THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY the library of From William Murphy 1* aC'-v 'X \ l';v' ? v.v' Digitized by the Internet •Archive ^ ® in 2017 with funding from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Alternates https://archive.org/details/newcyclopdiaofilOOfost NEW CTCLOPtEDIA OF ILllTSTRATIONS, ADAPTED TO CHRISTIAN TEACHING: EMBRACING MTTEOLOGY, ANALOGIES, LEGENDS, PARABLES, EMBLEMS, METAPHORS, SIMILES, ALLEGORIES, PROVERBS ; CLASSIC, HISTORIC, AND RELIGIOUS ANECDOTES, ETC. By Rev. ELON FOSTER. *»» WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY REV. STEPHEN H. TYNG, D.D. “For the purposa of teaching, one Illustration Is worth a thousand abstractions.” — E. Paxton Hood. “Because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he sought out and set t; ordei a;any proverbs. The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words.” — Ecclesiastes xii. 9, 10. TENTH THOUSAND. CARLTON & L A N A H A N. SAN FRANCISCO: E. THOMAS. CINCINNATI: HITCHCOCK & WALDEN. 167 ], HI Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by REV. ELON FOSTER, In the Clerk’s OfEce of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York. T— n ^ ^ ll ‘v ji . i S i ORAGE TO THE CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTORS OF THE AGE, BOTH CLERICAL AND LAY, THE PULPIT, OH THE PLATEOEM, IH THE SUNDAY SCHOOL, AND IN THE HOUSEHOLD, WITIIOLT REGARD TO SECT, S:ljb Morh is licspcftfallij gtt)it:tto; WITH THE AUTHOR’S EARNEST PRAYER THAT IT MAY PROVE A VALUABLE assistant in their important labors. INTRODUCTION. The animated and intelligent author of the remarkable production, Cyclo- paedia OF Illustrations, has honored me with the request for an introductory notice of his labor. I have examined several portions of the work with admiration and pleasure. I am satisfied that it would he equally agreeable and instructive to read the whole with the same attention, if I had the opportunity. It contains a vast amount and variety of substance and suggestion. Its arrangement is distinguished by an order, a fulness of detail, and a compactness of statement, wdiich leave nothing to be desired in such a work. Public speakers, in every branch of their art, will be grateful to the compiler for the patient labor and the unquestioned skill which he has devoted to their aid and con- venience. Many a pen will be dipped into his copious fountain, and many an inspiring thought will be laved from its flowing stream, by those who come after him. All who ^Mraw” from his “well ’’ will find that it is “deep ” and abundant, and thank him for the provision which he has made for them “ to draw wuth.” In the appropriate use of such a work, there is required a skill scarcely less than that demanded for its preparation. The difference between the skilful and the bungling use of an illustration in public speaking is kindred and about equal to the difference between the art of the practised fencer and the rough plunges of the excited rustic. The one, with half the labor, does twice the execution of the other. The adequate and effective employment of an illustration in speaking requires a very distinct perception of the point to be illuminated, and of the precise analogy of the fact or character em- ployed in its discriminate expression. Beyond this, there must be, for the successful introduction of such a system of teaching, a gracefulness of presentation which shall not allow the figure to appear blunt, inadequate, or inappropriate. Eor all this, there is, perhaps, as real a demand for an original refinement of thought as for a practised cultivation of expression. When such qualifications are possessed and exercised, no one can wusely depreciate the employment of an illustrative habit of speaking, in addressing a public audience. It gives to an address all the life and demonstration which the experiments of the skilful chemist give to the abstract theories and distinctions of his lecture. And the speaker who is able skilfully and effectively to illustrate his theme of discourse will retain possession of the attention and interest of his audience far longer and far more completely than by any mere skill in logic, however manifest, or accuracy in statement, however undeniable. As a helpful provision for the acquisition and exercise of this art, the present varied compilation of themes and analogies will be found most valuable and important. Stephen H. Tyng. St. George’s Rectory, New York, January, 1870 . PREFACE. The practice of illustration in religious teaching is sanctioned by the example of prophets, apostles, the great preachers of all ages, and, most of all, by our Lord himself ; for without a parable spake he not unto them.” Its importance has never been more appreciated than now, and that, too, by the most earnest laborers, both in the pulpit and in the Sunday school. The aim of this work has been to furnish a treasury of illustrations so complete, that the preacher or teacher need not look in vain for some apt analogy, fable, simile, proverb, or anecdote with which to make clear or impress any subject he may wish to discuss. Its success cannot be decided by a casual glance. Tlie more it is used and studied, the richer its contents will be discovered to be. Wliile this work has tliis specific adaptation, it is not without interest for casual or fireside reading. The field from which these illustrations are drawn is very broad. More than five hundred different authors have been quoted; and more than six thousand distinct illustrations are given. Here nature and art, literature and science, sculpture and painting, eloquence and imagination, astronomy and geolog}^, mythology and history, legend and anecdote, parable and metaphor, blend their most fascinating strains in the enforcement of the lessons of the Christian religion. An enumeration of the many works from which the matter has been drawn would only be tiresome to the reader : the names of authors, given wherever known, excej)t as to original items, will sufficiently indicate this. In the arrangement of the work, we liave followed the alphabetical method as the most simple and practicable. Turn to the subject as to a word in a dictionary, and look not only for the subject, but also for 'predicate of the subject. For example, if jmu wish to illustrate the compassion of Christ, turn to Christ, and follow down the predicates till you find Christ, Com- passion of. If a satisfactory illustration is not found under the subject, turn to the same topic in the index, and trace out the numbers appended to it, which will lead you to synonymous and affiliated subjects and scattered items. Each illustration has been numbered, and a copious index prepared on the basis of these numbers. So many of them are adapted to more than one subject, that it w^as thought best to bring them together in a general index. This affords all the advantage of a logical arrangement. In reference, the numbers enable you to find the item 7 8 I> R IT. F ^ C E. desired at once, which otherwise might not be found without reading a whole page. In using this work, the numbers may be set down for reference in the preacher’s or teacher’s notes, and the labor of transcription be avoided. Out of the material collected in the preparation of this work, many volumes might have been made, with less labor than the single one now presented. It was thought best to limit the Cyclopedia to one volume to bring it within the reach of the masses of Christian laborers. To do this, the best matter only could be used, diffusiveness had to be avoided, and compression as to type secured. This book contains as much printed-matter as six ordinary 12mo volumes. It presents and utilizes many of the gems of literature. Many go hunting as travellers through the world, or labor through volume after volume in search of appropriate illustrative matter. If they were search- ing for gold or diamonds, they w'ould go to Australia or Golconda. This book opens the treasure-house, and invites each to take and use for the Master. Elon Eostek. 23 St-Marks Place, New-Yoek City. NEW CYCLOPiEDIA OF ILLUSTRATIONS. AT^ITilTIES. 1 . ABILITIES, Human. Tlie abilities of man must fall short on one side or other, like too scanty a blanket when you are abed : if you pull it upon your shoulders, you leave your feet bare; if you thrust it down upon your feet, your shoulders are uncovered. Sir W. Temple. 2 . ABILITIES, Useful. The raven was an unclean bird ; God makes use of her to feed Elijah : though she was not good meat, yet it was good meat she brought. A lame man may with his crutch point out to you the right way, and yet not be able to walk in it himself. Afead. 