July 7

1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we

have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

5 But whose keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

7 Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.

8 Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.

9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.

10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.

11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.

12 I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake.

13 I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.

14 I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

In this chapter John tells us that rightly to know God is to keep His commandments, to love our brethren, and not to love the world. The keyword of the whole chapter is "ought" (verse 6). If we be Christians, then we ought in our measure as redeemed men to live as He lived.

"It is not His walking on the sea, but His every-day walk we are called to imitate."—Luther.

"Would I know whether I know God, I must not examine my knowledge but my walk; and would I know whether thou knowest God, I do not ask that which thy mouth may have to say of Him, but that which thy life does testify of him."—Besser.

"Enoch 'walked with God;' it is not taking a step or two in a way which denominates a man a walker, but a continued motion. . . . A Christian may stumble, nay, he may fall, but he gets up and walks on in the way of God's commandments; the bent of his heart is right, and the scope of his life is straight, and hence he is deemed sincere."—Swinock.

Closet Promise.—He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness, for His name's sake.—Psalm xxiii. 3.

"The clouds hang heavy round my way, I cannot see;

But through the darkness I believe God leadeth me

'Tis sweet to keep my hand in His While all is dim;

To close my weary, aching eyes, And follow Him.

Through many a thorny path he leads My tired feet;

Through many a path of tears I go, But it is sweet

To know that He is close to me, My God, my Guide. He leadeth me, and so I walk, Quite satisfied.

To my blind eyes, He may reveal No light at all; But while I lean on His strong arm I cannot fall."

THE CHILDREN'S CORNER.

Breakfast Motto.—Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits.—Psalm lxviii. 19.

Weekly Proverb.—Be always ashamed to catch thyself idle.—Poor Richard.

DAILY BIBLE READING.—SEVEN DAILY THINGS.

Sunday.—Daily Bread.—Matt. vi. 9-18.

Monday.—Daily Cross. - Luke ix. 18-27.

Tuesday.—Daily Increase in the Church—Acts xvi. 1-15.

Wednesday.—Daily Searching of the Scriptures.—Acts xvii. 1-15.

Thursday.—Daily Dying.—1 Cor. xv. 1-34.

Friday.—Daily Exhorting.—Heb. iii. 1-19

Saturday.—Daily Watching.—Prov. viii. 1-36.

MAY AND HER PUSSY.

MAY.

Now, Pussy Gray,

Come here, I pray;

Listen to what I have to say

Sit on the cushion at my side

And have your ribbon neatly tied.

You must not scratch, nor growl, nor bite,

And you must never steal nor fight;

But clear the house of rats and mice,

And keep your fur and whiskers nice.

The things that other pussies do

Would not be right at all for you;

You are my cat,

Remember that

PUSSY.

O, Mistress May,

Your Pussy Gray

Has quite as much as you to say;

You should not scold, nor pinch, nor strike,

Nor feed me only when you like;

Nor shut me out to freeze at night,

When you are tucked up warm and tight;

But treat me always in the way

You'd like if you were Pussy Gray

The things that other people do

Are none the nearer right for you;

I am your cat,

Remember that.

—Wife Awake

Hallow my Sabbaths.—Ezek. xliv. 24.

I talked last week about Sabbath-keeping—how to do it; to-day I want to talk about Sabbath breaking. A certain infidel says that he has learned by sad experience that a curse follows those who break the Sabbath. A young man was going to be hung for murder. As he stood upon the scaffold he spoke to the crowd gathered round in this manner: "My friends, you have come to see a man die. Let me advise you to take warning by me. The beginning of my ruin was Sabbath-breaking. This led me into bad company; from bad company I went to drinking, then to stealing, and then to murder. Thus I have been brought to my present sad condition. Many

20 of you are young, in an especial manner let me warn you to beware of Sabbath-breaking." So I might tell you of many other cases, which show the evil that follows from breaking the Sabbath. But, my dear children, I hope wherever you go you will "keep the Sabbath." A woman told a little girl, one Sunday morning, to put on her things and take a bundle under her shawl to a lady's house. "Nobody will see it," she said. "But is it not Sunday under my shawl, aunty?" asked the child. Oh! don't forget, little ones, that Sunday belongs to all places. Wherever you are, be sure that you always "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy."

BY AND BY.

There's a little mischief maker That is stealing half our bliss, Sketching pictures in a dreamland That are never seen in this; Dashing from our lips the pleasure Of the present while we sigh; You may know the mischief maker, For no name is "By and By."

He is sitting by our hearthstone, With his shy bewitching glance, Whispering of the coning morrow As the social hours advance; Loin'ring 'mid our calm reflections, Hiding forms of beauty nigh— He's a smooth, deceitful fellow, This enchanter, "By and By."

You may know him by his wincing, By his sporting, careless air; By his sly, obstructive presence, That is straying everywhere; By the trophies that he pathers Where his sombre victims lie; For a bold, determined fellow Is this conqueror, "By and By."

When the call of duty haunts us, And the present seems to be All the time that erring mortals Snatch from dark eternity, Then a fairy haul seems pausing Pictures in a distant sky; For a canning little artist Is this fairy, "By and By."

"By and By," the wind is singing; "By and By," the heart replies; But the phantom just above us, Ere we grasp it, ever flies. Listen not to idle charmer; Soon the very specious lie; Only to the fancy liveth This deceiver, "By and By."

—Selected.

TWENTY-EIGHTH WEEK.

PEARL TEXT.—But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.—James 1. 4.

Thy Father reigns supreme above; The glory of His name Is Grace and Wisdom, Truth and Love, His will must be the same.

And thou hast asked all joys in one, In whispering forth "Thy will be done!" —F. R. Havergai.

Never think that God's delays are God's denials. Hold on—hold fast—hold out.—Selected.

It is not in our power to bring our condition to our minds; but it is our duty to bring our minds to our condition.—Ford.

Christ went to heaven with many a wrong; His visage and countenance were marred more than all the sons of men. You may not be above your Master.—Rutierford.

HELPS FOR THE DEVOTIONAL HOUR.