goodness of the soldier's heart, granted him a pardon; and, what was to him an object still dearer, for which he had risked so much, saved the Spaniard's life.

409. Thankful for Small Mercies. -A touching story is told of a poor woman with two children, who had not a bed on which they could lie, and scarcely any clothes to cover them. It was the depth of winter; they were nearly frozen, and the

mother took a cellar-door off the

411. Ungrateful King.-One of the most upright and able Ministers that ever lived was Ximenes, Regent of Spain during part of the minority of Charles I. He was one of the few Ministers of whom it could

be said that he did not advance a

single member of his family to any haved with much kindness towards post of honour or dignity. He behis relatives, but left them in the peaceful enjoyment of their humble stations. Having on one occasion hinges, and set it up before the paid a visit to his native village, a female relative, being ashamed of corner where they crouched down to sleep, partially screened from the appearing before him in her homely cutting wind. One of the children dress, was hastily retiring, but was whispered to her mother, when she stopped by Ximenes, who bade her continue her employment-baking complained of their hard lot, bread. "Mother, what do those dear chil-"and this employment, suit you "This dress," said he, dren do who have no cellar-door to well; attend to your household put in front of them ?" affairs, and be sure you do not allow 410. Tribute of Gratitude.- your bread to burn." The disinAn Illinois farmer was discovered terestedness of the man was the kneeling at the head of a soldier's grave at Nashville. Being asked, "Is that your boy?" he replied, "No, he lived in our town, and I have come to find his grave." The observer said, "Perhaps you represent his father, who could not come ?" Yes, my neighbour was glad to have me come, but I came for myself. You see, I have seven children, all of them small, and my wife is sickly. I was drafted. There was nobody to carry on the farm, and I could not hire a substitute. My thirteen dollars a month would not feed the family. It seemed as though I must go, and they must suffer. When we were in our greatest trouble about it, just the morning I was to report at camp, my neighbour's son came over to the house, and offered to go to the war for me. He said he had nobody depending on him, and could go better than I. He went, and was wounded at Chickamauga, was brought to a Nashville hospital, and this is his grave." The farmer had come a long distance, at heavy cost, to write upon the head-board of his soldier-friend, "Died for me."

more remarkable that his authority as Regent was almost unlimited. Wealth, honours, and power were all at his command; but in no instance had his private interests the smallest influence in their distribution. His large revenues were all expended in public acts of munificence, or in relieving the suffering poor. As a statesman he was penetrating, profound, and decisive; like Richelieu, vast and magnificent in all his plans, but possessed of what Richelieu could never boast, magnanimity and integrity. During the twenty months of his Regency, he neither founded nor elevated a family, but he raised the Spanish monarchy to a degree of power and splendour which it had never known before. How melancholy is it to reflect on the reward which awaited such invaluable services ! On the arrival of Charles in Spain from his Flemish dominions, where he had been constantly resident from his infancy, the enemies of Ximenes used every possible effort to prevent a meeting between them. Ximenes, when on his way to join the King, fell sick at Bos Equillos; but wrote to Charles, earnestly

soliciting an interview. Under the plea of multiplicity of business, Charles delayed from time to time complying with his request. Ximenes, whose high spirit had during a long life of eighty years been proof against all the attacks of fortune, sank under this unexpected neglect. The receipt of a letter from Charles, coldly expressing his approbation of his fidelity, and

containing a formal dismissal from the important office he had so ably filled, under the pretence that it was time he should now think of retiring from the fatigues of a public station, was more than the great soul of Ximenes could bear. He perused the cruel epistle, and in the short period of a few hours expired. How apt the words, "Put not your trust in princes."

HAPPINESS.

secret in his mode of education. He replied, "When anything disturbs their temper I say to them 'Sing,' and if I hear them speaking against any person, I call them to sing to me; and so they have sung away all causes of discontent and every disposition to scandal."

Psalm cxlvi. 5; Prov. x. 28; John xiii. 17; 1 Peter iii. 14; Phil. iv. 4. 412. Archbishop's Joy and Com- structed his large family of daughfort. When a divine once came ters in the theory and practice of to Archbishop Williams for institu- music. They were all observed to tion to a living, his Grace thus be exceedingly amiable and happy. piously expressed himself:-"I A friend inquired if there was any have passed through many places of honour and trust both in Church and State" (he had been once Lord Chancellor), "more than any of my order in England these several years before. But were I but assured that by my preaching I had converted but one soul unto God, I should take therein more spiritual joy and comfort than in all the honours and offices which have been bestowed on me." 413. Comfort in Old Age.-railway carriage. She was eight When Cato was drawing near the close of his life, he declared to his friends that the greatest comfort of his old age, and that which gave him the highest satisfaction, was the pleasing remembrance of the many benefits and friendly offices he had done to others. To see them easy and happy by his means made him truly so.

