Chapter IV: Letter V: 400 (2)

When thy brother has lost all that he ever had, and lies languishing, and even gasping under the utmost extremities of poverty and distress, dost thou think to lick him whole again only with thy tongue?

--_South._

213

CHARITY.

That charity begins at home is true,
Yet this is rightly understood by few.
But, lest you should not easily discern,
I counsel you, my friends, this lesson learn;
The home of charity is a mind possess'd
Of wishes to relieve whoe'er's distress'd;
In town, or country, or on foreign shore,
She's ne'er from home when pity's at the door.

214

CHARITY.

Be not frightened at the hard words "imposition," "imposture;" give and ask no questions. "Cast thy bread upon the waters." Some have, unawares, entertained angels.

--_Lamb._

215

As charity covers a multitude of sins before God, so does politeness before men.

--_Lord Greville._

216

Do good by stealth, and blush to find it fame.

--_Pope._

217

Where there is plenty, charity is a duty, not a courtesy.

--_Feltham._

218

We step up, when we stoop down, to help the needy.

219

CHARITY--INGRATITUDE FOR.

Did you ever see the horses taken to water? They rush into some beautiful stream, and drink of it to their heart's content; after which they turn their backs upon it, or stamp in it with their feet, until the water is polluted. This is the price they pay for their refreshing draught. But what, then does the noble river? It immediately floats away the mud, and continues after, as it was before, full and free of access for the same or other thirsty creatures. And so must you also do. If there be a fountain of genuine charity in your heart, it will constantly, and spontaneously overflow, whether those who drink of it are thankful or not. This life is the season for sowing and scattering; we shall reap hereafter.

220

Give freely to him that deserveth well, and asketh nothing.

221

INASMUCH.

I asked for alms!
He flung a coin at me
Contemptuously.
Not without sense of shame
I stooped and picked it up.
Does this fulfil
The Master's will
To give a cup
Of water in His Name?

I asked for bread!
He handed out to me
Indifferently
A ticket for some food.
It answered to my need.
Was this the way
On that great day
Christ stopped to feed
The hungry multitude?

When we shall wait,
After this mortal strife,
Eternal life,
And to His presence go
As suppliants indeed,
Will it be thus
He will on us
In our great need
His priceless gift bestow?

--_The Outlook._

222

It is charity not to excite a hope, when it must end in disappointment.

223

When you see a man in distress, acknowledge him at once your fellow man. Recollect that he is formed of the same materials, with the same feelings as yourself, and then relieve him as you yourself would wish to be relieved.

224

_Leviticus, xxv, 35._--"And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee, then thou shalt relieve him; yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner; that he may live with thee."

Mr. H----, an ingenious artist, being driven out of all employment, and reduced to great distress, had no resource to which to apply except that of an elder brother, who was in good circumstances. To him, therefore, he applied, and begged some little hovel to live in, and some small provision for his support. The brother melted into tears, and said, "You, my dear brother! You live in a hovel! You are a man; you are an honor to the family. I am nothing. You shall take this house and the estate, and I will be your guest, if you please." The brothers lived together without its being distinguishable who was proprietor of the estate, till the death of the elder put the artist in possession of it.

225

UNAWARES.

They said, "The Master is coming
To honor the town to-day,
And none can tell what house or home
He may choose wherein to stay."
Then straight I turned to toiling,
To make my home more neat;
I swept and polished and garnished,
And decked it with blossoms sweet.

But right in the midst of my duties
A woman came to my door;
She had come to tell me her sorrow,
And my comfort and aid to implore.
And I said, "I can not listen,
Nor help you any to-day;
I have greater things to attend to."
So the pleader turned away.

But soon there came another--
A cripple, thin, pale and gray--
And said, "O let me stop and rest
Awhile in your home I pray."
I said, "I am grieved and sorry,
But I can not keep you to-day;
I look for a great and noble guest."
And the cripple went away.

And the day wore onward swiftly,
And my task was nearly done,
And a prayer was ever in my heart
That the Master to me might come.

I thought I would spring to meet Him,
And treat Him with utmost care,
When a little child stood by me
With a face so sweet and fair--
Sweet, but with marks of tear drops--
And his clothes were tattered old;
A finger was bruised and bleeding,
And his little bare feet were cold.

And I said, "I am sorry for you:
You are sorely in need of care,
But I can not stop to give it;
You must hasten other where."
And at the words a shadow
Swept over his blue-veined brow.
"Some one will feed and clothe you, dear,
But I am too busy now."

At last, my toil was over and done,
My house was swept and garnished,
And I watched in the dusk alone;
I waited till night had deepened,
And the Master had not come;
"He has entered some other door," I cried,
"And gladdened some other home!"

Then the Master stood before me,
And His face was grave and fair;
"Three times to-day I came to your door,
And craved your pity and care.
Three times you sent Me onward,
Unhelped and uncomforted;
And the blessing you might have had was lost,
And your chance to serve has fled."

"O Lord, dear Lord, forgive me;
How could I know it was Thee?"
My very soul was shamed and bowed
In the depths of humility.
And He said, "The sin is pardoned,
But the blessing is lost to thee,
For failing to comfort the least of Mine,
You have failed to comfort Me."

226

John Paul, of Siena, was always very liberal to the poor. On his deathbed he exclaimed, "What I have kept, that have I lost, and what I have given away, that I have yet, what I have refused I now regret."

Another is reported to have said: "I have lost everything except what I have given away."

227

A SERMON OF MOHAMMED.

