has been done. One lazy man in a village is sure to make somebody else as lazy as himself. The wicked are as dangerous as serpents. But we are not to imitate them. This world would be a wretched place if only the wicked lived in it. If every man, woman, and child, you met were like the serpent— cruel and dangerous-the world would be a hell. You could not be more miserable than in such company. I had the misfortune to be shut up one night in a railway carriage, on a long journey, with a number of men who were drunk and quarrelsome. I shall never forget that night while I live. The men quarrelled and fought; the train flew along the line at a terrible speed; the night was dreadfully dark, and there was no means of stopping the train till we reached a large station. How I longed to escape from such company. It made me picture hell as a terrible place, to be shut up for ever with the worst men and women that ever lived on earth. Oh, how much misery and unhappiness we have the power to inflict if we are like the serpent —cruel and dangerous.

But there is another property of the serpent we must not imitate. They are not only cruel and dangerous, but they are stealthy and deceitful. The word "snake" comes from a Saxon word, which means to creep." Serpents move very quietly and stealthily on the ground, concealing themselves in the grass, and creeping into all sorts of holes to hide themselves. They are compelled to do so to avoid their enemies. Their most powerful enemy is man. He will catch them awake or asleep, and kill them before they have time to defend themselves. Because they are cruel and dangerous, every animal dreads them, and flies from them in terror, or turns on them and kills them. And, therefore, the dangers to which they are exposed, and their numerous enemies, oblige them to be sly and stealthy in their movements, and deceitful in their habits. In this respect we must take care we do not

imitate them.

We have not the same need to be stealthy and deceitful as the serpent has. We are not surrounded by powerful enemies ever seeking to kill us. We are not hated for our cruelty and hunted to death, and yet there are many who are imitating the serpent in this respect. I have seen a child watch me all

over the school, and pretend to be very busy when he knew I was looking at him. If he thought I was not looking at him he would be copying from his neighbour. He knew he was doing a mean, wrong, shabby thing, and therefore he wanted no one to see him. He would have been called a thief if he had stolen money or playthings from his school-fellow, and his conscience told him he deserved the same disgrace for stealing information that his neighbour worked for, instead of honestly earning it himself. It is only when we are doing wrong that we need be ashamed of ourselves, and afraid of others knowing what we are doing. If we are doing our duty and minding our own business, we need not be stealthy and deceitful. Let us take care we do not imitate the serpent in anything that is wrong.

We must only imitate what is wise and good.

The serpent sets us an example of wisdom that we should do well to imitate. It is wise enough to seek its own safety and happiness, and avoid its enemies. In this respect we are to be wise as serpents, but we are not to be cruel, dangerous, stealthy, and deceitful as serpents. I think I have said enough to convince you that we must only imitate what is wise and good.

The next lesson I want you to learn is :
III.-Wisdom is better than riches.

The wisdom of the serpent is seen in the instinct of self-preservation. Music has power to influence it in a very remarkable manner. The serpent charmers you have sometimes read about play some musical instrument near the serpent's hiding-place. The music pleases the serpent. It lifts its head to listen. It creeps out of its hole, and sways itself about like some one dancing to the tune. The man continues to play till it has lost all selfcontrol, and notices nothing but the music. Then he throws down his music and seizes it by the neck in a moment. As quick as thought he tears out its poison fangs, and puts it, a helpless, bleeding prisoner, into his basket.

But there are some kinds of serpents, "like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear, which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely "— (Psalm lviii. 4, 5).

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These are said to lay one ear on the ground and cover the other ear with their tail, and press so tightly as to keep out the sound. They are wise enough to know that if the music once overpowers them, they will lose their liberty and perhaps their lives.

Be ye, therefore, wise as serpents.

Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. A man may know a great deal, and yet be a fool. For instance, I know that fire burns. That is knowledge. But if I put my finger in the fire and burn it, I shall be a fool, because I had the knowledge and did not make a right use of it. If I know that fire burns and am a wise man, I shall keep my fingers out of it.

Wisdom, then, is the right use of knowledge. Folly is knowing what is right, and doing what is wrong. Now I want to show you by two or three illustrations that wisdom is better than riches.

There were two boys who went to the same school, and sat in the same class; one was the son of a gentleman, the other was the son of a mechanic. The son of the rich man was a few months younger than the other. When they were at play together they would sometimes talk about the future. The younger boy would say, "I shall not need to work when I am a man. My father has money enough to keep me as long as I live. I shall go to school a few years more, and then my father will buy me a pony to ride on, and I shall be a gentleman."

The elder boy would say, "I intend to be an engineer. My father helps to make and repair all sorts of machinery, but when I am a man I mean to be a maker of engines. I can draw cranks, and shafts, and wheels, and pipes now, and I intend to serve an apprenticeship to an engineer."

Thus the two school-fellows would talk over their plans, and as time passed they were each looking forward to the object of their ambition.

The

At length they left school and started on their working life. thoughtful young engineer worked hard and studied patiently. Step by step he rose in his profession till, at the close of his apprenticeship, he was made foreman over the works. He continued to serve his master with the same intelligence and untiring industry for years, till the master felt the infirmities

of age, and then he became a partner in the concern. He was respected and honoured by all who knew him. He prospered in business, and lived to a good old age in comfortable and affluent circumstances.

The other boy had his pony and his servants for a few years. But his father died, and when his affairs were investigated it was found that there was not much more than would pay his debts. He had been living too fast, and spending more than he received. The pony had to be sold, the servants were discharged, and with the wreck of his father's fortune he had to leave the old house and seek a humbler home. What could he do? He had no trade, he could not work, and he was ashamed to beg. His little stock of money grew less every week. His old school-fellow, who had prospered so greatly, offered him a situation as office-clerk to make out bills and weigh goods. But he was too proud to take it. He went away to some place where nobody knew him, and struggled with poverty all his life.

Now which of these lives do you value most? One boy relied on wisdom and he prospered. The other trusted in riches, and they "took to themselves wings and flew away."

Which would you choose? Wisdom or riches? Wisdom is better than riches.

Wisdom divine! Who tells the price

Of wisdom's costly merchandise?
Wisdom to silver we prefer,

And gold is dross compared to her.

But there is another sense in which wisdom is better than riches. There were two ladies living in the same street, just opposite each other. One of them had plenty of money, but she was very ignorant. Her education had been neglected while young, and she had not cultivated her talents in after years. She could not converse intelligently, or make a cheerful and happy home. All that money could command she had, but you know there are many things money cannot buy, It cannot buy true affection; it cannot buy wisdom; it cannot buy honour; it cannot buy happiness. She envied her neighbour over the way. She used to say to