of Lebanon." The Psalmist in his beautiful Hebrew poetry makes four allusions to the "Beautiful Snow." When praying for the remission of sins, in Ps. 51, and making allusion to the ceremonies used in the purification from leprosy, says-then, He "shall be whiter than snow."

In

Ps. 68 he compares the church under God's care thus"As white as snow in Salmon." There was a mountain of this name in Ephraim which may be intended, particularly if as some suppose the reference be a retrospective glance of the defeat of the Kings of Canaan. Others think that it does not refer to a mountain, but to the honour and prosperity the Hebrews had, by the defeat of their enemies, expressed in this image: "The extreme whiteness of snow." Isaiah has two references to snow; the first is very beautiful: Isa. i. 18. Dr. Kitto says, "The word rendered scarlet, means also double-dyed, or twice dipped." Hence what a sublime companion! How difficult to discharge the bright colour of scarlet and make as white as snow. Yet the Lord through Isaiah says, That if our sins are as scarlet they shall be white as snow," by our simply coming and reasoning with the Lord, and accepting the invitation.

The New Testament references to snow are all connected with our Saviour. The first is by Matthew in respect to the appearance of the angel at the vacant grave of our risen Lord. The second by Mark, is in reference to Jesus, when on the Mount of Transfiguration. The third by John, when Christ was speaking to him, when on the Isle of Patmos. Find out each account in your testaments, and read them attentively.

In conclusion, dear readers, I want you to endeavour to be in some respects like the snow.

1st. To be useful. Answer the end for which you were created. The snow fulfils its mission, Isa. lv. 10.

2nd. To be pure and holy. Accept the invitation of the Lord, and let the pure untrodden snow be an emblem of your present life.

3rd. Not to be despairing. If when trampled on, the snow looks foul, and is foul, yet by a process of Divine institution it ascends and descends again, as pure as ever. So may you, though vile and unclean, be made meet to live with Christ in heaven by urging this prayer

"O God, in the stream that for sinners did flow,
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."

A. E. PORTNALL.

CHATS WITH THE CHILDREN.

WHAT LITTLE HANDS CAN DO.

MINNIE was only a little girl, so of course she had only small hands. But she was very fond of putting other people's gloves upon them, especially those of grown-up people whose hands were quite twice as large as her own. On one occasion she had borrowed her uncle's gloves for the purpose, and was running about quite delightedly, asking everybody she met to shake hands with her.

"Good morning, uncle. Shake hands, if you please,” she said, holding out his own large leather glove.

He looked at it with a smile of amusement on his face. "I don't see any hand to shake," he said. "I see a large glove, but your little hand is quite lost in it. What a ridiculous hand it is! It is of no use at all in the world, not able to do a single thing!"

Hearing these disparaging words, Minnie withdrew her hand from its hiding-place, and looked at it. She did not like to hear it spoken of so slightingly.

"I cannot help the size of my hands, uncle," she said. "No, of course not; they are the largest you have, I know."

"And I should not like to lose them, for they are of some use to me."

"I dare say they are. You would be puzzled to do half the mischief you would like to do without hands."

"But they do other things that are not mischief." "Indeed! I should like to know about them."

"I can put a puzzle together with my hands." "Really!"

"And I can write copies and exercises, and even letters too."

"Anything else ? "

"I can dust the books for mamma, and hem pocket-handkerchiefs for papa, and sew the buttons on Willie's coat, and-and-I cannot think of anything more excepting that I can make many of my own doll's clothes."

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Very good. You must be quite a wonderful little girl, Minnie, to be so clever and industrious."

But Minnie felt as if her uncle were only laughing at her, and she would rather not have been praised.

"I think even little hands can be very useful," she said, almost inclined to cry, because she feared that her uncle, thought so slightingly of her.

But he soon comforted her.

"My dear child," he said, putting his arm around her, and kissing her, "I know very well how much good little hands may do in the world, and I hope that yours will be engaged in many good deeds. Shall I tell you some of the things yours may do? They can minister to the sick. I once knew a young lady whose hands were blessings to many. I don't know whether they did much fancy work, but they made many a basin of arrowroot, and many a light pudding to tempt the failing appetites of weak persons. They were laid tenderly on many an aching head, stealing the pain away and coaxing slumber. They shook up the hard pillow, and smoothed the bed, until there seemed almost a power of healing in them. I have seen poor tired creatures brighten up at the very sight of the owner of those hands; they were only little ones, but they did more good than many large ones do."

"I should like to be like that lady," said Minnie.

"And I will tell you about another who had very little thin hands, but it was wonderful what an amount of work they did. They were never idle. Very often they turned over the leaves of the Bible, while she read the blessed words and learnt them, that she might repeat them to other people. Very often, I know, they were clasped in prayer, for this lady wished to give all her life to doing good; and she knew that she must first learn of Jesus in order to be like Him. But she had almost always some good work in her hands. I cannot tell you how many warm petticoats and dresses she made for poor women. And she knitted some hundreds of woollen shoes for poor little children whose feet were very apt to get cold."

"I should like to be like that lady too," said Minnie. "I hope I shall do good with my hands.”

"I hope so too, dear child. I hope, however small they may be, that they will be true and strong, that they will always cling to what is good, and not so much as touch that which is evil."

Minnie thought a great deal about this conversation with her uncle; indeed, she never forgot it. And one of the good effects of this was that she resolved never to allow her hands to be idle. She was certain, therefore, to accomplish a great amount of good in her life. It is well when we begin to do that which is right when we are children, because if God should spare our lives, we have so much longer time to work in than if we put off beginning until we are grown up. Minnie began by trying to do everything as well as possible. If she hemmed a duster only, she tried to keep the hem straight, and to set the stitches neatly, and at equal distances. If she wrote a letter, she took pains over every word, making each letter distinct, and forming it correctly. Whatever she did with her hands was certain to be nicely done. And so right habits were formed, and in after-years, though she had plenty of work to do, and did more than most people about her, nothing that Minnie did was ever done carelessly.

And when she was little Minnie no longer, she never wanted either for friends or work. Nephews and nieces brought her heaps of things to mend and make for them. If any little girl had a new doll, Aunt Minnie must dress it. If any boy had a new book, Aunt Minnie must write his name in it. No wedding could possibly be successful without Aunt Minnie's presence and help. No one of her friends could be sick without longing for her to come and be the nurse. She made gruel nicer than any one, and pillows softer; she could lift the invalids without hurting them, and help to do them good every time she touched them.

This is what little hands can do.

Boys and girls, what do you mean to do with your hands? God has given them to you, not that you may fight with them, or use them to take what is not your own, or allow them to be idle all the day; but that ye may do good deeds and kind actions, that you may employ them for the benefit of others and for His glory.

THE DYING ATHEIST.

He had been a play-actor. The strength of the strong and powerful man was almost gone. A Scripture-reader entered his room, took him by the hand, and said, "My dear fellow, yours is a trying case. Do the principles you have clung to, and spoken so much about, give you any consolation, any hope, any prospect ?"

A flood of tears was at first the only reply. Then he added, with a shudder, "Since you last saw me I can't describe the sorrows I have endured. My mind (and here he put his hand to his head) is one continued rack. I have tried to convince hundreds that there is no God. I have defied Him publicly to do His worst. I have laughed and mocked at religion. Oh, if I could but tell those very peo