March 17

1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?

2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not

3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask among, lest ye may consume it upon your lusts.

4 Ye do believe and adulteress, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? who never therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

5 Do ye think that the Scriptures saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?

6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God re-steeth the proud, but giveth grace into the humble.

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Clean your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded.

9 Be afflicted, and moam, and weep; let

your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

11 Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.

12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?

13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:

14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vannibeth away.

15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.

17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

"Speak not evil one of another, brethren" (ver. 11). This is one of the most difficult of His commandments. The more difficult, the more need of grace; and the more need, the more full the supply.

"Well might St. Paul say, 'Put them in mind to speak evil of no man,' for do we not easily fail to keep this in mind? The command is 'exceeding broad;' let us not seek to narrow it, but humbly bow to our Master's distinct orders in all their exactness. Do we really wish to know them fully, that we may obey fully? Then what are they? 'Speak evil of no man.' Shall we venture practically to say, 'Yes, Lord, except of So-and-so?'

"Laying aside all evil speaking.' Does not this include the very least? 'Let all bitterness, . . . and evil speaking be put away from you;' then does He give us leave to cherish even one little hidden root of that bitterness from which the evil speaking springs? 'Put away' implies resolute action in the matter—have we even tried to 'put away all?'—F. R. Havergal.

"Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (ver. 7). "How resist?"

By a full, blushing, spiritual healthiness. Insects and aphides gather on sickly plants; healthy ones resist them. So is it in the Christian life.

Closet Promise.—If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us.—1 John iv. 12.

It is great wisdom not to be rash in thy doings, nor to stand stiffly in thine own conceits.

As also not to believe every thing which thou hearest, nor immediately to relate again to others what thou hast heard or dost believe.

Consult with him that is wise and of sound judgment, and seek to be instructed by one better than thyself, rather than to follow thine own inventions.—Thomas A'Kempis.

THE CHILDREN'S CORNER.

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

Weekly Proverb.—Fear to do ill, and you need fear nought else. —Poor Richard.

DAILY BIBLE READING.—SCENES IN THE LIFE OF ELISHA.

Sunday.—The Naughty Children that Mocked Elisha.—2 Kings ii. 12-25.

Monday.—Opening Channels for the Waters.—2 Kings iii. 1-27.

Tuesday.—The Pot of Oil that Paid a Debt.—2 Kings iv. 1-7.

Wednesday.—A Dead Boy Raised to Life.—2 Kings iv. 8-37.

Thursday.—The Poisoned Pottage Made Good.—2 Kings iv. 38-44.

Friday.—Naaman and the Little Maid. 2 Kings v. 1-19.

Saturday.—The Do-Nothings.—2 Kings v. 20-27.

LUCK.

"If the face in the moon Wear a frown—alas, Luck will be poor till the month shall pass! If the face in the moon Wear a smile—why, then, Luck will be good, till it frown again."

So runs a verse That I used to say; I have learned it, since, In another way:

"If a face be marred By a frown—alas, Luck will be poor till the frown shall pass! If a face be bright With a smile—why, then, Luck will be good till it frowns again."

If the first be true 'Twould be hard to say; But the last, if you will, You can prove, each day H. R. Hudson, in "Wife Aware"

9

In honor preferring one another.—Rom. xii. 10.

You have all, I suppose, read of Jack the Giant Killer. That story was written to teach children that, all along the years of their early lives, they have got to fight giants. To-day I want to tell you about one of these giants. We have only one month because we don't have to eat for anybody else, but we have two ears and two eyes and two hands, because we have to help other people. But this giant has only one ear and one eye and one hand—just enough to do for himself and nothing more. He comes when you have got a great big apple and somebody else wants a bite, or when father has given you some money and you don't know whether to spend it all for yourself, or part of it for somebody else. If I had a mirror I could show him to you. It is self. Selfishness is the big giant. And he bothers everybody. A plate of apples was being passed to some children, when a little girl took a fine red one. Her next neighbor cried, "How greedy you are to take the largest! I meant to take that myself." You see neither of them remembered our text, "preferring one another." The best way to deal with this giant is to shoot him as soon as you see him coming.

THE PRODIGAL SON.

Come home! come home! You are weary at heart, For the way has been dark, And so lovely and well O prodigal child! Come home! oh come home!

Come home! come home! From the sorrow and blame, From the sin and the shame, And the tempter that smiled, O prodigal child! Come home! oh come home!

Come home! come home! There is treet and to spare, And a warm welcome there, Then, to friends reconciled, O prodigal child! Come home! oh come home!

—Mrs. Ellen H. Gates.

TWELFTH WEEK.

PEARL TEXT.—Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.—Rom. 12: 2.

Yes, fair as the syren, but false as her song, Are the world's painted shadows, that lure us along; Like the mist on the mountain, the foam on the deep.

Or the voices of friends that we greet in our sleep, Are the pleasures of earth. —Mrs. S. J. Hale.

He buys honey too dear who licks it from thorns.—Sel.

It is a poor relief from sorrow to fly to the distractions of the world; as well might a lost and wearied bird, suspended over the abyss of the tempestuous ocean, seek a resting-place on its topmost wave, as the child of sorrow seek a place of repose amid the bustling cares and intoxicating pleasures of earth and time.—Dr. Spring.

HELPS FOR THE DEVOTIONAL HOUR.