June 9

14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,

16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

21 Was not Abraham our father just fled by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness and he was called the Friend of God.

24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?

26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

True faith is of a working, stirring nature; without good works it is dead or dying. A barren Christian is a contradiction in terms and an anomaly in the spiritual vineyard.

"Flatter not thyself in thy faith to God, if thou wantest charity for thy neighbor, and think not thou hast charity for thy neighbor, if thou wantest faith to God: where they are not both together, they are both wanting; they are both dead if once divided."—Quarles

"It is as impossible that a spiritual life should be without acts consonant to it as that the sun should appear in the firmament without darting out its beams. All life is accompanied with natural heat, which is the bond of it, whereby the body is enabled to a vigorous motion. The new creature is not a marble statue or a transparent piece of crystal, which has purity but not life. It is a living spirit, and therefore active."—Charnook.

"As the apple is not the cause of the apple-tree, but the fruit of it, even so good works are not the cause of our salvation, but a sign and a fruit of the same."—Cazedroy.

Closet Promise.—Who will render to every man according to his deeds: to them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life.—Rom. ii. 6, 7.

The crown of patience cannot be received where there has been no suffering. If thou refusest to suffer, thou refusest to be crowned; but if thou wish to be crowned, thou must fight manfully and suffer patiently. Without labor none can obtain rest, and without contending there can be no conquest.—Thomas A'Kempis.

THE CHILDREN'S CORNER.

Breakfast Motto.—Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; if any one hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.—Rev. iii. 20

Weekly Proverb. He that riseth late, must trot all day, and shall scarce overtake his business at night.—Poor Richard.

DAILY BIBLE READING.—CHRIST'S WONDERFUL WORDS.

Sunday.—Wise and Foolish Virgins.—Matt. xxv. 1-13.

Monday.—Wise and Foolish House-Builders—Matt. vii. 21-29.

Tuesday.—The Rich Fool.—Luke xii 13-21.

Wednesday.—A Good Neighbor—Luke x. 25-37.

Thursday.—A Rich Man and a Beggar.—Luke xvi. 14-31.

Friday.—Idlers in the Market Place.—Matt. xx. 1-16.

Saturday.—The Pound and Napkin.—Luke xix. 11-28.

HOW TO DO IT.

The fields are all white,

And the reapers are few;

We children are willing,

But what can we do

To work for our Lord in His harvest?

Our hands are so small!

And our words are so weak,

We cannot teach others;

How then shall we seek

To work for our Lord in His harvest?

We'll work by our prayers,

By the pennies we bring,

By small self demab--

The least little thing

May work for our Lord in His harvest

Until, by and by,

As the years pass at length,

We, too, may be reapers,

And go forth in strength

To work for our Lord in His harvest.

—Selected.

Thou shalt not covet.—Ex. xx. 17.

My dear children, I am going to talk to you to-day about a very great sin— that of Covetousness. To covet means to wish for something that belongs to another. Sometimes we see a company of children standing at the window of a jeweller's store. One says: "Oh! I wish I had that gold watch!" Another says: "I wish I had that beautiful diamond ring!" Now, those children do not think what they are doing. Wishing means coveting. This wishing, or coveting, if it be allowed to remain, will grow up into a desire to get the thing coveted. If the child cannot get it in a right way, he will try to get it in a wrong way. It will make him a thief or robber. Now, you must remember, when you allow yourselves to covet, or to wish for anything that belongs to another, you are guilty of the sin of breaking the tenth commandment. A Sunday-school teacher asked her boys which of the commandments was the hardest to keep. One mentioned one, and another a different one; till at last a boy about twelve years old said: "The last is the hardest." "Why is it so, my boy?" she asked. "Because, for one who is poor to see another possessing a great deal of money, and a great many clothes, and much cattle and rice, without wishing for some of them, is very hard." That is so, children; but God can help you keep it!

GOING TO LABOR.

Never be ashamed to work; never be above labor. During the Revolution a commander of a little squad was giving orders relative to a stick of timber they were trying to raise to the top of some military works. The timber went up hard. An officer, not in military dress, was passing, and asked the commander why he did not take hold and help a little. The latter, astonished, said: "Sir, I am a corporal!" "You are, are you?" replied the officer; "I was not aware of that." Upon this, he got down off his horse and lifted till the sweat stood in drops on his forehead; and, when finished, turning to the commander, he said: "Mr. Corporal, when you have another such job, and have not men enough, send for your commander-in-chief, and I will come and help you a second time." The corporal was thunderstruck. It was General Washington.

The path of labor is the path to true success. And this path is open to all. You do not need to have genius, or any other great gift. When a lady once asked Turner, the celebrated English painter, what his secret was, he replied: "I have no secret, madame, but hard work." John Freadley says: "My observations through life satisfy me that at least nine tenths of those most successful in business start in life without any reliance except upon their own heads and hands—hoe their own row from the jump."

Remember one thing more—whatever you do, do it well. Downright painstaking always pays. I heard of a little girl who wanted to join the church. When the pastor asked her: "What makes you think you are a Christian?" her answer was: "Cause I sweeps under the mats, and behind the doors." She had always slighted her work before. Now she remembered that Jesus wanted her to do everything well, and because she loved Him she tried to do so.

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TWENTY-FOURTH WEEK.

PEARL TEXT. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.—Job. xxiv. 15.

Sweet is the smile of Home; the mutual look Where the hearts are of each other sure;

Sweet all the joys that crowd the household nock, The haunt of all affections pure. —John Keble.

Oh, banish the tears of children! Continual rains upon the blossoms are hurtful—Richter.

The road to home happiness is over the stepping-stones which lie above the brook of daily discomforts.—Selected

I think it must somewhere be written that the virtues of mothers shall occasionally be visited on their children, as well as the sins of fathers.— Dickens.

Most men call fretting a minor fault, a foible, and not a vice. There is no vice, except drunkenness, which can so utterly destroy the peace, the happiness of a home.—Helen Hunt.

HELPS FOR THE DEVOTIONAL HOUR.