A PARABLE BY SPURGEON.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 174, 6 June 1862, Page 5

A PARABLE BY SPURGEON.

A certain tyrant sent for one of his subjects and said to him, " What is your employment:" He said, "I am a blacksmith." "Go home," said he, "and make a chain, of such a length." 110 went home. It occupied him several mouths, and' lie had no wages all the time lie was making it. Then lie brought it to the monarch, and he said, "Go and make it twice as long." He gave him nothing to do it with, but sent him away. Again he worked on, and made it twice as long. He brought it up again to the monarch, .and. lie said, "Go and make it longer still." Each time lie brought it, there was nothing but a command to make it longer still. And when he brought it tin at last, the monarch said, " Take it and bind hva, hand and foot with it, and cast him into a funiauo of fire."

These were his wages for making the chain. Here is a meditation for you, ye servants of the devil? Your master, the devil, is telling you to make a chain. Somo of you have been fifty year 3 welding the links of the chain; and he says, " Go and make it longer still." Next Sunday morning you will open that shop of yours and pat another link on; Monday you will do a dishonest action, aid so keep on making fresh links to this chain;' and so when you have lived twenty more years, the devil will say, "More links on still.", And then at kvst it will be, "Take him and bind him hand and foot, and cast" him into a furnace of fire; for the wages of sin is death." There is a subject four yonr meditation. Ido not think it sweet; but if God makes it profitable it will do you good. You must have strong medicine sometimes when the disease is bad. God apply it to your hearts. ■ "

Adrift oh the Ice. —After repealed cautious from old bauds not to stray too far from shore, in case of a shift of wind, two of the hands, disregarding; the caution, went far beyond ordinary limits, and suffered serious injury for their temerity. There suddenly came a shift of wind, the ice moved, and tlio two over-brave—which, is another term for foolhardy —fellows were taken out to sea. Fortunately ior one of them lie had on a pair of Esquimaux boots, but the other only had on mocassins, the uppers and soles of which are of the same material, and these scarcely covering up to the ankle. The Esquimaux boots are very differently made from these, and shield the leg right over the knee ; and are generally so large as to admit of the wearer having on three thick ""flannel socks and a good large " boot-stocking" over these. Then comes the boot "itself over all, tied above the kuee. I leave the reader to conclude which of the two poor follows had the best chauee of being preserved from frost-burns. They both passed a wretched, dreary night, anticipating death with all the horrors of cold and starvation. The one with the boots could and did take exercise on the ice; but the other with the mocassins could not, his feet having become wet and stiff near the ankles. They drifted all through the night farther and farther to sea; but fortunately, the next day the wind as suddenly veered as it hail come, and lata iv the afternoon, they were discovered not very far from the establishment. They were soon rescued, and those rough men wept like children and frequently thanked God. 1 need not describe their appearance. They were placed in warm quarters, and the one who had hoots on soon recovered. The usual remedy for frostburns is—as the homceopathists.will rejoice to learn • ■ snow. A tub of this was procured in the'present, case, and the feet of the frost-bitten man were placed in it and rubbed to establish a free circulation, and to reanimate the burnt narts. This is done by rubbing with the palm of the hand. . After they had rubbeu some time, they drew off his stockings,- when both feet came oft" with them, just at the ankle joints ! Tfiere is no pain during the early stage of a frost bite, but merely a trifling sensation, 03 if a needla had slightly pricked you. The pain comes when reanimaiion nud circulation take place j then it h,is all the arrowy agony of a severe burn. The poor sufferer, in rhc case I have described, being dis lbled for life, and there being no sort of sedentary employment on the coast, was sent to England, and Being young, was, we subsequently heard, apprentice'! to a tailor. — RecoUaclioHS of Labrador Life. By ..Lambert Da Boilieu

Sunday in Crinoline.—A " Pew-Opener," in the Manchester Examiner and Timns, says : "Much has been said and written upon the mischievous effects of crinoline, but I have not yet heard the abolition of that article of female dres3 treated us a measure of ' church extension.' Yet I think a little reflection will prov.e to us that the disuse of crinoline on Sundays would be equivalent to an increase of, at the very least, 10 per cent, on the existing cliurch and chapel accommodation in the United Kingdom. Holding an official position in one of. our best frequented churches, I have observed that'pews which were intended to hold six persons, and which ai-e let for that number, will only accommodate three ladies dressed in the present fashion 'of wide-orbed skirts, though, as it may be possible to squeeze a thin gentleman in as well, let me set down the average at four persons. This is a diminution of accommodation, as compared with a few years ago, of 33 per cent. As the ladies f jrm only one-half of the audience—often, however, the larger half, —and as I do not wish to exaggerate, I put down the diminution at 16 per cent. This strikes me as a serious matter, especially in populous neighborhoods, and in well-attended places of worship. It often subjects the all-paying Paterfamilias to great injustice, since ho has to provide a third more room for the same, number of persons. I might say a great deal on the subject; but respect for your space forbids. Lst the ladies wear crinoline during six days of the week, but on the lirst day by all means let them reduce their skirts,* or else we shall have to enlarge our sanctuaries a? a tribute to the ruling fashion."

. Irok Hoops.—To prevent iron hoops from staining wood, rub tliam over with tallow, and expose them to the sun, or to the heat of a fire. Thia requires to 'be done only once before the vessel is iwcA. — Yeoman,

THE NEW RATES Or POSTAGE. We publish for general information, the New Rates of Postago in force from and after April 1,1562 :—