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around that distant orb! Who therefore can guide Arcturus, with his retinue of planets, through the regions of immensity, but the great Author and Director of the universe?

The SUN rises at Greenwich or London on the 1st at thirty-four minutes past four, and sets at twenty minutes after seven: on the same day he rises at Edinburgh at nineteen minutes past four, and sets at thirty-five minutes past seven. The Sun rises at Greenwich on the 25th at fifty-seven minutes past three, and sets at fifty-five minutes after seven: he rises at Edinburgh on the same day at thirty-three minutes past three, and sets at nineteen minutes after eight.

The Moon rises on the 1st at half-past eight in the evening, and on the 3d at half-past ten at night: she enters her last quarter on the 7th; and rises on the 8th at a quarter past one in the morning. The Moon changes on the 14th, at twenty-three minutes past three in the afternoon; and exhibits her beautiful crescent in the western sky in the evening of the 16th.

"Their lucid growth, refulgent from their wane,
Thy pearly horns, fair crescent, now renew,
Silvering the starry vault's ethereal blue,
And whitening with soft light the shadowy plain.
Who can, observing thee, the wish restrain,

That thus there could to youth and hope accrue
A renovation of their pristine hue?

But youth and hope extinct ne'er shine again.
When thus the dim stars fled thy orb's increase
Often have I, as now, reflecting stood,
Just touching melancholy's sacred mood,
Let my rapt soul on faded prospects brood,

And found regret and perturbation cease,

As ruffled feeling caught thy aspect's hallow'd peace."
M. F. JOHNSON.

The Moon sets on the 17th at half-past ten, and on the 19th a few minutes before midnight: she is half-full on the 22d; and sets on the 23d at eight minutes past one in the morning. The Moon is full on the 30th, at forty-six minutes past two in the morning; and rises on the 31st at a quarter past nine in the evening. MERCURY is invisible to the naked eye.

VENUS is a splendid object in the western sky every cloudless evening. This beautiful planet sets on the 1st at half-past ten, and on the 20th at five minutes after eleven on the 16th and 17th, Venus is in the neighbourhood of the Moon.

MARS appears near the south-eastern horizon about an hour before sunrise: he is near the Moon on the 9th.

JUPITER appears in the vicinity of Venus all this month, especially the first half. From the first day to the fourth he is higher in the heavens than Venus, afterwards he is lower: on the 16th he is in conjunction with the Moon.

SATURN is to be seen in the neighbourhood of Mars during the last half of the month: on the morning of the 22d these two planets are very near each other as seen from the Earth,

URANUS is invisible during this month to the telescopic observer, being too much in the rays of the Sun.

NEPTUNE (the newly-discovered planet, revolving beyond Uranus) is invisible for the same reason.

ARCTURUS, the bright star in Boötes, is due south on the 1st at half-past eleven, and on the 16th at half-past ten, at night.

SPICA, the bright star in Virgo, passes the meridian about an hour before Arcturus, and is considerably lower in the heavens.

Note.-May 8th, 1832. Occultation of Saturn by the Moon. The passage of the dark limb of the Moon over the disc of the planet was a beautiful phenomenon, both being well-defined.

May 17th, 1737.

May 24th, 1543.

seventy years.

May 28th, 1780.

Mercury eclipsed by Venus.

The great astronomer Copernicus died, aged

Sir William Herschel perceived the whole disc of Jupiter covered with small curved belts, or rather lines that were not continuous, across his disc.

JUVENILE OBITUARY.

JANE ROCLIFFE, of York, at her death was little more than fifteen years old, being born August 18th, 1829. She was remarkably mild and affectionate in her natural disposition, and soon exhibited great tenderness of conscience. When she was but four years old, she would often weep when her parents talked with her about the love of Jesus, and would retire into secret to call upon the Lord. As she increased in years, her convictions of her fallen state were so deepened, and she became so sensible of her need of religious help, that in November, 1839, she sought permission to join the Methodist society. One of its experienced Leaders, Mrs. Lyth, kindly took her by the hand, and received her into her class; and of that class she remained a steady and a consistent member to her death.

In January, 1840, while at class, she sought and found the remission of her sins, through the redemption that is in Jesus; but the evidence of this she did not long retain, having given way to a fretful spirit. For some time she walked in darkness; yet, even then, she diligently used the means of grace, and was earnest in prayer that she might recover her forfeited peace. In the afternoon of December 11th, 1842, having retired to read God's word, to meditate, and to pray; it pleased the Lord mercifully to restore to her the joy of his salvation. Well is it remembered by her mother how lovely and placid her countenance appeared, when, on retiring to rest, she put a note into her hand, telling her what God, that day, had done for her soul. From this time she walked in the light of God's reconciled countenance, although she was occasionally assailed with temptations. And so strong was her confidence in God, that generally she was ready to give to those who sought it, a reason of the hope that was in her; but this she always did

with meekness and fear. She now became more careful than ever to act from Christian principle, taking the word of God as the rule of her conduct in everything. From this time it became her daily practice to read the word of God on her knees, beseeching its divine Author to give her a knowledge of its precepts, and ability to walk in them. Everything she did was made matter for prayer; and often was she overheard praying in a morning, that that day she might do nothing that would give her parents pain, or occasion her schoolmates to think unfavourably of religion. As she kept a short diary of God's dealings with her, a few brief extracts from it will serve to show what progress she made in the things of God.

