spirits; it cannot but go and come at his command. The maid revives; not now to languish for a time upon her sick-bed, and by some faint degrees to gather an insensible strength; but at once she rises from her death, and from her couch; at once she puts off her fever with her dissolution; she finds her life and her feet at once; at once she finds her feet and her stomach: “He commanded to give her meat." He that raised her supernaturally, could have so fed her. It was never the purpose of his power to put ordinary means out of office.

Oh, Saviour, if thou do but bid my soul to arise from the death of sin, it cannot lie still; if thou bid my body to arise from the grave, my soul cannot but glance down from her heaven and animate it. In vain shall my sin, or my grave, offer to withhold me from thee.-Extracts from Bishop Hall.

MEN and women can accommodate their conversation and their conduct to the place or the company they are in. They can forbear to do or say what is disagreeable to others, or what would commit or expose themselves. They can be reserved upon occasion, and in the presence of persons whom they fear or respect, preserve a demeanour which conceals their faults or foibles; or, at any rate, does not openly betray them.

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But, unfortunately for this conventional hypocrisy, there are, in most families, what a peevish friend of ours denominates "little tell-tales," that is to say, children. These epitomes of men and women have not the discretion" necessary to carry on disguise, and are sure, in their manners or speech, or both, before strangers, to betray what kind of conversation they are accustomed to. All the shrugs, and pinches, and admonitions, which mamma can attempt, only increase the confusion, without abating the mischief, or hiding the truth. The visitor who hears a child make use of by-words, or irreverent ejaculations, very well understands, in spite of all the apologies which may be made for the little offenders, where these things were learned, and nothing can prevent the conclusion. So they are, indeed, little "telltales," and their elders, if they have no higher motive, must beware what examples they place before them. In whatever

children learn of their parents and companions, particularly if it be evil, they will be sure to exhibit their proficiency when such an exhibition is least desired.

We need hardly observe that these considerations are among the least important which should sway us in our conduct toward children. The examples which they find in us will aid in forming their characters, not only for time, but for eternity; and they will betray our evil done in their sight, not only to men, but to our Judge. “Take heed how ye offend one of these little ones." It is vain to talk ever so wisely, if our conduct gives the contradiction to our precepts, or if we betray in our behaviour that we do not value our own admonitions. Children are very close observers, and shrewd listeners. Scarce a word, or an act is lost upon them. They have even the sagacity to repeat, out of the sight and hearing of their parents, the things for which they would be corrected for doing before them; even though the parental example were their model.

The sum of the whole matter is this. That parents must, if they would do their duty, live a consistent christian life, for their children's sake, as well as their own. Love for their offspring should constrain them to this; for God will require at our hands those whom he has given us; and not only so, but we shall be held answerable for the effects of our example upon all who are swayed by it. They who have children dependent upon their teachings and example, may often study themselves in those children as in a mirror.-Christian Treasury.

SCRAPS FOR TEACHERS.

A SLIGHT MISTAKE.-We have seldom been so struck with the importance of seeing that every word is understood by our scholars, as by a circumstance that came under our own notice the other day. A bible class, in a large factory town, were reading the passage-" He made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death." The former part of the text the scholars readily explained, by a reference to the crucified thieves, but none of them could tell for some time what was intended by the allusion to "the rich," in the latter clause. At length one exclaimed, with the triumph of sudden discovery,

"Oh, it was because the two thieves were manufacturers!" So, it appeared, the poor mill-girl had misread the word "malefactors;" and her reply, therefore, was natural, as to her a manufacturer would be the very ideal and embodiment of wealth. She had probably been in the school for years; and yet our explanation of passages so simple appeared quite novel and surprising to her. G.

REWARDS USEFUL.-The Rev. J. P. Cook, in an interesting article on the distribution of rewards, says, But if the distribution of rewards is not indispensable, it yet appears to me to be very useful in another point of view. It serves to place in families the word of God, and a number of good books. How many children, having frequented during many years the Sunday school without having their heart impressed, have been, in later years, led to the Saviour by the perusal of books which they had received as rewards! We will cite one example, which occurred very recently. A few years ago, a young girl, in no wise serious, frequented one of the London Sunday schools, in which she received, among other rewards, an excellent work of Pike, addressed to youth, a book of which the French title ("Le Jeune Homme à l'Entrée de sa Voie") would be more exact if it indicated that it was addressed to both sexes. Too giddy to profit by it, she put this book aside without reading it; and when she left the school, the instruction she had received appeared to have made no impression on her heart. Three years ago, she married a French workman, who was a Roman Catholic, and came to Paris with him. Last year she was visited with affliction; the death of her little child brought her to reflection, and, not knowing to whom to address herself, being even ignorant that there were Protestant ministers in Paris, she was led to seek consolation in the few books which she had formerly received as rewards, and which, happily, she had brought with her from London. The reading of the work of Pike was the means of her conversion. She drew near to the Lord by prayer, obtained the pardon of her sins, and when afterwards, providentially, an English minister called on her, she possessed "the peace which passeth all understanding.” She is now a member of the English Wesleyan Church of Paris.-French Sunday School Magazine.