Addresses to young children: originally delivered in the Girls' Free School
5**^?Siyd^Kt^^^^K^4i</«^^ m^mrnmwmk p i ADDRESSES YOUNG CHILDREN, ORIGINALLY DELIVERED Girls' f w Stjwl, gdl LONDON: PRINTED BY J. WERTHEIMER & CO. FINSBURY CIRCUS. 1859. PKEFACE. SOME years ago, one of our ministers, distin- guished for his great abilities, his ardent zeal, and earnest devotion to the cause of educa- tion, expressed a wish, that easy lessons in the form of discourses might be prepared for the use of the little children -in Bell Lane, not to supersede the religious instruction given in the School, but to recall to the minds of the youthful learners some of the beautiful texts of the Bible and their sublime teaching. The reverend gen- tleman was of opinion, that neither the published sermons of English divines, nor those of conti- nental preachers, however eloquent and admirable, were suited to the capacity of young children, and he believed that those personally and most intimately acquainted with the wants of the poor, with their virtues and their failings, were the best qualified to supply the deficiency which he had pointed out. iv PREFACE. Under such circumstances, neither diffidence nor inexperience could be pleaded as an adequate reason for declining to make, at least, zealous efforts towards the fulfilment of the minister's wishes. So it was, that during two years a simple address was every week written, and read in the Girls' School-room, in Bell Lane. Several kind friends having expressed a desire to see these discourses in print, twenty-eight have accordingly been selected, not indeed for publication, but for distribution among the poor. It is, perhaps, requisite to add, that while in these weekly exhortations the young pupils were constantly admonished to reverence and obey those heavenly commandments which so beauti- fully inculcate the practice of the highest virtues, and the humble performance of the best deeds of love — sin, vice, crime, and the temptations which so frequently lead to guilt, were scarcely glanced at. It was deemed both an easier and a more pleasing task, to fill young minds with bright pictures of goodness and of happiness, and to make young hearts glow writh admiration for unflinching self-sacrifice, for gentle charity and PREFACE. V tender mercy, than to appal the imagination of children by shadowing forth, for their instruction and warning, those gloomy realities of degra- dation still unknown to them, and from which, under God's blessing, and by faithful adherence to the precepts of the sacred Volume, they may always be mercifully kept aloof. It would be impossible to let the following pages appear, without sincerely acknowledging the obligations of the writer to the learned Dr. Kalisch, whose great work has been fre- quently consulted, and whose kind advice has been unweariedly given, and gratefully accepted, as the best assistance and encouragement. CONTENTS. J_ PAGE. THE DUTY OP FORGIVENESS .... 1 II. ON PRIDE 13 III. "THE LORD is NIGH UNTO ATT, THAT CALL UPON HIM" 21 IV. ON PERSEVERANCE 31 V. ON TRUTHFULNESS 40 VI. GOD'S MERCY TO ISRAEL 47 VII. THE ENDLESS LOVE OF  X. " GUARD THY TONGUE FROM EVIL" ... 80 XI. •' BEAUTY is VAIN" 89 XII. " LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR AS THYSELF" . . 98 xni. "HONOUR THE LORD WITH THY WEALTH" . 110 Ill CONTENTS. ON CHILDHOOD. XIV. PAGE. . 119 ON OLD AGE XV. . 127 XVI. THE HAPPINESS OP CONCORD . 134 ON FORBEARANCE XVII. . 144 " THAT WHICH I KNOW XVIII. NOT, TEACH THOU ME" . 154 XIX. HOLINESS OF THE SABBATH .... . 165 PASSOVER XX. . 177 PENTECOST. XXI. . 189 NEW YEAR ... XXII. . 902 xxni. THE DAT OF ATONEMENT .... . 213 XXIV. THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES . -. . 223 THE BREVITY OF LIFE. XIV. . 235 ON ENERGY. XXVL . 244 MERCY AND TRUTH XXVII. . 256 THE REPROOF OF LIFE XXVIII. 265 L THE DUTY OF FORGIVENESS. MY DEAR YOUNG FRIENDS. THROUGHOUT the earth, which God, in His inexhaustible goodness, has 'made so radiant and so beautiful for the enjoyment of His children, and for the sustenance and benefit of the innu- merable animated beings called into existence by His heavenly power, you will find one admirable law of love, sacred and universal, pervading every land and clime, every hour and season — one law of tenderness and solicitude, of care and mercy, divinely framed to rule the destinies of all the living. You cannot watch the myriads of insects, that play and dance in the sunbeam, or drink nectar from the cups of fragrant flowers — nor the countless tribes that gleam in lake and stream, and inhabit the crystal chambers of the ocean — nor the birds, that sing their songs of gladness in woods and gardens, or suspend on the branches of high trees the nests of their B 2 THE DUTY OF FORGIVENESS. young, to be rocked by the breeze, and shaded by the trellised roof of sheltering leaves; you cannot contemplate the living wonders of earth, sea, and air, without feeling that it is the loving-kindness of the Lord, which guards and protects them all. And if the beneficence of the Almighty amply supplies every winged creature that flies, from the condors and eagles