The melody of summer waves,
The thrilling notes of birds,
Can never be so dear to me,

As their remembered words.

5. I sometimes dream their pleasant smiles
Still on me sweetly fall,

Their tones of love I faintly hear
My name in sadness call.

I know that they are happy,
With their angel-plumage on,
But my heart is very desolate,
To think that they are gone.

LXXI. ELIJAH THE TISHBITE.

FROM THE BIBLE.

1. AND Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me', and more also, if I make not thy' life as the life of one of them' by to-morrow about this time. And when he saw that', he arose and went for his life', and came and sat down under a juniper-tree', and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, It is enough; now, O Lord', take away my life'; for I am not better than my fathers.

2. And as he lay and slept under a juniper-tree', behold, then an angel' touched him, and said unto him, Arise, and eat! And he looked, and behold, there was a cake baked on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down' again. And the angel of the Lord came again the second' time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. And he arose, and did eat and drink', and went in the strength of that meat, forty days and forty nights', unto Horeb, the mount of God.

3. And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged' there; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah'? And he said, I

have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts'; for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword': and, I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it

away.

4. And he said, Go forth and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by', and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks, before the Lord'; but the Lord was not in the wind': and after the wind an earthquake': but the Lord was not in the earthquake': and after the earthquake, a fire': but the Lord was not in the fire': and after the fire, a still, small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle', and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave.

5. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here', Elijah'? And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts'; because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword'; and I', even I only, am left'; and they seek my life to take it away. And the Lord said unto him, Go', return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus': and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria'; and Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel'; and Elisha shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael, shall Jehu slay; and him that escapeth the sword of Jehu, shall Elisha slay. Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baäl, and every mouth which hath not kissed' him. So, he departed thence.

LXXII.-ELIJAH AT MOUNT HOREB.

FROM KRUMMACHER.

KRUMMACHER was a German divine, who wrote several very interesting and instructive works, among which are "Elisha the Tishbite," "Parables," etc.

1. "Go forth," it had been said to Elijah', "and stand upon the mount before the Lord." The prophet hears it, and leaves his cave'; and no sooner is he gone forth, than signs occur which announce to him the approach of the Almighty. The sacred historian here, indeed, depicts in simple language, a most sublime scene.

2. The first sign was a tremendous wind'. Just before, probably, the deepest silence had prevailed throughout this dreary wilderness. The mountain tempest breaks forth, and the bursting rocks thunder, as if the four winds, having been confined there, had in an instant broken from their prisons to fight' together. The clouds are driven about in the sky, like squadrons of combatants rushing to the conflict. The sandy desert is like a raging sea, tossing its curling billows to the sky. Sinai is agitated, as if the terrors of the law-giving were renewed around it. The prophet feels the majesty of Jehovah; it is awful and appalling. It is not a feeling of peace, and of the Lord's blissful nearness, which possesses Elijah's soul in this tremendous scene'; it is rather a feeling of distressing distance'; "a strong wind went before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind.".

3. The terrors of an earthquake' next ensue. The very foundations of the hills shake and are removed. The mountains and the rocks which were rent by the mighty wind, threaten now to fall upon one another. Hills sink down, and valleys rise; chasms yawn, and horrible depths unfold, as if the earth were removed out of his place. The prophet, surrounded by the ruins of nature, feels still more of that divine majesty, which "looketh upon the earth, and it trembleth." But he still remains without any gracious communication of Jehovah in the inner man. The earthquake was only the second herald of the Deity. It went before the Lord, "but the Lord was not in the earthquake."

4. When this had ceased, an awful fire passed by. As the winds had done before, so now the flames' come upon him from every side, and the deepest shades of night are turned into the light of day. Elijah, lost in adoring astonishment', beholds the awfully sublime spectacle', and the inmost sensation of his heart must have been that of surprise and dread; but he enjoys, as yet, no delightful sensation of the divine presence'; "the Lord was not in the fire.”

5. The fire disappears', and tranquillity, like the stillness of the sanctuary, spreads gradually over all nature`, and it seems as if every hill and dale', yea, the whole earth and skies', lay in silent homage at the footstool of eternal Majesty. The very mountains seemed to worship'; the whole scene is hushed to profound peace'; and now, he hears a “still, smāll võice." "And it was so when Elijah heard it he wrapt his face in his mantle," in token of reverential awe and adoring wonder, and went forth, "and stood at the entrance of the cave."

TO TEACHERS.

RHETORICAL notation will now be omitted, as the learner may be supposed to have become sufficiently acquainted with the subject to judge for himself, with such occasional aid as the teacher may think proper to give.

LXXIII.-EARTH AND HEAVEN.

WORDS marked thus +, in the subsequent lessons, should be spelled and defined by the pupil; as, "+summoned" and "+couch" in the first paragraph of this lesson. The pupil may be required to write them upon a black board or slate. If resort to a dictionary is needed, Webster's should be referred to as standard authority in spelling and definition.

EARTH.

1. THERE is grief, there is grief, there is wringing of hands,
And weeping and calling for aid;

For Sorrow hath summoned her group, and it stands
Round the couch where the sufferer is laid;
And lips are all pallid, and cheeks are all cold,
And tears from the heart-springs are shed;
Yet who that looks on, the sweet saint to behold,
But would gladly lie down in her stead.

2. There is grief, there is grief, there is anguish and strife, And the sufferer is striving for breath;

For the spirit will cling, oh, how fondly, to life,
And stern is the struggle with death!

But the terrible conflict grows deadlier still,

Till the last fatal symptoms have birth;

And the eyeball is glazed, and the heart-blood is chill;
And this is the portion of EARTH!

HEAVEN.

3. There is bliss, there is bliss, in the regions above,
They have opened the gates of the sky;

A spirit has soared to those mansions of love,
And seeks for admittance on high;

And friends long divided are hasting to greet,
In a land where no sorrow may come,
And the seraphs are cager a sister to meet,
And to welcome the child to its home.

4. There is bliss, there is bliss, at the foot of the throne;
See the spirit all purified bend;

And it beams with delight, since it gazes alone,
On the face of a father, a friend!

Then it joins in the anthems forever that rise,
And its frailty or folly forgiven,

It is dead to the earth, and new-born to the skies,
And this is the portion of HEAVEN!