Holy Days in February.

THE PRESENTATION OF CHRIST IN THE TEMPLE, COMMONLY CALLED THE PURIFICATION OF SAINT MARY THE VIRGIN.-This festival is kept in memory of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple. "Sanctify unto me all the first born, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine saith the Lord." (Exod. xiii. 2.) In obedience to this command the firstlings of clean beasts were set apart for the use of the altar, and the firstborn of men for the use of the tabernacle. (Num. xviii.) In due time it pleased God to put the Levites in the place of the first-born of men, but notwithstanding this, mothers were still obliged to separate themselves forty days from the congregation after the birth of a male, and eighty after the birth of a female, and then to present their children in the temple with the accustomed offerings to the priest, viz :—a lamb, if she were in good circumstances, or a couple of pigeons, or turtle doves, if she were poor. All this was strictly fulfilled after the birth of our blessed Saviour: being born under the law, it became Him "to fulfil all righteousness," who came "not to destroy the law, but to fulfil it."

SAINT MATTHIAS THE APOSTLE.-No express mention is made in Holy Scripture of Saint Matthias, except in the account of his election to fill up the vacancy caused by the awful conduct and end of the traitor Judas. He was probably one of the seventy disciples, as Saint Peter implies that he had companied with the Apostles all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among them. (Acts, i. 21.) Saint Matthias is thought to have spent the early part of his ministry in Judea, proclaiming the truths of the Gospel with great success. At a later period of his life, he is said to have travelled eastward, and there after many heavy labors and trying persecutions, to have obtained the crown of martyrdom.

THE RIGHT USE OF THE CATECHISM.

I am going to suppose, dear readers, that you are regular and attentive Sunday Scholars, and that you have already learnt perfectly the Church Catechism; and, as I am most anxious that you should be "thoroughly furnished unto all good works," I shall make a few remarks on the right use of it.

Remember the words of your catechism are of no other use than to preserve in your memories the things which those words express, and knowing the meaning of it ever so well, in every part, will not avail without a faithful endeavour to perform every thing. Have it always, therefore, in your thoughts, that practice, uniform practice, is the one thing needful. Your knowledge may be very low and imperfect, your faith not very clear and distinct; but however poorly you are capable of furnishing your heads, if your hearts and lives be good, all is well.

I would have you observe, further, that as it is not in understanding and believing, so it is not in devotion merely, that religion consists. The common duties of common life make by far the greatest part of what our Maker expects of us. To be honest and sober, modest and humble, good tempered and mild, industrious and useful, are things to which all persons are as much bound as they can be to anything: and these good works, when they proceed from love to God, and are offered up to Him as our bounden duty through Jesus Christ, are as true and acceptable a service to Him, as either attendance at Church or our prayers at home. And they who abound in these latter duties, and neglect any of the former, only disgrace religion, and dereive themselves. Resolve, therefore, not only to be christians outwardly in your lives, but inwardly in your hearts. At the same time, remember that you will resolve on neither, to good purpose, if you trust to

yourselves alone for the performance; you will contrive, perhaps, great plans of amendment and goodness, but you will do very few of them: or you will, perhaps, do a great many of them, which may appear to you important, and leave others, equally necessary, undone or you will go on a while, and then fall, just when you thought yourself surest of standing: or you will ruin whatever progress you may seem to make, by thinking too highly of yourselves for it; or in some way or other you will certainly fail, unless the grace of God enables you, first, to be deeply sensible of your guilt and weakness; then to lay hold, by faith in Christ, on his promised mercy and help: in the strength of that help to obey his commands, and after all, to know that you are still unprofitable servants. Now, this grace you may certainly have, in whatever measure you want it, by earnest prayer for it, humble dependence upon it, and such honest and diligent use of the lower degrees of it, as he has promised to reward with higher degrees: and you can have it in no other way.

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Again, by God's will, your condition is mostly of the humbler kind, but your instruction has been better than many of your superiors have had. If therefore, your behaviour be bad, your condemnation will be heavy; and if it be good, you may be to the full as happy in this world and the next, as if you were of ever so high a rank. For true happiness comes only from doing our duty and none will ever come from transgressing it; but, whatever pleasure or profit sin may promise, they will soon turn into pain and loss. Remember, then, the lessons of the Catechism as long as you live, and more especially, the answers to those two questions "What is thy duty towards God? and "What is thy duty towards thy neighbour? And, be assured, that unless you practice both, when you leave school and go to service or apprenticeship, all the labour that has been spent upon

you, will have been spent in vain: you will be a disgrace to the teaching you have had: you will, most likely, be very miserable here, and certainly so hereafter. But

if you practice both, you will make an honest and grateful return for the kind teaching you have received. You will be loved by God and your fellow-creatures : you will live in peace of mind: you will die with comfort, and be received into everlasting bliss.

Think then, I entreat and charge you, seriously and often of these things. And to remind yourselves of them more effectually, be diligent in reading such good books as are put into your hands at school: be constant in your attendance on all the Church Services such of you as go away before you are confirmed, apply to your Clergyman, wherever you are, that you may be well instructed for that holy Ordinance, and and then admitted to it. Within a reasonable time after this, request him to assist you in preparing to receive the Lord's Supper, which is expressly required of all Christians, (under which name we include young as well as old) as a means of improving them in every thing that is good. And may God give His grace to you and to us all, that by the help of those means with which he has so graciously favoured us, we may each improve daily in the knowedge of His truth and the love of our duty, "till we come at length into a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ."

OH! say not, dream not heavenly notes
To childish ears are vain,

That the young mind at random floats,
And cannot reach the strain.

Dim or unheard the words may fall,
And yet the heaven-taught mind

May learn the sacred air, and all,
The harmony unwind.

Christian Year.

Harry's Trips and Travels.

HARRY'S INVITATION TO SEA.

MR. FAITHFUL called in at Mrs. Pearce's the day after Harry had received the Bible and Prayer Book. He found her as usual, in the midst of work, for being a widow with a large family of young children, she had not a moment to throw away, yet, with all her poverty and work, she was the pattern for cleanliness and order. She smiled and curtsied as the Rector entered the Cottage, then wiped a chair with her apron, and with an apology for her 'dizabils,' as she termed the slight derangement of the room, begged him to be seated. After various inquiries about the younger children, Mr. Faithful began to speak of Harry and the nice present he had received, but no sooner did he mention the subject than tears rose in the eyes of the poor widow, not tears of sorrow but of joy, they came from a heart full of thankfulness, and rolled at intervals down her cheeks, as she told him how great a stay Harry was to her. "Oh! sir," she said, "I think I can never be thankful enough to the Schoolmaster, for he has, blessed be God, worked wonders for my family, and how you ever found out such a good man, cannot think. God will reward you, sir, for the great care you take of us. You are, indeed, a good shepherd over, I fear, a too wandering flock. You must have many disappointments to try you, and it does make me happy to hear you say that my boy is a comfort to you. Oh! sir, I only wish you could have seen him yesterday morning-he little thought I was so near him. The first thing he did on his return from School, was to go to his bedside and read a chapter from his new Bible, then he knelt down and poured out his heart before God-he prayed that the Spirit of Truth might ever be with him as he studied God's Holy Wordthat he might love his Prayer Book and his Church-that God would bless your labours and those of Mr. Firmlove, then he begged a special blessing upon the soul of the good gentleman who so kindly gave the books; but that was not all, sir; for a moment he seemed to stop, I saw his heart was