on giant mountains to the crimson-breasted robin, which, in the cold winter season, receives its nourishment on the steps of our own door — from the wild tenants of the jungle near the burning equator, to the rein-deer which feeds on the mosses beneath the eternal snows of the polar fields ; if His paternal care has made provision alike for the colossal whale, and for the diminutive coral insect which constructs whole cities under the foaming waves : how much more has not His bounty done for man? Has not His divine hand vouchsafed to us energies, gifts, and blessings immensely superior 'to the advantages possessed by all other beings, and has not the Lord in forming us in His own image imposed upon us the fulfilment of great duties ? Has He not commanded that we shall obey those sacred and immutable laws of infinite kindness ? Has He not appointed us His ministers on earth, and are we not to love our fellow-men as He, the omnipotent Kuler of the universe, loves all His creatures ? My THE DUTY OF FORGIVENESS. 3 dear children, the Holy Bible repeatedly enforces precepts of ardent zeal and devotion ; yet in our thoughtlessness we often fail to understand their meaning, or to carry them into practice, and, there- fore, we cannot be too frequently reminded of those great and unchangeable rules of conduct. Indeed many among us are not always able to appreciate their importance, nor to comprehend their all- embracing character. When we read in the book of Leviticus, " Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself/' we enter thoroughly into the spirit of the text, and are fully inclined to be gentle, charitable, and gene- rous in our intercourse with those who have ever met us with words of good-will and of sympathy. Obedience to the heavenly command appears easy, and we experience a degree of satisfaction, at times even a thrill of rapture, in being able to aid and to benefit those whom Providence has placed near us, and who excite feelings of tender solicitude in our breast. But we too seldom remember, that we are no less bound to be kind to those who have been unkind to us. For good actions do not in reality deserve the high praise so often lavished upon them, when accomplished without an effort or a struggle, in easy compliance with the dictates of a happy disposition, which finds its greatest delight and reward in the exercise of friendly sentiments. 4 THE DUTY OF FORGIVENESS. Yet it is certainly most difficult to help and to serve those who hate us, and we should not forget, that this is one of the great duties of life, enjoined by the following words of Scripture : " If thy enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink" (Prov. xxv. 21). My dear children, just as throughout the external world there are innumerable affinities and resemblances, and also endless differences, so in the internal world of the heart and mind there are countless varieties of thought and feeling; and, although there is but one broad path of virtue, there are hundreds, nay thousands of roads that lead to error. Not all among us sin in the same manner, nor from the same causes. The diversities of human organisation are numberless. Every one should, therefore, sound the very depths of his nature, in order to know all his faults, wrestle with them in the hour of danger, and overpower these dan- gerous foes, though he may be unable to anni- hilate them completely, which is, alas ! an almost hopeless task. It is only by hatred that our friends, or the neighbours whom the divine law commands us to love, can be transformed into enemies: it is either by the hatred, which they are supposed to entertain towards us, or through the same bitter feeling fostered by ourselves against them. Now let us THE DUTY OF FORGIVENESS. O examine conscientiously what can give rise to such sad, peace-destroying sentiments; and we shall find, that they are chiefly engendered by misapprehen- sions. Galling words may be overheard by us, or may otherwise come to our knowledge; perhaps they have been addressed to us personally ; we misunderstand, miscoutrue, and resent them ; or there are acts which we consider injuries : yet, both words and deeds, expressions that fall hastily or angrily from lips quivering with excitement, and actions not meant to hurt or wound, and even if reprehensible in themselves, not the brood of spite or baseness of heart, but the mere result of nar- rowness of mind, or of the frailty inherent in human nature — yes, both hard language and hard dealing should not be held sufficient to change the friend of to-day into the enemy of to-morrow. Do we not on thousands of occasions labour under false impressions ? May not our senses delude us, our eyes and ears deceive us ? Are we never mis- informed, never misled by the vehemence of our feelings, or by the ardour of our sympathies pre- vented from judging calmly and dispassionately? May not our sight be obscured, our views of men and their character be distorted by prejudices, or may we not be carried away by the unreasoning violence of our first impulses ? Let us, therefore, pause ere we believe ourselves surrounded by evil- thinkers