When God made the earth, it shook to and fro till He put mountains on it to keep it firm. Then the angels asked, "O God, is there anything in Thy creation stronger than these mountains?" And God replied, "Iron is stronger than the mountains, for it breaks them." "And is there anything in Thy creation stronger than iron?" "Yes, fire is stronger than iron, for it melts it." "Is there anything stronger than fire?" "Yes, water, for it quenches fire." "Is there anything stronger than water?" "Yes, wind, for it puts water in motion." "O, our Sustainer, is there anything in Thy creation stronger than wind?" "Yes, a good man giving alms; if he gives it with his right hand, and conceals it from his left, he overcomes all things." Every good act is charity; your smiling in your brother's face, your putting a wanderer in the right road, your giving water to the thirsty is charity; exhortation to another to do right is charity. A man's true wealth hereafter is the good he has done in this world to his fellowmen. When he dies, people will ask: "What property has he left behind him?" But the angels will ask: "What good deeds has he sent before him?"

228

_Charity_--It is another's fault if he be ungrateful; but it is mine if I do not give. To find one thankful man, I will oblige many that are not so.

--_Seneca._

229

He gives double who gives unasked.

230

He that cheats me aince (once) shame fa him; but he that cheats me twice shame fa me.

--_Scotch._

231

The cheek Is apter than the tongue, to tell an errand.

--_Shakespeare._

232

If you have a word of cheer,
Speak it, while I am alive to hear.

_Margaret Preston._

233

You find yourself refreshed by the presence of cheerful people. Why not make earnest effort to confer that pleasure on others?

--_L. M. Child._

234

Cheerfulness smoothes the road of life.

--_German._

235

Cheerfulness is full of significance: it suggests good health, a clear conscience, and a soul at peace with all human nature.

--_Charles Kingsley._

236

Chide a friend in private, and praise him in public.

--_Solon._

237

A CHILD'S SERMON.

A writer once told how a little child preached a sermon to him.

"Is your father at home?" I asked a small child at our village doctor's doorstep.

"No," she said, "he's away."

"Where do you think I could find him?"

"Well," she said, with a considering air, "you've got to look for some place where people are sick or hurt, or something like that. I don't know where he is, but he's helping somewhere."

238

A SLEEPING CHILD.

How happy are thy days! How sweet thy repose! How calm thy rest! Thou slumberest upon the earth more soundly than many a miser and worldling upon his bed of down. And the reason is--that thou hast a gracious God and an easy conscience. A stranger to all care, thou awakest only to resume thy play, or ask for food to satisfy thy hunger.

239

A full-blown rose besprinkled with the purest dew, is not so beautiful as a child blushing beneath her parents' displeasure, and shedding tears of sorrow for her fault.

240

A torn jacket is soon mended; but hard words bruise the heart of a child.

--_Longfellow._

241

He who does not correct his own child, will later beat his own breast.

242

The future destiny of the child is always the work of the mother.

--_Napoleon._

243

A child's eyes! Those clear wells of undefiled thought! What on earth can be more beautiful! Full of hope, love, and curiosity, they meet your own. In prayer, how earnest! In joy, how sparkling! In sympathy, how tender!

--_Mrs. Norton._

244

These little shoes! How proud she was of these!
Can you forget how, sitting on your knees,
She used to prattle volubly, and raise
Her tiny feet to win your wondering praise?

--_William Canton._

245

INSCRIPTION ON MY LITTLE SON'S SILVER PLATE.

When thou dost eat from off this plate,
I charge thee be thou temperate;
Unto thine elders at the board
Do thou sweet reverence accord;
And, though to dignity inclined,
Unto the serving-folk be kind;
Be ever mindful of the poor,
Nor turn them hungry from the door;
And unto God, for health and food
And all that in thy life is good,
Give thou thy heart in gratitude.

246

Words of praise are almost as necessary to warm a child into a genial life as acts of kindness and affection. Judicious praise is to children what the sun is to flowers.

--_Bovee._

247

What the child says out of doors, he has learned indoors.

248

LINES ON MY NEW CHILD-SWEETHEART.

I hold it a religious duty
To love and worship children's beauty;
They've least the taint of earthly clod,
They're freshest from the hand of God;
With heavenly looks they make us sure
The heaven that made them must be pure;
We love them not in earthly fashion,
But with a beatific passion.
I chanced to, yesterday, behold
A maiden child of beauty's mould;
'Twas near, more sacred was the scene,
The palace of our patriot Queen.
The little charmer to my view
Was sculpture brought to life anew.
Her eyes had a poetic glow,
Her pouting mouth was Cupid's bow:
And through her frock I could descry
Her neck and shoulders' symmetry.
'Twas obvious from her walk and gait
Her limbs were beautifully straight;
I stopp'd th' enchantress and was told,
Though tall, she was but four years' old.
Her guide so grave an aspect wore
I could not ask a question more;
But follow'd her. The little one
Threw backward ever and anon
Her lovely neck, as if to say,
"I know you love me, Mister Grey;"
For by its instincts childhood's eye
Is shrewd in physiognomy;
They well distinguish fawning art
From sterling fondness of the heart.
And so she flirted, like a true
Good woman, till we bade adieu.
'Twas then I with regret grew wild,
Oh, beauteous, interesting child!
Why ask'd I not thy home and name?
My courage fail'd me--more's the shame.
But where abides this jewel rare?
Oh, ye that own her, tell me where!
For sad it makes my heart and sore
To think I ne'er may meet her more.

--_Thomas Campbell._

249

INASMUCH.

