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6 Ad Interesting Narrative. Two you: g men, the children of pious and wealthy pa, i ids, felt th--uis».: ves exceed ingly displeased at heirm constantly refused the family carriage on the Lord’s day. It was in vain thev urged their confinement during the w<#k, a- 1 a sufficient reason, why thev should be thus indulged on the Sab bath. It was the father’s settl' and rule, tint, the authority which commanded him to rest included also bis servants and cattle ; lie therefore turned a deaf ear to their entrea ties and remonstrances. In their madness. «r in'their folly, they determined to resent this refusal, by leaving their situations and going to set. .Intelligence -1 1 this step was transmitted to the Rev. John Griffin, of Port. «ea, and he was requested to make dili gent inquiry, and on finding them to use ererv p s-.ble means to induce them to re turn home. After some scare ■ he found them in a rendezvous house,.and introdu cing himself, he stated his business and urged their r turn. He however, urged them in vain : for,bent upon the fulfilment of their design, they Ranked hr.a for Ins advice, blit dele mined to reject it. Among other reason - -*,hr their return, he urged the feeling of their parents, a» 1 e-p - • dally those of their mother. “Think,” said the good Bint), “ what mu.-t vour mothe: s situation vanl prayer, after looking lorw.uni to this time, when in your s cietp and in your wcl fare, she hoped to in jet a rich reward for all that she had suffered on your account; yet in one ki mini, and bWone imprudent step, she S id you p!u g . • misery, the depth of which you cauuot conceive of, and herself the subject of a wretchedness she has never dfcsci red at your hands ” Tu the heart of the youngest there was a sense of gratitude, which answered to this appc .l; and bursting into tears, he expres sed his sorrow for his conduct, and his wil lingness to return. Still, the oldest remain ad obdurate. .’Neither arguments persuaded him, nor warnings alarmed him. The car riage had been repeatedly refu-ed; he had made up his mind to go to sea, and to . l,c would go. “ Theio ’’ saict .Mr. Griffin, u come witJ so u O’ i will get you n stop, and you shall go out, as a mau and a gentleman.” This he declined, assigning as a reason, that it would make his parents feel, to have it said that their son was gone as a .common sailor, therefore he would go. “Is that your disposition was the reply. “ Then young man, go,” said Mr. Griffin, “and while 1 say, God go with you, be sure your sin will find you out, and for it God will bring you into judgment.” With re luctance. they left him ; the youngest son was restored to his parents, while all traces @f the elder one were lost, and he was Mourned for, as one dead. After the lapse of a considerable time, a loud knocking wae heard at Mr. Griffin’s door. This was early in the morning. On the servant’s going down to open the door, *hc found a waterman, who wished imme diately to see her master. Mr. Griffin soon appeared, and was informed that a young man under sentence of death, and about to be executed on one of the ships in tho har bor, bad expressed an earnest desire to see him, urging among other reasons, that he oouhl not die happy unless he did. A short time found the minister of religion on board the ship, when the prisoner manacled and • uarded, was introduced to him, to whom Tie said, “my poor friend, i. feci for your condition, but as 1 am a stranger to you may I ask why you have scut for me ? Lt may be that you heard me preach at I‘ortsea.” “Never, sir. Ho you not know me ?” “ l do ms..” “Do you not remember the two young men, whom you some years since urged to return to their parents, and to their duty “ 1 do! .1 do, remember it; and ia member that you wore one of them.” “ I have sent th n lor you to take my last farewell of you in this world, and to bless you for y -ur efforts to restore me to a sense of my duty. Wouii God, that i had taken your adv ice ; but it is now too late My sin has 1 iu 1 me out, and lor it God has brought me into judgment. One, and but one con eolation remains ; I refused me offer of going to your house until f could lie provided for assigning as a reason, that it would make my pa rim; > fed to have it said t’iieii sou was t common sailor. A little reflection showed me the cruelty of this determination; 1. as sumed another name, under which 1 enter ed myself; and my chief consolation Is, that I shall die unpitied and unknown.” What the feelings of Mr. Griffin were at this ad discovery may be - more easily con- • •civet) ! ban described. He spent sometime with him in prayer, and offered him that advice, which was best suited to his unhap py case. The