Sir, I have a son named Johnny Luther: may he not come into this garden, that he may eat these fine apples and pears, ride on these nice horses, and play with these children?" And the man answered, "If he loves to say his prayers, if he is fond of his book, and is good, then he may come into the garden, and your other children also; and if they all come together, they shall have fifes, trumpets, lutes, and all sorts of stringed instruments, and they shall dance about, and shoot with little bows and arrows."

And then he showed me a fine lawn, in the midst of the garden; and there were hanging on the trees, golden fifes, trumpets, and silver bows, and all was ready for the children to come and jump about, and play with them. But as it was very early, and the children had not finished their breakfast, they were not come to the lawn, and I could not wait for them; but I said to the owner, 'Dear Sir, I will go immediately and write about all these things to my little son John, that he may attend to his prayers, and learn his book well, and be good, and so may come to this garden. But he has a nurse that he must bring with him." Then said the man, "It shall be as you say: go and write to your son."

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Therefore, dear little Johnny, study and pray with a good heart, and tell your little brothers to do the same, and you will all come together to the garden. And now I commend you to Almighty God. Greet your nurse, and give her a kiss for me.

Your affectionate father,

(Written in 1530.)

MARTIN LUTHER.

TEXTS ILLUSTRATED AND EXPLAINED. GENESIS xix. 19. "Thy servant hath found grace in thy sight."-Nothing can be more common than this form of speech. Has a man been pleading with another,

and succeeded in his request? He will say, "Ah! since I have found favour in your sight, let me mention another thing." "My lord, had I not found favour in your sight, who would have helped me?" "Happy is the man who finds grace in your sight!"

Gen. xix. 26. "His wife looked back from behind him."-" From behind him." This seems to imply that

she was following her husband, as is the custom at this day. When men or women leave their home, they never look back; as "it would be very unfortunate." Should a husband have left anything which his wife knows he will require, she will not call on him to turn or look back; but will either take the article herself, or send it by another. Should a man, on some great emergency, have to look back, he will not then proceed on the business he was about to transact. When a person goes along the road, (especially in the evening,) he will take great care not to look back; "because the evil spirits would assuredly seize him." When they go on a journey they will not look behind, though the palankeen, or bandy, should be close upon them: they

step a little on one side, and then look at you. Should a person have to leave the house of a friend after sunset, he will be advised in going home not to look back. "As much as possible, keep your eyes closed; fear not." Has a person made an offering to the evil spirits? He must take particular care, when he leaves the place, not to look back. A female, known to me, is believed to have got her crooked neck by looking back. Such observations as the following may be often heard in private conversation:-"Have you heard that Comaran is very ill?" "No: what is the matter with him?" "Matter! why, he has looked back, and the evil spirit has caught him."-Roberts's Oriental Illustrations.

POETRY.

HYMNS FOR YOUTH.

HYMN IV.

My God, to thee my heart I'll raise,
And cast on thee my every care;
I'll spend to thee my early days,

In humble love, and fervent prayer.

From this glad day I'll cry to thee,
"My Father, God, be thou my Guide;"
From all the snares of sin I'll flee,
And in thy faithfulness confide.

On thee, O Lord, for help I call

To make my grateful sacrifice;

To give to thee my life, my all,
And always sing and live thy praise.

Now rest, my heart, and sing, my tongue;
Awake, my powers, to praise my God:

His love shall be my endless song,
His glorious heaven my blest abode.

R. S.

BIOGRAPHICAL ANECDOTE.

THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL EXEMPLIFIED IN THE CONVERSION OF A PERSECUTOR.

(Communicated from Ireland, by the Rev. Robert Huston.) THE REV. CHARLES GRAHAM, one of the most laborious, faithful, and successful Wesleyan Irish Missionaries, received his first appointment from the Rev. Mr. Wesley, at the Conference of 1790. (He died in 1824.) His designation was to the county of Kerry; where ignorance, antichristian error, and vice, were rampant ; and where Protestantism was feeble and inefficient.

"I visited Dingle a few days ago," says the Rev. W. Graham Campbell, in a letter recently addressed to the writer, "and the following statements were made to me by the daughter of the man who first received Mr. Graham into his house in that town. There was a very respectable Roman Catholic living in the town, who acted as Purser to a man-of-war, then lying in Dingle harbour. When Mr. Graham came to Dingle, this man's wife, being a Protestant, (and such intermarriages are sure indications of the enfeebled state of Protestantism,) went to hear him preach. The word reached her heart; she sought, and soon found, the pearl of great price; she joined the society: but in her husband she found

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the bitterest enemy. Every method in his power was employed to hinder her union with the "new sect;" but all to no purpose. At length he resorted to violent means. He frequently followed her to the preachingplace, armed with a deadly weapon, threatening to take her life on her coming out. Through the vigilance of her friends, however, (though they had often to lock her up in the house for hours after the service,) she was providentially preserved. At length, on one occasion, while watching for her, as usual, he drew near to the door, and heard part of the sermon; which so impressed him, that he was induced to venture into the The congregation were alarmed to see this bitter and persecuting opponent, with such a weapon in his hand, come among them. He heard with mingled feelings of wonder and fear, and these increased till he was cut to the heart; and, before the service closed, the lion became a lamb. He went home with his more than overjoyed wife; the powerful 'word' of the Saviour having brought him to his right mind.' He immediately renounced the errors which he had formerly held; joined the Wesleyans; and sought, in the way of truth,' the everlasting salvation of his soul."

room.

Thus cheered in his career of self-sacrificing labours and endurances, the devoted Graham "went on his way rejoicing."

Youghal, October 30th, 1844.

HEATHEN PIETY.

THE Roman poet, Virgil, in his celebrated work, called "The Eneid," gives a powerful description of the destruction of the city of Troy by the Greeks; who, after vainly besieging it for ten years, at length obtained possession of it by a stratagem. He represents Æneas,

The destruction of Troy is supposed to have taken place during the time of "the Judges;" a little later, perhaps, (on a rough caleulation,) than Jephtha.