66 THE FIRESIDE. "DEPART!"-A startling announcement, when proceeding from lips that have often spoken to us in tones of love. "Depart!" pronounced with unfaltering voice, from the mouth of a friend or parent would cause the most firmly-strung heart to quiver. And who was our first friend? Who has been our best friend? By whose care have we been preserved since first we breathed, and who has showered down on us innumerable tokens of love? Conscience whispers, God! The Bible answers, God! And experience echoes, God! This Friend, this Father, this God of love, shall one day say depart" to many who are now pensioners of his bounty. "Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong, in the day that I shall deal with thee." Grace slighted shall at last meet its reward, for justice and judgment are the habitation of his throne. The sinner's watchword to God has been " depart;" and God shall meet the sinner in judgment with the same word, 'Depart!" The sinner then shall feel the justice of the sentence, he shall then realise its import. The veil shall fall from off his eyes. But alas! too late! In the anguish of his spirit he shall cry, "Mountains, fall on us," "Hills, cover us." ROMANISM AND PROTESTANTISM.-Romanism bids you look to the mass, a wafer-to torturing but false purgatory-to priestly absolution to a phantom refuge, a helpless pope, the virgin and the saints. But Protestantism gives forth her glorious directions in the fervid and imperishable tones of the Bible-"Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” Afraid to DIE.-Voltaire, the great French infidel, more than once says, in his letters to Madame Duffand, "I hate life, and yet I am afraid to die." A christian neither hates nor fears either of these. He is willing to abide, and he is ready to go. Life is his. Death is his. Whether we wake.or sleep, we shall live together with him. The Fireside. THE TWO FRENCH ORPHANS. In a little town of our department there lived last year a poor family of work-people. The father died. A martyr to labour, he overtasked his strength; fatigue killed him at the age of thirty-two. For all persons sickness is a frightful thing, but for the workman it is the worst visitation that can befall him; for, having only his labour to live by, his resources are stopped. To feed his wife and children, he sells in a few months the proceeds of ten or twenty years' labour, and when death arrives, he leaves them without THE FIRESIDE. asylum and without bread. Such was the fate of the poor family of which we speak. When the father died, the chamber was cold and void. Nearly all the furniture had disappeared. The mother, however, did not lose her courage, and to find food for her children worked day and night. Alas, for the noble-hearted woman! She was not more fortunate than her husband. At the end of a few weeks she fell dangerously ill. One morning in the month of March last, a female neighbour went to her house to render her some little services required by her position. She found her dead. Day was just beginning to break, and she saw the two children slumbering in their cradle. Poor children! they knew not the misfortune which had befallen them. The humble woman kneeling by the side of the corpse, quietly closed the eyes, and covered the face. Meantime, the children awoke; but she tenderly kissing them, told them to sleep again. After a little reflection, she said to herself, "I will take charge of the poor things, and God will do the rest." This woman was a mother, and as poor as the widow. Her husband, a laborious and intelligent man, was able to earn a small sum during the fine season, but in winter he had only petty and uncertain wages to maintain his family. At the hour of dinner he went home. His wife was plunged in reflection: she was wondering how he would receive the two children of the widow, and if the idea of allowing them to partake of the sacred bread of his own children would not terrify him. "Wife," said he, embracing her, "why are you sad? Has anything happened ?" "No-nothing disturbs my happiness or your's-what affects me is the misfortune of another." "And what is that misfortune? explain." "Well! our neighbour died in the night." In so saying she felt her fears increased, and looked towards the bed in which the children were, hidden by the curtain. "Dead," said the man. "Ah! I do not complain; it must be a lucky thing for her. But her children! Without doubt they will not die either of cold or hunger; the hospital is there to receive them. Nevertheless, for them to begin life without any one to love them is a sad thing. We must love them as their mother did. Ah! a thought! Hitherto I have been able to give bread to all, to our three children and to you. Well, let us hope that I shall be happy enough to be able to give bread to six! Let us adopt these children, and let us be so affectionate to them as to cause them to forget the death of their mother. What say you? Speak-your silence disquiets me. Do you not consent? Ah!