IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) % .^^ 1.0 I.I 11.25 m m u IK 140 U 11.6 phntnoranhir Sciences Corporation 23 WBT MAIN STMiT WIBSTIR.N.Y. t4S«0 (716)t73-4S03 1 ^ CIHM ICIMH i Microfiche Collection de Series microfiches (l\/lonographs) (monographies) Canadian Inttituta for Historical IMicroraproductiont / Inatitut Canadian da microraproduction* historiquas ^9U ■A kl rfMMi Ttchnical and Bibliographic Nota« / Notts tachniquts at bibliographiquat Tha Inttituta has attamptad to obtain tha bast original copy availabia for filming. Faaturat cf ttiii copy which may ba bibliographically uniqua, which may altar any of tha images in tha reproduction, or which may (ignificantly changa tha usual mathod of filming, ara chackad tialow. 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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. 32t 1 2 3 4 5 6 '•«-^ >» '.r *'^<' %■■••'. ■ i'^ - ■ ' ,0 vr *^ ; , '■■■ 4 •**■' iu»j ouiig fcuc iiyiim ne whispered to the chaplain, " I am going," and his happy 10 STRAY BEAMS FROM THE CROSa spirit leffc the roar of batMp fn,. *i, lasting neaee Z. *^® '"^^fion of ever- awij^ peace. Some years aeo one of *i.^ v ^ he had ftl . ^°"^ ^ '*^^'»«»- tlmt took fire • ne had the presence of mind to fiy n i;p« ' himself and wife bnf Z 1 ^^fe-preserver on all on board Jere try 11.. "'T '' ^''^'''' "^«« snatched from hTs X^h r7' '^^™««^-^«' «ome one found hers Jf he^ll! . ^^[^-preserver, so that she "'Rock of Ages.'" recdv^d sfJn ft f 7^' '"'"^ approaching, and they received strength to keep afloat till the crew lifted "Rock of Ages." The cliffs that wafi»h the sas -- « i -^n tne sea ure swept away by the ROCK OF AGES. 11 ^ of ever- the Fisk took fire ; server on lir, when some one that she clung to loulders, time her longer," ^er hus- " Let us angry surges, the beds of granite grow hoary with age, and while the thrones of mighty empires have crumbled into dust, the "Rock of Ages" remains. They who stand on any other foundation are like birds which build their nests in the trees by the river side. They sing in the branches, and the river sings below, but all the time the water is undermining their foundation. But birds that hide their young in the cliffs of the rocks are undisturbed, and after every winter come again, to find their nests awaiting them, and all 'heir life-long brood in the same places. They who build on the " Rock of Ages " need have no cause for fear when the last storm sweeps earth and sea. Jus fell ■y ^\ ere mother seen to in the 'g, and faintly 1 they lifted nn, on Bsence * y the THE MYSTERY. " The clouds hang heavy round my way I cannot see; But through the darkness I believe ' God leadeth me. 'Tis sweet to keep my hand in His, While all is dim; To close my weary, aching eyes. And follow Him. Through many a thorny path He leads My tired feet; Through many a path of tears I go, But it is sweet. To know that He is close to me, My God, my Guide; He leadeth me, and so I walk, • Quite satisfied." ^UMAN life resembles a road which ends in a precipice, and advance we must. There is «„ ~ib.e power over impelling ..s Jnwld . The door mto eternity is always open and wh» t:z^''^, rr-' ''-"^ *"»'«''«£«:' wnen n could be said there is no snirif «« u i . . - -irn^y. riie pa.h .o tne grave never lacks a traveller, THE MYSTERY. 18 and as the sound of one footstep dies away, another is heard following up in close succession. Kinjjs with their crowns, statesmen with the business of a realm, warriors with their honours, and the millions of mankind, are ever passing through the mysterious porch into the temple of eternity. The crowds we meet in our daily routine are travelling rapidly to the silent waiting-hall, where Adam meeteth with his chil- dren. The Rev. Mr. Carlyle describes man as standing between two curtains, the one veiling the infinite, the other shrouding in the thickest folds the mysterious future. This world is a changing scene. The grass that yesterday waved to the music of the wind, to-day lies shrivelled in the field. The flowers that sparkle with the dew-drop of the morning, and regale our homes with their fragrance, pale, wither and die. The majestic oak which has withstood for centuries the fierce blasts of the tempest, is in a moment riven by the lightning. The colossal palace succumbs to the hoary angel of time, and only a few broken columns mark the spot where it once stood. In like manner shall the most exalted in the ranks of mankind perish. Why so many are born, to fade so soon and die, is a problem beyond all finite conception, but it is far better to sip the cup of life than drain it to the dregs ; to enjoy one hour of rosy freshness than to linger through an old age of wrinkles, cares, and decrepitude ; better to gain the harbour early than to wage an uncertain warfare; to ea.sily win the wreath than 14 STRAY BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. ••Sometimes a noble fleet we see, In pnde and splendour put to sea; W.th swelling sails and hope that glow. Each vessel on he. pathway goes But scattered soon and tempest tossed. Full many a stately ship is lost.- Stncken. or wandering o'er the main. Ihey never put to port again. " eration Lf""^'" "°]"'^ "" "o'' ^"'o"' "onsid- we w n:'e.,i^7LTLtrt7 r V ways u ivmfif of sainf,«j" TK^ cm- yet too true, narradvo. may orveTs an • W "?• ''"''• There lived in H V i 7 ? *° """stration :— the mother an?~r'ehn£ ' l^"'"' """''^''"^ "' Thefatherof thisLn 1.^' ™' ^^^ ''<•«»'• find a ne;hoJ^ ■ /Z'Lt/Zf 'V"''*''' *" sufficiently to send enon„^t„ey^LS' •'''■"''"''' across the ocean, and the^ pTeZd t7f„, w "T,"^' was no ordinary mrl ««"-'=d. Every faculty of her body and mind had been strained to its utmost tension,, and, wealc and exhausted, she beea. e r-h':7t,tt-:;2ri:trtfh^r The new home provided hv i-h^ f„*u beautiful prairie of Illinoi, and t w ™' T "'' when they reached New York hev'shoTfr' ""' thither TKo ;ii /.,. ^ should proceed ^ewX.t,tr i^^tt ttr af LLt'^ " follow in . f,. ,,,, °Thrnr":,.:r';',"« ] rd t'' bne voyage of her atorm-tosseu ia'e was ended U wou d ,h^, ^,^ p^^p^^^ _^^ ^^^ 1 fe Tad b en for the family only, and now that she had lived Hilot dteaTd"/" ,"'" '"'"'™' P-'-'» ■>" work wa uone, aad it only remained for her to die. Whv a Z ^e^ " -ttroTr °^^' ""- ''pp-Sthe;: "i'-v* t.^ ,j^ nope 01 rest. nnnA nor, >on t - i • ' "'""^ »'«i^- -Looking at m^ THE MYSTERY. 17 he crcumstances of human existence, there are some things far beyond the province of natural phi Zhy to explain and whicli faith alone can reconcile wth To those whose mind is not staid by a firir- frnof ana hnish of the condition of tilings here, th. life of hi8 dear girl is inexplicable. Her end and h„ can say .,, that they are somehow reconcilable in tl at vast circle of things, the entire circumference of whi'ch we are at present unable to discern. Like ma"! ^f her people, she rests in a strange land. Ttarha wrought such changes in that burial ground tTat W grave ,s lost to all human recognition. Bui there vervdifr "'' "'"' '"" ^'«''' <" ''■■'« whomL :7irnrtr sun of earthly life sinks beL^d fht'hori ^ ^2^^ so. Beyon.I the darkness of the present we .see fl,^ daylight of the future. We follow'the departed pLi of the tnamphant Christian, and far away from bXn homes and snaf.f.Aro^ f :i:— i. -^ ^""i uroKen f„ ., "" ' ^"'""""'-■^'irom graves and funernl« from.ghsand tears, .e see the region of eternaW 18 STRAY BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. shine. The final home is reached. Our Heavenly Father welcomes the pilgrim ; our elder brother joins the rapture of the angels; the festive board is spread, the heavenly choristers sing, and the banner of love waves over the scene ! Glorious prospect ! Rich con- solation ! Blessed beams of hope ! Should not such anticipations illume the darkness of the present, and ought not the thought of a home in heaven reconcile us to breaking up of the home on earth? •ss. )ur Heavenly brother joins )ard is spread, inner of love t ! Rich con- 3uld not such 1 present, and iven reconcile "BILLY" DAWSON. Amongst some of the most popular lay preach- n ers of Methodism may be mentioned Hick Car^^ssa, Mortimer, Greenbury. Marsden,' Brooks, and William Dawson, better known as Billy Dawson,' who was one of the most popular preachers of his day. He was zealous, earnest and vigorous, and in imaginative power, graphic delinea- tion, and constructive phraseology had few equals- no superior. He was homely in his style of utterance and eccentric m his ideas, but was welcomed in all the churches. His provincialisms were no barrier to Dr. C arke the scholar and biblical critic, to listen to this plain, Yorkshire farmer. William Dawson was born at Garforth, Yorkshire England, in the year 1773. His father was a farmer and colliery steward to Sir Thomas Gascoigne. After his conversion, he divided his time between looking after his stock and crops, holding revival services, and advocating the cause of missions and other benevolent objects. He preached and spoke in his everv-day a.ure-drab breeches (commonly worn in those days) and top-boots, which added somewhat to the piquancy 20 STRAY BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. of his ministrations. He was a great mimic, and could portray character to perfection. His voice was full, and at times startling. He used to give as a reason for his lung-power, that when a child he was such a great screamer that every person in the neigh- bourhood wished him dead but his mother. He never studied his sermons, except, perhaps, for half" an lour before entering the pulpit ; hence, being impromptu, they were rough, unpolished expressions of his thoughts as they weUe^d up in his fertile mind, and were deliv- ered without much coherence. He spoke in the dialect of the West Riding of Yorkshire, but this rendered him the more acceptable, as his auditors, of whatever class, understood every word he said, which was not the case when they listened to the more cultivated and polished preachers. But what he lacked in oratorical finish was amply made up in the fervency of his style. the originality of his ideas, and the boldness with which he lashed the frailties and sins of his hearers ; and his popularity was such that he was in constant demand to preach special sermons, and was the means of turning many from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God. In 1836 the sum of ten thousand dollars was subscribed to purchase for him an annuity that he might devote the whole of his time to preaching the Gospel, upon which he gave up his farm at Barnbow. Had he received a secular and theological training, he would have ranked as one of the first orators of his d.ay. His most famous sermon was " Death on the Pale Horse " (Rev. vi. 8), which he DSS. "BILLF" DAWSON. 21 imic, and could voice was full, ^e as a reason i he was such in the neigh- ler. He never r half" an 1 our ig impromptu, )f his thoughts ad were deliv- i in the dialect this rendered s, of whatever hich was not cultivated and d in oratorical 3y of his style, boldness with C his hearers; as in constant and was the i to light, and 1836 the sum D purchase for s whole of his sh he gave up a secular and ked as one of imous Scfnion . 8), which he »/ was frequently requested to preach, and was always listened to with bated breath and rapt attention I remember reading a book some years ago, which I think was entitled "The Great English Preacher;- by an American critic. In his tour through Encrland hehad the pleasure of hearing William Dawson preach. I he subject happened to be " Death on the Pale Horse " The author tells us. as well as I can remember, that it would be impossible to give an adequate idea of the energy of the preacher's style, the wonderful effect produced by the modulation of his voice, his fervent utterances and graphic power, which seemed almost to project a living and visible realization of the scene before the eyes of his auditors. In the closing remarks of his sermon he cried out, "Come and see! The sinner IS on the broad road to ruin; every step takes him nearer hell and farther from heaven. Onward, onward he IS going ; Death and Hell are after him ; untiringly they pursue him. With swift but noiseless hoof the pale horse and his paler rider are tracking the godless wretch. hhn »'' A^Z ''' "'"'"' '" ^'"^•' '^^y ^'' overtaking hi.n ! At this moment, so perfect was the stillness ot the congregation that the ticking of the clock could be distinctly heard in every part of the. church, and taking advantage of the circumstance, and without any seeming interruption, leaning over the pulpit in the attitude of attention, he fixed his eyes upon those who sat immediately beneath, and, in an almost super- natural manner, continued : " Hark ! hark ! here they come ! Ihat is their untiring footstep ! Hark ' hark i" V • i 22 STRAY BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. and then, imitating the beating of the pendulum, he exclaimed in the highest pitch of his voice : " Save the sinner ! save him ! See ! the bony arm is raised, the dart IS poised ! Oh ! my God, save him ! save him ! for, if death strikes him, he falls into hell, and as he falls he shrieks, ' Lost ! lost ! lost ! Time lost ! Sab- baths lost ! Means of grace lost ! Heaven lost ' All lost! lost! lost!'" The effect was so powerful that two of his congregation fainted, and it required all the preacher's tact and self-command to pass through the excitement wHich his own brilliant fancy and vivid imagination had roused. Dr. J. R. Robinson, of Leeds, says that "it is more than fifty years since I heard ' Billy Dawson ' preach from Psalm xl. 2 : ' He brought me up also out of an horrible pit,' etc., and the sermon is so deeply im- pressed on my mind that the lapse of time does not seem to weaken the impression. The forceful, vivid language in which he described the horrible nature of the pit, and the hideous aspect of the slimy reptiles crawling about and sending out their forked tongues with hissing noises, I can never forget. The miry clay, which was so tenacious in its hold, so diffi- cult to be drawn from, and the marvellous chancre when the rescued felt their feet safe on the solid rock, was exceedingly well portrayed, assisted as was his description by the most remarkable changes of coun- tenance I ever saw." ^ On another occasion, when preaching on David and Goliath, his description of the mass of humanity V- iSS. pendulum, he ;e : " Save the is raised, the a ! save him ! 11, and &!i he 3 lost ! Sab- en lost! All )owerful that quired all the through the 3y and vivid J " it is more vson' preach so out of an ) deeply im- ime does not rceful, vivid ijle nature of ^imy reptiles •ked tongues The miry old, so diffi- lous change e solid rock, I as v^as his ;es of coun- 1 David and f humanity " BILLY " DAWSON. 23 called Goliath— his heavy armour; his utter contempt for the stripling that was to come out to oppose him • his threat to give his flesh to the fowls of the air and the beasts of the Held ; the trusting confidence of David, who expressed himself in the well-known words that all "the earth may know that there is a God m Israel ;"-the slinging of the stone, which was buried m the forehead of Goliath, causing the reelino- and falling of the giant to the ground-was a master" piece of vivid representation. David was then por- trayed as standing with his foot on Goliath's neck with sword uplifted, which was so graphically put that a man who was standing on the steps of the pulpit, unable to restrain his feelings, shouted " Off with his head, Billy I" Mr Dawson once preached at Colne, in Lancashire, on The Flood-just the subject for such a preacher to handle. After describing the building of the ark and the insults heaped on Noah by the scoffing multitudes he opened the pulpit door and represented the animals entering the ark in pairs, and the birds coming on swift wings. Standing as near the pulpit seat as he could, as if to let the quadrupeds pass him, he shouted as he looked down the pulpit steps, "Here they come !" and so striking was the scene brought out, by voice and gesture, that to the people It seemed a reality. Then he described the patriarch and his family entering the ark, and no sooner had they crossed the threshold when he shouted, with a voice that startled every person in the church, and 24 STRAY BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. God shut the door!" at the same time he closed the T f xf '/" P'*^ ""'^^ ^''^^ ^^'^^' He then repre- sented the falling of the rain, first in gentle showers, then m torrents; the wailing of the crowd outside, crymgm the most pitiful tones for admittance; the angry waves chasing the terrified people from hill to hill, the roaring of the fountains of the great deep breaking up, the shrieks of the dying men and women fighting for standing room, and the waters covering the highest mountain and sweeping into eternity the last of that sinful race. A gentleman who heard the sermon told me it seemed as if he could hear the ram beating furiously on the roof of the church and the dying multitudes appealing for mercy It was a sermon never to be forgotten. This same famous preacher preached the funeral sermon of the Rev. David Stoner. Every seat of the church was occupied, and the aisles crowded. Leaning over the rulpit, and pointing to the floor, he said : "See > See ' there is a silver trumpet lying there, who will pick it up and blow It ? » Many of the people rose from their seats and looked towards the spot, as if it were a reality It is said that the Kev. Barnabas Shaw was present on that occasion, and there and then dedicated his life to the service of Christ, and was afterwards sent as a missionary to Fiji, and found a martyr's grave early in life. ^ Mr. Dawson once preached in the neighbourhood of Leeds, on Dan. v. 27 : " Thou art wei_^hf^d in t^o bal ances and art found wanting." A person who travelled "BILLY" DAWSON. 