prisoner was again placed in eonfinement, and Mr. Griffin remained with the officer, who was then on duty. “ Can nothing bo done for this poor young man?’' THE ARMY & NAYY HERALD. prisoner was withdrawn. “I fear not.” replied the officer, “ the lords of the admi ralty have determined to make an example of the first offender in this particular crime, lie unfortunately is that offender; and’we hourly expect, the warrant for his execu tion.” Mr. Griffin determined to go imme diately up (o London, and, in humble depen dence uj»on the Lord, tc make every effort to save the criminal’s life. It was his lot. on the day of his arrival in the metropolis, to fibtain an interview with one of the lords of too admiralty, to whon lie stated the respec tability of die young man’s connections, bis bitter and unfeigned regret for tbc crime which had forfeited his life; and, with that earnestness, which the vuiue of life is cal culated to excite, ventured to ask, if it was possible to spare hiig. To his regret, he was informed that the warrant, for his execution had been that morning signed, and was on its way to the officer, whose melancholy duty it was to see it executed. With compassioii, the noble man said, “go back, sir, and prepare him for the worst.. 1 cannot tell what is to be done ; but we. are shortly to meet his majes ty in council, and all that you have urged shall bo then stated ; may it prove success ful.” Mr. Griffin returned, but discovered that the morning of his reaching home was the time appointed for the young' man’s execution. Joy and Tear, and anx iety. by turns, possessed his mind, as, within a few minutes after bis arrival, came a pardon, accompanied with the most ea v nc: t, request, to go .immediately on board, lost the sentence of the law should be exe cuted before lie could reach the ship Upon the issue of a moment now rested the life of a fellow creature, and perhaps the salvation of an immortal soul. The minister reached the harbor, and saw the yellow flag, the signal of death flying, the rigging manned, and, for aught he knew t.o the contrary, the object of his solicitude at the last moment of Lis mortal existence. He reached the ship’s side, and saw an aged man leaving if, who*© eigffs, and groans, and tears, proclaimed a heart bursting with grief, and a soul deeper in misery than the depths of the waters he was upon. It was the prisoner’s father ! * Under the assumed name he bad discov ered his wretched son, and had been to take his last farewell of him. Yes, it was the father who had brought him up ip the fear of the Lord; who in his earliest days had led him to the house of God;,and who, when lost, had often inquired in prayer, “ Lord, where is my child?” Fearfully was lie answered; he had found him, but it was to part, never in this world to meet again. Such at least must have been his conclusions in that moment, when having torn himself from the embrace of his son, lie was in the act of leaving the ship. The rest is told in a few words: with Mr. Griffin he re entered the vessel at the mo ment. when the prisoner, pinioned for exe cution, was advancing toward the fatal spot when he was to be summoned into the pres ence of God. A moment found him in the embrace not of death, but of his father; his immediate liberation followed the knowledge of his pardon ; and a few days restored the wanderer to the bosom ol his family. How forcibly are we reminded by the foregoing narative ol’ the sinner, who wan- I ders from G and. Desirous of cultivating his own depraved appetites, and selfish inclina tions he abandons the service of his Heav- | enly Father, because the law of the latter ! does not admit of such indulgence. If he j may not have his own way, he will enter’ the service of one who allows of every in dulgencc and the greater the demands for in- j diligence the more he is pleased. Into the » service of the adversary of God and of his | own soul he enters, and spends his strength and his days in the practice of vice and 1 crime. Often does his Heavenly Father send af ter him, admonishing him, and invite him back. Some Christian, or some Christian minister, who knows his earthly parents, and with what sorrow he is embittering their lives, says to-him “ Why will you die?” • lu some instances the sinner is melted to repentance —returns to bis Heavenly Fath er, and mourns sincerely that lie ever de arted fipflt him. Rut how often is ho found, refusing the counsels of the pious— how often, deaf to the voice of entreaty, and Inrd&qed against the word and the‘Spirit of God, does lie wander still farther and far ther; —miserable, yet proud; ’self-condem ed, but obstinate ; —afraid ol the wrath to come, yet persisting in filling up the meas ure of his iniquity. At length death approaches. Disease seizes upon his frame, or he forfeits his life b J some heuious infraction of law. Hor ror stricken, he casts his eyes around for relief. Is there no help? Must he die and be miserable to all eternity ? In this was one of the first inquiries made after the state of fearful apprehension, he sends for some minister of. the gospel, or for some Christian friehd to whom he unfolds his case, and whom lie* urges to plead his cause. 