On the 11th of December, 1842, she writes," This day is one to be remembered. The Lord has set my soul at liberty. It has been a happy day to me: praise the Lord. May I never look back." February 19th, 1843, she says, "I have felt the Lord precious to my soul. I was much blessed at the throne of grace this afternoon. I am at present reading Miss Fishwick's Memoir. O, that it may be the means of quickening me, and of making me more diligent! I feel I want a meek and quiet spirit, which, in the sight of God, is a pearl of great price. I thank God, I can call him my Father, although I am sometimes assailed with doubts and fears.' February 21st, she writes,-"We this evening have received intelligence that makes my heart rejoice: Cousin Ann has begun to seek the Lord. May He keep her, and give her to feel that religion's ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths paths of peace. I have been much blessed at class this evening. I am sorry that this morning I in some degree yielded to temptation; but while pleading with God I obtained forgiveness. What cause have I for thankfulness! May the Lord give me a grateful heart for the blessings I am daily receiving at his hands, both temporal and spiritual."

Having for some time omitted making any entries in her diary, on July 16th, 1843, she observes,-" It is a long time since I wrote; but the Lord has been with me and doing me good. This morning my thoughts wandered a little, but towards evening all was happy within. I feel an efficacy in the blood of Christ: praised be God! I have lately felt it to be both my duty and my privilege, as a believer in Christ, to be made perfect in holiness. I do feel a deadness to the world; and I can say, 'I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.' I have at times, latterly, had sweet communion with God. O that it were constant ! demands my soul, my life, my all.' Lord, help my unbelief."

'Love so amazing, so divine, And why should it not be so?

To give but one extract more. On December 31st, she says,"I wish to record God's goodness to me during the year which is now nearly gone, and gone for ever. I have had many mercies, and have been undeserving of the least of them. And having been favoured with so many spiritual blessings, I cannot describe the desire which I feel to glorify God with my body and spirit, which are his. May

He give me the spirit of prayer and watchfulness, that the enemy of my soul may not rob me of that happiness which I now enjoy. I now solemnly devote myself to God afresh. May He accept my offering in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

"JANE ROCLIFFE."

During her last illness, this dear child more than once regretted that she had not more affectionately entreated her young acquaintances to give their hearts to God; and said, that, should she be spared, she would endeavour to be more faithful. She often lamented that she had not been diligent in reading the Scriptures privately; and was resolved, in case of recovery, that in this point she would greatly improve. She even went the length to say, that she should be glad to recover, if it should be the Lord's will, that she might repay her dear parents for all their tenderness towards her, and be more useful in the church of God.

Little more than a week before her death, she called her two younger sisters to her bedside, and spoke most affectionately to them, giving them directions how to spend their Sabbaths, and trying to impress their minds with the importance of reading God's holy word. She urged them to love each other, and to be very dutiful to their father and mother, and assured them that then they would be happy. She then spoke to her elder sister, and pressed on her the necessity of giving herself to the Lord; and she would not be satisfied until she had received from her an answer, assuring her that she would comply with her dying counsel. Having obtained a promise to this effect, she exclaimed, “I am delighted: praise the Lord."

The nature of her complaint subjected her to occasional wanderings of mind; but in all of them, religion was her theme. She would often repeat verses of our Hymns, and various portions of the holy Scriptures. And when most heavily oppressed with her affliction, yet not a word of murmuring was ever heard to escape from her lips. On the contrary, she often expressed her gratitude for the many little kindnesses shown to her; and on one occasion, in the very extremity of her suffering, she exclaimed, "I am going to Jesus: how delightful!"

The attachment of this dear girl to our Mission cause was exemplary. She made sacrifices for it; having given up the use of butter one day in every week, and prevailed on the rest of the family to do the same, that more might be put into the Missionary box. Only a few days before her death she reminded her mother that that was the day to refrain from butter. "Do not give it me," said she: "I can do very well without it."

Her regard for the poor was another trait in this young saint's character, deserving both of notice and imitation. For the last four years of her life, she was accustomed to call on a few kind friends, and weekly collect from each a small contribution towards the support of a poor afflicted woman, who often said, that had it not been for what this little messenger of mercy brought her weekly, she must actually have starved in the winter season. On the Sabbath

afternoon she was wont to visit her poor, and read to and pray with them; and when she had not money to give them, she would strive to minister comfort to them, by directing their attention to the promises of God. Thus did this amiable creature live, and in this blessed frame of mind did she expire. Can any doubt be entertained whether or not she is safely lodged in Abraham's bosom ? Not if the book of God is true. O, that all those into whose hands this plain and unvarnished account of Jane Rocliffe may fall, -especially all those young persons who may read it, and for whose sake it has been written,-may be led to admire the grace of God in her, and closely to copy her example! In her we see a proof that very young persons may attain to true religion, and be rendered exemplary in the profession of it. We must also perceive that those who do so, are in all cases a much greater source of credit and comfort to their parents, particularly if they are religious, and much greater ornaments to society,-than those young persons can be who flutter amid all the vanities of life, and pride themselves on their possession of any inferior accomplishments, however taking they may be with the gay world. My dear young reader, I entreat of thee, whoever thou art, to acquaint thyself with God immediately, and be at peace with Him, that thereby good may come unto thee; and that thou mayest be prepared to live a useful and happy life here, and secure unto thyself at last a peaceful and triumphant entrance into the kingdom of heaven. God Almighty grant such an entrance into that kingdom, both to thee and me! York.

JOHN BURDSALL.

POETRY.

THE THRONE OF GRACE.

From "The Lake, and Poetic Musings."

IF underneath yon sapphire dome

There be one blessed place,

Where we foretaste the bliss to come,

It is the throne of grace.

There, God and man,-amazing thought!

As friends, together meet;

Through Him whose blood redemption bought,
The living mercy-seat.

That holy thing above the ark,

Composed of purest gold,

Though in a symbol poor and dark,

Its preciousness foretold.

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