dered; but "he who hateth his brother is a murder. er." Injury is added to hatred, which renders the case worse. Reputation is more precious than life. Thus the man or woman who makes or vends a slander, must be known and read of all men as a liar, coward, thief, and murderer.

The slanderer's tongue is a four-edged sword. It wounds the hand of him who uses it; it wounds the ears of those who listen to it; it wounds the heart of him who is the object of the thrust; it strikes at the throne of God, and breaks his law. Slander excludes the miserable perpetrator from the kingdom of heaven. "Who shall dwell in thy holy hill, O Lord?" "He that backbiteth not with his tongue." Death and life are in the power of the tongue. A wholesome tongue is a tree of life; a polluted tongue is a upas of death. It may be warmed with a seraph's flame, or set on fire of hell; a world of iniquity, or a universe of good; an unruly evil full of deadly poison, or a well-ordered system, transmitting the blessings of an endless life. Therewith bless we God even the Father, and therewith curse we men made after the image of God.

The Jewish Rabbis tell the following story: "A certain man sent his servant to market to buy some good food. The servant returned, bringing with him some tongues. Again he sent the same servant to buy some bad food. The servant again brought tongues. The master said, 'What is the reason, that when I sent you to buy good and bad food, you brought tongues?' The servant answered, 'From the tongue both good and evil come to man. If it be good, there is nothing better; if it be bad, there is nothing worse.'”

Here, in dread silence, on the blighted heath
Behold! the Tree of Evil, and of Death;
No heavenly breeze throughout the region blows;
No life of Love exists where'er it grows;
No flowers of Hope around it ever bloom;
No fruit of Faith e'er yields its rich perfume;
Fell Unbelief strikes deep its deadly root;
The branches bend with most pernicious fruit;
The Pride of Life, and Fleshly Lusts hang there,
Emblems of misery, anguish, and despair.
Two men employed in different ways you see,
To rid the groaning earth of this bad tree:
One, only lops a branch just here and there,
That makes its neighbor more productive bear;
The other, by experience taught to know,
Aims at the root his well-directed blow;
Blow after blow through the wide heath resound,
And with a crash, it falls and srreds the ground

THE Tree of Desolation stands alone upon the blasted heath. It sheds its baleful influence far and wide. No dewy meads, nor grassy plains, or verdant lawns, are seen around; no blushing fields, waving luxuriantly the golden ear; no laughing flowers bestudding the earth with their starry gems; nor spicy groves breathing the odor of delight, can live or flourish here. The lowing kine, the bleating, fleecy tribe, the choral songsters of the woods, are never heard; here, in these regions, eternal silence reigns. This corrupt tree is altogether of a poisonous quality. Its roots, bark, branches, leaves, and fruit, are all poison.

Two men are seen at work upon the tree; their object is to deliver the country from so great an evil. The one on the right hand has been employed many years, without effecting any thing; he merely lops off a branch here and there: this only adds strength to the remaining branches, and makes them more fruitful; meanwhile, the excised limb sprouts again. The one on the left, more wise, wants to cut the tree down; to this end, he comes prepared with a good sharp axe; he directs his blows at the root of the tree; blow follows blow in quick succession, every stroke tells, and soon the monster tree lies prostrate on the ground.

The Tree of Evil is an emblem of an evil heart; the bad fruit, of a bad life. The unconverted man sheds a deleterious influence all around him. In his soul there is a lack of spiritual graces; faith, love, hope, peace, joy, long-suffering, are all wanting. A spiritual death exists. Unbelief is the poison that corrupts the heart. Thoughts, words, actions, are all poisoned. Faith is put for the whole of religion, and unbelief for an ungodly life. Hence it is said, "He that believeth shall be saved," etc.

The fruit of the evil heart is the pride of life, i. e., a love of the honors and glories of the world; the lust of the flesh, i. e., intoxicating drink, gluttony, and adultery, and the various pleasures of sin; the lust of the eye, i. e., love of fine dress, fine furniture, and the vanities of this life. He spends his wretched strength for naught, who labors to reform his outward conduct only. He may make a good Pharisee, but he will never make a Christian. His heart still continues" deceitful and wicked." "First make the tree good, and the fruit will be good also."

He alone is the wise man who "lays the axe at the root of the tree;" who strikes at unbelief; who believes the truth as it is in Jesus. He prays with David," Create in me a clean heart;" relying on the promise of God, "A new heart will I give unto you." Thus he is "created anew in Christ Jesus unto good works." "He has his fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life."

Travellers inform us of a poison tree found in the island of Java, which is said by its effluvia to have "depopulated the country for twelve or fourteen miles around the place of its growth. It is called 'Bohan Upas. Poisoned arrows are prepared with Condemned criminals are sent to the juice, carrying with them proper directions how to obtain it, and how to secure themselves from the malignant exhalations; and are pardoned if they bring back a certain quantity of the poison; but by the register there kept, not one in four is said to return

the juice of it. tree to get this

Anger resteth in the bosom of fools. Eccl. vii. 9.and forsake wrath. Ps. xxxvii. 6.

Cease from anger

Upon the margin of the silvery flood,
Come, see the Lion in his wrathful mood.
His roar terrific echoing rocks rebound,
And nature trembles at the dreadful sound;
His furious tail he works from side to side,
His bristly mane he shakes with awful pride;
His eyes, wild rolling, glare with startling light,
With paw upraised, he stands prepared for fight.
And wherefore stands he thus with warlike look?
He sees his image in the quiet brook.

Man, born to reason, like the foolish beast,
Lets rage hot boiling fester in his breast;
The cause as futile: he himself possess'd
Of evil tempers, colors all the rest.

LOOK! here is the Lion, the king of beasts. See where he stands, maddened with rage. The savage monarch is alone; the beasts of the field hide themselves when he is angry; his dreadful roar makes