home. The books of general literature your dear papa recommended, would have furnished your mind more throughly with weapons of defence for the gospel. The discoveries of true science have done much to undermine blind submission to oriental superstition. Then your Sabbath-school class, you know, was a little congregation waiting to hear the message of salvation from your lips, and you might act the part of an evangelist in some cottage district, where the vicious need reclaiming, and many a poor saint needs encouragement under a fire of persecution from which you are happily screened, but which often hardly presses upon the Lord's flock in the midst of ungodly relatiyes, and the profane and filthy conversation of the debased crowds among whom they are forced to dwell."

"That must be something like martyrdom, I think, mamma.” "Almost worse; for the martyr, amidst his bodily tortures, was usually condemned to a solitary dungeon, where the presence of God was uninterrupted, and the passage, by fiery chariot or the river of blood, was of brief duration, compared to the starvation and ill usage inflicted upon many a wife and child, unseen by any eye but that of the sufferer's God."

"Poor things!" sighed Laura, "how much I pity them, and should like to relieve them!"

"You can pray for them, commending all such as are oppressed, to a righteous judge, who will not forget their cry; but every Christian has something to endure. The Saviour himself says, “Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."

"To take up the cross is just what I so want to do! I should feel honoured in that."

"But in every repetition of this direction it must be observed, that the follower of Jesus is to act in prescribed order: and first of all should do as Christ did-' deny himself!' This is sometimes a far more difficult duty, and when called upon to bear the cross daily, it requires grace for an ambitious mind to be contented with the little 'crook in the lot,' which is to restrain our wanderings, and afford a test of our love to the Saviour."

"I do not quite understand you, mamma.”

"Your own case will explain my meaning, dear. You are not called to any great or extraordinary effort in God's cause

now, whatever may be your future lot; but you have a number of little duties to fulfil,-little exercises of Christian zeal; little acts of self-denial, where indulgence in tempting pleasures would be incompatible with Scripture precept; little provocations and annoyances to endure in the meekness of the gospel; little pains to bear with patience; little troubles to meet with submission, as those of divine permission or appointment; and all these little crooks, (for they are scarcely important enough to be rekoned crosses), require the self-denial the Saviour mentions."

"I wonder how it is, mamma," continued Laura, "that it is so much more difficult to bear all these little crooks properly, than to meet the trials of the martyr ?"

"We have never experienced the trial of martyrdom, my dear Laura, and are therefore not qualified to judge which may be the harder; but if 'thou hast run with the footmen and they have wearied thee, how wilt thou contend with the horsemen, and if wearied and faint in our minds with the mere contradiction of sinners, there is poor prospect that we should be able to resist unto blood."

"Then do you think, mamma, that nobody would bear the trials of a missionary or a martyr, unless they can bear their common daily trials properly first ?" said Laura.

"I am not so sure of that, my dear; for it is not at all uncommon for persons who have been very deficient in their minor trials, to have exhibited unexpected fortitude and submission under real great hardships ?"

"How very strange! What can be the reason of that, mamma ?"

"The most obvious explanation is, that great trials have been met and sustained in a spirit of prayer and faith; while the smaller ones have been deemed too insignificant to require divine assistance; yet He who 'maintains our soul in life,' has promised also to 'keep our feet from falling,' and our eyes from tears,' if we call upon Him in time of need. Many Christians deprive themselves of much help and comfort, by thus neglecting in everything to make known their requests to God."

"But mamma," continued Laura, "when I review the small items of one day's occupation, they seem too trivial and uniform to pray about; yet, to be sure, there is a great difference to

one's temper and happiness, whether these small items all go right or wrong; perhaps my pupils are froward, or I do not feel quite well, or a little source of pleasure or supply fails, and I am discouraged and feel life a wearisome pilgrimage.”

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Well, my dear," replied her mamma, suppose you had sought your heavenly Father's influence upon your pupils and yourself; perhaps they would have been more teachable, and yourself more ready to act as the servant of God, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; and with regard to pecuniary supplies, He who feedeth the young ravens when they cry, has ample means of filling your purse, when it requires replenishing; and we are taught only to look for daily necessaries-not luxuries! That earthly cares are intended for heavenly discipline is sufficiently evident, from God's oft repeated assurance to the Israelites, that they were led through the wilderness to humble and prove them; and those who recognize God's hand in every minute event of life, will feel that the 'rod' of correction, as well as the 'staff' of support, are both alike calculated to comfort the pilgrim; the gentle touch of the shepherd's crook, restraining or guiding the happy flock, who are led safely to a city of eternal habitation.”

