THE Cottager's Monthly Visitor. FEBRUARY, 1832. HISTORY OF JOHN THE FOOTMAN. (Concluded from page 8.) WHEN Abraham Hardy had heard all that his son John had to tell, he said to him, "You see John how it is, as I have often told you, that things which seem worst to bear, bring us good in the end. Had those bad servants only laughed now and then at you about drinking, they might at last have laughed you into doing as they did; but because they set so hard upon you, which seemed very bad at the time, it caused you to look sharp and jump out of the window, and by that jump you cut it all at once. May you ever take such a jump when you are tempted to do what's wrong. 'Resist the devil, and he will flee from you,' and if you flee from him, he will not dare to follow." Now there were two things that Abraham was always afraid of for his son. One was, lest he should think it enough" to do no harm;" and the other, lest he should" pride himself upon doing good." Abraham saw that most people made one or other of these mistakes. It is strange, though it is true, that there are people who think they shall go to heaven because they have done no harm; for, even if they could prove that they had done no harm (which they cannot) how can they expect that God will not punish them for NO. 2.-VOL. XII. D having done no good? It is a sure sign that people do not really love God and care for him, if they are not desirous to make others love him and care for him. If they can sit quietly and see poor souls perishing and ready to go to torments, without speaking a few words to warn them of their danger, it is a sign that they think but little of heaven and hell. And, if they are not, at all times, ready to help the wants of others, and comfort them in their sorrows, it is a sign that they do not wish to be like Christ, "who went about doing good." It is not such an easy thing to go to heaven as these people think. If it was, the poor beasts ought to go there, as they certainly never do any harm. But then, on the other hand, if people do not think this, they are apt to pride themselves upon the good they do; and this is as bad a mistake as the other. Such people, perhaps, do good to others, and think that because of that, God will take them to heaven. If this were true, Jesus Christ died for nothing-all his agony and all his shame went for nothing. "But, my son John," Abraham would say, "Jesus Christ did not die for nothing; he died to save us, because he saw that we were not able to do any works ourselves, that were good enough to save us: so he, by his own sufferings, wrought out a way for us; and through his merits we are saved.-What then, are we to sit still and do nothing? Oh no, indeed, for he has told us to do all we can, and he will send his good Spirit to enable us to do it, and he will reward us for doing it-yes, reward us for doing what he helps us to do. What then is there for us to boast about? If it is by his help that we are saved, we have to give him all the thanks and all the praise. If Jesus Christ leaves us to ourselves, we immediately go wrong; then how can we pride ourselves upon going right?" It must not be forgotten to be told, that when John was coming home from his master's, he stepped into the hen-house, and, finding a couple of nice new-laid History of John the Footman. 51 eggs, brought them as a present to his father. Old Abraham, as soon as he saw them, asked where they came from. John said he took them from the henhouse, and that he hoped they would be good at sup"What," said Abraham, "do you suppose I shall eat what is not mine?" per. John. But they are your's, father: I brought them on purpose for you, Abr. And how came they to be your's, John? Abr. What right had you to take them? John. Sure it was no harm: they would never have been used, and nobody wants them. Abr. But were they your's? John. No, I can't say that they were rightly. John. My master's. Abr. Then, John, you have done what's wrong. No matter whether your master were away or at home; no matter whether he wanted the eggs or not; they were his, and not your's, and you were wrong to take them. John. I thought no harm of it: you know, father, I would not touch a halfpenny that was not mine: you cannot think I would. Abr. No, I do not think you would; but where's the difference between an egg and a halfpenny? Honesty does not mean one thing or another thing, but every thing. It is the principle, and not the article, that God cares about. What can a thousand pounds signify to Him who made the world, and all things in it? He does not care for a thousand pounds, any more than for an egg; but He has said, "Thou shalt not steal;" and those who take but a pin that is not their own, break this commandment; and they who waste the goods of another, break this commandment; though people do one and the other without thinking of it. John was very sorry for what he had done so thoughtlessly, and the next morning his father made him carry back the eggs to the hen-house, though it was five miles off. Some people may think this was hard upon him, but Abraham said to himself, "John may forget my words, but he will not forget the walk." And he was right to the day of his death, John used to talk of the effect that walk had on him. Whenever, afterwards, he was tempted to take the smallest thing not his own, he called to mind that ten mile walk, and was cured of his longing: and, moreover, when he became more fully impressed with the real nature of religion, he felt that it is a Christian's duty to be perfectly clear and honest in small things as well as great. On the whole, Abraham, though grievously hurt about the eggs, was pretty well satisfied that his son would go on in the right way, and that this one check might be of great use to him. John had not been long returned to his service, when he was well tried in a new way. There was a housemaid among the servants who cast her eyes upon him, and was determined in her own mind that she would marry him. This girl was smart and active, just such a one as a lad might fancy, and such as many might think would make a good wife. John would certainly have thought so, had it not been that he could not remember ever having seen her read her Bible, or seem to like going to church, or ever had heard her say any thing which shewed that the love of Christ was in her heart. Therefore he said to himself, "she may be as good a manager as she pleases; but if she do not love God as she ought, she won't do for me. I can never make sure of any girl that is not religious being a kind and good-tempered wife." He was very right, for Bessy never thought about religion at all. 66 Old Abraham would often say to John, that it seemed to him no class of people were so well off as servants. They are lodged," said he, " and fed, without any expence to themselves, and have no cares but to do their work; and they have work enough to keep them History of John the Footman. 53 employed, without its being severely hard labour. They go to rest on a good bed, and get up without care, as every thing is provided for them; while, perhaps, the master of the house is slaving hard to get his living, and sometimes hardly knows how all these servants are to be paid or fed. And, if the master has no profession, but lives on his property, still there come cares upon cares: his tenants cannot pay their rent, perhaps, or his sons grow up, and take more money than he can well spare for their education, and fitting out in life: in short, there are often so many cares, and troubles, and difficulties, with those who are called rich, that, to my mind, a man is best off who is a servant with regular wages, and a few pounds, honestly saved, in the bank." John answered, "That's all very true, father, yet I do not find that servants think so: they seldom seem to me to be as thankful for their own advantages as they ought to be; there is a great difference, to be sure, amongst them; but some are always complaining, and discontented, and seem to forget how poorly they have often fared before they got into service; and this forgetfulness often makes them wasteful of those things, which they would have been glad of when they lived in a small cottage on poor and scanty food." "Yes, that's the way of many of them," said Abraham; "they eat and drink, and are discontented; but a servant's life will not last for ever; either they grow old, or, most likely, marry; and then, if they have not put by any thing,-when their family increases, they get back to their first state of poverty, and long for all they have wasted in their master's kitchen. Many and many a poor girl has lamented her folly in leaving a comfortable service, to marry a man who can but just keep her; then she has to slave all day, and eat what she can, and sleep where she can! A bad change it seems to me." John thought this over very often afterwards, and said to himself, that if he were to marry, this would be pretty much his case, unless he waited till he had |