Apt Illustration.

A VALUABLE minister of the gospel recently made use of the following illustration, to impress on the minds of the members of his church, that they ought to exert all the influence they had on the side of Christ, whatever that influence might be. Suppose, said he, that the small fibres of which a cable rope is composed, were each a living creature, and suppose that one of these fibres or threads, when the anchor is cast out, and the ship tossed by winds and waves, should say, "I will not hold; my strength is small, it will not bear an ounce. It cannot be of much consequence that it be exerted in holding the largest ship; I will let go ;" and so that fibre or thread lets go. Another reasons in the same way, comes to the same conclusion -that its strength is so small that it can be of no useand lets go; and so another and another, until two thirds of them have let go, and the rest of the fibres or threads, composing the cable rope are broke in twain, and the ship driven ashore and wrecked.

The application is obvious. Let Christians, when they are disposed to imagine that they can have but little influence-too little to be of any use, and therefore they will not strive to exert themselves-think of the fibres or threads of the cable rope, and beware of letting go, lest for want of these little influences the church is driven from its steadfastness; great detriment received and souls lost.

Indian Honesty.

AN INDIAN, visiting his white neighbors, asked for a ittle tobacco to smoke, and one of them having some loose in his pocket, gave him a handfull. The day following, the Indian came back, inquiring for the donor, saying, he had found a quarter of a dollar among the tobacco. Being told, that as it was given him, he might as well keep it; he answered, pointing to his breast, "I got a good man and a bad man here, and the good man say, that it is not mine, I must return it to the owner; the oad man say, why he gave it you, and it is your own

now; the good man say, that not right, the tobacco is yours, not the money; the bad man say never mind, you got it, go buy some dram; the good man say, no, no, you must not do so; so I don't know what to do; and I think to go to sleep; but the good man and the bad kept talking all night, and trouble me; and now I bring the money back I feel good.

The Twins.

But she

A FEW years since, a man and his wife arrived in the town of M. as permament residents. They were young, lately married, and their prospects for futurity were bright and cheering. They purchased a farm in M which was then a new country,-and happily spent two or three years in this situation, when, by a mysterious providence, the young man was called from this world. With his surviving widow, he left two lovely twin infants to deplore a loss which time could not retrieve. The widow sought comfort in vain from the limited circle of her acquaintance. There was no minister of the gospel in that region to direct her to the great scource of comfort, nor was there a pious friend, who could direct her trembling footsteps to the cross of Jesus. went to her Bible, and by the assistance of the Spirit of heaven found that consolation, which a selfish world can neither bestow nor take away. She mourned indeed a husband, who was no more, but she was cheered by the hope that that God would protect her and hers. She wept over her innocent babes, and resolved that while she lived, they should never need a mother's care. As they grew up, she endeavored to teach them the first principles of religion, but they received only her instructions. One week after another rolled away-one Sabbath after another dawned upon the wilderness, but they brought none of their privileges. The wilderness had never echoed with the sound of the church going bell. The solitary places had never been gladdened by the sound of the footsteps of him who proclaims "glad tidings of great joy." The feeling mother clasped her little boys to her aching bosom, and sighed and wept for the opportunity of taking them

by the hand, and leading them up to the courts of God. In the days of her childhood, she had possessed great advantages, and she mourned that her babes could only receive instruction from her lips. Alas! no missionary came to instruct to cheer-and to gladden the bosom of her, who for years, had never heard the whispers of love from the servants of her Savior. When the little boys were five years old, and before they were sensible of their loss, a consumption had fastened upon their tender parent, and she was soon encircled in the cold arms of death. She steadily watched the certain issue of her disease, and even in her last moments commended her children to him who is a father to the fatherless. A few moments before she expired, she tenderly kissed her little boys, who unconsciously wept on feeling the last grasp of the clay-cold hand of their mother. "It is hard," said she to a neighbor who was present, "it is hard for a mother to leave two such helpless babes without friends, and without any one to protect them, but I leave them in the hands of God, and I do believe he will protect them, and my last prayer shall be for my poor destitute orphans."

After the death of their mother, they were received into the house of a neighbor. In less than a year one of them was stretched beside his mother beneath the sods. About this time a pious lady arrived in the place, she too was an orphan, but was not comfortless. It was her first inquiry how she could do good to the poor villagers around her. During a solitary walk one afternoon, she met the other little boy straggling about the road. He was a beautiful flaxen headed boy though exceedingly ragged. The young lady was struck with his appearance and entered into conversation with him. "What is your name, my little boy?" Said she, gently.-"James." "Where do you live?" "With widow just in the

edge of the wood, in that little log house, can't you see it?" "I see it; but is widow your mother?" "No, I had a mother and she loved me. She used to take care of me and my brother John. She gave us clothes, taught us our little prayers and catechism-O, she was a good mother." "But where is your mother?" Said the lady soothingly. "O! madam, she is dead, do you see the grave yard yonder?" "Yes"-"and the great maple