Newspaper Page Text
manner was if he were thinking aloud , “It
seems to me that something more must
bo necessary than a mere trying to do
o U r duty; for here we have been trying
to-day to do what is right, and yet I
doubt if all of us, or if many of us, feel as
you describe.”
“No doubt you are correct,” said the
Doctor, “and very probably for the rea
son that while these persons of whom
you speak are trying to do what is neces
sary for an acceptable approach to God,
they fail to recognize the principle on
which alone they can come.”
Tomkins looked puzzled, and Dr. Gor
don asked:
“Did you ever think of the difference
that must exist between the acceptable
approach to God of beings that are sinless
and the approach of beings that are sin
ful ?”
Tomkins replied : “No ; I thought the
way was the same for alb”
“By no means,” said Dr. Gordon. “ I
will show you. When Adam first began
to worship God, ho did so without having
sinned, and therefore wdthout fear. But
that is not the case with us; we are sin
ners, and we know it; therefore we are
afraid to come, as Thompson said just
now. A sinless worshipper can approach
God with the confidence that having nev
er deserved rebuke he may claim the Di
vine favor. But a sinner cannot thus
come in his own name, for he deserves
rebuke, and if ever he approaches accept
ably, he must come in the name of some
one who is worthy. The teaching of the
Gospel is, 1 There is none other name under
heaven , given among men, whereby we can
be saved , but the name of Jesus Christ .’ ”
“I have often heard and read that be
fore,” said Tomkins, “but confess I never
understood it. And now I shall be glad if
you will answer one question more, What
is it to come in the name of Jesus Christ?”
“By his authority, and on the strength
of his name,” replied Dr. Gordon ; but
observing again the glistening eye of
iklcat fixed on him, as if searching for
further light, he continued:
“I will explain by a simple illustra
tion: Suppose that one of you soldiers,
by some act of disobedience or disrespect,
should so greatly have offended your
commanding officer that you were debar
red from all dealings with him except in
the way of duty. Suppose, too, that you
had some great favor to ask, which he
°uly could grant, and that, seeing the
eiror of your course, you were sincerely
sorry for it, and wished to be on terms
°f peace, what would you do ? Very pro
bably you would go to someone who had
influence with the officer ; you would tell
BURKE’S WEEKLY.
him your case, and engage him to speak
a word in your behalf-—perhaps to write
a note in which he would ask to have
your offence forgiven for his sake, and in
which he would become surety that you
should behave in time to come as a sol
dier should. This note, now, would be
your passport to the officer’s presence,
and would be the ground on which you
would rest your claim to be heard. In
other words, you would come in the name
of your friend. Just so we come in the
name of Jesus Christ.”
This conversation ended the services
and religious observances of the day.—
For more than half an hour afterwards it
was observable that there was little con
versation among the men, and what there
was partook of a serious character. It
was easy for a reader of the human face
to discern in theirs the renewal of old
and long-neglected lessons, learned per
haps at the paternal home, and perhaps
also at the mother’s knee. It was evi
dent that although nobody had “been to
church,” some of them had been engaged
in worship.
Do thy Little —Do it Well.
0 thy little—do it well;
Js Nio Do what right and reason tell;
Op-gp Do what wrong and sorrow claim —
Conquer sin and cover shame.
Do thy little, though it be
Dreariness and drudgery ;
X They whom Christ apostles mado
“ Gathered fragments ” when he bade.
Do thy little: nevermind
Though thy brethren be unkind;
Though the men who ought to smile
Mock and taunt thee for awhile.
Do thy little: never fear
While the Saviour standeth near;
Let the world its javelins throw;
On thy way undaunted go.
Do thy little; God hath made
Million leaves for forest shade ;
Smallest stars their glory bring—
God employeth everything.
Do thy liitle; and when thou
Feelest on thy pallid brow,
Ere hast fled the vital breath,
Cold and damp the sweat of death,
Then the little thou hast done,
Little battles thou hast won,
Little masteries achieved,
Little wants with care relieved,
Little words in love expressed,
Little wrongs at once confessed,
Little favors kindly done,
Little toils thou didst not shun,
Little graces meekly worn,
Little slights with patience borne—
These shall crown your pillowed head,
Holy light upon thee shed ;
These arc treasures that shall riso
Ear beyond the smiling skies.
Inviolable fidelity, good humor,
and complacency of temper outshine all
the charms of a fine face, and make the
decay of it invisible.
Written for Burke’s Weekly.
Little Willie’s Pets.
ITTLE WILLIE lives in
c c ‘Dh but he often
visits his grand-mother
iu the country, where he
p§~p enjoys himself finely, es
pecially in the spring of the year,
'yf when the birds are caroling their
pleasant songs in the woods, and
' the earth is carpeted with wild
flowers. Two years ago his grandmother
gave him a little kid, which Willie petted
and fed from his own hand until it be
came quite tame. Ilis father gave him
a tiny silver bell, which was put around
little Nannie’s neck, and which tinkled
had grown to be quite a large goat and
had two little kids of her own. One of
them was almost entirely black, with a
white spot on her neck, and the other
was white, with black legs and head, and
a white face.
Nannie was a little shy of Willie at
first, but she soon came to know him
again, and the little kids, in a few days,
were as tame as their mother had been
before them. Willie had rare sport play
ing with his pets, and they learned to
love him so much that they followed him
wherever he went, and it was sometimes
a hard matter to keep them from going
into the house after him.
Here you see him going through the
gate with Nannie and her little kids. The
goats have already passed through, and
Willie is closing the gate, while the old
rooster stands on a stone close by, and
seems to wonder what it all means.
Little boj's and girls, if you will be kind
to your pets, they will learn to love you
as much as Willie’s goats love him.
—
Good for a Little One.— Playing with
her father’s walking stick, which had a
crooked handle, he asked her what she
was doing with that cane.
“It isn’t a cane,” she replied.
“ Well, what is it ?” he asked.
“It is an umbrella without any clothes
on,” she answered.
187