thou such a sense of duty to thy mother, at thy years, and I am insensible, at my age, of the duty I owe to my God? Give me thy hand, innocent boy," he continued, "that I may swear repentance upon it." He did so. His followers were alike struck with the scene. "You have been our leader in guilt," said they, to their chief, "be the same in the path to virtue." And they instantly, at his order, made restitution of the spoil, and vowed repentance, on his hand. SOME THINGS ABOUT AFRICA. ONE of the French Protestant missionaries, who had laboured many years among the Bassutos in South Africa, in an address to Sabbathschool children in France, spoke of many things in his missionary field which, we think, would interest our readers. Here are a few of the things he said : "We find there are many very cruel practices among the Bassutos. They treat the women as slaves, and often drive them away most shamefully from their homes. Another wicked practice with them is, that they murder all children who are born with any natural defect of body, and that, when there are twins, only one is allowed to live. If they are a boy and a girl, the girl is killed; if both are of the same sex, the weaker one is put to death. Sometimes it happens that a mother dies at the birth of a child. Among us, in such a case, the poor little orphan is treated with the greatest care and tenderness; but these cruel people bury it alive with its mother. "In South Africa there have been many cannibals. I have sought them out, and passed a night among them; but this was after they had given up their horrible manner of life. Still I was constantly seeing holes filled with the remains of such dreadful feasts. During the time that they used to devour men, a poor woman who had been preserved alive in a war, together with her little child, was taken prisoner by them. They were brought to a village, and there she was received into one of their houses and kindly treated. She thought she had found friends; but one day, when she was in the garden, a cannibal came into the house of her host, and said to him, 'I will buy your prisoners; my oxen have been taken away, and I feel a strong desire for some flesh to eat.' Two or three hundred weight of maize was asked as the price, and the bargain was concluded. The unhappy woman, not knowing what had happened, came cheerfully into the house, and then the barbarian who had bought her, seized and bound her, and led her away. On reaching the next village, she was tied to a post, and her child was snatched out of her arms and murdered before her eyes, for the man's horrible meal. The wretched creature, more dead than alive, expected to be killed herself next. But God did not permit that. She had heard that, at some distance off, powerful people were living, and in the night she managed to escape and reach the mission station at Morija, where she was converted, and is still living. "At our stations the Lord has already done great things. Many have been converted, and have given up their frightful practices. Now, too, among the heathen natives, the little children are no longer thrown away in a time of war; those who have bodily defects are allowed to live, and new-born children are no longer buried with their dead mothers. For all this we have to thank the Gospel. Through its influence schools have been built, and the children delight in them. They are anxious to learn to read, and they know very well that it is God who has saved them, and preserved them in life." How true it is that "the dark portions of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty;" and how happy are we who have the Gospel of peace and love to soften our hearts and lead us to God. Christian Instruction. THE WORTH OF THE SOUL. "WHAT is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" The worth of the soul is seen, 1. In its nature.-The worth of many things arises from their relative positions. Their value is the creation of circumstances; but the soul is of worth on account of its own nature intrinsically. Separate the soul from everything that is visible, it would then be great. It approaches nearer to God than all His other works. God has made the soul valuable in creating it after His own image. "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." You have valuable pieces of furniture in your house, and you regard them of worth on account of their relation or services. But in the house you have one more precious in your estimation, one you regard more than the whole-your child; for he partakes of your nature, and bears your image. The soul is the child of God, bearing His image in its very nature, and therefore of inestimable value. Many things are great in the world, but man is the greatest and the noblest. Man was the last in his creation, but first as to importance. There is a power in his eye, there is skill in his hand, and there is might in his word; but the soul which he possesses is the secret of the greatness which thus appears. Whatever man may have to boast of in distinction from other creatures, he is indebted for it to his soul. 2. In the place of its residence.-A cottage will do for a peasant, but there must be a palace for the monarch. Great preparations are made for great personages. For the reception of the soul the body was made, and the world for the residence of both. How fearfully and wonderfully is the body made! what an admirable piece of mechanism! Its bones, muscles, nerves, veins, joints, all beautifully fitted together, without any natural disturbing power, to be the dwelling-place of the soul. The world was made for man, and everything was created to contribute to his welfare. Let us look at creation, that in the splendour of the palace we may see the worth of the inhabitant. 3. In the authority which it possesses.—When created, “ dominion was given it over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." If the soul were not great, it would not have been placed in such a position. As the light of the stars yields to the superior lustre of the sun, so all things submit to the authority of the soul, For every kind of beast, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind." And shall we think meanly of that which God has so highly honoured? 66 4. In its capabilities.