THE EDITOR'S TOWER AND TRUMPET. To the Committees, Superintendents, and Teachers af all Sabbath Schools. Dear BrethrEN,-Danger is at hand. We sound the alarm. Our hearts throb with fear, and yet leap with hope. An enemy is at the door of your schools, which you must resist, or he will destroy all your best efforts. A scheme of education is proposed by Government, which will cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of war' over the fair fields of your christian cultivation. As Britons we denounce a scheme which tends to undermine the freedom of elections-the very palladium of English liberty; but as Christians we hold up to scorn a scheme which confounds all the distinctions between truth and error, which compels all to pay toward the support of Popish and Socinian delusions, which bribes away the most promising young persons in evangelical Sunday schools, and puts them under Puseyite influences; which places in the hands of Government inspectors a power sufficient to crush any school, to ruin any class male or female, which turns thousands on thousands of your elder scholars, into mere political tools, educational spies, and Government pensioners,-in a word, a scheme which jeopardizes all that is good, all that is free, all that is spiritual, all that is voluntary, all that is religious in your beloved Sabbath schools, and makes them not the means of introduction to the Church of Christ, but the mere steppingstones to worldly advantage. The scheme will entail a frightful expense on us all: this however is a trifle compared to the moral wrongs it will inflict and perpetuate→ the spiritual and eternal woes it will scatter. Dear Brethren: Be awake. Mark you foe. Be great for a great occasion. Difficulties are inspiring. Your perils are singular: your resources to avert them are ample. Seek Divine succour. Let your petitions to Parliament be prompt and importunate. Memorialize your county and borough Members again and again and again. On the eve of an election you are powerful. Exert your power instantly in an intelligent, united, and determined spirit. The crisis has come. Waive every minor matter to meet it. The interests of ages, the destinies of millions are in your hands. Resist in a Christian spirit a measure, which will grieve the consciences of many excellent persons, which will alienate church from church, and paralyse all the happy educational movements, which are the glory of these days. Manchester, March 10th, 1847. EDITOR. cause for surprise that the ques tion at the head of my letter is frequently asked by different persons. The necessity for such a question arises not only from the number of roads, but from the fact that there are right roads and wrong roads; and if there is a wrong road to be found, into that road young and old are almost sure to go. Well do I remember once going into a maze-the difficulty was not in the getting into it, but, in the getting out of it. Various attempts did I make to reach the outside, but all in vain. I ran about 'like a wild bull in a net,' my friends all laughing at my bewilderment. Once or twice I thought that I had got into the right track; but, alas, was baulk-1 ed by a hedge in the middle of the way, and obliged, greatly mortified, to return. At last, after much puffing and blowing, and laughing and talking, I called out to the keeper, 'Can you put me into the right road to get out?' He kindly told me the right way, and I was soon among my friends, heartily glad of my escape from the maze. There are many mazes into which you may have already gone. one. arm, and umbrella turned upsidedown in the other, I asked: 'Pray madam, am I right for C ?' 'Yes, master,' said she, 'go up that hill hinder, and keep straight on.' I travelled up this hill, by her directions, and kept straight on. I can assure you it was a knees Dear young friends, have you been anxious to get out? Have you put the question, 'Can you put me in the right road? to any The ways of this world are a maze-bad companions and bad tempers are mazes into which young people often get. Let me assure you that, if you get intohill difficulty.' You would have trouble and difficulty in these smiled to have seen me, at times, mazes, the wicked will only laugh almost scrambling on hands and at you, instead of helping you out. it was so slippery and 'Can you put me into the right steep. But the belief that it was road to P-?' said a gentleman the right road urged me onward, the other day. 'Oh yes,' said I, To plod my weary way 'follow me; I am going part of Thro' such a bed of clay. the way.' We walked together Arrived at the hill - top, three as far as B-Street, where I left roads met my view-and which my companion, who heartily of the three to take, I knew not. thanked me, and said, 'I see my 'Can you put me in the right I need not tell road to C way now, sir.' ?' said I to a cowyou that I spoke to this gentle- boy, who was on the common man concerning the road which near. 'Take the middle road of leads to eternal life. God grant the three,' he replied, 'and keep that he may walk therein, and straight on.' On I went again; 'see his way' to the end. and, after asking the same question several times more, arrived safely at CYou cannot A little boy was once keeping sheep, when a gentleman rode up, and seeing that the little fellow was reading the Bible, thinking to make sport of him said, 'Well, my man, can you put me in the right road to heaven?' Yes, Sir,' he replied, you must go by that tower,' pointing to the TOWER OF REPENTANCE, a building which stood near. What a delightful answer was this! May you ever be ready to give as good a reply to such as may be disposed to make a jeer of religion. Travelling one day by the Birmingham railway, I got out at the B-d station, and there being no conveyance, was obliged to walk to the place of my destination. 'Can you tell me the right road to C-?' said I to the station-keeper. He kindly put me in the way; and I thanked him, and went on. Before I had gone far, however, I was obliged again to ask my way. Seeing an old dame trudging from market, with her red cloak on, basket on her think how glad I was at every assurance given that I was in the right road. It set my mind at rest; and I went on my way rejoicing. Oh, thought 1, that I may be ever as anxious to know that I am in the right road to heaven! Oh that every young person may be as desirous to know that he is walking in 'wisdom's ways!' for her ways are right ways, and her paths are right paths, for they are paths of peace. Let the prayer of each be: Heavenly Father, lead me in the right way. Oh bid the light of life to shine, The other day I received a letter from one of my Sunday scholars, and I extract from it the following sentence, which I pray may be the feeling of every reader: Your kind instructions I once disregarded; but, thank God, they impress more and more on my mind every day. I earnestly desire to be pious. 