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Humility.
The apostle Paul, in his epistle to the
Philippiana, delivers the exhortation : “In
lowliness of mind let each esteem other bet
ter than himself.” AN hat a hateful sin is
pride! And yet how prone we are to in
dulge it. llow delightful a grace is humil
ity ! Still how hafd is it for a heart only
partially renewed to cultivate it. The apos
tle exhorts us too “ esteem other bettor than
ourself.” The love of God shed abroad in
our heart causes us to feel how desirable
and blessed this is—but the love of self is
ever moving to make us esteem ourselves
better than othe::s. We feel and talk so
complacently about our efforts and perform
ances, but we are not so willing to “ look
upon the things of others. ” Humility is
the brightest ornament of the Christian char
acter. Dr. Lee in remarking upon the char
acter of the sainted Olin, exclaims, “ Great,
Humble man.” Great in intellect, but ap
parently unconscious of it—great in moral
worth, but no spiritual pride, the result
thereof Such a man, we not only admire,
but we venerate and love. Why is it that
pride should bo engendered in any heart ?
What is it that we have which we have not
received ? Our gifts, allowing that they
are of the rarest kind, are all derived. And
if we may not feel pride when we are pos
sessed of the highest endowments, what rea
son. can there be for its indulgence when
our gifts are few and common If wc pos
sess excellencies, there are offsets to them,
and how are we surpassed by others who
inherit qualities much more valuable than
ours.
The remembrance of our sinfulness ought
ever to keep us humble —once, we wore es
tranged from God “serving divers lusts,”
what profit had we then iu those things of
which we are now ashamed. Our sin should
ever be before us, that our hearts be sub
dued and humble. llow numerous have
been our delinquencies since we have com
menced the service of God. llow should
this humble us in the dust.
We do not. subscribe to the doctrine that
the commission of sin makes us humble.
It is not sin that produces this effect. It
is the grace of God. We may have been
ever so sinful—ever so delinquent, and yet
our hearts be proud and stubborn. But
having the spirit of God upon the heart
“ the remembrance of these things is griev
ous unto us. ” The apostle also says, “Be
ye clothed with humility. ” We believe
that we are wholly sanctified wlieil we are
thus clothed.
“ When we into nothing fall.
Christ, becomes all in all.”
So that there was force in the remark in
answer to the question, which is the bright
est of the Christian virtues? Humility—
and which virtue is next ? Humility— and
which the third? Humility. Let us thus
become perfect. Let us cast ourselves upon
the atoning blood of Christ and by virtue of
our faith in that‘blood be saved from pride
—be clothed with humility.
“Then every murmuring thought and vain,
Expires in sweet confusion lost.
1 cannot of my goodness boast
I cannot of my cross complain.
Pardon for all that I have done,
My mouth as in the (fust 1 lay
And glory give to God alone—
My God forever pacified.” Wesley.
Tempted by Degrees. —John Newton
says, Satan seldom comes to Christians with
great temptations, or with a temptation to
commit a great sin. You bring a green log
and a candle together, and they ore very safe
neighbors; but bring a few shavings, and set
them alight, and then bring a few small
sticks and let them fake fire, and the log in
the midst of them, and you will soon get rid
of your log. And °o it is with little sins..
You will be startled with the idea of com
mitting a great sin, and so the devil brings
you little temptation, and leaves you to in
dulge yourself. “There is no harm in this;
no great peril in that; ” and so by these little
chips we are first easily lighted up, and at
last the green log is burned. Watch and
pray that ye enter not* into temptation.
Household Devotion. —Sir Thomas
Abney, as is well known, was the beloved
friend of the celebrated Doctor Watts, who
found in his house an asylum for more than
thirty-six years. Sir Thomas was not more
distinguished by his hospitality than his
piety. Neither business nor pleasure in
terrupted bis observance of public and do
mestic worship. Os this, a remarkable iif
■cident is- recorded. Upon the evening of
the day that he entered on his office of
Lord Mayor of London, without any notice
he withdrew from the public assembly at
Guildhall after supper, went, to his house
and performed family worship, and returned
to the company.
