6. Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. 7. ¶ Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: A.D 28. PEARLS BEFORE SWINE. the worst ones by simply reversing the usual plan, and appointed monitors to discover and report not the faults, but all the good things they could find in the other scholars. worse. REJOICING IN INIQUITY.-" An itching to find faults in others, so as to justify or cover up our own, is worse than the faults themselves. A man may be heinously wicked, but to seek to find others so is It is an utter absence of love that rejoices in iniquity. For the quintessence of this, as perfected in the pure hate of the Devil, see Lucifer's opening speech in Mrs. Browning's Drama of Exile.' As a portrayal of Satan's real character, there is nothing equal to it in literature. We are not to point out, but to pull out, wickedness." -Bishop Warren. 6. LIBRARY.-"Give not that which is holy unto the dogs "; Shakespeare's "Tempest," where Prospero felt that the jewel of kindness was thrown away on the brutish Caliban, 66 Abhorred slave; Which any print of goodness will not take, PEARLS BEFORE SWINE. "I did but prompt the age to quit their clogs 7. REFERENCE. See on chapter vi. 5, 6, “Prayer." THE KEY OF PROMISE.-" There is a parable related by the Rev. Mark Guy Pearse, of a distressed city with inhabitants in dire need, 8. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. while above it, on the hill-top, stood a palace, containing everything they could want. They were poor and wretched, sick and sad, when so near were stores of silver and gold, joy and health. But the gate was locked, and Pity was in despair until he remembered that once he had possessed the key; recovering this master key, he found by its use all the riches of the palace at his disposal-its name was prayer." -Sunday Companion. LIBRARY." Pilgrim's Progress," Christian and Hopeful in the dungeon of Giant Despair, and finding the Key of Promise. "Like an echo from a ruined castle, prayer is an echo from the ruined human soul of the sweet promise of God.”—Arnot. ELECTRIC CALLS.-The better class of houses in our cities are often fitted up so that the owner, by touching a button, can summon a cab; by touching another, summon the police; by another, the fire department; by another, a messenger; and through the telephone he can order the family supplies. In our latest hotels there is an arrangement in each room that enables the guest to set a pointer to any one of a large number of the commonest wants, and then touch a button, and the desired object will be brought to him. CASKET OF PROMISES." Where is thy casket of promises? Bring it out. Open the jar of jewels. Pour out the golden ingots, stamped with the image and superscription of heaven's King. Count over the diamonds that flash in thy hand like stars. Compute the weight of that single jewel, Ask and ye shall receive'; or that other ruby, All things work together for good to them that love God.' Bring forth that royal Kohinoor, He that believeth shall be saved.' Then remember who it is that gave them, and to what an unworthy sinner, and tell me if they are not exceeding great and precious.' When Cæsar once gave a man a great reward, he exclaimed, 'This is too great a gift for me to receive.' 'But,' said Cæsar, 'it is not too great a gift for me to give.' So the smallest promise in thy Promises like Jewels. 9. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? casket is too much for thee to deserve; yet the most magnificent promise is not too great for the King of kings to bestow. God scorns to act meanly or stingily by his children."-Spurgeon. A.D. 28. ASK AND Frederick Douglass used to say that, when a slave, he often prayed for freedom, but his prayer was never answered till he prayed with his feet. PRAYER FOR TEMPORAL BLESSINGS, HOW ANSWERED.—In reply to the question, “What place has prayer for temporal blessings in your system of natural law in the spiritual world?' Professor Drummond, as reported, said, in one of his talks at Lakeview: “A large, splendidly equipped steamship sailed out from Liverpool for New York. Among the passengers were a little boy and girl, who were playing about the deck, when the boy lost his ball overboard. He immediately ran to the captain and shouted, 'Stop the ship, my ball is overboard!' The captain smiled pleasantly, but said, 'Oh, no, my boy! I cannot stop the ship, with all these people, just to get a rubber ball.' The boy went away grumbling, and confided to the little girl that it was his opinion the captain didn't stop the ship because he couldn't. He believed the ship was wound up some way in Liverpool, and she just had to run, day and night, until she ran down. A day or so afterwards the children were playing on deck again, when the little girl dropped her doll down into the engine-room, and she supposed it too had gone overboard. She said, 'I will run and ask the captain to stop the ship and get my dolly.' It's no use,' said the boy; 'he cannot do anything. I've tried him.' But the little girl ran on to the captain with her story and appeal. The captain came and peeked down into the engine-room, and, seeing the doll, said, 'Just wait here a minute." And while the ship went right on, he ran down the stairway and brought up the little girl's doll, to her delight and to the boy's amazement. The next day the cry rang out, Man overboard!' and immediately the bell rang in the engine-room, by orders from the lever in the hands of the captain; the great ship stood still until boats were lowered and the life rescued. Then she Ways of Answering Prayer. 10. Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent ? As soon as steamed on until she reached her wharf in New York. the ship was tied up, the captain went up town and bought the boy a better ball than the one he had lost. Now, each of the three prayers was answered. The little girl received her request without stopping the ship; the little boy by a little waiting received his also; and yet for sufficient reason the ship was stopped by a part of the machinery itself, not an after-thought, but something put into the ship when it was made." WHY SOME PRAYERS NOT ANSWERED.-"Certainly all the 'pretence' prayers must go among the eternal strays. Like many letters which never reach their destination, many prayers have to be marked 'missent,' or with some other fatal brand, and consigned to oblivion. Sometimes prayers remain unanswered because they are not directed right-not addressed to God, but to the audience. Other prayers never 'go through' because the address is illegible. They are too full of pomp and rhetorical flourish-mere 'monologues of flowery prose.' Other prayers get lost because they are unavailable matter'-prayers whose answers might gratify us, but would fall like showers of daggers on our neighbors-and so are denied passage through the divine channels, as sharp-edged tools, corroding acids, explosives, and the like, are not allowed in the mails. No legally 'stamped,' sincerely directed, and well-meaning prayer is ever lost. The answer may be delayed, but the prayer is 'on file.'"-Anon. " THE DEAD-PRAYER OFFICE.- What becomes of all the unanswered letters? Thousands of them find their way to the dead-letter office. Some never reach the person for whom they are intended because the postage is not paid; some fail because they are directed to the wrong office; some cannot be sent because the address is illegible; and some because the matter enclosed is unmailable. These float through the mails, are examined at different offices, marked 'missent,' and finally they fall into the dead-letter office. There they are opened and read, and, if valuable, are forwarded; if not, they are given to the flames. Such is the accuracy and skill of the postal officials that very few valuable letters ever fail of reaching their destination. Some prayers never reach God because they are not addressed to God's office. They are directed to the audience. God's office is not in our neigh 11. If ye then being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? A.D. 28. PRAYER. bor's care, and if we direct our prayers to that point they will certainly go to the dead-prayer office. Each of the reasons why letters go to the deadletter office will hold good of unanswered prayers. But no really valuable prayer with a heart's message in it ever fails of its destination, or goes unanswered."-Christian Advocate. In THE DISAPPOINTED PRAY-ER.-"I happened once to be staying with a gentleman, and a very religious kind of a man he was. the morning he began the day with a long family prayer that we might be kept from sin, and might have a Christ-like spirit, and the mind that was also in Christ Jesus. A good prayer it was, and I thought, 'What a good kind of a man you must be!' But about an hour after I happened to be coming along the farm, and I heard him hallooing, and scolding, and going on finding fault with everybody and everything. And when I came into the house with him he began again. Nothing was right, and he was so impatient and so quick-tempered. "I said, 'You must be very much disappointed, sir.' "How so, Daniel-disappointed?' "I thought you were expecting to receive a very valuable present this morning, sir, and I see it has not come.' "Present, Daniel!' and he scratched his head, as much as to say, 'Whatever can the man be talking about?' "I certainly heard you talking about it, sir,' I said coolly. "Heard me speak of a valuable present! Why, Daniel, you must be dreaming. I've have never thought of such a thing.' "Perhaps not, sir, but you have talked about it, and I hoped it would come whilst I was here, for I would dearly love to see it.' "He was getting angry with me now, so I thought I would explain. "You know, sir, this morning you prayed for a Christ-like spirit, and the mind that was in Christ Jesus, and the love of God shed abroad in your heart.' "Oh, that's what you mean, is it?' and he spoke as if that weren't anything at all. "Now, sir, wouldn't you be rather surprised if your prayer was |