Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

CHAPTER IX.-THE SABBATH.

Ilistory of the Sabbath. Change from Saturday to Sunday. Be-
ginning of the Sabbath. Idle controversies. A father's com-
mand to his boys. The question about the clock and the dial.
Universal principle. Two doves. A day of twenty-three and
half hours. A day at the pole. A day lost. No sunset for
m.ths. Sabbath in Greenland. Change to first day. No
change in the command. The creation. Principle important.
Non-essentials. Liability to evasion. Human and divine laws.

295

1. Moral Improvement. General improvement a Christian duty.
Moral improvement. Faults. The vain boy. Way to reform
him. Conversation with his father. Instances of vanity. The
boy's list. Effect of this confession. Secret confession to be
minute. Secret prayer often too general. Way to make
prayer interesting. Formal confession. Excuses. Way to
make secret prayer interesting. Private prayer. Examples of
minute confession. The father's letter. Object of this illustra-
tion. Faults to be corrected. Young and old persons. Other
means of correcting faults. Exposure to temptation. Conver
sation between the boy and his friend. Great and small temp-
tations.

Growing in grace. Unavailing efforts. The mother. The man

of business. The dejected Christian. Direct efforts. Free-

dom of feeling and freedom of action. Way to mold the

heart. Metaphysical controversy. Story of the Duke of

Gloucester. Richard's artful plan. The council. Violent

measures. Murder of the boys. Analysis of the story. Rich-

ard's wicked character. Sense in which character is volunta

ry. Distinction between character and conduct. Importance

of it. Moral obligation. Ways of influencing the character.

Effect of Christian knowledge. The mother. The child. Gra-

titude. Christian action. Why Howard became interested

for prisoners. Paul. Dependence upon the Holy Spirit. An

evil heart. Divine influence necessary.

2. Intellectual Improvement. A finished education. Object of

education. 1. To strengthen the powers. Robinson Crusoe's

supposed experiment with Friday. Conic Sections. Difficult

studies. 2. Acquisition of knowledge. 3. Skill. Three expe-

riments with Friday. Teaching him to count. Study of Ma-

thematics. Imperfect education. Neglect of important duties.

Intellectual progress of a young mother. 1. Reading. Sys-

tem. Variety. Thorough reading. Short works. 2. Con-

versation. Difficulty of cultivating it. Means of cultivating it.

Experiments proposed. Plans and experiments. Digesting

knowledge. 3. Writing. Private Journals. Form and man-

ner. Running titles. Family Journal. By brothers and sis-

ters. Its advantages. Subjects. Notes and abstracts. True

design of taking notes. Form of books. Plan. Variety.

Specimens. Reynolds. Humboldt. Chronology. Syna-

gogues. History of the Bible. Sir Humphrey Davy. Story

of the sea Captain. Hiring children. The Savior's thirst on

the cross. Deceiving children. Narratives. Ellen, or boast

not thyself of to-morrow. The dying bed. The patient's in

terest in religion. Her address to her husband. Her affecting

remarks to her children. Moral aspects of what is seen and

heard. Power of the pen.

[blocks in formation]

I wish, in this first chapter, to point out to my reader something in the nature and effects of confession which every one has perhaps, at some time, experienced, but which few sufficiently consider-I mean its power to bring peace and happiness to the heart. But to make myself clearly understood, I must suppose a case.

Two boys, on a pleasant winter evening, ask their father to permit them to go out upon the river to skate. The father hesitates, because, though within certain limits he knows there is no danger, yet he is aware that above a certain turn of the stream the current is rapid and the ice consequently thin. At last, however, he says, "You may go, but you must on no account go above the bend."

The boys accept the condition, and are soon among their twenty companions, shooting swiftly over the smooth black ice, sometimes gliding in graceful curves before the bright fire, which they have built in the middle of the stream, and sometimes sailing away into the dim distance, in search of new and unexplored regions.

Presently a plan is formed by the other boys for going in a cheerful company far up the stream to explore its shores, and then return again in half an hour to their

[ocr errors]

Story of the boys' disobedience on the ice.

Consequences.

fire. Our two boys sigh to think of their father's prohibition to them. They faintly and hesitatingly hint that the ice may not be strong enough, but their caution has no effect upon their comrades,-and the whole set forth, and soon are flying with full speed toward the limit prescribed. Our boys think they may safely accompany them till they reach the boundary which they are forbidden to pass;-but while they do so, they become animated and intoxicated with the motion and the scene. They feel a little foreboding as they approach the line, but as it is not definitely marked, they do not abruptly stop. They fall a little in the rear, and see whirling through the bend of the river the whole crowd of their companions and, after a moment's hesitation, they follow on. The spot once past, their indecision vanishes; they press forward to the foremost rank,— forget their father, their promise, their danger. God protects them however. They spend the half hour in delight, return down the river to their fire, and at the close of the evening they take off their skates and step upon the firm ground, and walk toward their home.

come.

The enjoyment is now over, and the punishment is to What punishment? I do not mean that their father will punish them. He knows nothing of it. He trusts his boys, and, confiding in their promise, he will not ask them whether they have kept it. They have returned safely, and the forbidden ice over which they have passed never can speak to tell of their disobe. dience. Nor do I mean the punishment which God will inflict in another world upon undutiful children. I mean another quicker punishment, and which almost alway comes after transgression. And I wish my young readers would think of this more than they do.

I mean the loss of peace of mind.

As the boys approach their father's dwelling, unless their consciences have become seared by oft repeated

« AnteriorContinuar »