One day a little girl looking out of the window saw a number of poor men from a nearby jail, working in the hot sun of a July day. They looked tired and hot, and she knew they must be thirsty. She remembered Christ's words, "I was thirsty and ye gave Me drink, was in prison, and ye came unto Me," and the thought came to her, "I can do both." With her mother's permission she took a little bucket of cold water, with a dipper, and gave to each man in turn, refilling the bucket several times. As she went from one to another in her white frock, her sweet smile gave even better cheer than the water. The thanks of the prisoners were very hearty. One asked her, "Little lady, what made you do this?"

After a moment's pause, she replied, "That is what Christ said to do, and--I was sorry myself." He lowered his head and said, "God bless you, little Christ-child."

250

A man soon learns how little he knows, when a child begins to ask questions.

251

The child's restless observation, instead of being ignored or checked, should be diligently ministered to, and made as accurate as possible.

--_Herbert Spencer._

252

Speak gently to the little child!
Its love be sure to gain;
Teach it in accents soft and mild:
It may not long remain.

--_Geo. W. Hangford._

253

_I Samuel ii, 18_--"Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child; girded with a linen ephod."

The Rev. John Brown was born in 1722, in the county of Perth in Scotland. In a narrative of his experience, he remarks, "I reflect on it as a great mercy, that I was born in a family which took care of my Christian instruction, and in which I had the privilege of God's worship, morning and evening. About the eighth year of my age, I happened, in a crowd, to push into the church at Abernethy, on a Sacrament Sabbath. Before I was excluded, I heard a minister speak much in commendation of Christ; this, in a sweet and delightful manner, captivated my young affections, and has since made me think that children should never be kept out of church on such occasions."

254

To impose on a child to get by heart a long scroll of phrases without any ideas, is a practice fitter for a jackdaw than for anything that wears the shape of man.

--_Dr. I. Watts._

255

The tear down childhood's cheek that flows,
Is like the dewdrop on the rose.

--_Scott._

256

THE CHILD AND THE "RISING DAY"

The following is a true narrative of an experience in life:

It was nearing three o'clock of last Easter afternoon, when a woman, clad in deepest mourning, entered the gates of the beautiful "sleeping place" on Walnut Hill. Her attitude, as she sank upon a carefully tended mound, denoted deep dejection. She had not yet learned that the "tree of death is fruited with the love of God," neither the joy of the "afterward," but knew only the grope of a stricken soul.

In the distance, sat a child upon a grave, alone. Coming nearer, she recognized him as one who had never known a mother, and whose father had lately been taken, leaving him without kindred. The love between that father and child had been passing sweet.

The bereaved lady knew this, and that he had been thrown homeless upon the world. Yet, absorbed in her own grief, had given him little thought. Drawing near, she observed closely the rare beauty of the boy, scarcely five years of age, genius and nobility stamped on his brow, and exquisite tenderness on the mobile lips.

He looked up eagerly, asking fearlessly, "Is your name Mary? Are you the woman who talked with the angel when the stone was rolled away."

"Oh, no, dear," she replied. "Whom are you looking for?"

"For Jesus!" said the boy reverently.

"But he is not here. He is risen."

"Yes, I know, that's it, but I've been waiting here all day for Him to come and raise my papa up. He's late, and I thought maybe He sent you to tell me to wait a little, just as He sent Mary to tell His disciples, you know," said the boy, wistfully.

"Yes, dear, but"--hesitating to shatter the boy's beautiful faith.

"I am tired" (pathetically), "but it is never too late for Jesus," he added bravely, while a tear rolled down the velvet cheek. "He is sure to come, 'cause it is the Rising Day" (exultingly). "Don't you 'member?"

The woman stooped to kiss the child, and began to sob violently, dropping on the grave beside him.

"What makes you cry, lady? Is your papa here to be raised up?"

"No, no, darling, but my sweet daughter is."

"Don't cry, then," stroking the lady's hand. "Jesus never goes by Rising Day. He'll surely come and give you your little girl and me my papa! He'll come to-night. I saw the two men who came from [256:A]Emmaus go by early this morning, and they will be walking back soon in the evening, and Jesus will meet them and turn and walk with them, and they will all be talking gently about the dying and the rising, and the men will not know Him, but I shall, and He will stop here when I call, and raise my papa up."

"How will you know Him, dear boy?"

"By His smile and the Transfiguration picture that papa showed me in his study. But I'll know Him bestest in here," putting his hand on his breast, "by the love!" raising his lustrous eyes to hers.

"Will you know your papa? Are you sure?"

"My papa!" with wondering ecstatic voice. "My own papa! I shall know him by the love, and you your little girl. They will not look the same, 'cause Jesus didn't, but they knew Him by their love!"

"Yes?"

"And we'll know them by our love!" lingering fondly on the repetition with lustrous, far-seeing gaze.

The woman clasped the child to her breast with a passionate embrace, while rising to meet a supreme hour. (The child must not--shall not be disappointed and his beautiful faith shattered).

"Phillip!" she said, "listen. The angel sent me to tell you that Jesus had gone into heaven, and to take you to your papa. Come!"

Without a moment's hesitation he took his messenger's (?) hand and passed out of the gates, looking not backward by a glance. Expectation held him silent, while the woman's face was illumined by a great light. Entering the door of a pleasant house, she passed on through the hall into the dining-room, saying to the maid: "Bring some food for this dear child; he has fasted all day."

A pitcher of milk and a plate of bread and honey were set beside a plate of cold, broiled fish.

"Now I know this is the house," the boy exclaimed exultingly, "for they had the fish, the bread and the honey! It's all here, just the same, and he'll come to-night!"

