a false foundation which constantly stands in need of props to shore it up and proves at last more chargeable than to have raised a substantial building at first upon a true and solid foundation; for sincerity is firm and substantial and fears no discovery; of which the crafty is always in danger. He is the last man that finds himself to be found out; and whilst he takes it for granted that he makes fools of others, he renders himself ridiculous.

RUTH crushed to earth shall rise again,

The eternal years of God are hers;

But error, wounded, writhes in vain,

And dies among her worshippers.

TILLITSON.

XIX.

The Whisperer.

Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people; neither shalt thou (by spreading evil reports) stand against the life of thy neighbor: I am the Lord, thy God.-Leviticus xix. ib.

BHOR the whisperer and double-tongued, for he hath destroyed many that were at peace. The slanderous tongue hath shaken many and dispersed them from nation to nation; and it hath pulled down cities and overthrown the houses of great men. It hath cast out brave women and deprived them of the fruits of their labors. He that hearkeneth unto it shall not find

rest nor shall he dwell quietly; the stroke of the whip maketh a mark in the flesh, but the stroke of the tongue will break bones. Many have fallen by the stroke of the sword, yet not so many as they that have fallen because of the tongue. Happy is he that is sheltered from it, that hath not passed through the wrath thereof; that hath not drawn its yoke, and hath not been bound with its bands; for the yoke thereof is a yoke of iron, and the bands thereof are bands of brass. The death thereof is an evil death and Hades were better than it. ECCLESIASTICUS.

ONDEMN not, judge not,—not to man

Is given his brother's faults to scan;

One task is thine, and one alone:

To search out and subdue thine own.

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delighteth in his way.—Psalms xxxvii. 23.

O not separate thyself from the congregation and think not an isolated position marks the wiser and the better man.

Rely not on thy spiritual strength till the day of thy death.

Pass no judgment upon thy neighbor until thou hast put thyself in his stead.

Never excuse thyself from attending to thy spiritual advancement on the plea that thou wilt heed it when thou hast more leisure; perhaps that day will never come for thee.

The more feasting, the more food for worms,

The more riches, the more anxieties;

but,

The more knowledge, the more life;

The more study, the more wisdom;
The more reflection, the better counsel;
The more charity, the more peace:

And he that gains a good name acquires that
Which no misfortune can take from him.

Three things are life-destroying evils: The envious eye, the evil-brooding heart and the hateful soul. CHAPTERS OF THE PHARISAIC FATHERS.

ND One thing further make him know,

That to believe these things are so,

This firm faith never to forego,
Despite of all which seems at strife

With blessing, all with curses rife :
That this is blessing, this is life.

XXI.

tempt Not God.

Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in His commandments. His offspring shall be mighty upon earth; the generation of the upright shall be blessed.-Psalms cxii. 1, 2.

BLAUCUS was esteemed a man of singular probity,

and, having a large sum of money deposited in his hands and an opportunity of keeping it from the owners, if he would forswear himself, consulted the oracle at Delphi what he should do. When he had proposed his question, the priestess of Apollo answered thus:

If present profit claim thy chief regard, Be bold and swear, and take the obvious prize; Just dealings can not save thee from the grave. But the oath's guardian has a nameless son, Who, swift and strong, tho' without hand or foot, Pursues, o'ertakes and seizes and destroys The whole devoted race, whilst honest men Leave lasting blessings to their children's children.

Glaucus, hearing this, entreated the god to forgive him what he had said. The priestess answered, “To tempt the god, and to commit the action, is all the same.' HERODOTUs.

IVE forth thine earnest cry,

O conscience, voice of God! To young and old, to low and high, Proclaim His will abroad.

Within the human breast

Thy strong monitions plead Still thunder Thy divine protest Against th' unrighteous deed.

XXII.

Doing Our Ought.

The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water; therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with.-Proverbs xvii. 14.

O not neglect to rectify evil because it may seem small; for, though small at first, it may continue to grow until it overwhelms you.

If a man does not strive to resist slight acts of injustice, he will soon find himself called upon to face the greatest wrongs. A river is formed by many small streams, a strong cord made by the union of many thin threads. A sapling whose roots have not struck deep, can be easily pulled up; but, if it be allowed to become a tree, it will be necessary to use an axe.

SAYINGS OF MENCIUS.

Simply to do what we ought is an altogether higher, more potent, more creative thing than to write the grandest poem, paint the most beautiful picture, carve the mightiest statue, dream out the most enchanting combination of melody and harmony. EMERSON.