3 . ABSEHT-MIUDEDHESS, Example of. Mr. Lawson once left his lecture-room, taking with him a student’s hat, instead of his own book, which he was to carry home. Once he Avas on the point of leaving his house, having put on his head a lady’s bonnet, which had been left hanging on the peg where his own hat ought to have been. Once, Avalking in a co- pious shower, a friend took pity on him and loaned him an umbrella, which the meditative divine put under his coat, through fear of wet- ting and thus injuring what had been kindly loaned to him. While intent on his books, his frightened servant opened his study door, and shrieked out abruptly, “ Sir, the house is on fire ! ” The doctor did not intermit his studies for a minute, but simply remarked, “ Go and tell your mistress : you know I have no charge of household matters.” 4 . ABSTDTEHOE, as a Eemedy. An elderly gentleman, accustomed to indulge, entered the room of a certain inn, where sat a grave friend by the fire. Lifting a pair of green spectacles upon his forehead, rubbing his inflamed eyes, and calling for hot brandy and water, he com- plained that “his eyes were getting weaker and weaker, and that even spectacles didn’t seem to do them any good.” — “ I’ll tell thee, friend,” replied the Quaker, “ what I think. If thee was to wear thy spectacles over ihp mouth for a feAV months, thy eyes would get round again.” f5. ABSTINENCE, Compulsory. A drunkard Avas often urged by his wife to sign the pledge. He Avould reply, “ I’ll sign it after a Avhile ; but I don’t like to break off at once. The best Avay is to get used to a thing.” — “ Very Avell, old man,” said she, “ see if you don’t fall into a hole, one of these days, Avith nobody to help you out.” Strangely enough, as he returned home, drunk, one day, he fell into a shallow well, and shouted for help. His forbearing wife came to his rescue, saying, “ Didn’t I tell you so ? It’s lucky I was in hearing, or you might have drowned.” Then she let doAvn the bucket, and told him to “ take hold.” She tugged at the Avindlass ; but, when he Avas near the top, her grasp slipped, and down he Avent into his cold bath again. This Avas repeated till he greAv suspicious and furious, and screamed, “ Look here ! you’re doing that on purpose : I knoAV you are.” — “ W ell, noAv, I am,” said the woman, conscious of her opportunity. “ Don’t you remember telling me it’s best to get used to a thing by degrees ? I’m afraid, if I bring you up sudden, you would not And it Avhole- some.” He could but laugh at this application of his OAvn logic, but felt his case groAving des- perate, and promised to sign the pledge at once, if she would lift him out. This she did, and started him off immediately to sign the pledge ; Avarning him, that, if he ever fell into the ditch again, she would leave him there. 6. ABSTINENCE, Decided. A heathen king, Avho had been for years confirmed in the sin of drunkenness, had been led to forsake the habit. He said to a missionary, “ Suppose you put four thousand dollars in one hand, and a glass of rum in the other. You say, ‘ You drink this rum, I give you four thousand dollars.’ I no drink it. You say you kill me. I no drink it.” 7. ABSTINENCE, Gain of. A man, long noted for intemperate habits, was induced by Kev. John Abbott to sign the pledge “ in his own way,” which he did in these Avords : “ I pledge myself to drink no more intoxicating drinks for one year.” Near the end of the 10 ^^STIN-ENCE. ACTION-. year, lie again appeared at a temperance meet- ing, Avithout having once touclied a drop. “Are you not going to sign again ? ” asked Mr. Ab- bott. “ Yes,” replied he, “ if I can do it in my OAvn way.” And, accordingly, he wrote, “ I sign this [iledge lor nine hundred and nine- ty-nine years ; and, if I live to that time, I in- tend to take out a life-lease ! ” A tew days after, he called upon the tavern-keeper, who welcomed him back to his old haunt. “ Oh ! landlord,” said he, as in pain, “ I have such a lump on my side ! ” — “ That’s because you have stopped drinking,” said the landlord : “ you won’t live long if you keep on.” — “ Will drink take the lump away ? ” — “ Yes ; and, if you don’t drink, you’ll soon liaA^e a lump on the other side. Come, let’s drink together ; ” and he poured out two glasses of whiskey. “ I guess I won’t drink,” said the former inebriate, “ especially if keeping the pledge will bring another lump ; for it isn’t very hard to bear, after all.” And Avith this he drcAv the lump — a bag of dollars — from his side-pocket, and Avalked off, leaving the landlord to his re- flections. §. ABSTMENCE, Pledge of. A yofmg sol- dier Avas promoted to be a second lieutenant in one of the colored regiments. “ Now let me sign the pledge,” said he. Free drinking Avas then too common in officers’ quarters. “ Why, you- don’t like drink,” said one of his com- rades : “ there is no danger of your drinking too much.” — “ No,” ansAvered the young sol- dier, “ I don’t like the taste of liquor, and, Avhat is more, 1 don’t mean to like it ; so 1 in- tend to take my stand as an officer pledged against it.” Not finding a temperance society to join, he wrote a pledge of total abstinence, signed his name to it, and put it in his pocket. “ Let this never 'vitness against me, so help me God,” he said. 9. ^BSTIZTENCE, Eeason for. “I took the pledge,” said an old man, “ at the foot of the gallows, Avhen I saAv a young man liung. The sheriff took out his Avatch, and said, ‘ If you have anything to say, sj)eak noAv, for you have only five minutes to live.’ The young man burst into tears, and said, ‘ I have to die ! I had only one little brother ; he had beautiful l)lue eyes and flaxen hair ; and T loved him. But one day I got drunk, and, coming home, found him gathering berries in the garden, and I became angry Avitliout cause, and killed him Avith one bloAV Avith a rake. Drink has done it : it has ruined me ! I have but one Avord more to s.ay : Never ! never ! NEVER ! touch any thing that can intoxicate ! ’ ” 19. ABSTSACTION, Dangerous. Sir Isaac Nevv- ten, finding himself extremely cold, one evening in Avinter, drew his chair very close to the grate, in Avhich a large fire had recently been lighted. By degrees, the fire having completely kindled. Sir Isaac felt the heat Intolerably intense, and rang his bell Avith unusual violence. His ser- vant Avas not at hand at the moment, but he soon made his appearance. By this time. Sir Isaac Avas almost literally roasted. “ RemoAm the grate, you lazy rascal 1 ” he exclaimed, in a tone of irritation very uncommon with that amiable and bland philosopher ; “ remove the grate, before I am burnt to death ! ” — “ And pray, master,” said the servant, “ might you not rather draAv back your chair ? ” — “ Upon my Avord,” said Sir Igaac, smiling, “ I never thought of that.” Percy. II. ABSTEACTION, Fatal. When Syracuse was taken, Archimedes Avas describing malhe- matical figures upon the earth ; and Avhen one of the enemy came upon him, SAvord in hand, and asked his name, he Avas so engrossed with the desire of preserving the figures entire, that he ansAvered only by an earnest request to the soldier to keep off, and not break in upon his circle. The soldier, conceiving himself scorned, ran Archimedes through the body, the purple streams gushing from Avhich soon obscured all traces of the problem on Avhich he had been so intent. Thus fell this illustrious man, from the mere neglect to tell his name. Percy. IS. ACTION, Bible Eule of. Boleslaus, one of the kings of Poland, carried about him the ])icture of his father ; and Avhen he Avas to do any great Avork, or set upon any design extra- ordinary, he Avould look on the picture, and pray that he might do nothing unworthy of such a father’s name. Thus it is that the Scriptures are the picture of God’s Avill. Be- fore a man engages in any business Avhatso- ever, let him look there, and read Avhat is to bo done, Avhat to be omitted. 13. ACTION, Effect of. “ Don’t Avrite there,” said one to a lad, Avho Avas Avriting Avith a dia- mond pin on a pane of glass in the Avindow of a hotel. “ Why ? ” said he. “ Because you can’t rub it out.” The glass may be destroyed, but the human soul is immortal. Hoav careful, then, should we be of the impressions Ave make on death- less souls ! 14. ACTION, Enduring. The famous rose-tree planted a thousand years ago by the Emperor Louis le Debonnaire, in the eastern choir of the Cathedral at Hildersheim, has been in par- ticularly fine bloom this season, and looks fresher and greener than ever. Tavo shoots, Avhich sprang up from the knotty millennial roots in 18G3, haA'e attained already the height of the roof. 15. ACTION, Exhortation to. Let not your exertions end in tears ; mere weeping Avill do nothing Avithout action. Get on your feet : ye that have voices and might, go forth and preach the gospel ; preach it in CA^ery street and lane of this huge city ; ye that have Avealth, go forth and spend it for the poor and sick and needy and dying, the uneducated, the unen- lightened ; ye that have time, go forth and spend it in deeds of goodness ; ye that haA'e poAver in j)rayer, go forth and pray ; ye that can liandle the i)en, go forth and Avrite doAvn iniqui- ty, — every one to his post ; every one of you to your gun in this day of battle ; hoav for God and for his truth; for God and for the right ; let every one of us avIio knoAvs the Lord seek to fight under his banner. Spurgeon. ' ACTION'. ^CXr\^ITY. 11 IG. ACTIOF, Important. A certain king would build a cathedral ; and, that the credit of it might be all his own, he forbade any from con- ' tributing to its erection in the least degree. A tablet was placed in the side of the building, and on it his name was carved, as the builder. But that night he saw, in a dream, an angel, who came down and erased his name, and the name of a poor widow appeared in its stead. This was three times repeated ; when the en- raged king summoned the woman before him, and demanded, “ AVhat have you been doing ? and why have you broken my commandment ? ” The trembling woman replied, “ I love the Lord, and longed to do something for his name, and for the building up of his church. 