Turning swiftly to the hall, the woman almost flew along the corridor to meet her husband's steps. Drawing him to one side, she told with rapture of her encounter and the sweet expectancy below.

"Now, Harold, Heaven has sent us a child, who shall be the angel to roll away the stone from our grave. His wonderful vision must not be darkened, neither his faith destroyed. Rise, my husband, to the most glorious hour of your life. 'I shall know him by the love,' he said. Let us see that he does."

Returning for the child and extending her hand with a smile, he eagerly asked, "Will you wash and comb me to meet my papa? It isn't too late yet, is it?"

The voice was half a sob, but full of hope. The ineffable trust pierced her heart while reassuring him with swift, tender tones.

"Come, Phillip, we will go to him," she cried tremblingly.

As she opened the door upon a winning, noble-faced man with tears on his cheek, smiling with outstretched arms upon the boy, he hesitated a moment, took one step forward and then leaped into the open arms, threw his noble head back, and gazed with lustrous, questioning eyes.

"You don't look like my papa, quite."

"No?" (anxiously).

"'Cause you are changed. But I know you by the love, and you know me, don't you?"

"By the love, dear boy," with shining eyes, but marble lips.

The child nestled down upon the breast, his chest heaving, while the man stroked the soft curls, soothing him with every word known to love's alphabet, till finally, crooning a cradle song, the exhausted child fell asleep. He had found a father by the love. His faith was saved, and by it, she who had groped blindly among the tombs had found her Easter.

--_From the Christian Observer_, March 30, 1904.
By Mrs. Helen Strong Thompson.

FOOTNOTES:

[256:A] _St. Luke, xxiv, 13._

257

Say "Yes" and "No" to a child and stick to it. This is the beginning of discipline.

258

The way to spoil a child is to give it all it wants and require nothing in return. The way to make a child grow up sensible and unselfish is to give it little, and require of it much. For it is not what others do for us that benefits us, but what we do for ourselves and others.

259

Some one truly said, the best way for a man to train up a child in the way it should go, is to travel that way sometimes himself.

260

_I Kings, i, 6_--"His father had not displeased him at any time in saying, 'Why hast thou done so?'"

A young man, as he was going to the place of execution, desired to whisper something into his mother's ear; but when she came, instead of whispering, he bit off her ear, telling her, that it was because she did not chastise him for his faults when a boy, he was brought to such an unhappy end.

261

Could it be believed that a child should be forced to learn the rudiments of a language which he is never to use, and neglect the writing a good hand, and casting accounts?

--_Locke._

262

Childhood shows the man, as morning shows the day.

--_Milton._

263

Children, a bond of union than which the human heart feels none more endearing.

264

What children hear at home soon flies abroad.

265

CHILDREN.

I never hear parents exclaim impatiently, "Children, you must not make so much noise," that I do not think how soon the time may come when, beside the vacant chair, those parents would give all the world, could they hear once more the ringing laughter which once so disturbed them.

--_A. E. Kittredge._

266

Children are certain cares, but uncertain comforts.

267

What is there in nature so dear to man as his own children?

--_Cicero._

268

The dutifulness of children is the foundation of all virtues.

--_Cicero._

269

His cares are eased with intervals of bliss:
His little children, climbing for a kiss,
Welcome their father's late return at night.

--_Dryden._

270

A BAD EXAMPLE.

Whatever parent gives his children good instruction, and sets them at the same time a bad example, may be considered as bringing them food in one hand, and poison in the other.

271

Children have neither past nor future; and what scarcely ever happens to us, they enjoy the present.

--_La Bruyere._

272

An honorable life is the best legacy a father can leave to his children.

273

Children should not be flattered, but they should be encouraged. They should not be so praised as to make them vain and proud, but they should be commended when they do well.

274

Children are excellent physiognomists, and soon discover their real friends.

275

_Dr. Guthrie_--He believed--to use his own words--that "where parents will never punish their children, those children will punish them."

_From Dr. Guthrie's Memoir._

276

Indulgence to children breeds ingratitude.

277

A man who gives his children habits of industry, provides for them better than by giving them a fortune.

_Whately._

278

Choose rather to leave your children well instructed than rich. For the hopes of the learned are better than the riches of the ignorant.

279

WOULD YOU HAVE ANSWERED SO?

You would not be in a Japanese house long without noticing their extreme politeness, and that this politeness was especially shown by children toward their parents. The one thing that Japanese children must learn is perfect obedience; a child would as soon think of refusing to do a thing altogether, when told, as to ask why he must do it.

A little * * * girl, the child of a missionary, was playing in the street with some Japanese children.

"Mary," called her father from the house, "come in."

As she paid no attention, the others thought she had not heard, and began to say to her: "Your august father is calling you," "Your honorable parent is beckoning to you," and so on.

"I don't care," said Mary.

The children stopped playing and looked at her in astonishment. Her father called her again. This time she answered crossly, "I don't want to come in. What for?"

At this the children picked up their playthings and hurried home, talking excitedly all the way. "Rude little foreigner!" "Bad little girl!" they said, and it was a long time before Mary saw anything of her friends again.

_Juniors in Japan._

280

_Children_--Living jewels, dropped unstained from Heaven.

--_Pollock._

281

Children know,
Instinctive taught, the friend and foe.

282

Do not confine your children to your own learning, for they were born in another time.

283

Children are like the to-morrow of society.

--_Whately._

284

Children think not of what is past, nor what is to come, but enjoy the present time, which few of us do.

--_Bruyere._

285

_Children_--I love these little people; and it is not a slight thing when they, who are so fresh from God, love us.

