Southey and the Negro.

99

the instrument! Amos, ignorant and weak-minded as he was, was engaged in the best warfare.

Persons in the very humblest circumstances may engage in it.

"When I was a small boy," says the poet Southey, "there was a black boy in the neighbourhood by the name of Jim Dick. A number of my playfellows and myself were one evening collected together at our sports,

and began to torment the poor black by calling him "Nigger,' 'Snowball,' 'Blackamoor,' and other degrading names; the poor fellow appeared very much grieved at our conduct, and soon left us.

"Not long after we made an appointment to go skating in the neighbourhood; but on the day of the appointment I had the misfortune to break my skates, and I

could not go without borrowing Jim's skates. I went to him and asked him for them. 'Oh, yes, Robert, you may have them and welcome,' was his answer. When I went to return them, I found Jim sitting by the fire, in the kitchen, reading the Bible. I told him I returned his. skates, and was much obliged to him for his kindness. He looked at me as he took the skates, and with tears in his eyes, said to me, 'Robert, don't ever call me “blackamoor" again,' and immediately left the room. The words melted my heart. I burst into tears, and resolved from that time never again to abuse a poor black." That negro, in his humble position, was engaged in the best warfare.

And then, too, persons in the most exalted positions may engage in this warfare.

A Chinese emperor once heard that his enemies had. raised an insurrection in one of the distant provinces.. "Come, my friends," said he to those about him, "follow me, and I promise you that we shall destroy our enemies." He marched forward, and the rebels submitted on his. approach. All now thought that he would take the most signal revenge. Instead of this, however, they were surprised to see the captives treated with mildness and humanity. "What!" cried one of his mandarins, "is this. the way in which you fulfil your promise? Your royal word was given that your enemies should be destroyed,. and behold you have pardoned them all, and even showed special favour to some of them!"

"I promised," replied the emperor, "to destroy my enemies. This I have done. For see, they are enemies. no longer; I have made them my friends."

Enlist in this Warfare.

66

ΙΟΙ

How well might Christian people learn to imitate so noble an example, and learn to overcome evil with good." That Chinese emperor was engaged in the best warfare.

And thus we have considered five reasons why "overcoming evil with good" is the best warfare. It is so because it is the CHEAPEST warfare; because it is the PLEASANTEST warfare; because it is the MOST EFFECTUAL warfare; because it is the MOST HONOURABLE warfare; and because it is a WARFARE IN WHICH ALL MAY ENGAGE.

Well, then, my dear children, let me entreat you all to enlist in this warfare. I wish you all to join the great army of those who are trying to " overcome evil with good." Jesus, the Prince of Peace, is the Captain of this army. Love is the badge which His soldiers wear. Here are some of the short standing rules which He requires all His soldiers to mind: "Never get angry," "Never speak crossly," "Conquer by kindness," or, to unite them all in one, we have this one great rule, which Jesus expects all His soldiers to obey, in the words of the text, “OVERCOME EVIL WITH GOOD." You cannot do this by yourself, but if you pray earnestly to Jesus, He will help you, and then you will find it an easy, pleasant rule to live by. It will make our earth like heaven, when all people learn to mind this rule. And then the words of the prophet shall be fulfilled: "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them."

"He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord."-PROV. xix. 17

Now let us see what pity Pity is the feeling of sor

THIS text speaks about pity. is, before we go any further. row we find in our hearts when we see a person in trouble or distress. For instance, it is a very cold day, and the ground is covered with snow; and as you go along the street with your nice warm clothes around you, you see

Two Kinds of Pity.

103

a poor little girl with no shoes or stockings on. Her dress is thin and ragged. She looks half-starved. Hungry and cold, she trembles as she goes, and her teeth chatter as the wind sweeps by her. When you look at that poor child your heart swells, your eyes fill with tears, and you feel as if you would like to take her home and set her down by the fire to warm herself, and give her something good to eat, and get her some better clothes. to put on. And this feeling is what we call pity.

There are two kinds of pity: there is a wrong kind, and a right kind. The wrong kind of pity makes people feel, without making them do or give anything. The right kind makes people do, or give, as well as feel. For instance, there was a poor man who got his living by hauling wood from the wharf. One day, as he was driving his cart along the street, his horse fell down and died. This was a great loss to him. That horse had been his only dependence. He had no money to buy another with. And when he thought of his family being left without bread in the middle of winter, he couldn't help crying. A crowd of people soon gathered round the poor man and his dead horse: and when they saw how much distressed he was-" Poor fellow," said one, "I'm very sorry for him." "So am I," said another. "I pity him very much," said a third. But still none of them gave him anything. This was the pity. It was feeling without giving. ever, a gentleman stepped up to these persons, and said, "Here, my friends, I pity the poor man one pound; how much do you pity him?" That was the right kind of pity. It not only led the man to feel, but to give.

wrong kind of Presently, how