Daily American telegraph. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1851-1852, 1852-01-09
ILLUSTRATION OF FAITH.

lLLUSIHAIlUN UF FAITH.
Father" said little Welsh boy to his pa
rent who had been explaining the Scriptures
to his family, in the hall of what was once the
manor-house but which was then occupied by
farmer" Father, you said you would one
day. when | was old enough, teach me what
Faith is. Am | old enough nowan
"Well | think you arc, Willy. Come to
me- said his father; rising from his chair.
ne boy no sooner approached, than his
father raised him from the ground, and set him
on the top OF double chest Of drawers that
stood beside the wall. The child's color went
ana came, and he was evidently afraid to stand
upright In so unusual q situation.
Now, Willy" said his father, placing him
self at little distance, and holding out his
arms, "Now, Willy, stand upright and Jump
into my arms"
The child's position and the fathers com
mand were alike calculated to produce alarm,
and did produce it. But the fathers look was
calm, and kind and serious, and the child had
invited the lesson so he had nothing for it but
to turn his mind to compliance
| Raising himself somewhat, at length he
made an effort to jump; but his heart failed
him, and he drew back farther from the edge
of the drawers
"Ah Willy" said his father thou hast no
faith-try again" Willy thought moment
and perceived the nature and drift of his
fathers experiment. He came again to the
edge and at this time he did make the spring
but SO imperfectly, and with 50 divided mind,
that he would have fallen but for beam Of
| the ceiling just above him. on which he clappcd
his hands and recovered himself
His father smiled and said, "Willy, thou
hast no faith yet but that was better than the
last Come, try once more.n
of fba fnfh fhar'S e.,
and his still open arms at length assured our
hero there really was no danger or it may be,
SO much to reverence and trust in a parental
smile, that he forgot the danger Be this as it
may this time little Willy stood bolt upright,
and jumped over the dreaded gulf into his
fathers powerful arms He looked up with
smile; and his father setting him on the floor,
said, GThere, Willy, that was Faith. There is
the gulf of hell between you and eternal life
your Heavenly Father holds out for you the
arms of His love, and sent his only Son to die
and prove it to you. Trust Him as you have
trusted me, and you will save your soul.
A SINGLE SENTENcE-On the 9Th of Feb
ruary last there died in Edinburgh a venera-
BILE Baptist pastor, Mr. James Alexander Hal
dane in his eghty-fourth year. In his early
life he commanded the man-ofwar Melville
Castle. While engaged in an action one day
the decks of his ship were cleared by the broad
sides Of the enemy. Captain Haldane ordered
a fresh set of hands to be "piped up" to take
the place Of the slain. The men. on seeing
the mangled bodies of their comrades scatter
ed over the deck, instinctively drew back at
which, their commander poured forth a volley
of oaths, and wished them all in h-n. One of
the seamen, who had been religiously educated
shortly afterwards said to the Captain, in a
| II raI IL
heard your prayer just now where should we
have been z" The engagement terminated but
a greater victory had been achieved ouer Cap
tain Haldane than by him. The old sailors
words were winged by Him who never smites
in vain; and from that day the gallant and
reckless officer became n changed man. He
lived to preach the Gospel for ffty-four years
Among the early fruits of his ministry was the
conversion of his brother Robert now well
known as an able, learned, and pious commen-
tator Robert went to Geneva and during Il
sojourn there of several months (about 1914
he labored with unwearied assduity to reclaim
the pastors and theological students, whom he
met with, from their ratonalstic errors to in
doctrinate them in the evangelical faith, and
to lead them to seek a personal interest in the
Saviour. The blessing of God was with him, A
considerable number of young men became
hopefully pious; and among those in whose con-
version he had main agency were Frederick
Monod, now one of the pillars of the Evangel-
ical Church in France Felix Neff, the devoted
young pastor of the High Alps, whose memory
is held sacred in both hemispheres and Merle
D'Aubigne, the eminent historian Of the Refor-
nation. To pronounce these names is to show
how impossible it must be for any created mind
to gather up the results of that single CONVEX
sion on board the Melville Castle. And that
conversion was brought about through a single
sentence addressed by sailor to his command
er, firmly but courteously reproying him for
his profanity
This case is strong one. But is it not in
structivel Does it not shame our remissness in
the great duty of bringing men to Christ
Does it not hold out the amplest encourage
ment to fidelity and zeal in this most important
work Z They that turn many to Righteousness
shall shine as the stars, forever" How glori-
ous a. crown, then, will adorn the brow of that
poor seaman who maintained his loyalty to
Christ at the hazard of offending his command
er, and whose fathfulness has already told with
an efficacy so powerful and so auspcious upon
the church and the world DIR. Boardmdn
A LEpER--The following account of leper,
from the pen of Mr. Counter, a late traveller in
the East viii afford our readers pretty cor
rect notion of the appearance of the sufferers
by that strange disease: Zone evening, while
stroling along the seashore, saw such an ex-
traordinary object before me, that could not
take my eyes off Of it. II was q man, whose
clothing, like that of the lower orders of india,
was piece of cloth wrapped around the body,
from the waist downward. His skin was per-
fcctly white, and seemed glazed as if scared
with hot iron. His head was uncovered, and
his hair which was precisely the same color
n