"Oh, then, to have recourse to God, To pray to Him in time of need, To ask relief through Jesus' blood, This is to find a friend indeed. And such, oh Christian, is thy lot, Who cleavest to the Lord by faith: He'll not forsake thee, doubt Him not, In pain, in sickness, or in death." The Sunday School. "HAPPY day, happy day, when Jesus washed my sins away," sang little Kittie, again and again, down in the summer house; and the silvery notes came through the open window into papa's study, and papa laid down his book to listen. She tried to repeat more, but her strength was gone. In the evening she said to a friend, cheerfully, "The Lord seems a long time sending the summons, but I hope to have patience to wait His time." She had not long to wait. After her friend left, she took a little wine and fell asleep till two o'clock in the morning, when she asked her mother to get a light; then reclined her head upon her mother's arm, and in a few minutes her happy spirit took its flight to the regions of the blessed, where sin, suffering, and sorrow are unknown. This is a warning for the young. Mary Worth was just over twentyfive years of age. KITTIE'S NEW SONG. Soon the voice ceased, and little pattering feet were heard on the stairway, and then a gentle knock. "Come in, Kittie." derstand the rest; but I know that if Jesus hadn't washed my sins away I could never go to heaven to live with Him." "Why not, Kittie ?" Kitty repeated slowly the verse she had learned that morning: "There shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lie.' And, papa, I used to make lies." The Fragment Basket. THE REFORMERS. IT is worth our consideration, whether we should, on every cavil and sophism of men not so taught, not so employed, not so tried, not so owned of God as they were [the Reformers], and in whose writings there do not appear such charácters of wisdom, sound judgment, and deep experience as in theirs, easily part with that doctrine of truth, wherein alone they found peace to their own souls, and whereby they were instrumental to give liberty and peace with God to the souls and consciences of others innumerable, accompanied with the visible effects of holiness of life and fruitfulness in the works of righteousness, to the praise of God by Jesus Christ.Owen. "And do you think Jesus has washed away that sin, Kittie ?" "Yes, papa, I asked Him to; and if we ask, we shall receive, you know. Don't you like those lines, too, papa?" "Yes, Kittie, very much." "Please sing it with me once." And so papa and his little Kittie sung together of that "happy day when Jesus washed their sins away." -Reaper. NEGLECT NO ONE-FEAR NO ONE. I thought of passing a house, because of the difficulty of getting to it; but conscience upbraided me, and I turned back and made my way as I best could. I sold more than three dollars worth of volumes to the family-the mother, though impenitent, rejoicing in the opportunity of getting such instruction. A man threatened to put me out of his house if I went to it. I called when he was absent; remained till he returned, and before leaving his premises, I sold about sixteen dollars worth of books, including a Family Library for himself, and other volumes to men in his service-the whole family being impenitent. I have learned from these incidents to despair of no one, however wicked or prejudiced.-James Patterson Penn. THE SABBATH SCHOOL. President Harrison taught for several years in an humble Sabbath school on the banks of the Ohio. The Sabbath before he left home for Washington, to assume the duties of Chief Magistrate of the nation, he met his Bible class as usual. And his last counsel on the subject to his gardener at Washington, it may be hoped, will never be forgotten by the nation. When advised to keep a dog to protect his fruit, he replied, "Rather set a Sunday-school teacher to take care of the boys." IMAGINATION. Thomas Fuller relates a curious incident, which is truly characteristic. A gentleman (he says) having led a company of children beyond their usual journey, they began to be weary, and jointly cried to him to carry them-which, because of their multitude, he could not do; but he told them he would provide them horses to ride on. Then, cutting little wands out of the hedge, as nags for them, and a large one for himself, they mounted, and those who could scarce stand before, now, full of mirth, bounded cheerfully home. LONDON: GEORGE UNWIN, GRESHAM STEAM PRESS, BUCKLERSBURY. THE CHRISTIAN'S PENNY MAGAZINE, AND Friend of the People. "Let the whole earth be filled with His glory." THIS PUBLICATION IS DESIGNED TO BE THE FORERUNNER OF THE CHRISTIAN WITNESS." PROFITS DEVOTED TO AGED MINISTERS. VOLUME XVI. LONDON: JOHN SNOW, 35, PATERNOSTER ROW. 1861. PREFACE. IN completing Volume XVI. of the CHRISTIAN'S PENNY MAGAZINE, the mind of the Editor is deeply solemnised by the remembrance of the fact, that no small part of the HUNDRED THOUSAND SUBSCRIBERS to the first Volume have been laid in the grave! Their ages, of course, were various many were in early bloom; multitudes in matured prime; and not a few in the autumn of life. Death, however, makes no account of such classifications; he cuts down all ages and conditions without distinction. According to the acknowledged law of mortality, a full half of this immense array have gone the way of all the earth. In thousands of homes once cheered by their presence, all that now remains of them is their beloved and honoured names! In the great world of business they are not missed,there all goes on as before. Had each vacated a thousand places instead of one, all would have been immediately surrounded by eager competitors, craving for labour in order to subsistence. Such is life in this teeming island. No man is necessary. The most esteemed is soon forgotten. But the immortal part of this mighty host, what of that? The question appals! Our finite knowledge is at fault in attempts to deal with it. It is otherwise with the tabernacle of clay; its destiny is visible; dust returns to dust, and "the spirit to GOD who gave it;" but what befals it there is hid from mortal eye. We merely know, that, in Eternity, state is dependent upon character;-that the characters are but two, and two the states. "The people of God" enter into rest; they are safe in "the house not made with hands," where suffering and sorrow, pain and death, have no place! We rejoice in having reason to believe, that a large portion of our departed friends were of that class. They knew in whom they had believed; now they are "absent from the body, and present with the Lord." Would that we had reason thus to speak of all! That Gospel, with which this Magazine has uniformly been replete, is " the savour of life unto life, or of death unto death;" there is no middle position. Such language excites a sense of inexpressible disquietude! Yet thus it is, and the decree is unchangeable. "He that believeth shall be saved, he that believeth not shall be condemned:" this is the law of Heaven. Life and death are thus set before men, with an exhortation to choose life. The voice from Heaven is, "Why will ye die ?" Death is terrible to pronounce, to hear, or to ponder; but whatever be the issue, we must go on obediently proclaiming "the truth as it is in Jesus," |