1 was forbidden to touch it in any way ; so, in my poverty, I brought a wisp of hay for the horses that drew the stones.” And the king saw that he had labored for his own glory, but the widow for the glory of God ; and he command- ed that her name should be inscribed upon the tablet. Ralph Wells. 17 . ACTION, Motive of. Zinzendorf owed much of his religious fervor to the casual sight of a picture of the crucifixion, with this sim- ple inscription at the bottom: All this for thee : how much for me ? ” 1§. ACTION, Necessary to Life. AVhilst the stream keeps running, it keeps clear ; but if it comes once to a standing water, then it breeds toads and frogs, and all manner of filth. The keys that men keep in their pockets, and use every day, wax brighter and brighter ; but if they be laid aside, and hang by the walls, they soon irroAv rusty. Thus it is that action is the very life of the soul : ' whilst we keep going and running in the Avays of God’s commandments, we keep clear and free from the world’s pollu- tions ; but if we once flag in our diligence, and stand still, oh, what a puddle of sin Avill the heart be ! Hoav rusty and useless Aviil the graces groAv ! Spencer. 19. ACTION, Quality of. The Hebrews have a saying, that God is more delighted in adverbs than in nouns ; ’tis not so much the matter that’s done, but the matter how ’tis done, that God minds. Not how much, hut how well ! ’Tis the well-doing that meets with a well- done. Let us, therefore, serve God not nomi- nally or verbally, but adverbially. Venning. 20. ACTION, Universal. Man Avas not made to live merely for the possible reception of ex- ternal impressions, a harp upon Avhich every fitful Avind might blow : he Avas made to act, to Avill, to influence, to become a poAver, and the living centre of ever-radiating impressions. It Avere strange, indeed, if, in a laborious uni- verse, man should be the only idler among the Avorks of the Creator’s hands. While all around are Avorking, from the Avavelet’s tiniest I'ipple, and from the rosebud’s heart, ever gloAv- ing into deeper crimson, to the tireless ocean, and the menial and monarch sun ; Avhilst un- Avearied labor Avas the condition of Paradise, and angels cease not in their ministry, and there is no faltering in the march of the heav- ens, and the Son Avent about doing good, and the Eternal Father, the Watchman of Israel, neither slumbereth nor sleepeth, you Avill not Avonder that, by a laAV as benign as it is authoritative, God has impressed activity upon his favorite creature, man, and has provided that his shall not be a zoophite existence, clinging in blind helplessness as a parasite to its guardian rock, but a life beautiful and holy, a life of quickened pulses, and an activity and an energy of which insensate matter knows not ; and finding in the rapturous doing of every-day life its very soul and essence of joy. There is a necessity in man, then, for activity. Act he must and Avill ; and it is the province of religion to direct and control this tendency, so that his doing may be according to that which is right. W. M. Punshon. 21. ACTIONS, Record of. Every man, says a Turkish allegory, has two angels, one on the riglit shoulder and another on his left. When he does any thing good, the angel on the right shoulder Avrites it down and seals it, because Avhat is done is done forever. When he does evil, the angel on the left shoulder AAu-ites it doAvn. He Avaits till midnight. If before that time the man bows down his head, and ex- claims, “ Gracious Allah ; I have sinned : for-, give me ! ” the angel rubs it out ; and if not, at midnight he seals it, and the angel upon the right shoulder Aveeps. 22. ACTIONS, Responsibility for. Just as the tiny shells make up the chalk hills, and the chalk hills together make up the range, so the trifling actions make up the Avhole account, and each of these must be pulled asunder separately. You had an hour to spare the other day — Avhat did you do? You had a' voice — hoAv did you use it ? Each particular shall be brought out, and there shall be de- manded an account for each one. Spurgeon. 23. ACTIONS, Usefulness of Common. It is the bubbling stream that floAvs gently ; the little rivulet Avhich runs along day ami night by the farm-house, that is useful, rather than the SAvollen flood or Avarring cataract. Niagara excites our Avonder ; and Ave stand amazed at the poAverful greatness of God there, as he pours in from the holloAv of his hand. But one Niagara is enough for the continent of the Avorld, Avhile the same Avorld requires thou- sands and tens of thousands of silver fountains and gently floAving rivulets that water every farm and meadoAV, and every garden, and shall floAV on every day and night Avith their gentle, quiet beauty. So Avith the acts of our lives. It is not by great deeds, like those of the martyrs, good is to be done, but by the daily and quiet virtues of life. Rev. Albert Barnes. 24. ACTIVITT, AcMevements of. Dr. Adam Clarke said that “ the old proA^erb about having too many irons in the fire was an abominable old lie. Have all in it, — shovel, tongs, and poker.” Wesley said, “I am ahvays in haste, but never in a hurry : leisure and I have long taken leave of each other.” He travelled about five thousand miles in a year ; preached about three times a day, commencing at five o’clock 12 ^CTIVTXY. -AJD^FT^TIOIN'. in the morning; and his published works amounted to about two hundred volumes. Asbuiy travelled six thousand miles a year, and preached incessantly. Coke crossed the Atlantic eighteen times, preached, wrote, trav- elled, established missions, begged from door to door for them, and labored in all respects as if, like the apostles, he would “ turn the world upside down.” At nearly seventy years of age he started to Christianize India. Dr. Stevens. 25. ACTIVITT, Importance of. It is good policy to strike while the iron is hot : it is still better to adopt Cromwell’s procedure, and make the iron hot by striking. The master-spirit who can rule the storm is great, but he is much greater who can both raise and rule it. To attain that grand power, one must possess the brave and indomitable soul of activity which prompted Edmund Burke to exclaim to his constituents in his famous speech at Bristol, “ Applaud us when we run ; console us when we fall ; cheer us when we recover : but let us pass on, — for God’s sake, let us pass on.” E. L. Magoon. 26. ACTIVITT, Incitement to. Were the Olympian Agonistas inspired by the admiring gaze of applauding thousands ? Did the thun- ders of acclamation which awoke the echoes of Olympus excite the Athletse to higher ener- gies ? How, then, shall we be aftected, who believe that we are under the watchful eye of the Dread Supreme ? The KinGt looks on those who are running the heavenly race, who are wrestling with spiritual antagonists, and who are handing “ a cup of cold water ” to some drooping and thirsty disciple ! As the IHng’s eye brightens with approbation, let us resolve to climb the highest steps of duty, and to walk on the loftiest mountains of holy enter- prise. Dr. J. Parker. 27. ACTIVITT, Eesult of. If we travel slowly, and loiter on the road, Jesus will go on before us, and sin will overtake us. If we are dilatory and lazy in the vineyard, the Master will not smile on us when he walks through his garden. Be active, and expect Christ to be with thee : be idle, and the thorns and briers will grow so thickly, that he will be shut out of thy door. Spurgeon. 