monarch of the earth with this, what is it? it is not worth mentioning. And here is a great difference, the most costly and beautiful building that ever was, or ever will be created by man, will at last crumble into dust; but this city is eternal, and those that dwell in it shall never die.

In this golden city nothing shall enter that is unclean, or maketh a lie. Remember this, no liar shall walk in this city; there are the angels at the gates, to prevent all liars and unclean persons entering therein. O, dear children, this is God's city; and you must walk in the ways of truth and holiness here, or you will never walk there. Think what you are doing, you that delight in lies; what you are losing, an eternal crown of glory; and what will you gain? an eternity of misery, where no hope, no mercy can ever reach you. Be wise, then, seek for pardon and peace now, whilst it may be found.

There is yet another character to be noticed about this golden city: in it are no death, no tears, no sorrows, no pain; but an eternity of heavenly happiness. You have your sorrows here; and many of you, no doubt, will have to weep many bitter tears; but be of good cheer, when you enter the pearly gates of this city, your voices will never again be lifted up to weep, but only to sing the praises of the Lamb.

Dear children, let me invite you to meet me there, that we may sing together with saints and angels the song of the Lamb.

WHIP away, John; do not let your top fall. Never mind your arm aching, the exercise will do you good. I like to see boys play in earnest as well as study in earnest; and a little such exercise as this will refresh you, and give you an appetite for your dinner. Tops, and marbles, and balls, and kites, are all useful in their way;

it is only when boys think of nothing else, or devote those hours to play which ought to be spent with their books, that their playthings are injurious. There is a time to study as well as a time to play; a time for school as well as a time for a ramble. But John loves his book, and has learned and said his lessons, therefore I am glad to see him so innocently and pleasantly employed. How quickly the top spins round! Keep it up, John; whip away, whip away.

PLACES MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE,

JOPPA AND THE NEIGHBOURHOOD.

JOPPA is a seaport town of Palestine, famous in both ancient and modern times. Its present situation is described as a hill, or promontory, washed on three sides by the sea. The harbour is one of the worst in the Mediterranean; and ships generally anchor about a mile distant, to avoid the shoals and rocks. Here are no remarkable buildings the streets are narrow, dirty, crowded, and confused; but its gardens have long been noted for oranges, lemons, and water melons. There are supposed to be 4,000 or 5,000 inhabitants, mostly Mohammedans; about 600 professed Christians, either Papists, Greeks, or Armenians. The place is favourably mentioned by La

:

martine, a French traveller, as follows:"On the western side, the town is bathed by the foaming waves that dash against its rocks; on the north, by which we entered it from inland, it is surrounded by delightful gardens, which seem to spring up by magic; we passed under the shade of palms and pomegranate trees, the last shining with their scarlet star-like blossoms; cedars and citron trees, orange, lemon, and fig trees, as large as walnut trees in Europe, bending under their autumnal load of fruit and flowers; the sea breeze loaded with their sweet perfumes; the ground strewed with orange blossoms, as it would be at home by withered leaves. Here and there are Turkish fountains in coloured marble, to which little brazen cups are chained, and there women constantly repair to draw wa ter. Jaffa, (or Yaffa, the present name for Joppa,) is just a spot in which to spend an eastern winter; the air is mild, and the climate a pleasant transition between the sultry deserts of Egypt and the snows and rains of northern Syria. The eye rests on a tranquil expanse of water, boundless and blue, like the atmosphere above; in the distance the shores of Egypt may be traced; while the foreground is filled by the innumerable fruit trees of the surrounding gardens.

On such a scene did the apostle Peter

look, when he went at noonday to pray upon the house-top, Acts x. The site of the house where he lodged with Simon, a tanner, by the sea-side, is now pointed out as the abode of the British vice-consul, named Damiani; and a portion of ancient wall was shown there as a relic, in 1831. "The house," says Lamartine, "is small, but admirably situated, and commands an extensive view. Above the house and around it are terraces, from which even a small vessel may be traced, at the distance of twenty-five or thirty miles. Here are no windows, which the climate renders unnecessary; the constant climate has the mildness of a delightful spring season; and the birds of heaven enter freely and share the abode of man, especially a small sort of swallow, with a scarlet neck."

The history of Joppa reaches still farther back. Tradition says that Noah built the ark here; or else that it derived its name and its origin from his son Japhet. A still grosser fable, relates that Andromeda, an eastern princess, was chained to a rock in this place to be devoured by a sea-monster. Josephus, the Jewish historian, gravely speaks of the prints of her chains as still left. But some other writers consider this fable as founded on the history of Jonah, who, it is well known, set sail from this place, when he vainly sought to flee from