January 28

1 And Elijah the Tishbite, who sort of the inhabitants of Glead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word

2 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,

3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherish, that is before Jordan.

4 And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.

5 So he went and did acceding unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherish, that is before Jordan.

6 And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook

7 And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.

8 ¶ And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,

9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which de-fougeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.

10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And

when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks; and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.

11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand

12 And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but a handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a crease; and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.

13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.

14 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the crease of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.

15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did not many days

16 And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the crease of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he make by Elijah.

The prophet has not been alone in these experiences. God has been hiding His children from the storm ever since Elijah's day. They may not have been called to cruel persecution as he was, but they have met severe trial in other forms in sufficient measure to test every fibre of their being.

"We should never forget that our need is just as near the thought of God as Elijah's was, that He had no greater love for him than for each one of us, and that His ability to help us in straitened circumstances has not diminished in the least. Elijah's God is ours."—Selected.

"God always hears when we scrape the bottom of a flour barrel." So said the child of a poor widow to his mother, one morning, after she had prayed, as only the needy can, "Give us this day our daily bread." Beautiful faith of childhood! Why may it not be ours? God always hears the prayers of His children, and He knows when to answer. Our spiritual as well as temporal wants are known to Him, and every sincere cry for help enters His compassionate ear. When we feel entirely our dependence on Him; when our stock of pride and self-confidence is exhausted; when earthly friends and earthly comforts fail us; the humble cry of "O my Father!" the oftenest brings the speedy answer, "Here, my child."

Closet Promise.—The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail.—1 Kings xvii. 14.

Is thy cruse of comfort wasting? rise and share it with another.

And through all the years of famine it shall serve thee and thy brother.

Love Divine will fill thy storehouse, or thy handful still renew;

Scanty fare for one will often make a royal feast for two.

For the heart grows rich in giving; all its wealth is living grain;

Seeds, which mildew in the garner, scatter'd, fill with gold the plain.

Is thy burden hard and heavy? do thy steps drag wearily?

Help to bear thy brother's burden; God will bear both it and thee.

Numb and weary on the mountains, wouldst thou sleep amidst the snow?

Chafe that frozen form beside thee, and together both shall glow.

Art thou stricken in life's battle? Many wounded round thee moan;

Lavish on their wounds thy balsams, and that balm shall heal thine own.

Is the heart a well left empty? None but God its void can fill;

Nothing but a ceaseless Fountain can its ceaseless longings still.

Is the heart a living power? self-entwin'd, its strength sinks low;

It can only live in loving, and by serving love will grow.

—Selected.

THE CHILDREN'S CORNER.

Breakfast Motto.—I am the bread of life.—John vi. 35.

Weekly Proverb.—Be not all sugar, or the world will swallow thee up; nor yet all wormwood, or the world will spit thee out.—Persian Proverb.

DAILY BIBLE READING—DAVID'S PSALM PICTURES.

Sunday.—Flourishing as a Palm Tree.—Psa. xcii. 1-15.

Monday.—The Escape from a Horrible Pit.—Psa. xl. 1-17.

Tuesday.—Sowing Tears and Reaping Joy.—Psa. cxxvi. 1-6.

Wednesday.—A River of Joy.—Psa. xlvi. 1-11.

Thursday.—Whiter than Snow.—Psa. li. 1-19.

Friday.—The Throne of Iniquity.—Psa. xciv. 1-23.

Saturday.—Broken-down Hedges.—Ps. lxxx. 1-19.

4

AN OLD STORY.

The pussy cat said, As she lifted her head, And gracefully raised her dainty paw, "Dear Robin, I've heard You're the sweetest bird That ever a mortal saw."

"Don't flatter me so— It's wrong, you know— Thou' better judges have said the same." Then the quick blood rushed, And she blushed and blushed Down to her bosom of flame.

"But, you see," said kitty, "It's such a pity To waste your charms on the desert air; I vow it's a shame For so rare a dame To pine in seclusion there."

Then pussy cat smiled, And Robin, beguiled By her gay and treacherous laughter, Alighted at once On the ground, like a dunce, And never was heard of after!

Selected.

Honor thy father and thy mother.—Ex. xx. 12.

I suppose you all know this is the fifth commandment. It tells us how boys and girls ought to behave at home! And a certain writer has said, "You show me a boy or girl, who is not a good son or daughter, who does not honor father and mother, and I will show you one who will not make a good man or woman." Do you want to know one of the best ways to honor father and mother? It is to obey them. I fear many boys and girls do not like to do that. A merchant advertised for a boy to assist in his store, and go on errands. The next day his store was thronged with all kinds of boys; and, not knowing which to choose, he advertised again, as follows: "Wanted, to assist in a store, a boy who obeys his mother." Only two boys ventured to apply for the situation. I hope all my little readers are like those two boys—obedient. God expects us to show all possible respect to our parents. Never speak of them as the "old man" or the "old lady." God expects us to take care of our parents, and do all we can to make them comfortable, when they are sick, or aged, or poor. My earnest hope is, you will all resolve always to keep this fifth commandment.

THE RABBIT ON THE WALL.

Our picture is a scene in an old-fashioned home. All the articles of furniture in the room are old-fashioned. Let us see how many things we can find hanging around—some on the wall and others on the rafters. Beginning on the right, I see an old time towel rack, with the towel on it; the big door-key; the long toasting fork; the horse's bridle; the queer wall cupboard for dishes; the powder flask; the bellows for blowing the fire; the candle hanging on the wall; the shears for shearing the sheep; the fishing rod and line; and a fine pair of wild ducks. I expect you will see many more things.

The time is evening. The mother holds baby; the sister holds the candle so it will throw a shadow; the father is making with his hands the shadow of a rabbit on the wall. I suppose we all remember happy times like this in our homes.

Home should be the centre of joy. "She always made home happy"—is what a husband, after sixty years of married life, put upon his wife's tombstone. Dr. J. Hamilton says: "I might ask, 'What is it makes home?' and you will answer, 'A mother's love.' You know what it would be to spend one of your winter evenings in a chamber without a fire on the hearth or a carpet on the floor: even though the furniture were costly, and the friends congenial, nothing could impart the lacking comfort, or diffuse the wonted radiance. And in this wintry world a tender mother's love and a pious mother's care are the carpet on the floor and the blaze on the evening hearth. They make the home; and to life's latest moment they mingle in every picture of pre-eminent happiness."

FIFTH WEEK.

PEARL TEXT.—At the same time, saith the Lord, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people—Jer. xxxi. 1.

The family is like a book, The children are the leaves, The parents are the covers that Protective beauty give.

Love is the little golden clasp That bindeth up the trust; Oh break it not, lest all the leaves Shall scatter and be lost.

—Selected.

Every family should be a little church, and every church should be a large family—Dr. Arnot.

Wherever a true wife comes, home is always around her. The stars may be over her head; the glow-worm in the night-cold grass may be the fire at her foot; but home is where she is; and for a noble woman it stretches far around her, better than houses ceiled with cedar or painted with vermilion, shedding its quiet light far for those who else are homeless.—Ruskin.

HELPS FOR THE DEVOTIONAL HOUR.