25 the country in the character of a pedlar, and was exceedingly partial to him as a preacher, was one of Dawson's auditors. The pedlar generally carried a stick with him, which answered the double purpose of a walking-stick and a yard measure, and having been employed freely in the former capacity, it was worn down beyond the point of justice, and procured for him the appellation of " Short measure." Taking up a prominent position in the front of the preacher, and being rather noisy in his religious professions, as well as ready with his responses, he manifested signs of approbation while the scales were being described and adjusted, and the different classes of sinners were placed m them and disposed of agreeably to the test of justice, mercy and truth,-uttering in a somewhat sub- dued tone, yet loud enough for those around him to hear at the close of each particular case, « Light-weight -short again." After taking up separate classes of flagrant transgressors of the law of God-the hypocrite and the formalist-Mr. Dawson at length came to such persons as possessed the semblance of much zeal, but who "employed false weights and measures." Here without having adverted in his mind to the case of the noisy pedlar, he perceived the muscles of his face working when the report of "short measure " occurred to mm. Resolved, however, to soften no previous ex- pression, and to proceed with an analysis and descrip- tion of the character in question, he placed the delin- quent in ms singular, striking way, on the scale, when, instead of the usual response, the man, stricken before rrr 26 STRAY BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. bv both ™rf. J . '^ off-'iJing instrument ht d!*^ 'T'lf " ''"•''' ''^'^o^- -'Claiming, as merer ^' ^"""''' "^''°" ^h"'' <'-' i' "« shir"7ha^:rnt'tb: >«"■"! «»-- !■-. i imve Deen m the room where he laid down he weapons of his earthly warfare. He had come whSTe ,17"\''^ "'""''' -"-ersarytmot wmeh he had done for twenty successive years He Z, *"''" '"^^'"^y "' "l'""' one o'clock on Sab • endrr"'"^' "■'' ^'^'^ '" * f'-- hours. He ?elt hi "Let us in life and death Thy steadfast truth declare, And publish with our latest breath Thy love and guardian care." Ell'tThe r'i"''''? ^""^ ^"'"^ "> Warwick, in Hlmot, to be buried, a distance of several miles As al tZ' ™f ^: ^'■'''' ^''"'"Sh the towns nd i- ages thousands of people turned out to pay their last andTZ,,? "'"*' """"y *"■"■» -darkness to light ■^tars m the flrmanent, so shines he in the kingdom of I THE BATTLE-SHIPS OF THE LORD OF HOSTS. |HERE are vessels which float the King's ensign that seldom go into action, but are generally found lying at anchor in the roadsteads. We purpose to note some of the most formid- able ships in the service of the King of kings. Out on the ocean yonder, battling with the enemy IS a large and noble vessel. Her crew is composed of gallant seamen, whose deeds of valour are worthy of being had in everlasting remembrance. That ship is the Episcopalian. One of the best equipped vessels in the fleet is the fine old war-ship, the Presbyterian. She has come out of many a battle with her yards stripped of canvas, but has never had to chronicle a defeat. Amongst the crew that manned her in other days was John Knox, the bravest of the brave ; the polished and classic Welch ; the massive and lion-hearted Chalmers • the heroic Candlish ; the stalwart Guthrie, grand old man. his brow furrowed with more than thirty years of active service. I can see him, with form erect, on the deck, his eyes piercing through the haze that cur- 28 STRAY BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. mstant .shore. It her present .seamen are equal in courage and nautical skill to those who served he n forme, j, ,,„ j„^„^^ .^ .^^^^^ ^^ ^_^^. _^^ J.er There g hdmg majestically over the rufled waters, Dart of h'"™^'' ^""'-"'^ ^'^■■™^- i" «^e early counter. John Banyan was one of her chief officers For twelve years he was confined in a mis^rb e' cause he wouM not cease to recruit for the K n^'s a book, whose or.g„al conception, grand and beauti- unrlalled /r " ./'P°"™°''' '"^ ^iven him an nnr,valled fame. At present, among her noble sea men .,, an officer by the name of Spurgeon. Hi eye gleaming with the fire of his enkindled soul h s form -pand.ng to its utmost height, and his lips Ivi™ with energy, he paces the deck, exclaimiL as he pmnts to the formidable batteries of Anti-CKrist These strongholds must be taken. Quick > Clelr stud fi:t;,vT'° "''' "" action !"^.Comra stand firmly by your guns, and never cease firintr till - you .see that flag, dripping with the blood of ™a"C hauled down." The command, ■■Blaze awav" rWs like a trumpet-blast from one end of the shiD to Z i::f thit '""T '"'' '- -^'' -^^ trbltC"! ^r:ir^^^ -: •■ How goes - ^.xco opai'geon. •• I already see n i THE BATTLE-SHIPS OP THE LORD OP HOSTS. 29 several breaches in the walls, sir," is the reply. " Quit yourselves like men ; be strong and fear not, for the Lord of Hosts is with us, and the God of Jacob is our refuge." " Let the Armstrongs of imperishable truth be brought to bear upon them." "Aye! aye! sir." " What shouts are those I hear fi-om the mast-head ? " " They are the shouts of victory, sir. The enemy has surrendered." The mariners man the yards, and there ascend the high and joyful strains of the old Hebrew faith : " God is our refuge and our strength, In straits a present aid, Therefore, although the earth remove We will not be afraid. " There riding upon the billows is the Congregation- ALIST. She has just come in from a cruise in the South Sea Islands, where John Williams, one of her bravest seamen, perished-a name that will live in the memory of men, when time has wiped out the names of the heroes of military fame from the sculptured marble of Westminster, and the fretted ivory of St. Paul's. Her present position in the service is second to none; and need we wonder, when she numbers amongst her crew such heroes as Newman Hall Theo- dore Cuyler, Dr. John Hall, Dr. Joseph Parker, and others. * Far to the north, where the moonbeams sleep on the glistening iceberg, is another ship, the Moravian. A more faithful crew ia nnf. fo ^"^ fo"^-^! ^'^ +^- --- and a most glorious reward awaits these devoted ser- vants of the King. 30 STBAV BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. CorainK into sight, under a heavy pre,,, of eanva., is the Methodist. The Wesley,, Cuke; Asbury 80*™! l«urheiT°*" ,"'"""*'■'• "y J^'vine'dfr ZI' inched th,s vessel into the worlds deep sea of am. ng rock, and qu>ck,sands ; an.l has hitherto sur- mounted every diffienlty She is „ado of th v" best matenal ; her tin.bers are branches from the tree of hfe ; her bolts, spike.,, pins, „„d „..„, ,,, ,/ ^ by Ommpotent power; and she is planked with sal vafon down to her keel. Her miste are hi,d, a"d tately, and every stay, .shroud, and rope i, m^ade of the sdken cord, of God's love. Hope i her anchor cSthrr;S''^^«°'-^'"^''"-P-.«nd She has on board millions of valiant sailors and the,r Captain often gives them a glorious chee whTle passmg through the storm, of life. He says, " Be ye fa.thf«l unto death, and I will give you a"^ ro™ ol I.te. The crew of this vessel are in earnest, and thev are determ.ned never to strike sail, or take n an „ch of canvas, tdl the world is conquered. They have given chase and boarded many a pirate This ship carries heavy guns, has an excellent fur- nace for makmg "red-hot" .shot; and large mor ars for sending shells into the City of Destruction. With these weapons of spiritual warfare, she has atormed faunhes, village,, towns, citie,, kingdom, „.a-.., „o !.„ ,h. .n^iuy see mat she never means to THE BATTLE-SHIPS OP THE LORD OP HOSTS. 31 surrender, but determined to gain a complete conquest. Her sailors are brave in battle, calm in dancrer and stand firmly by their guns. They have implidt confi- dence in their Captain, and give Him praise when they take a prize. " Fill her sails, ye heavenly breezes, Swiftly waft the ship along: Hark ! the sailors are rejoicing, Olory bursts from every tongue." These ships are all provided with provisions and instruments of navigation-" A perfect and infallible chart, a chronometer that only needs care in winding and a barometer that foretells all changes of weather They have their log-books and telescopes, and, besides these, they have means, by the faithful use of which though it needs no little skill and attention, they can detect the direction and strength of unseen tides and umler-currents. They are, indeed, provided with everything likely to make the voyage prosperous sure, and successful." How many there are who have their names on the service list, but that is about all we can say about them. They may reach the shore with their lives, but It will be at midnight, surrounded by roarin*. tern- pests, full of bitter remembrances and most tormenting teaiu They may gain the port, for " the Lord is good, and His mercy endureth for ever." But who shall describe the condition of those who reiuse to be saved — rlrivoTi ^nf f^ --.- • n ., . - — i--.i oui: CO oCji in ail tneir wickedness, not even allowed a quarantine within I! I 32 STRAY BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. sight of the heavenly Jerusalem, but obliged to drift about, dismantled and disabled, amid the darkness of eternal storms ? Oh ! to be forced from their moorings at midnight, when they cannot see a hand-breadth before them; the thunders rolling; the lightnings flashing : strange voices of wrath mingled with every blast ; and the great bell of eternity tolling a funeral knell for the lost through all its dismal, solitary, and everiasting voyage! Let us flee for refuge, to lay hold on the hope set before us, which hope is an anchor to the soul,' sure and steadfast, grasping the Rock within the veil. p i:. OUR UNSEEN GUARDIANS. |E are indebted to Divine revelation for our • knowledge of the existence of our angelic guardians. Not less than sixteen of the inspired writers unite in giving us a clear and consistent account of their existence, dfJ, ty and empkyment. The crude ideas which the heS had rldfrir "i,'"'^"r* "-=- -- doub^ss de- rived from tradition-broken rays of light from God's ongmal communications to man, scattered over the aTd man ;: "'" °' !^f'' ^^^ "'"'^ ''^'-™ «od -akTndTf r^." '■"'' '^ "y^terious connection ii. nfu °*/™'^"»''ng scale between the grandeur of the Godhead and the imperfection of humfnity. Man occupied a place at the head of God's visible creation and served to connect the intellectual offspring of the Creator as separately found in heaven and earth- tufng the one great family of God and the Father of oL IZ ''^- *■"'" *""""«■ "^ knowing !ood' 'rj7T ''^'] .^"-^ ^«™- Socrates had hi! „ooa ange thai gave him notice in the morninir of any evil which would befall him during the dly On 34 STRAY BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. the day he was condemned to drink the fatal hemlock, he says : " My angel did not give me notice this morn- ing of any evil that was to befall me to-day; therefore I cannot regard it as an evil my being condemned to die." There is in this scrap of profane history a strange and deep spirituality that must be interesting to a reflecting mind. It is one of the most wonderful sayings of uninspired man. Who but an angel of God could have been the knowing one that revealed secrets to the mindj of that great philosophic sage, honestly struggling for light amid the surrounding darkness. What a blessing the Bible would have been to such a man. Revelation alone supplies us with information concerning these rational beings which we lri.ve not seen. Although the Bible does not reveal enough on this subject to gratify our insatiable curiosity, yet it reveals sufficient for our faith and comfort. It teaches us that the burden of their songs is praise to God, and that they are sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation, battling under the clouds of earth and time. As to the nature of angels, they are essentially spiritual, not burdened with flesh and blood as we are. Their bodies, if they have any, are not earthly, and gravitating like ours, but of finer substance, ethereal, resembling flame more than anything else of which we have any knowledge, as intimated by the Psalmist : " He maketh His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire." They either have bodies, or power to vonucuse atmosphere, to collect vapour arounu txiem. OUR UNSEEN GUARDIANS. 35 or m some way to make themselves visible to mortals, for they have been seen of men. They are endued with understanding, with affections and liberty. These attributes are essential to the existence of spirit if indeed they do constitute its essence ' v«.w\* '^"^^^ ^^"^'' '^' ^^S^^« ^^'^ seeing our very thoughts, as they are being formed and de- intercept the sight of an angel. Massive walls are no more an obstruction to their gaze than unopposed edge! What information they must have at their ^mmand ga hered from the boundless resources of the visible and invisible world. Yet there are seas of knowledge m the infinitude of the Godhead they can- not fathom, mountains of Divine thought thev cannot scale As to the date of their creation Divine re vela tion IS silent, and for us to try to solve this prob itn by theory would only reveal our ignorance. We milTt of silence which shine in peerless beauty above us birth. No doubt they rank among the earlier if not he earliest of divine creations. We read that when the foundations of the earth were laid, "the morning stai. sang together and the sons of Go, shouted f^f aulht w! r '^ T* ^^^' pre-existed, and, for aught we know, may have done so for half an et.mJty - we may be allowed to express ourselves so.""The' angelic was an anterior creation. It had lona pre- 36 STRAY BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. ceded ours. The angels are the elder children of eternity, the firstborn of God's creation. " 'Twas when the world was in its prime, And the fresh stars had just begun Their race of glory, and young time Told his first birthday by the sun. When in the light of nature's dawn, • Rejoicing men and angels met On the high hills and sunny lawn, E'er sorrow came or sin had drawn 'Tween man and heaven her curtain yet." We are told of the angels who kept not their first estate, but fell through disobedience. It is evi- dent that they were once in a state of probation, or trial. St. John tells us that there was war in heaven ; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. The dragon seems to have been the leader of the hostile forces. It is supposed by some that the word Dragon means the Pagan Roman empire, and Michael the Christian Roman empire, and Heaven the throne of the Roman emperors, and War the many conflicting counsels which took place between the Pagan and Christian powers. Without attempting to settle the mystical, or prophetic import of the passage, let us consider it as an event which literally took place — the subjugation of the rebel forces. I am inclined to the thought that the angels who kept not their first estate, were never in the realm of un- sullied bliss, the present abode of the holy angels, but were .assignftd a place H' purity like that of Eden, and placed there on probation ; and had they OUR UNSEEN GUARDIANS. 37 jr children of retained their original purity, they would have been exalted to the higher abode of holiness, in which it IS impossible to fall. What the sin of these angels was we are not told, yet it is safe to say that they threw off their allegiance to God, openly resisted His authority, and He made use of His agencies to punish them. God s laws are just, holy and good, and require a oymg obedience. There was nothing unreasonable in this. It was due to their Sovereign. He had created them and crowned them with glory and honour, and had taken them unto His service. Why then did they be- c^me disloyal and refuse to obey Him ? Was there any- thing m His character they could impeach ? Certainly not ; He is absolutely perfect. Was there anything in His government they could condemn ? By no means as It IS founded on the principles of infinite wisdom and eternal rectitude. Was there anything in their own circumstances to create discontent ? No, for they dwelt m heavenly places. Then why did they begin a war of ingratitude against their Creator ?-a war against their own interests and happiness ? We cannot assign any just reasun, except they were influenced by some evil power to rebel-to set up a government of their own-resolved to rule or ruin. The secession of the French from Monarchy to Eepublicanism was one of blood and slaughter. The American rebellion, which brought brothers face to face with brothers in deadly combat, was enough to make angels flv back npnallpd J^ut these secessions only relate to tim^e, and good may come out of them, but the angelic rebellion involved VA i ii 38 STBAY BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. the eternal destiny of the rebellious. They gained nothing and lost all— the favour of God— His moral likeness and every celestial virtue and grace. The apostle Peter says : " They are reserved in chains of darkness until that day," when the secrets of all hearts shall be revealed, and the destiny of all will be pro- nounced. The angels have always been distinguished by extraordinary physical power, in relation to the opera- tions of nature and providence, with which their agency has been variously and more or less imme- diately connected. They are said to be "mighty," " strong," of " great power." A cherubim guarded the way of the tree of life at the eastern gate of Eden ! What had nature's laws to do with that unapproach- able barrier of flame— the fiery barrier protecting the passage to immortality against the approach of man ? An angel was sent to stay the hand of Abraham when about to sacrifice his son. Two angels were sent by God to rescue Lot and his family from the impending overthrow of Sodom, and while the house of Lot was surrounded by the evil-minded Sodomites, in reckless violation of all the rights of home and hospitality, the angel-guests within the dwelling, unaided by any known law of physical force or influence, inflected the curse of instant blindness on the assailants without, and left them to grope their way to utter darkness. An angel was sent to destroy the first-born of the "Syp"^®'^^- " I^ "^'S'S midnight ! A deep silence rested on the vast city. The tumult of the day and evening OUR UNSEEN GUARDIANS. 