Each head of a family or party assembling for the paschal supper was, on this occasion, priest to himself and those about him. He killed his own lamb (which was not, indeed, a sacrifice, in the proper sense, as no part was offered on the altar), and he presided over the commemoration in his own house. The details of the prescribed celebration are given in Exodus xii. 3—20, and other places. At this feast (the time of our Easter), the first sheaf of the barley harvest, just beginning to grow ripe, was presented; -a graceful recognition of the bounty of Providence in the opening year. The feast of Weeks, or Pentecost (seven weeks or fifty days after the Passover,-our Whitsuntide), was altogether a seasonal feast, at which bread made of the earliest new wheat was part of the enjoined offering of thankfulness. And the feast of Tabernacles, or Ingathering, was held in the autumn, when the vintage and olive plucking were completed. At this feast the people lived out of doors in tents and booths erected for the occasion; and the streets and houses of Jerusalem were hung with green boughs of trees, in pleasant memorial of their forefathers' wandering in the wilderness, and of the still earlier nomade life of the patriarchs. A few days before this feast of Tabernacles, a remarkable ceremony was performed, namely, the great annual atonement for the sins of the holy place and the holy implements, of the priests, rulers and people; that is to say, all the involuntary and unconscious violations of the law of ritual cleanness which might have taken place during the year, and not been atoned for, were solemnly expiated and removed by the symbolical ceremony of confessing these sins over the head of a goat (the scape-goat) and sending the animal away into the desert; and sacrificing another goat as a sin-offering, part of the blood of which the high-priest, on that occasion alone entering the holy of holies within the veil of the Temple, sprinkled before the mercy-seat within. By these symbolical ceremonies, atonement was declared to be made, and the whole nation and its priests and temple were annually purified for the renewed service of the Law. (Leviticus xvi. and xxiii. 26-32.) Text-ISAIAH i. 11-17. STALK OF WHEAT. WE see how the young corn daily increases, and the tender ears ripen insensibly, till in a few weeks they will afford us nourishing bread, a blessing which the bountiful hand of Nature bestows upon the labours of man. Let us for awhile in fancy cast our eyes over a field of wheat, and endeavour to enumerate the millions of ears which gently wave in the air; and then let us reflect upon the wisdom of those laws which cause such abundance to bless the earth. What preparations are necessary to procure us nourishment so useful and sweet; and what changes must take place before the ear could be formed! When a grain of wheat has been some time in the earth, it shoots up a stalk, which rises perpendicularly, but advances very gradually, to favour the ripening of the grain. By its growing so high, the grain is preserved from the moisture of the ground, which would rot it; and the height of the stalk also contributes to perfect the pieces that ascend from the root; and its round form favours this operation by admitting the action of the heat to penetrate every part of the stem. It seems wonderful that so delicate a stem should support itself, and bear so many grains, without sinking beneath its burden, or being laid low by each blast of wind. But Nature has wisely provided against all these inconveniences in furnishing it with four very strong knots, which strengthen it without lessening its pliability. The structure of these knots evinces much wisdom; like a fine sieve, they are full of very small pores, through which the sap rises and the heat penetrates. The stalk is liable to be beaten down by tempests and heavy showers, but its suppleness secures it from injury; it is flexible enough to bend without breaking; if it was more stiff, it might be shivered by the storm, and would be unfit for straw. From the principal stalk shoot others, not so high, that bear leaves, which, collecting the drops of dew and rain, supply the plant with those nutritious juices so necessary to its support; whilst the most essential part of the plant, the ear, is very gradually formed. To preserve its tender sprouts from the dangers and accidents which might destroy them the first moment of their appearance, the two upper leaves of the stalk unite closely, to preserve the ears as well as furnish them with the necessary juices.. As soon as the stalk is sufficiently formed to be able of itself to supply the grain with juices, the leaves gradually dry, that nothing may be taken from the fruit, and that the root may have nothing to support which is useless. When these leaves are removed, the young ear waves gracefully in unveiled beauty, and its beard serves it both as an ornament and as a defence against birds and insects. Refreshed with gentle rains, it flourishes, and inspires the husbandman with the most pleasing hopes; it ripens from day to day, till at length, bowing beneath the weight of its riches, its head yields to the impulsive stroke of the sickle, and the farmer joyfully gathers the golden sheaves. Here we discover new marks of the wisdom and