behaving, how much you remember of that you have heard, and how far you are the better for it. Be as attentive at evening church as you were in the morning; the more tired you are, the more you should try to attend. When church is over, you will probably have a good deal of leisure for the remainder of the day. Do not mis-employ it. Your duty is to remember the Sabbathday (the whole day, and not a part of it) to keep it holy. It must not be a day of idleness, but of holiness; therefore, do not be idle. It must not be a day of worldly, but of heavenly pleasure; therefore, do not spend it with rude companions, or in noisy sport. Employ yourself with a good book at home. Set a good example to others, and try and lead them to think of God and holy things; but remember that you are very young, and have a great many faults; therefore, you have cause to be humble. to If your parents wish to be read to, read to them; if they are kind enough to read to you, listen carefully. Never miss family prayer, if your parents give you the opportunity of attending it. Before you go to bed, examine yourself how you have spent the day, and then offer up this in addition to your other prayers, that on each Lord's-day you may serve God better, and that He will forgive you for all your omissions on that day. Thus remember the Christian Sabbath, and thus keep it holy; not sad, but holy; not for sport and merriment, but holy; and then I will venture to promise you, that you will spend it well, and, therefore, that you will spend it happily. DICTIONARY OF HARD WORDS IN THE BIBLE. (Continued from p. 276.) Affect; to move; to excite. 1 A'lien; foreign; not of the same family or country. A'llegory; a figure of speech, by which another thing A'lms; what is given in relief to the poor. A'loes; a precious perfume; the best is of higher price than gold. Alpha; the first letter in the Greek alphabet, the same as our A; used to signify "the first." A'ltar; a large table made of stone or metal, on which sacrifices and offerings were laid and burnt. A'lter; to change. Amáze; to confuse with terror, or with wonder. Amazement; extreme fear1; or great wonder2. Ambassador; a person of honour sent as messenger from one king to another. A'mbush; a party lying in wait to make a secret Amérce; to punish with a fine of money. A'miable; lovely; pleasing. Anathema; a curse; means "setting apart" from the Church. A'ncestor; a forefather. A'ncient; old; of former times; rulers and governors. A'ngel; a messenger from God; sometimes means the evil spirits. A'nguish; very great pain. Anoint; to set apart for a high office, by pouring oil on the head. Anón; quickly; immediately. A'ntichrist; opposite or contrary to Christ. Apollyon; "the Destroyer.' Apóstle; a special messenger. 1 1 Pet. iii. 6. 2 Acts iii. 10. Apothecary; one who keeps medicines for sale. Appéal; to refer to another as a judge. Appease; to quiet; to reconcile. Appertaín; to belong to. Applý; to fix the mind upon steadily; to put one thing to another. Appoint; to ordain to an office; to fix; to establish. Apprehénd; to lay hold of. Approve; to like or praise; to prove. Archangel; one of the highest order of angels. A'rgument; a reason for a thing. Ark; a large chest or vessel. A'rmed; furnished with weapons to fight and to pro tect one's-self. Armour; weapons of war and defence. Array; the order of battle. A'rrogancy; the taking too much on one's-self. Artíficer; a maker; a manufacturer. Artillery; weapons of war. Ascénd; to go up. Ascríbe; to attribute in words. Asp; a very poisonous serpent. Assáy; to make trial of; to endeavour. Assemble; to meet together; to collect together. Assént; to agree; to yield to. Assign; to mark out; to give for a special purpose. Associate; to unite with one another. Assuage; to abate; to soften or allay. Assurance; certain expectation, trust, or knowledge. Astónied; confounded with fear or wonder. Astróloger; one who pretends to foretel things from the appearance of the stars. Atónement; a means of reconciling or making peace. Attribute; to impute. Avail; to profit; to assist. A'udience; hearing. Avénge; to punish; to revenge. Averse; not fond of. Avoid; to shun; to fly from. Avoúch; to affirm solemnly. Austére; severe, harsh, tyrannical. A'uthor; a beginner; a maker. Authority; lawful power; influence; permission. EXTRACTS FROM MY FAMILY BIBLE. MATTHEW Xxii. 1-14. MY DEAR FAMILY, It was lawful with the Jews to pluck with the hand the standing corn1. Persons who are not very careful to keep the great points of the law of God, are very often wonderfully particular in lesser matters, and are always ready to cry out against much better persons than themselves, who have grace to understand their Christian liberty. The Pharisees feeling that the doctrines and the precepts of the Gospel of our Lord were clean contrary to their wicked and hypocritical ways, must seek occasion against Him for allowing his hungered disciples to pluck and eat some ears of corn on a Sabbath-day. Our Lord reminds them of what David, a far better man than they, had done on a Sabbath-day when pressed by hunger,-that he had eaten the sacred bread in the tabernacle, which it was not lawful for any but the priests to eat 2, and that yet he was not called to account for it, because he did it to satisfy the hunger of himself and them that were with him. He further calls to their minds, that the priests on the Sabbath-day offered up burnt-offerings in the temple, though no fire was to be kindled on a Sabbath-day* according to the law of Moses. Our Lord then proclaims Himself one greater than the temple, and as He had done before, tells the self-righteous Pharisees, that 1 Deut. xxiv. 3 Numb. xxviii. 9, 10. 21 Sam. xxi. 3-7. 4 Exod. xxxv. 3. had they studied God's word as they ought, they would have known that his disciples were guiltless in what they had done. He tells them too, that it mattered not what they thought, for that He was Lord even of the Sabbathday, which was made for the spiritual and bodily comfort of man, for whose eternal good He became the Son of man; yet at the same time being God, He was able to alter the old laws concerning the Sabbath, so as best to meet man's wants and necessities. Mark now, dear family, that though your Saviour was Lord of the Sabbath, and suffered his disciples to pluck the corn on that day, He did not allow them to think for a moment that they might neglect the public worship of the Church, for when He went out thence He went into their synagogue. Here again our Redeemer is attacked by the hypocritical Pharisees, who taking occasion by the presence of a poor man with a withered hand, asked Him in a sneering manner whether it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath-day. The answer of our Saviour and his act towards the poor man, struck deep into their hypocritical hearts. They were not prepared to have their pretences at religion so torn away, nor to have seen a miracle performed for their confusion. Mark their malice as told in the following versęs (14—22). A LAYMAN. TO A CHILD. You love, my child, to watch those clouds, That e'er the sun sinks in the west Reflect his golden light. But know, beyond those glowing clouds Upon the clear blue sky. I cannot tell you half its joys, There, angels too, a glorious band, And sing to golden harps his praise |