Whilst life shall last, whate'er betide,
Though far removed from thy dear side,
I'll oft remember thee, my guide

And Teacher.

And when before our Judge we stand,
May you and I, at God's right hand,

Be number'd with the blood-bought band,

My Teacher.

ILLUSTRATION OF SCRIPTURE.

THE LOCUST.

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The Locusts went up over all the land of Egypt;-and they did eat every herb of the land. EXODUS X. 14, 15. THE Bible contains the most interesting history in the world of the kingdoms of nature and providence. It shews that all creatures and all events are under the direction and command of the Almighty, and

at his will, rendered instrumental to fulfil the purposes of his grace in the eternal salvation of men.

The passage we now intend to illustrate, records a miracle wrought to humble the rebellious king of Egypt, and force him to set free the children of Israel, whom he held in cruel bondage. Pharaoh was proud of his great armies, and thought the Israelites could do nothing against him because they had no armies to contend with his; but Almighty God raised up against him a most numerous and dreadful army, not of soldiers, but of locusts, which, at the divine command, laid waste all the land of Egypt in a few hours. It is said, in the account given of this miracle in the Book of Exodus, (ch. x. v. 14, 15.) "The locusts went up over all the land: very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such. For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and there remained not any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt." It must have been very dreadful to see a fine country arrayed in all the beauty of summer, in a few hours laid more desolate than in the most dreary winter; while millions were ready to perish for want of the food the locusts had eaten !

The locust is spoken of in several other parts of the holy Scriptures". The two first chapters of the prophecy of Joel describe, in striking language, the dreadful judgments of God upon the rebellious Jews by means of the devastations of the locust; and Isaiah also speaks of them as a curse sent from God for the punishment of the wicked.

Our young readers will naturally wish to know what kind of creatures they were which God was pleased thus to make the messengers of his displeasure.

The locust is a large flying insect, somewhat like our grasshopper, but larger, and very fierce. They are of different colours; some are red spotted with black, others are green. They multiply faster than any other animal in creation; and are truly terrible where they breed, which is only in warm countries. When locusts take the field, it is said that they have a leader, whose motions they watch and follow. They appear at a distance like a black cloud, which, as it draws near, almost hides the light of day. The plate here given is an exact representation of a locust settled on the ground.

A traveller in one of the eastern countries thus writes. "I cannot better represent the flight of the locusts to you, than by comparing it to the

There is a passage in the New Testament, which speaks of locusts being eaten by John the Baptist. Some have asserted that there was in Judea a plant that bore the same name, which they conjecture to have been the Prophet's food; but locusts, such as we have described, were also found in the desert; and these were sometimes used for human sustenance.

flakes of snow in cloudy weather, driven about by the wind; and when they alight upon the ground the plains are all covered. They make a murmuring noise as they eat, and in less than two hours they devour all close to the ground; then, rising, they suffer themselves to be carried away by the wind; and when they fly, though the sun shines ever so bright, it is no lighter than when it is most clouded. The air was so full of them, that I could not eat in my chamber without a candle; all the houses being full of them, even the stables, barns, chambers, garrets, and cellars.'*

This description exactly agrees with that given by the prophet Joel ;“They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief. The sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining." But of all the locusts of which we read, those which were sent to punish Pharaoh and the Egyptians must have been the most dreadful, for "they were very grievous; before them were no such locusts as they, nor after them" have been "such."

From this interesting part of Scripture we ought to learn, first, that the blessed God is ever faithful to his promises, and is never at a loss for means to fulfil them. He had engaged (Gen. xv. 14.) that after four hundred years of suffering the Israelites should be delivered from the bondage of the Egyptians. The locusts were messengers to fulfil the

good pleasure of his will.

We farther learn from this miracle, that the idols of the heathen are altogether vanity. It was against the gods (that is, the idols) of Egypt, that these judgments were executed, (Exodus xii. 12.) The people worshipped the river Nile as a god, and that river was turned into blood. They also worshipped the ox as a god, and a flight of locusts destroyed at once all the provisions on which this pretended deity could live.

