I LOVE the quiet evening,
When, in the golden west,

The weary sunbeams lay their heads
Down on the clouds to rest:
I love the skies when starry eyes
Are peeping from the blue;

If they could know I love them so,
Then they would love me too.
Perhaps the sunbeams love me,
They seem to wish to stay;
And so they linger in the sky,
When daylight is away:

And then the stars come peeping out,
And shine so clear above,
That in the sky they twinkle high,
Like little lamps of love.

The lady moon, so queenly,

Glides calmly forth on high; A silver ship with sails of light, She steers athwart the sky. She walks a queen in silver sheen;The timid stars forbear

The livelong night to show their light,
Because the queen is there.

If light be God's own garment,
Then can it be denied

That day is one side of His robe,
And night the other side?
So I am glad when day is shut

Within night's gloomy bars;
Were it not so, I could not know
The moonbeams and the stars.

ADTONA

'NOT

for I have learned in whatsoever

state I am, therewith to be content.'

"That is the verse papa told us to learn this morning, mamma. I can say it now.' 'And Charlie, do you know whose words these are?'

chapter of Philippians, and Paul wrote that epistle.'

'Paul was thanking the Christians at Philippi for having kindly sent supplies to him once and again; and he tells them that, though they had not done so, he

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would not have complained of his poverty, for he had learned always to be content." Then he tells them the secret of his being $0. If you read the next two verses, you will see what it was.'

'This is it, mamma,' and Nelly read: ""I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me.""

That is the blessed secret of contentment. If we have Christ in our hearts, and trust Him fully, He will enable us to do or to bear whatever He appoints.'

• Cowper writes in one of his beautiful hymns:

"In vain, by reason and by rule, We try to bend the will;

For none but in the Saviour's school, Can learn the Heavenly skill.”’ 'Can you tell me, Nelly, which commandment requires contentment?'

'Our Catechism says-The tenth commandment requireth full contentment with our own condition, with a right and charitable frame of spirit toward our neighbour, and all that is his.'

'Contentment is the duty taught us in this commandment?'

'I don't understand how, mamma, because the tenth commandment is-Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.'

'You can tell me what this commandment forbids?'

"O yes, mamma, that is quite plain. It forbids covetousness.'

'But what is covetousness?'

'It is wishing for any thing that is our neighbour's.'

And if we, like Paul, had learned always to be content, would we wish for any thing that God had given to our neighbour, and had withheld from us?'

'I see the meaning of it now, mamma. If we are not contented, we must be covetous.'

'Read Heb. xiii. 5, 6, and that passage will shew you that covetousness and contentment are directly opposed to each other.'

'Those who have Christ for their portion, ought to be contented with their lot in this world; but those who have not Christ, should never be contented till they find him. He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?'

'What is a right and charitable frame of spirit toward our neighbour, mamma?' asked Charlie.

It is a kind and loving disposition towards others; and that points out another duty besides contentment taught us in the tenth commandment. How does a kind disposition prompt us to act towards those who are in want?'

'We should help them, mamma.'

If we are not covetous, we will be willing to let others share the good things God has given us. We shall read the story of the covetous rich man in Luke xii. 20, and you will see that his covetousness consisted in storing up his wealth for himself, and not benefitting others with it. We are not told that he had gained it unjustly.'

When they had read the words: ""But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee,' Charlie said there was a boy in our school not very long ago, and he was in his class one day, and he died the next.'

'Death often comes very suddenly. None of us know how soon it may come to any of us, but if our treasure is in heaven, sudden death will be sudden glory. To those whose only treasure is on earth, how awful a thing death is! Paul ls us what the tenth commandment showed him. Read Rom. vii. 7!'

"I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet."

'These words shewed Paul the sinfulness

of his own heart, and sent him to the School of Christ, where he learned to be content; and if the rich man we have been reading of had come to Jesus, he would have learned to sell the corn in his barns, and give to the poor, and rejoice in a treasure in heaven. But how will we look on those who enjoy comforts which we do not possess, if we have a right and charitable frame of spirit?'

We will be glad they have so many good things.'

Yes, we will rejoice with them that rejoice, never envying or grieving at the good of our neigbours.'

'Joseph's brethren envied him, mamma.' "They were grieved because their father loved Joseph so much. That was envy, and you know to what sad consequences it led. Where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. The

passage we have been reading gives several reasons why we should avoid covetousness and envy, and be content with such things as we have. Can you tell me some of

them?'

'One is that God takes care of the birds and the flowers, and we are better than they.' 'And another is, that our Father knows what things we need.'