THE ARMY & NA V Y HERALD.
Scripture Illustrations.
“They found no more ot her than the skull, and
the feet, and the palms of the hands. ”-2 Kings
ix. 35.
It may appear somewhat extraordinary,
but it is true, that, although the hyena, jack
al, and pariah dogs of India greedily devour
human flesh whenever they may come across
it, yet do they, owing to some instinctive
and inherent prejudice, invariably abandou
the hands and feet of such corpses as they
may have in every other respect consumed.
And this remark holds generally good in ail
parts of the East. On the arid sands of
Juggernaut, where the pilgrims die by
hundreds and thousands throughout the
year, from the effects of disease and famine,
and whose remains are devoured by the dogs
and other obscene auimals (there being no
hand near that will, on account of caste,
afford burial), the former fact is fully estab
lished and confirmed. On one occasion it
happened that a ferry-boat, laden with piU
griius, was in the act of effecting a transit
over the Subunreeka River, near the vill
age of Jellasore, in the bight of the rainy
monsoon, and from its having been overla
den with passengers, it. was swamped; and,
owing to the fearful impetuosity of the tor
rent, the whole of the party were drowned;
and in the course of a week afterwards
when the floods had subsided, the sand,
were chequered with the skeletons of some
forty human beings, the same having hern
denuded of the flesh by dugs and jackals.
The only parts which remained entire and
untouched were the insides of the hands,
and the bottoms of the feet; and whilst I
stood gazing a while upon the solemn and
distressing spectacle, it brought to my mind
the remarkable passage contained in the
Second Book of King, swhich relates to the
uni appy fate of Jezebel, who it is recorded
therein, “ was devoured of dog'!, and no
thing remained of her but the palms of her
hands, and the soles of her feet. ” Thus the
truth of the above passage is supporter
by similar occurrences borne witness to in
modern times by eastern travellers. - Cur
respondent of Morning Post.
Havelock’s Prayer-Tent.
Many people excuse themselves from
God’s service for want of time. The ap
prentice does; the school-boy in the hurry
of termtime docs; the man at his worship;
the mother with her large family around
her.
General Havelock, that distinguished
generul in India, whose wisdom and brave
ry did so much to put a stop to. the cruel
and bloody mutiny of the Sepoys, never
made this excuse to get rid of the service
of his heavenly Father. lie had time, a
inong all the hurry ar-d worry of camp life,
to make the business of religion the first
business. He found time, lie did not
believe God ever put men in posts where
they could not serve Him. He was-a man
of prayer, and he found time to pray; not
•nly to pray himself, but with his men.
Among his camp baggage was a prayer-tent,
the biggest one he had, and this he used
to pitch at'the stations, and hold prayer
meetings iu it, and read the preeious Word
of God to his soldiers.
He well knew if there was a class of men
in the world that needed the comforts and
the help of the Lord Jesus Christ it was sol
diers. And many a poor soldier found how
superior was a heavenly service over any
thing the Queen of England could offer.
In the hurried and awful marches which
General Havelock and his regiment wore
forced to make in the late war, lie arose two
hours before his men, in order to have time
to pray. If they were to begirt their march
at six o’clock in the morning, he wa» up at
four. If the camp was to break up at four
he was up at two. And there were no sol
diers so prompt and faithful in duty as Gen.
Havelock’s.
\ David’s Syllogism. —Thomas Fuller,
! in his “ Scripture Observations,” says :
| Lord, I find David making a syllogism,
in his mood and figure ; two prospects lie
perfected.
“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the
Lord will not hear me.
“ But verily God hath heard me. He
hath attended to the voice of my prayer.”
Now, I expected that David would Lave
concluded thus :
“ Therefore I regard not wickedness in
my heart.” But far different he concludes:
“ Blessed be God, who hath not turned
away my prayer nor His mercy from me.”
Thus David hath deceived me, but not
wronged ine.