39 ■'¥ was over. The crowds had forsaken the streets, across which dim lights were swinging, and naught broke the solitude save the measured tread of the sentinel going his nightly rounds, or the rumbling of a chariot as some late reveller returned to his home. Here and there was seen a light in a sick chamber, giving to the gloom a sadder aspect, and out from a narrow alley would now and then burst the sounds of folly and dissipation. All else was still, for the mighty popu- lation slept as the sea sometimes sleeps in its strength. But suddenly, as the 'All's well' of the drowsy sen- tinel echoed along the empty streets, piercing shrieks rent the silence, and passing rapidly as lightning from house to house, and blending with each other, rang out on the night air with strange and thrilling dis*^ tinctness. Then came a wail following heavily after, and rolling up even from the palace," "for there was not a house where there was not one dead." An angel of God was charged with the exodus of Israel, and threw an embankment of cloud between them and the Egyp- tians, so that a caravan of three million Israelites could not be seen by their pursuers. When the King of Syria heard that Eiisha was in Dothan, he despatched a whole army with chariots and horsemen to arrest him, which surrounded the city by night, so as to make his escape impossible. The next morning Elisha's ser- vant was startled as by an apparition at the sight of a mighty host, and, divining their purpose, he cried out in terror : " Alas, my master ! What shall we do ? " "Fear not," said the prophet, "there are more with us ■ .' ii ■^ tS 40 STRAY BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. than with them." The man of God knew where his strength lay, and he prayed. " Lord, open the eyes of the young man;" and suddenly the mountain, just before unpeopled, and reposing calmly in the early light was full of careering horses and chariots of fire. When Sennachr^rib laid siege to Jerusalem, to all human appearance the city must go down before his embattled host. As lie-ekiah looked upon the hith- erto invincible cohorts of the Assyrian king his heart sank within him, and he rent his clothes and went into the temple, arid laid the insulting and threatening etter he had received from the haughty invader before the Lord. He also sent for Isaiah, and told him his tears. The prophet assured him that there was no cause for alarm, that Jehovah would defend the city but in what way deliverance would come was not revealed, and it was not necessary it should be. Trust- ing in the prophet's word, the king returned to his palace to await results. Night came down upon the city, and nothing was heard but the neighing of war horses and the tramp of the sentinels on duty As the Assyrian army lay down to sleep in apparent security, the angel of the Lord swept through the camp and slew the Assyrian host. To punish the sin of David in numbering the people an angel was sent, and David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord standing between heaven and earth, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. How terrible and «ublim- «">" that sight! Around the offending monarch lay the OUR UNSEEN GUARDIANS. 41 Holy City, its inhabitants slumbering in supposed security. The pale moon was throwing its silvery beams upon the battlements and domes of the pal- aces, and the stars calmly looking down on the plains, mountains, and gardens of Judea; while over the city stood this bright and powerful being, grasping a glittering sword. A single stroke from that sword and the city would have become a vast tomb, with no signs of life or beating heart within its walls. Do we wonder that David and the elders of Israel fell on their faces and earnestly pleaded with God that the dreadful sword might be returned to its sheath ? When Daniel was cast into the lions' den he sat securely amid the harmless brutes, while the king passed the long night sleepless and agitated. In the morning he hastened to the den, and, in a voice full of sadness, called out, " O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God able to deliver thee from the lions?" "O king, live forever," came calmly back from the gloomy pit ; " God has sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths." When the enemies of the prophet were thrown into the den, the angel having left, the brutes with all the ferocity of their nature, fell upon them and break their bones in pieces. When the doomed children of the captivity, the heroic con- fessors of Dura, were thrown into the fiery furnace, which was heated sevenfold beyond all former occa- sions, and was expected instantly to consume them, an angel of God was seen walking with them in the midst of the fire. An angel appeared to Gideon to li I 'n ' n^ 42 STRAY BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. awaked him from ht , "^"7 ''" ""S^' »' 0»d Hon. and Td, Arise Ld I." 'T^'V"' "'""''- what tlie angel f"™i!hi\' ""<'•■"">« strength of forty nights fniir; / ""' '""^ '"»?= «" J Horeb A. *k ''''*°''""' ""■' "ount of God in An angel was specially commissioned bv P„^ . through JerusaJem and "set a mart " 7^ ° '° «" and favour UDon «,. f„. if j f , °^ distinction said to D,v"d . Unt th " 1 ""' P^"^'^- «'"'"^' thee; fear n t,' be^tlg-' Zl ""'^ ^T ^ ""*" men. seen by iech«[: In t ! val.Iy'rf mf H '""• 2^1 accosts the prophet and p^Tes to W m ^1" Who his assoeifl.f,P« w^f.^ ., rpu . ,. %, " ^nrorm him ^r._ xuese, he says, "are they OUR UNSEEN GUARDIANS. 43 H n this thy 5 defeat of in a state this con- sasfc under 5l of God 3 exhaus- fcrength of days anj f God in and re- >mmuned 'lijah re- nd about tie, sud- id, w.th le whirl- vision of ! he felt the dis- s taken >d to go iinction Gabriel 36 unto ! horse- les, an in him } they whom the Lord hath sent to walk to and fro in the earth." An angel announced the birth of Christ, and the shaking of celestial wings and music were heard by the shepherds. Angels attended our Lord in His weary march from the cradle to the cross. When Peter was cast into prison the Lord was not unmindful of him. As he lay on the floor of his dungeon, a soldier chained to either arm, suddenly the gloomy apartment became light as day, and Peter, opening his eyes, saw an angel radiant with brightness standing over him. " Arise up quickly," said he, and the chains fell with a clank on the floor ; and, after bidding him gird up his loins, said, " Follow me." As they walked along the corridor of the prison the ponderous gates flew back at their approach, and when they reached the street the unknown guide suddenly disappeared. An angel was sent to Paul while being tossed upon the stormy bosom of the Mediterranean Sea. What inspiration and divine trust we have in Paul's appeal to the despairing crew : " Be of good cheer ; I believe God that it shall be even as it was told me." Angels are interested in the salvation of man. He who spake as never man spake has told us, " There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth " — that his repentance sends a wave of delightful sensibility throughout the mighty throng of their legions. I know of no higher benevo- lence than rejoicing at good in which the rejoicing one noo r**^ alMivr* "\T7"Urt*-. «s«rx *,r^l^t ^^ «i. T_l •„ 1 • 1 lUv:, li\7 oIicaFfc. TT iicii >>-C ICJUIUC Eb UlUJJSiligS wniCQ bestow benefits on ourselves there may be something \ n ' n 44 STRAY BEAMS FHOM THE CROSS. selfish in our iov ■ Kn* i rise, from bein. human tn L ""■ ""' '"'"<'™knce An,o/,s h,.ve;o Z" Llht'r'"'!"''""' "'""''• tioa They never felt h !"1" "^ ™-- '•«»'"™- can derive! be-t^fiu -om u"". « ""'="""'"»■ -^^ spiritual birth of their „„ '^f ^^ ■'"J""''^ «' the why the an.el re „,e T^'T' '"■''""■™- ™e reason ia they kn;:'o?t rX:fT"""'r°l''''""- thought, the weioht of wh 1 '"'"'■ ^"'0 « » The u,ore I thtak abou il ;? "" "" ""«•>' '° f''^'- that the greatest ofllVreatedb"" ' """ """"-'' of his capacity for goo dTeWI 7 " ■?"u ^'^'^ beam „ade ali Israel to i^ What L" ""'. """ '""'■ erated man do in the way „f good' '""^' "" °"^ '^S™" woXriiT^^rirr ""? """- - -nor is brought to repTn tnef' The^'" ""™ " sinner does not rep™t h. i, u ^ '""'"' '' "■« Robert Hall, in ore of th. ^ '''""""y >ost. most awful of hk 1 . °'°'' ^^"HM. and yet 'awful to indLrirreh a";^ T' " ^'''''- '^ " be funeral obsequies of a I , ,?^^'- """'<' "=« 'he find tears iit'to be wept at ^f "^'"^ ^'""■''' "« we realise the calmTtT n a , u, ! TT\ " """'O of eommiseration and In f""'' '•'"" '""^on^ to the occasionT Wou~«r f' V"'""'' ^O""' i'i" light, and the Ion he. It ""' ™° '° ^'" ocean with mourni„r™, I ''"«"°^^^' '« oover the or were the „.,„,„ ,5^' '''" ''''^™"^ with sackcloth ? "" *"""■= " ""'nre to become animated OUR UNSEEN GUARDIANS. 45 fc blessings enevolence divine. Jr re.stora- tance, and 'ice afc the 'he reason f a sinner» Here is a t to feel, ionvinced • Think lat Jero- le regen- est over when a V if the Jy lost. md yet if it be be the uld we r could tokens 1 equal to veil er the cloth ? mated and vocal, would it bo possible to utter a groan too deep, or a cry too piercing to express the magnitude and extent of such a calamity ? Oh ! my friends, should this loss be yours, this catastrophe happen to you, and your soul furnish by its destruction that which no language can describe. How awful the reflection ! On one occasion while George Whitefield was preach- ing, with his graphic powers, he represented the angels hovering around the congregation awaiting the results of the sermon. The assembly seemed to see them, so vividly was the scene portrayed. He de- scribed the celestial messengers on the winff. about to return to heaven wiUi the report of the sermon which had been uiessed by the conversion of a few sinners. The good man, his heart swelling with holy ambition to be instrumental in the salvation of still more souls, stamped his foot upon the floor of the pulpit and cried: "Stop, Gabriel! stop! Wait for another and another soul, that still greater joy may be created in heaven." I have not the graphic powers of a V/hitefield; but I feel something of his anxious desire that souls may be saved. Sinner, as you sit in the sanctuary listening to the word of life, remember that near you are the angels of God, waiting for the spiritual uprisings in your soul, that will lead you to repentance. Will you make glad the angels, and the heavenly mansions ring with hosannas of joy, or drive them forever from yo.nr presence ? The angels bending over you are waiting with holy anxiety for 46 Hi I STBAY BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. "^^^T^^:^^^ Wt between two '™.«on of an^I.t ^Zr^t'o ^'' ""°^- scriptural evidence of this* r!T'w ^°" '"i"'^^ read, "Behold, I send »n , .' ^""^ "^ Cted- we thee in theway and toT T" '''^°'''' ">^»- '» keep J We preparS^-^E-^^f-^-^o'-e place which' Lord encampeth round »vl <• .1 ^ *"«''' "' the Ps. xxxiv. 7 " A.S T„ K "■'" **' f«« Him." angels of God me" httnrwh"" t" '^''^' "'«' ">^ ^aid, This is Gods host and he. r.I "*" "'™- >>« place Mahanaim." rl C „ """"' °* """ 1-2- " Because thou hi rid TkT^"*^'°-^^^"- "•efnge, even the Most hT^.u ^ ^'""'' '""* '^ »y «hall no evil b fall^t ^1 '^ ,^''"'«°'' ■ 'l>e- nigh unto thee, for He w l'";' t""'?"^ '=°"'^ over thee, to keep thee in a^^thl la ""T '':''" What a consoling thought ,-.7 TTi "' """• ^"H- know that the holv 2^1 '" """ ^""'l^tlan to hi-n in their protec'^irr'tr;";^^'' "'"?""« "'-»<' cover him wUh their feaft ^^""^ '" "langer, they hands, and when flelh 1,?' f" '^^ "P » «>eir ' comforting words to his dl T "'' '"'""^' '^'^'^Pe' on their bright wil to tr? '"'"'' """ •>«« " ".^nd the beggar Ted "st;Tu: "LT"' ""''■ "ed mto Abrahams bo om '^ The «, """ "■"- leaving the gates of th« n , ^.l^^'^S escort is stell.t,-„- „,°; .. ">" Holy City, Like « eon '"" '""^ -^'^^^ '"e air. They pass by OUE UNSEEN GUARDIANS. 47 fcween two 'Pirit is at Repent ye, ^he minis- )u require f God, we J, to keep ace which el of the ar Him." and the fchem, he e of that ti. xxxii. 3h is my ; there ue come charge 3i. 9-1]. itian to around r, they 1 their whisper bear it bliss. 3 car- !ort is ■■ con- ss by the royal palace, not giving it even a passing glance ; purple and fine linen have no attraction to them. They pause at the gates of a rich man's mansion. What meaneth this? On the ground lies a dying pauper, his body covered with ulcers, and his only support the crumbs, or sweepings from the rich man's table. Though contemptible to man, he is precious in the sight of the Lord. How patiently they wait for the loosening of the silver cord. How they bend over him with loving tenderness, and point to the fadeless glories awaiting him. As the spirit leaves its cum- brous clay, they fold it in their bright wings, and bear it to the inheritance of the saints. Is it too much to say that the angels throng the chamber where the good man dies ? Hundreds of dying testimonies confirm this. Have you ever watched in the chambei' of sickness the light of life fast waning away, and have you not felt as you stood amongst sorrowing friends, that other beings were present, fanning with their wings the ex- hausted frame, and directing the eye of the spirit to the sunlit borders of Canaan ? Enter this cottage ; here upon a bed of death is a dear child. A friend bending over her asks if she knows that she is dying. She replies in a sweet voice, "I know that my Redeemer liveth." A few moments pass in silence, then she says, " Father, I am cold ; lie down beside me." He lies down beside his dying child, and she twines her thin arms around his neck, and in a dreamy voice says, "Dear father." "My 48 STRAY BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. i; ther shore, my child ? » Z .,^^''^ ^^^u the fur- are green." "Dost thon h.a '^^ ' ^*^^''' *^^ ^a^ks "lWthem,fathliTh?^^^ «-" '"e. My motheJ; too r'"'.'*" ""^^^^' ^^^^ O! I heard it then.'' ^^'' ^"^^^' *«°. father! "Does she speak to thee?" «Ovp=f t, words most sweet T ,,' ^^s •' she speaks in 'h- i, a „i.t in the Lot ttnt ,"",' '^"'^'' be lonely fc thj, <,eath, father"" ' '""''^' ^°"'" " IS death, my child » " Thank God !" she renlio,! . i slept in the ar„,s of Joauf ' ' "^"^ '^°''^' '*°d ^he «'-hHisan,e.it:i::r„i:nh\r '■'^' «^ "Ha,l, happy day! that breaka o„r chain . b™.he„r;o„"irhe::?hC;*""'-"^°'"-" thiarnEr'The'rio::: " 'r*"' ^p-"-- » his Wife fei, a vieti'L^ t'othrplaCe" f ? "'""<='' """^ before he expired, he exclaimed -Thl °'°"'''*^ hey are coming , they are corn! , ?'„^. "-/oming ! the other room: she h««„ j/ ^'^'"fewaain friends who wer watchtTh!f/° ^ "*°^»g- The ■of the room ; she I- "^ '"'f <•.* ^'^e coming out '°"^'"S'"'begone,ishegone»» OUR UNSEEN GUARDIANS. 49 » to thee?" u the fur- the banks gels, they >o, father! speaks in h father ; ^y> you'll > and she death of that He mic on ch and oments 3ming I was in The Iff out fone?" They replied, "Yes, triumphantly;" " V/hen did he die? Was he triumphant?" "Yes, triumphant." " Now I am ready and happy, my work is done, I will follow ; farewell ! " and she closed her eyes in Jesus. The Kev. Thomas Lowe describes the last moments of his beloved wife in the following beautiful lan- guage : " While I and my sister were sitting up with the dear sufferer, watching with painful interest the last vave of life ebbing to and fro, we heard a ric> lin of heavenly music and song — soft, sweet, 8i.M.;-/ voices, singing in chorus — like notes from ' harps of gold ; ' and as we eagerly listened, rapt with the celestial melody, the heavenly strain mysteriously floated away in faint, rich, angelic echoes. Heaven was very near that chamber of death. On another occasion, she exclaimed, with ineffable rapture, 'Glory! hallelujah ! I see Him ! 'Tis Jesus that's come for me. Hallelujah ! beautiful ! beautiful ! There's a home in Jesus. No more weariness.' The last words she uttered, faintly but audibly, were ' Glory ! Glory ! Glory ! ' And then in a sweet calm, unruffled by a pang, soft and gentle as an infant's slumber, her happy spirit pavssed away to that beautiful land on high." Oh ! what a blessed thing it will be to have such holy beings to gladden with their presence our last moments. Even so shall it be if we are faithful unto death. Our blessed Lord will not leave us comfortless. II THE IMMORTAL HYMN. 'Jesus, lover of my soul." ^HIS hymn expresses so correctlv th • 5 feelmgs, and desires of Zr^-t ""''''• it has become a {«.J, . '""'"''''an. that "About the^Le^rrj'""' "" ''^'«™'-s. »g his earliest hymns ITsott T "^""^ "«« ™-'- England, two brothers werottTp""'' " '"^ ^""''^ "' destined to be icnown tlroa^^.n ,^''"°^"'' ^''o '-"re godly mother, Susanna Welv'™^- • "^'"^ "'^- to her family: 'My childrln ''^"'S' ^''^ said -.eased, sin," . Jn^o'^^^C "r"! ,t '"" ^P'"' '^ joined in that holy s„L y,ZTl , ^""f ""at ^ohn Wesley ^^ t^Z:tXTt^JrZ^-'''y- Methodism, and hewed o„t Ti. n '""'"'""on of tabernacle; but Charios Wesl "'"T °' '''' ™'- filled it with melody Metlodf ™' t^' "^'"P'' ^i"> but the walls never woldw ™' "'"''' '■""''"y. fey not been built T„ mi™ 4°"', "P/" ''"'"ad l^m a poet. Like Topladv h°' n ' "^''''^^ "^'^ enthusiasm., and God gavthtT "" "f™' «« '«"' emotion, ardent affectif nl, and a X™"' ■="' ''"^»- never grew cold. He m„s h"t -^ '"^ ^'^'^ «"" "a^» "uuo me author of at THE IMMORTAL HYMN. 61 least four thousand hymns. He found his inspiration on every hedge, and threw off hymns like sparks from the forge. When he was preaching to a number of rude stone-cutters and quarrymen at Portland, Eng- land, he turned his appeal into metre, in which occurred the vigorous lines : "Come, Thou all-victorious Lord, Thy power to us make known; Strike with the hammer of Thy word. And break these hearts of stone." Standing once on the Land's End of England, and looking down on the waves as they came rolling in on each side of the cliff, he broke out in these solemn and thrilling words : " Lo ! on a narrow neck of land, 'Twixt two unbounded seas I stand, Secure, insensible; A point of time, a moment's space. Removes me to that heavenly place, Or shuts me up in hell." For every scene and circumstance in life he had a holy, impassioned lay. But like Watts, Cowper, and Toplady, he had his masterpiece. The Lord bestowed on Charles Wesley the high honour of composing the finest heart-hymn in the English language. If the greatest song of the cross is " Rock of Ages ;" that on providence— Cowper's "God Moves in a Mysterious Way ; " and the grandest battle-hymn—Luther's " God is Our Refuge and Our Strength ; -' it may be said that the king of all lays is "Jesus, Lover of My Soul." It 52 STRAY BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. , -d soothed «J C: '„t" 'T '■" ""^ ''^'"= '™- their last fo.d look oZoleaZ T^' "" "'^^ '"""^ for the grave. Whatever n ' T "'"^ '"^ ■''^''""''-l We.sley-s doctrine of Chri.r''' '/"''' °' f*«'es "o doubt that he att i„ed "o t'atT r"°"'' "="" '^ "-'■en he wrote this h™„ Th '"S"" ^'"'^ °f grace pervading thought is tihp«„'„l. °'"' """*''''' ""d »"- The figures of :,l:Z7;[7:z7 ':."■' "'™"-- one verse we have a storm t„l T ' """"S""- I" for shelter until the t,™:'? '"""»- ^O'ing out timid, tearful child „'.? °"'"'- ^" """"'er, ., w"H the words f:^".:^!;;*;;"'-'''^-- " Hangs my helpless soul on Thee." ''^^"^I^^^^^^^^ Been newly-niade grave : ^^^ ^^^^ on the "Leave, ah Heave mo not alone" We do not doubt that tens of ih "Still support and comfort me,- The history of this hvmn ran „ , ' permit me to mention the "0^, "."' *"; """™: ^ut it has imparted to „ few oTthe " ""'^ "'''■•" "^ ■'™' sufferers. An intellii3 ""^ "' ""r fellow- of Virginia, J^'Si^ ^^7 ''' '"^^ became an inPcM . r . ""* Western Stni.