414. Delights of Doing Good.

Marcus Aurelius tells us that he

could not relish a happiness which nobody shared in but himself. Marc Antony, when depressed, and at the ebb of fortune, cried out "that he had lost all, except what he had given away."

415. Evil Temper Banished.A gentleman possessing much knowledge of human nature in

416. Love of Jesus." The happiest child I ever saw," says the Rev. J. C. Ryle, "was a little girl whom I once met travelling in a

years old, and she was quite blind.
She had never been able to see at
all. She had never seen the sun,
and the stars, and the sky, and the
grass, and the flowers, and the
trees, and the birds, and all those
pleasant things which we see every
day of our lives; but still she was
quite happy. She was by herself,
poor little thing. She had no
friends or relations to take care of
her; but she was quite happy and
into the carriage, Tell me how
content. She said, when she got
many people there are in the car-
riage, for I am quite blind, and can
her if she was not afraid.
see nothing.' A gentleman asked
No,'
she said, 'I have travelled before,
and I trust in God, and people are
always very good to me.' But I
soon found out the reason why she

was so happy. She loved Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ loved her; she had sought Jesus Christ, and she had found Him."

mean and contemptible habit in which you have grown old. Assume the garments of a prince; but when you are seated on the throne, continue to preserve the virtue which made you worthy of it. And when

417. Possessing Nothing, and Wanting Nothing.-When Alex-you shall have ascended it, and by ander the Great deposed Strato, that means become the supreme the King of Sidon, he bade his dispenser of life and death over all favourite, Hephaestion, give the your citizens, be sure never to forcrown to any of the Sidonians he get the condition in which, or should deem worthy of so exalted rather for which, you were elected." a station. Hephaestion was at this Abdalonimus looked upon the time living at the house of two whole as a dream, and, unable to brothers, who were young, and de- guess the meaning of it, asked if scended from the best family in the they were not ashamed to ridicule city. To these he offered the him in that manner. But, as he crown, but they declined to accept made a greater resistance than it, telling him that, according to suited their inclinations, they themthe laws of their country, no person selves washed him, and threw over could ascend the throne unless he his shoulders a purple robe, richly were of the blood royal. Hephaes- embroidered with gold; then, after tion, pleased with such disinter-repeated oaths of their being in estedness, requested that they would earnest, they conducted him to the name some person of the royal palace. The news of this was imfamily who might remember when he was king, that it was they who had placed the crown on his head. The brothers had observed that several persons, through ambition, had aspired to this distinguished rank, and to obtain it had paid servile court to Alexander's favourites. Disregarding, however, all the advantages which the power of nominating to a throne gave them, they declared that they did not know any person more worthy of the diadem than one Abdalonimus, who was descended, though remotely, from the royal line, but who at the same time was so poor that he was obliged to get his bread by daily labour in a garden without the city; his honesty and integrity having made him disregard many advantageous offers, and reduced him to his extreme poverty. Hephaestion trusting to their choice, the two brothers went in search of Abdalonimus with the royal garments, and found him weeding his garden. They saluted him king, and one of them, addressing him, said, "You must now change your tatters for the dress I have brought you. Put off the

mediately spread over the whole city. Most of the inhabitants were overjoyed at it, but some murmured, especially the rich, who, despising Abdalonimus's former abject state, could not forbear showing their resentment in the king's court. Alexander commanded the newlyelected prince to be sent for; and after surveying him attentively a long while, spoke thus: "Thy air and mien do not contradict what is related of thy extraction, but I should be glad to know with what frame of mind thou didst bear thy poverty ?" "O King," replied he, "these hands have procured me all I desired; and whilst I possessed nothing, I wanted nothing." This answer gave Alexander a high idea of Abdalonimus's virtue; so that he presented him not only with all the rich furniture which had belonged to Strato, and part of the Persian plunder, but likewise annexed one of the neighbouring provinces to his dominions.

418. Precious Salvation.-The Rev. James Hervey died on Christmas-day, December 25, 1758. When dying he thanked the physicians for

their visits, and with great solemnity and sweetness in his countenance exclaimed, “Lord, now lettest Thou thy servant depart in peace according to Thy most holy and comfortable word, for mine eyes have seen Thy precious salvation. Here, doctor, is my cordial! What are all the cordials given to support the dying, in comparison of that which arises from the promises of salvation by Christ? This, this, now supports me." About three o'clock he said, "The great conflict is over-now all is done;" after which he scarcely spoke any other word intelligibly, except twice or thrice, "Precious salvation !" and then leaning his head against the side of his chair, he shut his eyes and sang his Christmas carol before

could eat, or drink, or sleep in quiet. "Madam," said he, "my chains do not terrify me, or break my sleep; on the contrary, I glory and take delight therein, esteeming them at a higher rate than chains and rings of gold, or jewels of any price whatever. The rattling of my chains is like the effect of an instrument of music in my ears; not that such an effect comes merely from my chains, but it is because I am bound therewith for maintaining the truth of the Gospel."

