ON REACHING THE AGE OF TWENTY-THREE.

How soon hath Time, the subtle thief of youth,
Stol'n on his wing my three-and-twentieth year!
My hasting days fly on with full career,
But my late spring no bud or blossom shew'th.
Perhaps my semblance might deceive the truth,
That I to manhood am arrived so near;
And inward ripeness doth much less appear,
That some more timely-happy spirits endu'th.
Yet be it less or more, or soon or slow,

It shall be still in strictest measures even
To that same lot, however mean or high,
Toward which Time leads me, and the Will of Heaven;
All is, if I have grace to use it so,

As ever in my great Taskmaster's eye.

PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOUR OF GOD.

"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."- Ephesians vi. 11, 12.

YOUNG Soldier of the Cross, beware!

A watchful foe besets thy way,

His bow is ready bent to slay,
The soul unarmed and bare:

Gird on thine armour for the fight,
Close on the left hand and the right.

PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOUR OF GOD.

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Let truth's pure girdle belt thee round,
Let Christ's own righteousness complete
Protect thy breast, and be thy feet
With Gospel fitness bound;
Thy shield be Faith's unchanging light,
Salvation's hope thy helmet bright.

Grasp in thy hand that potent sword
In Heaven's high armoury prepared,
Quick to attack, and strong to guard,
The weapon of God's Word;
Then, strong in prayer, pursue thy way,
Nor foe shall crush, nor arrow slay!

true,

Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then they brought these men before the king.

Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, do not ye serbe my gods, nor worship the golden image which I habe set up?

Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, pe fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliber you out of my hands?

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.

If it be so, our God whom we serbe is able to deliber us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliber us out of thine hand, O king.

But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serbe thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

Daniel iii. 13—1.

"Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver

us out of thine hand, O king."--Daniel iii. 17.