11 is wants are carried to the throue of the eternal, by the breath of prayer —mercy is sought —pardon is supplicated—reformation is promised. In this, hour of alternate hope and despair, God in pity listens to the voice of supplication—the humble broken hearted sinner is pointed unto the Lamb of God, as one, and the only one, who can take away sin. Into the hands of the Father, through the blood of the Sou. he casts all his interests, and finds peace to his troubled conscience, He died ; but through the rich grace of God he is welcomed to a Father’s house on high—a monument of mercy—tru ly a brand plucked out of the fire. There are instances of the salvation of abandoned sinners like the one whom we have here suppose I; the in tances, however, are probably few. And because here and there one is thus rescued, and is accepted at the eleventh hour, is it wise to procrastinate ? is it wise to presume? Shall we sin, be cause grace abounds; and continue in sin. in the anticipation that grace has no limits ? There is one instance on record in the Bi ble, of a sinner’s being accepted in his dying moments —the penitent thief. An old di vine has somewhere said, that “this one instance is recorded, that u i sinner might absolutely and spun - —and but due instance w.s given, that none should presume.” A REMARKABLE ANSWER TO PRAYER. A few years ago the Wesleyans at An, in the county of Essex, occupied a small cottage for public worship. The Lord re vived his work, and the place was too strait for them. They sought and obtained a plot of ground upon which to erect a chapel. Some of “ the baser sort ” in the village weie opposed to its erection : and one to whom a large tree belonged, one of the branches of which overhung the ground, resolved that it should not be erected. His opposition was bitter and protracted : the poor people did not wish to go to law : they theicfore held a special prayer-meeting, and besought the Lord to interfere. That night there was a violent storm, accompanied by thunder and lightning; the electric fluid struck the tree, and severed the braneh just where it would have been in the way. Fear fell upon the enemies of Zion, and the j building was erected, anu still stands a mon- , ument of the liberality of the people, and one of the “ bulwarks of the land.” The Sabhatii.—Once give over caring for the Sabbath, an in the end you will give over caring for your sotil. The steps which lead to this conclusion are easy and regular. Begin with not honoring God’s day, and you will soon not honor God’s house ; cease to honor God’s house, and you will cease to honor God’s Book ; cease to honor God’s Book, and by-and-by you will give God no honor at all. Let a man lay the foundation I of having no Sabbath, and 1 am never sur- : prised if he finishes with the topstone of no God. It is a remarkable saying of Judge ; Hale, “ Os all those who were convicted of i capital crimes, while be was upon the beach, lie found only a few who would not confess, on inquiry, that they began their career of wickedness by a neglect of the Sabbath.” Reader, resolve, hv God’s help, that you will always remember the Sabbath-day to! keep it holy. Honor it by a regular atten dance at some place where the gospel is preached. Settle down under a faithful ministry, and once settled, let your place in church never be empty. Give God his day. —Rev. J. C. Ryle. Fear Not. —Shou'd I be asked, what is the grand remedy against undue fear of every possible kind ? 1 answer in one word, Communion with God. “ He,” says good Dr. Owen, “who would be little in tempta tion, must be much in prayer.” Ply the the mercy seat. Eye the blood of Christ. Cry mightily to the Spirit of God. To which 1 add, wait at the footstool in holy stillnfess of soul; sink into nothing before the uncreated Majesty, if he shines with in, you will fear nothing from without. What made the martyfs fearless? Their souls w r eve with Christ—Jesus lifted up the beams of his love upon them, and they smiled at all the tires which mau could kin dle.