care upon v. 7. him; for he careth for you," 1 Pet. "Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take! The clouds ye so much dread, In blessings on your head." Every eye was beaming with pleasure, and every heart filled with thankfulness, when Mr. Railton began his remarks on the feeling of Gratitude. If an instrument be out of tune, however skilful the performer may be, he cannot produce harmony; but how sweet is his strain when every note is in tune. The heart of Mr. Railton was in tune, and the hearts of the happy group around him all in harmony. No wonder, therefore, that he spoke with animation, and that they listened to him with pleasure. "That heart," said Mr. Railton, "which knows nothing of gratitude, is a stranger to one of the most delightful feelings of the human breast; and I may also say, that they who do not feel grateful for benefits received, are altogether unworthy of them. Unremembered kindness and friendship is bitter. 'Freeze! freeze! thou bitter sky; Thou dost not bite so nigh As benefits forgot: Though thou the waters warp, Thy sting is not so sharp As friend remembered not.' Have you forgotten, children, how grateful old Thomas and his wife Deborah were, for the blankets and the coals in the winter ?" "No! no! no!" cried Mary, George, and Susan, one after another. "I thought they would have gone down on their knees," said William. "And so they would," added Mary, "if mamma had not hindered them." "If, then," continued Mr. Railton, "they could be so grateful for a pair of blankets and a small load of coals, what should we be to the great Giver of all our manifold mercies! Consider what we have to be grateful for. Our lives-for He made us, and fashioned us, and breathed the spirit of life within us; our kindred and friends; our senses of hearing, seeing, feeling, smelling, and tasting, with all the faculties of our bodies and minds; food, raiment, and habitations; spring, summer, autumn, and winter; skies, sun, moon, and stars; hills and valleys; woods and water; with shrubs and trees, and fruits and flowers." "There is no end, papa," said Mary, "to the number of the gifts of God." “And there should be no end to our gratitude," replied Mr. Railton; "it should be an ever-reigning principle within us, morning, noon, and night. The kindness of our fellowbeings should never be forgotten; but the kindness of our heavenly Father should be written with a diamond pen upon our hearts. He has not sustained us, provided for us, borne with us, and blessed us, hours, days, weeks, months, and years only; but all our lives long. He has given us his holy word, the means of grace, and the hope of glory; and not withheld even his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who died that we might live for ever. We should feel continual gratitude to him; and our language should be, 'Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies,' Psa. ciii.1-4.' Mrs. Railton, who had her infant in her arms, gently pressed it to her bosom with more than common affection and thankfulness; for she felt that she could not be grateful enough that her little treasure had been preserved in answer to her fervent prayers. "Would you, my dear children," said Mr. Railton, "learn to feel grateful to those around you for kindly deeds, consider how delightful the feeling of gratitude is, and how hateful is the sin of ingratitude. Call to mind, when any persons have been ungrateful to you, how much you have been hurt, and how meanly you have thought of them. You remember the fable of the ungrateful snake: when half frozen to death, he was taken by a kind countryman home to his fireside, when the first thing that the venomous reptile did, as soon as he had recovered his strength, was to sting P his benefactor. I hope and trust that my children will not be like this serpent. "Would you encourage gratitude towards God, try to number up his mercies; remembering, at the same time, how unworthy we all are to receive them. A gift from a king would almost overwhelm us with gratitude, for his kindness and condescension: what should we feel, then, for a thousand gifts from the King of kings? "Since we met together on Wednesday last, little baby has been in great danger, as you well know; and I am sure that you feel grateful that God, of his goodness, has removed the dark cloud which hung over us, and given us to rejoice. How delightful is this feeling! I can see it in your eyes. I can read it in your looks and gestures. Encourage it, my dear children, as much as you can. وو Susan rose gently from her seat to give baby a kiss, which act of affection was directly imitated by little Fanny. "So long as we feel truly grateful to God," said Mr. Railton, "for his goodness, we shall not be likely to feel ungrateful to our fellowcreatures for their kindness. Pray, then, earnestly, for the feeling and spirit of love and gratitude to your earthly friends; but pray yet more earnestly for the feeling and spirit of love and gratitude towards your heavenly Father for his numberless mercies. WERE all other good feelings crowded together in the human heart, and the feeling of contentment wanting, that heart could not be happy. Love may prompt us to kind acts; patience may enable us to endure affliction; and gratitude may make us thankful for even the least of God's favours; but if, after all, we have not a feeling of contentment, we are restless and ill at ease. As Mr. Railton well knew this, he was very anxious that his children should encourage a feeling of contentment in their hearts. "Now, William and George," said he, as he joined the family party, "if you had your |