June 2

5. Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

6. But I trust that ye shall, know that we are not reprobates.

7. Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates.

8. For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.

9. For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong; and this also we wish, even your perfection.

10. Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction.

11. Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.

In this reading we dwell specially upon verse 5—the duty of self-examination. That is, such a study of one's self that he may know, day by day, how he stands as compared with the accredited rules of life. In a sense, it is the soul's book-keeping. The careful merchant knows each day the exact condition of his affairs.

"He that keeps his house in constant repair prevents the fall of it. Therefore look to your hearts still."—Manton.

"Often reflect upon thyself in a day, and observe what company is with thy heart. We may know by the noise in the school that the master is not there; much of the misrule in our own bosom arises from the neglect of visiting our hearts."—Gurnall.

"Make up your spiritual accounts daily; see how matters stand between God and your souls (Psalm lxxvii. 6). Often reckonings keep God and conscience friends. Do with your hearts as you do with your watches; wind them up every morning by prayer, and at night examine whether your hearts have gone true all that day, whether the wheels of your affections have moved swiftly toward heaven. Oh, call yourselves often to account; keep your reckonings even, and that is the way to keep your peace."—Watson.

Closet Promise.—The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing.—Zeph. iii. 17.

"I ask if Thou canst love me still, O God? They say Thou canst not love so weak a thing— One that was angered by a Father's rod, One that hath wayward and rebellious been, Unstable, thankless, prone to sin; Thou knowest all yet whether shall I go; To leave my sins, and with them leave my woe,

Except to Thee, who only help canst bring, And bid me live Thy pardoning love to sing? I come; my sinful thoughts have vexed me long; And I am weak, but Thou, my God, art strong. I lay my head upon Thy loving heart, I little beneath the shelter of Thy wing, And, helpless, to my Father's love I chng."

THE CHILDREN'S CORNER.

Breakfast Motto.—My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.—Phil. iv. 19.

Weekly Proverb.—"If I rest, I rust," says the key.—German.

DAILY BIBLE READING.—CHRIST'S WONDERFUL WORDS.

Sunday.—The Seed Sower.—Mark iv. 1-25.

Monday.—The Power of Little Things.—Matt. xiii. 31-35.

Tuesday.—That Which was Lost.—Luke xv. 1-10.

Wednesday.—The Lost Man.—Luke xv. 11-32.

Thursday.—The Importunistic Widow.—Luke xviii. 1-14.

Friday.—The Fruitless Tree.—Mark xi. 12-26.

Saturday.—The Answers of Two Sons.—Matt. xxi. 23-32.

A DISASTROUS RIDE.

Some little drops of water, Whose home was in the sea, To go upon a journey Once happened to agree.

A cloud they had for carnage, They drove a playful breeze, And over town and country They rode along at ease.

But oh, there were so many, At last the carriage broke, And to the ground came tumbling These frightened little folk.

And through the morn and graves They were compelled to roam, Until a brooklet found them And carried them all home.

—Selected.

The drunkard shall come to poverty.—Prov. xxiii. 21.

I am anxious that all my little friends shall grow up and have nice clothing, happy homes and good characters. I will tell you in two words what will help you to do this: Be temperate. A German spoke as follows at a temperance meeting: "I shall tell you how it was. I put my hand on my head: there was von big pain. Then I put mine hand on my pody. There was another. There was very much pains in all my pody. Then I put mine hand in my pocket and there was nothing. Now, there is no more pain in my head. The pains in my pody are all gone away. I put mine hand in my pocket, and there ish twenty dollars. So I shall shtay mit de temperance." The wise man in the book of Proverbs says: "Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without a cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his color in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder." Boys, don't go near the saloon; girls, try and keep everybody away from them. Wicked men are inside. They have set traps: they catch men, and they love to catch boys, for boys grow to be men.

TWENTY-THIRD WEEK.

PEARL TEXT.—Take therefore no thought for the morrow; for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.—Matt. vi. 34.

I have nothing to do with to-morrow, My Saviour will make that His care, Should He fill it with trouble or sorrow, He would help me to suffer and bear.

I have nothing to do with to-morrow, Its burdens, then, why should I share? Its grace and its strength I can't borrow, Then why should I borrow its care? —Selected.

Every to-morrow has two handles. We can take hold of it by the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith.—Selected.

Build a little fence of trust Around to-day; Fill its space with loving work, And therein stay

Peer not through the sheltering bars At to-morrow, God will help thee bear what comes Of joy or sorrow. —Mrs. M. F. Butts.

HELPS FOR THE DEVOTIONAL HOUR.