Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

recital of a case of Real Danger with which I lately met, I determined to communicate it to you.

On returning from my place of worship last Sabbath morning, a lady who was with me, and who, like Miss Marten, is the head of a seminary in this town, remarked on coming near a little cottage, "That house fell down last Thursday night; and the people who were in it, did but just escape with their lives." On this remark, the whole party looked with incredulous astonishment at the house, for as the side and roof next to us appeared entire, and as we had not heard of any death or accident, we began to imagine there must be a misunderstanding somewhere. In a moment, however, the door was thrown open, and we saw that the entire half of the roof, and a great part of the opposite wall of the house, had fallen in, and exhibited a frightful spectacle, descriptive of the danger to which the inmates must have been exposed. Of the whole occurrence, and of the family who had lived in it, our friend could not give us any definite information, and knew not how so great a weight could fall in the dead of the night and not one of the sleeping family be injured.

During the same afternoon, previous to public worship, I resolved to call on as many families as I could, to induce them to awake from their slumbers, and filth, and sloth, on God's holy day, and attend upon his house; but I found the majority in bed taking a nap to recruit them after the labors of the week, and the strolling of the Lord's day morning, and to fit them for the lounge of the night. Among others, I came to a large up-stairs room, where the furniture, though unusually clean, was in such disorder, and bed was piled upon bed in such a manner, that I could not tell what to make of the sight, till at length a young looking woman came with a child in one arm, and a pail of water on the other; and after a few words had passed, expressive of my object in visiting her, she began to account for the singular and unsettled appearance of her house. I instantly found that I was in the company of the person whose house had fallen over her head; and from her, who was a party so deeply interested in the whole affair, I learned the following particulars.

66

I was working till after twelve o'clock, and then went to bed, and was in my first sleep, but about two o'clock I was

awoke by I cannot tell what, for I heard no noise, but I was all trummling (trembling) o'er; I struck a light to see what was the matter, and immediately saw a large beam hanging over the bed where four of my children lay, and called them up and told them to run out of the house and ask somebody to take them in. The children all ran screaming out of the house; I snatched up this nurse baby and my youngest child which lies there, in my arms, and tried to get out; but before I got well to the door, the roof and side came tummling (tumbling) in. So that I am so fixed, that I cannot go to public worship if I would, for I have five of my own and this nurse child continually to take care of."

To her I said, as I would say to each of you my young friends, how important and necessary to be every moment ready for death. What a mercy for you to have been spared! How easy for you all to have been buried beneath the ruins of your own house. That something which roused you up, my friend, was the good hand of God, and said, Escape for your life, look not behind you, nor stay another moment, lest you be destroyed along with your helpless babes. Without His will not a hair of your head can fall to the ground; and He has thus remarkably preserved you, that He might have mercy upon you for ever, and that you should give to Him your whole future life, and dedicate your children to His service. If you should disregard the voice of God in this occurrence and in your preservation, the very beams of your fallen house will cry out against you, and prove your base ingratitude to God. Turn to Him then with all your soul, seek Him with all your heart. Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation; and woe indeed will be to you if you should after this provoke God to destroy you. But I must now bid you good afternoon; and while I grant that you have a really good excuse for not attending public worship to-day, I think you will be verily guilty if you do not attend as soon as your husband returns home, or you can get some one to nurse your babes. Go to God's house and thank Him for His mercy in your preservation.

Here, then, my young readers, was Real Danger before the earliest crowing of the cock, and here we see how necessary to be every moment ready for death and prepared for heaven. E. L.

Religion.

'Tis reli - gion that can give, Sweetest

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][graphic][subsumed][merged small][subsumed][merged small]
[graphic]

ter ni ty. Be the living God my Friend, Then my

bliss shall never end, Then my bliss shall never end.

THE WOUNDED SPIRIT.

FROM day to day, and year to year,
With weary eyes I've watched the sun
His bright career of glory run,

And dropping oft a sorrowing tear,

I've wish'd his course or mine was done.

Roll on fair orb! I would recall
That impious wish, for why should I
Wish thou wert blotted from the sky,
And nature wrapt in misery's pall
At my repining fretful cry?

What, though my pilgrimage is not
Perform'd in summer's sunny days,
Nor cheered by the voice of praise;
Yet mine is not the only lot,
How many walk in pleasant ways!

Rejoicing in the light of day,
They carol forth their cheerful song;
To those high favored ones belong
The mirth that chases care away,
The unbroken heart, the spirit strong.

Unshaken by the warring winds

Of tempest cares or wearing time,
They boast of youth's elastic prime;
Or blest with philosophic minds,
Can bear the change of state and clime.

But I am like the broken reed

That bends its head beside the stream,
The south's soft gale, the sun's warm beam;
May still the root with nurture feed,
But not its bruised life redeem!

Away! this false deluding thought,
Seek thou my soul that book divine!
Where hopes in radiant clusters shine,
With peace, and joy, and comfort fraught
Seek there to make its blessings thine!

T. M. B.

THE SAILOR BOY TO THE SWALLOW.

Swallows are often met with at sea, perishing in an exhausted condition on the rigging and decks of ships.

[blocks in formation]
« ZurückWeiter »