A RICH INHERITANCE. BY REV. E. PORTER DYER. I SPEAK not now of silver and gold gathered and hoarded for thankless and prodigal heirs. I speak not of merchandise piled in warehouses, of costly city lots, or railroad or bank stocks, or broad domains, with their wealth of flocks and herds; but I speak of an inheritance far richer than any or all of these combined, a legacy which the poorest of the children of men may leave to the generations which follow them. Worldly wealth may be bequeathed and transmitted by the testament of the dying father, whom God has been pleased to make the steward of his good things of earth; but who knoweth whether his legal male heir" shall be a wise man or a fool? Who can tell whether that inheritance, gotten at the beginning, it may be, by an evil covetousness, shall not entail upon the heir to his fortune an interminable curse? There is a richer inheritance, a more valuable legacy, which may be bequeathed, even by the widowed and most destitute of mothers, to bless her children and her children's children, long after her disenthralled spirit has taken up its abode in the mansions of eternal glory. I remember, to this hour, with emotions of devout gratitude to Almighty God, the impressions made on my young heart by the devout conversation, the tears and the prayers, of my long-lost and now sainted grandmother. I cannot but revere her memory, and bless God for her pious yearnings for my welfare, even from my earliest recollections. For her to live was Christ. She made the Bible her companion, and only turned aside at times to chant the melodies of Watts, or ponder the page of Baxter, Flavel and Orton. She was a woman of deep piety and of fervent prayer. It is now nearly thirty years since she entered her rest. At that time not one of all her household was a member of the visible church, except herself. She prayed much for her children, and her petitions always embraced her "children's children, to the latest posterity." She yearned to see some of them at least brought into the fold of Christ, but died without the sight. Were those prayers lost? I cannot believe it. For scarcely were the days of filial mourning for her ended, ere God in mercy appeared, to answer her requests. He touched my heart by the fire and hammer of his word. At first, this proud heart hardened under its influence, and then melted like wax in the fierce flame. I believed in Jesus. I made public profession of my faith. I entered the ministry. If, in the long years which have passed since God called me into his vineyard, I have been instrumental in accomplishing anything, however small, for the honor of Christ, I must attribute all to the grace of God, bestowed on me mainly through the influence and in answer to the prayers of that pious grandmother. I trust other prayers have since been added to hers, which a listening God has been pleased to hear; for I have lived to see, since her departure, the companion of her youth, all her children, and I know not how many of her grandchildren, publicly professing their faith in Christ, and uniting themselves by everlasting covenant to the visible followers of the Lamb. I do not make this record to unfold to public gaze a page of private history, or because it presents anything of rare occurrence. I think I could record many instances of like character in the history of other families which I have known. My object is to urge all mothers to remember the position they occupy,—its importance, its responsibility, and on no account to give over praying for their children and their children's children, till their dying day. If any have not yet begun, let them begin at once, with a solemn and joyful trust in God, to pour out their hearts before him in prayer. What richer inheritance can a parent leave behind, especially what dearer legacy can a mother transmit to her children, than that of the memory of the just, which blooms forever? O, mothers, let the incense of piety and pure prayer ascend from all your hearts daily, that when some future servant of God, from your children's children, is introduced into the vineyard of the Lord, his piety, like that of Timothy, may be recognized, to your eternal honor, as a rich inheritance, which has descended from age to age. I SLEPT and dreamed that Life was Beauty; I woke and found that Life was Duty; THE DOMESTIC FIRESIDE. BY A. TODD. THE fireside circle, of all others, should be made the place of mutual attraction. Here should we repose our hearts' best affections, and here should we delight to dwell. There is nothing more pleasant and delightful than a cheerful and happy group of the inmates of one's own household. It is next to the reünion of kindred souls in the future world. How would the joys and happiness of earth be heightened, if each member of the family-circle would strive to make the other happy! This earth would indeed be a "Paradise below," did families live and dwell together in unity and brotherly love. The toils of life would be sweetened, household bands kept together, and the journey of life, instead of being wearisome and painful, would be one of pleasure and happiness. The union of kindred minds in the home-circle, is a sort of foretaste of what will be in that country where the righteous will shine forth as the sun. Would that there existed more happy firesides! Would that each member of every kindred band had that love and friendship for his brother which our Saviour had for his enemies! It is not enough to live for ourselves; we should be interested for the good of others. This is our duty,— a duty we owe to ourselves, our kindred, and, above all, to God. Though jarring and contention are going on without, nothing but peace and good-will should reign in our midst. The family-circle should be made the home of our affections. Brothers and sisters should here mingle their voices in unison, unbosom their thoughts to each other with cheerfulness, and live in obedience to the wishes of their parents. If families cannot live on terms of peace and friendship within their own dwellings, surrounded by their own kindred, how can they expect to enjoy each other's society in that country where all will be happiness and peace? NEW ZEALAND Comprises two large and several smaller islands in the South Pacific Ocean. The climate is salubrious. The population is estimated at half a million. The inhabitants are a hardy race, not only capable of great physical exertion, but of high moral culture. They are, nevertheless, addicted to the greatest vices which stain the human character, treachery, cannibalism, infanticide and murder. War is their delight, and their lives are little else than a series of acts of oppression, robbery and bloodshed. In New Zealand there is no king over the whole, or even over one of the larger islands. The people are governed by a number of chieftains, each supreme in his own tribe or clan, and independent of every other. This leads to frequent and destructive wars, and greatly circumscribes the influence of missionaries. In the picture above, the centre figure and that in a sitting posture are boys, while that to the right is a girl. Near the children is a calabash for water. In the back ground are boiling springs, at which the natives of the vicinity cook their food. |