Madam, what a prospect is before us! Indeed, our views are but faint; but faith can get a glance within the vail. "See the kind angels at the gate, inviting us to come;" the redeemed of the Lord waiting to welcome us home; and amongst them some who were once known and dear to us while upon earth. How glad shall they and we be to meet again! But, above all, we hope to see Him, whom not having seen, we love. In his presence is fulness of joy. I commend you to his gracious care, praying that while flesh and heart are fainting, you may be enabled to rejoice in Him as the strength of your heart, and your portion for ever. 5th April, 1792. I am, for his sake, Your affectionate friend and servant, JOHN NEWTON. CALLS OF USEFULNESS. Call on a Youth with a birthday present. Visitor. COME, I am glad to catch you at home, Edward, for I have brought you a little present, remembering that it is your birthday. Nephew. Oh, it is a knife, and a capital one, too, just what I wanted, uncle; I shall so like it, and will keep it, and value it, for your sake. Visitor. I am not quite certain of that, for I fear many of your birthday presents are thought but little of, and not always used to the best advantage. You had five invaluable birthday gifts bestowed upon you in your earliest infancy, each of them of greater worth than a king's crown. The gifts that I speak of are your five senses, hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, and feeling, given you by the Giver of every good gift. By hearing, you are enabled to understand the thoughts of others, to receive the admonitions of the ministers of the gospel of Christ, and to partake of the pleasure of music, the singing of birds, and the soft murmur of winds and waters. By seeing, you can read the Bible, receive delight from the beautiful creation which God has made, and avoid many of the dangers by which you are surrounded. By smelling, you enjoy the grateful scent of flowers, and the balmy breath of the morn; and learn to know what food would be disagreeable to eat. By tasting, you derive pleasure from the various kinds of sustenance so bountifully provided for you by your heavenly Father; flesh, fish, fowl, and the fruits of the ground, and of the trees. By feeling, you enjoy the grateful warmth of the sun, the accommodation of your clothes, and the delightful freshness communicated by pure water. Feeling also assists you in writing, drawing, and in handling different tools. Now, do you often think of the value of these birthday presents, and of the great goodness of Him who bestowed them upon you ? Nephew. I cannot say that I do; but I hope that what you have said will make me more mindful in future. Visitor. In addition to these birthday presents, God has given you the goodly gift of reason, to enable you to put them to a proper use, and added also the glorious gift of his holy word, whereby you are taught the way of salvation through Jesus Christ. If you undervalue these great gifts, it is hardly likely that you will long value the trifling one which I have given you. Bear in mind, Edward, that where much is given, much will be required. If you love God, heartily, you will prize his gifts highly; and prove this by employing them in his service. Say to yourself, morning, noon, and night : O God of love and power divine! Call on two aged Villagers. AY! ay! Master Gilbert, you and your old dame have found out the truth of that text of Scripture-Wisdom's "ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace, Prov. iii. 17. You are reading the Lord's book on the Lord's day, and are therefore in the way of adding to your treasures by seeking out the precious promises of God. "Every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened," Matt. vii. 8. I saw you both in the house of God in the morning and the afternoon, and you are no doubt encouraged by the word of consolation which God sent you by the mouth of his servant the preacher. It is pleasant for the weary pilgrim in the sandy desert to drink of the brook by the way, and to lift up his head; and equally pleasant it is for the aged Christian, in his pathway to heaven, to partake of the living waters of eternal life, contained in the Holy Scriptures. What a lovely day, and what a glorious sunset! The sun sets as brightly, and heaven and earth are as fair on a week day as on the sabbath; but when the mind has been tranquillized by the services of the sanctuary, when hope has been brightened, and faith strengthened by the spiritual privileges of the Lord's day, everything seems to wear a fairer aspect. "Is there a time when moments flow A sabbath eve in summer tide. Call on a young Cripple. MICHAEL, I never make a call on you without regretting your infirmity, and yet when I see the thoughtless follies into which too many young people run, and observe your patience and humility, and especially your attention