, and he exposed himself to the
curse that comes upon those who take from or add to God's Word.

ILLUSTRATIONS.

"On mission ground there was once a prayer meeting held in an idol
temple. A lamp was placed in the hands or lap of each idol around
the room, so that the idols themselves held the light by which the
true God was worshiped. So the sins of Jeroboam may light us to
heaven." --_Peloubet._

"Judge a religion by its god. Judge a people by the kind of god
that will satisfy them. If a calf will do, what must be their
intelligence? If nature will do, what must be their emotion? If
science will do, what must be their moral sense? The Christian
religion pays the highest tribute to human intelligence. It calls
men to a God, infinite in every perfection." --_Joseph Parker._

"It has been remarked that the two tribes in whose inheritance
the calves stood are not found among the number of the sealed in
Revelations. The names of Ephraim and Dan are missing from that
list." --_Waller._

* * * * *

"Oh, God, our strength! to Thee our song,
With grateful hearts we raise;
To Thee, and Thee alone, belong
All worship, love and praise.

"And Thou, Oh, ever gracious Lord!
Wilt keep Thy promise still,
If, meekly hearkening to Thy word,
We seek to do Thy will.

"Led by the light Thy grace imparts,
Ne'er may we bow the knee
To idols, which our wayward hearts
Set up instead of Thee." --_Harriet Auber._

SIDNEY'S GOOD INTENTIONS.

(_A New Year's Story._)

by FLORENCE HALLOWELL.

[Illustration]

"Sidney, did you leave that note at Mrs. Flynn's yesterday?" asked Mrs.
Dent, as her eldest son came hurriedly into the sitting-room to get the
pocket-knife which he had left on the table. "She hasn't come, and I
don't know what I am going to do about the washing. Nora's arm is still
so lame that she must not attempt to use it."

"Oh, mother, I am so sorry!" and Sidney looked mortified and contrite.
"I fully intended to leave the note, but--"

"You forgot all about it," finished his sister Fannie, who was sewing at
one of the front windows. "Of course! Mother ought to have known she
couldn't trust you. Your intentions are always good, but that is as far
as you go."

"It is a great deal easier to _intend_ to do a thing than to do
it--everybody knows that," said Clara, a girl of twe