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DEVOTION.

THERE was a depth of feeling in the devotion of Mr. and Mrs. Railton, that spread its influence throughout their household. Cheerful as they were, their reverence for holy things was distinctly marked. The Sabbath day, the house of God, the Holy Scriptures, and the throne of grace, were highly prized by them; and the solemn realities of religion imparted an earnest seriousness to their thoughts, their words, and their deeds.

William, Mary, George, and Susan, knowing that their papa was about to talk with them about a spirit of devotion, were very busy with their Bibles: and Samuel, and Hannah, and Lydia, and Timothy, were much in their conversation. They also refreshed their memory with regard to Bible history. Susan could not bear Cain, because he killed his brother; nor Nebuchadnezzar, because he ordered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, to be cast into the burning fiery furnace; nor Herod, because he had the young children put to death: but Mary reminded her that she ought not to be so very angry with Nebuchadnezzar, for he repented of his cruelty, as was seen in the following verse, "Therefore I make a decree, that every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort,” Dan. iii. 29.

William dwelt long on Samson's killing a thousand men with the jaw bone of an ass; and on the fight between David and Goliath. Mary read the history of Ruth with great delight; George preferred the parables; and Susan added the cruel Jews to the list of those she did not like; because they put the Saviour to death on the cross.

Mr. Railton and the whole domestic party met together at the accustomed time, when

he said "Let us begin our subject by prayer." They all knelt down, and all seemed to feel the importance of the duty, and of the subject on which they were about to converse. When they arose from their knees, Mr. Railton said: -"King Darius was persuaded by his nobles to forbid all people offering up any petition or prayer to God or man for thirty days; but no good came of the royal decree. We ought to be thankful that we have no decrees to prevent us from praying to Almighty God, as often as we like."

Mrs. Railton here told little Fanny of the naughty king who cast Daniel into the lions' den, because he went down on his knees and prayed to God.

To have devotional feelings in youth," said Mr. Railton, "is to have what is worth more than diamonds; but do my children know exactly what devotion is ?"

William. I think I do. It is praying to God, and going to God's house on the sabbath. Mary. And keeping the Sabbath day holy.

Mr. Railton. Praying to God with true sincerity of heart, and worshipping him in his house on the Sabbath, and keeping holy the Sabbath day, are certainly all expressions of devotion; but they are not devotion itself. Devotion is that state of the mind in which we love God, feel dependent upon him, and are devoted to him; anxious to acknowledge him in all our ways, and desirous that he may

direct all our paths. The reason why I am particular in my description is, because it is often impossible to give the real meaning of a quality, without giving its different significations. We cannot always give the full meaning of one word by using another word.

W. No. I can understand that very well. Mr. R. If I were to tell you that religion was the love of God, it would hardly be a correct account, because it would not be full enough. Cowper, the Christian poet, said,

"A better definition give who can,

Religion's soul is love of God and man."

And I think this explanation is borne out by the apostle James, who says, "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world," James i. 27. Now, keeping ourselves unspotted from the world would be showing our love to God, and our desire to keep his commandments; and visiting the fatherless and widows in their affliction would be setting forth our love to mankind.

M. I remember those lines of the poet Cowper very well.

Mr. R. A feeling of devotion prompts the heart to prayer and praise: to prayer that our wants may be supplied; and to praise that we may gratefully acknowledge the blessings we have already received. The habit of prayer produces the desire to pray; and the

peace and joy it is a means of imparting, render prayer a source of comfort and often of delight. Christians can no more live without prayer, than they can without food. They cannot help praying. In learning to obtain devotional feelings, you must think much of your own unworthiness, and much of God's goodness; and, more than all, of that crowning mercy, that Jesus Christ died for sinners, and that he lives to plead for all that come unto God by him. Do you recollect reading in Pilgrim's Progress of the burden falling from poor Christian's back?

M. I have the book in my hand, and will turn to the part directly.

Mr. R. Do, my love; and read us the

account.

Mary was not long in finding the picture, in the book, wherein Christian is seen at the cross with the burden falling from his back; she then read thus: "Now I saw in my dream, that the highway, which Christian was to go, was fenced on either side with a wall, and that wall was called salvation. Up this way, therefore, did burdened Christian run, but not without difficulty, because of the load on his back.

"He ran on thus till he came at a place somewhat ascending, and upon that place stood a cross, and a little below, in the bottom, a sepulchre. So I saw in my dream, that just as Christian came up with the cross, his