allbeneficent power of God ever operating for the good of man. How wonderful is the structure of a single stalk of wheat! What greater proof can we desire of the goodness of our Creator? Open your eyes, ye that are indifferent, and see the fields wide waving round with the choicest gifts of Heaven, and you will no longer withhold the tribute of praise and of gratitude to your all-bountiful Father; remembering that he who can view a field of corn without his soul expanding on the wings of gratitude, or who does not feel rejoiced at the sight, is unworthy of the bread it so abundantly furnishes. Let us think as beings endowed with minds capable of that most exquisite of all pleasures, the discovering the traces of an infinitely good and powerful Being in all the works of nature; by this we shall raise ourselves above the condition of brutes, and approach nearer to the angels of light. Text-JOHN xii. 24. AUTUMN. THE fields are filled with golden grain, Now shall he reap in fervent joy What once he sowed in hope; Though blight and mildew oft destroy, C The widow seeks the harvest-field Thou God of harvest, great and good, MARY OF NUMIDIA. NUMIDIA was a province in the north of Africa, in the region we now call the Barbary States. The life of Mary, a Christian woman there, may be so told, perhaps, in this lesson, as to shew what were the ways of Christians, in domestic life and in their meetings, in those days. There is but little which we can tell of her. But we will tell of her, besides the particular incidents of her life, what we might of any Christian child or woman of her country and time. There is much in it that differs from our customs, or from the customs of any Christian nation now. Mary was born about A.D. 204. We do not know, however, that her father and mother, who were Christians, suffered under any of the public persecutions of their times. The little girl was but a few weeks old when, with their friends, they took her to the minister, that he might baptize her. The custom was, that all persons who were not sick should be wholly dipped in water, as those were who were baptized in Jesus's time in the Jordan. So, on the appointed day, little Mary, and the others who were baptized with her, were taken to the baptistery, as the place provided was called, and there the minister baptized her. The service was simple. He made a prayer, dipped the little infant in water, and said, "I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit." He gave to her her name, "Mary," and kissed her, and said, "Peace to you;" and the glad parents carried their little one away. As she grew up, they took more pains with her learning, and she saw that other Christian parents took more pains with their children, than any of her little playmates enjoyed who were not Christians. She was taught to read and write as soon as she was old enough. Her copies were from the Psalms, and she read passages from the Old and New Testament. Her father and mother went about among all the people of the town, without secluding themselves from those who were not Christians; but Mary soon learned to distinguish a difference, even in appearance, not easy to describe, between their Christian and their Heathen friends. Thus, in her father's house, the furniture was not so showy, though it was quite as convenient, as in their next neighbour's. Neither he, nor her mother, nor the little girl herself, were ever dressed in garments which could attract attention from shape or colour. Still they wore no special Christian uniform. There was more difference at meal-times between them and the heathen neighbours, than at any other time. They were not poor, but the table was always provided very simply, and without any of the luxuries which Mary saw on the tables of other persons, when she was on visits away from home. Her father sometimes drank the wine which they made in their own vineyard, but the children and their mother never did, and she observed that he used it very sparingly. When they were seated at dinner, he always made a prayer to God, thanking him for his bounties, and asking for his blessing. As the meal went on, some one who sat apart read to them from the Scriptures. And when it was over, they gathered together, the father read a few verses, and then taught the children some prayer or Scripture lesson, and before they departed they sang an hymn. So different was the daily gathering of the family from the hurry of our meeting and parting. Out of doors, in those days, there was seldom a chance for religious conversation, and there was even danger in religious confession. But in the house there was safety; the domestic apartments were guarded from intrusion in those countries then, as they are now. And these private devotions were the more dear because the dangers of persecution, and the necessary secrecy of the public services, made attendance on them less frequent and certain. Mary's little companions sometimes wondered there were so many strangers who came and stayed at her house in their travels. This was because the custom was universal by which Christians entertained other Christians who were away from home,-from Rome, from Greece, from Asia, or Egypt; whatever Christian in travelling came to their town always found out a Christian household, introduced |