the wilderness, to bring up their children for God, could not but see that they had a path of duty, in and out of doors, that made the meaning of dipping their feet "in oil," and the need of "shoes of brass or iron," only too plain! These, to us, strange figures of speech, told them solemn facts!

Thus, if Lot Five, in Canaan, fell "in pleasant places," and was "a goodly heritage" both by sea and land, it was also almost as perilous as it was sublime and beautiful; for it left the children of Asher with much time upon their own hands, and exposed them to much temptation as well as bad example. Parents had need, therefore, to "dip their foot in oil," and to be shod as with "iron and brass," that they might not weary in well doing, nor in watchfulness, for the spiritual welfare of their families; placed as these were between the malign influences of Tyre and Sidon.

How true this is of the position of pious parents in London, and in our great cities! Unless our children see much "piety at home," they see so much unblushing vice, and rampant folly, and insatiable worldliness all the year round, that their minds cannot be uninjured, even if their morals escape without injury. For nothing in our streets, marts, or suburbs, indicates any fear of God, or preparation for eternity, except on sabbath; and even then, the chief streams of the populace are rushing not to the house of God, but to the haunts of folly. Now it is against this "tear and wear" of earthly things upon the youthful mind, that parents have to work and watch, as well as pray! Home has to counteract all this dangerous influence! O, well may parents as often as ministers, exclaim, when looking at their work and warfare, "Who is sufficient for these things?" Well may both betake themselves to the same refuge, and say, "Our sufficiency is of God." And this is not such a precarious refuge as some suspect. There is far more truth in the promises of God to parents, than we have ever seen put to the test. Few dip their feet

| deep enough into the oil of the promises, or keep them well "shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace," to be either swift or sure-footed in the paths of parental duty. That gospel of peace is war against idolatry; and therefore it is not well taught in any family, where the subversion of heathen idols is not made as much a part of Christian duty as it was of Jewish duty, when the church

entered Canaan.

This fact is by far too little pondered, even now that the young are awake to the claims of missions. Indeed, it is hardly understood by those who awoke them. And of all the spiritualizing which has been perpetrated upon the history of the Jewish church, by fanciful writers, not one of them has been spiritual enough to admire or notice the Scriptural fact, that the first practical lesson on the spirit of religion given to children, when the church entered Canaan, was, the destruction of idolatry. They saw, of course, their parents sanctifying the sabbath, and maintaining family worship every day, as well as heard them rehearsing what God had done and said for the church in the wilderness. But they saw them also, wherever any Canaanitish city was conquered, fulfilling this command," Ye shall utterly destroy all the places wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree: And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them, out of that place," Deut. xii. 2, 3.

Now this was work, that children could understand and enjoy at once, and in which they would readily engage. And it was highly instructive work to them as well as to their parents, in more senses than one. For it not only poured contempt upon all false gods, and asserted the sole supremacy of Jehovah; but also inculcated disinterestedness. Many of the Phenician idols were of gold and silver,

and emblazoned with jewels; and thus were tempting to both cupidity and vanity. When, therefore, children saw them splintered by the axe, and smashed by the hammer, and burnt in the fire, without any regard to their value or beauty, the sight must have made them feel that even wealth was worthless, when employed to the dishonour of God; and thus almost made them sing to Him our song,

"Jewels to thee, are gaudy toys,
And gold but sordid dust."

Now whatever degree of the Divine blessing the children of Asher obtained, this was one way in which it came. And still nothing brings home to the young mind, so readily or clearly, a sense of the greatness and goodness of either God or the Saviour, as the overthrow of idols in heathen lands. No catechetical definition of the Divine character suggests so many ideas of God, as the contrast between Him and all false gods! Our Juvenile Missionary Associations prove all this, and even more! R. P.

(To be concluded in our next.)

WE read respecting the death of Jesus that all the disciples forsook him and fled, still he had a few friends who remained faithful to the last, and these were his mother, her sister Mary Magdalene, and the beloved John: let us notice these Marys separately. This first was the mother of Jesus, or as she is usually termed the Virgin Mary; she was the daughter of Eli or Joachim, she was of the Royal Family, descended from the house of David, as we read, "There shall come a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots;" denoting that the Messiah should be born of the family of David, who was the son of Jesse; but it says there shall come a rod out of the stem of Jesse, not Davidbecause Jesse was a poor man living in obscurity, while David was an illustrious monarch; and this denotes to what a state of poverty this family would be reduced at the time of Christ's birth,—a branch shall grow out of his roots; Christ the branch of righteousness should spring from this family when nothing but the root was left, the proud stem, the noble branches were gone, nothing was left but the root; showing the decayed state

of this family when Jesus appeared; it would be absurd to eulogize her, as the papists do, but it will be admitted, that of all the daughters of Abraham, none was so highly honoured as she was. The Jewish women were looking forward with great anxiety to this interesting event, each hoping to be distinguished as the mother of the promised Messiah; hence said the angel at the annunciation, "Hail thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women." The next was Mary the wife of Cleophas. Cleophas was one of the two disciples who were journeying to Emmaus, when Jesus accosted them; she was the mother of the Apostle James, and sister of the Virgin Mary; she was one of those women who prepared spices to embalm the body of Jesus, and was early at the sepulchre on the morning of the resurrection.

The other was Mary Magdalene; a very mistaken notion appears to have been formed respecting her, as though she had been a most notorious character; it is true seven devils had been ejected from her, but it was common at the time of Christ for persons to be possessed of demons,

"He dies, the friend of sinners dies,
Lo, Salem's daughters weep around;
A solemn darkness veils the skies,
A sudden trembling shakes the ground.

"Come saints and drop a tear or two,

For him who groan'd beneath your load;
He shed a thousand drops for you,
A thousand drops of richer blood!"

This leads us to notice the affecting circumstances recorded,-Jesus commending his mother to the beloved disciple. Before our Lord yielded up the ghost, he commended his mother to the beloved John. As we read, "When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour, that disciple took her unto his own home."

It is believed that Mary had been a widow for some time previously to the death of Jesus; hitherto he had been her support and consolation, but now he was about to be taken from her, he knew the destitute condition in which she would be left. Silver and gold he had none, even his raiment was gone, he therefore raised up a friend on her behalf,-directing her attention to the beloved disciple, he said, "Behold thy son!" as much as to say, behold all you need, your supporter, comforter, and protector: then turning to John, exclaimed, "Behold thy mother!" as much as to say, I commend her to you as my dying legacy; do you be the staff of her old age, comfort her declining years, and when I come again I will

disciple took her unto his own home." The obedience of John was cheerful, prompt, and permanent; it was cheerful, it would be attended with great expense; she is supposed to have lived about eleven years after this in the family of John; she would require great care and attention, as the infirmities of age were coming on, and there would be great self-denial required, as it would be an increase to the family of John. His obedience was also prompt, "from that hour, that disciple took her unto his own home;" he did not consult with flesh and blood, but immediately obeyed the orders of his Divine Master; and it was permanent, as she is supposed to have remained with John till her death. Thus we see the care Christ takes of his followers; when one friend fails, another is raised up. He will say to the righteous at the last day, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: naked, and ye clothed me; sick, and in prison, and ye ministered unto me. Then shall they answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee, or thirsty, and gave thee drink? when saw we thee sick, and in prison, and ministered unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, inasmuch as ye did it unto one of the least of these my breWell done, thren, ye did it unto me. good and faithful servant enter thou into the joy of thy Lord !"

ONESIPHORUS.

"July 8, 1848.

"In the prospect of this day, completing my seventieth year, I had designed the preparation of a third, and— considering the period of life now specified-perhaps last Address to the Con