420. Source of Happiness.-A Duke of Orleans thus expressed the delight he found in piety and devotion:-"I know by experience, that sublunary grandeur and sublunary pleasure are delusive and vain, and are always infinitely below the conceptions we form of 419. Rejoicing in Bonds.-Guy them; but, on the contrary, such de Brez, a French minister, was happiness and such complacency prisoner in the Castle of Tournay, may be found in devotion and in Belgium. A lady who visited piety, as the sensual mind has no him said she wondered how he idea of."

the Throne.

HEAVEN.

Psalm xvi. 2; Isa. li. 2; Matt. vi. 20; John xiv. 2; 1 Cor. ii. 9;
Heb. xi. 16, xii. 22.

have heard those words ringing in my ears; and I have flogged the horses to make them get over that ground faster, but always the words have come back to me, I cannot think what you will do in heaven.""

421. Fitness for Heaven Needed. | as I have driven over the heath, I -A clergyman once said to a profane coachman, "I cannot imagine what you will do in heaven. There will be no horses, or coaches, or saddles, or bridles, or public-houses, in heaven. There will be no one to swear at, or to whom you can use bad language. I cannot think what you will do when you get to heaven." Some years after the clergyman, detained at an inn, was told that a dying man wanted to see him. "Sir," said the man, "do you remember speaking to the coachman who swore so much as he drove over the Newmarket heath?" "Yes." "I am that coachman," said he, "and I could not die happy without telling you how I have remembered those words, I cannot think what you will do in heaven.' Often and often,

422. Foretaste of Bliss.-Flavel, being at one time on a journey, set himself to improve his time by meditation, when his mind grew intent, till at length he had such ravishing tastes of heavenly joy, and such full assurance of his interest therein, that he utterly lost the sight and sense of this world and all its concerns, so that he knew not where he was. At last, perceiving himself faint through a great loss of blood from his nose, he alighted from his horse, and sat down at a spring, where he washed

and refreshed himself, earnestly desiring, if it were the will of God, that he might there leave the world. His spirits reviving, he finished his journey in the same delightful frame. He passed that night without any sleep, the joy of the Lord still overflowing him, so that he seemed an inhabitant of the other world. After this, a heavenly serenity and sweet peace long continued with him; and for many years he called that day "one of the days of heaven," and professed that he understood more of the life of heaven by it than by all the discourses he had heard or the books he ever read.

426. Way to Heaven. Rev. John Cooke, of Maidenhead, once happened to be at an inn at Reading, in the same room with a young gentleman who invited him to join in a glass of spirits and water, which Mr. Cooke declined,

423. Recognition in Glory. saying he An old minister, while one day pursuing his studies, his wife being in the room, was suddenly interrupted by her asking him a question which has not always been so satisfactorily answered, "Do you think we shall know each other in heaven?" Without hesitation he replied, "To be sure we shall; do you think we shall have less intelligence there than we have here?" After a momentary pause, he again proceeded: "But I may be a thousand years by your side in heaven without having seen you; for the first thing that will attract my notice when I arrive there will be my dear Saviour, and I cannot tell when I shall be for a moment induced to look at any other object."

424. "Things not Seen."-In the twilight of a summer evening, a pastor called at the residence of one of his parishioners, and found, seated in the doorway, a little boy with both hands extended upward, holding a line. "What are you doing here, my little friend?" inquired the minister. Flying my kite, sir," was the reply. "Flying your kite!" exclaimed the pastor. "I can see no kite; you can see none." "I know that," responded the lad. "I cannot see it; but I know it is there, for I feel it pull."

66

was not thirsty. What!" said the stranger, "do you never drink but when you are thirsty?" "Very seldom," replied Mr. Cooke. "Then," rejoined the other, "you are as bad as a brute!' "And do you, sir, drink when you are not thirsty ?" "Oh, yes, very often." "Then, sir, you are worse than a brute; for a brute never drinks except to satisfy its thirst." "Well, well, we will not argue about that; but come, I suppose you are one of the cloth; tell me which is the way to heaven; but I must have it in three sentences." "Sir," replied Mr. Cooke, "I wish you had asked me that question in a serious spirit; it is a serious and important question; however, as you proposed it, it is my duty to answer it seriously. You have confined me to three

sentences. I must therefore briefly mention what the Word of God declares necessary to our going to heaven. 1. Repentance. Repentance consists in sorrow for sin, hatred against it, and forsaking of it; and unless we repent we shall all perish (Luke xiii. 3). 2. Faith. Faith includes a belief in God's Word, reliance on His promises, and subjection to His authority; and he that believeth not shall be damned' (Mark xvi. 16). 3. Love. Love implies a knowledge of God, communion with Him; and 'if any