2§. ACTIVITT, Eeward of. History informs us of an old Roman soldier who served forty years in the cause of his country, — ten as a pri- vate, and thirty as an officer. He had been present in one hundred and twenty battles, and had forty-five times been severely wounded. He had obtained fourteen civic crowns for havbig saved the life of a Roman citizen, three mural crowns for having been the first to mount the breach, and eight golden crowns for having rescued the standard of a Roman legion from the hands of the enemy. He had in his house eighty-three gold chains, sixty bracelets, eighteen golden sjiears, and twenty-three horse- trappings. the spoil of war. Let the Clnlstian be equally faithful to his Saviour, and the glory and value of his reward shall far exceed that of this old Roman soldier. Bate. 29. ADAPTATION, Porce of. A French- man of infidel principles was walking one evening beneath the shade of some noble trees, in the neighborhood of B. “ How grand and beautiful are these noble trees ! ” said the wanderer, as he looked up into their branches ; “ but how singular that so large a tree should bear a fruit so small as the acorn ! ” Still wondering, he cast his eye upon a gourd-vine running along the hedgerow, with its stem so tender, that the slightest pressure would have severed it, and yet yielding a fruit weighing one hundred pounds. “ Plow singular,” said the wanderer, “ that so small a plant should grow so large a fruit ! If I had been God,” said he, “ I would have managed creation better than this. I would have put the small fruit on the small plant, and I would have placed the large gourd on this noble oak.” And then, wearied with the heat of the day, he laid himself beneath the shade of its spread- ing branches, and fell asleep. An acorn, ah-eady ripe, fell on the face of the sleeper. Awakened by the falling of the little fruit, the thought flashed upon his mind, “Had that been the gourd of one hundred pounds weight, I should probably, by this time, have been a corpse.” He immediately went on his knees to ask forgiveness of God. He saw that the Author of all good had rightly disposed of every tree, and the fruit thereof. Conviction went on, under Divine direction, until conver- sion took its place, and the thoughtless blas- phemer became a servant of the Most High God. Clements. 89. ADAPTATION, in Nature. The bodies of animals hold in their constitution and prop- erties a great and important relation to the elements by which they are surrounded. The wings of birds bear a relation to air, and the fins of fishes to water. Throughout the universe there is a won- derful proportioning of one thing to another. The size of animals, of man especially, when considered with respect to other animals, or to the plants which grow around him, is such as a regard to his conveniency would have pointed out. A giant or a pygmy could not have milked goats, reaped corn, or mowed grass ; a giant could not have rode a horse, trained a vine, or shoT'n a sheep, with the same bodily ease as we do, if at all. A pygmy would have been lost amongst rushes, or carried off by birds of prey. It may be observed, likewise, that the model and the materials of the human body being what they are, a much greater bulk would have broken down by its own Aveight. The persons of men who much exceed the ordinary stature betray this tendency. How close is the suitableness of the earth and sea to their several inhabitants, and of these inhabitants to the places of their ap- pointed residence ! Take the earth as it is; and consider the corres]Aondency of the poAvers of its inhabitants Avith the properties and condition of the soil Avhich they tread. Take the inhabitants as they are ; and consider the substances which 13 the earth yields for their use. They can open its surface ; -and its surface supplies all which they want. Such is the length of their facul- ties, and such the constitution of the globe, that this is sufficient tor all their occa- sions. When we pass from the earth to the sea, from land to water, we pass through a great change ; but an adequate change accompanies us of animal forms and functions, of animal capacities and wants. The earth in its nature is very different from the sea, and the sea from the earth ; but one accords with its inhabitants as exactly as the other ; and the correspondency instituted by Divine Wisdom pervades and harmonizes the whole. Paley. 31. ADAPTATION, Proves a Creator. The earth is adapted as the home of man. The sun is at the right distance from the earth to give light, heat, and life. The opposite wants of animal and vegetable life secure the purity of the atmosphere. Animals consume oxygen and exhale carbon, while with plants the oj)era- tion is reversed. Without the plants the animals would soon perish, and the plants could not exist without the carbonic acid which animals are constantly imparting to the air. The equilibrium of the atmosphere is further maintained by the great system of the winds, which force the air in perpetual currents from the equator to the poles, and the reverse. 32. ADAPTATION, Wisdom of. He alone is wise who can accommodate himself to all the contingencies of life ; but the fool contends, and is strugo-ling like a swimmer ao-ainst the oo o o stream. From the Latin. 33. ADOPTION, Definitions of. Adoption is that act of God by which we who were alien- ated, and enemies, and disinherited, are made the sons of God, and heirs of his eternal glory. — R. Watson. Adoption is an action whereby a man takes a person into his family, in order to make him part of it, acknowledges him for his son, and receives him into the number, and gives him a right to the privileges of his children. Pharaoh’s daughter adopted young Moses, and Mordecai Esther. Ex. ii. 10 ; Esther ii. 7, 15. A. Cruden. 34 . ADOPTION, Dignity of. How high is this* dignity ! To be called the sons of God I this is our prerogative royal. We tell you not of a kindred imperial, adopted into some of the Ceesars’ families ; nor of David matching into the house of Saul, which seemed to him no small preferment ; we blazon not your arms with the mixture of noble ingressions, nor fetch your lineal descents from heroes and monarchs. You are made the sons and daugh- ters of God : this is honor amply sufficient. T. Adams. 35 . ADOPTION, Honor of. When the Dan- ish missionaries stationed at Malabar set some of their converts to translate a Catechism, in which it was asserted that believers became the sons of God, one of the translators was so startled that he suddenly laid down his pen, and exclaimed, “ It is too much : let me rather render it, ‘ They shall be permitted to kiss his feet ! ’ ” 36. ADOPTION, Sacred and Secular. Betwixt civil and sacred adoption, there is a two-fold agreement and disagreement. They agree in this, that both flow from the pleasure and good will of the adoptant ; and in this, that both confer a right to privileges Avhich we have not by nature ; but in this they differ : one is an act imitating nature, the other transcends na- ture : the one was found out for the comfort of them that had no children, the other ibr the comfort of them that had no Father. Divine adoption is in Scripture either taken properly for that act or sentence of God by which we are made sons, or for the privileges with which the adopted are invested. We lost our inher- itance by the fall of Adam : we receive it by the death of Christ, which restores it again to us by a new and better title. J. Flavel. ^7. ADORNMENT, Rebuked. A Quaker gen- tleman, riding in a carriage with a fashionable lady decked with a profusion of jewelry, heard her complain of the cold. Shivering in her lace bonnet and shawl as light as cobweb, she exclaimed, — “ What shall I do to get warm ? ” “ I really don’t know,” replied the Quaker solemnly, “ unless thee should put on another hreast-pin I ” 3§. ADVENT, The Second. Did you ever hear the sound of the trumpets which are blown before the judges as they come into a city to open the assizes ? Did you ever reflect how different are the feelings which those trumpets awaken in the minds of different men ? The innocent man, who has no cause to be tried, hears them unmoved. They proclaim no terrors to him. He listens and looks on quietly, and is not afraid. But often there is some poor wretch waiting his trial, in a silent cell, to whom those trumpets are a knell of despair. They tell him that the day of trial is at hand. Yet a little time, and he will stand at the bar of justice, and hear witness after witness telling the story of his misdeeds. Yet a little time and all will be over, — the trial, the verdict, the sentence ; and there will re- main nothing for him but punishment and dis- grace. No wonder the prisoner’s heart beats when he hears the trumpet’s sound ! So shall the sound be of the archangel’s trump. J. a Ryle, 39. ADVERSITY, Discipline of. As weeds grow fastest in a fat and rank soil, so our cor- ruptions grow and thrive, and are ready to overrun our souls, when our outward state and condition is most prosperous and successful ; and, therefore, God’s love and care of us con- strain him sometimes to use severe discipline, to nip those luxuriances, and to cut us short in our temporal enjoyments ; which else, he sees, we should only turn into provision for our lusts. Bp. Hopkins. 49. ADVERSITY, Efiect of. Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents, which, in pros- perous circumstances, would have lain dor- mant. Horace. 14 ADVERSITY. 