--_Dickens._

286

Love of children is always the indication of a genial nature, a pure and unselfish heart.

287

MY CHILDREN.

What use to me the gold and silver hoard?
What use to me the gems most rich and rare?
Brighter by far--aye! bright beyond compare--
The joys my children to my heart afford!

288

Children need models rather than critics.

--_Joseph Joubert._

289

_Spurgeon said_: "With children we must mix gentleness with firmness; they must not always have their own way, but they must not always be thwarted. If we never have headaches through rebuking them, we shall have plenty of heartaches when they grow up. If you yield up your authority once, you will hardly ever get it again."

290

Parents deserve reproof when they refuse to benefit their children by proper discipline.

291

My dearest pastime is with children.

292

Children are poor men's riches.

293

Nothing has a better effect upon children than praise.

--_Sir P. Sidney._

294

_Their Little Needs_--It is often asserted that both men and women would be selfish beings but for children. They call out, and refine, and soften the best feelings of the parental heart. Their little needs are so many, and their simple ignorance so affecting, and their very caprices so winning, that love and attention flow out to them almost instinctively.

That must be a hardened nature which can be unmoved by the soft touch, the playful childishness, and the hundred little pranks of a baby.

--_Unknown._

295

You can not expect better manners from your children than you teach them. They imitate instinctively.

296

Children should be taught early to sympathize with the deformed, the crippled, and otherwise unfortunate beings: A little dwarfed girl in one of our great cities committed suicide a few years ago because she was so weary of being laughed at and ridiculed by her associates in the streets and at school.

An old street pedlar was set upon by school children and so annoyed and misused that he became insane.

297

MY CHILDREN STILL.

A young preacher recently called upon an eminent Divine, and in the course of conversation asked him how many children he had. "Four, sir," was the reply. At the supper-table, the visitor perceived two beautiful children seated by the side of the mother. Turning to his host, he said, "I thought you had four children, sir: Where are the other two?" Lifting his eyes, the holy man of God pointed upwards, while a sweet smile broke over his countenance. "They are in Heaven," he repeated slowly and calmly; "yet my children still: not dead, but gone before."

298

Dr. Samuel Johnson once said, "Above all, accustom your children constantly to tell the truth; without varying in any circumstance." A lady who heard him said, "Nay, this is too much, for a little variation in narrative must happen a thousand times a day, if one is not perpetually watching." "Well, madam," said the Doctor, "you ought to be perpetually watching."

299

He knows not what love is, that has no children.

300

Children are travelers newly arrived in a strange country; we should therefore make conscience not to mislead them.

301

IT'S ONLY ME.

A lady had two children--both girls. The elder was a fair child; the younger a beauty, and the mother's pet. Her whole love centered in it. The elder was neglected, while "Sweet" (the pet name of the younger) received every attention that affection could bestow. One day, after a severe illness, the mother was sitting in the parlor, when she heard a childish footstep on the stairs, and her thoughts were instantly with the favorite.

"Is that you, Sweet?" she enquired.

"No, mamma," was the sad, touching reply, "it isn't Sweet: it's only me."

The mother's heart smote her; and from that hour "only me" was restored to an equal place in her affections.

302

Children are usually what their mothers were, or are.

--_Landor._

303

Be careful to discountenance in children anything that looks like rage and furious anger.

--_Tillotson._

304

Children will grow up substantially what they are by nature--and only that.

--_Mrs. Stowe._

305

_St. Luke, xxiv, 29_--"Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent."

(Two of the disciples to our Lord on the way to Emmaus.)

306

DESCRIPTION OF THE PERSON OF JESUS CHRIST.

The following description is alleged to be derived from an ancient manuscript sent by Publius Lentellus, President of Judea, to the Senate of Rome:

"There lives at this time in Judea, a man of singular
character, whose name is Jesus Christ. The barbarians esteem
Him as their prophet; but His followers adore Him as the
immediate offspring of the immortal God. He is endowed with
such unparalleled virtue as to call back the dead from their
graves and to heal every kind of disease with a word or a
touch. His person is tall and elegantly shaped; His aspect,
amiable and reverend; His hair flows in those beauteous shades
which no united colors can match, falling in graceful curls
below His ears, agreeably couching on His shoulders, and
parting on the crown of His head; His dress, that of the sect
of Nazarites; His forehead is smooth and large; His cheeks
without blemish, and of roseate hue; His nose and mouth are
formed with exquisite symmetry; His beard is thick and
suitable to the hair of His head, reaching a little below His
chin, and parting in the middle below; His eyes are clear,
bright, and serene.

"He rebukes with mildness, and invokes with the most tender
and persuasive language--His whole address, whether in word or
deed, being elegantly grave, and strictly characteristic of so
exalted a being. No man has seen Him laugh, but the whole
world beholds Him weep frequently, and so persuasive are His
tears that the whole multitude can not withhold their tears
from joining in sympathy with Him. He is moderate, temperate,
and wise; in short, whatever the phenomenon may turn out in
the end, He seems at present to be a man of excellent beauty
and Divine perfection, every way surpassing man."

307

LAST SUPPER.

To turn one's back on the Memorial Supper is to disregard the most tender, and loving, and melting of all our Saviour's commandments. It is not needful to know just how obedience will help us. It is enough to know that it was His dying command that we keep it till He come.

--_Henry M. Grout._

308

No man ought to profess the name of Christ who is not willing to do the deeds of Christ.

309

Our Saviour is represented everywhere in Scripture as the special patron of the poor and afflicted.

--_Atterbury._

310

IS NOT THIS THE CARPENTER?