— Toplady. We should never estimate the soundness of principles by our own ability to defend them, or consider an objection as unanswer able to which we can find no reply. Those who suspect all are to be suspected. They have learned human nature at home. The Christian in his sick room, as in an aute-clramber, dresses for heaven. The Revelation of Christ. — This began very early, eveu in Paradise. There | the Sun of Righteousness dawned, and from thence shone more and more unto the per fect day. He was announced as the seed of woman, and the bruiser of the serpent’s head. # Then as the 6eed of Abrahaui, in whom all the families of the earth were to be blessed. Then, as the Shiloh of Judah, j to whom the gathering of the people should : be. Then, as the Son of David, and his j Lord. Os him, Moses, in the law, and the i prophets, did write. He was held forth, ! not only in words, but in types. He was | seen in Moses as a prophet, in Aaron as a | priest, in Joshua as a conqueror, in Solomon as a prince of peace, in Jonah as dying and rising again. Every bleeding sacrifice ex pressed him as an offering for sin; the man- I mi from lieaveu and the water from the rock, as the bread and the water of life; the tab ernacle and the temple as the residence of the diviniy, in whom dwelt all the fullness .of the Godhead bodily. The exhibition of him may be likened unto a perfect portrait ure of the most distinguished and endeared personage, at full length, rolled up on one side of a room, and which the owner grad ually oj*ct!s to the beholders, till the whole | figure stands disclosed. So God gradually ; revealed the desire of all nations, while his ! delighted and wondering church exclaimed : | “ He is fair t than the children t f men.”— I “yea, he is altogether lovely.”— Jay. ; The idea tint all industrial pursuits ought to be broken up and every man sent to the army, is as pernicious as.it is absurb. There are men all around us who ought to be at the front; bi!t this does not argue that every one should be there Wo cannot whip the Yankees into terms by one battle, nor by a series of battles, but by stubborn endurance : and to be able to endure, we must keep up the machinery of our recuperative energies, agriculturally, mechanically and otherwise. It, is madness to stake the fate of the coun try on one die. We must proceed with the contest as if it were to last forever, and to I do illis we must attach no odium to citizens who are honorably exempted from military duty. The Government has been its own judge in determining the number and char acter of its details and exemptions, and it therefore follows that men at home may be just as good patriots as those in the Jield. Every man who carries a musket is not nec essarily a true man any more than every man who serves the government at home is a traitor. There should be no enmity be tween citizens and soldiers ; on the contrary, they should be reciprocally kind the one towards the other. As to turning out en masse, when local exigencies require it, that is a different matter, of which every oue should be his own counsellor. Every one is interested and we presume every one will do his duty. It is charitable to think so.— Selma 'Reporter. Nature’s Alphabet. —Nature’s alpha bet is made up of only four letters—wood, water, rock, aud soil; yet within these four letters she forms such wonderful composi tions, such infinite combinations, as no lan guage of twenty-four letters can describe. Nature never grows old; she has no provin cialism. The lurk carols the same song in the same key as when Adam turned his de lighted ear to catch the strain; the owl still hoots a B flat, yet loves the note, and screams through the same octave; the stor my petrel is as much delighted to sport among the fierce waves of the Indian Ocean as in the earliest times; birds that lived on flies laid bluish eggs when Isaac went out in the 'field at eventide, as they will two ! thousand years hence, if the world does not | break her harness from tlie orb of day. The | sun is as bright as when Lot entered the city |of Zoar. The diamond and the onyx, and the topaz of Ethiopia are still as spieuded, ' and the vulture’s eye is as fierce as when j Job took uja his parable. In short, nature’s ! pendulum has never altered its strokes. ! ‘ ' Recent Appointments.— Generals S. j D. Lee and Wade Hampton, recently ap j pointed Lieutenant-Generals, have been con ! firmed by the Oonfedi rate Senate. The promotion of General Hampton makes him rank General Wheeler, and puts him in command of all our cavalry now operating j against Slierman. The very best effects may be expected to result from this appoint ment. General Hampton’s presence will not fail to'inspire confidence and enthusi asm. *> ft Brigadier Gen. Grimes, of North Caroli na, has been made a Major General, apd as signed to the command of Rodes’ division, Ewell’s old corps. Scarce any time is spent with less thought than a great part of what is spent in reading