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And as an owl in desert is,
Lo, I am such an one;
I watch, and as a sparrow on
The housetop am alone :

For daily in reproachful wise,
My foes they do me scorn;
And they who mad upon me are,

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Against me they have sworn.

Surely with ashes, as with bread,
My hunger I have filled,

And have mingled my drink with tears,
That from my eyes distilled :

Because of Thy displeasure, Lord,
Thy wrath and great disdain;
For Thou hast set me up on high,
And cast me down again.

The days wherein I pass my life
Are like the fleeting shade;
And I am withered like the grass
That soon away doth fade.

But Thou, O Lord, for ever dost
Remain in steady place,
And Tuy remembrance ever doth
Abide from race to race.

And when, life's labour o'er, I sink
To slumber in the grave,

In death's dark vale be Thou my trust,
To succour and to save.

That so, through Him who bled and died,
And rose again for me,

"The grave and gate of death" may prove
A passage home to Thee.

Bedworth.

N.

STONING.

THE ancient manner of putting persons to death by stoning was thus: a crier went before him who was to die, proclaiming his name, his crime, and who were the witnesses against him. When they were come within two or three yards of the place of execution, they stripped the criminal naked, except a small covering, for decency, about his middle. The place of execution from which they threw down the malefactor was above twice the height of a man, upon which he was made to ascend with his hands bound. When he was ascended, the witnesses laid their hands upon him, and then stripped off their upper garments, that they might be fitter for going through the execution. From that high place one threw down the criminal and dashed his loins against a great stone, which was laid there for that purpose. If that killed him not, then the other witnesses threw, from the same height, a great stone upon his heart as he lay on his back and was stunned with the fall. If this despatched him not, then all the people fell upon him with stones till he died. To this our Lord is supposed to allude, Matt. xxi. 44.

BIBLE ENIGMA, No. 95.

WE read of one who walked on earth with God,
One who sold purple travelling Zionward;
A priest who falling backward brake his neck,
And one whose offering God did not respect.
One proved his unbelief to be a cheat,

An aged one whose soul loved savoury meat;
A slave from his God-fearing master ran,
The prophet who declared, "Thou art the man."

In these initials, Gleaners, young and old
Is found a truth the Scriptures doth unfold;
'Tis scorned by myriads of our mortal race,
But 'tis admired by sinners saved by grace.
So search it out, as you have time,

And write an answer clear in rhyme.

L. L.

ANSWER TO BIBLE ENIGMA, No. 94.

READ God's own book, mark, think, and learn,

And then 'tis easy to discern.

Adoni-Bezek is the name,

In Judges you will find the same.

Read the first chapter, there you'll find
Verse six and seven, if you're inclined.
He fled, but Judah did pursue;
He overtook, and captured too.
Of thumbs and great toes he's depriv'd,
And at Jerusalem he died.

Confessed e'er death God did requite,
And brought his wicked deeds to light.

Oh, children, read, take warning here,
And oh, for ever have a fear;

God sees and knows whate'er you do,
And He requite it will to you.

The Scripture thus fulfilled we find,

Oh, may it sink in every mind:

With that same measure that you meet you'll see

The Lord will measure back to thee.

M. J., aged 14

(With a little addition).

That man is well rewarded for his services who has Christ for his master, and he shall discover to his joy that God is no man's debtor.

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THE BAD SHILLING.

JAMES DICKSON had finished his day's work and his supper. He was sitting in his own chair by his fireside; for it was wintry weather. A little round oak table was drawn up before him, and on it was a candle in an iron candlestick, and his Bible.

F

He was an old man, but his sight was good; with the aid of spectacles, at least, he had no difficulty in reading. It may be that he would not have read any other book so easily; but he had been used to his old Bible nearly half a century.

"It seems to me you could read it blindfolded, Master Dickson."

The old man looked sharply round, for he did not know that while he had been reading several verses of a psalm to himself, in a low tone, the door of his cottage had been quietly opened and shut again, after admitting a young man, who, standing in the shade, had waited till his old friend and neighbour came to a pause.

The intruder stepped into the light, and the old man had no difficulty in recognising him.

"Ah, Robert, lad, come in and sit down; stir up the fire, and put another log on. I am glad to see you, though I did not expect you to-night."

"No, Master Dickson; and I did not know I was coming either. But when I was passing by, and saw the light shining out at the window, I thought I'd just look in. But, may be, I am disturbing you."

"No, no, Robert; I am always glad to see you, lad." And James Dickson took off his spectacles, laid them on the open Bible, and looked kindly and affectionately at his visitor.

But

There was a great contrast between them. There was a difference of at least fifty years in their ages; and out of this difference arose many more. there was a point of attraction, notwithstanding all these differences, which often drew the young man to the old man's solitary cottage. James Dickson was a kind-hearted old man. Whether or not he could have read the Bible blindfolded, as his young visitor had hinted, he bad not studied it fifty years and more

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