now, that you may have something to give to his members; and if you do so, this is your reward, that you "do it unto Him."

These thoughts are applicable when we are in circumstances that need his special help. Are we sick, or are any dear to us in danger? let us not say, "Lord, if thou hadst been here, I, or my friends should not die;" for behold, the power of the Lord is still present to heal it is He who gives to the physician his skill, and to means efficacy and when he withholds it, it is because it seems good in his sight."

But the recollection of the Saviour's constant presence, is never so consolatory as when we feel our need of a spiritual physician. Young reader, are you ever concerned about the welfare of your soul? do you ever feel your need of a Saviour, but doubt whether he will hear you ? do you feel uncertain where to seek him? did you ever exclaim, "Lord, if thou hadst been here, I would have come to thee like the poor leper, and have said, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean?" O then, no longer say in thine heart, "Who shall ascend into heaven to bring Christ from above?" seeing he is ever nigh thee: and if thou wilt but come to Him, and believe in thine heart, and hear the word that he whispers there," thou shalt be saved."

Then how gladly will you join the triumphal chorus with those children of old, saying, " Blessed is the Son of David! Hosannah in the highest!"

"Not with our mortal eyes
Have we beheld the Lord;
Yet we rejoice to hear his name,
And love him in his word."

XXXII.

A PERSON OF CONSEQUENCE.

HAVING announced in the title what sort of company may be expected, our readers, we hope, will prepare themselves with their best bows and most courteous behaviour. Perhaps they may imagine they already hear the rattling of wheels, the trampling of horses, and then the thundering rap that bespeaks high company. Whether they

will be disappointed or otherwise, will depend upon their respective tastes and habits, when we beg leave to introduce little Betsey Bond, daughter of John Bond the journeyman carpenter. The truth is, that until her present introduction to the readers of the Youth's Magazine, she, like Cowper's lace-maker,

"Had ne'er been heard of half a mile from home."

So that it behooves us to give our reasons for denominating this poor child, who is but just turned of twelve years old, a person of conse

quence.

Now, if our readers could but take a walk into a neighbouring village, and enter the cottage where Betsey lives;-if they could only know how much she has been missed, and how often she has been wanted, only during her present absence from home, the thing would explain itself.

Those persons are of most consequence in the world, who would be most missed if they were out of it. By missed, it is not merely meant that

the place and persons that now know them, would then know them no more: for this meaning would apply to the most insignificant or the most troublesome people that breathe: but by missed we understand that their place in society, whether it be high or low, large or small, is not likely to be so well filled up. Now according to this explanation, how many persons of consequence there are, who are, really, of no consequence at all.

Betsey's parents are but poor people; they have a large family, and her mother has an ill state of health. In order to make a little addition to her husband's earnings, she exhibits in her cottage window a few articles for sale:such as, a scanty assortment of tea, tobacco and snuff; papers of pins, shoestrings, and gingerbread; two-penny loaves, brass thimbles, and suckers; earthenware, button-moulds, and redherrings. Now with this concern, bad health, and always a baby in arms, "what she should do," as she says, "if it was not for her Betsey, she can't tell, nor nobody else. There are five little boys, of no use in the world, that have to be looked to: and there's the baby! and there's the shop! so that if it was'nt for Betsey!”---why Betsey is up by times in the morning, long before her mother is stirring; lights the fire, sweeps the house washes and dresses her little brothers, gives them their breakfasts, and gets them ready to go off to school; and all this by the time her mother comes down stairs and what a comfort it is to her, to see all this done for her, so poorly as she is of a morning! then nobody knows but they that see it, what a good

Γ

hand Betsey is for minding the shop.

Though

she is always busy at her needle, or washing, or ironing, or something of the kind, yet the moment the bell rings, there she is behind the counter, with a smiling face, and a civil word for every body; yes, and just as civil to a child that only comes for a farthing sucker, as to a customer who wants two ounces of green tea. Who is it that mends John Bond's shirts so neatly; and that runs his stockings at the heel, so that they last as long again? O, why it is his daughter Betsey. And who is it that waits on her mother when she is ill, like an old nurse ;-or rather unlike an old nurse ?—this too, is Betsey. So that we may fairly appeal to our readers whether, according to the strictest sense of the word, little Bets y Bond is not a person of consequence.

To render this more apparent, let us for a moinent bring forward another visiter. But do let us allow poor Betsey to make her escape first: for she would colour down to her finger's ends to be detained before such grand company. Go then Betsey; run home to your mother as fast as you can; for she wants you sadly, and is wondering "what in the world she shall do if you don't come home presently."

And now, although the young lady we are about to introduce is well dressed, well behaved, and very respectable in her connexions; we must (adhering to the definition that has been given to the term,) announce her as a person of no consequence. It will be proper however to remark that nothing could have surprised this young person much more than to have heard herself so described because it was the earliest, and is

still the uppermost idea in her mind, that she is somebody of consequence. So that her astonishment at such a designation could only be exceeded by that of little Betsey Bond if she had overheard our introduction of her. It was a fundamental fault in the education of this little lady, that the first feelings of self importance instead of being checked, were cherished by the ill-directed fondness of her parents. Therefore we ought to pity her mistake. And now, they themselves suffer most severely from the effects of it. There is nothing that we can discover in the person, manners, or education of this girl, to distinguish her, particularly, from thousands and tens of thousands of her age and class in society. In all these respects she may pass very well; but how is it, that with nothing more to boast than is common to others, she feels of so much consequence!

But we have yet to substantiate our charge: although indeed, in the view of the more discerning reader, this is already done. To say that a person is consequential is much the same thing as saying they are not of much consequence. But, more particularly, we have called this young lady of no consequence, because all she ever appears to aim at is to serve and to please herself. She has been tolerably attentive to the various branches of her education; she has some activity and cleverness in common things; she has a good taste in dress, and in other similar affairs: you may see her for hours at her instrument, or at her drawing book, or at her needle, and might think her very industrious; but alas, alas! all this is to please herself. Her station in life does not