CALM IN A STORM.-SAVED BY HIS CHILDREN. house boy, with a plain face but eyes that looked straight into her own; and in his hand he held a beautiful bunch of bluest forget-me-nots.' The colour rushed to the young lady's pale cheeks as she held out her hand to receive the gift of the boy whom she had never seen before. Then a sudden thought struck her, and taking out her purse she offered him sixpence. 'No, thank you, miss. Please, the flowers are for you; I have just gathered them up there under the bridge.' 'But I should like to pay you for them; I thought the forget-me-nots were all dead.' 'O miss! they ain't. We boys are out for our half holiday, and we can find them later than this. The flowers are for you, miss,' and away ran Ginger, his heart the lighter because he had given his dearly prized flowers away with the hope that they would cheer the sad lady. And Marion walked home, looking at the tiny messengers of love that spoke direct to her heart at that moment as nothing else could have done. They seemed to come to her straight from the hand of her Saviour. Soft whispers fell upon her ear: 'I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valley,' 'Consider the lilies of the field,' If God so clothe the grass of the field;' and the little workhouse boy's gift was more eloquent to her soul than any poet's song or preacher's voice could have been; it sank into her heart never to be forgotten. The blue, star-like flowers were the emblems of that divine love that never changes, never forgets, and would never be forgotten by us. And with a sweet and entire dependence upon the love of her Redeemer, Marion cast away her gloom and repining and with tearful eyes, but a peaceful heart, was able at length to say, "Thy will be done.' CALM IN A STORM. E. C. Na gale off the coast a vessel was driven ashore. Her anchors were gone and she refused to obey the helm. A few moments more, and she would strike. In the midst of the general consternation that prevailed one man remained calm. He had done all that man could do to prepare for the worst when the wreck was inevitable, and now that death was apparently near he was quietly awaiting the event. A friend of his demanded the reason of his calmness in the midst of danger so imminent 'Do you not know that the anchor is gone and we are drifting upon the rocks ?' His reply was, 'Certainly I do; but I have an anchor to the soul.' Blessed are those who are thus anchored within the veil, and who find in the hope set before them, upon which they have laid hold, through storm or calm, a stay, a trust, a refuge ever sure. SAVED BY HIS CHILDREN. 19 EARS ago two men entered into an agreement to rob one of their neighbours. Everything was planned. They were to enter his home at midnight, break open his chests and drawers, and carry off all the silver and gold they could find. He is rich and we are poor,' said they to each other by way of encouragement in the evil they were about to perform. He will never miss a little gold, while the possession will make us happy. Besides, what right has one man to all the world's goods?' Thus they talked together. One of these men had a wife and children, but the other had none in the world to care for but himself. The man who had children went home and joined his family, after agreeing upon a place of meeting with the other at the darkest hour of the coming night. 'Dear father,' said one of the children, climbing upon his knees, I am glad you have come home.' The presence of the child troubled the man, and he tried to push him away, but he laid his face against his cheek and said, in a sweet and gentle voice, 'I love you, father!' Involuntarily the man drew his innocent and loving one to his bosom and kissed him. There were two older children in the man's dwell. ing, a boy and a girl. They were poor, and these children worked hard to keep up the daily supply of bread, made deficient through the idleness of the father rather than through lack of employment. These children came home soon after their father's return and brought their earnings for the day. 'O father,' said the boy, 'such a dreadful thing has happened! Henry Lee's father was arrested to-day for robbery. They took him out of our shop when Henry was there and carried him off to prison. I was sad when I saw Henry weeping, and hang his head for shame of his own father. Only think of that!' 