To know how to read is a great blessing, but like all other blessings it may be abused, and turned into a curse. It will be better in the day of judgment, far better, for the blind and dumb who have never learned one letter, nor read one word, than for those who have learned to read, and have made use of their power to gain false principles and impure ideas from bad books. Life is short, we have no time to spare; we have to learn our duty, and to practise it, and that is work enough for a man's life. Shall we spend this precious time in learning what is only evil for us to know, and what we should try to forget as soon as learnt? But this is not all: we cannot always forget what we read. It may be that God in his mercy may keep us from following the wicked examples that we read of, we may not go and do likewise; but the impure thought will leave a stain on our heart, the foolish jest will make an impression on our mind, we shall be less innocent and less pure than we were before.

It would have been well for Thomas if he had followed the good example of the herd's two daughters. He talked to these girls about the new notions that he had taken up, and begged them to read the books; but they said "No, books that speak disrespectfully of God, and of his religion, must be bad books, and we can gain no good from reading them; we will not therefore open them." They steadily refused either to hear, or to read them, and with God's blessing they were preserved from the infection of these wicked principles.

You will not be surprised to hear that Thomas soon gave up going to chapel, and that his Bible was left, covered with dust, on the corner of a shelf. What has a Socialist to do with prayer or a Bible? He thinks, or professes to think, that there is no God to answer his prayers. If there is no God, he vainly argues, there can be no such thing as the Word of God. Does it not seem strange that any one can find pleasure in taking from us the only true comfort and security that we have in this world of sin and sorrow? Let us for a moment imagine Thomas lying on a sick bed, and let us see what the change of his principles will do for him in this hour of

trial.

While he believed and trusted in God, and en

deavoured to obey his commands, if he fell sick he had great comfort in knowing that such sickness was permitted by God for some wise and good purpose, and he was thus led to submit to it patiently. He also knew that God could restore him to health, as soon as He saw fit, and therefore he prayed earnestly to Him to bless the medicines that he took to this end: he believed that God is perfectly wise, and knew better than he did, if it was for his good to recover or not; he was therefore patient, and not restless-he prayed to God to prepare his soul for the great change, if he saw fit to take him, and he could look forward to that change with hope rather than fear, trusting in the merits and mediation of a blessed Saviour whom he felt he loved, and whose commands he had endeavoured to follow. Thus, as a Christian, he could be cheerful and at peace, even when sick unto death. But now he is a Socialist, and not a Christian, let us see what difference this will make. We will suppose him to have the same earthly support and comfort, the same nurse to attend upon him, the same doctor to visit him, the same medicines to relieve him.

His first feeling now will be that of impatience-"Why am I sick?" and he will vex himself trying to find out the cause of his illness. There is no providence to order it; it must therefore arise from some carelessness or fault of himself or others, and then "Why do I not get better? I take the doctor's physic-it must be his want of skill that prevents my being cured." Here is another cause of vexation-the doctor he probably cannot change, but this feeling towards him prevents his taking comfort in his visits, and takes away the doctor's interest in his patient. As he gets worse, instead of better, what will his feelings be? those round his bedside can do no good, their utmost care may not be able to still the racking pain, nor ease the aching head. The doctor can give no comfort-his countenance tells the sad tale that he has lost all hope, and cannot stop the powerful hand of death. Well, at least here you may fancy the Socialist will triumph. He," you will say, can have no reason to dread death, he believes that it will relieve him from all his

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pain, and he believes that when he ceases to breathe, he will cease to suffer."

But experience tells us that this is not the case; and we who believe that there is a God, and after death a judgment, cannot wonder that at the last this great truth prevails. There is no infidel so unbelieving, no sinner so hardened, that he does not tremble and quail, when he feels the chill hand of death approaching. It will strike him then, if it has never done so before, that he may be mistaken, that there may be a God, and that there may be everlasting punishment for those who have denied and disobeyed that God! What comfort then will he find in death? Alas, God Himself tells us, "This shall ye have of mine hand, ye shall lie down in sorrow." What comfort will he find after death? "Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." E. A.