We see also that the smallest creatures, when God employs them, become too powerful for the whole world to resist. In our own coun try we have no locusts, but in the spring season Divine providence often chastises us by those destructive blights which are brought on by the east wind. You often see at this season of the year, a kind of cloud or blue mist, which fills the air, and bangs upon the trees; and after it is gone the leaves are shrivelled up, and covered with exceedingly small insects, which, as they grow, often destroy the fruits of the coming year. Now these destructive visitors are all under the direction of the blessed God, who either sends us fruitful seasons or not, at his pleasure; and none can alter his determination.

We are indebted for much of our information on this interesting subject, to a Volume entitled, 'Scripture Illustrated,' by the Editor of Calmet's Dictionary. We have reason to hope that we shall be favoured with some interesting original communications from that gentleman.

Lastly, we learn from Providence as well as from Scripture, that it is equally vain and wicked for any man to set himself against the Almighty, who can destroy, or make us miserable, in a moment. He who hopes to be safe or happy, in this world or in that which is to come, must serve God with holy fear all the days of his life; for, as we learn also from Job xxxiv. 29, if the Lord gives peace, none can trouble us, or if he punish, none can deliver, "whether it be done against a nation, or against a man only."

SCRIPTURE HISTORY.

FIRST SERIES, No. II.

A Short Catechism of the History of the New Testament.

Q. The Bible is divided into two parts, what are they called?

A. The Old and New Testaments.

Q. What is the first great event in the history of the New Testa

ment?

A. The birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Matt. i. 18-25. Luke ii. 7.

Q. What did “Jesus Christ come into the world" to do?

A. "To save sinners," and to preach salvation. 1 Tim. i. 15. John xviii. 37.

Q. What was the introduction" of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God?" Mark i. 1.

A. The preaching of John the Baptist, who was sent to prepare the way for the Saviour. Mark i. 2, 3.

Q. Did Jesus shew himself about the same time?

A. He was publicly baptized by John the Baptist when he was about thirty years of age, and the Holy Ghost descended upon him in a visible manner. Luke iii. 21-23. and iv. 18, 19.

Q. What followed immediately after his baptism?

A. He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. Luke iv. 1, 2, &c.

Q. How long did Jesus go about " preaching the Gospel of the kingdom of God?

A. About three years.

Q. Did men attend to his preaching?

A. Some believed, but the greater part of the Jews persecuted him,

till they got the Romans to put him to death. Johni. 11.

Q. Why did God permit this?

A. That he might be a sacrifice for our sins. 1 John ii, 2.

EARLY PIETY.

Q. But was not God angry with the Jews?

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A. Yes; it was on account of their wickedness in doing it, that he suffered the Romans to destroy their city and temple, and that they are now scattered over the face of the earth.

Q. Did Christ rise again from the dead?

A. Yes; and afterwards ascended up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. Heb. x. 12.

Q. Who were the witnesses of his resurrection and ascension?

A. The twelve disciples whom he had before chosen to be his apostles. Q. What became of them after his ascension?

A. They waited at Jerusalem, according to the command of their Lord, till the day of Pentecost. Luke xxiv. 49.

Q. What happened on that day?

A. God sent down the Holy Ghost to fit them for their office ; and they began immediately to preach the Gospel with great success. Acts ii. 1-4. 41.

Q. Was it then the Christian religion began to be more known?

A. Yes; and it spread very soon over the greater part of the world, so that the people of Britain, as well as other Gentiles, were taught to lay aside idolatry.

Q. Who was called the Apostle of the Gentiles?

A. St. Paul, who wrote most of the Epistles. Ephes. iii. 8.

Q. Had he been a disciple of Jesus?

A. No; he was converted in a miraculous manner after the ascension of our Lord? Acts ix. and xxvi. 15-18.

Q. Who wrote the Book of Revelations?

A. St. John, the disciple whom Jesus loved.

Q. What does it contain?

A. Chiefly a prophecy of the state of the Church to the end of the world. Q. What does St. Paul say of Timothy ?

A. "From a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus." 2 Tim. iii. 15.

W.

RECORDS OF EARLY PIETY.

Sarah Chisman*.

SARAH CHISMAN was the daughter of Mr. John Chisman, of Wareham, Dorset. She was born on the ninth of August, 1801. Whea

The following extracts are taken from A Mother's Journal during the last illuess of her daughter, Sarah Chisman; with a Preface by Jane Taylor. It is one of the most interesting memoirs we have ever read, and should certainly have a place in every Sunday-school library. ED.

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