Sabbath Reading

Tis the click of the doek at midnight, Solenuily, atartlingly olear, liike the throb of a fevered pulsation Made audible to the ear Through the houpe reigna a death-like silonco The dcath-like silence of sleep, While tbc fra-gments of time, JHte moteors, Pass flashing across the deep. Trom the coming eternlty rushing, They illume for a moment our sky, But no power in Btay their departuro ; They touch ub and hover by. Thoy touch on the heart of the watcher, Aad utter these words in his ear : " Can ye not watch for one hour, And our Roul-Rtirring mcasenger heftr? We are God1 meesengerg, ppeediug With swift and invisible flight. And we epeak to you bent in the silence 01 the quiet dead-hueh. of the uight. llemembcr, wc carry our message Of what we are doiiig on earth To the Bountif ui Father in heaven, Who endowed you with poule at your blrth. What are y.e doing, oli, mortaiö ! With that glorious gift of a Boul ? For what are your strongest yearnings, And what ie the longed-f or gal ? ricasure, and power, andriches, Leisure and f reedom from caro - Is it for these ye are utrivíng ? Huch strivings must end in deapair, Like a butterfly crushed iñ the grafping, So pleaaure 1h crunhed when caught, And power must end in wcakuees, And richee must end in imught ; WhiJe indolent leisuro Jie s basking, Slcepily, selfishly glad, Till the adder of conscience stings it And tho terror driveth it mad. Soon the dawn will streak the horizon And herald the fateful day ; Trepare ! J.o, the Kingdom of Ileaven ApproachpH ! AVatch and pray !" Good Wvnh, The Coinforter. Oh, blesscd news, that God Hinisel is the Comforter. Blessed news that He who strikes will also heal; tliat He who gives the cup of sorrow will also give the strength to drink it. Blessed news, that chastisement is not punishment, but the edueation of a Father. Blessed iiows, that our whole dnty is the dnty of a child - of the Sou who said in His agony, "Father, not My will by Thine b! done." Blessed news, that our Comforter is the Spirit, who comforted Clirist the Son Himself; who prooeeds both froni the Father and f rom the Sou; and who will therefore testify to us both of the Father and the Son, and teil us that in Ohrist we are indeed, really and HteraJly, the children of God, who may ery to him, " Father," with f uil understanding of all that the royal word contftins. Bleesed, too, to flnd that in the power of the Divino Majesty we can acknowledge the unity, and know and feel that tho Father, Son and Holy Ghost are all one in love to the creatures whom they havo made - their glory equal, for the glory of each and all is perfect charity, and their majesty eoeterna], beoause it is a perfect majesty; whose justice is mercy, whose power is goodnesa, its very stemness love, love whieh gives hope and counsel and help and strength, and tlie trne life which this world's death cannot deslroy. - Charles Kingsm- " Thongh tlio tank be KemoTed." The traveler Humboldt gives an interesting account of the first eartüquake lie witnessed. It was at Oumana, in South America. The first shock came alter a strange stillness. It caused an earthquake in Ilis inind, for it cverthrew in a moment all his lifelong notions about the safety of the earth. He could no longer trust the soil which up to that day had feit so firm undcr his feet. He had only one thought - universal, boundless destruction. Even the crocodiles ran from the river Orinoco howl'ng into the woods, the dogs and pigs were powerless with fear. The whole city seemed "the hearth of destruction." The houses could not shelter, for they weie falling in ruins. Ho turned to the trees, but they were overthrown. His next thought was to run to the mountains, but they were reeling like dranken men. He then looked toward the sea. Lo ! it had fled; and the ships, which a few minutes before were in deep water, were rocking on the bare sand. He tells ds that, being then at his wit's end, he looked up and observed that heaven alone was pcrfectly calm and unshaken. Many strange things are yet to come upon the world - earthquakes, overturnings, upheavings. But, amid them all, the Book tells us, the Christian shall look up to the hoavenly one, " Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to-iüay, and f ore ver," and to his heavenly home, wlnch cannot be moved.- From " Bible Eohoes." Being Born Again. A now birth is absolutely necessary. No one can possibly be saved without i'fc. Thcrefore Jesus told Nicodemua, tvrice, that he raust bo born ngain. As our flrst birth was necessai-y to bring us into the world, tho seooud is necessary to bring us into the church of Christ, and fit us for its duties and piivüeges. No new birth, no true happiness here. No ncw birth, no heaven at, death. 15ut how shall I knöw that I am born sgain ? If prayer t,o God beoomes natural, and is enjoyed; if we overeóme the world, instead of beiug led away by its follies and fashions; if we hato sin as sin, and strive and pi'íiy lor deli veranee f rom it; if we love our enemies because Christ commanded it; and love tno saints, beeause they are holy; if we trust in the finished work of Christ, and glory in his cross ; if we feel a deep concern for the salvation of others, and are zealous iu spreading croad the triith, that Jesus may be honored; then, beyond a doubt, we are bom of God. Beloved, have you these evidences ? llave you any of tliem ? Let nothing satisfy you but the knowledge Uiiit you aro boru again. - The Itatiomil lïflief. Onco thcra tvere a couple of men arraugiiig i balloon ascerinion. They thought they liad two ropes fastened to tho car, bilt one of thcm only was fastened, and 1 hey unfastcned that one rppe, and the balloon started to go up. One of tb o men sejzed hold of the c:ir, and the other seized hold of the rope. Up went tli e balloon, and the man who scized hold of the car went up with it, and was lost. The man who laid hold of the rope was just as sincere as the man who laid hold of the car. Thero waH just as nmoh reason to say that the man who laid hold of that would be savëd because ho was sincere as the man who bclicvcd in a lie because he is sincere in his 1-elief. I like a man to be able to give a reason for tho faiththat is in him. Once I asked a man what he believed, and he said he believed what his church believed. I asked him what hie church believed, and ho said he supposed hiis churoh believed what ho did,and that was all 1 could get out of him. And eo men believe what othor people believe and what their church believes,' without really knowing what their church and other people do believe.- Moody. A Pooketbook Saves a Life. An uufortunate occurrence took place in tho office of Judgo I. H. Crawford, Madison, La., yesterday, in which Major Georgo C. Waddill and Mr. Thomas W. Watts were the principáis. The difficulty aróse about sonie business affair. The gentlemen were alone at the time, and each says the other üred the first shot. Major Waddill received four wounds froin the pistol of Mr. Watts - three in the arm and shoulder, and the fourth ball struok his pocketbook, in his breast pocket, which saycd his life. Mr. Watts received a ball in his hip. -