a

and remain in the uttermost parts of the sea, behold he is there." The children were silenced for the time, but it was very difficult to make them believe in the presence of God, because they could not see him, and this is the difficulty that most parents will find, and every unrenewed heart will feel. But one strong lesson they were enabled to give him very shortly after this: he was exceedingly fond of tasting, and his mother had often warned him not to do this. At length one day she had mixed a small portion of calomel in red currant jelly, and while.al went up stairs, Moss seeing the nice jelly at the top, took it down without once perceiving the medicine: as might be expected, he was very ill in about the course of half an hour after, and Esther, who had no idea of where the medicine went, and thought that the maids might have washed it away with the other spoons, was at a loss at first to conjecture what could be the cause of the child's indisposition. ". You must have eaten something that could not be good for you, my love, tell your mother what you have eaten. I hope you and Jemima have not got at the berries in the garden.” No, no, indeed."

“ What have you been tasting?" She had sent for his father from the field, and at this point of the question

* And re

he entered. “ Now that is my own boy, try and remember what you have eaten. He was about to bring it out with some reluctance, when the truth flashed upon Esther, and she questioned him with no hesitation to confess it.

“ Now, my dear boy,” said Michael, “ the great and good God who loves you, saw you, though we did not; he permitted you to take this, to convince you that he is about your path, about your bed, and spieth out all your ways. member, my precious dear,” said Esther, , “ whenever you are going to do any thing which you would not wish us to see, it must be wrong; and remember these four little words, ' Thou, God, seest me. But this led to something awful and affecting, for the child had an undefined terror of being alone: he thought God had permitted him to take the medicine which had made him so very ill, and he could not but consider him as an angry God. Michael consulted Mr. Lascelles upon this tender point; he advised him to speak sweetly and familiarly of God reconciled to sinners through Jesus Christ; - that dear friend, who is so full of compassion and tender mercy, inviting little children to come unto him. Michael did this, he took Moss on his knee one day when he was

6

looking at the picture of Peter walking on the water- “ You see, my boy, Peter was afraid, and he began to sink; and what did he do, my little dear? why, he said, “Lord save, or I perish.' Now you are afraid, Moss, of being alone ; you think that the great and good God is angry with you. Now do you do what Peter did, cry to him, “ Lord save, or I perish; he is full of compassion, he loves little children, and is nigh to all that call upon him.” From this time they found it necessary to speak chiefly of the love and pity of God, of the tender mercy of the Saviour; to speak of him as full of compassion, to mark the flowers, the fruit, the pretty butterflies, and all the varied charms of nature; pointed to him the beauties of the clouds by day, the setting sun, the rising moon, all these wonders of the hand of God; and then turning to Genesis, “ You see, my dear little boy, that if it had not been for sin, man would have walked in the garden, and talked with God; but as soon as he sinned, he was afraid, and hid himself, and God was no more seen openly, but by particular revelation, because he is a holy God, and he cannot behold iniquity.”

Every word of this went straight to the heart of the little Moss, he understood it,

a

he felt it, he himself had been a culprit, he was afraid, and this lesson brought home to his young heart was increasingly useful to him, more especially when he could feel what his dear father was daily endeavouring to impress upon him, that though God hated sin, yet he loved the creatures of his hand, and was reconciled unto them through Christ Jesus.

It was some time before the dear child seemed fully to comprehend this, but one day, when his mother had been displeased with him, for going out without her permission, the baby lip curled, and he was prepared to try his power, when his mother, though gentle, was firm, and he made no progress. At length his young heart was subdued ; and it was one feature in Esther's character that she always met her culprit with increased tenderness after any little cloud, and the endearment seemed more prized from the temporary privation. And as she sat at her work, stroking his young head,

" You love your mother, Moss ?" Yes, dearly," was the warm-hearted reply ; “ and you love her more, Moss, now she forgives you. do,” and the little creature was full of endeavours to show that he did. When she wanted to teach him an impressive lesson, she would take him and seat him on a

" " Me

- O yes,

gry ?”

table before her. Now, my boy, your dear Saviour, who died for you and for us all, that he might bring you nigh to your good and gracious God, deserves all your love ; do you love him, Moss ?” me do, me do.” “ And you love me better

. now, Moss, than you did when I was an

,

“Yes,” and again “me do” was repeated, and he seemed to feel all the force of the appeal though so young, and it seemed the first dawn of light let into his infant mind on the subject of reconciled love. She then read him that beautiful parable of the Prodigal Son, and dwelt on the father going out to meet him when he was yet a great way off, putting the ring on his finger, and the best robea mark of honour peculiar in the country where this scene lay. The child was animated and delighted, and from this time he took more pleasure in this picture in his grandmamma's Bible than any other in the whole collection; and so strong was this early impression of reconciled love, that we may safely say it grew with his growth, and strengthened with his strength.

How much do those lose who never look into the Bible, but with the cold formality of reading a chapter, and closing the book as a duty done. These sweet appeals to the revealed will of God strengthen our