and evil-doers; ere we allow the work- B 3 D THE DUTY OF FORGIVENESS. ings of the mind or the emotions of the heart to make one single individual appear our euemy. The sudden ebullition or the silent growth of hatred may be attributed to various causes. Some of us in our daily intercourse give way to hastiness, which soon swells into passion, or degenerates into anger, and thus we see our love and kindliness consumed as if by a conflagration, and find instead of blissful, life-sustaining sentiments nothing but the ruin and ashes of distrust. It is true, that the flames might easily have been extinguished; and that later, as when we mournfully consider the fearful destruction of a beautiful edifice, we speedily discover how the calamity might have been miti- gated, if not averted. It is then that we feel regret, and more than regret; shame, when left alone with our own avenging thoughts; humiliation, when brought into contact with the world; and, above all, remorse at having by our own folly endangered, nay lost, some of the most valuable possessions on earth. Many permit irritation to be developed into ani- mosity. They are annoyed at real or imaginary insults or injuries, on which their mind continually dwells, until those painful subjects assume gigantic proportions, and the heart that harbours them be- comes full of bitterness and rancour. Thus, hatred may be produced by undue warmth of feeling, or by intense tenacity of thought. But in truth, THE DUTY OF FORGIVENESS. 7 those innate varieties of character, those inborn faults which so frequently lead us into error and sin, are no excuse for wrong-doing; since, for good and great purposes, they have been allowed to form part of our nature, and should be made instrumental in guiding us to the exercise of high virtues. Thus, my dear children, if impetuo- sity of feeling is apt to make us hasty and passionate, it ought to furnish equal or counter- balancing powers for the attainment of moral excellence. The same fervid organisation, the same quick emotions, which, at the slightest pro- vocation, hurry us into violent explosions of uncon- trollable anger, cannot become congealed into apathy or hardened into callousness, when we survey our own failings — but should, on the con- trary, after unseemly outbursts of excitement, cause us to deplore most truly the magni- tude and whole extent of our faults, and kindle in us the anxious desire of atoning for the past, not merely by deeds of kindness, but by strenu- ously opposing the rising waves of passion in future. That ardour of disposition should also enable us to sympathise more readily with our brethren, to make allowances for all faults kindred to our own, and for the offences which may result from them. The cankering irritation which deepens into 8 THE DUTY OF FORGIVENESS. hatred and is produced by retrospection too in- tense, by incessant brooding over past events or words, may also be conquered by the very pro- pensity which leads to it, as, in a similar way, homoeopathists vanquish disease by the poison which caused it. The same unwavering earnestness of thought is energetic in us for noble aims, and should induce us to consider the sinfulness of allowing the re- collection of old grievances to rankle, until it completely vitiates our feelings, and turns the milk of kindness into the venom of hatred. The same powers of concentration, if employed to ascertain how a wall of inimical separation may have risen between our neighbours and our- selves, will soon demolish the most rugged strong- hold of prejudice, especially when we are supported by the remembrance that eur holy Law enjoins us to forget and to forgive. Yet we may often fail to convince ourselves that there is no reason for resentment ; we may, on the contrary, fancy or know that we indeed have enemies, some of whom offended and injured us in the past, while others are believed to be still plotting and sinning against us. The real or imaginary destroyers of our peace, then, my dear children, are those whom we suppose to have de- prived us of some advantage, curtailed our enjoy- ments, lessened our merits in the opinion of our THE DUTY OP FORGIVENESS. 9 friends or of the world, those whom we inwardly accuse of having slandered us, of having dealt falsely and treacherously against us. And still our text says, " If thy enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat ; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink/' These words have, in truth, a most com- prehensive meaning, and admit of the widest application. For it is quite certain, that the basest conduct on the part of a foe, would not justify us in withholding from him bread to ap- pease his hunger, or water to quench his thirst. Nor is it often that our enemies would actually require such gifts at our hands. In our tem- perate zone, and owing to the progress of science, the earth yields almost everywhere her refreshing streams to rich and poor. And bread, though less easily obtained, would scarcely be refused to any one who craved it, impelled by necessity. The words of our text, which live on in eternal beauty and power, should be