J looked that he should have clapped the
crown on his own, and he puts it on God’s
head. I will learn this excellent logic; for
I like David’s better than Aristotle’s syllo
gisms, that whatever the premises be, I
make God’s glory the conclusion.
The Great Frederick.
The following is the address of Frederick
the Great to the Generals and high officer!.
December 4, 1750, before the battle near
Leutlieu :
Gentlemen, you are aware that while I
was obliged to stop the progress of the
French and Austrians, Prince Charles, of
XiOthringen, has succeeded in taking Sch
weiduitz, beating the Duke of Bavaria, and
making himself master of Breslau : the cap
ital of uiy Silesia and a part of the Province
are thus lost, together with all the provis
ions and ammunitions therein contained, and
my troubles would be very great if I placed
not an unbounded confidence in your cour
age, firmness and love of your country,
which you have shown on so many great oc
casions.
L acknowledge such services rendered to
our fatherland, and to me, with the tender
est movements of my heart.
Tb ere is almost not one auiQugst you who
has not distinguished himself by some great
and honorable deed ; therefore. I flatter my
self you will fall short in nothing which the
State has a right to expect of your valor,
if circumstances demand it. This epoch
approaches ; I should believe I had done
nothing if 1 left the Austrians in possession
of Silseia; mark therefore, 1 shall attack
the army of l’riuce Charles, although near
ly three times stronger, and wherever I find
it, and in opposition to all the rules of the
art of war.
At this juncture, the number of the ene
my is not the question, nor the importance
of his position; for all this I hope the strong
hearts of my army, and the exact obedience
to my orders, will overcome. I must ven
ture this blow, or everything is lost; we
must ariihilate the enemy, or his batteries
will bury us. Thus I intend to act. Com
municate my orders to all the officers of the
army, and prepare the privates for the work
which must soon follow, informing them
that I consider myself entitled to uncondi
tional discipline. However, if you remem
ber that you are Prussians, you will certain
ly make yourselves worthy of this prefer
ence; it there should be one amongst you
who fears to divide with me all the danger,
lie can obtain his dismission to-day and
without receiving from me the lea-f re
proach. [A\ r e follow your majesty unto
death ! Our all and our blood for the King!
called out loud the officers, and the King
proceeded]
Before now 1 was convinced that none of
you would forsake me. I count, therefore,
totally on your faithful assistance and on
the certain victory. Should ! fall, and not
lie able to reward you. our Fatherland must
do it. Go now into the camp, and repeat to
your battalions what I have said. If any
regiment of horse should not fall upon the
enemy at once, as ordered, they shall after
the battle dismount, and be put into the gar
rison ; and the battalion of foot which only
hesitates one moment shall lose its standards
and sabres, and the decorations from its uni
forms, be it wheresoever it may ! Now
gentlemen, farewell. Shortly we shall have
either beaten the enemy or we shall never
see each other again 1 ”
—-—_
God may east thee down, but he will not
cast thee off.— Case.
“Your Country.” —When you are
asked to fight for “ your country,” do you
comprehend the full meaning of the sacred
appeal embraced in the term ? What is
“your country”? We answer in the words
ofan old French officer, which we find in
a volume of Emile Souvcstre, entitled “An
Attic Philosopher in Paris.”
“Perhaps you have never thought what
your country means,” continued he, placing
his hand on my shoulder ; “t 7 A all that
surrounds you, all that has brought you up
and fed you , all that you have loved! This
country that you see, these houses, these
trees, those girls who go along there laugh
ing—tbisisyourcountry ! The laws which
protect you, the bread which pays for your
work, the words you interchange with others
the joy and griqf which come to you from
the men a*d things among which you live
—this is your country ! The little room
where you used to see your mother, the re
membrances she has left you, the earth
i where she rests—this is your country! You
| see it, you breath it, everywhere ! Think
to yourself, my son, of your rights and your
duties, your affections and your wants, your
past and your present blessings; write them
all under a single name—and that name
wilt be your country !”
Phrenologists locate the bump of inven
tion upon the skull; but a nose three inches
long is a great projector.
Never use a gold snuff-box. Gold is not
to be sneezed at.
