A HOLY GUEST. How sweetly moments pass away He whispers peace from day to day, In the sweet presence of my Lord The whispers of His sacred Word I feel His beams of sacred bliss Oh, what a glorious thing to be And feel He's on me smiled! No other friend on earth have I And while I on the earth shall stay, To praise my Saviour day by day, Then when my days below are past, I shall arrive in heaven at last, And praise Him evermore. E. B. The composer of the above is a poor orphan girl, kept by the parish, now laid on a bed of affliction. If you think them worthy a place in the GLEANER, please insert them. Yours in truth, W. H. A BRAVE MIDSHIPMAN, R.N. "OUT of your crew of 800 men, how many of the 'Blue Jackets' kneel down to pray before they get into their hammocks?" To this question, which was addressed to an old seaman, the startling reply was, "I don't know ten who do it!" Will our 66 'Blue Jackets" read the following story of the celebrated Commander Parry's first night on shipboard? It is thus described : "Meanwhile, the young sailor had entered bravely into the thick of the Christian fight, and had witnessed a good confession before many witnesses. No greater contrast could well be imagined than between the helpful sympathy of a home where an atmosphere of religion pervades every enjoyment, and the ordeal in which the boy of seventeen had now to test his Christian principles. The act of kneeling for private prayer was at this period almost unknown on shipboard. With what astonishment, then, must his messmates have witnessed, for the first time, Charles Parry kneeling in prayer at his chest before going to bed! And when morning came, and this act was repeated, we can well understand the jeers and scoffs which wouid reach the ear of the lad learning to endure hardness, as a good soldier of Christ.' The marks in his Bible tell us he knew that 'whosoever shall confess Christ before men, him will He confess before His Father in heaven.' This public manifestation of Christ before men was so foreign to his retiring nature, and so repugnant to his amiable disposition, that nothing but the clearest necessity could have induced him to do such violence to his inmost feelings. So sacred, indeed, were such matters in his eyes, that no mention of the practice appears in his home letters, whilst, in his private journal, the allusions to it are so vague, that we are indebted to an eye-witness for the full interpretation of the passages which refer to it. 'I hope,' he writes, 'I may never omit, morning and¦ evening, to thank God for His great love towards me, and pray that I may, by His help, be led to do what is right in His sight, and not be stopped from reading His Word by the revilings and jeers of any of my messmates. I am sure that the real way on board a ship is to commence soon-AT ONCEwhat you intend to practise, and it will not be so difficult for you afterwards. The commencement is, I am sure, the most difficult for us. I think when your messmates see what you are, and that you do not wish to enter into any foolish conversation, they will soon leave off laughing at you and making fun of you. If they see that their nicknames, &c., have no effect, they will very soon leave you alone."—Memorials of C. Parry, R.N. THE BIBLE FAIRLY TESTED. A SHORT time since an aged man related to me his own history, which I give as far as I can recollect in his own words: "I did not believe in the Bible, or in the reality of religion at all. I considered what was called Christian experience as a delusion-the effect of excitement upon the imagination-and Christians as a set of fanatics. I had studied sceptical writers, and was confirmed in my belief that death is an eternal sleep-no heaven, no hell. "And yet, at times, as the years sped on, an occasional doubt would arise. The question would force itself on me-What if these things should prove true? Then what will become of me? "After suffering long from these annoying doubts and suggestions, I at last resolved to try a method which would enable me to become entirely and for ever free from them. I said to myself, 'I will secretly try the very method these Christians propose. They recommend prayer and Bible reading. I will test their own appointed way myself, and if there is anything in religion I will find it-if not, my mind shall never more again be disturbed by a doubt.' Accordingly I secured a day of solitude, a Sabbath when all the members of the family were absent at church. I knelt and prayed :— "O Lord, if Thou dost exist, hear me. there is a heaven to gain and a hell to shun, show it to me. I have never believed it; but if all these things are true, and the Bible is true, reveal it unto me and enlighten me.' 666 If "Then I searched the Bible. Commencing with the New Testament, I read continuously chapter after chapter with intense interest and absorbed attention, ever and anon asking God to show me the truth. The more I read, the stronger my interest grew, and deeper and deeper the conviction, the astounding conviction, fastened on me, that all this is true! I have lived all my life believing lies! I am a sinner! I am lost! 66 "I examined the Bible throughout. I dwelt on the creation-the fall-the coming of Christ. Deeper and deeper grew the conviction of my guilt; my anxiety became intense, and I did not attempt to conceal it. Throughout every day of that week, I spent all my time in searching the Word of God and in prayer; sometimes spending the whole day alone in a wood, beseeching God to have mercy on My soul. "At last, on Sabbath morning (just a week from the day I set apart 'to see if these things were true'), while on my way to church, Christ revealed Himself to me as a Saviour-my justification. The way of salvation seemed clear and plain, and I inwardly exclaimed, 'I know that my Redeemer liveth!' My soul was filled with unspeakable joy. ‘My tongue broke forth in unknown strains and sang redeeming grace.' I had in truth found out by my own experience the truth and reality of religion, and I soon commenced to tell to others what a wondrous Saviour I had found." The transforming power of the religion of Jesus was so marked in the character and life of this individual, that no one who knew him could doubt its genuineness; and for thirty years he has been a pillar in the church of which he is a member, and has faithfully testified-and, though near his three score years and ten, still continues to testify-to the reality of the religion which he tested. Sceptic! unbeliever! may you be led to try this method yourself; there is a reality in the Christian religion.-American Messenger. STRETCH IT A LITTLE. A LITTLE girl and her little brother were on their way to the store the other morning. They were both dressed; but the little girl had a sort of a cloak over her, which she seemed to have out worn. As they walked briskly along, she drew the little boy closer to her, and said, “ Come under my coat, Johnny." "It isn't big enough for both, sister." "Then I will try and stretch it a little." And they were soon as close together and as warm as birds in the same nest. |