'Ashamed of his father,' thought he. And will my children hang their heads also in shame? No, no; that shall never be.' At the hour of midnight the man who had no children to throw around him a sphere of better influence was sitting at the place of rendezvous waiting for him whose children had saved him; but he waited long in vain. Then he said, 'I will do the whole myself and get the entire plunder.' And he did according to his word. When the other man went forth to his labour on the next day he learnt that his accomplice had been taken in the act of robbery and was already in prison. "Thank Heaven for virtuous children!' said he with fervour. They have saved me. Never will I do an act that will cause ther: to blush for their father.' RULES AND REGULATIONS. SUNDAY, MARCH 25th, 1883. Our Lord rose again from the dead, and showed Himself alive by the space of forty days. 1. To Mary Magdalene. Mark xvi, 9; John xx. 11-18. 4. To Cleopas & another on the way to Emmaus Mark xvi. 12; Luke xxiv. 13-35. 7. To above five hundred brethren at once. 1 Cor. xv. 6; Matt.xxviii16-20 2. To the women who came to the tomb. Matthew xxviii. 8-10. 5. To the disciples, as they sat at meat. Markxvi.14; Luke xxiv. 36-43; John xx. 19-23. 8. To seven disciples at the sea of Tiberias. John xxi, 1-23. 9. (Acts i. 3.) 3. To Simon Peter (Cephas). Luke xxiv. 33, 34; 1 Cor. xv. 5. 6. To the disciples, Thomas present. John xx. 24-29; 1 Cor. XV. 5. To the apostle James. 1 Cor. xv. 7. Recall-Man was made to know, love, 10. To the disciples at His ascension. Mark xvi. 19; Luke xxiv. 50-53; Acts i. 6-12. and serve God; but fell from that state into sin and misery. Sin is disobedience to the law of God in will or deed. All mankind are born in sin, but not without hope; for a Saviour was provided from the beginning, and all that come into the world receive of His grace and His Spirit. THE ORDER OF MERIT. I. Candidates for the honours and prizes of the Order shall be under sixteen years of age, but Competitors who arrive at that age after registering shall not be debarred from further competition. II. Candidates for Admission shall send to be registered(1) their names in full; (2) their address in full; (3) the date of their last birthday, and their age then; (4) a small registrationfee of 4d. in stamps, to cover the expense of posting cards, certificates, &c. III. Competitive Examinations shall be held for the Candidates for Admission, and those who obtain the highest marks shall be admitted as Members of the Order of Merit in the Third Class, and shall receive Cards of Membership. IV. Competitive Examinations shall be held for Members of the Third Class, and those who obtain the highest marks shall be ad. mitted to the Second Class, and receive Certificates of Honour. V. Competitive Examinations shall be held for Members of the Second Class, and successful Competitors shall be admitted to the First Class of the Order, and receive First Class Certificates of Honour. VI. Competitions for Prizes shall be held between Members of the First Class. N.B.-1. New competitors may register at any time. 2. All competition papers must begin with (1) the Name of the writer; (2) the Address; and (3) the Age last birthday-age being taken into account in giving marks. 3. All communications should be addressed to THE EXAMINER, 2, LUDGATE CIRCUS BUILDINGS, LONDON, E.C. Papers should not be sent by book-post. ORDER OF MERIT-LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION. ADMISSIONS AND ADVANCES. THIRD CLASS. 21 Correctly answered by Jessie Harriet Penn, William E. Cushon, Eva Mary Cushon, James Edgar Langley, Edith Murray Barley, Frederick Johns, Lillie Armstead, James John Jones, Ethel Mar. shall, H. W. Irvine, Wilfred J. Moulton, Christopher C. Dove, Herbert Astley Naish, Ernest James Hartley, Gertrude A. Pilley. SCRIPTURE ENIGMA. 1. A PROPHETESS who foretold the destruction of Jerusalem; 2. A relative of Caleb who delivered Israel; 5. The captain of Syria's host; 6. A prophet who spake a parable to David; 7. One who was honoured by being called 'the friend of God; ' 8. The sixth son of Jacob; 9. A king of Babylon; 10. The name of the father of Abraham; 11. A land where the gold was good; 12. A priest who is mentioned as using a pulpit; 15. One whom Paul loved in the truth; 18. The king of Israel who built the temple; 19. A disciple at Joppa who was kind to the poor : The initials of the above are an ascription of praise given to Jesus by the people. 'You are mistaken,' said the gentleman; "he had a great many. He wiped his feet when he came in and closed the door after him, showing that he was careful; he gave up his seat instantly to that lame old man, showing that he was kind and thoughtful; he took off his cap when he came in and answered my questions promptly and respectfully, showing he was polite and gentlemanly; he picked up the book which I had purposely laid upon the floor and replaced it on the table, while all the rest stepped over it or shoved it aside; and he waited quietly for his turn, instead of pushing and crowding, showing that he was honest and orderly. When I talked with him I noticed that his clothes were carefully brushed, his hair in nice order, and his teeth as white as milk; and when he wrote his name I noticed that his finger nails were clean, instead of being tipped with jet, like that handsome little fellow's in the blue jacket. Don't you call those things letters of recommendation? I do; and I would give more for what I can tell about a boy by using my eyes ten minutes than all the fine letters he can bring me.' 23 22 TRUSTING A FATHER'S HAND.