understood in a far less restricted sense. In their impressive simplicity, they show most emphatically, that it is one of the sacred duties of life to supply the wants of even our enemies. Bread and water, representing, as they certainly do, the chief needs of man, are typical of all others. The word enemy has a harsh, repelling sound ; but the reality is much less alarming and dangerous than the picture reflected and magnified in the 10 THE DUTY OF FORGIVENESS. mirror of the mind's eye. Indeed, evil- disposed strangers, or our bitterest enemies, can never in- flict such deep injuries upon us, as we may heap upon ourselves. It has, by an all-wise Providence, been so ordained and decreed that our own follies, vices, and sins, shall be scourges unto us, that they shall torture our minds with remorse, until, from the gloomy abyss of wretchedness, we look up wistfully towards the spheres of peace and virtue, and turn in future from guilty paths. May we, therefore, be anxiously and severely watchful over ourselves, but with regard to suspicion against others, always keep in faithful remem- brance the beautiful words of the prophet Zecha- riah : " Let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart." And there can be no doubt, that the thoughts and visions of ill-will and malice, by which we are often haunted, can with perfect truth be called the dark and ill- starred offspring pf our own imagination, shaped by ourselves in all their frightful ugliness. We may certainly have given or received offence unwittingly; uncontrollable circumstances have perhaps estranged us completely from our neigh- bours : but shall undying anger exaggerate the in- juries from which we have suffered? shall the cut under which we may still be smarting be widened into a deep, never-healing wound? Shall we doom ourselves to perpetual unhappiness, and let constant THE DUTY OF FORGIVENESS. 11 hostility usurp the place which belongs to the gentler feelings of the heart? Assuredly not; for the divine Law commands us to extirpate wrath and rancour. Recollect, my dear children, that love is always in- tent upon good deeds, and acts of kindliness, and pardon. But alas ! many of us know only the love of self, a love so deep, so powerful, that whatever our errors and transgressions may be, we are easily in- duced to forgive and forget them, without remem- bering that less indulgence to ourselves, and more of that charitable feeling evinced towards others, would restore a useful equilibrium, and make us happier and better in every relation of life. It is sad to mark, how faintly we condemn our own er- rors, and how soon AVC feel irate at those of others. Though we read the Bible, we become oblivious of its precepts, and do not keep in mind that " the dis- cretion of a man deferreth his anger, and that it is his glory to pass over a fault." Such discretion, if always exercised, would lessen the amount of evil in the world, and, by crushing hatred in the bud, prevent its expansion into the upas-tree of lasting enmity. My dear children, in order to under- stand the sentiments of our fellow-beings, and not to be unjust in our judgment of their failings, but to overlook their offences against us rea- dily, to obliterate the recollection of them en- tirely, we must banish pride from our thoughts, so that our hearts may not be lifted up above our 12 THE DUTY OF FORGIVENESS. brethren, and that keeping in vivid remembrance our own weakness, our own errors and trespasses, we may never be tempted to refuse bread and water to our enemies, but, in all gentleness and hu- mility, pardon others as we hope and pray to be pardoned by Almighty God. II. ON PRIDE. MY DEAR CHILDREN. WE cannot be proud either in heart or mind, in thought or feeling, in deed or word or even in look, we cannot assume haughtiness of gait, nor, on the other hand, feel depressed or humi- liated by lowliness of station, if we remember, that the Almighty is the Dispenser of all advan- tages and privileges, that we owe them not to any merit, not to any power, of our own, but to His goodness and beneficence; if we recollect, that before the throne of glory, of justice, and of mercy, all men, the poorest as well as the greatest and mightiest of the earth, are equal, all alike small, though all lovingly cared for and protected; and that, for some wise purpose, hidden from our limited view, the divine will of the Almighty has placed us in the condition which we occupy, how- ever humble and subordinate, or however high and exalted it may be. My dear children, we will arm ourselves against pride and presumption in times of smiling pros- perity, and against despondency and hopelessness 14 ON PRIDE. in seasons of gloom and adversity, by recalling the words of the prophet Samuel's pious mother, namely, "The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich : He bringeth low, and lifteth up " (1 Sam. ii. 7). It seems impossible for us ever to despise the needy, to think less of them than of our- selves, or of those whose place in the world is more prominent, whose portion appears better, whose prospects or actual enjoyments are more brilliant, when