taken to be with God for ever, in that “heaven of joy and love," where “holy children" go to, when they leave this world of sin and danger.

What a blessing it would be, for every little boy and girl to be like him! He minded what the minister said, and remembered the text, though he was so young. He thought about it afterwards too ; which is the way to profit by it. He not only listened to the blessed words of Jesus, “ If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it ;" but he believed them; and then began to consider what he wanted, that he might ask it of Him, who had made such a gracious prornise. He knew that he had a great many wants; but above all, that he wanted wisdom to teach him what to ask for ; and how to ask: and, therefore, he left it to God, who is, as St. Paul, says, " the 'only Wise God and our Saviour", to give him what would be good for him. It is at all times proper for us to pray, “Thy will be done.” The will of God is holy and wise and good. If it be done in our hearts, we shall be made holy, and wise, and good too, and like this little boy we shall go to Heaven at last.

THE LITTLE BLACK BOY.

My dear children, I will try both to amuse and instruct you, by giving you a short account of a (lear little black boy, who died at Gloucester Town, in Africa. Who were his parents I cannot tell; nor can I tell whether he ever knew them, or whether he was torn away from them by cruel inen to be sold, as a great many poor children are. But this I do know, that he was a scholar in the school of Mr. During one of our Missionaries in Gloucester Town. When Mr. During came to leave the school, and be master no longer, (because he was called to preach the gospel, instead of teaching children,) this little boy begged very much that he might go with him. I don't know whether Mr. During was willing at first that he should go; but he begged so hard, that at last Mr. During let him go. I am not able to tell you what age this little boy was ; perhaps he was about nine or ten years old. Neither can I inform you what sort of a face he had ; only ihat it was black, and had curling hair round it, as many of the faces of the little black boys have.

When Mr. During moved to his new house, this little black boy went with him. He waited upon him, and went

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his errands. Mr. During gave him a great deal of good advice. O! it is a very great blessing, to have somebody near you, that will give you good advice. You ought to listen to all they say, and not be glad when it is over; and forget it, as some children do. You ought to think of it very often ; and pray that God will make it useful to you.

Whilst Mr. During and his little boy were living happily together, a very sad thing happened. Mr. During was taken ill. People are often ill in that country, it is so very hot at some times; and 60 very wet at other times. How thankful we ought to be, that we live in a country, where the sun does not scorch us, and where the rain does not pour down for weeks together without ever ceasing

And now you are perhaps wishing to know, how the little boy behaved while his master was ill. O with such kind. ness and affection! He watched over him ; gave him his physic; and I can tell you something else he did, which was kinder even than this; he prayed for him. Yes, Mr. During heard him praying for him; but the little boy did not know that he heard him. I will tell you how it was. He got up (for he slept in the same room with Mr. During) and walked on tiptoes to Mr. During's bedside to see if he was asleep; when he thought he was, he walked on tiptoes back again. And then he knelt down by the side of his own bed, and prayed that God would be pleased to make Mr. During well again. I think I nearly know what made this little boy pray in this way. Perhaps he had heard that text which says, "call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.”* Or perhaps he had in mind what Jesus Christ says, “ask and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you;”+ or that other sweet promise, "all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”

In a little time, it pleased God to restore Mr. During to health ; and perhaps you think, that his little boy had now nothing to grieve him. O! yes, he had. We must never expect to be without trials in this world. This little boy had, like all other little boys and girls, a sina ful heart. It is said in the Bible, “the heart" (that means the heart of every. body) "is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked."$ This little boy had, I say, a sinful heart, and God had taught him to feel that it was sinful. O! may he teach you all to feel this; for though it may not be very pleasant to us

to know it, it is very needful; since without knowing the plague of our own hearts, * we shall never heartily pray to have our sins washed away in the blood of Christ, nor to be sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

But this little boy did know the plague of his heart, and many a sigh it cost him. Many times it led him to use such language as this, “O! wretched boy that I am,"how unthankful do I feel for all God's mercies to me. How often do sinful thoughts come into my mind. How often are my prayers formal and cold ! that is, how often do I pray to God with my mouth, when my mind is thinking about something else. And O what a sin is this !-to have so little sense of God's greatness; to forget that he is always present with me, and his eye always upon me; and therefore at the very time when I am praying, to be mocking him with prayers which I do not feel. O! what a dreadful thing it must be, to mock Him, who can cast both soul and body into hell.

My dear children, are you never guilty of this great crime? O I fear, that sometimes when you are kneeling down to pray, you think to yourselves, how I wish my prayers were over, that I might go to my play again. But this is very wicked. Do you think that God can love

* | Kings 8.38. + Rom. 7. 24.