the Father, and therewith curfe we men made after the image of God.

The Jewish Rabbis tell the following story: "A certain man fent his fervant to market to buy fome good food. The fervant returned, bringing with him fome tongues. Again he fent the same servant to buy fome bad food. The servant again brought tongues. The master said, What is the reason, that when I fent you to buy good and bad food, you brought tongues?' The fervant 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.""

"The tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by his fruit."-MAT. xii. 33. "Every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and caft into the fire." MAT. iii. 10.

THE TREE OF EVIL.

Here, in dread filence, on the blighted heath,
Behold! the Tree of Evil, and of Death;
No heavenly breeze throughout the region blows;
No life of Love exifts where'er it grows;
No flowers of Hope around it ever bloom;
No fruit of Faith e'er yields its rich perfume;
Fell Unbelief ftrikes deep its deadly root;
The branches bend with moft pernicious fruit;
The Pride of Life, and Flefhly Lufts hang there,
Emblems of mifery, anguish, and despair.
Two men employed in different ways you fee,
To rid the groaning earth of this bad tree :
One, only lops a branch juft here and there,
That makes its neighbour 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 refound,
And with a crash, it falls and shreds the ground.

the

no

THE Tree of Desolation stands alone upon blafted heath. It sheds its baleful influence far and wide. No dewy meads, nor graffy plains, or verdant lawns, are feen around; no blufhing fields, waving luxuriantly the golden ear; laughing flowers beftudding the earth with their ftarry gems; nor fpicy groves breathing the odour of delight can live or flourish here. The lowing kine, the bleating, fleecy tribe, the choral fongfters of the woods, are never heard; here, in these regions, eternal filence reigns. This corrupt tree is altogether of a poisonous quality. roots, bark, branches, leaves, and fruit, are all poison.

Its

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 anything; 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 fprouts again. The one on the left, more wife, wants to cut the tree down; to this end, he comes prepared with a good fharp axe; he directs his blows at the root of the tree; blow follows blow in quick fucceffion, every ftroke tells, and foon the monster tree lies proftrate 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 foul there is a lack of fpiritual graces; faith, love, hope, peace, joy, longfuffering, are all wanting. A fpiritual death exifts. Unbelief is the poifon that corrupts the heart. Thoughts, words, actions, are poifoned. Faith is put for the whole of religion, and unbelief for an ungodly life. Hence it is faid, "He that believeth fhall be faved, &c.

all

The fruit of the evil heart is the pride of life, i. e., a love of the honours and glories of the world; the luft of the flesh, i. e., intoxicating drink, gluttony, and adultery, and the various pleasures of fin; the luft 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 labours to reform his outward conduct only. He may make a good Pharifee, but he will never make a Christian. His heart ftill continues "deceitful and wicked." "Firft make the tree good, and the fruit will be good alfo."

He

He alone is the wife man who "lays the axe at the root of the tree; who ftrikes at unbelief; who believes the truth as it is in Jesus. 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 Chrift Jefus unto good works." "He has his fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life."

Travellers inform us of a poifon tree found in the island of Java, which is faid by its effluvia to have depopulated the country for twelve or fourteen miles around the place of its growth. It is called Boban Upas. Poifoned arrows are prepared with the juice of it. Condemned criminals are fent to the tree to get this juice, carrying with them proper directions how to obtain it, and how to fecure themselves from the malignant exhalations; and are pardoned if they bring back a certain quantity of the poifon; but, by the register there kept, not one in four is faid

to return.