The kingdom of God is the one thing we ought to covet, then all that is for our good will be added. A servant girl who was looking forward to years of comfort and pleasure in this world, had all her hopes disappointed by serious illness. An abscess formed in her knee, which made her quite lame, and caused her great suffering. Then she murmured and complained of God's dealings towards her, and in her impatience wished for death. The disease increased, and physicians told her that the limb must be amputated. This sad prospect made her think seriously of death, and she felt that she was not ready. In her distress she sought the Lord, and He heard her cry and led her to Jesus. Then she found such peace and comfort, that she bore the tedious operation without fear. Her own account of it was, “I seemed lying in the arms of Jesus, as if

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He came between me and that sharp knife. I had so much of His presence that I was lifted up above my sufferings, painful though they were (chloroform was not then known). I felt in the Lord's hands, willing that He should do with me what seemed good in His sight.""

'Her life was spared, but hers was a life of weakness, suffering, and poverty. Still she never complained, but often blessed God for the sore affliction which had brought her to Jesus. Her uniform cheerfulness said plainly to those around, I

HAVE LEARNED IN WHATSOEVER STATE I AM, THEREWITH TO BE CONTENT.'

ANSWERS TO BIBLE QUESTIONS for 1875.

SENIOR.

JANUARY (1) Matt. x. 12; (2) Ex. xxiii. 5; (3) Ezek. xxxiv. 11-16. FEBRUARY (4) Matt. x. 28; (5) Matt. iii. 2, and John i. 29; (6) Pro. xiii. 12. MARCH-(7) Isa. Ixvi. 5; (8) Mark i. 32; (9) John xiv. 26. APRIL (10) John ix. 24; (11) 1 Pet. v. 1; (12) Acts v. 1. MAY (13) Isa. lviii. 3; (14) Jer. xxii. 18; (15) Neh. xiii. 28. JUNE(16) Isa. lvii. 15; (17) Isa. xxx. 7; (18) 2 Kings xi. 10, or 2 Chron. xxiii. 9. JULY (19) Ex. xxxii. 17; (20) Micah vi. 6; (21) Gen. xlviii. 22. AUGUST-(22) 1 Kings xii. 16, 1 Kings viii. 66, or 2 Chron, x. 16; (23) Lev. xiv. 14; (24) Deut. xxiv. 6. SEPTEMBER (25) Psalm 1xvi. 6; (26) Hosea xii. 4; (27) Acts xvi. 10. OCTOBER (28) Ezra vii. 18; (29) 1 Cor. xii. 6; (30) Jer. xviii. 12. NOVEMBER (31) Jer. vii. 18; (32) Deut. xxiii. 8; (33) Stephen, James, Antipas.

JUNIOR.

JANUARY (1) Gen. i. 1, with John i. 1; (2) Gen. i. 3; (3) Gen. ii. 8-10. FEBRUARY (4) Gen. i. 27, with Col. iii. 10; (5) Gen. ii. 1-3, with Heb. iv. 9; (6) Gen. ii. 23, 24, with Eph. v. 31. MARCH-(7) Gen. iii. 4, with 2 Cor. xi. 3, and John viii. 44; (8) Gen. iii. 15, with Gal. iii. 16; (9) Gen. iii. 17, 18, with Heb. vi. 8. APRIL (10) Gen. ix. 26, with Luke i. 68; (11) 2 Pet. ii. 5; (12) Jude 14, 15. MAY (13) Gen. vii. 1; (14) Gal. iii. 8, with Gen. xii. 3: (15) Gen. xv. 1. JUNE (16) Gen. xxvili. 21; (17) Heb. vii. 4; (18) Ex. x. 26. JULY (19) Deut. i. 31; (20) Deut. viii. 5; (21) Heb. xii. 21. AUGUST (22) Gen. xxxii. 9, 11; (23) Luke viii. 37-39; (24) Gen. xxiv. 15. SEPTEMBER (25) Ex. xv. 27; (26) Psa. cv. 37; (27) Luke iv. 40. OCTOBER (28) Zeph. i. 15; (29) Zeph. iii. 17; (30) Isa. xxxii. 2. NOVEMBER (31) Psa. cx. 1, quoted Matt. xxii. 44, Mark xii. 36, Luke xx. 42, Acts ii. 34, 35, Heb. i. 13; (32) Psa. xxii. 22, quoted Heb. ii. 12; (33) Rev. v. 9.

In all cases where the parallel passages have been given (for instance in the Gospels), the Competitors have been allowed a full mark, just as if they had given the passage printed above.

The Prize list will be published in the January number for 1876. It was expected that the names of the successful Essayists would have been published in this number, but so many Essays have been sent in, and the merit of the Essayists is in some cases so close, that our young friends must hold us excused if we defer the publication of the Essay Prize list till January. J. K.