Only a few days after this adventure which was considered too precious to of Dick's, news came of the arrival in be left on board ship. And the men port of one of Master Fitzwarren's ves- who brought it told this wonderful sel with a valuable cargo on board. story. Now it was the custom in those days, in some houses, for all the servants of a family to invest something in the fortunes of any vessel their master might send out; and when, many months before this, Master Fitzwarren had been equipping the vessel now in question, he had summoned all his servants to gether, and beginning with the chief, had called upon them to put their savings into his venture, promising each a fair return of whatever profit his share should entitle him to at the end of the voyage.

Dick, poor boy, had no money; nothing in the world but a cat, whom he loved as his only friend, and to whom he owed no common gratitude for the manner in which she had protected him agains the rats that infested his garret. When it came his turn to put his share into the voyage he had not the heart to offer this companion-and he had nothing else he could call his own -so he begged to be excused. His master, however, insisted that, as his servant, he must put down whatever he had, however little, and even though this cat had cost only a penny to sea she must go, and Dick should have full value for her when the voyage was

over.

Dick wept at this, and the young daughter of Master Fitzwarren, being moved to pity, offered from her own money what would preserve to the lad his four-footed friend. But not even this would the stern merchant allow, and Dick therefore had to bid a tearful farewell to his favorite and resign himself to his loss.

All this had taken place many months ago. Now when the "Unicorn"-for that was the name of the vessel-returned to port, great was the astonishment of everybody (and no one's greater than Dick's) to find that the principal portion of the treasures on board belonged to the little scullery-boy of Master Fitz

w arren.

The very first day of its arrival there was brought to the house a cabinet of je wels, forming part of the boy's share,

When the ship reached Algiers, in Africa, the ruler of the land ordered all the crew to wait upon him with presents, which accordingly they did, after which he prepared a feast and invited them all to partake. But no sooner were the covers removed than a swarm of rats, attracted by the scent of the good things, came and devoured all the victuals before their very faces. This, the governor told them, was no unusual thing; for rats were the plague of his land, and he would give any price to know of a means to get rid of them. Then one of the sailors bethought him of Dick Whittington's cat --who had already distinguished herself on shipboard by her industry in her art-and accordingly, next day, when the feast was served, and the rats, as usual, prepared to make away with it, puss was produced, and not only drove away the pest, but killed a considerable number. This happening for several days, his highness was so delighted that he instantly offered an enormous sum for the possession of so remarkable an animal, and loaded the crew with presents in token of his joy and gratitude.

The Sunday-School Department.

no other bird is, he yet has the look of
of one to the manor born.
an interloper or a new-comer, and not

The bobolink has an unusually full
throat, which may help account for his
great power of song. No bird has yet
been found that could imitate him or
even repeat or suggest a single note, as
if his song were the product of a new
set of organs.
There is a vibration
about it, and a rapid running over the
keys that is the despair of other song-
sters. It is said that the mocking-bird
is dumb in the presence of the bobolink.
My neighbor has an English sky-lark
that was hatched and reared in capti-
vity. The bird is a most persistent and
vociferous songster, and fully as suc-
cessful a mimic as the mocking-bird.
It pours out a strain that is a regular
mosaic of nearly all the bird-notes to be
heard, its own proper lark-song forming
a kind of bordering for the whole. The
notes of the Phobe-bird, the purple
finch, the swallow, the yellow-bird, the
king-bird, the robin, and others, are
rendered with perfect distinctness and
accuracy, but not a word of the bobo-
link's, though the lark must have heard
its song every day for four successive
summers. It was the one conspicuous
note in the fields around that the lark
made no attempt to plagiarize.

The Bobolink's Song.

[From "A Bird Medley," by John Burroughs, in Scribner's Monthly.]

