The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1877-03-21

Quaker was won't to say, s'I expect ito pass
this world but once. IT, therefore, there be
any kindness / can show, or any good thing
can do, to my fellow-beings let me do it
now; let me not defer or neglect it, for shall
not pass this way again. Mary read the
paragraph twice over, and it made deep
impression on her heart. She took her seat
at the table, thoughtfully, and she won
dered. as she glanced up at the already
wearied face of her mother, whether she had
to return. She could not go that way again.
But here was long, bright holiday she had
proposed to spend in self amusement. In
deed she had kept herself awake an hour or
more in planning the days enjoyment IN
tending to fill it as full as she could.
! Now. these words, 81 shall not pass this
way again." haunted her mind and awak-
ened quite new train of thought. What il
that mothers cheek should grow paler and
paler, her cough deeper, and her thin hands
be finally folded away forever on her silent
heart The thought was terrible. o, what
bitterness of regret she would feel that she
had lightened her burdens so littlel For
this day, at least, she would do what she
could. -r
Mother" she said when breakfast was
over, you have been looking for a spare
day to run over to Grafton, and see Aunt
Mabel, and now is your chance. / mean to
take the helm to-day" she continued, pleas
aatly
Not to-day, Mary, of all days, when there
is so much work to be DONE"
Eyes, mother, this is Just the day. / have
nothing else to do but to take your place.
You shall see tonight how well have filled
it.p
Mary's persuasions prevailed. and the
mother spent long, bright summer day
visiting with beloved invalid sister, to
whom her visit was indeed joyful surprise.
1t did good like a medicine" to both
mother and sister, while the gain to Mary her
self was hundred.fo fold greater.-The Childs
World
For our own parts, while we accept what
Bishop Elliott saws of the unique character of
the Old Testament history; while we cordi-
ally believe that its continuous and indelible
realism is painting man, and its constant and
deep belief in the providence of God afford
a testimony at once to the honesty of the
narratives and deep foundation of Hebrew
history in a genuine revelation, we can not
recognize any feature in it which should as
sure us against those great mistakes of detail
which occur in all other history-especially
as we do find here and there those remarka-
BILE inconsistencies between one part of the
history and another which are characteristic
of all human authorship, and especially of
the authorship of an Impractical and easily
believing age. 1t seems to US that historical
criticism makes an unanswerable case against
the habit of assigning anything like very
high authority as to detail to such
histories as the earlier narratives of the
Old Testament and that no one can
reasonably believe in any very high
authority for them except on some such
ground as the infallibility of the church,
whose canonical scriptures they form. But
as we cannot see any proof of such lnfalli-
bility, and, indeed, find in the Old Tesla.
ment histories much which is quite incon-
sistent with it, we should say that, on the
whole, the kind of hesitation which histori-
cal criticism has taught us in accepting the
details of Old Testament hstory-espe-
cially the early history-is well justified. Not
the less we should maintain that the
coherent belief of the prophets and histori-
ans in the divine purpose which formed
Israel into distinct people, and nodded 1t
for a special function in the life of the world
"a belief which shines through all the early
traditions, the early records, and the early
poems of the people as clearly as through
its latest prophesIes-is good and striking
evidence that they were people chosen by
God to understand his character and declare
it to the rest of the earth and that their ma
tional character had been formed-if not ex-
actly by the experience described, yet by ex-
perience more or less closely resembling it in
the confidence it had given them in the
mighty hand and outstretched arm of Je-
hovah-for the very purpose for which 1T
was ultimately used by the divine power.
1t is quite one thing to say that all these
curious old books, full of the evidence of
human imperfection, not only in the sub
jects treated, but in the persons who treated
them, are to be implicitly trusted as accu-
rate records, though they neither claim in
spiratiOn for themselves nor show any trace
OF completeness and exceptional accuracy,
and quite another, and a very different
thing indeed, to accept them heartily as the
reflection of a new faith, extending through
many ages, in the guiding hand of God
who was not only teaching the people whose
history they embody the lesson of righteous
ness, but filling them with the expectation
of destiny which would. through their race
bring life and light and hope in a broad
stream of regenerating power into the world
The Old Dynasty and the New.