Year: 1869

90 said little Rollie, when but six


~ years of age, as his mother in as
sumed disnleasure, raised her hand as if
to strike him. Had her anger been real
instead of pretended, it must have been
conquered by that little sentence so low
ingly, trustfully uttered. Thus, thought
I, the child of God should trust him.
81 Out of the mouths of babes and suck
lings thou hast ordained strength" So
it is written. And here is this little boy
teaching us the most precious lessons
His tiny finger was pointing to the
threatening hand of his mother; his eyes
were looking up confidingly into her
face and though her brow was dark
and forbidding, though he was pointing
to the very hand which, at other times;
had inflicted chastisement upon him, yet
such faith had he in his mothers love,
that he feared no harm. o, tried, aillict-
ed child of God, does not this little Incl
dent bear to your soul some whisperings
Tof consolation ana strength? What
though adversity. Is there not One,
your Father, who controls it? 1.-The
Lord shall preserve thee from all evil"
not that you shall never suffer, for, i'll
the world ye shall have tribulations,"
still "IIe shall preserve thy SOUL" Can
you believe that your Heavenly Father
loves you less than this imperfect NOR
tai loved her boy? This child did not
always understand his mother; yet he
trusted her implicitly. And is not God
as worthy of your confidence? True,
His ways are sometimes mysterious, far
above your comprehension. Often his
hand has not only threatened, but tstruck
you with seemingly pitiless blows; and
even now it may be raised us if to renew
the pain of former chastsements. But
whose hand is it? Not an enemy's, not
strangers. "God is love-" God is
your Father, and it is His hand, there
fore fear not, it will do you no harm. The
strength of Omnipotcnce is there, and it
is able to crush you down to hopeless
ruin yet it will not do this because its
every motion, its tremendous power is
under the cop<traint ofiniinite love. AS
God lives this is true; and as God lives
and loves, His hand will never touch
you, savo to raise you up nearer to that
mansion where the weary are forever at
rest. Have you never see an earthly pa
rent correcting her child, while the tears
streaming down her eileminate, face told
you that each blow, MS it fell, carried
more pain to her heart than to her child?
"LilSe as mother pitieth her children,
so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him."
Then if the providence is gloomy, do not
look only upon this, but upon your Fa-
TIERS face; look into His eyes, and by
just one glance of faith you will SEQ
depths of love--love for you, poor, tried
child-which the endless, joyous striv
ings of eternity cannot fathom. You do
not see this love, when you gaze only at
the hand, which threatens or at the trial
already upon you. You may point to
the hand, as did this little boy; or you
may fully recognize the presence of your
aflliction. But while doing this let your
faith be searching the Fathers eye, feel
ing the movings of His heart, and there,
both in eye and heart, you will find on
ly love, and in finding this you will re-
ceive peace. Had it been a strangers
hand, the child would have felt fear and
terror. But with his mother he had been
in constant intimacy every day of his
life and thus he had learned to love and
trust her. "Thats my papa's hand."-
God is not Father, but stranger to
many, and they can see, feel nothing but
tribulation aud anguish in His affective
providences. But let the poor sinner
learn to know God is Father; let him
draw near to the blood of Jesus-not
only draw near, but dwell there in con-
tinued, daily communion with this Fa.
thcr, and thus will he love Him, trust
Him, and often by his faith disarm the
providence of his powers, and the chas-
tening hand its power.


Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,


But trust him for his grace;


Behind a frowning providence,


lie hides smiling face"


MILLINoToN, June I, 1860.


TRAVELLER.