—Its final capabilities are by us indescribable. What we can say is, that the powers of the soul grow with its age, and can only be limited by God Himself. It ascends to the heavens, wanders from planet to planet, from star to star, and stops not in its course until it comes to the very footstool of the eternal God. With equal ease it descends into the bowels of the earth, and into the deep abyss of the ocean, to bring up their treasures, and make them subservient to its purposes. The soul is capable of enjoying God Himself, of entering into communion and fellowship with Jesus Christ. The High Priest was the greatest personage in the kingdom of Israel; he only was permitted to enter into the holiest of all, to meet God at the mercy-seat, and hold communion with Him. The soul is the high priest of the world, for it only can enter into heaven itself, and there enjoy the presence of the Eternal Father. The soul is capable of great suffering—of receiving upon itself the terrible curses of an offended God-of bearing the pres sure of Divine indignation without being annihilated; the worm that never dies will not be able to devour its vitals; the fire that shall never be quenched will not be able to consume it. 5. Its durability.—In respect to futurity, the soul is deathless. The soul, with all its gigantic and imperial powers, is freighted with immortality. The earth and the heavens will flee away before the face of Him that sitteth on the great white throne; but the soul of man will stand immovable as to its existence, like the throne itself. The heavens and the earth are only destined to cruise along the river of time; but the soul has been constructed to navigate the ocean of eternity. Eternity is the life-time of the spirit of men. Men may kill the body, the soul is beyond their reach; the capacities of the soul are great, but in all its capabilities there is not sufficient power to destroy itself. It is indestruc tible; God has made it so. We esteem many things in proportion to the period of their duration. Surely, then, the soul should be highly valued on account of its eternal existence. That power which you now feel within you, will be your companion millions of ages hence. 6. Its responsibilities.-The soul is accountable to God for all its thoughts and movements. This fact stamps an awful worth upon it. There is not an emotion in the mind that God marks not. Every thought, created or suggested, will be appendixed in the records of the final judgment. Every word that leaves the lips, and every action performed, will be tallied with the telegrams of heaven. The soul is a steward in God's world, and must hereafter give an account of its stewardship. And, alas! how many of God's stewards have turned hirelings of devils. 7. The price of its redemption.-The soul having fallen into a state of sin and spiritual death, a price was required for its recovery. The atonement was necessary to purchase the soul from its state of captivity; the incarnation, sufferings, and death of Christ, the bloody sweat of Gethsemane, the daring insults of the judgment-hall, and the painful scenes on Golgotha, speak to us, in language not to be misunderstood, of the value of the soul. If we can fathom the depth of the sufferings of the Son of God, then, but not till then, shall we be able to learn the worth of the soul. 8. In the impossibility of making up the loss thereof.-The loss of the favour and smiles of God, which it is capable of enjoying, is irreparable. We lose the light of the sun, but in a measure it is made up by the silvery beams of the moon. When there is no rain to moisten the earth, there is dew to nourish; but when the soul is lost, there is nothing in God's creation that can make us happy. There is compensation more or less in nature, but there is no compensation for a lost soul. Pendleton. X. Y. Z. THE CHRISTIAN SABBATH. THERE are various things in which persons delight. One delights in poetry; another delights in music; another delights in study; another delights in company; another in business; another in travelling. The spiritual mind delights in God. This finds pleasure in His character, laws, instructions, government, and service. Adam, in a state of innocence, delighted in God; but sin defiled his soul, and then he lost his The delight in communion with God; and all his descendants in their natural state have no delight in God. The creature has no delight in the Creator; the subject has no delight in his Sovereign; the child has no delight in his Father. Hence needs a radical change of heart, which takes place in the new birth. Then a new life begins-a life of faith, love, and holy obedience-the result is, delight in God. Now, what are the views of the Christian Sabbath which are delightful to a spiritual mind? One is, this is a memorial of the finished work of Christ. Jewish Sabbath was a memorial of the completion of the material world. The work of creation is great, glorious, and important. Here the spiritual mind sees God as in a glass.-Psa. xix. 1. When God finished His great work, He is said to have rested. Gen. ii. 2, 3. Whether God has made any other worlds since, we do not know; but probably He has, for there may be many systems of worlds beyond our sight, and even by the aid of the telescope. But the Christian Sabbath is a memorial of a greater work than the work of creation. This is a memorial of the finished work of Jesus, of which His resurrection was a visible proof. The return of every Sabbath proclaims the joyful news, "He is risen." And what more joyful news could we proclaim? The Surety is risen, therefore the debt is paid. The Physician is risen, therefore the sick are encouraged to apply to Him for cure. The Advocate is risen, and is gone to plead our cause within the veil. When we awake on the Sabbath morning, let us remember the resurrection of our Saviour, and thank God, and take courage. This glorious event inspires a good hope of eternal life. "Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." The Sabbath is a type of the heavenly world. This is a day of rest; and so is heaven. There the weary are at rest. There the warrior is at rest, for the battle is over. There the pilgrim is at rest, for his journey is ended. There the sinner is at rest, for he has reached the goal and won the prize. The cross is now exchanged for the crown. "There remaineth a rest to the people of God." There remaineth the keeping of a Sabbath. The Sabbath is a day of wor ship; and so will be the Sabbath in heaven. The redeemed will delight to worship God for ever. "Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them." The Sabbath is a day of meeting. Christian friends meet together in His house, and the meeting tends to promote kindly feeling. This meeting of saints in the temple below should lead us to think of the glorious meeting in the temple above. There all the redeemed will meet in perfect harmony. "Many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven." The Sabbath is a day of praise. Then we think of the multitude of our mercies, and render praise to our glorious Benefactor. |