„, • ^ '"'«^'"'S "^d fatal illnessled THE IMMOKTAL HYMN. 58 him to reflection and prayer. Three Christian friends used to spend the tedious hours with him in singing hymns. One day they enitered liis room and began to sing, " There is a fountain filled with blood." After they had done singing he said, " There is nothing I so much love to hear as the first hymn you ever sang to me, " 'Jesus, lover of my soul. ' " They sang it again to the inimitable tune of " Martyn," and found the solemnity which had reigned in the 'room while singiug the former hymn was changed to weeping. When they struck the very touch ingl^train Oi the second stanza — "Other refuge have I none "— the \7eeping became louder. The heart of him who had resiled Christ was so broken they feared to sing the rest of the hymn in consequence of the prostration of the sufferer. A few days afterwards he said, " I do not think I can ever bear that hymn sung again ; it so excites me that my poor body cannot stand it." Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe, describing the last hours of her distinguished father, Dr. Lyman Beecher, says : " The last indications of life on the day of his death was a mute response to my mother repeating, *' 'Jesus, lover of my soul.'" Many years ago a vessel was driven on a reef off" the coast of Africa. The life-boat was launched, and, 111 54 STRAY BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. thp««o ^^" ^^"^ '*^ was impossible as tne sea was nmninfy 4- i • l o, f^-^'^iuiv, as cheeks of fjr ^ ^ n ^^^' ^°"^°^ bl^"ched the " Hide me, my Saviour, hide, * Till tlie storm of life be past." The great evangelist, the Rev CharJp^, F,'n« walkm, b„„, hi, g,„„„,^ ^^^ long S .! Ma LT "Jesus, lover of my soul," floating to him f ,m the distance. ' He caught it „n had Joined the ehorilt iffrC; tT™;;™'"^ "^ A chaplain in the American army durina ^h. i . fl« 1.. A * ^® thought he was asleen • but „ ,„? O'seyes. Well, my boy, wliat's the m-t'- '■' why, «.r, 1 l>ad a dream last night which I ^^g,, THE IMMORTAL HYMN. 55 (V, as was ' dismay, ibin boy. ng them 'sible, as ched the ipon the many a •ules the iking in faintly ey, was } death. V years trd the '' it up, Qed in inghe le last alone ', but e saw +«« ?>' t get out of my mind." " What was it ? " " You know my little sister is dead — died when ten years old. My •mother was a widow, poor, but good. She never seemed like herself afterwards. In a year or so she died too ; and then, having no home and no mother, I came to this war. But last night I dreamed the war was over and I went back to my home, and, just be- fore I got to the house, my mother and little sister came out to meet me. I didn't seem to remember that they were dead. How glad they were ! O, sir, it was just as real as you are real." "Thank God, Tom," replied the chaplain, "that you have such a mother, not really dead, but in heaven, and that you are hoping, through Christ, to meet her again." The boy wiped his eyes and was comforted. The next day there was terrible fighting. Tom's drum was heard all the day long here and there. But as night came on, both armies ceased hostilities. Tom, it was known, was wounded and left on the battle-field. In the evening, when all was still, they heard a voice singing away off! They felt sure it was Tom's voice. Softly and sweetly the words, "Jesus, lover of my soul," floated on the wings of the night. The first stanza ended. The voice began the second faintly : " Other refuge have I none ; Hangs my helpless soul on Thee ; Leave, ah 1 leave me not alone, Still support and comfort me." The voice stopped here, and there was silence. In the f 56 STKAV IJEAMS FBOM THE CROSS. cnfs'lrmr-^a' ,,^"r-"^-''«0'''» redeemed manner of our denarh ^ " "=°"''' ''''""'« th« ringing or reu.^1 r'' "^^^ "'''"" ''°' '^^^i'-e *<> die Ma; th\rs r« "wi "•: ret f !''i ''''-' -^^ hymn be our, a„d, ami;. MheTo Itlf^oTS', "^ ">'' »ay we rely upon Hi™. He la, 2 "I n °'='™' leave thee nor forsaka thee " Mav th.' , , " "'™' wins cover our defeneekas h^^ t tt'"""!"' "'' sweeps around us and „n R u ""' '*'" ^'o™ repose. ""^ ^'' '""'<"° »V we eternally TRAVEL! NG-HEAVEN- W\RD. T is said that the Canadian Paci6c Railway is one ^ of the finest in the world, and its equipment "^1^ I the most complete. When we are resting ^ quietly in our graves, the great North- West, mostly uninhabited, will be peopled by millions of our race, and the cars pass through magnificent cities, and smiling villages, freighted with the treas- ures of commerce from all parts of the world. But it is not of such modes of travel, important as they may be, that I purpose to write, but of another line — " The New and Living Way " — which was laid in the far distant past, on " the ruins of Eden." It was an immense undertaking, and required the resources of infinite wisdom and love to accomplish it. The architect of this line is Jehovah, and the builder the Prince of Peace. " He bridged the rivers, threw up the embankments, bored ihe tunnels, swung the gates, opened the depots, made the rough things smooth and the crooked things straight, and laid the track," that He might rescue the outcasts and those who ar'e ready to perish. He has published a " Guide " — the Holy Bible — which contains full particulars 58 STRAY BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. plain that a waytr W Z T'^"'"™' "« 'o '■^3 along the way. There iT '°™"''^ "'''''='> place of the Prince-t ,! !t i . " """^ *' ''''•"'- c-dled-the „o„„tin ":„ ^h h tT Tl t "^^ watching their flock., when th f °P'""-'1» were appeared, to announce teJ^\v'^ "' ""^ ''°'<' Nazareth, the l.omeTf R «'''.'^,*''' the hill-sides on wMch H. ; "'« stormy sea He cahned, fed, the wilderners wher^ h""' "" ""■"'"'■^«» He whom He restored 1!^, ."? ''"'P""^' "^^ Po^^ons the home of Marv MaT"' /"r'"" ""' "'»• B'">any, Oethsen,ane, wlIeHe"::°f ^r'—'^^ garden of 'he Judgment h1 I ,1 rtr S""'"' '"'P'"'- place where He dicd-!th„' . <'" '=°'"^«">n«'. the and rose from the d ad L t^he m " """"='' «" '^^ aacended to heoven. -nountam whence He A FKEE PASSAGE is eiven tr. •?! 1, j . on this New and tivirWar Ad T' '° *"'™' application is only ren^T withlT'u ""'' ^""=»' gain an entraneelhrouTtt Sf * « "'' ^"" '="""°' Through it passed hettlf et ''t'" ''^ "^P^'' apostles, and those blessed To™ ' "T*"''' '"^'P'^^' cross on which their Redeeter Id ", ''""^ ''^ ">» to herald the j„yf„, nett "nis rlt^ttToT ''^ '''' .:zufi r,,:^._^.-p -a^or;r-st«.. „„ Israel, unseen save by the TRAVELLINO HEAVENWARD. 69 on holy watchera, started for the Dep6t, and after a brief enquiry as to the nature of the road and the necessary qualifications for the journey, sought and found admittance. Hft was followed by an unfoi in- nate malefactor who .u crij- ;s had brought him to the gallows, who came t ei/tbling vothe gate, crying, "Lord, remember me !" anJ ha was illowed to enter and at once started for Pa; ii^.). There came also men stricken with palsy, the lame, the blind, the deaf, the dumb, the leper, the publican, the jailer, and the three thousand Pentecostal converts, and an entrance was administered unto them. Since then multitudes have boarded the cars and reached the Better Land. None who come are ever turned away, if the^ comply with the conditions, forsake their sins and live a life of l^oliness. But in order to get a first-class seat, you must make a first-class start. The Engine is the Church organizations. Some of these are elegantly finished, artistically decorated with great head-lights and brilliant reflectors ; but too many of them have more show than power. A great many people pr< fer the old-fashioned Gospel Engine. The others suit some people, but they travel too slowly. Give me an engine with plenty of boiler- power, good safety-valve, pipes, piston, cylinder, con- necting-rods, cranks and flanged wheels in perfect order ; so that sufficient power can be had, to distance the world, the flesh and the devil. Some of these are superbly fitted up with plush- 3" %' I'l I i ljlfll 60 STRAY BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. prefer to travel rffienlan '"'''' """ '"""^ yan, George Fox John wT' '" ""'''='' •^°''" B»n- RoWand Hn,i t, J;r,t„«-f ^"f fieM, blessed men and women rod. , iT • """^ *"'' """er Divine Jove, filled wTth thl n '^"='' '^ ™-^'"™ed with praise, and where not.l,!n„ i^ '? P''«^«'>ee, songs of Cl>rist and Him I" S " "'"" <"• '^'ked abont'but The Moving Power ,s the Hn, v o nature of this mvsterio,,, J ®™"- The yt its mighty en'er^ri";::; T '^T, ^^P'"'"' ™pply is inexhaustible "j" ™f »^f and felt. The Tf>ere requires no addi^Lal '""'"^ immeasurable, grades, the power is amM T"!'" "'™'' ""e higher geneies. But fn orderriT "'t'^"* ''»' ■"' ^™«'- f - must be J nil^'lr f ",7 '\^ P"'^- "Praying without ceasin/" ^ '"'' '" ">' ««- There is no BAaaAGF°PAo il , . No encumbranee-"m„,t W 'f ''' '" ""^ '"^'''■ Tl>e love of monev ball ^ ""f" '™'^ ''^«'>t." worldly amusemermus't7;fTbev'f°" ""^ ""' no communication with arknet The' " "="'' ''"' complete surrender of everX i,, '^ ""'' "^e a the intercourse blveert& '""''T'-^ '"'^""P' These Cars pass.over the rough road of '» T' —the burning sands of ««!,•„»■ ? Persecution derness of tempta L bu he" .""'/".■^""^'^ '^^ -"- only light when compared to !,'.. '° '^' ^^^ ''^^ It is a way of ^'J'^ '" *'"' happiness enjoyed ay ^,ea.u„,nes« and peace. There is a re- m TRAVELLING HEAVENWARD. 61 and other 3ufc many ohn Bun- ^liitefield, md other ned with songs of bout but r. The explain, !fc. The surable. ! higher 1 emer- passen- fire — train. Jight." id all it has be a rrupt i'iour. ution wil- '■ are yed. I re- freshment room in each Car—" a feast of fat things," to which all are invited ; also a well of living water, springing up fresh from the Eternal Founta'n." This Highway of salvation crosses the Delect- able Mountains. Isaiah says of this part of the line : " A highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called the way of holiness ; the unclean shall not pass oyer it. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion, with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads ; they shall ob- tain joy and gladnesS; and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." On these mountains Moses stood, when Jehovah spread before him the vine-clad hills, the olive groves of Canaan ; but his spiritual eyes caught a glimpse of a far more glorious land, where winter never strips its trees, flowers never fade, and day never dies into night. On these mountains of beatitude Enoch communed with God "and was not, for God took him" to a more endurable inheritance. Here Elijah and Elisha were walking, when the chariot of fire parted them asunder. Only the pure in heart dwell here, as it is " Beyond the common walks of life, Quite on the verge of heaven." At this point the line descends into a deep gorge, called the " Valley and the Shadow of Death," at the entrance of which stands the King of Terrors, but his presence causes no fear, as the pass of each passenger 62 STRAY BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. bears the royal signature As ih. valley, the Conductor shouts 'k1 '"'' '"*''^ *^^ praying-keep believing-^ "^ ^T ^eats-keep >^ou-" As the deen 1.^ T ^"^'^"^ ^"^ ^^^h around then, they Ig '''"^ '' *^^ -"^^ gather "Other refuge have I none, Hangs my helpless soul on Thee. W h,j^^^^^^^^^ hee. Still support and comfort me; All my trust on Thee is stayed. All my help from Thee I bring. Cover my defenceless head With th^ shadow of Thy wing." "The world recedes, it disappears, WithsTr"*'"^^^^«'*^--ars With sounds seraphic ring." The whistle blows— tli« v.« i »'opa. What alan X l^r' """'''^ "«^" such transcendent Jovelinels H ,^ '^' '^" '''""'" bli«s stand., the Holy CUv -^l^ °" "'^ '""» "* street, of pure crl7j^,„,,^'f«'^''' "' P^"'' 't^ foundations'; the Ja^lpe ^ JS' wL^"^ °' '"^'™ dye ; the Agate once OhXT . """"^ " '"'^er fathomless fepo's o Emetld^t^T'r '""""^ *« tinctured Sardonyx ■ thtoh?, ,-. .-^'"''^ ^--^ Wood- ing fire, cue Befyl el?i ^ ^'*'*"'''^■-«h^»th■ "pal-tinted Top^laTa""! "^r™'^ ^''^^"■- ">» of the Chrysopra e he MU bL ' T ""'^ P"P'« last, the lucid "^-ioie; of Am ly":" Th""^ ""■ seen fair trooos of ,l,i„; ■'^ ^'"'''« *"•« also viij gates, wnose crowns and circl»t. „„ "" "*« circlets corruscate the TRAVELLING HEAVENWARD. 63 self-same radiance. The portals are of pearl, and the robes of those who throng them are of spotless white. The passengers are enraptured and overpowered with the grandeur of the scene. They seem to have for- gotten the trials they had to endure on their journey. The Heavenly Depot is crowded. Loved ones are there, who once gladdened earthly homes, who were taken from them in childhood; the glory of man- hood and womanhood, and in the decrepitude of old age— their heaus hoary with the frosts of many winters. How different they look to what they did when their friends last saw them, wrapped in their shrouds and coffined for the grave. As the passen- gers alight from the cars, they receive a Welcome ! from their Heavenly Father ; Welcome ! from Jesus ; Welcome! from the Angels; Welcome! from the Patriarchs ; Welcome ! from the Prophets ; Welcome ' from the Apostles; Welcome I from all. On either side of the way leading to the City are valleys " flow- ing with milk and honey,'* and the River of Life, the banks fringed with the foliage of the Tree of Life, whose ladened branches bend with the weight of twelve manner of fruit, and beneath its shade are groups of angels warbling hallelujahs of etfernal praise. How beautiful are those letters, each sparkling like a diamond— H-e-a-v-e-n on the gates— H-e-a-v-e-n on the walls— H-e-a-v-e-n on the robes— H-e-a-v-e-n on the palms— H-e-a-v-e-n on the crowns— H-e-a-v-e-n everywhere. The newly-arrived saints now leave for the Higher Courts of Bliss; Cherubic legions 64 STRAY BEAMS FROM THE CROSS, . Mo"t Zion strike up Z L f • t^" '='"'™""-'' <"> -=o-i;n Winds its wa^'t Wh ^hl ' ''■ '"'' P™" on either side are mansiZ" v ^ '=»Pa«OHs streets, fl"«hed witl, an efflZ" 'T °1 ""^''P^'^^^iWe felicity »»■ , They app:::X= , ::«^';^^- ''-an ^.^^^ -ondi;' «'l"cli sublimely sit tlie uZTf. ^"*'""^' '"•°md starry belt, ^nd'^on their held "?*^ '"^'»' '"=« a and in front of theml !l f *'■' •■ '"S'^ '^''o™''- glass mingied with ii^e n't ""T^ *° ^^ '^ ^'a of ♦he feet of Jesus J,d Hr^f^'^'^ themselves at -own of life and wTleon^'^r °" ""''' '^^''''^ 'he with smiles and tlTe wo^ 't^ /"'? His presence faithful servants." TheTrT; • ' '"''"''• «'"'<' ™d with one accord,they „a, The' ""'P?"'"''''^' and a. there is heard from th"^ ho ts of T'T"' "' ^'^ ''"i- less flies, like the sound of l! *""'' ""'^"'^ » end- thunderings, the peaht co^onlrt" '"" "'>'>'y H.m for ever, crown Him KZofT- ^""^ " ^'""' Lord of lords; crown H," The ^ '"^'' "''°"" H™ hell; crown Him the e^el ,? "' ^°'""""'" °* orown Him Jehovah Jesus rTK'l.^"""" "* Peace; Hallelujah! Amen " ' ""' °' ^°'^- Hallelujah! ">o:JfTeitt"sL7«:eTun'"r;v"^''''" ">'"^ -y heat. For the I-amb in *!! J'f , T "'^■"' ""^ ""y feed them, and shall lead IT ."' ,*^ "'^'" ' ^hall of water, and God Aali wine'u " '™^ '°""'»;nB Who would not like h '"??" *'*'«^ ^om the=r eyes " ' his ena to be like theirs, .o dwell TRAVELLING HEAVENWARD. Go imph. As. >risters on The pro- 's streets, 2 felicity, noonday e, around r«, like a rowns — a sea of selves at ads the >resenee 'od and and as fis feet, . n end- nighty Crown a Him ror of ^eace ; ujah ! any any ihall a.'ns P'es." well jn a world where there is no night, no tears, no sor- row, no death ? Why should it not be so ? The same provision is made for you as was made for them. " God is no respecter of persons." The heralds of the cross are still crying, "Come." A free passage is offered to all. The Gospel cars arc waiting to receive you, and the Holy Spirit has engaged to carry you safely through, if you will only c .nply with the con- ditions laid down—" shun that which is evil, and ::eave to that which i3 good." Will you still turn a deaf ear to the offer which Christ so graciously makes, and refuse to travel on the "New and Living Way?" Oh, come before the gates of the Depot are closed ! Night is coming on apace, but God still keeps open the gates of mercy. His loving voice, so full of ten- derness and compassion, is still calling j'ou. How can you remain indifferc. 3 to so kind an invitation? If you do not accept His offer, soon He will close the gates, and, when once shut, they will be opened no more forever. The morning of life is the best time to start for the Better Land. It was at this period that Joseph Samuel, Josiah, David, and Timothy commenced their heavenly journey. In the busy time t life, with the cares and perplexities that crowd upon us, it re- quires more effort to enter upon the wriy. In the eventide of life, the number of passengers fall off, and they who do take the cars have many sad reflections, and lament they did not start sooner, through the infinite mercy of God, there is a train mat leaves at 6 66 STBAT BEAMS TSOM TBE CliOSH. the eleventh hour, to allow the «ged sl,,..,.Ier to ^et on board, but f«w travel ■,,--th it. T',e GoTpel b!ll fn solemn tones, announces it. departure. UtX^t: aenger js seen to board the train. W, «„emb« o« • " and only once, he.ing of . man of four " r /e;: ' T'T '"*''"'"« ^'^P« had to be .te,«;ied ly an oaken ste . i ; ^ oW hi'b'te that they seldom, if ever * . ^'^"T' T'."'^^ '''^ ''" 'o P-i^l' in their r K :."''■ '"'' "" ">'"«' «'" »»« 'A-- Will you pen,,h withm sight of the way of life V ^ i? n BROKEN RAYS OF LIGHT. |HE earth we tread upon, the rocks we build with, the metals we use, and all animals, are composed of minute and imperishable grains of matter. A grain of gold can be divided into fifty million parts ; an atom of soap re- quires twenty-two figures to express its size ; a hun- dred yards of raw silk thread weigh one grain; it takes four thousand threads of a spider's web, spun together, to form one gossamer line ; a million animals take up no more room than a grain of sand. The cities of Berlin, Richmond, and St. Petersburg are built on beds of fossil animalcules, so minute that a handful contains billions of them, each distinct, and possessing organs of digestion, motion, feeling, and reproduction. Who can place a limit to divisibility ?" "There is a voiceless eloquence on earth, Telling of Him who gave it wondrous birth ; Whose hidden but supreme control. Moves through the world a universal soul." There is a power, unseen, that keeps the universe in motion — the source of all life and thought. It is not necessary that we should know how it operates on nature and universal being. You may have stood on 68 STRAY BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. the dock of a harbour of tlie ^<*"' ""'' ""> pulsation Fa" ouT In'Ih ""'' ?'' ""' ^'^"'™''" w.|siJL^z;t,^;ou^:t^•rs^ert:Lr o.ao:rc;::.x:rnrrr"^'^-— ° the n,an3- evidences around ul 'tLIT f-'T ''^ tiesoUho rose the. „ode"slwue of „e' W^.