—yes, you consent, for you kiss me—well, go and seek them." "There they are!" cried the woman, drawing the curtain. Poor people! humble christians! we will not reveal your name. Your modesty would be alarmed at the publicity given to this heroic act, which seems so natural to you. Your recompense, besides, is not in this world. God, who inspires so much charity, can alone recompense it. Moselle Independent. THE PENNY POST BOX. The Penny Post Box. IS NOT THIS A BRAND PLUCKED OUT OF THE FIRE? A Town Missionary in Essex says "Soon after I began my labours in this town I was requested by a woman to visit her son, who, she said, was on the point of death. I went to see him the same day, and found him very ill. I said, 'You seem very weak?' He replied, 'I am. I shall soon die and go to hell; but I dont care about that.' I said to him, 'You may not live long. How can you be careless when there is but a step between you and death?' I read a chapter to him, and had some conversation with him about religion; but he paid very little attention. I learned afterward that he had been a policeman, and also a soldier; and it appears that when away from his parents he had not attended the means of grace as he ought to have done. I had many interviews with him during the two following months, but saw nothing very pleasing. After I had been reading and talking to him on one occasion, he said to his sister, who had heard much of our conversation, 'It is no use for him to talk to me, I am lost.' But I continued to visit him, hoping to do him some good-and my labour was not in vain. One sabbath afternoon he said, 'I dont know how it is, I feel very different from what I felt when you came to me at first. I am truly thankful that you came to see me. You have told me many things which have done me good. I feel that I am a great sinner, but I trust I have been led to the Lord Jesus Christ for pardon and peace. I shall soon die; but I am not afraid of deathit has no sting for me.' I asked him if he could give up all for Christ? 'Yes,' he replied, 'I can. He is truly precious to my soul. I love him for what he has done for my soul; and I desire to love Him more and more.' At another time I said, 'Have you any trouble with your sinful heart?' 'My heart is very wicked; but I pray for the Lord's help to be granted, and then I overcome all my sinful desires.' 'Does satan tempt you?' 'Yes: very often. I then pray to God and he helps me.' The last time I had any conversation with him, he said, 'I shall soon be in heaven.' Being asked if anything troubled him, he replied, "I should be glad to see my child (a child two years old) provided for, but I must leave it in the Lord's hand: I can leave it with Him and feel satisfied.' 'Do you enjoy the Lord?' 'Yes: I have holy pleasure. His presence is my heaven. Oh! how thankful I am that God led me to seek him when I was not so weak as I now am. I shall soon be in heaven. And when you go to see others, tell them from me not to neglect seeking the salvation of their souls. Tell them there is pleasure in religion enough to make the dying happy. Oh that all would seek the Lord as I have been led to do!' I have great reason to believe that he died in the faith, and is now at rest in the world of bliss." S. H. FACTS, HINTS, AND GEMS. Facts, Hints, and Gems. IN 1838 there was a rebellion in Canada, the result of our own gross mis-government. That gave rise to an increase of 8,000 to our army. The rebellion subsided, Canada is tran quil and happy, but the 8,000 men remained. IN 1839 there was a Chartist insurrection at Newport, and straightway there was an addition to the army of 5,000 men. The country has been for years in tranquility, but the 5,000 men remained. IN 1840 and 1841 there was a quarrel with France about Syria, and with America about M'Leod, and there was an increase of 5,000 sailors. Those differences were settled, and yet the 5,000 additional sailors remain. IN 1842 we had a dispute with America about the Maine boundary. 