wisdom He had seen fit to shatter the chief joy of my life, yet I could say, 'Thy will be done.' That grace might be given me to devote myself, soul and body, to the cause of Him that hath loved me and given Himself for me; and that I might be faithful unto death, and at last be found of Him in peace." I do not think that I ever felt God so near as then. I rose from my knees, and as I pursued my way home in the deepening shades of the evening, I thought of the verse: "Behold, I am with you alway, even unto the end;" and then came before me again those pleasant memories of time spent with my mother in prayer. Oh! the earnest prayers that rose from her heart, that I might give myself to God in the days of my youth; our united family service of praise, and my father leading the beautiful hymn, "Sun of my soul, Thou Saviour dear!" Oh, those happy Sabbath evenings! little did I think then they would so soon find themselves "lost in the ocean of their Saviour's love.' Yes! that visit to the last resting-place of those I loved, strengthened and kept their memory green in my heart, and nerved me to press forward with fresh vigour in the Christian race; to work while it is called to-day, and then patiently wait for the summons, "Friend, come up higher." Now I am far away from that quiet churchyard at Beaconhurst, but I feel it can never fade away from my memory; and in closing this simple sketch, I would say, Mothers, fathers, be unceasing in your prayers for your children. The influence you have over them God has not given to another; use that influence, then, for good. Tire not; weary not; faint not: "For in due season ye shall reap." "Oh! none can value too highly the prayers of a God-fearing mother. -A. W. GRIFFIN. A CHAPLAIN CONVERTED BY A SAILOR. N the early part of the present century, the chaplain of a ship in the British navy went to pay a visit on board another ship. Evening coming on, he accepted an invitation to stay all night. A berth was prepared for him in a part of the ship which was separated by a thin partition from the part in which some of the sailors slept. In the night watch, when those who had been on duty on deck came down to take their rest, and others went up to take their places, one of them, as he lay down in his hammock, was overheard by the chaplain to say, in a low voice, "O my God! how precious is the, love of Jesus to my soul !" The chaplain had read the Holy Scriptures diligently, and had studied the plan of salvation, and been ordained a preacher of the gospel: but now he thought within himself, "That poor sailor knows something about the love of Jesus to which I am a stranger." The sermon which, without knowing it, had thus been preached by the sailor to the chaplain, was blessed by the Holy Spirit so as to awaken in his heart such a thirst after the same knowledge, that he did not rest till, in answer to earnest prayer, he also felt the preciousness of the love of Jesus. The experience of this love made a great change in the chaplain's heart; and he now began to preach the gospel from what he felt, as well as from what he had read and heard: and his preaching and teaching-being now under the feeling of the preciousness of the love of Jesus-were blessed to many. "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." It is a blessed thing to have the love of Jesus as the abundance of the heart. It was so with the sailor; and in speaking thankfully of it to God, not knowing that any man heard him, he was made the means of converting the chaplain, and thus preparing him to spread the glad tidings of salvation. A WORD TO THE ELDER SISTER. HERE is no character in the home circle more useful and beautiful than a devoted elder sister who stands beside the toiling mother, lightening all her cares and burdens. How beautiful the household machinery moves on with such efficient help! Now she presides at the table in her mother's absence, always so neatly attired that it is with pride and pleasure the father introduces her to his guest as "Our eldest daughter." Now she takes a little troop with her into the garden, and amuses them, so that mother may not be disturbed in her work or her rest. Now she helps the boys over their hard lessons, or reads father's paper aloud, to rest his tired eyes. If mother can run away for a few days' recreation, she leaves home without anxiety, for Mary will guide the house wisely and happily in her absence. But in the sick-room her presence is an especial blessing. Her hand is next to mother's own in gentleness and skill. Her sweet music can charm away pain and brighten the weariest hours. There are elder sisters whose presence is not such a blessing in the house. Their own selfish ends and aims are the main pursuit of life, and anything that stands in the way of these is regarded with great impatience. Such daughters are no comforts to a mother's heart. Reader, which kind of an elder sister are you in the household? BE YE FOLLOWERS OF GOD, AS DEAR CHILDREN. LUTHER'S WEDDING RING. 