all given in silence. The sun rises, warms the earth, and sets, in silence; the moon reflects her silver light, and the stars shine, in silence. All growth to maturity is in silence: the flowers give out perfume, and the fruits ripen in silence; yet gratitude for these blessings, as well as for the gift of life, breaks forth to the Divine Giver, in the hum of the insect, in the singing of birds, and in man's thoughtful look and sweetest breath of praise.
Let, then, thy morning of life be a cheerful spring, so shall thy summer be productive, and thine autumn rich. Thou shalt enjoy hereafter an eternal spring, where life shall be ever fresh and young.
February Twenty-second.
SUDDEN DEATH.
"This night thy soul shall be required of thee."—Luke xii. 20.
THERE is one truth, so certain in this life, that it is doubted by none—"It is appointed unto man once to die." (Heb. ix. 27.) Yes, the living know that they must die, and the enlightened Christian is aware that judgment follows death, with as much quickness and certainty as a cause is followed by its effect. From the constitution of this world, and all things therein, it is clear that it never was designed by the Creator to be our continuing city, but rather as a temporary residence, in which to prepare for a more noble and permanent dwelling. Our object here should be, not a desire to live long, but to live well; for to use time, and not to abuse it, is the grand secret of life. The selfish worldling, like
