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Its glossy leaf, and its silvery stem;

O dost thou not love to look on them?

And dost thou not love, when leaves are greenest,
And summer has just begun,

When in the silence of moonlight thou leanest,
Where glist'ning waters run,

To see, by that gentle and peaceful beam,
The willow bent down to the sparkling stream?"

And O! in a lovely autumnal day,

When leaves are changing before thee,
Do not nature's charms, as they slowly decay,
Shed their own mild influence o'er thee?
And hast thou not felt, as thou stood'st to gaze,
The touching lesson such scene displays?

It should be thus, at an age like thine;
And it has been thus with me;

When the freshness of feeling and heart were mine As they never more can be:

Yet think not I ask thee to pity my lot,

Perhaps I see beauty where thou dost not.

Hast thou seen, in winter's stormiest day,
The trunk of a blighted oak,

Not dead, but sinking in slow decay,
Beneath time's resistless stroke,

Round which a luxuriant ivy had grown,
And wreath'd it with verdure no longer its own?

Perchance thou hast seen this sight, and then,
As I, at thy years might do,
Pass'd carelessly by, nor turned again

That scathed wreck to view :

But now I can draw, from that mouldering tree,
Thoughts which are soothing and dear to me.

O smile not! nor think it a worthless thing,
If it be with instruction fraught;

That which will closest and longest cling,
Is alone worth a serious thought!
Should aught be unlovely which thus can shed
Grace on the dying, and leaves not the dead?

Now, in thy youth, beseech of Him
Who giveth, upbraiding not,

That his light in thy heart become not dim,
And his love be unforgot;

And thy God, in the darkest of days, will be
Greenness, and beauty, and strength to thee!

LESSON XXI.

Christ stilling the Tempest.-MRS. HEMANS.

But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves; for the wind was contrary.-Matt. xiv.

FEAR was within the tossing bark,
When stormy winds grew loud;
And waves came rolling high and dark,
And the tall mast was bow'd.

And men stood breathless in their dread,
And baffled in their skill-

But one was there, who rose, and said
To the wild sea, "Be still!"

And the wind ceas'd-it ceased! that word
Pass'd through the gloomy sky;
The troubled billows knew the Lord,
And sank beneath his eye.

And slumber settled on the deep,
And silence on the blast,

As when the righteous fall asleep
When death's fierce throes are past.

Thou that didst rule the angry hour,
And tame the tempest's mood-
Oh! send the spirit forth in power,
O'er our dark souls to brood.

Thou that didst bow the billow's pride,
Thy mandates to fulfil-

Speak, speak, to passion's raging tide,
Speak, and say "Peace, be still!"

LESSON XXII.

Advantages of History.-DICK.

HISTORY embraces a record and description of past facts and events in reference to all the nations and ages of the world, in so far as they are known, and have been transmitted to our time. As Natural History contains a record of the operations of the Creator in the material world, so, sacred and civil history embraces a record of his transactions in the moral and intellectual world, or, in other words, a detail of the plans and operations of His Providence, in relation to the inhabitants of our globe.

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Through the medium of Sacred History we learn the period and the manner of man's creation-the reason of his fall from the primitive state of integrity in which he was created, and the dismal consequences which ensued -the various movements of Providence in order to his recovery, and the means by which human Redemption was achieved;—the manner in which the Gospel was at first promulgated, the countries into which it was carried, and the important effects it produced.

Through the medium of Civil History we learn the deep and universal depravity of mankind, as exhibited in the wars, dissensions, and ravages, which have desolated our fallen race, in every period, and in every land ;we learn the desperate wickedness of the human heart, in the more private acts of ferocity, cruelty, and injustice, which, in all ages, men have perpetrated upon each other; we behold the Righteousness of the Supreme Ruler of the world, and the equity of his administration, in the judgments which have been inflicted on wicked nations and the improbability, nay, the impossibility of men being ever restored to moral order and happiness, without a more extensive diffusion of the blessings of the Gospel of Peace, and a more cordial acquiescence in the requirements of the Divine laws.

Such being some of the benefits to be derived from History, it requires no additional arguments to show, that this branch of knowledge should occasionally form a subject of study to every intelligent Christian." But, in order

to render the study of History subservient to the interests of Religion, it is not enough, merely to gratify our curiosity and imagination, by following out a succession of memorable events, by tracing the progress of armies and of battles, and listening to the groans of the vanquished, and the shouts of conquerors. This would be to study History merely as skeptics, as atheists, or as writers of novels.

When we contemplate the facts which the Historian presents to our view, we ought to raise our eyes to Him who is the Governor among the nations, "who doth according to his will in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth," and who overrules the jarring interests of mortals, for promoting the prosperity of that Kingdom which shall never be moved. We should view the immoral propensities and dispositions of mankind as portrayed in the page of history, as evidences of the depravity of our species, and as excitements to propagate, with unremitting energy, the knowledge of that Religion, whose sublime doctrines and pure precepts alone can counteract the stream of human corruption, and unite all nations in one harmonious society.

We should view the contests of nations, and the results with which they are accompanied, as guided by that Invisible Hand which "mustereth the armies to the battle;" and should contemplate them either as the accomplishment of Divine predictions, as the inflictions of retributive justice, as paving the way for the introduction of rational liberty and social happiness among men, or as ushering in that glorious period, when "the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth," and the nations shall learn

war no more.

LESSON XXIII.

Discovery of America.-HALE.

THE continent of America was probably unknown to the ancients. If once known, as some have supposed, to the Carthaginians, the Scandinavians, and the Welsh, all knowledge of it was afterwards lost. The discovery of

this extensive region, constituting nearly one half of the habitable globe, was the accidental result of the attempts, made in the fifteenth century, to find a passage, by sea, from the ports of Europe to the East Indies, whose precious commodities were then transported, over land, by a long, dangerous, and expensive route.

This passage was universally sought by sailing south, along the western coasts of Europe and Africa, in the hope of finding the termination of the continent, when the Indies, it was supposed, might be attained, by taking at first an easterly and then a northerly course. The discovery of the Cape of Good Hope, in 1487, encouraged expectation, and gave increased activity to the spirit of adventure.

Among the navigators of that age, Christopher Columbus, a native of the republic of Genoa, was distinguished for experience and skill in his profession, for extensive knowledge, and for a bold and original genius. The shape of the earth, then known to be round, and the fact that pieces of carved wood, a canoe, and two human bodies, of a complexion different from that of Europeans, had been driven, by long westerly winds, upon the shores of Islands contiguous to Europe, suggested to his observing mind the project of seeking the East Indies by sailing directly west.

Unable to defray the expenses of an expedition, he sought first the assistance of his native city. His countrymen, accustomed only to cruising, in frail vessels, along the shores of the continent, treated the projects as chimerical, and declined furnishing aid. A pressing application to the king of Portugal, in whose dominions he had resided, met likewise with ridicule and rejection. Persevering in his purpose, he then sent his brother, Bartholmew, to England to apply to Henry VII, and went himself to Spain, which was then governed by Ferdinand and Isabella, from whom he solicited assistance.

For a long time he solicited in vain. At length the queen, persuaded by his representations, became his friend and patron. By her direction, three small vessels were fitted out, and he was authorised to sail with these upon his projected voyage of discovery. On the third of August, 1492, he departed from Palos, in Spain, directing his course towards the Canary islands.

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