20 THE SILENT PREACHING OF THE BIBLE. cult to make this man and others believe that a devil-doctor, so powerful as he thought Hyano to be, could come to their place to tell them of mercy and pardon and peace, of the love of God to man, and the grace of Him who laid down His life for ours. In the beginning of 1855, Hyano went with a number of the people of the town to a great distance to grow rice. His health was feeble, and many of the heathen wished and said that he would soon die; but he became better, and such was his con duct that many said, "Hyano's God is the true God." This is but one of very many instances of the success which has cheered the hearts of the Christian missionaries in Liberia; and they are labouring on, with the confidence that their labour is not in vain in the Lord. In this and other parts of Western Africa, from which so many have been dragged into slavery, many Christian churches have been formed of those whom Jesus Christ has set free. THE SILENT PREACHING OF THE BIBLE. FRANCE is professedly a Roman One day, as the mayor of a commune in France was talking to his little girl and to his brother, there came by a colporteur, and asked him to buy a Bible. He spoke also of the good things which were to be found in the book. The mayor made light of it all, and pretended that what he said might do well enough for a set of children or old women, but that it was too ridiculous to be believed by any man of sound sense and judgment. The mayor's little daughter, who was about eight years old, listened very attentively to this conversation; and as her father said the things in the book were fit for children, she wished very much to see it, and she earnestly begged her father to buy one for her. He bought one directly in joke, and gave it to her. Her uncle was a more determined infidel than her father; and he was very angry with his brother for giving the Bible to the little girl. He would have laid THE SILENT PREACHING OF THE BIBLE. violent hands on the colporteur, if the mayor had not interfered and sent the good man away. After the colporteur was gone, the mayor and his brother had a sad quarrel about the Bible. The brother insisted that the little girl should give it up, and that it should be destroyed; and her father declared that it should be kept in spite of him, and let his daughter read it. After a long and angry dispute, the brothers parted, swearing that they would never see one another again. The mayor's brother had a little son, and he and the mayor's daughter were great friends. Though the fathers had quarrelled, the cousins visited one another just as much as before. When the little girl began to read her Bible, she was greatly delighted with it; and she talked about it so much to her cousin, that he begged she would lend it to him. He was soon just as much interested in it as she, and his father at length became curious to know what was in the book that his son was so fond of reading. When he thought no one saw him, he opened the Bible and read, and soon he was even more deeply interested than the children had been. The little girl wanted her Bible back again, and begged her cousin to return it, but the father kept making excuses for not returning it. 21 At last the little girl was so tired of the excuses her cousin brought her, that she complained to her father, and begged him to get her Bible back. The mayor was much surprised to hear that the Bible was in his brother's house, and he thought he had got hold of it to burn it, but he soon found it was not so. The Bible was unhurt, and, more than that, his infidel brother was reading it. This made him more anxious to get the book back. "The Bible,' he said, "belongs to me: I should like to read it, and I cannot bear the thought of my brother seizing my property." He sent a message to demand the book, but the brother refused. The quarrel became hotter than ever, and the mayor even talked of going to law. Meantime the brother continued to read the Bible diligently. He became sensible of the folly and wickedness of his former infidelity, and his ardent wish at length was to yield obedience to the teaching and the commandments of God. While in this state of mind he was taken ill, and he sent to his brother, begging that he would come and see him, and promising to restore the Bible to him. They met, and were reconciled. The conversation of him who had now become a Christian was blessed to the other. They agreed 22 THE BEREAVED MOTHER COMFORTED. that the Bible should be their joint had visited them, another came that property; that when they could not read it together, they would read it by turns; and that they would pray for an opportunity of obtaining a copy of the precious volume for each. It was sometime before their prayer was granted, but at length, eight years after the first colporteur way. Very differently was he received. The brothers bought Bibles for themselves, for the two young cousins, for other members of their families, and even for their poor neighbours, and rejoiced together in the possession of God's precious word-Missionary Repository for Youth. THE BEREAVED MOTHER COMFORTED. WHEN I was at Dhoas, my husband One I said, "Amah, would you like me to teach your daughter?" | With an indescribable look of