LINES ON THE OBJECT AND DESIGN OF PROVIDENT

SOCIETIES,

By one of the Contributors to the " Cottager's Monthly Visitor."

JOHN vi. 12.

The Lord, who on the mountain thousands fed,
The fragments gather'd, and their loss forbade ;—
Taught by his Word, we would instruct the poor
To guard from thoughtless waste their scanty store.
From week to week, increas'd by honest gains,
Safe in our care their little stock remains,
Till, to disarm stern winter of its pow'r,
The treasur'd hoard in comforts we restore :
The grateful parent sees, with honest pride,
With raiment meet his wife and babes supplied:
The drunkard longs such blessings to partake,
Resolves his sinful courses to forsake,
With lowly heart to seek the House of Prayer,
And ask repentance and forgiveness there ;-
For, think not ye, who read this humble page,
That "things of earth" alone our care engage;-
Far higher prospects animate our toil,

Far brighter hopes our work of love beguile :-
In meek dependence on his power alone,

Whose grace can change and melt the heart of stone,
We strive from weeds of vice to free the soil,

That fruits of righteousness may crown our toil,

That they who now, for earthly comforts' sake,
The haunts of guilt and misery forsake,
Henceforth, by better hopes and wishes led,
The paths of peace and holiness may tread,

And seek the prize their Saviour's blood hath bought,
A treasure in the Heav'n, that faileth not.

THE FAITHFUL SERVANT WILL BE ALWAYS READY FOR HIS MASTER'S COMING.

IT sometimes happens that an every-day occurrence brings to remembrance a scripture truth, and serves to impress it upon the mind. A few thoughts that occurred to myself I wish to write down, in the hope that they may lead some one else to consider a very important subject, which the following trifling circumstances brought to my mind. The principal family in the village where I reside, some little time ago went from home; the time when they should return was not fixed, but they left word with their household that they might return soon; accordingly, no time was lost by the servants, when the family had taken their departure, in doing all the work that was left them to do; all the needful arrangements, all the necessary repairs were accomplished without delay, and very soon everything was in readiness for the return of the family, and though this still continued uncertain, and was prolonged considerably beyond the time expected, it was of no moment to the servants, for had they returned any day they would have been ready for them. Now may we not learn a lesson from these servants? Our position with regard to our heavenly Master is just similar to theirs with regard to their earthly master. He has left us for a

season, but with the assurance that He will return and that speedily, though the day and the hour knoweth no man. "The Son of Man," (these are our Lord's own words) is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch." We have all our appointed work to do, we have to "work out our own salvation;" we have the "work of faith and labour of love" to perform; talents are all committed to us in different degrees, and soon will the Lord come and reckon with us, and see whether we have performed the work allotted.

us to do. How blessed to be found ready, that when the Lord comes to us either by death, or by his own actual appearance to judgment, we may not be taken by surprise, but as faithful servants, who have "prepared themselves and done their Lord's will," and who are watching anxiously for his return, may rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. "Blessed are those servants whom the Lord, when He cometh, shall find watching verily I say unto you, that He shall gird Himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them." Christians, remember what a Master you serve; pray that the recollection of the love He has shown you may kindle your love and gratitude towards Him, and cause you to be steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, watching for the return of your Lord, and desiring it, as you would that of your best and dearest friend; then, whether He comes very soon, as He may do, or delays His coming from purposes of mercy to sinners, you will be ready to enter into the joy of your Lord.

But if the household we have been speaking of had disbelieved their master's word, and thought by the delay of his return, that he never would come back, and had accordingly neglected all the work assigned them, and spent their time in idleness and self-indulgence, how great would have been their confusion when they saw him really approach, and knew how displeased he would be to find all his orders neglected, and his commands disobeyed. Surely no servant would think of running such a risk, all would have too great a regard for their own advantage, to venture thus to incur their master's displeasure. And yet in spiritual things how often do we see this. Surely it must arise from unbelief and stupid forgetfulness, for if we really believed our Lord's word when He says, "Surely I come quickly," could any live in carelessness about their souls, as so many alas do? Hear then Christ's own words, and take warning. "But, and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming, and shall begin to beat the men servants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; the lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh

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