^i Z" he^' zi: tr''"' Yt '" *"^ "«»'"'>'='; -'"- «in. urder, softness and beauty of Smiva nr^ +v, • own hnf I'f ic T i,i 1 , """J "^ nguie are their rob:;, :l h^ Itt" «"" tr? "'- «P in their , wiiitn sname the monarch's glory." "How charming is divine philosophy? Not harsh and crabbed as so.ne dull fools supr.ee But musical as is Apollo's lute • ^- ' ^nd a perpetual feast of nectarial sweets, >V here no crude surfeit reigns. » of faurufti^l'T? ''"^ "' °^ "^ '""^ •'Pi''" "" » 'wi. U me i7. r '"'"™' P'""''' ™''^-- " Slass. In a shorl aX:tt;Th:\ttrtrT '° *"° ■"--"■■- hundred tin,es ht L? t^ i;S^^,'',alTt;:i &:rtra:!^-^-r"*~^ *'^^ Every star i. , ° "SSregales of infinitesimals. f.very star is a brilliant point varied in .,„^ni.,„i- The couiets are the scavengers of the un ve e col !ct »g the waste of suns to relurn the saZ whence they BROKEN RAYS OF LIGHT. 69 came. All is unresfc, the nebulses are ever in motion, guided by Infinite Wisdom throucrh boundless cycles. Space is soulless ; but God gives it worlds which may have life," or in the far beyond, may contain only balls of fire, and worlds unformed, rushing onward in wild confusion. " Matter is a chemical laboratory of mystery light, electricity and polarization, attracted, centralized, crystallized, carbonized, and subject to change. Fire may consume it, but can never annihilate it."° What a mystery is the organization of man. The body and the soul— blood life, nerve life and muscular life are corporeal ; but the spirit is the intellectual life— im- material and immortal, " The brain, the seat of reason, is covered with a dovetailed shield or cranium, beneath which is a small space, or vacuum, so arranged that the bone cannot touch the underlying delicate sub- stance. In that material sanctuary dwells the spirit life. We cannot locate the seat of consciousness, or even explain the mental cclamities which befall man. A little while ago, the eclipse of memory fell upon a bright-minded young lady, which compels us to think that different faculties occupy different parts of the brain tissue, and thus the catastrophe to this lady casts light upon the physical basis of intellectual ac- tion. She awoke from a sleep, and did not know her own sister, or the other members of the family. Her mother lingered upon the borders of some well-known being, bi:^ to her sister, brother and father she spoke as to 3tui.igers. Her language, her reasoning power, her happiness remained, but the world of persons had vanished, to be succeeded by interesting people, who , I, 70 FiTRAT BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. had fallen, and the fa<-„U.. which had for twentv year, occ ied th.,: „part„.ene had been evieteri^ leadVLTr'""'"' ""''"'"' "" ""'- >"="« which leads trom the memory of persons to the citadel of consciousness had been ininrerl .n,! ti, . cation ««„i 1 V, , ! '"J"fe''. and that no comniuni- mZZ n : *"■""" ""^ '•"""'' '» "^-^ <=«»' 'al city. w nchrnir :. '■°'" P"™'''"-^ "^ " ''"'^ 'bread il Of , T "'' "y' '° ""^ '"•""' "n-J wl'ile the eye t« If may be faultless, and the consciousness per^cl nerve tfe f ' ""7 u ''^ '"J'"^ '° ">^ '"'- -^ ^tt nerve the image ot the retina cann. t pass over to the oonscousness Seeing takes place in the darlcave™ of the brain but the imago cannot tra^•el in the X: s ifi: '' ''"-° ^'--n. for the abyss is bottom al uded the ""' ^"""^ '"''^ '■' "•''"■» i ='-™ anuded, the mju-y n,ay only ha>-e been in some nerve delicate as a solder's v oh w„» ""s nerve ininrv 1 «, P "" ' ^"^ Nature may repair the ■"jury, K .1 the -.ersons 11 return as suddenly as they 'ieparted, I look into the eye of one who foves me and who„ I ,ove and we see each other's splrui shak. he nana of friend.,;ip, and the spirit respond, tothe touch and electrifie. the crinity of^nan. ' ,»i mem it ndless varieti .s. Sj 'c-' immeasurable, bounu.ess, square of all s. ■ ,res circle of all circles the triangle and plummet of .^'J^ Bcemuy-th, endless past, the endless future no beginning, „„ end. The strongest mind is app^ ed a BROKEN RAYS OF LIGHT. 71 1 a disease f twenty icted. It ch is the ''e which itadel of 3mniuni- tralcity. 2 thread } the eye perfect nediate r to the caverns le dark bottom- I have e nerve air the as thev ^es me, irit. I sponds ' 'Space ! id un- : 'ice — circle 'nsitj. e; no led at its magnitude, God — the Eternal of eternity. Eter- nity has no priority, neither has He. The eternity of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is the arch that spans all space, and encircles it with Omnipresence. On the blessed Son of the Highest rests the stability of all things. Withdraw His shining face and power one moment, and the ..niverse would become a wreck." Some men who parade before the world as philoso- phers, tell us that nature is God. What a soulless divinity ! To accept such a theory would sink us below the level of the brute. Matter is distinct from God, was created by Him. "He ig the origin of all things — light, life, joy, beauty and harmony. His arm the unmeasured universe sur- rounds. It is upheld by Him. How ineffal ly glor- ious in majesty and power is Jehovah. Man is a ' nera, a contradiction, the guardian of truth, yet an uncertainty. He is the glory, as well as the scan- dal, of the universe." Had not God revealed Him- self to man, he would have been a pandemonium of evil ; he could never have known his relationship to his Great' r, and his sun would have st in etoi nal darkness. But blessed be God, He has made Hiia.self known to us — His character and His purposes. He sent the Son of His love, the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, to be offered up as a sacrifice for sin, that He might open a way by which we may approach His infii 'te Father, and when life » toils are ovei, rest witu Iliiu in whose presence there is lulness of jr y, and at whose right hand are pleasures for evermore. n\ THE TWO HOMES. "af boT-1'T ,"' "'° P"'-«ty "'"t exists may bo attributed to intemperance. I am rem.ndecl of a tW,ily that resided in Toront^ and persuade :ert„™™' " T" ™° '" "^ which were makin ' li'^HoIm I ,?"''", '■"''"^■ Winters evening when I JiL " L" ^TriJ^r' " cold and piercino- .,n,i lu ■ ,."=""■ '■"'> air was branches of 'tfeeswhW ^""'' /'S''^'' ""'""S't tl>e street. The 1 ouso w», '^ , "'' "" ""='' •'"« °f "« plot of ground ° 11^"/""'''' '? " '^--g^' ""cultivated stripped 1 of tud of T "'."""^ "'"'»" ''"d windL.pa„es,vI "elfl "??""' °°"""«' ">« as destitute of painfa ,h" t""?"'' ""'' *''" '''"" which wa, a cfndt Z^yltZnT Z °" '™"'=' » in bod, i„ a state of utte^r t^irSncI'^Lr^C.' by ..r .ae. aor uncombed hair rested loo^d/up;: THE TWO HOMES. 78 at exists >. I am Toronto, ustrious he felt s to try Imbits, t was a air was gst the of the tivated rs liad ig, the door i roof, d, an- 1 other, ithoufc ik, on n was r\fntr>4- upon her shoulders, and her eyes were wild and piercing. As I entered the room she uttered some terribfe curses, no doubt intended for her husband. I spoke to her a few gentle words, which seemed to calm her excited spirit, but she soon grew violent again; and I left the house with the sad impression "that she was irretrievably lost to habits of sobriety. How often have such women driven men to dissipation and crime ! Finding no comfort at home, they have souglit it, where it is not to be found, and they, too. have fallen, and the green grass waves over the graves of many who might have been now living had their earthly homes been more attractive. How difficult ifc is to restore a woman when once she has become an inebriate ! I call to remembrance another case, but far dif- ferent from the one I have just described. One even- ing, while looking over the columns of the Globe, I saw the advertisement: "A Beautiful Quilt for Sale, by a Destitute Family. Address 39 street." Pre- viously I had heard of a respectable-looking man calling at a woodyard in the city to purchase a stick of cord*^ wood. Mr. M , being favourat)ly impressed with the man's appearance, inquired into his circumstances, and was told that he was an immigrant, had a wife and two children, arid had been so long out of employ- ment that his scanty means were exhausted. It was a stormy night when I started out to find this family. Tiie snow was falling heavily, and a strong north- easter whirled it into heavy drifts. After some little I I 74 STRAY BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. I I! difficulty I arrived at No. 39. It was a two-story rough-cast house, and was occupied by two or three famihes. Tlie one I was in search of, lived in a room in the back part of the house. I introduced niyselt to the poor woman, and told her the object ot my mission. I perceived that my visit was unex- pected. After the momentary surprise, I inquired into their temporal circumstances. This was unneces- «ary, as the very surroundings responded to my interrogations. The word "poverty" was written on every article of fupiture-if such things may be called by that name. Wherever I turned n.y eyes those silent witnesses appealed to my sympathies. Ihe woman was the very model of neatness, and from her appearance I concluded she had been broucrht up well and tenderly. There were two objects in that room which brought the tears to mv eyes. On a straw mattress in one corner were two" beautiful chil- dren, their flaxen hair in natural curls lay on their fair, clean foreheads. Their father was out in the cold toiling for bread, and, although they had been put to bed without their supper, they did not forget to pray for him, as j^hey had been taught to do from early childhood. I thought of the many children in the city who had bread enough and to spare, while these poor little ones were starving. During our con- versation the father came, carryi.ig a stick of cordwood that he had bought on his way home, and it was to last them for the night. He looked cold and ha^-Lrard and nis clothes were ragged. He told me his^feet THE TWO HOMES. 75 were frozen, and I was not surprised when I looked at his boots. I learned from him that he had held a respectable position in the " Old Land," and had been so reduced in circumstances that he was compelled to emigrate. After relieving their wants, and com- mending them to the care of Him who keepeth Israel, I bade them good night, praying that we might meet where such distress is unknown. Although there are many unworthy objects of charity, there are others deserving help. What nobler mission could any lady desire than to seek out and relieve the destitute ? The concert and the ball-room may give momentary pleasure, but deeds of charity are like precious ointment poured out, and which we may always recall with profit. Let us not despise the poor, but try to render less painful the bed which poverty has made. If an angel were sent from heaven to find the most perfect man, he probably would not find him composing a work on divinity, but perhaps a cripple in a workhouse, whom the county wishes dead, or a beggar dying alone by the way-side, the night dew falling on him and the northern blast chanting a requiem to his passing spirit.^ Av/ay above this poverty-stricken world there is a home where poverty is unknown, and there is bread enough and to spare. In an American elmshouse there was a poor but pious man, who had once been wealthy. In conversa- tion with a gentleman, he said, " You see, sir, I am poor, but I have seen better days. I am sixty -five years of age. I had once a large amount of property, but it 76 STRAY BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. IS gone I had children, too, but they are dead. "Tr«o o ® Paused _ „,^^ ^„y tears trom his eveg— " 'Jesus can make a dying bed Feel soft as downy pillows are ' Jesus re,„am,." I„ the beautiful land on l,?°inhero 3 no poverty, no Elijah by the brook, no Lc^arus If the nch mans gate, no Barti„,ous by he wa^fde I >3 a land without a tear. Here o-ravpT l; ^ , rise on life's ebbin,v ,hore ■ W ^ , ' ""^^'^ts. -rrow, sighing :or^t tk l^^h ^li^otr '' T, ."ar a„ tHe folieity of the tabetali of God T e :;f::^tet:!,-:d'rn:d^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ dead. A is eyes — ed to her J, thouofh NEBO. persuade fc is not. mished ; one, but ?h there Jarus at iide. It avelets, '0 is no would 1. The he pale ! there 3 when |HE fleecy clouds of morn were hovering over " the top of Nebo when Moses gave his'dyino' charge to Israel. The last word had scarcely left his lips, when there arose a deep wail of lamentation, which made the heart of the great law- giver tremble. Josephus says, " Amidst the tears of the people, the women beating their breasts, and the children giving way to uncontrollable wailino- he withdre;y." Alone he ascended the untrodden moun- tain, mournfully watched by his sorrow-strickened people. When he reached the place which Jehovah had chosen for him to die, may we .oppose the current of his thoughts were these : " And are these rocks to be my dying pillow, and this barren mountain my restin \\r'u- " "" '' ^^^' ^^ ^'^■-'" '^"^ wise and good. Within ;he folds of thy unchanging love I find my III 78 STRAY BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. soul secure! O breathe the breath of endless life upon me now, and let mortality be left below on this bleak spot! I come to thee ! O let me taste the pure ethereal joys that beam forever in the open vision of thy face ! blissful hour ! sweetest moment of my life ! I yield— I give up all to thee ! I wait ' 1\ i kneeling at the threshold, weary, faint, and sore; waitmg till thou Shalt bid me rise and come to the' glory of thy presence, to the gladness of thy home." " 'A weary path I've travelled, 'mid the darkness, storm and strife. Bearing many a burdeji, struggling for my life ; But the morn is breaking, my toils will soon be o'er ; I'm kneeling at the threshold, my hand is on the door.' » When the deep gush of feeling had passed away Jehovah bade him behold the inheritance of his people. Jordan went sweeping by, its bright waters spark- ling in the rays of the setting sun, and the vine- clad hills of Canaan arrayed in smiling beauty ; while the sea of Galilee slept in its mountain cradle, the gentle murmur of its waves falling upon his ear. His last mournful gaze was turned on the thou- sands of Israel below, and then the great lawcriver laid down to die. The manner of his death is'' not revealed to us. There is one circumstance in it which requires particular notice. It is ssiid—He died— ac- cording to the word of the Lord. Dr. Clarke says, the original words al pi Yehovah, signify literally at {or upon) the mouth of Jehovah : which Jonathan ben Uzziel interprets, "by a kiss of the wor J uhn.t aved at the time He is said to have done but' THE BRIDGE AND ITS NINETEEN ARCHES. 83 instead of being Divine, He was a man of great intel- lect and large benevolence, who, seeing the sin and error in which men were involved, groaned over their wretchedness, and longed to see them delivered from It. He was brought up in the old learning of the Jews, and, believing in the prophets who had fore- told the advent of a Messiah, from long broodincr over It, He came so strongly to expect Him, that even'tually He believed Himself to be the promised One. It was a strong delusion, but, on the strength of it. He went about, as teachers in those days were accustomed to do, teaching His beautiful doctrines, and by virtue qf a species of animal magnetism performed a number of extraordinary cures on sick people. Those thincrs were multiplied by His disciples; great marvel was excited concerning them, until, from the tendency in human nature to the marvellous, they were regarded as miraculous. Strauss grants that the Greek gospels as at present received, were in existence in the year 173, but contends that between the death of Christ and that period there had been ample time fc the growth of fable and mythical stories. He admits that the apostles wrote books, but maintains that no one knew who wrote the books now received as theirs for as the admiration of the disciples of Christ grew upon them after His death, they attributed to Him all the miraculous things which they considered the Messiah ought to have done. Mr. Cooper, in his reply to the strictures of Strauss, endeavoured to prove by a mode of reasoning the most conclusive., fhat Christianity is 84 STRAY BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. a historical fact. He asked, Was there over such a person as Christ ? Did He live in the land He was said to have lived in ? Had He twelve apostles ' Did He cure the sick, p /e sight to the blind, and raise the dead to life ? Wa.s He crucified ? Did He rise from the dead ? If those things were tfue, then Christianity is true; and to show that they are tru^ ho asked us to accompany him along the bridge of time, from the present century to the origin of Christianit) . This bridge has nineteen arches, and those arche are the nineteen centuries.' and in order that the facts of each ^)ii.%^ i r 86 STRAV BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. I a They were burned to .leath ; The Albigen.,es and Walden.,c, tried to uphold the Gospel in it, p„dty, and what beca.nc of them ? They were stifled in the cavern,,, in whieh they had taken refuge fro.n their ZTT-' ";"■■, ""-I"™ «""■« tl""wn from preeipice,, and the.r eh, Mren'., brain, were dashed out again, !r„,T w ""', '""" ""^y """ '° ™n«-' '«■• their faHh ? Wa, It that they were all tool, and idiot,, or We arrive at the 14th centnry-TOe Arch of Wychfe. who lived -core, of year, before Luther, and ran, ate,l the Bible into the Engli,h tongue. Pro- teeted by John of Gaunt, he died quietly in hi, bed, but afterward, h,„ bone, were taken up and burnt. In hi, day, there wa, a struggle between a true Christi- anity and a f«l,o one, but where did that Ghristianitv come from ? ■' We now visit the 13th century-^. Arch of the Magna Charta^nd as a proof that Christianity existed then, Stephen Lan^ton, Archbishop of Canterbury was among the barons by whom that great bill of rights wa. wrung from the tyrant John. There was historic laitn m that century. We journey to the 12th century-^. Arch of the Crusades when innumerable hosts perished in the atfcemp to recover the Holy Land, which the feet of Chnst had trod and His sepulchre from the hands of the infidel. The Crusaders were, no doubt, wrong- out men must have bplipvo,i u. nu..:..i.-_. _•. , . ®' - J I.. wxiiiawiiUiiiy, or Kings m:fua THE BRIDGE AND ITS NINETEEN ARCHES. 