“O no; I remember it well. I think he is very kind to remember everybody. I am sure I shall always love him.”
“I hope you always will. He is a lovable being. He delights in those that are good, and is always ready to cheer and bless them.”
OBEY THE RULES.
A careful regard to all the rules of a Sabbath school,—the rules touching the library, those concerning the time of entrance, the general exercises, the demeanor of the pupils and the recitations,—will greatly facilitate the business of the school, relieve the officers and teachers of much of their labor, and make the school itself beautiful for its order and harmony, and invaluable for its usefulness and success.
THE WAYS OF PROVIDENCE.
“God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.”
We may understand by Providence the all-providing care of God over his creatures. He is our staff. Without his aid and support, we should sink; all our efforts would be of no avail. Without his sustaining power, we could not endure the cares and troubles attending this life. He cares for us in the broad day, urging us to resist temptation. He watches us by night, that no harm shall befall us. Mighty was the power of our Savior at the marriage feast, when he turned water into wine, and many were the miracles he performed during his stay in this world, in healing the sick, the lame, and the blind. The ways of God appear mysterious to us, because we cannot understand his motives. We know that all he does is right, and for our good; therefore we should not indulge a murmuring spirit at anything that may happen to us. It is our duty, as we cannot understand His manifold ways, and all-wise purposes, to study deeply the Holy Scriptures, and be willing to be taught by those wiser and better informed than ourselves. We should confidently rely in God’s wisdom and knowledge, which are so much greater than ours; yielding all things to him; looking forward to that bright and happier world, where there is no sorrow, and striving to make ourselves worthy of his love, which is unbounded.
Philanthropy.—He is the wisest philanthropist who employs his energies and resources in the promotion of virtue.
Preparation For Death.—He who is prepared to live, is prepared to die. And he who thinks and feels aright, is prepared for both.
TO ALBERTA.
And thou art gone, Alberta,
No sound shall wake thee now;
The dreamless sleep thou sleepest,
Death’s shadow on thy brow.
Like a bright summer flower.
Borne by rude winds away,
Whose odors yet shall linger,
Though the fair form decay,—
So, long thy spirit, wafted
In fragrance back to earth,
Shall bloom in memory’s bowers,
Mid plants of heavenly birth.