'HE wedding ring of Martin Luther is still preserved in a collection of rare jewels. It is a real work of art, very elaborate in design and delicate in finish. When Luther had renounced the Romish faith, with its unholy dogma of celibacy, and had resolved to marry the fair nun, Catherine, he doubtless ordered the wedding ring wrought after a design of his own suggesting. Marriage was not to him a gay event in butterfly-life, to be celebrated by every conceivable folly of fashion and frivolity. It was to him now the holiest estate which man could occupy on earth-a bond symbolical of the union between Christ and the Church, and as such he entered into it, and took upon him its vows in solemn awe as well as in holy joy, He had not acknowledged Christ and His finished work before a gainsaying world and in the face of an imperious Church to forget or hide Him now, in this great event of life. Christ was with him and strengthened him for conflict in the cloister, and held up his arm while he nailed the theses to the door of the church of Wittemburg, and gave him boldness to declare that "the just shall live by faith," and to take that stand at the Diet of Worms which overturned the faith of nations; and He was to have a place now in his triumph over Rome, and no less in his hope of domestic bliss. Catherine was to receive a rich and costly ring; but it was to be one which should keep ever before her Him who is Husband of His bride the Church, and her obligations to Him as well as to her earthly husband. The stern old doctor had no taste for cooing doves or shooting Cupids, therefore these had no place on this wedding ring. The passion of his life was the passion of his wedding day. On the broad surface of the ring are engraved the scourge, the spear, and the pillar, which figured in the crucifixion, with a full view of the awful scenes of the Saviour's passion. The full-length figure extended on the cross is in relief on one half of the ring, the head being in the centre, and over it is set a small ruby. On the other half are objects connected with the scene of the crucifixion. On the inside of the ring is engraved, in fair characters, D. MARTINO LUTHERO- Thus did Catharine ever carry about with her the emblems of the dying of the Lord Jesus; and thus did they both sanctify their united lives to Him who died to redeem them. * Eph. v. 23-32; 2 Cor. xi. 2; Rom. vii. 4; Matt. ix. 15; xxv. 1; John iii. 29; Isa. liv. 5; Hos. ii. 19. 20; Rev. xxi. 2, 9; xxii. 17. PROUD OF HIS MOTHER. T was a cold night in winter. The wind blew, and the snow was whirled furiously about, seeking to hide itself beneath cloaks and hoods-in the very hair of those who were out. A distinguished lecturer was to speak, and notwithstanding the storm, the villagers very generally ventured forth to hear him. William Annesley, buttoned up to his chin in his thick overcoat, accompanied his mother. "Couldn't you walk easier if you took my arm, mother?" Perhaps I could," his mother replied, as she put her arm through his, and drew up as close as possible to him. Together they breasted the storm, the mother and the boy, who had once been carried in her arms, but who had now grown up so tall that she could lean on his. "I am proud to-night, mother," said he. "Proud that you can take care of me?" she said to him, with a heart gushing with tenderness. "This is the first time you have leaned upon me, mother." There will be few hours in William's life of more exalted pleasure than he enjoyed that evening, even if he should live to old age, and should in his manhood lovingly provide for her who, in his helpless infancy, watched over him. Read 1 Kings ii. 19. HINTS FOR THE HOUSEHOLD. BOILING. Joints to be boiled may be put into hot or cold water. If liked under-dressed, plunge them into boiling water, which shuts in the juices; but the general way is to put the meat into cold water, and let it slowly come to a boil. The under-dressed way makes the meat more nutritious, and it goes farther; the cold-water way makes pot liquor, because the juices of of the meat boil out. This pot liquor will make, with a little addition, good soup. We think the cold-water way best. But then, it must be boiled gently, and not fast, and never let stop simmering. Just before the pot boils, the scum will rise to the top of the water; it must be skimmed off, or it will fall back on the meat, and make it look very nasty. The cook must keep on lifting the lid every now and then, and skimming the seum off; but the lid must be kept on all the time she is not skimming the pot. The fire for boiling must not be a great fire, as for roasting, but a moderate and gentle one. Salt meat takes longer boiling than fresh meat-twenty minutes to a quarter of an hour a pound is required for boiling it. The time of boiling is a quarter of an hour per pound from the time it actually boils. of cold water, pepper and salt. Put the mutton with the grits and seasoning into a stewpan to simmer, and skim it frequently. After an hour put in the vegetables, and let all simmer another hour or more. The broth can be thickened with oatmeal: plenty of bread should be eaten with it. BEEF BROTH. Take some beef bones, 3 or 4 quarts of cold water, some crusts of bread or hard biscuits, a few blades of mace or other spice, some marigold flowers, or a bunch of parsley, pepper, and salt. Crack the beef bones into pieces, put them into the cold water to simmer, beside a slow fire: skim occasionally. In an hour's time add the other things; and after two hours more, a good broth will be ready, which may be served with bread or boiled rice and potatoes. BROKEN-BREAD PUDDINGS. Take scraps of bread, crust or crumb, no matter how stale, milk, 2 or 3 table-spoonfuls of chopped suet, an egg or two, sugar and salt. Break up the bread into small pieces, and put it into a deep pie-dish greased; cover it with as much boiling milk as will soak it, in which has been stirred the suet, sugar, and salt; when nearly cold, pour over the top the eggs beaten up; mix all well toTake 2 lbs. of mutton, 2 table- gether with a spoon, smooth the spoonfuls of grits, 2 or 3 onions, top, put a few pieces of dripping 3 or 4 turnips, oatmeal, 3 quarts or butter on it. MUTTON BROTH. BOOKS RECEIVED. The Mothers' Illustrated Penny Almanac, for 1872.-The Pearl Almanac, for 1872.-Illustrated Leaflets for Mothers, in assorted packets (Book Society).-Pithy Sayings.-Child's Companion (Religious Tract Society).- Old Jonathan (Collingridge).- Beeton's Penny Cookery Book (Ward & Co.).-Sunday School Times (Clarke & Co.).A Voice to Mothers (Shaw & Co.).—Poor and Happy (Seeley). |