"If I could but be sure that my small affairs were under God's care, I should feel quite contented with whatever happened to me, but He is so great a being "—and Laura paused.

"His infinite majesty is such, my dear girl, that the greatest events must appear as insignificant to him, as the tiniest annoyance that disconcerts us, yet the Scripture teaches that he notices the fall of a sparrow, and clothes the lilies of the field, and therefore will not neglect you, O! you of little faith.”

"I am glad I have talked to you, mamma, I will try and seek higher assistance, and then I hope I shall be more useful.” "As the little captive maid said to her Syrian master, 'If bidden to do some great thing, would not my lord do it?' so do you meet your every day's difficulties, in a missionary spirit, my love-your every day's trials, with a martyr's resignation; bear patiently the little crook he has given you now, and should a real cross be added, or great occasions of serving Christ be appointed you in future years, you will be better prepared by present discipline to fulfil your Lord's will.”

E. W. P.

THE UPS AND DOWNS OF LIFE.

Ir is very wonderful to see the resignation of the poor, and the quiet submission of so many of them to their lot.

I have often been amazed at the contentment of those who, according to the graphic saying, "Live from hand to mouth,”still more at the composure of some who, when out of work from illness, or some other cause, will moralize on their own condition, and point with compassion to others still worse off than themselves. How often have I heard one or other of my parents say, "This is a hard winter: I am afraid you are very much straitened with your large family ?"

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'Well," the answer would be, " "certainly it is hard; but then, sir, you see, all the gifts come in the winter.”

"What wages does your husband earn ?"

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Why, he has earned but 4s. 6d. the last four weeks, by reason Mr. can only keep the men on three days in the

week."

"Can you get on with 4s. 6d. a week?"

"No, sir, we're forced to run up a score at the baker's; but, deary me! sir, what can poor folks expect, such a hard frost as this ?"

"Their submission to inevitable poverty is wonderful; but when we see them extend the same indifference to proposals for improving their condition, if those proposals involve change, or personal exertion in some new form to the one they are accustomed to, long journies, or the necessity for consideration and thought, it is impossible not to feel that poverty bringing with it, as it so often does, ignorance and dulness of intellect, is the greatest and most stubborn bar to its own removal.

We know that "the poor shall never cease out of the land;" but it really does sometimes appear, as if they themselves were bent upon keeping this prophecy constantly fulfilled. But I must not moralize; my tale, or rather my simple narrative, shall be its own moral.

You must know, then, that beyond my father's garden is a wild shrubbery, thickly planted with lauristinus, shrubs, sycamore, planes, maple trees, and larches. In my childhood, a winding path led through it, till it sloped down rather abruptly

to the brink of a stream about three feet wide. This stream, which was not very deep, formed the boundary between the shrubbery and the field, and not far from it, in the thickest part of the shrubbery, and as gardener called it, “blinded and smothered in them trees," stood a substantial root-house, with plastered walls, a real door that would lock, and two small glass windows. It was the joy of my childhood to decorate the place with shells, bits of colored glass, peacock's feathers, gay pebbles, and anything else that I thought would make it a gorgeous and desirable summer palace. There, also, I had two wooden stools, a table, some nests which gardener had given me, my tools, and a good deal of other property of inestimable value in my eyes; but scarcely worth mentioning, if things are only worth what they will fetch.

When I was twelve years old, my two cousins came to spend the autumn with us: for the first fortnight, we had holidays, and we spent nearly all day playing in and about this roothouse. It was the end of September; the most delightful weather possible; the sun shone from morning till night, but the leaves were turning and falling very early, for I well remember the thick layer of plane and sycamore leaves we used to tread under foot, and the quantities of fir cones and horse-chesnuts we collected during that happy fortnight.

Our old gardener, who was quite a character in his way, was generally very good natured to us, but when he was displeased, he had a trick of muttering to himself which we well understood: if we had been running over his newly raked borders, meddling with his hand-glasses, or bearing off his tools for our own purposes, we were sure to be assailed with this muttering, together with a half-articulated warning that he should tell our 'Pa of us.

As we had kept very much out of his way, and just at that time, had clear consciences with respect to this much-injured individual, we were rather surprised whenever we passed to be greeted with his grumbling, as well as with various portentous shakes of the head.

At last, one particularly fine day, when we wanted to make a feast in the root-house, and petitioned him to give us each a Burgundy pear, and a few filberts. we were surprised to be