_Mark, vi, 3._

Yes, yes, a Carpenter, same trade as mine.
It warms my heart as I read that line.
I can stand the hard work, I can stand the poor pay,
For I'll see that Carpenter at no distant day.

--_From Thoughts for Every-day Living._

311

He that thinks he hath no need of Christ hath too high thoughts of himself. He that thinks Christ can not help him hath too low thoughts of Christ.

--_John Mason._

312

A Christian is the highest style of man.

--_Young._

313

He that is a good man, is three-quarters of his way towards the being a good Christian, wheresoever he lives, or whatsoever he is called.

--_South._

314

There is no fire without heat,
No light without brightness,
No voice without sound,
No water without moisture,
And there is no Christian
Who is not Christlike.

--_Rev. L. W. Irwin._

315

As Henry Drummond, on board a government packet, was steaming away from that group of islands known as the New Hebrides, after having visited the missions there, he was asked by a fellow-passenger who had been visiting the islands for a very different purpose, what good the missionary had been to those people. "My dear young man," said Drummond, "only for the missionary, you and I, instead of being in this cabin, would probably by this time have been inside some of those savages, as you call them, who waved us such an affectionate farewell from their shores." Yes, Christianity is now recognized the world over, as foremost among the moral forces that are civilizing the dark corners of the earth. Even Matthew Arnold was forced to admit that there is no civilization without it. "Show me," he said, "ten square miles outside of Christianity where the life of man or woman is safe, and I'll throw over Christianity at once."

--_From the Missionary Outlook._

316

Christmas is truly merry only to those who think of others.

317

PLENTY OF ROOM.

A visiting bishop, in Washington, was arguing with a senator on the desirability of attending church. At last he put the question squarely: "What is your personal reason for not attending?"

The senator smiled in a no-offense-intended way, as he replied: "The fact is, one finds so many hypocrites there."

Returning the smile, the bishop said:

"Don't let that keep you away, senator; there's always room for one more."

--_Evening Post._

318

Some bring their clothes to church rather than themselves.

319

Bare communion with a good church can never alone make a good man.

--_Dr. South._

320

HOW THE CHURCH MUST GROW.

It has seemed sometimes in recent years as if the deaths were more than the births. This has brought home to the Church the absolute need of the revival of religion if Christianity is not to perish from the world which it has re-made. The Church is not an establishment in the world, but an encampment. She has no natural increase. She lives only by capture, by winning over from the world the citizens that make her number. One must arm another with the Christian panoply, if the Church is to continue.

--_The British Weekly._

321

HOW TO WARM UP THE CHURCH.

I was once preaching in Scotland, and when I got to the church it was so cold that I could see my breath three feet away, said Rev. D. L. Moody. I said to the "beadle," as they call him:

"Aren't you going to have any heat in this building?"

He said they had no stoves or any other provision for heat.

"Well, how do you expect people to get warm?"

"Oh!" he said, "we expect the pulpit to warm us up."

NOTE: _In Dr. Guthrie's Autobiography_, vol. I, page 125--Describing the first church he became pastor of, in Arbirlot, in 1830, he says: "As to stoves, they were never thought of--the pulpit had to keep the people warm."

322

LATE CHURCH-GOERS.

A minister, observing that some of his people made a practice of coming in very late, and after a considerable part of the sermon was over, determined that they should feel the force of public reproof. One day, therefore, as they entered the place of worship at their usual late hour, the minister, addressing his congregation, said: "But, my hearers, it is time for us now to conclude, for here are our friends just come to fetch us home."

We may easily conjecture what the parties felt at this curious but pointed address.

--_Anon._

323

BOTH KEPT AWAKE IN CHURCH.

A country minister in Scotland, who was much annoyed by two members of his congregation, Macpherson and Macintosh, sleeping during the sermon, hit upon a way to put an end to this state of matters. Calling on Macintosh, he said: "By the way, Mr. Macintosh, have you ever noticed Mr. Macpherson sleeping during the sermon?" "Many a time," replied Macintosh, virtuously. "Well, next Sunday you might sit beside Macpherson and try and keep him awake." "I'll do that sir," said Macintosh. Then the minister went to Macpherson and went through the same programme concerning Macintosh.

Next Sunday it was highly amusing to those in the secret to see Macintosh and Macpherson sitting next to each other, both perfectly wide awake.

324

When once thy foot enters the church, beware, God is more there than thou; for thou art there only by His permission. Then beware and make thyself all reverence and fear.

--_Herbert._

325

Take the child to church, whether he likes it or not. What he likes has nothing to do with it; what is best for him is the only question.

--_Bishop Vincent._

326

There are two classes of people in the church; the one is made up of those who do the hard work of the church, and the other of those who sit at home and--criticise.

--_Lutheran Weekly._

327

Men are dependent on circumstances, and not circumstances on men.

--_Herodotus._

328

A great merchant was asked by what means he contrived to realize so large a fortune as he possessed. His reply was: "Friend, by one article alone, in which thou may'st deal too if thou pleasest--civility."

329

Civility is a desire to receive civility, and to be accounted well-bred.

--_Rochefoucauld._

330

The clergyman who lives in the city may have piety, but he must have taste.

--_Emerson._

331

AN IDEAL.

Before me on the mantel-block,
There ticks a busy little clock--
The measurer of time.
It never stops or tries to shirk;
Unceasingly it plies its work
With zeal almost sublime.

Oh could I work as steadily,
Oh could I just as faithful be,
As this minute machine--
My life would be filled with success,
with industry,
with usefulness,
and happiness serene.