87 enses and its purity, led in the roin their precipices, it against for their 1 idiots, or in whom , Arch of ither, and ue. Pro- his bed, urnt. In ! Christi- ristianity ^h of the y existed )ury, was 3f rights I historic j/i of the in the ! feet of bands of wrong ; >r kings would not have forgotten their feuds, and warriors unsheathed their swords, and millions of people left their homes to die in such a cause. Men were in earnest. Were th »y believing in a fiction, or did the feet of Jesus ever tread the land they sought to recover ? We proceed to the 11th century — The Arch of Williavi the Conqueror. In that age Pope Hildebrand, Gregory the VII., who made Henry IV. of Germany kiss his toe, and who asserted the claim that all princes held their crowns from him, sent to England for the contributions called Peter's pence. William snapped his fingers at the Pope, and set him at defiance ; but the question is, how came the Popes to be so pow- erful that kings would submit to them as the vicars of Christ ? Their power was based upon an idea, but where did it come from ? We enter the 10th century — The Arch of Dark- ness. It was a darkness that might be felt. The priests were beheld with awe. It was the day of relics and pilgrimages, but even in those days of dark- ness and superstition, pure Christianity existed in Europe, although its professors were hunted to death. Where did it come from ? Was it a fiction, or was there a Jesus who had lived and was crucified and had risen again ? We hasten to the 9th century — The Arch of Alfred the Great. A king who adorned the diadem more than the diadem adorned the king, and who said he would Englishmen were as free as the air they breathe. Englishmen loved freedom. It was a noble thing, and 88 STRAY BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. we have often thought of its birth. and how King Alfred sm.led on the child ir. its cradle It . strong constitution. Tvrant, hUn J ■ "^ " h- been often down on^i^kn eT brh" 1 "' '"" " op again. Who was Kin- ZZl>u *^' «'" tian kin-. He ord^r.!^ m° J ■ "" ""' " C''™" have the peoprta.^hr^Tr''' '°'"'"''' """^ '«»''<' those d«yr£tt JtlTandt""""^ '" portant quostion,_Pid Alfred" hi' "" ""■ that did not exis » WeVe 'n ,1 • '° ^""'""''"B We arrive at thV «.l . ^ """^^'•^ n,i.,taken ? "e urnveat the 8th century_rAe Arrl, ,f A^J- i mar^n.. On Chri.sfnas-day i„ the year 8o/ Oh f" ■nagne was crowned emperor of Pel ' ut" Pope, and he ordered a tranTatio„ oft^r^' \ "" to be made. At his invitation Alcuin went ^ " England to France, but Bede re u ed to ' o Tf"" was therefore, Christianity in the dav. f f^' ' How came they to be Christians . '' "' """' "'"• tained. k^o^^TZ '.fslri cr'T whoLftT^ttd^fet'mfXllTd? '^'^'i !:^ (Mahomet) was th~t Com W ' """' ""• We advance to the 6th century_r/« Arch nf iXd^^c^r^r'^'-^'' '^^ "-S :f s i.on. erted .^. ine preaching of the humble \y' .^W:- THE BRIDGE AND ITS NINETEEN ARCHES. 89 how King It has a t it, and ifc Iways got J a Chris- translated 'elf trans- nd would iianity in is an im- omething jistaken ? ^ Charle- '. Charle- by the turcs ■ ^ from There 3se men. Arch of e enter- Christ ; •re him. rist, by and he rch of ople of liumble monk, King Ethelbert was baptized and the Saxons gave up their idols and became Christians. Even be- fore that time there were Christians in Wales who would not submit to the Pope. Whence did that Christianity come ? We make our way to the 5th century — The Arch of Clovia, and of the Christianization of France. A missionary spoke to Clovis of the sufferings of Christ. Clovis wept and said, " If I had been present, I would have revenged his death." The natur,; ; f Christianity was explained to him, he was baptized and the Gauls became Christians. We come to the 4th century — The Arch of Con- stantine, who was the first emperor that patronized Christianity. In the year 329 he called a council at Nice, which was attent'id by 300 Christian bishops. It is calculated by Gibbon that at the time of Con- stantine, there were G.000,000 Christians ; and if Christianity was regarded u'' true by such a number, whence was their faith derived ? Mr. Cooper re- commended young men. if they should ever be in London, to go to the British Museum and see the sur- prising number of books that have been written by the early fathers in defence of Christianity. We cautiously approach the 3rd century — The Arch of Persecution. Sometimes the Christians were at rest, but every new and then the rage for persecu- tion burst forth, and they were martyred for their faith : but still they trium.phed= Pomhvrv wrote a book against Christianity, and what did he say ? Did ii^'-t 90 STRAY BEAMS PROM THE CROSS. he say that Christ 1 : never existed? No ho, «niM ♦k^ totir,sn their en»„„e.,. He ,li,l „ot even deny that Chnst wro„ght .niraele,. but sai,. He .11,1 it by!" e ?h„:t\,ire;i:^^ '"'"'"""^ "^ '>■'» p^"-p^or Xt A.T" nK'-T "' "'" ^"'' «"t>"-y-rae ^™/. „/ Trajan A^^toChn, ,„„ity existing in this centur/we need not stop to inquire. ^ Which all the redeemed pass on their way into the Tek :::r"°- /r-- z^^™"- «-'' ^^ ^ 'jreeK gospels existed in the vear 17'^ K,,* xi. x between the death of Christ InJIarpt o tZ td been ample time for them to be falLied. HeVavs also that nobody knew by whom they were written wetw^ritTenT p""" -"<-- thL^iiLntaS were written by Casar or orations by Cicero » It i, known simply through the reputation'^^f a 1 t,„e • and Trln wh„ 1 "•> "*«'^«y f inquire at what time tunll 1 ^ ""''° ^™*' «""■« "rit'^n- For- tunately however, even this information can be sup- phed with reference to the Gospels. Matthew wr"L h.s gospel at Jerusalem for the use of the ChrMan Church there ; Mark wrote his at Rome, at th™s" ' dictation ot Peter; Luke wrote his at Philinni in Greece, and the gospel of .lol,, ,,». ^^.... , PP'' '" THE BRIDGE AND ITS NINETEEN ARCHES. 01 ) said the could not ieny tJiat by magic, plier that / Trajan. we need Arch of I through into the that the says that here had He says written, lentaries >? It is me ; and that it lat time »• For- be sup- V wrote liristian request om the Ppi, in him at EpheHUH. Strauss says, however, they were probably not tlie gospels as written by the apostles, but they had been falsified by the addition of such tales for instance as the restoration to life of Lazarus. That would be inipos.sil)le. If, according to Gibbon, there were not less than (),()00,000 Christians in the Roman empire in the third century, in the year 173 there would not be less than 3,000,000. Allowing one copy of the gospels to every fifty Christians, there would be 60,000 written copies. Now was it possible that such a number could be falsified ? If a book wa.s out of print and a new edition was about to be published, no doubt it could be done ; but as there was no print- ing press and everything had to be written, it rvas an ab.solute impossibility. Now, for instance, would it be possible to get 00,000 people to con.sent to it? And if one was altered at Jerusalem there would be another at Corinth, another at Rome, another at Alexandria, and .so forth. Irenreus, a native of Syria, and bishop of Lyons, said he received his go.spel from Polycarp, and he had often heard him sper of the apostle John, whose di.sciple he was. Poly . •> told him that St. Jolm's knees were as hard as a camel's knees from f reciuent prayer ; and that he had often heard him repeat Christ's last discourse with His disciples. Now is there not a clear chain of evidence ? Suppo.se the story of Lazarus had been inserted during John's lifetime, he would have discov- ered it, and if it had been attempted during the life- time of Polycarp. he would have said, "It is false, it r 92 STRAY BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. shall not be done T am in danger daily of death been written by Christian.,. Whom , ,1 ! wonM write tl.em i Wh V, "-'^ ""?""=' secularist/ A hHi'^then 7'%''"' '"' "' " not write it a M„fh . . .'"'°'' °' ^"e'''"'^ """'d pected tl do I No r ""f^'T ""'"^ "•" >« - write it. The ife^f P? -T 'f,' °' "'""•'»■ '"'«'<' admit rr'",? °' ''■"* *■'"' ^'- RobrTlyTor saw James, and John and PetTr Vh '^ I" ' ""* been with Christ. Th^ttull^t no LT.e" Petit cSi7eo^L[::tfr ■"'^'°; -^ ^-r:? him — ■ PnrJ unprejudiced minds. Hear f bKwL:; rjer' '''"°"^'' ---^'r devised coming oTourwIxn,""'" ^"" "■' P""" ""J ne.,s Jof h"s maiestv" Fo'^T' '"' ""^ ^y""^"- the Father honouTan' gio^y wtnT:! '""" T voice to Him fmm *i *^' „ "^^ °*™^ ^"ch a be.ovedSo^™nrom1UrK:?^ ™^ '^ "^ ^BB-t, of death, It could « are one- ^y had not 'ey expect life of a md would ot be ex- se, would sen of no ith Him, ■ted. The aula let- t. Taylor nyth, for en; and vho had Peter's acter of Hear devised kver and *ye-wit- m God such a is my ETERNAL BANKRUPTCY. What shall it profit a man if ho gain the whole world and lose hiasoul?" |HAT we may show the superiority of true re- ligion overall earthly greatness, let us follow the supposition of Christ, and in brief give the histoiy of a man who has gained the whole world, enjoyed it a thousand years, and lost his soul. Hark ! the bells of every city, town and village are ringing out their merry peals, and the winds of heaven waft along the joyful tidings. What is the cause of all this joy ? A prince is born destined to rule the world. He has descended from an unbroken line of illustrious kings. The dignitaries of the state are in attendance to hail his birth, wate^. from the memorable Jordan has been brought to baptize him, and the pre- lates of the realm attend the imposing ceremony. The prince grows fair and beautiful, and astonishes the men of letters with his learning. He speaks every language fluently. In sculpture, music and fine arts, he rivals the sons of Greece, Italy and Rome. In OrA.tnrv ]i« Biirnn.sapa TiomnofViiipoo in r1t/>fw.n 0:««— x ^ „" — ~..|-_ . »- ,.,,.5,..-, ir> •i!^«i-_?ia \^'t.Mr:L\j, in poetry Homer and Virgil. He is wiser than Solo- 04 STRAY BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. mon. fairer than Absalom, and stronger than Samson. Ihe joy attending his coronation fur exceeds that which hailed his hirth. He is given in marriage to a princess, every way suitable to be his consort They are blessed with children fair, wise and virtuous Feace and prosperity pervades every part of his king- dom. He is clothed in purple and Hne linen, and fares sumptuously every day. He is enriched with every enjoyment except saving grace. At tive hundred years of age he feels healthy and strong, and at nine hun- dred and nmety-nine he experiences no infirmity or symptoms of decay. The last year .lawns, but he knows it not. His courtiers have so long shouted, O king, live forever ! " that he seems to have entirely forgotten his mortality. Shall we commi.ssion some angel to enter the palace to tell him that his days are numbered? No. let it be kept a secret till the last hour, that will be long enough for him to know his doom. The seasons of the year rapidly succeed each other and the last day arrives. The sun rises and un- folds his strange beauties, the lakes repose in placid oveliness, the birds warble their joyous melodies, and the heavens look down for the first time on a monarch a thousand years of age. The king has proclaimed that this day shall be a public holiday. The bells chime merrily, banners float in the breeze, and every hill and valley seems vocal with music. In the evening a banquet is given in the palace in celebration of the event. The king is surrounded by his illustrious tamily, his nobles, and the ministers of state Hark ETERNAL BANKRUPTCY. 95 Samson, eels that agu to a t. They virtuous, lis king- md fares ;h every ed years ine hun- mity or but he sliouted, entirely )n some ays are the last low his 3d each md un- i placid ies, and lonarch slttimed e bells 1 every vening of the ■strious Hark what singing and music ! What dancing and mirth ! "O king, live forever," shout the jubilant guests; and what says the king. " Soul take thine ease, for thou hast a store laid up for many years." At that moment there is heard a voice from heaven, repeating with slow and measured accents : " Thou fool, this night thy soul is required of thee, and whose shall these things be." Death enters the baiuiuet hall, stamps his image on the king and wipes the bloom of a thousand years from his cheeks. He struggles, groans, fears ! The cathedral clock in deep, solemn tones strikes the mid- night hour, and the king utters a loud wail. The min- isters of state, the chief captains and the mighty men shout, "O king, live forever!" but it is of no avail. He sees the gates of heaven closed, and hell open its flaming portals to receive him, and he shrieks, "Time is gone, I have gained tlie world and lost my soul." He is dead. Take off his crown, wrap up his royal robes, lay by his .sceptre. Hang > s ill in the dome of heaven, and let an angel ring out the death knell. Embalm his body with the sweetest .spice.s, make his .shroud of the finest linen, and his coffin of poli.shed ivory, with breastplate of goM, embellished with precious stones. Build him a mau.soleum such as no mortal ever beheld; encase it with granite, roof it with silver, and front it with fine bra.ss. Let his funeral obsequies be such as becometh the occasion — the earth craped with emblems of mourning, banners drooninfv f rom evfirv t.rfifi mmiufniri nnrl mnl- T «* *1,« winds roar, the floods lift up their voice, and deep call 96 STRAY REAMS FROM THE CROSS. If to hollow deep, and have it inscribed on the canopy of heaven, that a man has gained the world and en- joyed it for a thousand years and lost his soul. The day of interment arrives, millions attend the funeral I Their measured tramp is like the march of an earth- quake. The cortege move en masse to the place of burial, and while the choristers are chanting the Te Deum, the body is placed in the vault. On the huge gates of the mausoleum let there l)e written the history of his prosperous reign, and at the bottom in- scribe in large capitals, so that he that runs may read, " What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his .soul ?" We now leave the body and follow the undying spirit. Where is he whom Jesus died to redeem ? Is he with the elders and shining ones ? No ! He is lost ! Do you ask me to tell you what it is CO be lost ? •• 'Tis more than angel's tongue can tell, Or angel's mind conceive." That you may have some faint idea what it is to be eternally lo.st, let us follow the lost king into the region of everlasting despair. Come thou guardian angel, lead us through this eternal prison, as we are afraid to descend alone into this great darkness. Whenc3 come these lurid flashes ? What is that I see ? A spirit seeking rest, but finding none. Who is he ? Hark! A voice: "I am he who gained the whole world ard lost my soul." What an exchange ! Shall we attempt to weigh his gain and liis loss ? His gain ETERNAL BANKRUPTCY. •7 was only for a thousand years, I is loss an oteraal one. A man may lose his health, property and character, and have them restored. Job lost his property, and had it returned to him two-fold. Nebuchadnezzar was driven from his throne to herd with the beasts of the Held; but Qod gave him back his reason and his kinfjdom. But in hell there are no such cases. If the soul is once lost, it is lost forever. The lost may be permitted to .see, a.s Dives did, the glories of heaven, and hear the hallelu- jahs of the glorified .saints ; but there is an impassable gulf between heaven and hell, which no bridge can span, or angel's pinions cross. The vulture of despair will fasten its talons of eternal death in the souls of the lost, and flap its wings in triumph over their blasted hopes, and the great clock that never ru:v< down will peal out in .solemn tones, "Eternity! Eternity!" What would the lost king give in exchange for his soul ? What has he to give ? On earth he had only to ask and have ; but now he is an eternal bankrupt. What would he give if he had it in his power ? Ten thou- sand times ten thousand worlds if he possessed them. But why do I inspire a hope, when every gleam of hope is dead. God forbid that we ever learn by experience what it is to lose our souls. ^!!»l TRUSTING. j|0," said the lawyer, " I shall not press your claim against that man ; you can get some one else to take the case, or you may with- draw it, just as you please." " Think there is any money in it ?" " Probably there would be some money in it, but it would come from the sale of the little house the man occupies ; but I do not want to have anything to do with the matter anyhow." "Got frightened out of it, eh ? " " No, I was not frightened out of it." " I suppose the old man begged hard to be let off?" "Well, yes, he did." "And you caved in likely?" "No, I did not speak a word." "Oh, he did all the talking, did he ; " " Yes." " And what did you do ? " "I believe I shed a few tears." " The old man begged hard, you say ? " "I did not say any- thing of the kind ; he did not speak a word to me." " Well, may I respectfully ask to whom did he speak ?" " The Almighty." " Ah ! he took to praying, did he ? " " Not for my benefit in the least. I found the little house easily enough, and knocked at the door, which stood ajar, but no one heard me ; so I stepped, un- noticed, into the hall. I saw through a crack in the door a small room, and there, on a bed of sickness, TRUSTING. 