honesty, the fine vestures of piety, and the purple of modesty."

"Let the ornaments on the hands of females be holy," says Clement" a readiness to communicate and to perform domestic duties. Let the ornaments of their feet be promptness to do good and to act justly; the ornaments of their neck modesty and continence. Of these ornaments God is the maker. Let them not against nature bore their ears, in order to suspend from them gold or precious stones. The best ornament of the ear is instruction in the truth, descending through the natural channels of hearing; eyes animated by the Word, and ears pierced to the understanding, enable man to hear and to contemplate divine things-the Word displaying before him true beauty, which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard before."

The above quotation from Clemens Alexandrinus forms an appropriate conclusion of our subject; and may each sister in Christ endeavour, by her own personal example and influence, to arrest the fearful increase of luxury and extravagance which pervades all classes of so

ciety in the present day. Let it be our single aim to realise the example of the holy women of the apostolic age, whose adorning was that of "the hidden man of the heart,"-modest apparel, shamefacedness, sobriety, good works, and the loveliest of ornaments, "a meek and quiet spirit."

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CHAPTER IX.

THE CHRISTIAN MOTHER.

My mother's voice! how often creeps
Its cadence on my lonely hours!
Like healing sent on wings of sleep,
Or dew to th' unconscious flowers.
I can forget her melting prayer,
While leaping pulses madly fly,
But in the still, unbroken air,

Her gentle tone comes stealing by,
And years, and sin, and manhood flee,
And leave me at my mother's knee.

WILLIS.

Or the many lovely and interesting traits which characterised the early Christians, there is, perhaps, none which stands out in more striking and beautiful relief to the conduct of their heathen contemporaries than the affectionate solicitude with which they tended the helpless years of infancy. So far from complying with the prevailing custom of exposing in the public ways the sickly and deformed infants, their very infirmities were considered only as a plea

for more endearing sympathy; instead of consigning their offspring, and especially daughters, to ignorance, and the society of slaves, they at once solemnly dedicated them to the Lord; and, while still fondled on the knee, the first words which they taught their lips to utter were the name of God and of the Redeemer. From the annexed sketch of a Christian education, we shall see how completely religion was made the groundwork of the whole training of the young child;-how, from the first lispings of Christ and hallelujah, the whole range of nursery tuition was confined to Scripture narratives, parables, and simple hymns, set to familiar airs.

"Train up your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord" was the apostolic injunction, and conscientiously did the early fathers enforce this duty in their writings. Chrysostom says, "Every one of us can exercise, in some measure, the apostolic functions in his own house. You are not called upon to reform the church, but you may give salutary instruction to your wife. You have not to preach to a large congregation, but you may

correct the misconduct of your children or servants. Such a ministry does not exceed either your powers or your capacity. I, for example, cannot gather you together, in this place, more than once or twice in the week; but you, every hour in the day, have your wife, your children, your servants, under your eyes, and can make your voice heard among them. . . It is not merely advice—it is a positive injunction the great apostle gives us on this head:-"If any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." "If you love me," says Jesus to Peter, "feed my sheep." These words are not addressed solely to pastors, they concern us all, whatever we may be. Every one of us has some few sheep that he ought to take care of, and choose for them such pastures as may suit them best. However small his flock may be, he ought in nowise to neglect it, for his heavenly Father is pleased to delight himself in its welfare."

And again, "If you are careful to give your son a good education, he, in turn, will bring his children in the same principles; so that

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