_M. in Hampden-Sidney Magazine._

332

I do not envy a clergyman's life as an easy life, nor do I envy the clergyman who makes it an easy life.

--_Dr. Johnson._

333

A clergyman should never come tired before his people, but rather like an engine when it leaves the round-house, oiled, equipped with fuel and water, and with all its strength waiting to be put forth.

334

In his last annual report, President Eliot states that the average age of students entering Harvard is eighteen years of age and ten months. He then intimates that if students could be induced to enter college earlier, as they did in Emerson's time, there would be fewer failures.

335

When musing on companions gone
We doubly feel ourselves alone.

336

"Aye gang (always go) wi' them that's better than yerself."

--_Old Scotch Saying._

If this was done generally, there would be a levelling up, instead of a levelling down.

337

Pleasant company shortens the miles.

338

COMPENSATION.

Mothers of many, with envious eyes,
Gaze as I drive through the evening cool,
Swift as I pass them, we mingle our sighs,
For my arms are empty--and theirs over-full.

"See her," they say, "with her laces and pearls!
All for the rich! 'Tis the world's common rule.
We have but rags for our boys and our girls;
Empty our pockets--her coffers are full."

Mothers! To yours, tender voices reply,
Little ones' hands at your skirts softly pull;
Widowed and lonely and childless am I,
Empty my heart--though my coffers are full.

--_Gus Gordon._

339

POOR AND RICH.

Art thou poor, yet hast thou golden slumbers?
O sweet content!
Art thou rich, yet is thy mind perplexed?
O punishment!

340

Every one must see daily instances of people who complain, from a mere habit of complaining.

--_Graves._

341

A compliment is usually accompanied with a bow, as if to beg pardon for paying it.

--_J. C. Hare._

342

Illuminate me with a ray of your intelligence!

343

Deference is the most complicate, the most indirect, and the most elegant of all compliments.

344

_Legitimate Sport_--Those who fish for compliments deserve to get a bite.

345

To attempt to advise conceited people is like whistling against the wind.

--_Hood._

346

Never seem wiser, nor more learned, than the people you are with.

347

I've never any pity for conceited people, because I think they carry their comfort about with them.

348

Conceit may puff a man up, but never prop him up.

--_Ruskin._

349

Many persons are obliged to their imagination for more than three-fourths of their importance.

350

Discuss your plans with many, decide on them with few, or by yourself.

351

Between right and wrong never waver a moment.

--_From the German._

352

Confidence always gives pleasure to the man in whom it is placed.

353

No one so sure but he may miss.

--_Dutch._

354

Don't cry hurrah till you are over the bridge.

--_From the German._

355

Confidence is a plant of slow growth in an aged bosom.

--_Wm. Pitt._

356

He who knows the road, can ride at full trot.

--_From the Italian._

357

Never put much confidence in those who put no confidence in others.

--_Hare._

358

A good conscience is sometimes sold for money, but never bought with it.

359

Money dishonestly acquired is never worth its cost, while a good conscience never costs as much as it is worth.

360

A clear conscience is a good pillow.

--_Kingsley._

361

A quiet conscience makes one so serene!

362

Conscience is the chamber of justice.

--_Origen._

363

Conscience may be said to be the voice of God within us.

--_Aughey._

364

Conscience, that sound of God in the human heart, whose "still small voice" the loudest revelry can not drown.

--_W. H. Harrison._

365

_Consistency_--Thou art a jewel!

366

Is there no constancy in earthly things?
No happiness in us, but what must alter?

367

Do even as you will, that this dispute live not between us as a consuming fire forever!

368

CONTENTION--AVOIDING OF.

Where two discourse, if the one's anger rise,
The man who lets the contest fall is wise.

--_Plutarch._

369

"I never complained of my condition but once," said an old man, "when my feet were bare and I had no money to buy shoes; but I met a man without feet, and became contented."

370

It is right to be contented with what we have, but never with what we are.

--_Sir James Mackintosh._

371

A favorite saying of the beloved Dr. John A. Broaddus was: "It is better to like what you have, than to have what you like."

--_Christian Observer._

372

If you live according to nature, you never will be poor; if according to the world's caprice, you never will be rich.

373

Happy the man, whose wish and care
A few paternal acres bound,
Content to breathe his native air
In his own ground.

374

Since we have loaves, let us look not for cakes.

--_Spanish._

375

To be content with little is difficult; to be content with much--impossible.

--_Marie Ebner Eschenbach._

376

If thou hast but little, make it not less by murmuring.

--_Quarles._

377

Contentment will make a cabbage look as fair as a palace.

--_W. Secker._

378

May we never murmur without a cause, nor have cause to murmur.

379

He that is rich need not live sparingly, and he that can live sparingly need not be rich.

380

Some have too much, yet still do crave;
I have little, and seek no more:
They are but poor, though much they have,
And I am rich with little store;
They poor, I rich; they beg, I give;
They lack, I have; they pine, I live.

--_Sir Edward Dyer, (Died 1607.)_

381

If all the gems of earth were mine
And wealth and power were to me sent,
How infinitely poor I'd be
Without content.

--_Annie W. McCoy._

382

Is it possible to find perfect contentment? Some one once said:--"The secret of perfect contentment is, that there isn't any."

383

"It is a great blessing to possess what one wishes," said one to an ancient philosopher, who replied, "It is a greater blessing still, not to desire what one does not possess."

384

Contentment is a pearl of great price, and whoever procures it at the expense of ten thousand desires, makes a wise and happy purchase.

--_J. Balgury._

385

He that deserves nothing should be content with anything.

386

He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.

--_Epictetus._

387

When the well is dry, then we all know the worth of water.

