ANSWER TO ENIGMA (Page 229.) THE life of Jonah clearly shows But Jonah made himself a rod And soon the mighty hand of God And when they cast the trouble out, The depth enclosed him round about,- But God had caused a fish to swim, Three days and nights it shelter'd him, In Jonah's life we plainly see, Sin brings its own reward; W. W. THE EDITOR TO HIS DEAR YOUNG FRIENDS SENDS HIS HARVEST GREETING. THE month whose bright, sunny, busy harvest days have passed away, has been a month of singular mercy. Nothing, surely, in all the ways of God, as a God of providence, should more draw forth the thanks of His dependent creatures than harvest mercies. It is many a year since God has smitten this country with a truly scarce harvest of bread corn, or sent such a wet season as to hinder its being gathered together in a state that fits it for wholesome, nutritious human food. It is only your grandmothers and grandfathers that can remember shocks of corn grown green in the field, and bread so soft that it could scarcely be retained in an oven. And, indeed, thousands who have grandchildren can remember no such season. We are living in a singularly favoured country; a country from whose hills and valleys ascends from the altar of thousands of living souls the incense of prayer and praise; and it is no doubt in answer to the intercession of these Moseses and Samuels that God graciously spares our land, notwithstanding its many national sins cry loudly to heaven for vengeance. But often do I fear that the day may not be far distant when God will say about the people of England, what He said about the children of Judah in the days of Jeremiah; "Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people" (Jer. xv. 1). And woe to England when the God of Sabaoth shuts His ears to the intercessions of His people. Semi-infidels are sowing doubts into the minds of the people about the veracity of the Book of God, and are taking away, by their profane daring reasonings, from the words of the prophecy of this Book, and more than semi-papists are, while living upon the fruits of the Protestant Church, adding the commandments and doctrines of men to the declarations of God's holy Book. One's heart grows hot with indignation, and then trembles with horror at this iniquity. Would that all in this land felt and acted upon the truth so clearly laid down in the Sixth Article of the Church of England: "Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation, so that whatever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man that it should be believed as an article of the faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation." May the Lord hear the desires of His godly pleaders with Him, that this nation may be made wise, and not drag upon its head the crushing judgments of God, for taking from or adding to the complete Book of God. These things have arisen before my mind in contemplating the fields of corn, the filling stack-yards, the loaded gleaners, and other joyous proofs of the bounty and long-suffering of God to our guilty land. Mercy unearned does, indeed, rejoice against judgment merited, and well may we exclaim If Mercy insulted had quitted her seat, And Justice provoked had arose To crush British sinners beneath His dread feet, If God had refused to open His ear A merited storm, we have reason to fear, If God heard in judgment our sin's horrid cry, Instead of a smiling and sun-lighted sky, The heavens all brazen would quickly appear, The earth, too, as iron become, The dread groan of famine would fill us with fear, Had we our desert as a nation, we own The sword would be stain'd with our gore, O Lord, make us all to feel and to know And show those they're leading the nation to woe Oh, show to the people 'tis wrong to uphold All teaching is sad that adds to the scroll- Such forms and traditions are join'd to the Book Proud reason its soul-humbling truths cannot brook, The Bible's our heir-loom-'tis given of God— The Book that the martyrs have sealed with their blood, Dear youth, may the truth, and nought but the truth, Shine bright on your banner in gold; 'Tis a motto for manhoood, as well as for youth, A motto that never grows old. The Bible alone is the foothold of faith, Faith's object alone there is seen, 'Tis Jesus, His life, and His blood, and His death, The Spirit by means of the Bible doth teach And makes it a light on his path till he reach It gives us the song of the blood-wash'd on high, |