sed its rage, but inwardly vowed re e next spring another shoot sprang forth, at the end of the following autumn the again commenced upon its more fore opponent. "You puny thing! though nd a year's growth the start, I am now the Next year I shall bear beautiful white 3 succeeded by dark, delicious berries, you will still be a short, useless shrub." is the Elder raved, but the patient little e only smiled. It knew a glorious career et in store, and was willing to "bide its ars have sped, and the braggart Elder has pronounced a nuisance, to be uprooted and oyed as soon as possible. The humble is a trim, towering giant; birds frequent fy brauches; man and beast seek its reng shade; and incisions are made in its rom which oozes a juice that affords the luscious of sweets. My young readers, Is the moral? E ART OF CONVERSATION consists much your own abundance, than in enabling to find talk for themselves. Men do not o admire you; they want to please. ND now, we come to the third thing we wish to speak of, in connection with our text; and that portance of keeping straight, while we the im are getting educated. Did you ever know a person who had charge of a nursery of young trees? If you did, lessons from his example. The great object, you might learn some very useful with him, is to keep his trees in proper shape, while they are growing. He walks about among them very often, and watches them closely. If he sees one getting crooked, he tries to straighten it. If merely bending it, with his hands, will not keep it straight, then he puts a stake in the ground, and ties the young tree to it, so as to keep it in a right position all the time it is growing. And if the gardener thinks it worth his while to take so much care, and pains with the education of a mere tree, which, after all, will only last for a few years, how much more careful should we be in educating our souls, which are to live forever and ever! Did you ever go to a photographic-office, to have your likeness taken? If you did, you remember how very careful the person, who took your likeness, was to have you seated properly, before he began to take it. He lifted your head up, he set your shoulders back, he altered the position of your hands, three or four times, perhaps, before he could get it to suit. He set a swinging ball in motion, for you to look at, so as to have your eyes right; and when every thing was arranged just to suit him, he said, "There, now; keep just so, for a little while, and we'll get a nice picture." Suppose, now, you had shut one eye, just at that moment, and kept it shut for two or three minutes: what then? Why, you would have had the likeness of a one-eyed boy or girl. Or, suppose you had twisted your face, or screwed-up your mouth: y are growing. He walks about among often, and watches them closely. If me getting crooked, he tries to straighten merely bending it, with his hands, will it straight, then he puts a stake in the and ties the young tree to it, so as to in a right position all the time it is -And if the gardener thinks it worth eto take so much care, and pains with Cation of a mere tree, which, after all, last for a few years, how much more hould we be in educating our souls, re to live forever and ever! 35 why, you would have had a picture of yourself with a screwed-up mouth, or a twisted face. Nothing in the world could prevent it. Now, my dear children, this world is God's photographic-office; and we are all staying to have our likeness taken. While we are young the likeness is being taken of what we are to be as men and women. And all the time we are living here, the likeness is being taken of what we shall be, hereafter, forever. When we become men and women, we may, by great efforts, alter the picture that was made of ourselves in youth. But, when we come to die, the picture that has been taken of us can never, never be altered. However crooked, or awkward, or ugly, our features may be, they must remain just they are. Oh, this is a most important thing to know. And it is a very solemn thing to think about. Every day we live, our likeness is being taken for eternity. Let us try to remember this every morning, when we rise from our beds. Let us think to ourselves, "I am having my likeness taken for eternity to-day, and I must strive to have a good likeness." And when we are tempted to do any thing that wrong, let us stop and ask ourselves the question, How will this look in that picture of the which must last forever? only our words and actions, but our thoughts And it is not and feelings, which will appear in these likenesses. Almost every feeling we indulge, in our ou ever go to a photographic-office, to ir likeness taken? If you did, you rehow very careful the person, who took eness, was to have you seated properly, e began to take it. He lifted your head set your shoulders back, he altered the of your hands, three or four times, perefore he could get it to suit. He set a g ball in motion, for you to look at, so ave your eyes right; and when every as arranged just to suit him, he said, now; keep just so, for a little while, Il get a nice picture." Suppose, now, shut one eye, just at that moment, and shut for two or three minutes: what Why, you would have had the likeness e-eyed boy or girl. Or, suppose you had your face, or screwed-up your mouth: is as hearts, will have its effect upon the countenance. When a person is very angry you can tell it in a minute, from the look of his face. The cheeks flash up, and grow as red as a coal; and the eyes glare, and flash like the eyes of a tiger. A face all inflamed with anger would make a very And selfishdisagreeable picture to look at. ness, fretfulness, unkindness, and meanness, will show themselves in the face, just as plainly as anger does. And they are just as disagreeable to look at, too. And if we indulge these, or any other wrong feelings, in our hearts or lives, we shall fix the expression of them in the likeness now being made, of what we are to be forever. Whenever we are tempted to give way to these wrong feelings, let us say to ourselves, "No; this will spoil our picture for eternity; this will make a crooked feature in it that will never be made straight. Our likeness is being taken, now, for eternity. Oh, how important it is, that we should keep straight till it is done!" There is only one other point, I would speak upon, in connection with our present text, and that is this:How can we get straight, and keep straight, till our likeness is finished? Now, how are we to get straight? This is the most important question we can ever have to think about. Remember, we are not straight, to begin with. Recollect, that, the first of our four points was, to show that, we are all born with crooked, or wicked hearts. They must be ll have its effect upon the countenance. person is very angry you can tell it in The cheeks from the look of his face. and grow as red as a coal; and the e, and flash like the eyes of a tiger. A flamed with anger would make a very ble picture to look at. And selfishfulness, unkindness, and meanness, will mselves in the face, just as plainly as es. And they are just as disagreeable , too. And if we indulge these, or any Ong feelings, in our hearts or lives, we the expression of them in the likeness g made, of what we are to be forever. made straight, before they can be kept straight. How, then, can a crooked, sinful heart be made straight or good? We must take it to Jesus, and pray for him to take away all that is wicked in it. Jesus is able to do this. But no one else, beside him, can do it for us. When David, the King of Israel, was mourning over his own heart, because it was so dreadfully crooked and sinful, this was just what he did to get a new heart. He kneeled down, and prayed most earnestly to his Saviour to do for him this very thing, that we are now speaking of. Would you like to know what he said in his prayer? You can read it all in the fifty-first Psalm. It is a beautiful prayer, and one which we may use for ourselves. In the tenth verse of the Psalm, he says, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." That is the way, and the only way in the world, to get a crooked heart made straight. God is just as willing to hear such a prayer from a little child, Dow, as he was to hear it from King David three thousand years ago, if it is offered as earnestly as David offered it. And He is just as able to answer it now, as He was then. He is called Jesus for this very reason, because He saves his people from their sins. And He does this by making new hearts in them, we are tempted to give way to these now are we to get straight? This is In one of the hymns we sometimes sing, is this verse: |