Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1851-04-17

planned against him. With pleasant home,
innocent children, and all things needful for
bodily comfort and worldly well being, YOU
were not satisfied. You envied your neigh
bors the goods they possessed, and made yoar-
self miserable because you were not as rich as
they we're; and now, in your eager pursuit OF
wealth, you are doing great wrong-you are
about robbing, in fact, your ueighbor of what is
rishtfuliy his. Will this make you happy =
No-only the wise and good are happy A
conscience stained with evil is no pleasant com
panlon. Are You better man for the wealth
you have been permitted to accumulate. No
you are worse man, and your eternal condi-
tlon will be a hundred-fold more miserable
And how is it with your children, the prec-
ious jewels given into your care by God =
What account of them are you prepared to
| render. ....,t.,. ..,' '-..,, .......
At these words the mind of Mr. Willis was
| filled with anguish. '"
Come, said the strange monitor, and he
moved towards the door. An impulse, that he
could not resist, caused Mr. Willis to follow
him. As he stepped into the hall, he started at
the sight of one Of his sons lying in deep intox-
ication upon the floor. rtvf.-fyT aF'T
There is one Of these precious jewels, said
the old man sternly. His ruin is the price you
paid for gold come - F - -
The unhappy man moved on after the mys-
terious old man, who passed into the street,
walked rapidly along for considerable dis
tance, until he reached the courthouse, where
he entered. At the bar stood the oldest son f
Mr.. Willis, arraigned for forging the signature
of his employer to check, and drawing the
money. The trial, it seemed, had drawn to
close, the jury had brought in their verdict of
guilty, and the judge was pronouncing sentence
upon the trembling culprit-a sentence of i'm
prisonment for many long years. "n.
while you were in the eager pursuit of
wealth. said the old man, as the officer took
the criminal in charge and bore him away,
you scarcely thought or cared for your chill
dren. This son, inheriting from you desire
to possess what was not his own, was never
taught the evil of the theft, and led, with all
possible diligence, into the practice of dishonesty
in little as well as great things. No-you
have not time to think about or care for him
The getting Of money was of far more conse-
qnence than the spiritual health of your chill
dren. But Gomez .
The old man turned from the courtroom,
and the wretched father followed him. In a
little while they entered honse and went mp
into one of the chambers. A low cry of fear
and pain fell upon his ear as he reached the
door of his chamber As he entered, he saw
the husband of his unhappy daughter Jane,
with face like that of madman, raising a
billet of wood with which to strike her. The
blow, if it fell, he was conscious must deprive
her of life. Instantly he felt paralyzed in ev-
cry limb. The missile hung suspended in air
over the unprotected head of his child; but he
could not move a step for her defence; nor could
he even cry out. For moment or two there
was wild struggle in his bosom; then his
senses reeled, and he felt like man falling
through space. Suddenly all was changed,
and he was sitting alone in his parlor with his
head resting against the back of the large cush-
ioned chair in which he had seated himself
Starting up, he stood for some moments on the
floor, striving to collect his scattered senses
These were not fully restored until he heard
the voice of his little daughter Jane at the
door, calling his name, and asking him to let
her in.
Thank God that it is all, all dream,' he
then said, drawing long breath. ..o
And was it then only dream, father p
eagerly asked Henry Berton. Didn't Mr..
Willis get rich = .- ..- Wy.
No, Henry, he didn't get rich. And all
this was only Dream replied the father.
Wasn't it strange that he should have just
such dream as that = said William. 1t
seems as if it were sent to him from Heaven,
to make him see how wrong it was to find
fault with Providence
. No doubt it came by the permission Of that
very wise and good Providence against which
he was ever complaining, and for the very rea-
son you Supposed replied Mr.. Bcron.
and do you think, father inquired Mary,
that if Mr.. Willis had been permitted to get
rich, that he would have acted just as the
dream made him actr t-li u.s! ". ay-.s
THAT l cannot tell, my daughter. But, as
he couldn't get rich, although he tried very
hard to accumulate money!, am very sure
that there was something in him that would
have caused riches to have injured him very
seriously ..Y
~ Spiritually, you mean, father!' . ..uH
.Of course lido. Always when we think of
the operations Of Divine Providence towards
US, we should bear in mind that they, in every
case, regard, as / have before told you, eternal
ends, ai alea go ro.. -U ..tt.a 4i UJniu.ud
Il will try and not forget that as long as
live, said Mary Often things do not happen
Just as could wish them to happen, and then
am apt to feel fretted, and wish that it were
different. But this, see. is. very wrong,
1T certainly is, Mary. In every thing, lit
tie and great, ,ha. happens in our whole lives.
the Lord is present in his Divine Providence.
overriding all for our good. Onr disaPpoint-
ments. our losses. and our crosses, are all per
mitted for our spiritual good. And if we will
but bear this in mind as we travel on through
our journey Of life, we will be happier and
better men and women than would otherwise