388

In conversation avoid the extremes of
Forwardness
and Reserve.

--_Cato._

389

_Conversation._--To please others we should talk on subjects they like and that interest them; avoid disputes, seldom ask questions, and never let them see that we pretend to be better informed than they are.

--_Rochefoucauld._

390

The first ingredient in conversation is truth, the next good sense, the third good humor, and the fourth wit.

--_Sir W. Temple._

391

Conversation is the music of the mind; an intellectual orchestra, where all the instruments should bear a part, but where none should play together.

--_Colton._

392

Never argue in society; if any person differs from you, bow, and turn the conversation.

--_Beaconsfield._

393

I never, with important air,
In conversation overbear.

--_Gay's Fables._

394

One of the best rules in conversation is, never say a thing which any of the company can reasonably wish had been left unsaid.

--_Swift._

395

_Conversation._--As it is the mark of great minds to say many things in a few words, so it is that of little minds to use many words to say nothing.

"So much they talked, so very little said."

396

To say nothing charmingly is a great gift.

397

_Conversation._--In general those who nothing have to say contrive to spend the longest time in doing it.

--_An Oriental Apologue._

398

With thee conversing, I forget all time.

--_Milton._

399

It is better to turn back than to go astray.

--_From the German._

400

He who converses with no one, learns nothing.

401

As rust corrupts iron, so envy corrupts man.

--_Antisthenes._

402

_Corporations have no souls_:--Lord Chancellor Thurlow said, "that corporations have neither bodies to be punished, nor souls to be condemned; they therefore do as they like."

403

Corruption is a tree, whose branches are
Of an unmeasurable length: they spread
Ev'rywhere; and the dew that drops from thence
Hath infected some chairs and stools of authority.

--_Beaumont and Fletcher._

404

The thatched cottage where one is merry, is preferable to a palace where one weeps.

--_From the Chinese._

405

Good counsel never comes too late.

--_German._

406

From a safe port 'tis easy to give counsel.

407

He that winna be counselled canna be helped.

--_Scotch._

408

In many counsellors there is safety.

--_From the Latin._

409

Cheerful looks make every dish a feast,
And 'tis that, that crowns a welcome.

--_Massinger._

410

The countenance is frequently more expressive than the tongue.

411

A pleasing countenance is no slight advantage.

--_Duport._

412

A smiling countenance indicates courtesy, joy, good humor and happiness.

413

The character of a man's native country is as strongly impressed on his mind as its accent is on his tongue.

--_Rochefoucauld._

414

RURAL LIFE.

The fact that the following verses are heard to-day proves their "convenience," to say the least, for they were written by William Livingston in 1747:----

Mine be the pleasure of a rural life,
From noise remote, and ignorant of strife,
Far from the painted belle and white-gloved beau,
The lawless masquerade, and midnight show,
From lapdogs, courtiers, garters, stars,
Fops, fiddlers, tyrants, emperors, and czars!

--_Christian Advocate_

415

THE COUNTRY.

A breath of unadulterated air,
The glimpse of a green pasture, how they cheer
The citizen, and brace his languid frame.
Even in the stifling bosom of the town;
A garden, in which nothing thrives, has charms
That soothe the rich possessor.
And are these not all proofs that man immured
In cities, still retains his inborn inextinguishable
Thirst of rural scenes, compensating his loss
By supplemental shifts the best he may?

416

LOVE OF COUNTRY.

Breathes there the man, with soul so dead,
Who never to himself hath said,
"This is my own--my Native Land!"
Whose heart hath ne'er within him burned
As home his footsteps he hath turned
From wandering on a foreign strand?
If such there breathe, go--mark him well;
For him no minstrel raptures swell;
High though his titles, proud his name,
Boundless his wealth as wish can claim--
Despite those titles, power and pelf,
The wretch, concentred all in self,
Living, shall forfeit fair renown,
And, doubly dying, shall go down
To the vile dust from whence he sprung,
Unwept, unhonored, and unsung.

--_Sir Walter Scott._

417

The wise men of Greece were asked which was the best governed country. Clemenese replied, "the people who have more respect for the laws than the orators."

418

He who loves not his country, can love nothing.

419

A great deal of talent is lost to the world for the want of courage.

--_S. Smith._

420

Life is not so short but that there is always time enough for courtesy.

--_Emerson._

421

The courtesy with which I receive a stranger, and the civility I show him, form the background on which he paints my portrait.

422

Courtesy on one side, never lasts long.

423

Men dream in courtship, but in wedlock wake.

--_Pope._

424

_Courtship and Marriage._--"Their courtship was carried on in poetry." Alas! many a pair have courted in poetry, and after marriage lived in prose.

--_Foster._

425

Courtship may be said to consist of a number of quiet attentions, not so pointed as to alarm, nor so vague as not to be understood.

--_Sterne._

426

_Covetousness._--A young man once picked up a sovereign lying in the road. Ever afterward, in walking along, he kept his eye fixed steadily upon the ground in hopes to find another. And in the course of a long life he did pick up, at different times, a goodly number of coins, gold and silver. But all these years, while he was looking for them, he saw not that the heavens were bright above him, and nature beautiful around. He never once allowed his eye to look up from the mud and filth in which he sought his treasure; and when he died--a rich old man--he only knew this fair earth as a dirty road to pick up money as you walk along. Thus you see the desire of having is the sin of covetousness.

--_Dr. Jeffrey._

427

The coward only threatens when he is secure.

--_Goethe._

428

The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.

429

Credit, like a looking-glass, broken once, is gone, alas!

430