tenderness, she drew her to her side, and, putting her arm round her, said, “This is my only one.' "Have you not had more children ?" I asked. "Ah! yes, ma'am, I have had six; but they are dead. Yes, they all died; five of them, one after the other they all died." "And you, poor thing, how sorry you must have been !" "Heigh-ho! how sorry! Too much trouble I took; too much expense. After the first died I took sacrifices to the temple, and made worship to the idol, and told him I would give him all I could, if my second might live; but he died. Then my heart was very sore; and when my third came, I went to a gúrú and took a cloth, and fowl, and rice; and he said muntrums and made pújah (worship): but no: that child, he died. My heart was like fire; it burned so with sorrow. I was almost mad! and yet I tried some fresh ceremony for every child." "What did you think had become of the spirits of your children?" I asked. "You knew their bodies died, but did you think much of their spirits ?" "Ah! that was the thing that almost made me mad. I did not know. I thought, perhaps one devil took one, and another took another; or perhaps they were gone into some bird, or beast, or something I did not know; and I used to think and think till my heart was A LITTLE BOY'S LETTER TO THE CHILDREN OF AFRICA. too full of sorrow." I replied, now." are. 66 "But, Amah,” you do not look sorry With a look almost sublime, she said, "Sorry now! Oh no, no. Why, I know now where my children They are with Jesus. I have learned that Jesus said 'Suffer little children to come unto me.' My sorrow is all gone, and I can bear them not being with me. They are happy with Him, and, after a little while, I shall go to Him too, and this girl, my Julia, and my husband too. Since I have learned this Christian | religion, my heart is all joy, and I have left weeping for my children. Julia goes every day to the school here, and can read a little, and will, I hope, soon learn more.' She thanked me for offering to take her, but hoped I would excuse her not A LITTLE BOY'S LETTER TO MR HELMORE, who accompanied Dr Livingstone on his return to Africa, took with him the original letter of which the following is a copy. It was dictated by a little boy five years old. Mr Helmore is gone to a part of Africa where white men have scarcely ever been before: "MY DEAR BLACK CHILDREN, Do you know about God? He is a holy Spirit; and if you love Him, you will go to heaven. You must tell your mothers to love Jesus. He 23 How often do bereaved ones, who have the light of the Gospel, forget how much they owe to it for every gleam of hope that shines in upon the gloom of the grave! The heathen mother clings to her babe, but when it dies she has no hope-none for herself, none for her babe. She knows not His name who hath brought "life and immortality to light.' Shall we, then, keep the light to ourselves? No; rather let us delight to take or send light wherever we can; and if only a beam of comfort and light shine across the graves of five little ones, so as to comfort one bereaved mother, it will not have been labour lost. وو E. PORTER. THE CHILDREN OF AFRICA. has a beautiful throne in heaven. There are bright angels in heaven. There is sweet singing in heaven, sweeter than you ever did hear. Its streets are paved with the best gold. If you go to heaven, you will rejoice. Do you wish to go to heaven? to Jesus, dear black children. will wash you in His precious blood. Seek for missionaries to come to you: they will tell you about Jesus too. I have heard about you from Mr Helmore. I have got one more Gro He 24 POETRY THE BLESSEDNESS OF GIVING. thought ready to send you in this | This letter is from a small writing letter, that Jesus was a holy King. | missionary, whose name is So love Him, love Him, do, do love Him. Good-bye, dear black children. "ASK THE TREE." A LITTLE boy (son of a distinguished Hindu), who had been taught in the mission school, said to a devotee, who came to his father's house to beg for food, "I cannot give you rice; ask the house.' The devotee answered, "Why should I do so? It cannot give me anything." "Then," said the boy, “ask the tree," pointing "J. C. W." to a cocoa-nut tree. "That cannot understand me, if I do," was the reply. "Then ask Juggernaut, whom you worship," continued the boy; "he will understand as well as the tree, because he is wood." The poor devotee walked away, bearing this sharp and sensible rebuke as well as he could.-American S. S. Visitor. Poetry. THE BLESSEDNESS OF GIVING. Он, give because thou lovest Him And to His glory live! Then turn thee to thy fellow-man, Millions of heathen crave thy help. While hundreds pine in want and woe, Oh, give not with a niggard hand, That which thou freely hast received, Thou shalt be rich in orphans' love, Where wilt thou find reward more sweet- It may be but the widow's mite, Blest and rewarded by thy God Deny thyself, that thou may'st give Oh, may'st thou know how blest it is Thy pleasure in thy Saviour's smile, Oh, give to Gentile and to Jew, Sow far and wide, that thou may'st keep Church Penny Magazine. Price 6d. per doz. or 3s. 6d. per 100; 20 copies sent free by post for 10d., paid in advance. Published by GALL & INGLIS, 6 George Street, Edinburgh. HOULSTON & WRIGHT, London, |