we recollect, that it is God who maketh poor ; while pomp and eminence of station, indigence and lowliness, are only the external distinctions, the fluctuating advantages or disadvantages of men ; that they have no more real value than the garments they wear, than the dwellings they inhabit, which are subject to in- numerable changes and alterations, and even to entire destruction : whereas the greatest treasures mercifully bestowed upon us by Almighty God, and on which our happiness in this world and in the next depends, are imperishable, and equally divided among all His children. Life, and health, and strength — the senses, those gates of knowledge, through which we .enter into communion with the outward world — are shared by rich and poor. The heart, which enables us to feel with and for others ; the heart, with its sufferings and joys, its love and devotion ; and the soul, with its bright- winged ON PKIDE. 15 hopes, its high-soaring aspirations, its radiant faith, are given alike to all. And surely, neither rags and tatters, nor splendour and the jewels of vanity, should form a barrier between beings, who possess in common, not merely the best gifts and pleasures, which this world can afford, but also those blessings, which are not left behind on this side of the tomb, but remain the portion and inheritance of man through eternity. Our duties towards the poor are the same as to- wards the rich ; for are we not told, " Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself?" The wealthy, however, those who are basking in the sunshine of affluence, seldom want our good offices; they do not often require our help or our exertions, whereas our less prosperous neighbours stand constantly in need of oar most cordial assistance. Do not misunderstand me, my dear children ; I do not mean that even these always and exclusively demand tangible gifts at our hands; they crave our support, lest the pressure of their necessities should discourage them ; our aid, to strengthen them for a persevering struggle with the difficulties of life ; our sympathy, to lighten their burden, to prove to them, that outward circumstances can make no dif- ference in their real worth as human beings, in their claims upon our love as brothers. We are in duty bound to secure for them what they may not be able to obtain for themselves, and prominently among 16 ON PRIDE. the best gifts of this world, the advantages of edu- cation for their children. We must try to rouse their powers of independence and of self-reliance, to afford them the possibility of making successful exertions, and of earning their bread by the work of the mind or of the hands, by that zealous labour, which is the salt of true enjoyment. We must prove to the poor, that the artificial distinctions caused by the possession of a few hard pieces of silver or gold, have, in reality, nothing in common with our happiness. Clear water quenches thirst as effectually, and refreshes the parched lips as com- pletely, as the creaming ale of the tankard, or the sparkling juice of the grape, which flows in bright crystal goblet. The choicest viands, the rarest delicacies, the greatest luxuries, do not nourish us more than bread and meat. Velvet garments, spun and woven from the shining threads of the silk-cocoon, gorgeous shawls, the rich productions of the Indian loom, sable and ermine, those costly furs brought from the lands of snow and ice, do not protect our limbs better against wind, and rain, and cold, than the plainest clothes furnished by the fibres of the cotton plant, the wool of sheep, the fleece of lambs. Proud columns do not more safely support the roof that shelters our weariness, than rude wooden beams and rafters. But order and cleanliness, comfort and cheer- fulness change the humblest home into a ON PRIDE. 17 palace, -where bronzes and marbles will never be missed. If born in poverty, let us learn to adorn our condition with all the virtues which belong to the most prosperous, because to the least tempted of our brethren ; let us endeavour to surround our- selves with the best enjoyments, with those which may be shared alike by all mankind, and are wholly independent of grandeur and glitter. Let us not harbour feelings of envy against the rich : for envy is a cankering worm, that will undermine not merely our happiness, but also eat away our good and noble qualities. Let us be satisfied with our portion, thankful to the Lord for the blessings He has graciously vouchsafed to us; and may we prize them so deeply and so truly, as never to long for the pos- session of other gifts, nor to undervalue our own treasures, nor to attach undue importance to the high estate of others. It is a weakness to be dazzled by the magnificence that may encompass our neighbours. They are but human like ourselves, and the shining halo which surrounds them, and so often attracts the eager looks of curiosity, may hide from our view not only cares and anxieties, but also faults and blemishes, from which poverty and lowliness of station have per- haps guarded us. For there is much more equality in the world than many of us think. Penury c 3 18 ON