99 with her silvery head raised high on pillows, was an aged woman who looked as my mother did the last time I saw her on earth. I was on the point of knock- ing again, when, down on his knees by her side bent a white-headed man, older than his wife I should judge, and I could not have kn-~ked then for the life of me. In his prayer he reminuod the Almighty that they were still His submissive children, and, no matter what He should see lit to bring upon them, they should not rebel against His will. It would be hard for them to go out homeless in their old age, especially with his poor wife so sick and helpless. How different it might have been if only one of their boys had been spared to them ! Then his voice broke, and a thin white hand stole from under the coverlet and moved softly over his snowy head. He went on to say that nothing could be so sharp again as the parting with their three boys, unless he and his wife should be separated. The Lord knew that it was through no fault of his that they were threatened with the loss of their home, which meant want and the alms-house— a place he prayed to be delivered from, if it were God's will. He then referred to a number of promises concerning those who put their trust in the Lord. It was the most thrilling appeal to which I have ever listened ; and the most surprising thing to me was, he closed his' prayer by asking God's blessing on those who were about to demand justice; and, to tell you thrf truth, sir, I believe I had rather go to the poor-house myself to- night than stain my hands in the blood of such a 100 STRAY BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. prosecution as that." " Rather afraid to defeat the old man's prayer, eh ? " " You could not defeat it," said the lawyer. " He left the whole case subject to the will of God, and he claimed that we were told to make known our desires to Him. You see, I was taught that kind of thing in my childhood, and why I was sent to hear that prayer I do not krfow ; but, anyhow, I hand the case over." "I do wish," said the prose- cutor, uneasily, " that you had not told me about the old man's prayer." ; " Why so ? " " Because I want the money the place would bring ; but I also was taught the Bible in my youth, and I would hate to run counter to what you have just told me. I wish I had not heard a word of it ; and another time I would not listen to petitions which were not intended for my ears." "My dear sir," said the lawyer, "they were intended for my ears and yours too. My dear old mother used to sing, ' God moves in a mysterious way.' " " Well, my mother used to sing it too," said the claimant, as he twisted his claim papers in his fingers. " You can call in the morning, if you like, and tell the old people the claim has been met." " In a m^ysterious way," responded the lawyer. THE GOOD SHIP IMMaNUEL. mrT was a beautiful morning, just before day-break, ^ when the good ship Immanuel entered Beth- M I lehem with the flag of redeeming love floating at her mast-head. Night sat enthroned, soli- tary and sublime. The stars shone with their usual brilliancy, but there was one star brighter than the rest. It stood in mid-heaven, pouring down its silvery beams on the plains and mountains of Judjea. And immediately there appeared an angelic host, whose fadeless diadems lit up the heavens with unearthly splendour, and one of them announced to the shepherds watching their flocks the glorious advent of the Prince of Peace. Strange events are passing in the capital ; a band of pilgrims has entered Jerusalem, and having obtained an interview with the king, they put to him the startling question, "Where is Le that is born King of the Jews, for we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him." Herod is alarmed, and requests the wise men to call on their return and tell him where the child is to be found. Leaving the king, the star, which guided the illustrious foreigners across the desert, again appears. They follow it till it stands over the birthplace of the young child. They enter aud present unto him ofierings of gold, frankin- 102 STB AY BEAMS FBOM THE CBOSS. cense, and myrrh. Meanwhile the news of the advent spread, which becomes a source of anxiety, alike to the Jew and the Roman. There sits a venerable He- brew sage, perusincr a highly treasured copy of the books of Moses and the prophets. He is reading the dying declaration of Jacob, and calculating the num- ber of years recorded by Daniel. As he reads and calculates, his eyes glistened with hallowed joy, and his heart bounds with rapture, and he thanks the God of his fathers that he has been allowed to see the ad- vent of the Deliverer of Israel, whom many righteous men desired to see, but were not permitted. And yonder sits a proud Israelite repeating with emphasis, those prophecies of the ancient seers, which speak of Messiah " as mighty to save," and tell of His achieve- ments — how He shall go forth from conquering to conquer, until, in his . mind, he beholds his native soil again unpolluted by the foot of the uncircumcised alien, his race free from foreign domination, and Jeru- salem become again a praise in the whole earth. And pursuing the exciting theme, he pictures to himself the expected One as a martial chief, with garments dyed with blood, leading the troops of Israel from vic- tory to victory; the Roman eagle flying before the Jewish standard ; the mistress of the world humbled in the dust, and his countrymen, perchance himself among the number, taking a fearful retribution for the sufferings and insults of many generations. nvIvU gti.oiivi.tvt ciii li.ic viiiiei. pllCI.'StS ilUU SCFIOeS 01 the people together, that he might learn the nationality THfi GOOD SHIP IMMANUEL. 103 and object of the Immanuel. He is told that she is a Juda3an craf t.and her mission is the restoration of Israel. His wrath is kindled, and he commands her to be seized ; but one of the officers, being secretly warned of the King's intention, gave orders to weigh anchor and take refuge in Egypt. After the death of Herod, she entered the port of Nazareth, where she was thoroughly equipped for service. While cruising along the coast, she picked up Peter, James and John; also called at Bethany, and took on board Mary,' Martha and Lazarus. As she was entering the city of Magdala, the look-out saw a strange looking craft be- longing to a person named Magdalene. Seven pirates had possession of her. Her condition was most peril- ous; sails rent, masts gone, rudder unshipped, and compass lost. The captain of the vessel ordered a shot to be fired across her bow, which brought her to. He then called upon the enemy to surrender, which they did unconditionally. While at Calvary] she had a severe engagement with the rebel forces. The great battle opened, the sound of which shook the earth, hushed into profound silence the celestial harmonies, and made hell quiver from centre to cir- cumference. Mount Sinai also smoked and rocked as the battle surges swept around it. At length a combined attack w&a made upon the Immanuel, and so terrible was the conflict that the earth seemed en- circled in a sheet of flame, but she stood the shock of battle unharmed, defeating the enemy at every point. After an engagement of six hours, a voice 104 STRAt BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. was heard from the deck of the victorious ship, which thrilled every heart: "It is finished." Down went the black flag; the enemy surrendered; and the world's redemption was accomplished. As the smoke of the battle cleared away, the flag which never shrank at the approach of any foe, was seen fluttering in the breeze, bearing this device, which was to the Jews a stumbling-block, and to the polished Greek foolishness: "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ; in whom we have redemption in His blood, even the for- giveness of all our sins." As the Immanuel was making ready to leave the scene of action, a marine, belonging to the allied forces, who had been severely wounded during the engage- ment, was observed clinging in the agony of despair, to the ship's cable, crying aloud : " Lord, remember me." " Throw him off"," shouted voices from beneath ; but the Shipniasi^^er, who came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them, gave him a look of tenderness, and said : "To-day, shalt thou be with Me when I enter into Paradise." Fully manned, and with a commission as wide as the world, she again started on her cruise. She entered Jerusalem on the morning of Pentecost. A vast crowd were congregated to see this noble ship, just from the heat of battle, eriter the port of the capital ; many of whom had not only witnessed the engagement, but had taken part on the side of the enemy. Having made ready for action, Peter stood up, "not to hold a dry argument with the people about duty, THE GOOD SHIP IMMANUEL. 105 but spoke to them of free grace. And before his ad- dress was ended, three thousand rebels were seeking to be reconciled to their king, crying: 'Men and brethren, what shall we do ? ' Peter had anticipated such an inquiry, therefore his reply was prompt, ' Re- pent ye, therefore, and be converted every one of you, and ye shall obtain the forgiveness of all your .sms.' There was no need to despatch envoys here and there to obtain information : Peter was enabled by his com- mission to settle the matter at once." The good ship then left Jerusulem for Damascus. During tlie voyage she fell in with bad weather ; both the wind and the sea raged furiously, injuring many of the crew, some of whom fell victims to the storm, and exchanged time for immortality. As they were entering the harbour of that ancient city they closed with a rebel of stately build, from Tarsus of Cilicia, owned by Saul, an aristocrat of the old Hebrew faith, who had seized and imprisoned many of the King's officers. The Captain, seeing she meant mischief, opened upon her a terrific fire, which threw her on her beam ends. Having no desire to treat the rebel unmercifully, or even to retaliate for the injury she had done the service, He bore down upon her, and took possession saying : " Saul ! Saul ! Why persecutest thou me ; arise, and stand upon thy feet, for I have chosen thee to be my minister, delivering thee from the people and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee to turn them from the service of Satan unto God, that they 106 STRAY BEAMS FROM TlIE CROSS. may receive forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance among them which are justified by faitli that is in me." The Immanuel tlien entered Atliens, where Plato lived, and Aristotle taught the light of science. Here she met with much opposition. The two forts of the city. Philosophy and Reason, opened upon her a heavy fire ; though Paul, the master-gunner of the ship, madb a powerful impression on the enemy's batteries, he could not silence all of them. "Some mocked," while others deserted the service of the enemy, and sought refuge on board the Immanuel- among these were Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris. She left Athena, and called at Corinth, a celebrated city in Greece, on the southern part of the Isthmus between the .Egean and the Ionian seas. Here they found a "person named Aquilla, born in Pontus, who had lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla." They were also joined by Silas and Timotheus, who had come from Mace- donia, having been there on the King's business. Paul went on shore, and reasoned with the Jews and the Greeks, testifying that Jesus was the Christ ; but they received not his testimony. Then Paul shook his raiment and said unto them: "Your blood be upon your own heads, I am clean ; from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles." And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man's house, named Justus one that worshipped God. whose house joined hard to the synagogue. And Crispus, the chief ruler of the syna- gogue, with all his house, and many of the Corinthians THE aOOD SHIP IMMANUEL. 107 inheritance litli that is liens, where b of science, le two forts d upon her nner of the lie enemy's m. " Some 'ice of the Immanuel ; ?ite, and a , and called le southern n and the ion named come from also joined rom Mace- less. Paul vs and the ; but they shook his J be upon rth I will lence, and ustus, one ard to the the syna- [>rinthians sought admittance, and were accepted into the King's service. They left Corinth and came into Galatia. Here an unpleasantness arose among the crew, many of whom were dissatisfied with the restraints of the service, and they applied for their discharge, which the Captain gave them ; it being contrary to the laws of the ship to retain anyone against his will. The mutineers were at once put on shore, and their names struck ofT the service list. This occurrence produced a painful feeling among the crew. Many were moved to tears when they saw the men leave ; and not a few affec- tionately urged them to acknowledge their faults and re-enter the service. Even the Captain, whose authority they had defied, .spoke kindly to them and entreated them to turn from their evil ways ; but they paid no heed to his exhortations. After leaving Galatia, they set out again for Jerusa- lem. The day after the arrival, Paul and James went out to meet the elders of the city, who received them graciously. Paul now made known to them the things which God had wrought. And when they heard it they glorified God. Then Paul and certain others entered the temple, and when the Jews which had come from Asia saw him in the temple, they stirred up the people, and laid hold on him, crying out : " Men of Israel, help ; this is the man that teacheth all men, everywhere, against the people, and the law, and this place, and further, brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place ; " for they 108 STRAY BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. had seen with him in the city. Trophimus. an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple. And all the city was moved, and the people ran together, and they seized Paul, and drew him out of the temple, and closed the doors. They would have killed him. but tiding.s having reached the chief cap- tain that Jerusalem was in an uproar, he took a band of soldiers and centurions, and ran down unto them, and when they saw the centurions and soldiers they left off beating Paul. Then the chief captain came near, and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains and conveyed to the castle. The next day Paul was brought before a Jewish council, thance taken to Cesarea, and finally to Rome to appear before Augustus CsBsar. On his arrival in the imperial city, the centurion delivered him to the captain of the guard, and he was allowed to dwell in his own house, with a soldier to keep him, and he received all that came in unto him. We have no account of his trial before Caesar, but he was released in the spring of A.D, 62 or 68, having been fully acquitted. After his release, it is said, he preached the gospel "to the utmost parts of the west." Now began the first general persecution of the Christians. An immense multitude were put to death by the most horrifying means which savage cruelty could invent. During this fiery trial it is sup- posed that Paul came.to Rome to encourage the Chris- tians to bear with patience and resignation their trials. Such a distinguished leader could not lona f.«/.flna f^o fury of the emperor. He 'was apprehended, and was THE GOOD SHIP IMMANUEL. 109 m Ephesian, fht into the the people ew him out would have I chief cap- iook a band unto them, )ldiers they ptain came ;o be bound . The next ncil, tbance pear before ial city, the the guard, use, with a Ett came in rial before A.D. 62 or 1 release, it )st parts of secution of ere put to ich savage <1 it is sup- the Chris- ;heir trials, escape the 1, and was cast into prison. We learn from the last epistle he wrote to Timothy, that almost all his companions had forsaken him except Luke the phy.sician. whose affec- tion for Paul continued. At length he was led out of the city for execution. As ho marched along, says an historian, several of the soldiers who formed the guard were converted by his conversation. He was beheaded, and thus passed from the publicity of the scaffold, to the crown of a martyr, one of the greatest heroes of the Christian faith. When the news of the death of Paul reached Jerusalem, the officer in command of the Immanuel summoned all hands on deck, and com- municated to them the great loss they had sustained in the death of their illustrious companion. Each man retired to his berth, and poured out his .soul unto God, for grace to enable them so to triumph should they be called to suffer death for Christ's sake. They left Jerusalem and came to Ephesus. Here they found John, the beloved disciple, who afterwards was apprehended by order of the Emperor Domitian, and banished to Patmos, a lonely island in the iEgean sea, and there left to chant the name of Jesus to howl- ing winds ai>d booming waves. John, while at Ephe- sus, had beer re-eminently useful in persuading many to enter the King's service ; one of whom was Poly- carp, who afterwards perished at the stake for the testimony of a good conscience. During the reign of the Emperors Trajan, Antoninus, Severus, Maximus, and Decius, it would seem as if Satan and his imperial con- federates put in force every means that their infernal 110 STRAY BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. of minds could invent, to exterminate the followers Jeaus. Houses, full of Christians, were set on fire so that no less than 100.000, in one year, passed through the flames of martyrdom to that city which ha'th foundations. About the close of the fourth century, the Immanuel entered France, and the Gauls became' Christians. Early in the sixth century she sighted the coast of Albion. Augustine, one of the officers was despatched to Ethelbert. the King, who explained' to hitn the nature of the Christian religion, and he was converted, and the Saxons gave up their idols and became Christians. Even before that time there were Christians in Wale.s, who would not submit to the Pope. She then sailed into Germany, to Buruiah's shore, and India's coral strands,— to Polar seas, and sunny Africa; and ere long, her en.sign shall wave over every land, and the kingdoms of this world be- come the kingdoms of our God, and of His Christ. II i followers of it on fire, so sed throujfh whicli hath 'th century, auls becatno .she sighted the officers, o explained ion, and he ir idols and there were uiit to the ' Burniah's r seas, and shall wave } world be- Christ. FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH. jRAND and imposing stood Pompeii in the shadow of Vesuvius. The mighty city slum- bered, and there was nothing in the aspect of affairs to create alarm. The inhabitants lay down to sleep that night as free from fear as on any previous night; yet this was the verj- hour when ruin, with a swift and silent foot, was approaching their doors. Suddenly an unnatural gloom came down upon the city, and a rumbling was heard that was followed by a tremor of the earth, which had scarcely aroused the people from their slumbers, when a stream of burning lava burst from the volcano which lit up the heavens with lurid splendour. Clouds of ashes filled the air, and made it difficult for the people to flee from the ruin that awaited them. Terror-stricken they ran to and fro in wild confu- sion, seeking in vain for shelter. The governors daughter, refusing to leave the city, peri.shed. and eighteen hundred years after her remains were found Not a vestige of her costume, except her jewels, was found, ihe prisoners incarcerated in the jails had no means of escape. They tried desperately to ! i 112 STRAY BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. open the gates of the prison and break their chains, but those massive barriers could not be forced or broken by ordinary means. They watched, in the agony of despair, the fiery stream as it swept down the mountain, till death put an end to their misery A few years ago they were found still manacled in their cells. The groaning of the mountain became more and more terrific. Strong men, as they ran along the streets, were, dashed to the earth by the fiery embers which were hurled by volcanic force for miles. Mothers sought m vain for their children, and children stag- gered out of their homes to die in the streets. The aged, the sick, and the dying made no effort to escape but resigned themselves to their fate. The temple was crowded with people, who frantically implored help from their deities; but the gods were powerless: both they and their worshippers perished. "The Eoman centurion still kept watch at the gate which looked towards the burning mountain Amidst the confusion, the guard had forgotten to relieve him. There he stood, defiant of the volcano • tor be It known, that Rome taught her sentinels to hold their post till set at liberty by the guard ; there- fore he had to choose between death and dishonour Thick and fast the ashes fell around the sturdy Eoman «^hose polished helmet reddened in the flash of the fiery mountain. Higher and higher the ashes rose till they choked his breathing. After the lanse of seventeen centuries, they found his skeleton standing FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH. 113 erect in a marble niche, clad in rusty armour, the helmet on his empty skull, and his bony fingers closing on his spear." He was faithful unto death. Would that every Christian was as true to God and His cause as this brave Roman was to Caesar. Like ancient Rome, the Church has ever had her heroes. What a "coronet of stalwart storm-defiers " graced the summit of God's Zion in the Reformation days Wickliffe, the Elijah of modern times; Luther, the* German monk; Zwingle, of Switzerland; John Knox, whose terrible denunciation alarmed Mary Queen of Scots and her courtiers; burly Latimer, who marched singing to the stake; John Bunyan, the immortal dreamer, whose matchless allegory has been the guid- ing star of thousands thronging the dusty paths of life ; George Whitefield, whose life-work was the salva- tion of souls; John Wesley, who toiled as only few men toil in the vineyard of the Lord. These men were "storm-proof, gold-proof, and temptation-proof." While other sentinels slumbered, these faithful watchmen manned the walls of Zion.' With their hands upon the hilts of their polished and two-edged swords, they bade defiance to the enemies of the cross ; and when the grim guard came to relieve them, like the Roman of old, they were found watch- ing. So watch ye, for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of Man cometh. 