must do to be saved. Calling on her teacher one day, which she was in the habit of doing, the teacher remarked, "Why, Mary Ann, you look more cheerful than I have seen you for some time." She replied, "Yes, because I feel more happy." On being asked what had caused the change, she answered, her countenance glowing with animation as she spoke, "I believe God has heard and answered my poor prayers, and pardoned my sins through Jesus Christ." From this time her conversation was truly spiritual, and her prayers, though simple, were fervent and sincere. She often expressed her surprise that such a Being as God should listen to the feeble prayers of children. She would frequently say, what cause she had to be glad that ever she went to the Sabbath-school; for there she had been told what a sinner she was, and how she might be saved. She delighted in the word of God, and was desirous of undertaking what she read. Her hymn-books also afforded her much pleasure; particularly those hymns that referred to the love of Christ. When she had been compelled by others to act contrary to the command, "Remember the Sabbathday to keep it holy," her mind would be much distressed, and her earnest desire was that the time might soon come when she should be able to act consistently with the word of God, and, to use her own words, “ acknowledge her God and Saviour before many people." For the last five

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or six months of her life, she has had an impression that she should not live long. At the same time, she was free from that dread which the fear of death might occasion. Her treasure was in heaven, and thither her affections seemed to tend. For the last few weeks, she seemed to anticipate that every meeting she had with her teacher or the children would be the last. The last time her teacher saw her was on Thursday evening, June 2nd, and her last words to her were, Good bye, teacher; God bless you; if I should not see you again here, I hope I shall see you above." On Saturday, the 4th, she was taken with the small-pox. On the Thursday before she died, she told her mother she did not think she should get over it; at the same time manifesting no uneasiness. On Monday evening, the 13th, her heavenly Father was pleased to take her, we believe to himself, in the 15th year of her age. Her parents speak very highly of her, and say a good word was all that was necessary to get Mary Ann to do anything they wished her; and in the family and in the business, they know not what they shall do without her. Such are some of the facts relative to Mary Ann Belsey. And when we know that her piety was not encouraged at home as it should have been, and that for two or three weeks at a time she has been kept away from school and from the house of prayer, we are constrained to admire the grace of God, as it appeared

in the experience of this dear girl, producing penitence, confidence, and freedom from the fear of death. May we not say, "We thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and revealed them unto babes!"

SINS AND MERCIES.

E. S. H.

How many times have you sinned? Ah! you cannot tell. Though young our sins are many. And yet, though we have all sinned against our Maker, how many mercies have we received! Every breath we draw, and every morsel we eat, is a mercy! Our health, food, clothing, comforts, and friends, are all mercies; but were I to try for a week I should not be able to mention all the mercies we enjoy. How great is the sum of them! But there are mercies greater still than any I have yet named. One is, to have the word of God in our own language, and to be able to read it. Some years ago, even in England, people were imprisoned, and sometimes put to death, if they only had the Bible in their houses. In the reign of Queen Mary, one whole family was imprisoned because they ate some meat on the eve of one of the saint's days, and because their youngest child, a little girl of ten years old, could repeat some chapters in the Bible. It is

also a great mercy to have the Bible sold so cheap that the poorest child may have one, at least a testament, which are now sold at sixpence each. There was a time when Bibles were so exceeding dear that only rich people could buy them. Sunday-schools are mercies, where we are taught to read the Scriptures, and to understand them. Public worship is a mercy, when we can worship God as we think will please him best in peace and safety. These are all mercies-great mercies! and we should prize them.

But the greatest, the crowning mercy of all mercies is, that "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life." What words of mercy came from the lips of our blessed Saviour; "Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out," and for the encouragement of children, he said, “Suffer little children to come unto me and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God." Oh! come then to Christ; come to him now in the days of your youth, and he will receive you! M. J.W, aged eleven.

LITTLE THINGS. SUPPOSE a little boy were walking in the fields on some fair day of Autumn, and as he goes along he sees something on the ground which looks round and smooth, like a small egg.

He picks it up: it is an acorn.

He carries it a

little way, and then throws it down: it is a small affair and useless; he forgets it entirely. The acorn lies forgotten; an ox comes along and unconsciously treads it into the ground. It lies

in the ox-track during the cold winter. In the spring it swells, the little sprout peeps out, a root strikes downward, and two little leaves open on the ground. The acorn lives and grows; during a hundred years it grows, while men live and die, and while many a storm beats upon it. It is now a giant oak: it is made into a mighty ship, and laden with goods, she sails round the world, and does her errands at many hundreds of places. She bears the flag of her nation on I her mast, and her nation is honoured for her sake. What great things may spring from small Who would have thought that such a little thing could contain the mighty oak in it? Besides this, that one tree bears acorns enough every year to raise a thousand more oaks, and these, every year, bear enough to rear ten thousand more? Thus a whole forest may be shut up in the bud of a single acorn.

ones !

Well and so it is among men. Sir Isaac Newton, who measured the distances of sun, and moon, and stars, was once a little chubby lad, sitting by his mother's knee to learn his alphabet. Dr. Carey, who translated the Scriptures into the hard languages of India, was once a poor shoemaker. So we do not know to what