Afflictions.
A good old Fcotch minister used to say
to any of his ffi ck wkeu they were labour
ing under affliction, “ Time is short: and
it your cross is heavy, you have not far to
carry it.”
When the grace of'an afflicted saint is in
exercise, his heart is like a garden of roses,
or a well of rose-water, which, the more
moved and agitated they are, the sweeter is
the fragrance they exhale.
Those whom God loves he takes to pieces,
and then puts them together again.— Anon.
As no temporal blessing is good enough
to be a sign of eternal election; so no tem
poral affliction is bad enough to be an evi
dence of reprobatiou : for the dearest Son of
God’s love was a man of sorrows and ac
quainted with grief.
Afflictions scour us of our rust. Adver
sity, like wiuter weather, is of use to kill
those vermin which the summer of prosper
ity is apt to produce and nourish.
The church below is often in a suffering
state. Christ himself was a man of sorrows;
; nor should his bride be a wife of pleasures.
Every vessel of mercy must be scoured in
order to brightness. And however trees in
! the wilderness may grow without culture,
j trees in the garden be pruned to be
I made fruitful: and corn-fields must be broken
up, when barren heaths are left untouched.
! — Dr. Arrou-smith.
■ Afflictions are blessings to us when we
j can bless God for affliction,
j God had a Son without sin, but none witli
! out sorrow ; lie had one Son without corrup
-5 tion, but no Son without correction.— Dyer.
Christian, bath not God taught thee, by
his word and Spirit, how to read the short
hand of his providence ? Dost thou not know
that the saint's afflictions staud for blessings ?
Guru all.
The natural man is a spiritual monster.
His heart is where liis feet should be, fixed
upon the earth : his heels are lifted up
against heaven, which his heart should be
set on. llis face is towards hell; his back
towards heaven. He l ives what he should
. hate, and he hates what he should love ; joys
| in what he ought to mourn for, and mourns
i for what lie ought to rejoice in; glories in
j his shame, and is ashamed of his glory; ab
[ hors what he should desire, and desires what
he should abhor.
The afflictions of the unrenewed man are
as an unruly horse, that either will not re
ceive, or violently runs away with the rider.
None of Adam’s children naturally incline
to receive the blessings in borrowed robes;
but would always, according to the spider’s
motto, owe all to themselves : and so climb
up to heaven on a thread spun out of their
own bowels. For they desire to lie under
the law (Gal. iv. 21), and go about to estab
lish their own righteousness. (Rom. x. 3.)
—Boston.
Forty Miles an Hour at Sea. —The
Liverpool Mercury observes that Mr. Jas.
Strict, working joiner of that town, has
invented a screw propeller, and that lie
states, from experiments made on the
I Prince's Park Lake, that with this screw
j he can get four times the speed of the or
dinary screw, with the same engine and the
. same pressure of steam. The screws are
| worked reverse by of two wheels at
j the centre boxes of the screws, and can be
j replaced at sea at any time, and, being one
| third above the water, can be unshipped
without any difficulty.
Secret of Talking Success. —Some
preachers might learn something profitable
from the following. Says one : I asked Sir
James Scarlett what was the secret of his
i pre-eminent success as an advocate. He
j replied that he took care to press home the
j one principal point of the case, without
paying much regard to the others. He al
so said that he knew the secret of being
short. “ I find,” said he, “ that when I ex
ceed half an hour, I am always doing mis
chief to my client; if I drive into the head
of the jury unimportant matter I drive out
matter more important that I had previously
lodged there.”
IMPORTANT INFORMATION.
BEING POSSESSED OF THE ART OF
writing invisibly, whereby private communica
tion can be carried on with friends going in, or
who may be left within the enemy’s lines, 6r
with friends and relatives at home without fear
of detection, I will furnish materials sufficient
to write one hundred letters for the sum of one
hundred dollars. The materials will be sent to
any part of the Confederacy free of charge.
Address ROBERT H. TATEM,
P. 0. Box 600, Macon, Ga.
Reference—Any citizen of Savannah.
mh23—6t*
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