to the dungeon or the guillotine. Latreille, an eminent French naturalist, was seized, and lay a prisoner in a dungeon at Bordeaux. The prison doctor one day noticed the prisoner watching an insect on the wall. He asked him what it was, and was told, "It is a very rare insect" (C'est un insecte tres rare). The doctor had a young friend in Bordeaux very fond of the study of insects, and who was at that time forming a collection. For this young friend he asked and obtained the insect from the prisoner. The young man desired to see the imprisoned naturalist, visited him, and was greatly interested in his favour. Assisted by a friend, he prevailed on the authorities of Bordeaux to release Latreille, who was accordingly set at liberty.

Soon after, his fellow-prisoners were shipped as convicts for Cayenne. The ship was lost in the Bay of Biscay, and every soul perished. But for the beetle, Latreillè would certainly have been among them. But thus, by means of that little beetle, his life was saved.

How wonderful are the ways of the providence of God! By what a small thread one half of a man's his. tory is sometimes fastened to the other! By what seems a trifling incident the whole course of a life is changed.

But most of all do we notice this in tracing the ways in which God brings his people to himself, and in which great things are brought about in the affairs of his kingdom on earth. John Williams drops into a chapel in London. A word from God reaches his conscience; Williams becomes a new creature. He goes forth to the heathen. Thousands of souls from the South Sea Islands are now in heaven, and thousands more on the way to it; and all, humanly speaking, from that word having reached that young man's heart.

Reader! has there been any such turning-point in your history?-some word heard, some tract or book read, some death in your family, or some dangerous illness? It was the doing of the Lord, who thus made his providence and his grace work together for bringing you to himself.

"WILL YOU MEET ME THERE, FATHER?" AN infidel allowed his wife to send their two children to a Sabbath school. One of them, not long afterwards, was seized with illness, and it soon appeared, from the nature of the disease, he could not recover. The father came home, on the last evening of the child's life, from an infidel meeting, under the influence of the sentiments usually taught in such places, when his wife said to him, "James is dying." The father went up stairs, approached the bed-side of his child, and while the father was looking upon him, the boy said. "Father, I am very happy; I am going to heaven. Will you meet me there, father?" and soon after expired. This was too much for him. He made many efforts to efface the impression from his mind, but without effect. He confessed that he was a drunkard, a blasphemer, and, to use his own language, "the vilest wretch out of hell." The appeal continued to be more and more affecting to him; and on one Sabbath, having driven a party a few miles from town (for he was the driver of a cab), he put up his horses quickly, and went to a place of worship. "One of the lessons read was 2 Samuel xii., containing the reflections of David on the death of his child. When he heard the words, "I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me," he thought,

It is impossible.'" His past life and his ridicule of heaven forbade the hope that he should ever meet his child in that happy world. Still his mind was greatly distressed. He had no pious friend; he could get neither light nor peace in this season of mental anguish. A city missionary at length called upon him. The man disclosed his state of mind, and the instructions, counsels, and prayers of the agent were blessed by the Holy Spirit. The man has renounced his infidelity; his character is entirely changed. He and his wife are regular worshippers in the house of God, and he is now cherishing the hope that he shall meet his child in heaven.

And this is only one case of a thousand in the history of Sabbath schools. Verily, "out of the mouth of babes and sucklings God hath ordained strength because of his enemies, that he might still the enemy and the avenger."-Pioneer.

"WON'T SOME PERSON TEACH ME?"

WHILE Dr. Thompson, of Cincinnati, United States, was passing through one of the wards of a military hospital, a mere boy, pale and suffering, reached out his hand, and beckoned him to his bedside. In answer to inquiries, he said he was not a Christian, nobody ever taught him to be a Christian, his father and mother cared nothing about Christianity; he could not read the Bible; nobody ever taught him to read; he had never prayed, would not the good minister teach him how to pray? Yes, my poor boy, I will teach you how to pray." the Lord's Prayer, causing him to repeat the sentences slowly after him. This was done twice, but the boy said it was so long (not to say entirely unsuitable) that he could not remember it, to repeat it when he was alone.

The doctor then said

The doctor then offered the publican's prayer, adding, "for Jesus Christ's sake." The boy repeated it several times, "God be merciful to me a sinner, for Jesus Christ's sake." He said he would remember that; it suited him, for he was a sinner and wanted mercy. He then said, "If I get well, won't some kind person teach me to read, so that I can read the Bible?" "Yes," said the doctor, weeping with the boy while he spoke, " yes, my child, Í promise you that if you get well, you shall be taught to read the Bible.'

A week passed before the aoctor was able to visit that hospital again. He went to the ward where the boy should have been found-the bed was empty. Three coffins lay in the hall ready for burial. He prevailed upon the person in charge to open the smallest of them. There, as he had feared, he found the lifeless remains of the poor boy.-New York Observer.

STINGING WORDS.

SOME people delight in being at the trouble of putting stings into their words, and shooting them, like arrows, into the hearts of others, to remain and rankle there for life. Such doings are devilish. -Christian Pioneer.

IF Christ be truly in our heart, Christ will be seen in our life. We will be diligent in our business, whatever

that business be.

But, perhaps, a boy or girl says, "I am young; I am too young to be at business yet.' ." Nay, but your business is your duties. Have you no duties?

We heard the other day of a girl who professed to be converted. She is always ready to go to meetings, and even gives away tracts,-and does work in that way. But she has a widowed mother, and she will rather leave the house dirty and untidy, and go away to meetings, than help her mother.

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That girl is "slothful." She neglects her business,— her duty. And careless people say, Oh, is she converted? One would not suppose it." Christ gets the blame of her inconsistency.

Reader! do you do what you can to help your mother? You̟ may not be able to do much, but are you doing what you can? Perhaps she is poor, and is glad to gather sticks for firewood. Do you save her that work, like the happy brother and sister you see in the picture?

ABLE TO SAVE.

Ir ten thousand sinners were to come all at one and the same time to Christ, it would be as easy for him to forgive them all as to forgive one of them. He did save five thousand at one time once. Why not five times five thousand now?-Pioneer.

MISSIONARY NOTES.
"Thy Kingdom Come."

THE MAY MEETINGS.

IN the month of May, the yearly meetings of the great Missionary Societies of England are held in London. We note some of the chief:

London Missionary Society.

The London Missionary Society held its meeting on the 14th of May. It was stated that while the Home funds had diminished, those from the stations had in