-HOLDING PAPA'S HAND. TRUSTING A FATHER'S HAND. HAPPENED to come down to my shop one day and found my eldest boy, then about eight years of age, busily punching holes in a piece of leather with the instrument used for the purpose by shoemakers. The piece of leather was of little worth, but in order to prevent his trying the operation on something more valuable in future he received a correction; and, by way of trying his confidence, he was asked to put out his little tongue that it might, as it were, undergo a similar operation. As may be supposed, the request was not complied with, and the matter was likely to end there when his sister, two years older than her brother, who had been eagerly watching the proceedings, said: 'I will do it, pa,' which she did without hesitation when requested. Resolved to put her to the test, the punch was laid on; but not showing the least appearance of flinching it was pressed close; yet there she stood, even smiling in her father's face, who, feeling himself overcome, withdrew the instrument. Judge of his emotion when she exclaimed, 'I knew you would not do it, pa.' Has the Lord taught thee to trust a Father's hand? 10 'I AM THE DOOR.' Na town in the north of Scotland some boys were in the habit of meeting together for prayer. A little girl was passing and heard them sing. She stopped to listen, and, thinking it was just an ordinary prayer-meeting, she felt anxious to get in. Putting up her hand, she pulled the latch, but it would not open; it was fastened inside. She became very uneasy, and the thought arose in her mind, 'What if this were the door of heaven and I outside ?' She went home, but could not sleep. Day after day she became more troubled at the thought of being shut out of heaven. She went from one prayermeeting to another still finding no rest. At length, one day reading the tenth chapter of John, she came to the words, 'I am the door.' She paused and read the verse again and again. Here was the very door she was seeking, and wide open too, and she entered it and found peace. On further conversation the gentleman found that this beggar was rich in faith, and rejoiced even in poverty, having a believing trust in Christ. Suprised at the clear scriptural views of salvation expressed by the poor man, the gentleman inquired where he had got all his knowledge. 'I will tell you,' said he. 'About nine or ten years ago I was begging at one of the houses in the Royal Crescent at Brighton. After waiting for some time, as no one gave me anything, I turned and walked away. A servant then came after me and said that a lady had sent me a penny and a little tract, which she desired I would read. It was that little book, sir, which taught me about faith and about being born again.' PALACE OF ICE. N empress of Russia once had a palace of ice built for her. It was very beauti. ful, but very cold. Its architecture and furniture and decorations were fault. less and splendid to look upon, glittering like piled jewels in the winter sun; but it was utterly comfortless, for it had no heat. When fire-so evidently longed for-was introduced it was extinguished, because it was foolishly wished that the fire would radiate its influence without destroying the ice. The inmates wanted to be warmed and yet retain their palace. But this, in the very nature of things, was impossible. So with us; we cannot have the righteousness of the law and the righteousness of Christ together. And until we are willing to renounce the first for the second we are as far from being fully blessed as was the young man in the gospel. HOLDING PAPA'S HAND. HE patter of little feet on my office floor and a glad voice exclaiming, 'Papa, I'se come to 'scort you home!' made known to me the presence of my little six-year old darling, who often came at that hour to take me home,' as she said. Soon we were going hand in hand on the homeward way. 'Now, papa, let's play I was a poor little blind girl, and you must let me hold your hand tight and you lead me along and tell me where to step and how to go.' So the merry blue eyes were shut tight, and we began. 'Now step up, now down,' and so on till we were safely arrived and the darling was nestling in my arms, saying, 'Wasn't it nice, papa ? I never peeped once!' 