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penitent; and He loves and watches over all His creatures, to keep them from harm, and to make them happy; and therefore we ought to love Him. He is always near us, ready to listen to us, to take care of us, and to be our best friend; we ought, therefore, to commune with Him every day, to confess our sins, to thank Him for His favours, and to ask His continued guidance and protection.

God is everywhere. If a boy plant a seed in the ground in the spring, there comes from it, in a few days, a little sprout. There are two parts: the part that is for the root turns down, and grows into the ground; that part which is for the stem and leaves turns up, and comes out into the air. How do the root and the stem know which way they each must grow? They do not know. God is there, where you plant that seed, and He guides the growing of it; and all over this vast world you cannot find a place where you can put in the smallest seed, but God will be always ready there, to send the little leaflets up and the root down.

Did you ever feel your pulse in your wrists? Do you know what it is occasioned by? It is the beating of the blood, as it is driven along through a little channel into your hand. It is by means of this that your hand is kept alive, and warm, and made to grow. Your blood beats its way thus into every part of your body; and if it should cease this motion, you would soon become cold, and stiffen, and die. Now, who makes your pulse beat? Do you do it? Can you make it beat, or stop its beating? No. It is God. His power is always present within you and around you; and He causes the pulse to beat all the time, wherever you are, and whatever you are doing,-whether you are awake or asleep, at home or abroad, running or playing, or sitting still.

How strange! that God should never for a moment forget, and leave His work unperformed! He is great and mighty, and is constantly present and constantly acting everywhere. We ought to adore Him for His greatness and majesty, love Him for His goodness, dread His displeasure, and ask His forgiveness and protection every day.

Every duty which we have to perform is enjoined upon us by the command of God; so that we cannot neglect any duty whatever, without disobeying Him. Now, the law of God clearly forbids all the sins of which we can be guilty against any one; so that we cannot do any wrong without disobeying Him. If a child be unjust to his playmate, he disobeys and displeases God. If he attempts to deceive his parents, he disobeys and displeases God. If he waste his time, or is insubordinate and troublesome at school, he disobeys and displeases God. Every offence which we can commit, small as well as great, is a transgression of His law; and we cannot be really happy, after we have committed such transgressions, until we obtain His forgiveness. ought, therefore, to make it the great duty and business of our lives to secure and enjoy at all times the favour of Almighty God, our Father in heaven. We should seek His pardon for all our sins, go to Him always in all our trouble, look to Him for protection in danger, strength in temptation, comfort in sorrow, and peace and happiness in duty; and cultivate such constant habits of intercourse and communion with Him as shall enable us, under all the circumstances of life, to feel that He is our refuge and strength, and an ever-present help in time of trouble.-J. Abbott.

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penitent; and He loves and watches over all His crea
to keep them from harm, and to make them happy:
therefore we ought to love Him. He is always ..
ready to listen to us, to take care of us, and to be c
friend; we ought, therefore, to commune with Hi..
day, to confess our sins, to thank Him for His favou
to ask His continued guidance and protection.

God is everywhere. If a boy plant a seed in the ground in the spring, there comes from it, in a few day a little sprout. There are two parts: the part that for the root turns down, and grows into the ground; part which is for the stem and leaves turns up, and co out into the air. How do the root and the stem which way they each must grow? They do not God is there, where you plant that seed, and He the growing of it; and all over this vast we cannot find a place where you can put in the seed, but God will be always ready there, to send leaflets up and the root down.

Did you ever feel your pulse in your wri know what it is occasioned by? It is the blood, as it is driven along through a lit your hand. It is by means of this kept alive, and warm, and made to beats its way thus into every part of it should cease this intion, you

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LESSON LXI.-OLD LONDON BRIDGE.

London Bridge, which continued until the last century to be the only bridge of the city, was a very remarkable structure even in the middle ages, and it retained a character of great singularity up to recent times. After the Saxons, and the Romans probably still earlier, had possessed a wooden bridge at this spot, Henry II. began, in the year 1176, to construct a stone bridge, which, however, was not completed till the year 1209, under his son John. Injuries from fire and water, and inexperience in erecting so difficult a structure, must have made many alterations and restorations necessary, until at length the edifice was permanently completed, and raised upon twenty strong but irregular arches, made of solid freestone masonry, having a large drawbridge in the middle. The powerful stream now flowed backwards and forwards through these arches, while over the bridge itself there arose, in the course of time, a regular street, solid enough to support on both sides high and stately houses, and affording even sufficient room for a tournament, which was held upon its pavement in the year 1395. Almost in the centre stood a Gothic chapel, dedicated to St. Thomas, at which a priest regularly performed mass. Two solid fortified gateways, having battlements and a portcullis, closed the entrances at the northern and southern ends. It continued to be a custom for ages to adorn the battlements of these gates with the heads of traitors, stuck upon spikes; and from thence the heads of Llewellyn the last of the Welsh princes, the brave Wallace, the bold favourite Hugo Despencer, and many other heroes and ruffians, looked down upon the gay and busy crowd that passed

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