was able to do it? 5. How does this circumstance illustrate faith?

LESSON XXXII.

Spell and Define-1. TI' DINGS, news; intelligence. 2. MUL' TI TUDE, a great number. 3. PON' DER ED, weigned in the mind; considered. 4. MAN' GER, a trough er box, in which cattle are fed.

THE ADVENT.

1. THERE were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo! the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were sore afraid.

2. And the angel said unto them, Fear not; for behold! I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

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3. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

4. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

5. And when they had seen it, they made

known abroad the saying, which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it, wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

6. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as

it was told unto them.

QUESTIONS.-1. Why did the shepherds formerly watch their flocks by night? 2. What appeared to them as they were watching their flocks? 3. How were they affected at his appearance? 4. What did the angel say unto them? 5. What else appeared with the angel, and what were they doing? 6. When the angels were gone into heaven, what did the shepherds say and do? 7. What did the shepherds do, when they had seen the child? 8. What is said of them as they returned?

LESSON XXXIII.

3. PRO

Spell and Define-1. SEC' OND-HAND, not new; that has been used by another. 2. TRANS' LATE, to express the sense of one language in the words of another. PO' SAL, offer. 4. COM PLI ED, yielded to; carried into ef fect. 5. CON LITIONS, terms of agreement. 6. COм'MENT A TOR, one who explains; an expositor. 7. EM' 1NENCE, celebrity; elevated situation. 8. STIM' U LA TED,

raised or excited to action. 9. DIS SI PA' TION, waste of property; licentious course of life. 10. TAL' ENTS, faculties. 11. TRIB' UTE, money paid by one nation to another;

a tax.

THE SHEPHERD BOY AND THE BOOK-SELLER.

1. ABOUT a hundred years ago, a Scottish shepherd boy, wrapped in his plaid, went into a bookstore in Edinburg, and asked for a second-hand Greek Testament, being unable to

buy a new one. The book-seller having handed him one, he inquired the price.

2. "For whom do you want it?" said the book-seller. "For myself," answered the boy. Then said the book-seller, “If you will read and translate a few verses, you shall have it for nothing." The poor boy, highly pleased with the proposal, complied with the conditions, and carried off the Testament in triumph.

3. Many years afterward, the late Rev. John Brown of Haddington, then in the midst of his fame as an author and a commentator on the Scriptures, went into the same shop, and entered into conversation with the book-seller.

4. In the course of conversation, Mr. Brown asked him if he remembered the circumstance of once giving a second-hand Greek Testament to a poor shepherd boy.

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5. "I remember it well," replied the bookseller, "I would give a good deal to know what became of that boy; for I am sure he has risen to eminence in some line or other." "Sir," said Mr. Brown, " you see him before you." It is needless to add that the recollection was highly gratifying to both parties.

6. My young friends, I wish you to make some good use of the foregoing story. It is a well-known fact that the children of parents in humble circumstances, often succeed better than the children of the rich.

7. Now, as observation shows us that the

gifts of the understanding are pretty equally distributed among men, the greater success of the children of the poor, must arise from their being stimulated by their scanty means, to improve, to the utmost, the talents which God has given them.

8. Accordingly, we frequently see the poor man's son rising early and sitting up late, in order that he may reap the full benefit of his privileges; while the sons of the wealthy too often spend their time in sloth,-perhaps in folly and dissipation.

9. To the poor man's son or daughter, then, I would say, in the words of the wise man, "The hand of the diligent shall bear rule; but the slothful shall be under tribute." Be industrious, be frugal, and attentive to every duty.

10. To the children of the rich I would say, "He that loveth pleasure, shall be a poor man; and seest thou a man diligent in his business, he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men."

QUESTIONS.-1. Do you know the employment of a shepherd? 2. Why did the shepherd boy inquire for a secondhand Testament? 3. In what way did he obtain it of the book-seller? 4. Did this boy and the book-seller ever see each other again? 5. What had this boy now become, and what was his name? 6. In what way do children of poor parents often succeed, better than those of the rich?

LESSON XXXIV.

Spell and Define-1. CEL' E BRA TED, extolled; honored. 2. LIT' ER A RY, relating to learning. 3. EX IST' ENCE, be

ing; life. 4. OP POR TU' NI TY, convenient time. 5. CON'TEM PLA TING, considering with attention. 6. CHANCE, accident; fortune. 7. IN TEL' LI GENCE, understanding. 8. AS CRI' BED, attributed; imputed. 9. STRUC' TURE, irame. 10. AR TIF' I CER, an artist; one who makes or contrives. 11. EF FECT' ED, performed; accomplished. 12. DE SIGN'ING, intending; planning. 13. VEG E TA' TION, growth as of plants; plants. 14. DES O LA' TION, destruction; waste. 15. OR DIN A' TION, established order.

HOW A WISE MAN TAUGHT HIS SON THE EXISTENCE OF A SUPREME BEING.

1. DR. BEATTIE, who is celebrated as a writer and poet in the literary world, had a little son, with whose education he took great pains. He wished to teach this little boy the existence of a great and good God.

2. This son had a little garden, and when he was absent one day, his father took an opportunity to sow seeds in his flower-bed. The seeds were sown in furrows which described the boy's name, JAMES Beattie.

3. On his return, he led his son by the hand into the garden, who, upon contemplating the appearance of his own name, was greatly surprised. He instantly asked his father with great eagerness, how it came there? to which his father answered, "Chance produced it."

4. The young lad was not contented with this reply, and declared that chance could not have produced it, for somebody must have put it there. In the little boy's opinion it appeared like design and intelligence, and he ascribed it to this principle.