41. ADVERSITY, Friendlessness in. As it is with the deer that is hunted, when the hunts- man goes into the park, he rouses the whole herd, and they all run together ; but if one be shot, and they see the blood run down, they will soon push him out of their company. Or, as a man being in his travel upon the road, and there being a sun-dial set up in the way, if the sun shine, he will step out of his way to take notice of it ; but if the sun do not shine, he will go by a hundred times and never re- gard it. So let but the sun of prosperity shine upon a man, then who but he ? he shall have friends more than a good many ; but if a cloudy day come, and take away the sunshine, he may easily number his acquaintance. And so when a man goes on in the credit of the world, he shall be welcome into all companies, and much made of by every one ; but if he come once to be shot, and disgrace put upon him, then he shall soon perceive a cloud in every man’s face, no one so much as regarding him. Spencer. 42. ADVERSITY, Influence of. There are minerals called hydrophanous, which are not transparent till they are immersed in water, when they become so ; as thb hydrophane, a variety of opal. So it is with many a Chris- tian. Till the floods of adversity have been poured over him, his character appears marred and clouded by selfishness and worldly in- fluences. But trials clear away the obscurity, and give distinctness and beauty to his piety. Prof. Hitchcock. 43. ADVERSITY, Lesson of. Should the native of some distant world, on which the sun always shines, visit our globe, he would be filled with dismay as he beheld the sun disap- pear, and darkness envelope nature as in a funeral pall. How would his astonishment increase, as, amid the increasing darkness, myriads of worlds, of which he never dreamed, blazed forth upon his vision. Thus, often, adversity atfrights us ; but, instead of contract- ing our blessings, it reveals to us new sources of comfort, worlds of joy, hidden while the veil of prosperity hung about us. 44. ADVERSITY, Philosophy of. It was a, high speech of Seneca (after the manner of stoics), that the good things which belong to prosperity are to be wished, but the good things that belong to adversity are to be ad- mired : “ Bona verarn secundarum optabilia, adoersarum mirabilia.’* Certainly, if miracles be the command over nature, they appear most in adversity. It is yet a higher speech of his than the other (much too high for a heathen), “It is true greatness to have in one the frailty of a man and the security of a God.” “ Vere magnum habere fragilitatem liominis, securitalem Dei.” This would have done bet- ter in poesy, where transcendencies are more allowed ; and the poets, indeed, haje been busy with it ; for it is, in effect, that strange thing which is figured in that strange fiction of the ancient poets, which seemeth not to be without mystery ; nay, and to have some approach to the state of a Christian : “ That Hercules, when he went to unbind Prometheus (by whom human nature is represented) sailed the length of the great ocean in an earthen pot or pitcher, lively describing Christian resolution, that saileth in the frail bark of the flesh through the waves of the wmrld.” But to speak in a mean, the virtue of prosperity is temperance, the virtue of adversity is fortitude, which in morals is the more heroical virtue. Prosperity is the blessing of the Old Testament : adversity is the blessing of the New, which carrieth the greater benediction, and the clearer revelation of God’s favor. Yet, even in the Old Testa- ment, if you listen to David’s harp, you shall hear as many hearse-like airs as carols ; and the pencil of the Holy Ghost hath labored more in describing the affliction of Job than the felicities of Solomon. Prosperity is not without many fears and distaste ; and adversity is not without comforts and ho{)es. Lord Bacon. 45. ADVERSITY, a Test. Ask the man of adversity how other men act towards hiin ; ask those others how he acts towards them. Adversity is the true touchstone of merit in both ; happy if it does not produce the dis- honesty of meanness in one, and that of inso- lence and pride in the other. Lord Grecille. 4©. ADVERSITY, Use of. A man who had enjoyed great prosperity, and amassed considerable wealth, without thought of God, was at length overwhelmed with calamities. His life was imperilled, his property was lost, his fiimily were sick nigh unto death, he lost his eyes, and, last of all, his boy died. He desired to be led to the side of his dead son, and handled the loved form which he could no longer see. There he exclaimed, “ O God ! it is enough ! Stricken, smitten, and afflicted, the wandering child of pious parents, who have long since gone to heaven, will yield. I will kiss the rod that smites me ; and, though I cannot now see thee in all nature, as once I might have done, yet I do and will hear thee in the silence of my heart.” They came to re- move him ; but he said, “ Oh, no ! not yet ; not until hero, audibly, in your presence, and, above all, in the presence of the all-seeing God, I make my vows. Samuel ! dearest Samuel ! Ihou wilt never come to me, but I will go to thee, in that world where the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are at rest.” 47. ADVICE, Danger of Disregarding. “Be sure, Herbert,” said Mr. Wise to his son, “not to go beyond your depth in the river: the surface looks very fiiir and sparkling, but there is an ugly eddy beneath, that may prove too strong for you.” “ How do you know, father ? ” asked Her- bert. “ I have tried it,” was the reply. “ It nearly overcame me ; but I could swim, and so got beyond it. Kemember what I tell you ; be- ware of the undertow.” Herbert went in to bathe, and was very careful to keep near the shore every time. “It cannot be very dangerous here,” he thought, and uttered it aloud to his companion. A.n3VICEJ. ^FJFECXION'. 15 “ It is as smooth as glass ; and I can easily re- turn if it is rough beneath, for I can swim now.” “ You had better not go,” urged his friend : “ my father knows this river well, and he says ' the undertow is very dangerous.” “ I will go in a little ways,” replied Herbert, “ and, if I find it dangerous, come back.” And he started vigorously for the middle of the river. Ilis companion, watching him, saw him throw up his arms wildly, and heard his shout for help ; but, when help reached him, it was too late. The undertow had got him. He was drowned in the treacherous river ! il/r.s‘. M. L. Rayne. 4l§. ADVICE, Taking. He who can take advice is sometimes superior to him who can give it. Von Knehle. ADVOCATE, Advantage of an. Juvenalis, a widow, complained to Theodoric, king of the Romans, that a suit of hers had been in court three years, which might have been cVjcided in a few days. The king, being informed who were her judges, gave orders that they should give all expedition to the poor woman’s cause ; and in two days it was decided to her satisfac- tion. Theodoric then summoned the judges before him, and inquired how it was that they had done in two days what they had delayed for three years. “ The recommendation of your majesty,” was the reply. “ How,” said the king : “ when I put you in office, did I not consign all pleas and proceedings to you ? You deserve death for having delayed that justice, for three years, which two days could accomplish.” And, at that instant, he com- manded their heads to be struck off. Percy. 5®. AFFECTATION, Avoiding. Be yourself. Ape no greatness. Bo willing to pass for what you are. A good farthing is better than a bad sovereign. Affect no oddness ; but dare to be right, though you have to be singular. S. Coley. 51. AFFECTATION, Cure of. When Cicero consulted the oracle at Delphos, concerning what course of studies he should pursue, the answer was, “Follow Nature.” If every one would do this, affectation would be almost un- known. J. Beaumont. 52. AFFECTATION, Eidiculous. We are never rendered so ridiculous by qualities which we have, as by those which we aim at, or affect to have. From the French. 53. AFFECTION, Conjugal. A woman who had not seen her husband for three long years, caught sight of him in the ranks of one of the returning regiments in Portland recently, as it was marching through the streets. The over- joyed woman rushed to the ranks, embraced and kissed her husband, and marched along by his side amid the cheers of the spectators. 54. Xenophon relates, that when an Arme- nian prince had been taken captive, with his princess, by Cyrus, and was asked what he would give to be restored to his kingdom and liberty, he replied, “ As for my kingdom and liberty, I value them not ; but, if my blood would redeem my princess, I would cheerfully give it for her.” When Cyrus had liberated them both, the princess was asked, “ What think you of Cy- rus ? ” She replied, “ I did not observe him : my whole attention was fixed upon the gener- ous man who would have purchased my liberty with his life.” 55. AFFECTION, Cultivating. In the in- tercourse of social life, it is by little acts of watchful kindness, recurring daily and hourly ; it is by words, by tones, by gestures, by looks, — that affection is won and preserved. He who neglects these trifles will rarely be loved. 