dening men's hearts, and ripening the fruits of the earth, does good. The smallest flower that springs up from the earth, attracting the passer-by by its beauty, and delighting him by its fragrance, does good. The very weed that you are apt to trample under foot, containing in it, as it often does, some healing medicine for man, or yielding some nourishment for the lower creation, does good. And are you, children, the only creatures in God's creation that need not try to do good,-you that have immortal souls within you, more valuable than all the world beside? It is impossible! You, too, ought to do good. You are old enough to know, that it is your duty to love God, and believe on Christ; to honour your parents; and to cultivate and improve your minds by a proper use of the education you are now receiving. And can you not do something for the cause of Christ and the benefit of the poor benighted heathen, by contributing your mite for the support of the missionary and the Gospel among them? In these, and many other ways should you, too, be doing good. And remember, that little things are not despised by God, and ought not to be despised by men. A brick is indeed a little thing, but many bricks make a house. A thread is a little thing, but many threads of hemp make the cable strong enough to hold the noblest ship. A drop of water is a little thing, but many drops make the unfathomable ocean. You are old enough, even the youngest of you, to do good. 4. You are old enough to die.

But once more,

Go into the church

Do you ask me for proof of this? yard, and read the tombstones, and you will find there the infant of days by the side of the old man of threescore and ten years. Do you ask me for further proof of this? Have you lost no brother or sister, younger, it may be, than yourselves-no fellow-scholar that may have sat on the same seat, or read on the same book with yourself? Yes, you are young enough to die. Bright as your eye now is, the enemy may dim it-warm as your blood now is, the enemy may chill it, and that ere the close of the year on which you have now started. Seek, then, the Lord while He may be found. Remember your Creator in the days of your youth.

A NEW YEAR'S PRESENT AND A NEW YEAR'S DAY.

"HERE is a New Year's present to you both!" said an old man, as two little children stood by his arm chair. "Here, James, are ten shillings to you; and here, Emily, is the same to you!"

The happy children leapt for joy, and bounded away off to their own little room, where they immediately began to talk to one another how they were to spend New Year's Day, and also how they were to spend the money their old grandfather had just given them.

Now, they were both good little children. They were early taught to fear the Lord, and to love one another: and whenever little children or grown-up people love God, they are sure to love others, and especially to be kind to the poor and those who are in want.

"Who do you think, James," said Emily, "is the poorest in the village?"

"I think it is Widow Garvie," said her little brother; "you know she lost her husband three years ago, and her only boy went out to sea last summer, and she has never heard of him since. She is both sorrowful and in great want. I think it would cheer her poor heart to give her some little thing."

"Oh! yes, you are right," said Emily; "and I also was thinking of Janet Davidson, and Elspeth-poor blind Elspeth!"

"Yes," replied James, "I quite think these three are the neediest. Come, let us go to-day to You know the shops will be all closed to-morrow; for every one will be out, like ourselves, on their holiday."

So James and his sister, taking a basket in their hands, hurried away to the market-town of which was

about two miles off. James asked Emily to select three little warm tartan shawls,-they were 1s. 6d. each; three half-pounds of tea were next purchased, and a special little package of tobacco for old Elspeth.

"What do you say, before leaving town," said Emily,

to go to our Sabbath-school teacher, and ask him to put in a shilling from each of us into the missionary-box?" "Oh! that is quite what I was also thinking about," said James. "Let us see," said he, (counting the remainder of the money over in his mind,) "we shall still have seven shillings over for our own use; and I think we shall be much happier in getting something with it, than if we had spent the whole on ourselves."

"Yes, indeed!" said Emily, "much more so; I want a nice little copy of the Pilgrim's Progress with mine.”

"And I think I should like a pencil-case with mine," said James. Accordingly, these two good children went first to the only bookseller's shop in town, who, in addition to his books, had a vast variety of lovely things for sale. Emily got a beautiful little copy of the Pilgrim's Progress, with a picture of Christian's bundle rolling down the hill, and a nice gilded binding. James saw a pencil-case quite to his mind. He also bought Emily a little needle-case; and she, in her turn, gave him a pretty knife for a New Year's gift. James then slung the basket on his arm; and with a pair of happy hearts they set out again, under a clear frosty sky, to their village.

They were not long, next day, of going to the three poor cottagers. What a joyful surprise did each of these receive as the little New Year's gifts were produced! They could only thank their little kind benefactors with tears.

When James and his sister lay down in their beds at night, they were happy to think of the joy they had given to these helpless neighbours. While they thanked God, in their nightly prayer, for all His blessings to them, they prayed that they might ever be able to keep in mind those who were less highly favoured-to remember the truth of the words of Jesus: "It is more blessed to give than to receive."

Oh! how sad it is for little children, or grown-up men and women, to be selfish, and to keep all they have to themselves! How happy it is to have this short little history for our own," To BE good, and to DO good!"

W

E are sure many of our young friends have often felt stirred to ask: How CAN WE HELP OUR BRAVE COUNTRYMEN AT THE SEAT OF WAR?

To that question we may have several answers to give by-and-by. We have opened communications by which we hope to ascertain if there be anything which the efforts of our Sabbath Scholars, and other young readers of the Juvenile Record, could procure to help our Presbyterian

chaplains in their labours for the spiritual good of the soldiers, and sailors, and marines, who are fighting and dying for us in the present war. But there is one answer to that question which we can at once give. We can say at once, that the most material help is to be given to our country's arms by THE CHURCH'S PRAYERS. And we put that answer first, because, without prayer to God for them, all the means of seeking the good of our brave countrymen at the Seat of War can avail nothing.

The prayers of the people of God have already, we believe, done much for us in the dreadful struggle in which we are engaged. Even as when Moses, in the mount, raised his hands to heaven, and Israel prevailed in the battle-field below, so now, those battles we have gained, in which our troops have shewn a courage and constancy never surpassed, we believe to have directly resulted from His divine interposition who is the Hearer and Answerer of prayer.

"It will be remembered," says the Patriot, "that the last act of more than one regiment which has distinguished itself in this campaign, before leaving the British shores, was a united act of public worship. During the encampment of the troops in Turkey, there were several striking religious services, in which officers and men took part. In prospect of the battle of the Alma, according to the statement of one of the chaplains, they committed themselves in solemn prayer to the divine protection. The battle of Inkermann, we now learn, was preceded by a remarkable intercessory meeting, at which ministers and other persons of various denominations assembled to commend the allied arms to the blessing of the God of battles. This concert of prayer' took place at Constantinople. The subject, which had been previously mentioned in private, was introduced, on the day before the battle, at a meeting for business of the American missionaries. Without any foresight, of course, of the impending action, arrangements were made for simultaneous prayer in all the Protestant congregations, native and foreign, throughout the Moslem capital. While the hostile armies were actually contending in the field,