to divine things, I cannot help thinking that God has dealt mercifully with you. To be cut off in youth from the sports and enjoyments in which other young people indulge, appears hard, but if we believe that God has the will and the power to do what is best for all who call on his name, it will reconcile us to our afflictions, as well as add to our enjoyments. We cannot tell why one flower is nipped in the bud, and another permitted to bloom; why one tree is smitten by the lightning while another stretches forth its branches abroad uninjured. Nor need we afflict ourselves about the matter. If God so loved the world as to give his only begotten Son to die for us, we need not doubt that his protecting arms are around us, and his watchful eye over us for good. He will do that which is right for his people. I have heard the cripple on his crutches, and the aged in the midst of infirmity, rejoice that they had been afflicted; and God, who sanctified their afflictions, can abundantly sanctify yours. It is a great blessing, doubtless, to enjoy youth, to join in the buoyant pastimes of lighthearted companions; in the season of recreation to ascend the hill, and roam through the flowery valley, while the healthful breeze is blowing around; but it is a still greater blessing to have the heart drawn by love to magnify the Lord, and the spirit to rejoice in God our Saviour. Be encouraged, then, Michael; if you are the subject of the grace that sanctifies, and have the good hope of glory, it is better than to have all the health, and all the amusements that ever were enjoyed. Call on a young Man of a timid and fearful spirit. I HAVE called on you, Meredith, to give you a word of encouragement; for I see that you are too easily cast down. Now nothing ought to cast down them who fear God. If you meet with a little disappointment, it will blow over. If you are visited with an unexpected trial, be patient, and it will pass away; God knows all about the disappointment, and the trial too. White snow falls from a dark cloud, and it is in the absence of the sun that the sky is lit up with ten thousand stars. Why, then, should we be fainthearted and feeble, when we ought to be confident and strong? There is no danger that God cannot deliver us from, no good thing which he cannot bestow. Now, Meredith, think of these things, and be encouraged. You were brought up by a Christian father; you have been instructed at a Sunday school; you have learned to read your Bible, and you have heard the gospel of Christ faithfully proclaimed by his ministers, and should, therefore, never be cast down. The lions were hungry enough, no doubt, when Daniel was thrown into the den among them. The flames were fierce enough when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were cast into the fiery furnace. But neither the lions nor the flames did any mischief to the servants of the Lord. Now these things were intended to give courage and confidence to God's people, old and young, in all ages of the world. Let them, then, give courage and confidence to you. He who knows that God hath given his Son Jesus Christ to die for sinners, cannot need any other proof of God's love to him, and you may depend upon it those whom God loves are safe enough, not only as it regards this world, but also the world that is to come. Now let me see you a little more cheerful, Meredith, for the future. Consider not your weakness, but the almighty power of your heavenly Father, "So strong to deliver, so good to redeem, The weakest believer that hangs upon him." And then, with God's grace, faintheartedness will fly away, and hopefulness, and confidence, and joy take up their abode in your bosom. NOTICE TO QUIT. WHEN any one is required to quit a lodging, or a dwellinghouse, a notice is usually given; this notice is for a week, a month, a quarter, or a year, as the case may be, but a day's notice would certainly be considered short. I have just heard, however, of a more sudden notice then even that of a day. Often and often have I seen a portly looking man, full of life and health, drive past my door on his way to the city, in whose merchandize he was largely interested, but a day or two ago I heard that he had received a sudden notice to quit his worldly calling. He was taken ill, and in three hours hurried off into an eternal world. Think of this for a moment! Three hours notice to quit, not a room, a lodging, a house, a street, a neighbourhood, a country, but the world! Whatever may be the state of your health, your notice to quit may be equally sudden. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, the winged arrow of death may find its way to your heart. Let, then, your language be that of the psalmist, "Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am," Psa. xxxix. 4. "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever," Psa. lxxiii. 25, 26. |