H́nh ảnh trang
PDF
ePub

away the sin of the world." We say | but," said he, "I'm going home

this was hope, but it was only to be indulged and then blighted. This was our prayer, but presented in ignorance of the Divine purpose in relation to the matter.

66

"silent

to heaven! home to heaven, ma; we have often talked about it, you know." Then, with a smile, he said, with the emphasis of simple confident assurance, that he was The affliction which brought going "to be with Christ,” “ I'm forth death was an affection of the going home! You will meet me heart. His sufferings at times there-Don't be long." A few were most acute, but he displayed struggles, and all was the patience and submission of as death." O it was death; we the disciplined Christian. He realised the fact at spoke of death without the slight-feel sad and lonely still. But, 0, est dread, and of heaven with the "the bow in the cloud "— what joy of confidence and anticipation. Hear him saying to his mamma, only an hour or two before he is called away, "I shall not have any pain in heaven, not any." Again

"O heaven, sweet heaven! I long to go there,

once. We

joy it gives! "I'm going home!

home to heaven! You will meet me there; don't be long!"—O! those last words, that last look, that last smile! They will live in our hearts in undying memorial! We interred the body of our beloved child in the Hudders

To meet with my Father-my Jesus field cemetery, where he awaits

is there."

"Yes," said he, " my Jesus, my Jesus is there." At his request, this verse (which was a favourite) had been sung to him, by his sister. He had read considerable portions of "Heaven our Home," and "Meet for Heaven," and in his last hours he seemed charmed with the thought of heaven his home!

"A home in heaven!" what a joyful thought. "I'm going home to heaven," he said. Seeing us in tears, he said, "Don't fret." His mamma replied, "But, my child, we cannot help it, when you talk of leaving us.' "Well,

[ocr errors]

"the blast of the archangel, and the trump of God."

"Death cannot come

To him untimely who is fit to die.
The less of this cold world, the more of
heaven ;

The briefer life, the earlier immorta-
lity."

We cannot grapple with the doctrine involved in this inscrutable dispensation; nor is it proper we should. It is painful, but it is right. Here let us bow together in grateful submission. Lord, teach us to say, "Thy will be done"-" Thy will be done." THOMAS DEARLOVE.

[merged small][graphic][merged small]

farmer, as it destroys rats and mice very rapidly. However, it sometimes makes choice of a chicken, and therefore gets into disgrace. It will occasionally fly at a man, and try to get hold of his throat; so that it is a rather

THE weasel belongs to the kind of animals called digitigrades, meaning those that go on their toes, and is of the vermiform, or worm-shaped tribe. Its instinct leads it to live in holes of the earth, or of rock, for safety. Its dangerous foe. It hunts by scent head is small, and its body long like a dog, and has remarkably and slender. It moves very sharp teeth. The weasel belongs rapidly, and has often a sort of to almost every country, and in serpentine motion. It is less Derbyshire, and other parts of than any animal of the same England, they may be found. Its tribe, and very fierce. It will fur, like that of the Sable, is follow and frighten a hare, and valuable. The female has four when its victim gives up the or five young ones at a time, for chase through fright, it seizes it which she prepares a nice bed of by the back of the neck and hay or moss. An eagle once sucks its blood. The weasel is seized a weasel, and mounted understood to be a friend of the with it into the air; but the

Weasel contrived soon to bite the | but 1 stand at the door, without eagle's neck, when the bird was cover or shelter, where the cold

glad to let it go.

EDITOR.

“BEHOLD I STAND AT THE

frost chills me, and the stormy winds beat upon me; "My head is filled with the dew, and my locks with the drops of the night;" not with my hands in my bosom like idle loiterers who gaze about in the market place, but I "knock." I make a direct application to the persons whose salvation I seek; I knock not one stroke and away, like one who cares not whether you will open to me, and permit me to make you happy.-Lord, what is man, that thou, the omnipotent God, "at whose presence the heavens drop," "and out of whose mouth proceed devouring flames," whose voice rends the rocks and dismantles the waving forests, should stand at our door and knock? O what miracles of grace are here!-0, then, my young readers, open your hearts wide and let him in, let him sit in the main place in your hearts, and live in you and you in him. I pray that God may incline your hearts to open to him, and that you may live with him for ever.

DOOR, AND KNOCK." MY DEAR YOUNG FRIENDS,-I now wish to speak to you on a subject which I am sure cannot fail to be interesting to you; it is the patience and humiliation of our Saviour, as he cries, "Behold I stand at the door and knock." What amazing condescension on the part of our incarnate God; he stands at the door; every word teems with wonder and almost surpasses belief: "I stand at the door and knock." "I." It would have been amazing condescension if it had been only an angel, the guardian of some mighty monarch, or one of the holy prophets, or the least of the winged seraphs who had stooped so low; but it is " I,' the "Prince of Peace," the King of glory, the Supreme Lord of heaven and earth, who am the object of continued adoration to all the hosts above. "I stand:"I do not sit in a chair of state, or recline on an easy couch; but I stand to manifest my readiness to come in, and my A WORD TO BOYS AND GIRLS patience in waiting for admission. ABOUT ORDER.-Little friends, “I stand at the door;" I do not put the things right back in their solace myself in a commodious proper places. Never leave apartment, with the enlivening things all about, helter-skelter, warmth of the fire, or rest my topsy-turvy-never. When you weary limbs in a soft pavilion; use any article-hoe, shovel

DOING WELL FOR EACH DAY. Let us see that we do every day! what we can. Any little boy or girl who, in looking back upon a day gone by, can say, "I have

rake, pitch-fork, axe, hammer, tongs, boots or shoes, books, slates, pencils, writing apparatus, pins, thimbles, pin-cushions, needles, work baskets, kitchen furniture, any article of house-done one thing well," may be hapwifery or husbandry, no matter what it is the very moment you have done using it, return it to its place. Be sure to have a special place for everything, and everything in its place. Order, order; perfect order is the watchword-heaven's first law. How much precious time is saved, (aside from vexation) by observing order-systematic regularity! Young friends, begin early to keep things straight in their proper places; study neatness, order, economy, sobriety,- everything just, honest, pure, lovely, and of good report.

py with the thought he or she has taken one step in the way of wisdom. But remember one thing, dear little friend: the buried grain of wheat would never start into life if God did not send it help, and it is by the same help that it increases day by day. As the little rain-drop-God's beau tiful messenger-descends into its tomb, so in the darkness and death of sin, the Holy Spirit comes to us. If he breathes upon our hearts we live to do good; without him we do nothing good. Let us obey this Spirit and all good will be ours at last, though we gain it little by little.

Poetry.

THOUGHTS ON THE BREVITY OF LIFE.

How swift the year has glided by,

How fast its seasons fled;
Its leaves of beauty withered lie,
And strew the path we tread.
Loved ones are passed with it away,
Their forms no more we see ;
Their souls disburden'd of the clay,
Have joined the blest and free.
But still we in the body stay,

The hallowed cross to bear;
'Tis not yet ours in endless day
The royal wreath to wear.
Stroud.

No; we must fight our passage through
Though all the world may frown,
And with each year our course pursue,
To reach that starry crown.
O God of Israel deign to guide

Our souls to yon bright shore;
Here seasons in succession glide,

There years revolve no more.
If, ere this year have glided by,
We lay our burdens down;
We'll soar with joy to worlds on high,
And grasp the victor's crown.
ELIZABETH STONE.

[subsumed][merged small][subsumed][merged small][merged small][merged small][graphic]
« TrướcTiếp tục »