5«. AFFECTION, Emblem of. I lately read a very remarkable circumstance respecting the storks; namely, that, so strong is their affec- tion for their young, they are not afraid even to die for them. There have been instances of conflagrations, in which they flew to and fro, with water in their beaks, to save their nests upon the burning houses. Nay, it once happened at Delft in Holland, that, finding it impossible to preserve their brood, they placed themselves upon the nest, spread over them their wings, and so perished with them in the flames. That is what is called dying for love ! Gotthold. 5T. AFFECTION, Filial. Epaminondas was one of the greatest generals of Greece. When he had conquered Sparta and delivered Greece, in the midst of universal applause he was heard to say, “ IMy joy arises from my sense of that which the news of my victory will give my father and mother.” L. 71/. Stretch. 5§. Valerius Alaximus relates, that a woman of distinction, having been condemned to be strangled, was delivered to the triumvir, who caused her to be carried to prison in order to be put to death. The jailer who was ordered to execute her was struck with compunction, and could not resolve to kill her. He chose, however, to let her die with hunger ; but, mean- while, suffered her daughter to visit her in prison, taking care that she brought her nothing to eat. Many days passed over in this man- ner, when the jailer, at length, surprised that the prisoner lived so long without food, and suspecting the daughter, took means of secretly observing their interviews. He then discovered that the affectionate daughter had all the while been nourishing her mother icith her oicn milk. Amazed at so tender, and at the same time so ingenious, an artifice, he related it to the triumvir, and the triumvir to the praetor, who thought the fact merited stating in the assembly of the people. This produced the happiest effects : the criminal was pardoned, and a decree passed that the mother and the daughter should be maintained for the re- mainder of their lives at the expense of the public, and that a temple, sacred to filial piety, should be erected near the prison. Percy. 50. A bp)^of three years of age, hearing a visitor of his father’s make use of the popular saying, that “ an honest man is the nobh^st work of God,” made this innocent annotation upon it : “ No, sir : my mamma is the noblest work of God I ” 16 ^^^FECTIOJSI . -AJFFECTIO^Q’. 60. An ancient city was besieged, and at length obliged to surrender. In the city were two brothers, who had obliged the conquering general, and received permission to leave the city before it was set on fire, taking with them as much of their property as each could carry. The two youths appeared at the gates of the city, one of them carrying their father, and the other their mother. 61. Olympias, Alexander’s own mother, was of such an unhappy disposition, that he would never let her have any concern in the affairs of the government. She used frequently to make very severe complaints on that account ; but he always submitted to her ill humor with great mildness and patience. Antipater, one of his friends, having one day wrote a long letter against her, the king, after reading it, replied, “ Antipater does not know that one single tear shed by my mother will obliterate ten thousand such letters as this.” 62. A father and son were fishing near New- York city. The boat was suddenly capsized, and they were thrown into the water. The father, who was not an expert swimmer, while his son could not swim at all, at once com- menced to aid the lad. He, seeing that his father was becoming exhausted, calmly said to him, “ Never mind me : save yourself, for mother’s sake.” Both his father and himself were rescued. 63. AFFECTIOfT, Fraternal. The Emperor Au- gustus having taken Adiatoriges, a prince of Cappadocia, together v/ith his wife and chil- dren, in war, and led them to Rome in tri- umph, gave orders that the father and the elder of the brothers should be slain. The ministers of execution, on coming to the place of confinement, inquired which was the eldest ? On this, there arose an earnest contention between the two young princes, each of them affirming himself to be the elder, that, by his own death, he might preserve the life of his brother. When they had continued this heroic and fraternal emulation for some time, the afflicted mother with much difficulty prevailed on her son Dytentus, that he would permit his younger brother to die in his stead, hoping that by him she might still be sustained. When Augustus was told of this example of brotherly love, he regretted his severity, and gave an honorable support to the mother and her sur- viving son. Percy. 61. Two days after the terrible battle of Cfiiickamauga, I was passing over the battle- field. In a thick clump of bushes, on the side of a ravine, I saw a young man seated beside a tree, with his arm bandaged. Seeing that his arm was badly wounded, I asked why he had not gone to the hospital in the rear. He replied, ])ointing to a corpse that lay near by, “ That is my brother ; and I have determined never to leave him until he is buried.” I had the dead man buried, and the wounded brother taken care of. Memphis Advocate. 65. “ 0 Charlie ! be careful, little brother : you are skating too near that hole.” The words came too late. Charlie did not see the hole, and before his brother had finished speak- ing, he saw the little fellow go out of sight under the ice. With all speed Harry hastened to the spot ; he could see his brother, and, creeping to the edge, he reached out his hand ; but the ice was not strong enough to hold him, and he fell in. Other boys, hearing their cries, were soon on the spot. Henry caught his little brother, held him up where strong arms could reach him. “ Save, oh, save my brother ! ” he cried ; then sank to rise no more. The elder brother gave his life for the younger. 66. AFFECTION, Paternal. While the citi- zens of Troy were deliberating over the wooden horse which the Greeks had left, there came two huge serpents from the sea directly to the spot where Laocobn and his two sons stood. They first attacked the children, winding around their bodies. Laocoon attempted to rescue them from the tightening coils of the serpents, but in vain. They enveloped him, also, and father and children perished together. The most famous piece of statuary in exist- ence — that of Laocoon and his children in the embrace of the serpents — commemorates this event. 67. After the battle of Gettysburg, a sol- dier was found dead upon the field, holding in his hand the picture of three small children. No clew to his name could be found. In the terrors of battle he had comforted himself with this picture. It was published, and by this means the children were found in a village of Western New York. The sale of this picture resulted in the founding of tlie “ National Or- phan Homestead ” at Gettysburg, where the Humiston children, the originals of the pic- ture, find a home, and their mother is the matron. • 6§. AFFECTION, of the Poor. A poor little girl in the Fourth W ard, New York, as she was dying, said, “ I am glad I am going to die, because now my brothers and sisters will have enough to eat ! ” 69. AFFECTION, Eewarded. One beautiful evening in summer, a carriage drove up to a village inn. A stranger stepped out, and di- rected the landlord to prepare him a dinner. The stranger looked about him for a few mo- ments, and then directed his steps to the church. He entered the gate which opened into the graveyard, and walked around. While read- ing the various inscriptions on the tombstones, his attention was drawn to a corner of the yard by the sobs of a child. He went to the spot, where two ragged children sat weeping upon a newly-made grave. A piece of hard bread was between them. The stranger sat down upon the grave, and inquired into the cause of their dis- tress. The little boy, whose name was William, began to tell him that his sister Mary was naughty, and would not eat the piece of bread which he had begged for her. She interrupted her brother here, and told the man that she had some bread yesterday, but that her brother had eaten none since the day before, and she wanted him to eat this. The boy told the stranger that about a year ago his father left -AJFITEICTION-. ^^^^ITUiCTIOISr. 17 the village, find went to sea, and that in a storm he was drowned. “And poor mother cried so hard, and said that she must soon die too ; but that we must love each other, and that God would be our father. She called us to her bedside, kissed us both, and then died.” The stranger listened to the tale of sorrow, and was moved with compassion for the wan- derers. He exclaimed, as he rose from the grave, “ Come with me, poor children. God will be your father. He has, no doubt, sent me here this night to befriend you.” He took them to the inn, and had them pro- vided for until he returned home. Then they were received into the bosom of bis family, where they were well fed, clothed, and in- structed; and the stranger, in his declining years, witnessed them useful and honorable members of society. His hospitality was re- warded an hundred fold. 70. AFFECTION, Want of Parental. Saturn is represented in mythology as a monster who devoured his own children. Vulcan was born lame, and his mother Juno was so enraged that she threw him out of heaven. 