'Can you put me in the right road?' To be sure I will, dear boy; and so I have given him the advice which Widow Wilson gave to Robert Baxter :-' Take the lantern, and keep in the straight path.' •* The Bible is the lantern; let that be studied, and its advice followed by you. The Bible is the book above all books. It tells you the right road to Canaan. It is a narrow waythere are few who find it; and the plain truth is-they never ask to be put into it. The Bible directs us to go to God in prayer, and ask Him to lead us in the way wherein we should go. The way to be pious is, then, to study God's book-to pray Him to be the guide of our youth. To take the lantern with us wherever we go. If we are in trouble, it will show us where we may find relief. 'Cast thy burden on the Lord, and he shall sustain thee.' If we wish to be pious it says: 'Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thought; let him return unto our God, and he will abundantly pardon him.' 'Cease to do evil; learn to do well.' Learn to know God, and then do everything to please him.' 'Can you put me in the right road? Yes: repent of your sins, and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Obey his commandments continually. This is the waywalk ye in it. Be anxious, and pray earnestly that the Lord would lead you in the way of life. The way to heaven is not a pathway of roses, but heaven itself is strewed with immortal flowers. The crown is obtained by those who take-up the cross. Trust, then, yourself wholly to God. Go to him, just as you are, and say: Lord, lead me in the right way; and, if you Widow Wilson' is published by the Religious Tract Society. pray in faith and earnestly, he will answer you. 'Can you put me in the right road?' If his question be asked sincerely by you, I reply:-Enter the narrow way, and keep straight on, looking unto Jesus Christ, who is at the other end of the road, waiting to introduce you to his Father. Oh that my having written on this question may induce a great number of my young readers to begin to walk in the heavenly road! In my imagination I picture some twenty or thirty little boys and girls travelling in the road to Canaan,`and singing : 'We are marching through Immanuel's ground, And soon shall hear the trumpet sound. May such be a real picture! Then begin the heavenly road. Begin the journey to Canaan; and be ever anxious to know that you are walking in the right road. So entreats Your affectionate By THE HOLY CHILD, JESUS.. the Rev. J. O. JACKSON, author of 'The Dying Peasant. '-No. I. MY DEAR YOUNG READER. Ir you had been living in Judea about two thousand years ago, and had listened to the talk of the people, you would have heard most of them speaking about a wonderful child that was soon to be born, who was to set all the wrong things of the world right again, and would bring joy and blessing to all. Indeed the people and even the very best of them had given up all hope of this wicked world becoming better until He came; and were waiting with an almost restless impatience for this wonderful child to make his appearance. All nations had a vague expectation of such a wonderful person; but the Jews, from various and peculiar reasons, were counting upon this arrival with the most confirmed assur ance. He had been so long promised to them, that they might well wonder at his delay. It was four thousand years since the sweet, first cheering mention of him had been given to our fallen first parents; when it was said, 'the seed of the woman'—that is, a child descended from this woman 'shall bruise the serpent's head;' that is-shall subdue the power of the Devil. Ages had rolled by, and still Satan, as the 'prince of this world,' had full sway over our sinful race. It was seven hundred years and more since ISAIAH uttered his remarkable prophecy, when, transporting himself into the latter days, and, as it were, taking his stand near Bethlehem's stable, he says: For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.' It was five hundred and twenty years since HAGGAI had said: 'The desire of all nations shall come;' but the nations were still waiting with longing 'desires' for his arrival. It was three hundred and ninety seven years since MALACHI, the last of the prophets, had said that Elijah, the prophet, would be sent before the Sun of Righteousness would arise with healing in his wings.' But no great spiritno prophet, Elijah-like, had yet appeared, though many false prophets had arisen up, and deceived many. Well, then, might the Jewish people be looking out for the appearance of the Consolation of Israel. But, not only were they led to do so by the repeated, and now ancient, promises that had been given them,-the spirit of their whole religion taught them to do so. It was but a preparatory religion; it was not intended to be final. It was not therefore perfect,' but only the shadow of good things to come;' 'the law came by Moses, but grace and truth,' that is, reality, in contrast with the shadow, 'came by Jesus Christ.' The Jewish religion was altogether prospective. It pointed forwards. Every rite and ceremony was as a finger-post, pointing forwards to the 'wonderful child' that was to be born, who would give them a more perfect way. Every feast they kept, while commemorative of the joyful past, led them to think more deeply of the bright, bright future! Every lamb they offered in their daily morning and evening worship at the temple, pictured forth the better sacrifice of the Lamb of God, who was yet to be slain. Every poet that sang struck his loudest, sweetest chords to the praise of Judah's future king; and every prophet and righteous man that appeared among them, from age to age, desired to see the days of the Son of Man; and they did, by faith, see them, 'and were glad.' And thus everything in their religion led the Jews to look forward with eagerness to the coming of the Just One. And surely they had good reasons for wishing Him speedily to come. If you had been a little Jew-boy of that day, I guess you would have longed for it as much as any of them. They were in a very unhappy and distressed state, and felt that they would continue so till the child' should be born. They had no king, and no independent government of their own. Their land was full of soldiers; and the cruel Romans made them pay heavy taxes, and obey hard laws. Many battles had been fought, and very many boys and girls had had their fathers killed |