4,000 men more were added to our marine. But Lord Ashburton made a treaty, settling, amicably, the whole question, but the 4,000 sailors remained. IN 1844 there was a panie of a French war about Mr. Prichard and Tahiti, which was used, of course, as an irresistible plea for augmenting our armaments. IN 1845 we had another dispute with America about Oregon, and in that year we had an increase of £1,700,000 in the army, navy, and ordnance. But the Oregon question was adjusted, still the increased armament was not reduced. Spanish marriages, which, with the pamphlet of Prince Joinville, led to an increase of our armaments that year by £1,200,000.. IN 1847 we had a tremendous panic that Louis Phillipe and the French were going to invade us. Well, we had another increase of the army and ordnance in that year of £1,000,000. But the French revolution put an end to all that. Then came the Louis Napoleon terrible panic, which nothing but a dose of 80,000 militia men could allay. So we had to add last year 5,000 sailors and 1,500 marines, at an expense of £600,000. Now, let it be observed, that every one of these panics about invasion, or war with Russia, America, and France, have ended in nothing. But the prodigious armaments they called forth are still kept up, and still growing. ARE WE NOT PAYING TOO MUCH FOR OUR WHISTLE? Hints. IMPROVEMENT.-He is not so good as he should be, who does not strive to be better than he is. TRUE MERIT consists in being actively engaged always in some honourable and useful employment. INGRATITUDE is a crime so shameful, that the man was never yet found who would acknowledge himself guilty of it. LEARNING AND WISDOM.-You may be learned by another man's learning, but you can only be wise by your own wisdom. A TEMPERATE MAN's pleasures are always durable; the intemperate can relish nothing, for he destroys his own appetites. INJURIES. None are so impatient of injuries as those who take pleathesure in inflicting them. IN 1846 we had a diplomatic quarrel with France about FACTS, HINTS, AND GEMS. FORGIVE YOUR ENEMY and you become his superior-take revenge on him and you are only his equal. GOODNATURE renders a superior amiable, an equal agreeable, and an inferior acceptable. MOURNING.-To mourn without measure is folly; not to mourn at all is insensibility. A WISE MAN will approve the virtuous only; all the rest of the world approve the wealthy. Gems. God SUBDUING SIN.-No man ever did this by his own power. alone can help him to do this. Ask him, and he will. COMPLAINING AND PRAYING.Set this down as a fact that he who complains most, prays least; whilst he who prays most, complains least. EXPECT STORMS.-The sea is not always calm. Storms will arise; but the last wave will land you where all will be peace and glory. DEATH AND SIN.- When God for Christ's sake took the sentence of death off man, he put it upon sin. So if the soul is to live, sin must die. IF IN PROSPERITY we neglect obedience to God, we must expect in adversity to be without his comforts. GOD'S ABHORRENCE OF SIN is far more clearly seen in the sufferings and death of his own Son on the cross, than in the terrors of Sinai or the horrors of hell. JESUS CHRIST presents himself as a sacrifice before the Father in honour of his justice, and as a Saviour to us that he may deliver us from sin. ONE THING ONLY can we claim of God, and that is, justice; but that would at once condemn us. Grace we cannot claim, but see how richly it flows to us from the cross of Christ! WEAK IN OURSELVES, if we trust in Christ we shall work diligently, pray fervently, fight courageously, and triumph gloriously. Poetic Selections. THE HEAVENLY CITY. O WHEN, thou city of my God, There happier bowers than Eden's bloom, Blest seats! through rude and stormy scenes, I onward press to you. Apostles, martyrs, prophets there, THE HAPPY LAND. FAIR distant land! could mortal eyes But half its joys explore, How would our spirits long to rise, And dwell on earth no more! There pain and sickness never come, And grief no more complains; Health triumphs in immortal bloom, And endless pleasure reigns. No cloud those blissful regions know, For sin, the source of mortal woe, PROSPECT OF HEAVEN. HERE in the body pent, My Father's house on high, Yet clouds will intervene, WORSHIP OF HEAVEN. JESUS, the Lord, their harps employs: Sounds sweet from every string. My heart, my ear, my hand, my tongue- |