PRIDE. and wealth have their respective perils, they have failings incidental to their trials, and to the de- mands made upon them, or to the duties they are expected to undertake ; and as all men are equal in the eyes of God, so should they be in our esti- mation. And I think that, while trying, in our appreciation of those around us, to remain entirely uninfluenced by their outward circumstances, we should strive by the powers and energies benefi- cently bestowed upon us by Almighty God, to fulfil our obligations of brotherly love and devotion to those who come within our circle, and within the sphere of our labours and of our usefulness. As poverty is no shame and no disgrace, as it may be and frequently is ennobled by the exercise of the best and highest qualities, so wealth, of itself, con- fers no honour and no dignity. It may be defaced and degraded by faults and failings ; while, in many instances, it is not only the result and reward of indefatigable activity, of untiring diligence, of nobly directed energy, but also the source of well- being to many, the spring whence flow great ad- vantages, and real benefits to numberless human beings. ~tf our lot be cast among the wealthy of the land, if we should have been cradled in the lap of luxury, or have become prosperous by our own exertions and by the grace of Providence, do not let us forget, not even during a single moment, the tasks which the possession of any advantages ON PRIDE. 19 imposes upon their owners. May we ever think of those in adversity, remembering, that it is the Lord who raiseth up and casteth down. Let us consider, how much lies in our power, and recollect that wealth is not sufficient to make us happy, that it can do little or nothing for our own felicity, but that it allows us to pro- mote the welfare and advancement of others. And, believe me, the consciousness of having accomplished our work well and zealously, lent a helping hand to all good and useful efforts, as- sisted in comforting the needy and the suffering, in eradicating evil, in dispelling ignorance, in diffusing knowledge — that blessed consciousnesr will give us a thrilling sensation of happiness which all the gold in the world cannot enable us to purchase ; or, if we should be bowed down by pain or sorrow — for you know, my dear children, that it is impossible to pass many years on earth, and always to keep affliction from our door — even then, the conviction of having done our duty will uphold us in the hour of trial, and console us in the time of bereavement. In poverty let us recollect, that God raiseth up and that, as the Preacher truly says, " If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy faith is limited," whereas our faith, my dear children, should be boundless, like the beneficence of the Lord. In prosperity, let us remember, that the same divine hand of the Al- 20 ON PRIDE. mighty Creator bringeth low ; that on earth all is unstable and fleeting ; that worldly possessions, however firmly clenched by man, may vanish on any day of his life ; that even if he should take them to the brink of the grave, he can not carry them beyond its impenetrable mystery ; and that they are nothing without the greater trea- sures, which form the property of all God's children, and can be neither bought nor sold. My dear young frisnds, if you keep the words of our text faithfully in mind, if you recollect, "that the Lord bringeth low and raiseth up," you will never, while in prosperity, harbour undue pride; you will never despise the lowly in your heart, nor treat them contemptuously ; for you will feel that at any moment the Almighty may cast you down ; nor can you in adversity allow yourselves to be overwhelmed by the misery of despondency, by the gloom of hopelessness, by the affliction of despair ; for you will remember, that God raiseth up, yea, from the darkest depths of anguish, not merely to the heights of earthly happiness, but to the ineffable and endless joys and glories of heavenly holiness aad immortality. III. "THE LORD IS NIGH UNTO ALL THAT CALL UPON HIM." MY DEAR CHILDREN. WE never rise at early morn, after the refreshing slumbers of the night, without thank- ing Almighty God for having graciously relieved our weariness by the blessing of renewed strength, thereby mercifully enabling us to perform the la- bours of the day, and permitting us to enjoy its pleasures with increased buoyancy. Nor do we lie down to seek repose, after the exertions and fatigues of our calling, without breathing words of gratitude to the Lord for having preserved us from harm in the busy turmoil of our duties, or having allowed the even flow of gently-passing hours to remain undisturbed. Without His con- stant protection we could not exist. My dear children, though young and inex- perienced, you know, that to God, our heavenly Creator, we must look for life, and health, and sus- tenance ; yet, let me hope to make you more fully acquainted with the unceasing care of Providence, by endeavouring to explain to you the significa- tion of the following words of the Psalmist : " The 22 THE LORD IS NIGH UNTO ALL. Lord is nigh unto all that