I have noticed that the bobolink does not sing the same in different localities. In New Jersey it has one song; on the Hudson a slight variation of the same, and on the high grass lands of the interior of the State, quite a different strain -clearer, more distinctly articulated, and running off with more sparkle and liltingness. It reminds one of the clearer mountain air and the translucent springwater of these localities. I never could make out what the bobolink says in New Jersey, but in certain districts in this State his enunciation is quite distinct. Sometimes he begins with the word gegue, gegue. Then again, more fully, be true to me, Clarsy, be true to me, Clarey, Clarey, thence full tilt into his inimitable song, interspersed in which the words kick your slipper, kick your slipper, and temperance, temperance, (the last with a peculiar nasal resonance), are plainly heard. At its best, it is a remarkable performance, a unique performance, as it contains not the slightest hint or suggestion, either in tone, or manner, or effect, of any other birdsong to be heard. The bobolink has no mate or parallel in any part of the world. He stands alone. There is no closely allied species. He is not a lark, nor a finch, nor a warbler, nor a thrush, nor a starling. He is an exception to many well-known rules. He is the only ground-bird known to me of marked and conspicuous plumage. He is the only black and white bird we have, and what is still more odd, he is black beneath and white above, the reverse of the fact in all other cases. Pre- tin' in front of me with their mouths eminently a bird of the meadow during wide open a swallerin' down all the best the breeding season, and associated with of the sermon, 'n what gets down to me is clover, and daisies, and buttercups, as 'putty poor stuff, parson, putty poor stuff."

"WELL, Father Brown, how did you like the sermon yesterday?" asked a young preacher. "Ye see, parson," was the reply, "I haven't a fair chance at them sermons of yours. I'm an old man now and have to set pretty well back by the stove; and there's old Miss Smithie, Widder Taff, 'n Rylan's darter's, 'n Nabby Birt, 'n all the rest set

JUNE 5.

SUNDAY-SCHOOL LESSONS.

KEY-NOTE.1 Thes. v. 19.

LESSON XXIII.

TEXTS.-Whitsunday.-Pentecost. Matt. xii. 31-2; Mark iii. 28-9; Luke xii. 10.

THE SUBJECT.-THE SIN AGAINST THE HOLY GHOST.

-QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT.

31. Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

32. And whosoever speaketh a word gainsta the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

QUESTIONS.

Had our Lord promised to send the Holy Ghost to His disciples? John xiv. 16-18; xv. 26-27; xvi. 7-15. Ön what Jewish Festival was the Holy Ghost sent? Lev. xxiii. 15-16; Acts xi. 1. What two facts did the Israelites celebrate on this Festival? Ex. xx.; Lev. xxiii.

Whose Advent does the Christian Church celebrate on this Festal season? Acts ii. 4. What kingdom was founded on the fir t Christian Pentecost? Acts ii. 47.

What two names does this Lord's day bear? What does Pentecost mean? From what season do we count to get this number? Why is the term Whitsunday used?

Why do we speak of Pentecost as the BirthDay of the Church, it God had in all ages preserved a peculiar kingdom in the world? Acts ii. 38-39. Had not God's Spirit been in the world from the beginning? Gen. i. 2. Why then do we speak of the Advent of the Holy Ghost on this primitive Pentecost? Acts ii. 33. Is there a distinction to be made between Spirit and Ghost? Whose image does the Holy Ghost create in the hearts of believers? Col. iii. 10.

What sin is spoken of in our Scripture Selections for this Lord's Day?

Matt. xii., verse 31. Why did our Lord speak of this sin to the Pharisees at this time? verses 24-30. What is blasphemy? How do sin and blasphemy differ from each other? Why can all such sinning be forgiven, do you suppose? Why may not the sin against the Holy Ghost be forgiven? Are we then to conceive such a state of heart, in which repentance and faith are no Jonger possible? If such conditions were present in the heart, would then God still be ready to pardon?

1. Come, Holy Spirit, from above,

And from the realms of light and love
Thine own bright rays impart.
Come, Father of the fatherless,
Come, Giver of all happiness,

Come, Lamp of every heart.

1881.

Mark iii. 28. Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:

29. But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation.

Luke xii 10. And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.

32. What blasphemy can still be followed by the necessary conditions to a pardon? Why? Why may not such conditions follow the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, then?

What Dispensation was spoken of as this world? What Dispensation was meant by the world to come? What, then, was Christ's first sense? What deeper meaning lies in this phrase?

Mark iii. 28-29. Does St. Mark repeat the same thought as St. Matthew? What additional expression does he record? verse 29. Would an eternal damnation be conceivable, if there were not an everlasting sinful state possible?

Why does our Lord associate the sin against the Holy Ghost with speech! Matt. xii. 34.

Is it an unpardonable sin, if we do not discern God the Father in the books of Nature, History and Conscience? Is it an unpardonable sin, if God the Son is not discerned under the garb of a carpenter? Why not? Why, then, is it an unpardonable sin not to believe the Spirit of God? Matt. vi. 22-23.