8 HOPE. " what is Hope ? A wandering fire, Whose wild Same shines, delights, deceives ; Or guiding star, that bids aspire, Where toils repose and conquest lives. Hope, eairthly, is the wandering flame, The gaudy dreaming of imagined joy. Of honour, health, and happiness, aud fame, Youth's tgnu8/atuu8 and manhood's toy, A meteor dancing in the vale of tears. That serves awhile to gild the murky stream, Pains ready soothing and a charm for cares. A brilliant, gay, enchanting dream. But hope eternal is the guiding star. For ever hung upon the gates of heaven, That they who wander may behold from far A sign of home to wanderers given." Alexander the Great, when setting out on an expedition of conquest, distributed his gifts so profusely as to lead to the question, "What has he reserved for himself?" His reply was " Hope." Hope shines on the palace and on the cottage. There are none so exalted as to be above its reach, and none so low as to be beneath its grasp. It lights up the wigwam of the Indian, whose desires never pass beyond the boundary of the forest, and opens the asylum to the beggar on his midnight tramp. It is the parent of enterprise, the impulse of ambition, HOPE. 116 ives: ame, ream, ires. ifar ting out on ;ributed his he question, self?" His ilace and on to be above ih its grasp, hose desires forest, and light tramp, jf ambition, the nerve of resolution. It inspired Columbus, in his voyage across unknown seas, and encouraged Luther when called to defend the truth.-once delivered to the saints,-before an assembly which, for pomp and power was never equalled in ancient or modern times. It leads the philosopher along paths where lion's whelp never trod, or eagle's eye penetrated. It fires the warrior in conflict, and heralds him to victory. It It up the path of the immortal Havelock, as he led his brave troops against the rebellious Sepoys. But Sir Henry Havelock had a hope to which many ot his companions-in-arms were strangers, that shone upon him as the battle of life was drawing to a close. Hope is the guiding star of the missionary in the home and foreign field of labour, lighting up with its silvery beams the dark valleys of moral death. When apparent insurmountable difficulties present them- selves, It cheers him with the precious promise, "Be not weary m well-doing, for in due season you shall reap f you famt not," and when his work is done and he les down to die in the lone forest or plain, it uplifts the veil that hides the fadeless glories of an eternal day. Hope is a never-failing companion ; friendship may change as circumstances change, but hope never changes. It is the same in prosperity and adver- sity. It calms the agitated culprit as the hour of doom approaches, and bids him trust in an ever mer- CltUl Saviour. It fnlln^Q ifa «„u:^»i~ i.- j.y . '^" -s- ott^/jci;i;a w the very ver^e of ruin, and throws a bridge across the yawning chasm. Diogenes says, "Hope is the last thing that dies in man. It stays around thebed of death when physi- 116 STRA.T BEAMS FROM THE CROSS. cians leave, and lingers in the bosom of beloved friends while there is breath to move a feather." The hope which nature kindles in its votaries cannot be valued too highly, but it is incomparable to the Christian's hope, without which this world would be a starless one. Genius might flash its corruscations, but its sparks would be profitless. Egypt, Greece, and Rome might summon from the shades of death their heroes, philosophers, and statesmen, and send them forth with lighted torches to point the pathway to eternal life, but their brightest light would only be like the ignua fatuus — deceive and bewilder us. It is otherwise with the believer's hope. It is to him what the pillar of fire was to Israel. It lights up his encampment with a divine radiance, and while his enemies grope in darkness, there is light in his dwelling, and when his frail barque is being swept by the last storm, and every human prop is giving way, hope in Christ alone can bear him up. Some years ago a ship was wrecked on the stormy coast of Cornwall. It was a time of great danger, but the Lord, in His infinite mercy, allowed no lives to be lost. On the following Sabbath the rescued sailors attended Divine service in the nearest parish church. The clergyman who ofliciated was aware of the circum- stances, and endeavoured to improve them to the benefit of his audience. At the conclusion of his ser- mon he spoke with great earnestness of the sinner's danger, and the readiness of Christ to save. Among other things, " Imagine," said he, " the situation of a drowning man, who feels that all his own efibrts are HOPE. 117 i ift sin nor Si unavailing, and that he is fast sinking beneath the overwhelming waters; imagine what would be his feelings if suddenly a plank floated within his reach and If, taking hold of it, he found that it would bear his weight. My fellow-sinner, that is your case and my own We are like the drowning mariner; Christ is the plank of safety. This plank will bear; refuse It not; delay not to seize upon it." The Sabbath passed away, and the incident was erased from the good man's remembrance. Fourteen years afterwards he received a message, couched in language irresistible summoning him to a death-bed scene in a villa-e at a considerable distance. He, having a strong desire to save a soul from death, obeyed the call. On entering the room he was directed to the bed of the suff"erer For a few moments he stood and watched the poor man, who was a perfect stranger to him, struggling vith his stern and powerful adversary; and, seeing his moments were swiftly passing away, he knelt down beside the bed. and said. "My brother, you have sent tor me, and I .m come: you are on the verge of that awful transition which awaits us all ; will you tell me on what hope you are resting for eternity?" The dying man was evidently conscious, but the power of speech seemed gone. "My brother." continued the clergyman, "if you can no longer speak, will you give mea sign a token to tell if your hope is now in Christ. The poor man made a mighty effort, and with a tremulous voice, just audibly whispered in the ear of the messenger of mercy. "The plank bears." These words sent a thrill of rapture through the ill ^•MHM 118 STRAY BEAMS FROM THE CROSS, clergyman's soul — that long-forgotten sermon had not been preached in vain. " The plank bears," cried the dying man, as he floated away on the waves of the last river. "It bears," he softly articulated, as he vanished from the gaze of weeping friends who stood around him. Yes, sinner, the plank will bear ; ven- ture on it, grasp it firmly, for on it, and it alone, depends your everlasting welfare. " Hope in Christ hath brought life and immortality to light." The rhost crude and barbarous nations cherish the hope of a second life. It is a star that shines in every horizon. Its light is dimly seen in the burial of the forest-cradled Indian and other heathen obsequies. But what is to the heathen a probability, is to us a grand reality. Hope sits enthroned upon every tomb, and waves her sceptre over the dominions of death. She writes on the graves of those who sleep in Jesus the epitaph — ^not that which the infidels of France wrote over the gates of their cemeteries — " Death, an eternal sleep," but, " Thy flesh shall rest in hope." When the arch- angel's trumpet shall peal out the dead-awakening blast hope will cease to reign. " Eternal Hope, when yonder spheres sublime. Pealed their fii'st notes to sound the march of time, 'Twas then thy joyous youth began — but not to fade When all the sister planets have decayed, ■> When wrapt in fire the realms of ether glow. And heaven's last thunder shakes the world below, Thou undismayed shall o'er the ruin smile, And light thy torch at nature's funeral pile. ' ion had not ," cried the graves of the ated, as he Is who stood bear; ven- id it alone, immortality 3U3 nations i a star that ' seen in the her heathen probability, and waves She writes the epitaph ote over the srnal sleep," n the arch- -awakening f time, to fade below, THE APPEAL OF JESUS TO THE SINNER. S it nothing to you all ye that pass by. Behold, and see if there is any sorrow like unto My sorrow. Come nigh unto Me ; I am thy Re- deemer. For thee I left the glories of heaven and the adoration of angels; clothed Myself in the garments of shame and misery, became a Man of sor- rows, and spent My days in toil and My nights in prayer. For thee I bled beneath the piercing thorns. My hands and feet were torn with iron, and the spear plunged deep into My heart. Come nigh unto Me ; I am not an officer of justice, but a messenger of mercy. Behold, I bring thee glad tidings of great joy. If My humility in the manger does not move thee, behold My vesture dyed in blood. If My tears do not melt thee into tenderness, come and see the anguish of My heart. Have not My wounds a voice ? Shall none but unhallowed feet tread around My cross ? None but enemies behold My agonies? Shall inanimate nature only sympathize with My sufferings ? Shall the dead rise from their slumbers, and their pale cheeks blush at My wrongs, while thou, poor sinner, II 120 STRAY BEAMS FKOM THE CROSS. I turnest away from Me ? How is it thou countest Me thine enemy ? Come and let us reason together ; bring forth thy strong reasons for rejecting Me. My love to thee is written in blood. I thought about thee when thou wast in the house of bondage ; I saw thee in thy shame and nakedness, and threw over thee the skirts of My righteousness. I call upon the heavens and the earth to bear witness of My sincerity and attachment to thee, and I challenge Satan to disprove the fervour of My affections. Come unto Me. and I will lead thee into green pastures, and show thee where I make My flock to rest. If thou wilt enter into a covenant with Me, I will be thine forever. I will fight thy battles and conquer thine enemies. When foes would invade thy dwelling, I will smite them with blindness, so that they shall not be able to find the door of thy peaceful retreat. My Spirit shall guide thee ; My providence shall defend thee ; My angels shall guard thee ; My arms shall succour thee, and when thy flesh and heart shall fail, I will be the strength of thy heart and thy portion forever, and make thee heir of an inheritance that is incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away. What sayest thou ?" I stood on the banks of a stream ; the waters flowed rapidly by, and no power could stop them. Standing on one bank was a man who wore a shining crown and royal robes. But, oh! upon His radiant brow were scars as if a crown of thorns had some time or of^her rested there; and on His outstretched hands THE APPEAL OF JESUS TO THE SINNER. 121 were marks, as if, some time or other, they had been pierced with nails. But, oh! His face was lovely beyond de,^.cription, and wore a look of tenderness and compassion. A little farther down the stream was what appeared to be a beautiful temple; its lofty domes and parapets, its glittering pinnacles and gor- geous inscriptions, were splendid in the sunlight. Just over the main entrance was written, " Worldly Pleasure," and over the entrance on either side were the words, " Fame, Honour, Riches." There it stood, beautiful and more costly and gorgeous than was ever Grecian temple erected to the gods. Just then an airy skiff came floating down the stream, bearing a youth, who stood erect, his strong hand upon the helm, to guide the boat. He looked upon one picture, and then upon the other. There was Jesus on one side, and the world upon the other. He hesitated a moment,' and then pushed on for the alluring temple in the distance. But, as he came near it, the vision vanished, the glory departed, until what appeared to be more than a regal palace became worse than a gloomy dun- geon, and, instead of pleasure's shout, was heard the wail of disappointment and remorse ; and, instead of mirth and gaiety, the moans of the dying. The cheat was discovered when it was too late. How many such cases are met with ? ill I ! II WITHIH THE PEARLY GATES. By Author of " Feathers from an AngeVs Wing." A NEW AND ENLARGED EDITION. BeautiftxUy Bound In Clotli and out, Price 80c. Paper Wrappert, 30o. TniRTIETH THOUSAND. Just the book lor a birthday present, reward ^f merit, the sick room, family or Sunday School Library. Her Most Qraclous Majesty the Queh.v, and her Royal Highness the Prlncesa LoDisB, through their private Secretaries, have each been pleased to acknowledge the receipt of a copy. What the PresB and otLers have to ear about It : min^'»?r*K''*'?"!«^'l!**®" .!" •" beautiful, as to almost make one long to mingle with the glorified throng."— Kingston News. "This book translates its readers to the celestial world, where amidst th« splendours which no imagery can fully represent, they hear the J?d story from i„Kjl''"!i^"''i'*'l'^°'"'*' ^.' °' *^« '^»''« and modern tinies, who have washed the?? robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. To the afflicted this book fai?r*Thi*^tvl«".^ consolation, and to all thoughtful readers encourakeme-^ to 4il'^?„\^^rv°e.T;'^^^^^^^^ »-™SJeTbT4««H^^^^^^^ ^"" ^^'^ '^ ""^ •>- wroughfoSr'l^Is irlorFesofThe Rnfilri'lnT" °.' "?« ^"thor have soared aloft amidst the divine Brooklyn, N.YmIJ.8. ~ Munro, Prize Kssaylaton Ibe Subbatb, turedtlthft \'^fXLy^''\^ a dying young man, and he was so enrap. B. Affleck ^^' *" ^ glorified saints. "-K«v. tV. T hlL''*^® just finished reading your beautiful book • Within the Pearly Gates ' I have enjoyed the same and have been profited. No wonder it has had such k large sale. It is safe to go anywhere ; success to it."-Kev. Jogeph Wild, 1».d! Ti,'ll''®i'''*«"/'°^*'i.y'^ thought fresh, the language pure, the style interestinir ?«n.! """^ ""'l^*^' "ifl'* °" ^t^ ™*'«* '''"* heart of the author, and merits the ef I tensive circulation it has reached. "-Rev. E. Hnmpbrlea, BrookIyn,TY. .3o=*L''tL*^V"l'"i"'*',*''® wealthy make of their means than to purchase a few copies of this book, to nlace in thn hunrU n» th" <.">-/v.,.#,.i .1-1. -_ j^. iZT^ ?... . a blessing it would be, to learn that they hav^ been "the" means^of 'Iff tine' the fromZeir Wew '' "' ""* '''"•'^'' °' "'* """^ "'^"''^ ""'^ ""^^ the glSrious fSturl GATES. i's Wing." 'ION. n Wrappert, 3So. lick room, family less tlie Princess een pleased 9ut It : malce one long: to where, amidst the the old story from I have washed their afflicted, this book encouragement to ic, and tlie diction he Redeemed wor- ire of a high order, w wrought out his amidst the divine >ii tbe i^bbath. he was bo enrap- aints."— BeT. W. the Pearly Gates.' it has had such a eph Wild, U.D. style interesting, and merits the ex- ■ooklyn, N.Y. to purchase a few s— J 1— t o «... . til" ujiiiK : Ttriac !ana of lifting the tie glorious future FEATHERS FROM AN ANGEL'S WING. By Author of " Within the Pearly Gates." THIRD EDITION. Beautifully Bound in Cloth and Gilt, - Price 50 ots. PAPER WRAPPERS, 25 CTS. Just the book for a birthday present, reward of merit, the tick room, family or Sunday School Library. " The author displays an imperial fancy, real imaginative force, and a weallh of descriptive writing seldom sui-paased. "— Rev. W. Stephenson. " Some of the passages are sublime, and penetrate the soul to its utmost depths."— Rev. W. WiUan. " The imagery is exuberant and highly creditable to the author, displaying considerable descriptive power and unusual capabilities for interesting and profiting the masses. "—Rev. J. Petty, Princi- pal of the Theological College, York, England. '• We very much admire the author's style and beauty of diction." —Hamilton Times. " The author has a powerful imagination, great command of language, and intense earnestness. "—Toronto Globe. "The style of the author is wonderfully picturesque, and the chastened imagination of the writer is displayed in every part. " — Montreal Witness. " The author has a descriptive power of no common order." — The late Rev. Dr. Guthrie, Edinburgh. " ' A Night of Festivity ' is as fine a piece of descriptive writing as we ever saw, and in the hands of a good elocutionist would be a master-piece."— Methodist Times, England. "I admire your book exceedingly. No Christian or thoughtful person can read it without feeling a deeper yearning for the good of others."— Alexander Munro, Brooklyn, N.Y. WORDS OF LIFE SECOND EDITION. PAPER WRAPPERS, Price 20 Cts, A most practical and soul-stirring work, and ought to be In the hands of every Christian. DEDICATED TO THE LIVING APOSTLES IN THE CHURCH OF CHRIST. fFE ? 20 Cts. k, and STLES