already familiar, it is presumed they will be deemed none the less valuable on that account; and if others, now personally strangers, yet designed, we trust, to be everlasting acquaintances in a tearless clime, find here some choice gems, seen perchance elsewhere, they will doubtless lose none of their brilliancy and usefulness, by their re-appearance in this unpretending volume, but prove still "like apples of gold, in pictures of silver." The Consoler is believed to be a suitable companion for all who are afflicted bodily, mentally, or spiritually, and such have their homes in nearly every household; while on each page will be found something worthy of an abiding place in the memory. "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." It is in the "day of adversity" that the Lord's people find him most precious; "to the upright their ariseth a light in the darkness;" the Book of Inspiration seems crowded full of blessed meaning; in places they least anticipated, wells of celestial solacings break forth at their feet. As Jonathan of old, when faint and weary, had his strength revived by the honey he found dropping in the tangled thicket; so the children of God, infinitely dear to his heart of love, find "honey in the wood," even heavenly consolations dropping from the Tree of Life amidst the thorniest thickets of earthly affliction, and sweeter by far than honey or the honey comb. As saith the prophet Isaiah, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever; for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength." Therefore, in the language of the apostle Paul, "As the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope of you is steadfast, knowing that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation." 66 No class of men are exempt from afflictions, either of 'body, mind, or estate," as expressed in the Episcopal service. "Uneasy is the head that wears a crown." Neither Abraham Lincoln, our president elect, nor any other chief magistrate of the Union, finds a "bed of roses " to lie down upon in the White House, at the nation's capitol. When visiting Mt. Auburn recently, that paradise of the dead, I saw the noted Prince of Wales and heir of England's throne, then on a visit to this continent, enter the cemetary, with a retinue of admiring attendants, when, lo! by a striking and premonitory coincidence, a funeral procession, with hearse and mourners, fell into the ranks, and proceeded solemnly to the place of burial, reminding one of the lines of Dr. Watt's "Princes! this clay must be your bed, In spite of all your powers; The tall, the wise, the reverend head, Uninterrupted sunshine and continual mild weather are far from being desirable, however pleasant and gratifying. The month of June, 1860, was one of the loveliest of all lovely months, and we were tempted to wish during some of its sweet and balmy days, that such June weather might last always, yea, forever and ever. But ere its close, there were violent storms and hurricanes, amid the unusual severities of which frightened children rushed to their parent's arms and there clung for protection. Well, the tempests of earthly trial are adapted to force us to our Father's side, within his encircling arms, and to the Savior's bosom of love, where enduring rest is found; and then, if never before, there seems to be a fulness of meaning in the poet's words : "Let cares like a wild deluge come, And storms of sorrow fall; May I but safely reach my home, And not a wave of trouble roll Across my peaceful breast." I have visited, many a time, the top of one of the highest and noblest of New Hampshire's mountains, within sight of which is the dear old homestead, my beloved native place, "Where, a child, I sinned and strayed, Where I felt the chastening rod, and where still reside those venerable parents, to whom the first part of this volume is dedicated. On one occasion, when near the summit of Monadnoc, in company with a few friends of Auld Lang Syne, clouds suddenly gathered near its base, from which the rain descended in torrents to the earth beneath, and amid whose dark folds the lightning flashed, and the thunder crashes were heard, as well as their prolonged reverberations around the mountain side. But all below us! our faces and hearts meanwhile bathed in the pure sunlight of heaven. So may the confiding child of God at all times rise above the clouds that environ and darken his pathway, into a celestial atmosphere, where he can enjoy the companionship of strengthening angels, be greatly cheered by the light of Jehovah's countenance, and bask in the brightly shining beams of the Sun of Righteousness. This has been the blissful experience of many devoted missionaries of the cross, far away from the numerous charms of civilized society, and the manifold attractions of their birth places in Christian lands. Such examples of disinterested benevolence and lifelong martyrdom, demonstrate the reality of our holy religion. Living monuments are they of its wondrous power. For notwithstanding their surroundings on heathen ground, and all their deprivations and sacrifices, they are peculiarly happy and joyous. And perhaps I cannot better close this Preface, than by a quotation from the later writings of Fanny Forrester, alias, Emily Chubbuck, alias, Mrs. Adoniram Judson. It was thought by many that the cheerfulness and enthusiasm that characterized her youth, when writing romances for our literary magazines, amid struggles with poverty which would have crushed less sanguine and hopeful natures, must pass away in maturer years, when encompassed with the severer trials of missonary life. But no. In her letters, written long after she commenced her labors in Burmah, and subsequent to her burial of a loved child, and other affictions, she says, "Do you think I am in any way discontented, and would go back to America to live in a palace? Not I. I am ten times happier than I could be there. * It is a comfort to snatch poor wretches out of the mire and filth, and give them the hope of a crown in heaven. There is a < 'romance' in that which makes me deem a residence in a Maulmain barn, or a Rangoon prison, preferable to the most splendid American mansion or European palace. * * * * * I believe the work which goes on merrily and without groaning, is quite as acceptable to God as the other. The bearer of good tidings should not carry a face to spoil his news-a fact of which the natives seem quite aware. However, sadness is good, and rejoicings are good; but whether we have a weeping gift or a merry gift, let us strive to use it, as we are commanded to use eating and drinking, to the glory of God. Possibly my doctrine may not be considered orthodox, but it is that of the New Testament." "In the Cross of Christ I glory, Towering o'er the wrecks of time; December, 1860. W. THE CROSS. BLEST THEY WHO SEEK, THE WAY OF TRUTH. ΤΟ THEM THE SACRED VOLUME DOTH DISPLAY REFLECTION. THE PAST-WHERE IS IT? IT HAS FLED. FOAM. |