From what we have now learned, are we to think that the sin against the Holy Ghost consists of an impious thought? Of a profane word? Of an ungodly act? Is it then, rather, a state of heart? What different names may we apply to such a state? Rom. viii. 7; 1 Tim. iv. 2; Matt. xix. 8.

Does the persistence in sin lead to such an end? What warning does our Key-Note utter? What two elements does the word quench suggest? In what various ways may we quenen fire? Can you apply the figure to the Holy Spirit in our hearts?

2. O Thou, of comforters the best,

O Thou, the soul's most welcome guest,
O Thou, our sweet repose,
Our resting-place from life's long care,
Our shadow from the world's fierce glare,
Our solace in all woes.

FESTIVAL NOTES.-Our Lord had promised to send the Divine Spirit to His disciples, after that He had ascended to His Father in heaven. John xiv. 16-18; xv. 26-27; xvi. 7-15. This promise He made good on the Jewish Pentecost-the fifteenth day after the Feast of Unleavened Bread. (Lev. xxiii. 15 16.) On this occasion the Israelites rejoiced over two facts: 1. The proclamation of the Law, at Mt. Sinai, when they became a nation; 2. And their harvest ingatherings. It pleased God to change the Jewish festival into a

Christian Pentecost, by causing the advent of the Holy Ghost to fall on this season. The Christian Church, likewise, celebrates two great facts, at this time: 1. The proclamation of the Spiritual Law of the Gospel-the founding of the Church, A. D. 30; 2. And the first harvest of souls within His kingdom.

This Lord's day has two names: 1. Pentecost, which is a Greek term, and

VERSE 32. And whosoever speaketh against (or blasphemeth) the Son of Man

means the Fiftieth day-counting from-JESUS-it shall be forgiven him; beEaster; 2. Whitsunday, an old Eng- cause not to discern the Messiah, under lish name for white. In the early days the humble form of a carpenter's sonof the Church, catechumens were usually in His lowliness and humiliation—may confirmed at this season, all arrayed in be followed by a recognition, after the Spirit opens the eye of faith. Many, who at first doubted, came and acknow

white robes.

Although God had always preserved

to Himself a people, in the world-ledged Him as the Son of God. But he never having left Himself without a that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost, witness; yet had He not established or refuseth the only medicine provided a kingdom of salvation for all mankind for his diseased soul; strikes away the (Acts ii. 38-39)—until the first Chris- hand that would help him; shuts out tian Pentecost occurred. So, too, had the only light that can illuminate his God's Spirit been in the world from the darkness, must remain in an unparbeginning, (Gen. i. 2), but not until our doned state, and sink deeper and deeper Lord's body had ascended to God, did into misery. Neither in this worldcome. This the Spirit enter and issue from Him upon neither in the world to mankind. Hence the Spirit of God is phrase means to teach, that there is no called "Holy Ghost," after Christ's remedy for such a soul-not under the ascension—a term which we apply to a Old Dispensation of Moses and the spirit coming out of a human body. As Prophets, nor under the New Dispensathe sun is ever shining upon the earth, tion of the Gospel. It implies, furtherbut did not print the photographs of more, the possibility of maturing and men, before science had invented the ripening into a totally impenitent chaart; so neither did the Spirit of God racter, that excludes all hope of reforcreate the image or likeness of Christ mation and redemption. in men anew, until His body had been glorified. After Him, as the model or pattern, now the new man is regenerated within us. (Col. iii. 10.) We become children of God, through Christ, by the Spirit. And if we grieve, quench, or resist the Spirit, we are, at the same time, without God and without Christ

in the world. How important, then, to know in what the sin against the Holy Ghost consists, lest we commit it!

COMMENTS, MATH. XII.

Verse 31.- Wherefore: Because the Pharisees had spoken of the miracles of Christ, as wrought by the Spirit of evil, (vs. 24-30), He uttered this warning

manner of sin, or wrongdoing, and blasphemy, or impious and mocking speech against God, shall be forgiven provided we repent. But the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven, because no sorrow or penitence follows after a heart is so hardened as to call light, darkness; good, evil; Christ, Satan. The impossibility of forgiveness is not owing to wilful resistance against it. the want of God's grace, but to the

Mark iii. 28-29. This Evangelist repeats, in substance, the same warning words of our Lord, against resisting the strivings of God's Spirit, from time to time, and thus sink at last into the state of a soul dead to light and life. The additional expression-eternal damnation-may be read, but is in danger