call upon Him, unto all that call upon Him in truth" (Ps. cxlv.18). We may always invoke His beneficence, and be sure that He will hear us. But, although we repeat our prayers in the morning and in the evening, although many of us utter thanksgivings more frequently still, and never taste bread, nor partake of any refreshment, without pronouncing a bless- ing, these words are often mechanically said ; and in times of trouble and distress, we far more generally call upon our neighbour for assistance than upon our God. I would warn you, my dear children, against the habit of relying for help upon others, however benevolent you may believe or know them to be; and the faith in human excellence is certainly one of the greatest sources of happiness. Assurances of support may have been given to you by eager and zealous friends; and so long as they act only as an encouragement to untiring perseverance, to well-directed exer- tions, they cannot be too highly appreciated. But take care, my dear children, lest they should make you overrate the power of those who have promised to serve you, and undervalue your own resources, which, as God has decreed in His wisdom, must always be able to accomplish more for you than the combined efforts of others can possibly achieve for your success and prosperity. This conviction will, I think, double your energy, THE LORD IS NIGH UNTO ALL. 23 increase your zeal and your firmness of purpose. It will not mislead you into conceit or egotism, but, on the contrary, make you deeply sensible of your duties ; and while you labour cheerfully, not alone for your individual advantage, but also for the benefit and enjoyment of those around you, it will cause you considerately to abstain from press- ing your own wants and cares upon others, from obtruding upon them your real or imaginary necessities, from taking up their time, which is wealth and life, with the recital of your wishes and cravings, from distressing them by the tale of your woes, from harassing them with requests and demands, which it may be out of their power to satisfy. And believe me, my dear children, even in a worldly point of view, you will lose little by not seeking relief from those who may appear able and willing to give it. The benevolent, who are really disposed to serve their fellow-beings, do not wait to be asked. They will feel greater satis- faction in assisting the sufferers, whose self- reliance, whose earnest efforts for their own maintenance and advancement, point them out as truly worthy of encouragement, and of that aid which is never withheld from genuine merit. My dear children, we will not take a gloomy view of human nature, nor dwell upon the faith- lessness of those who, having pledged themselves 24 THE LORD IS NIGH UNTO ALL. to render good service in time of need, break their word ; nor will we reflect upon the apathy which allows the once glowing heart to become cold, the ear to grow deaf, which hearkened to every wail, and the once pitying eye to turn away, when to look and to see would be to feel and to give ; we will not speak of the callousness of those, whose lips are locked by freezing indifference, when, with a few gentle words, they might drop balm on. bleeding wounds. It can never be advisable to meditate on the faults and short-comings of others, except to make us indefatigable in eradi- cating our own. But it may be useful to con- sider the infirmities of human purpose, and the vicissitudes of human life. I am, therefore, anxious you should understand, that it is not desirable to rely upon others, or to put our con- fidence in those, whose influence and power in the world, whose innate goodness of disposition, seem to indicate, that they may be safely trusted, that at all times we shall find them pillars of strength to uphold us, protectors to shield us from harm, or patrons to lift us into high places, generous friends to relieve our wants, or to lavish upon us even more than the tangible gifts of for- tune, by brightening our existence with the price- less treasures of love and devotion. There are surely many kind hearts, my dear children, throbbing with the warmest sympathy THE LORD IS NIGH UNTO ALL. 25 for every woe, and feeling deeply interested in the welfare of their brethren; many noble minds, animated by an ardent desire to serve and benefit others, and who may, with the blessing of God, be able to carry out their enthusiastic aims for the progress and prosperity of mankind. Yet I most earnestly advise you not to rely upon those generous friends : they may be truthful and zealous ; but their powers are not inexhaustible ; their time, their influence, and their means, are alike limited. They may have more pressing calls to respond to at the moment when you feel impelled to crave their assistance. They have probably aged parents, whose infirmities re- quire their constant devotion; brothers and sisters in want, and claiming all their energies to lead them through the labyrinths of the world. Or your friends, being blessed with children, may, when you demand their attention, be overwhelmed with domestic cares and harrowing anxieties. In some