a inineniiiemnniaanatls young apples, just as they were begin- ning to form. It may be that there were strong winds during that period, and that the blossoms were blown off before the appearance of the apples. But however that may be, there was no fruit on the trees when we visited the orchard last, or almost none. I need not tell you, little boys and girls, that this was a sad state of things. But I must tell you some of the thoughts I had, as I saw these trees in the au- tumn, and remembered what a rich har- vest they promised when I enjoyed their beauty and fragrance before. I thought that, desirable as blossoms were, they were not half so desirable as good apples. I thought that if we looked pretty closely into matters and things, we might, once in a while, see something like what I saw in the orchard among men and women, and boys and girls. It came into my mind that in the matter of character, a generous supply of leaves and blossoms was no certain sign of fruit. You know very well, little friends, that the only way to tell whether people are really good and pious, is by their actions—by the fruit they bear, in other words. Our Saviour says, in relation to those who make pro- fessions of good character, that “by their fruits ye shall know them.” It is no matter how many leaves they may happen to have—no matter how beauti- ful and numerous their blossoms are. They are not worth much, if they are not followed up by fruit. Professions are well enough, but they are not half so good as actions. To be sure, when we see apple trees covered with leaves and blossoms, there is some sign that there will be fruit pretty soon. We ex- THE YOUTH’S CABINET. pect it—we have a on ae. ein cae teat teiindee Man aden an Ss to expect it. But we may be disappointed, you see. Take care, then, little boy—take care, little girl. Take care that you do not deceive us, in respect to your own pro- mises. If I am not much mistaken, I heard one of you, the other day, telling somebody that you went to church every Sunday ; that you attended the Sunday school, and learned the lessons which your teacher gave you; that you pero? said your prayers night and morning and that you meant to be a Ohriatian. Aha! here are lots of leaves and blos- soms—that is a fact. I am glad to see that. I like the beauty of these leaves. I like the odor of the flowers. But stop a moment. Didn’t I hear you talking rather angrily to your sister a few weeks after that? and didn’t you strike a boy at school, not long after that, on your way home, because he said something you was not pleased with? What was the meaning of these things? I was almost afraid that there had been a high wind, or that the caterpillars had been along that way, and that all those pretty flowers had fallen off, or been eaten up. How is it? “By their fruits ye shall know them,” the Bible says. Now, you don’t want us to judge you by the leaves and flowers you bear, do you? Keep a sharp look-out, my friend. Keep a sharp look-out for high winds and caterpillars. After you have said your prayers—and I would not have you omit them, on any account—try to govern your temper, and to show, by all your actions, that you are sincere and earnest in your professions. Bear in mind that fruit is worth more, a hundred times over, than leaves and blossoms. Never forget that.