THE DAY OF REST.

Mataura Ensign, 17 December 1910, Page 2

THE DAY OF REST.

(Edited by Rev.. T. Paulin.) MISS CORELLI'S HYMNS. Among the 620 hymns of the Methodist School Hymnal which has just been compiled are two—Nos. 112 and 365 by Miss Marie Corelli. This is one for children as given in the London 'Evening News': What are your hands for—little hands? To do each day the Lord's commands. What are your feet for—busy feet? To run on errands, true and ileet. What are your lips for—rosy and sweet ? To speak kind words to all \ meet. What are your eyes for—starry bright? To be the mirirors of God's light. Part of the second is: In our hearts celestial voices Softly say— Day is passing, night is coming. Kneel and pray. Coming morrows we may never Live to see; All we ask Thee is to keep us Safe with Thee. We are only little children Kneeling here. And we want our loving Father Always near. Take us in Thine arms and keep us As Thine own ; Gather, us like little sunbeams Round Thy throne. There, when all our prayers are ended, Faults forgiven, May we live with Thee for ever Up in Heaven. HOME RELIGION. Sweet is the smile of home, the mutual look When hearts are of each other sure ; Sweet all the joys that crowd the household nook, The haunt of all affections pure. Unless in conversation and conduct, in praise and prayer, parents pay due honor to religion at home, is it strange their children should lightly esteem religion away from home? When it is religiously well with the, father and •-.- ligiously well with the mother it is j also as a rule religiously well with the j child. ' !

Sometimes, indeed, it happens that | the children of the irreligious are re- j ligious, and of the religious irreligious, ; but the rule is the other way. Child-! ren accustomed to breathe the atnio- j sphere of .religion at home, so long as j it is not an over-stimulating, overheated atmosphere, generally find themselves unable to live without that atmosphere in after days. As those who have been nurtured in homes of courtesy and culture can seldom be happy in the society of the vulgar and ignorant, so those w) o in childhood have been familiarised with the ideals and duties, the promises and practice, the beauty and peace of reli- j gion, can scld.'.>:u be happv in the so-1 om l y of ice ■.•.■rvVi)? e;:d irreverent. ! As horn:'" religiY..'; is tee kii eotost of \ a'i joys in v- hee:e. so is it the | strongest oi a ; i protections awr.y from home. Every home e- like a little heaven on earth, whether p,.-e-r and bumble or rich and stately. But all true heavens are thrones on which God sits. There can be no heaven where God is not. Neither can any home be a heaven unless it be the house and temple of God. Most happy of all homes are those in which God most delights to dwell, homes in which religion is both worship and work, devotion and duty, mutual forbearance, frank acknowledgment and free pardon for daily faults, mutual help in all difficulties, mutual sympathy in all sorrows, mutual gladness in all joys, and brooding over all, with white and shining wings, the blessed spirit of a deathless love. When home life is the life of each for all, and the life of all iii God, then is home on earth a foretaste of heaven, and after death heaven is an eternal home.--'Quiver.'

LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP. The more we love, the better we arc; and the greater our friendships are, the dearer we are to God. Let them be as dear, and let them be as perfect, and let them be as many as you can : there is no danger in it; only where the restraint begins, there, begins our imperfection. It is not ill that you entertain brave friendships and worthy societies; it were well if you could benefit all mankind ; for I conceive that is the sum of all friendship. A good man is the best friend, and therefore

soonest to be chosen, longer to be retained, and, indeed, never to be parted wit!) unless he cease to be that for which lie was chosen. For a good man is a profitable, useful n-orsmi. and fiat is the band of an effective friendship. For I do not think that friendships are metaphysical nothings created for <\>ntemplatiou, or that men or women should stare upon each 'ther's faces and make dialogues of news and ppettinesses, and look babies in < ne another's eyes. Friendship is the allay of our sorrows, the ease of our passions, the discharge of our oppressions, the sanctuary to our calamities, the counsellor of our doubts, the charit\ of our minds, the mission of i,ur thoughts, the exercise and improvement of w hat we meditate. He only is i ; t to be chosen for a friend who can give .-onie-el, or defend my cause, or guide me aright, or relieve my need, or can and wiil, when I reed it, do me good. To love such a person and to contract such friendships is just so authorised !;v the principles of Christianity as it is warrantee! to love wisdom and virtue, goodness and beneficence, and all the impresses of God upon the spirits of brave men.—Jeremy Taylor. THE MINISTRY OF SFFFEIUNC. The best things of heaven aie wrought on earth, its finest gold was purified in. earthen vessels; its crown jewels were ground on wheels of worldly circumstance; its fairest faces uc-re washed into beauty with the salt spray of the tempest; its purplest robes are dyed sackcloth; and the heart-strings which down here were stretched 1 igh est to the breaking make heaven's sweetest music.—Dr. W. L. Watkinson. We never have more than we can bear. The present hour we are always i able to endure. As our day, so is our strength. !f the trials of many years] were gathered into o,:e they would overwhelm u.-: ; therefore, in pity to our j little strength, He semis first one, then j another, then removes both and lays on ■ a third, heavier perhaps than either:' but all is so widely measured to one; strength that the bruised reed is never ' broken. We do rot enough look ai our* trials in this oontbiuous end sueeev.-ivc , view. Feels one i., sent to teeeh u." something, ami altogether they have a lesson which is beyond the p.ii'cr of any to teach alone.- H. E. Manning. There are kindnesses wo can do any time, and there are kindnesses which! must be done at once if at all. Thi, i•; i a lesson we should loam well. (.ppor-| tuuities come to-day and pass and will I cover come again. The needs that make i their appeal to you now will not be | within the reach of your helping hand i '>y a.'.other day. Whatever kniduos-; ; en re' you must do it now, for you 1 eiil rot pass this way again. 9 I