instances, the husband is perhaps involved in em- barrassments, and the wife, upon whose active solicitude you have ever relied, can give you but a sigh and a tear, for her duties are elsewhere. Or the wife herself may be laid low by disease, and then, amidst daily labours, torturing apprehen- sions, and vigils by the bed of the sufferer, her companion can find no time, can seize no leisure moment, to stretch out a helping hand to D 26 THE LORD IS NIGH UNTO ALL. you. Or the patron, who was prosperous and powerful, may suddenly become poor and power- less 5 he who was healthy and robust, may fall ill, and wax faint and feeble. And then you stand alone in life, forlorn, helpless beings ; for you have relied upon the strength, the wealth, the benevo- lence of your neighbour, and not upon yourselves, aud not upon your God, forgetting, that "the Lord is nigh unto all that call upon Him, unto all that call upon Him in truth." Yes, He is near unto you at all times and in all places; He sees you at dead of night, when all fires have ceased to glow, when all lights have ceased to burn on earth, when only heaven's luminaries shine above. Even when their brilliancy is veiled by dark clouds, He sees you, and neither walls nor roofs, neither oceans nor mountains, can separate Him from those whom His divine will has created. He sees and hears you at early morn, when human eyes are yet closed, when human limbs are sleep-bound, and human lips sleep-locked. He is near unto you in child- hood, guiding your steps, and by His beneficence rendering harmless a thousand falls. He is near you in later years, giving you health and vigour to labour and to persevere. He is near the old and the young, near the rich and the poor, in humble hamlets and in proud cities, in cottages and in palaces, in the sable depths of the mine, in the mazes of sombre forests, on the wide and furious THE LORD IS NIGH UNTO ALL. 27 seas, amid the icebergs of the north, or among the dangers of the torrid zone. He is near the sorrow- ing, near the joyful ; near the living, near the dying; He is everywhere; " He is nigh unto all who call upon Him, unto all who call upon Him in truth." My dear children, let us implore His divine blessing at all times. We need it always, in poverty and in prosperity, in sickness and in health, in grief and in happiness. Yet those miracles were accomplished in centuries of darkness, when it seemed necessary to awaken the nations of the earth from their torpor, by signs 28 THE LORD IS NIGH UNTO ALL. and tokens appealing irresistibly to the mind, and through it to the heart. You must not suppose, when you pray to the Almighty in your poverty, that your cold hearth will blaze immediately with cheering fires, that your empty shelves will sud- denly be replenished, or that your scanty rags will be transformed into luxurious clothing. You must not think, when in dire sickness you cry to the Lord, that your sufferings will instantly cease, that the blessings of health will at once re- place the trials of agonizing pain. You must not imagine, when, in difficulty or in danger, you lift up your hands to God, that heavenly messen- gers will descend on angels' wings, and clear away from your path the impeding stones or wounding thorns. No, such is not the help which the Omnipotent, in His divine goodness, vouchsafes to those who fervently appeal to Him for aid. Encouraged by the belief, that miracles might be accomplished for their salvation from peril, the listless and indolent would move lazily through life; the thoughtless, the extravagant, would rush on in their unbridled career, wildly endangering their peace and their honour, in the conviction that all evil would soon be cured, if, in the hour of need, they should only pray to God for assistance. To call upon the Lord in truth, is to beseech His mercy in humility, in earnestness; it is to pray, that He may fortify us to do our duty, enable us THE LORD IS NIGH UNTO ALL. 29 to struggle on through surrounding difficulties, that His heavenly power may help us to vanquish dangers, be they assailing foes from without, or internal enemies more formidable still; that His beneficence may give us glad hope, when our courage is sinking, resignation to bear bodily torture and mental anguish, and permit us, with glowing zeal and unwearied energy, to serve Him, by serving our brethren with untiring devotedness. "The Lord is nigh unto all who call upon Him in truth." He is nigh unto the little children, who pray to Him in purity and innocence; when they feel oppressed with sorrow, His blessing dries their tears, and His paternal hand lulls them to rest. He is nigh unto the footsore wanderers, who cry unto Him from the depth of their distress; when the road of life leads them into the wilderness, it is He who sustains them, that they may not suc- cumb on their journey. And again, when, arrived at the goal, they call upon Him in truth, He is nigh; and His divine arm lifts them over the mysterious boundary, which divides the checquered valleys of earth from the glorious spheres, where sunshine and peace are everlasting. D3 IV. ON PERSEVERANCE. MY DEAR CHILDREN. 