71. AFFECTION, Want of Paternal. A mulatto youth one day called on a respectable gentle- man of Baltimore, and, with tears in Lis eyes, begged for assistance. — “ Aly father and mother,” says he, “ are about to sell me to Georgia.” — “ Your father and mother 1 ” re- plied the gentlemen with surprise : “ wdiat right have they to sell you ? ” — “ My father, ” answered the boy, “ is a wJiiie man, Mr. , a merchant in this place. My moiher is a yel- low woman. She has had several children by him, all of whom have been sold to Georgia but myself. He is this moment hargaining with a slave-trader for me.” The gentleman promised his assistance, but too late ; the bar- gain was already made. The unfortunate youth was immediately borne off, in spite of tears, execratipns, and entreaties, handcuffed and chained, and driven like a brute to a distant market ! 72 . AFFECTIONS, Earthly. It is storied of Henry the Fourth of France asking the Duke of Alva if he had observed the eclipses hap- pening in that year : he answered, that he had so much business on earth, that he had no leisure to look up to heaven. So it is. Most men are of this Spanish general’s mind : wit- ness the oxen, the farms, the pleasures, the profits and preferments, that men are so fast glued unto, that they have hardly leisure to entertain a thought of any goodness. Spencer. 73 . AFFECTIONS, Enrich Qod. If we should gather all the flowers that grow upon the mountain-sides and in the valleys, and heap them up before God, he would not be richer than he is now ; but when we bring ourselves to him, and affection after affection opens and exhales in his presence, he is richer, and his joys are greater. Beecher. 74 . AFFECTIONS, Governing the. Fie that rid- eth a fieree horse, let the horse keep what pace he will, so long as the rider commands him by the bridle, we say he rides strongly ; but if the 2 horse get the bit in his mouth, and run away the faster his pace, the weaker the rider, b- cause he cannot check him. Our affection> are just like that fierce horse, and our reason should be as a strong bridle, stir they never so much : if reason command, w'e are strong ; but if reason have no power, and our affections run loose, then, certainly, the more violent Ave are, the more weak Ave are. Spencer. 75. AFFLICTION, Bearing. One in affliction, when asked how he bore it so Avell, replied, “ It lightens the stroke to draAv near to him Avho handles the rod.” 76. AFFLICTION, Benefit of. In a journal of a tour through Scotland by the liev. C. Simeon of Cambridge, Ave have the folloAving passage : — “ Went to see Lady Ross’s grounds. Here also I saw blind men Aveaviug. May I never forget the folloAving fact: One of the blind men, on being interrogated Avilli res])ect to his knoAvledge of spiritual things, answered, ‘ I never saAv till I Avas blind ; nor did I ever know contentment when I had my eyesight, as I do noAv that I have lost it. 1 can truly affirm, though few knoAv hoAv to credit me, that I Avould on no account change my present situation and circmnstances Avith any that I ever enjoyed before 1 Avas blind.’ He had enjoyed eyesight till tAventy-five, and had been blind now about three years. Aly soul,” Mr. Simeon adds, “ Avas much affected and comforted with his declaration. Surely,, there is a reality in religion I ” 77. AFFLICTION, Blessedness of. “ Why should I murmur?” said Henry Martyn, in his last sickness : “ Aveakness, peril, and pain are but the ministering angels Avhose office it is to conduct me to glory.” The holiest Aveep, but their tears, as rain-drops in the springtime, are shot through Avith sunbeams : “ they sorroAv not as those Avithout hope.” S. Coley. 78. AFFLICTION. Brevities. Sanctified afflic- tions are spiritual promotions. — Dodd. God may cast thee down, but he will not cast thee off'. — Case. AdA^ersity, like Avinter Aveather, is of use to kill those vermin Avhich the sum- mer of prosperity is apt to produce and nour- ish. — Arrowsmith. A great deal of rust re- quires a rough file. — Moses Browne. The wise Lord loves to feed us with, hunger, and! make us fat Avith wants and desertions. — Rutherford. Christ is the best physician : he never takes down the wrong bottle. Berridge. 79. AFFLICTION, Healtliful. The air from the sea of affliction is extremely beneficial to invalid Christians. Continued prosperity, like a warm atmosphere, has a tendency to unbind the sinews and soften the bones ; but the cold Avinds of ti'ouble make us sturdy, hardy, and well-braced in every part. Un- broken success often leads to an undervaluing of mercies, and forgetfulness of the giver ; but the AvithdraAval of the sunshine leads us to look for the sun. Spurgeon. m, AFFLICTION, Kinds of. We may ob- serve in this the difference betAveen Christ and the Tempter. Christ hath his fan in his hand,. 18 ^-^P'LICXIOIN'. JLTPJPT^ICTIO and he fanneth us : the Devil hath a sieve in his hand, and he siftetli us. Now, a fan casteth out the worst, and keepeth in the best ; a sieve keepeth in the worst, and casteth out the best. So Christ and his trials purgeth chaff and corruption out of us, and nourisheth his graces in us. Contrariwise, the Devil, what evil soever is in us, he confirmeth it ; what faith or good thing soever, he weakeneth it. Trapp. §1. ArFLICTIOff, Legend of. “The Apostle Peter had a (laughter born in lawful wedlock, who accompanied him in his journey from the East. Being at Rome with him, she tell sick of a gi'icvous infirmity which deprived her of the use of her limbs. And it happened, that, as the disciples wei’C at meat with him in his house, one said to him, ‘ Master, how is it that thou, who hcalest the infirmities of others, dost not heal thy daughter Petronilla ? ’ And St. Peter answered, ‘ It is good for her to remain sick ; ’ but, tliat they might see the power that was in the word of God, he commanded her to get up and serve them, at table, which she did ; and having done so, she lay down again helpless as before ; but many years afterwards, being ];er- fecte(l by her long suffering, and praying fer- vently, she was healed. Petronilla was won- derfully fair ; and Valerius Flaccus, a young and noble Ronuin, who was a heathen, became enamoured of her beauty, and sought her for his wife ; and he being very powerful, she feared to refuse him. She therefore desired him to return in three days, and promised that he should then carry her home. But she prayed earnestly to be delivered from this peril ; and when Flaccus returned in three days, with great pomp, to celebrate the marriage, he found her dead. The couiipany of nobles wdio at- tended him carried her to the grave, in wdiich they laid her, crowmed with roses ; and Flac- cus mourned greatly.” 82. .ATFLIOTION, Ministry of. An invalid of tw'enty years, whose sufferings were extreme, was one night thinking of the reason of this long-continued infliction. Suddenly the room filled wdth light, and a beautiful form bent over her, saying, “ Daughter of sorrow, art thou impatient? ” — “ No ; but 1 am full of pain and disease, and I see no end ; nor can I see why I must suffer thus. I know that I am a sinner ; but I hoped that Christ’s sufferings, and not mine, would save me. Oh! why does God deal thus with mo ? ” — “ Come wdth me, daugh- ter, and I wall show thee.” — “But I cannot walk.” — “ True, true I There, gently, gently ! ” He tenderly took her up in his arms, and car- ried her over land and water, till he set her down in a far-off city, and in the midst of a large workshop. The room was full of win- dow's, and the workmen seemed to be near the light, and each with his own tools; and all seemed to be so intent upon their work, that they neither noticed the new-comers, nor spoke to one another. They seemed to have small, brown jiebbles, Avhidi they were grinding and shaping and polishing. Her guide pointed her to one who seemed to be most earnestly at work. He had a half-polished pebble, which was now seen to be a diamond, in a jiair of strong iron pincers. He seemed to grasp the little thing as if he would crush it, and to hold it on to the rough stone without mercy. The stone whirled, and the dust flew, and the jewad grew smaller and lighter. Ever and anon he w'ouid stop, hold it up to the light, and examine it carefully. “ Workman,” said the sufferer, “ will you please to tell me wdiy you bear on, and grind the jewel so hard?” — “ I want to grind off every Haw and crack in it.” — “ But don’t you waste it ? ” — “ Yes ; but what is left is w'orth so much the more. The fact is, this diamond, if it will bear the wheel long .enough, is to occupy a very important place in the crowm w'e are making up for our king. We take much more pains with such. We have to grind and polish them a great while ; but, when they are done, they are very beau til ul. The king was here yesterday, and wms much pleased with our work, but Avanted this jewel, in })artic- ular, should be ground and polished a great deal. So yon see how hard I hold it doAvn on this stone. And, see ! there is not a crack nor a llaAv in it ! What a beauty it Avill bt; ! ” Gently the guide lifted up the poor sufferer, and again laid her dowm on her OAvn bed of pain. “ Daughter of sorrow, dost thou under- stand the vision ? ” — “ Oh, yes ! but may I ask you one question ? ” — “ Certr.inly.” — “ Were you sent to me to shoAv me all this ? ” — “ Assur- edly.” — “ Oh ! may I take to myself the con- solation that I am a diamond, and am now in the hands of the strong man, who is polishing it for the crown of the Great King ? ” “ Daughter of sorrow, thou mayest have that consolation ; and every pang of suffering shall be like a flash of lightning in a dark night, revealing eternity to thee; and here- after thou shalt‘run without Aveariness, and Avalk Avithout faintness,’ and sing Avith those Avho have ‘ come out of great tribulation.’ ” Dr. Todd. §S. AFFLICTION, Profit of. The ])ee is ob- served to suck honey from the thyme, a most hard and dry herb ; so the good mid faithfiil- rninded man sucketh knowledge and obedience from the bitter potion of adversity and the cross, and turnetli all to the best. The scour- ing and rubbing Avhich fret others make him shine the brighter: the Aveight Avhich crusheth others makes him, like the palm- tree, groAv the better ; the hammer Avhich knocks others all in pieces makes him the broader and the larger. In incude et maleo d/latantur, they are made broader on the anvil, and Avith the hammer; although it be Avith the hammer, yet, dilalantur, they are made to groAV the wider. Spencer. 84, AFFLICTION, Purification by. A fcAv ladies met at each other’s houses to study the Scrip- tures. AVhen they came to thc^ third chapter of Malachi, the conversation turned on the method of jniritying silver. One lady under- took to inquire of a silversmith hoAv he con- ducted the process. “ Do you sit during tlm operation?” — “Yes,” Avas the reply, “for I ^H^FLICTIOlSr. J^GrE. 19 must keep my eye steadily on the furnace,, lost the silver become injured by the intense heat.” As the lady was about to retire, the silver- smith said that he knew the process was perlect when he saw his own face in the metal. The molten silver continues in a state of agitation till all impurity is thrown off, and then it becomes quite still. §5. ATFLICTIOff, Eejoicmg in. A colporteur in a Southern city thus sketches an interview with a humble Christian : “ Here is Uncle Jack C , an old, white-headed black man. ‘ Uncle Jack, how are you V — ‘ I is very pain- ful in my knee ; but, thank my heavenly Mas- ter, Tm cause to be thankful. ]\ly good Mas- ter jus’ gib me ’nuf to make me humble.’ — ‘ And do you enjoy religion as much now. Uncle Jack, as when you could go to church and class-meeting V ’ — ‘ Yes ; I joys him more. Den I trust to de people, to de rncetin’, to de sarment; an’ when 1 hear de hym sing, and de pray, 1 feels glad. But all dis ain’t like de good Loi-d in de heart. God’s love here ’ — striking his breast — ‘makes all de hard heart go ’way, and make Jack sit down and wonder what de good Master gwine to do wid dis ole nigger.’ — ‘ Then you love God, if lie does afflict you ? ’ — ‘ Oh, yes ! God — Him do all dis for me good. God wise. Jack don’t know. At night hear a noise. Me no know what him is ; but when me get light, and me hear noise, den me see, me know, me got sense den. Here, in dis painful life, all dark ; me no know : but dare, wid God, all is light — see all, know all. Glory, hallelujah ! ’ ” 86. AFFLICTION, Eeward of. When the Christian’s last })it is digged, when he is de- scended into his grave, and finished his state of sorrows and suffering, then God opens the river of abundance, the rivers of life, and never-ceasing felicities. As much as momenis are exceeded by eternity, and the sighing of a man by the joy of an angel ; and a salutary frown by the light of God’s countenance ; a few groans by the infinite and eternal hallelu- jahs, — so much are the sorrows of the saints to be undervalued, in respect of what is deposited tor them in the treasures of eternity. Their sorrows can die, but so cannot their joys. . . . Every chain is a ray of light, and every prison is a palace, and every loss is the purchase of a kingdom, and every affront in the cause of God is an eternal honor, and every day of sor- row is a thousand years of comfort, multiplied with a never-ceasing numei'ation : days with- out night ; joys without sorroAV ; sanctity with- out sin ; charity without stain ; possession without fear; society without envying; com- munication of joys without lessening ; and they shall dwell in a blessed country, where an enemy never entered, and from whence a friend never w'ent away. Bishop Taylor. AFFLICTION, Saved by. “ I would gladly take your tract,” said a soldier in the hospital ; “ but I have lost both my arms in battle ; and I would gladly lose them again, were it pos- sible, rather than not enjoy what I now pos- sess. AVhile I was far away in the woods,* and did not know I should ever live to get back to camp, I cried unto the Lord in good earnest; and he had mercy on my soul.” 88. AFFLICTIONS, Similes of. God often lays the sum of his amazing providences in very dismal afflictions; as, the limner first puts on the dusky colors, on which he intends to draw the portraiture of some illustrious beauty. Char nock. 8?>. I feel that repeated afflictions come, not as lightning on the .scathed tree, blasting it yet more and more, but as the strokes of the sculptor on the marble block, forming it into the image of beauty and loveliness. Let but the Divine Presence be felt, and no lot is hard. Let me but see his hand, and no event is un- welcome. Power of Illustration. S'®. Every vessel of mercy must be scoured in order to brightness. And however trees in the wilderness may grow without cultivation, trees in the garden must be pruned to be made fruitful; and cornfields must be broken up, when barren heaths are left untouched. Arrowsmith. ©I. AFFLICTIONS, Sympathy of Jesus in. They tell us, that, in some trackless lands, when one ffieiul passes through the pathless forests, he breaks a twig ever and anon as he goes, that those who come after may see the traces of his having been there, and may know that they are not out of the road. Oh ! when we are journeying through the murky night, and the dark woods of affliction and sorrow, it is some- thing to find here and there a spray broken, or a leafy stem bent down with the tread of His foot and the brush of his hand as he passed ; and to remember that the path he trod he has hal- lowed, and that there are lingering fragrances and hidden strengths in the remembrance, “in all points tempted as we are,” bearing grief for us, bearing grief with us, bearing grief like us. J. Maclaren. ©2. AFFLICTIONS, Use of. Two painters were em])loyed to fresco the walls of a magnificent catlieilral. Both stood on a rude scaffolding constructed for the purpose, some distance from the floor. One, so intent upon his work, forgetting where he was, stepjied back slowly, surveying critically the work of his jiencil, until he had neared the edge of the plank on which he stood. At this moment his companion, just perceiving his danger, seized a wet brush, flung it against the wall, spattering the picture with unsightly blotches of coloring. The painter flew forward, and turned upon his friend with fierce upbraidings, till made aware of the danger he had escaped ; then, with tears of gratitude, he blessed the hand that saved him. Just so, sometimes we get so absorbed with the pictures of the world, unconscious of our peril, when God in mercy dashes out the beautiful images, and draws us, at the time we are complaining of his dealings, into his outstretched arms of love. ©3. AQ-E, Changed to Youth. Jason asked Me- dea, whose magic arts he had proved to be remarkable, to take some years of his life and give them to his then aged father. She con- 20 ^GrlE. J^CrJdyjD. sented to add years to the father’s life, but re- fused to shorten his. She sacrificed to the gods, then wrought a mighty enchantment, fill- ing her caldron with magic herbs, heads of crows and owls, the entrails of a wolf, and remnants of other things tenacious of life. Tnen she cut the throat of the old man iEson, who was laid beside her on a bed ol' herbs, and poured into his mouth and his wounds the juices of her caldron. AVhen he had imbibed them, his beard and hair laid olf their white- ness, and resumed the blackness of youth ; the signs of age were gone; his veins were full of l)loo