'But,' said mamma, didn't you feel afraid you'd fall, dear?' With a look of trusting love came the answer: 'Oh no, mamma! I had a tight hold on papa's hand, and I knew he would take me safely over the hard places.' SAVE. SAVE.-WILLIAM TYNDALE. HILDREN who have a little money ought to practise saving something. Many boys and girls of to-day hardly know a higher use for any money that comes into their hands than spending it for some foolish thing as quickly as possible. To such a lesson in self-denial and economy is very important. As go the boy's pennies and halfpennies so, very likely, will go the man's pounds and hundreds by-and-by. Without having the spirit of a miser, the person accustomed to save has more pleasure in laying up than a spendthrift ever knows. WILLIAM TYNDALE. WILLIAM TYNDALE AND BISHOP TUNSTAL. HEN Tyndale left the University of Cambridge he went to live in the manor house, Little Sodbury, Gloucestershire. There he was chaplain to Sir John Walsh and tutor to the young Walshes. The chil. dren were little, so that Tyndale had time for study. Sir John Walsh was very kind to him and asked him to dine with many learned, reverend, and distinguished guests. These were all papists, and they talked much about theological and Church affairs. Although they were many of them priests they knew comparatively little about the Scriptures, so that when Tyndale debated with them he vexed them very much by proving them to be wrong from the Scriptures. Some of those who could not answer his arguments tried to injure him by turning Sir John Walsh against him. Once they succeeded for a little time, and Lady Walsh told him that some who were richer men than he said he was wrong and therefore she could not think he was not. But Tyndale soon convinced her that it was, not a question of money, but of learning and truth; and both she and her husband continued to be his admirers and friends. Tyndale had translated into English one of Erasmus' books, which he called Manual of a Christian Soldier. This greatly pleased his patron, who, when he saw that the priests hated him, gave over inviting them to the manor house. This vexed them the more; for though they hated young Tyndale the tutor they loved good dinners at Sir John Walsh's table. But another cause of vexation to the priests was that Tyndale preached the Gospel in the villages near and in Bristol. They summoned him to appear before Chancellor Parker, who was very rude and harsh with him and who treated him as though he had been a dog. 23 The priests were ignorant and far from being godly. They used to meet in alehouses and denounce Tyndale. He replied to all their objection by appealing to the plain words of the Bible. But then the common people could not get the Bible for themselves, and very few of the rich could read it. It was not translated yet into English. So Tyndale resolved to translate the New Testament into English, and he said: 'I defy the pope and all his laws. If God spare my life, ere many years I will cause a boy that driveth the plough shall know more of the Scripture than learned men and priests did.' All this made his enemies more and more spiteful. They stirred up so much opposition against him that he thought it wise to remove from the country to London. Perhaps he expected to be able to study better in the city than by the Cotswold Hills; perhaps he expected to find more learned men to sympathise with him and help him in town than in the villages: so he started for London. Shortly before he came to the metropolis an ignorant, persecuting old Bishop of London named FitzJames had died; and Tyndale hoped to find his successor, the new bishop, whose name was Cuthbert Tunstal, willing to help him in his work. Tunstal was an accomplished man, and com. paratively young. He had been educated at Oxford, Cambridge, and Padua. He was said to love learn ing and to be liberal to scholars. He was of polished manners, very courtly, and very popular. Tyndale asked earnestly for an interview, but could not obtain one for some time. He had translated from the Greek one of the orations of Isocrates and intended to show this to the bishop so as to convince him of his ability to translate the Greek Testament into English. But it was not this work nor Tyndale's pleading that secured the interview, but rather a letter from his patron Sir John Walsh to his friend Sir Harry Guilford, controller of the king's household, who was in great favour with Henry VIII. But when Tyndale did see the bishop he was greatly disappointed. He soon found that, if Bishop Tunstal was very pleasant to lords and ladies, princes and prelates in the king's palace, he could be very cold and silent to a poor man whose only recommendation was his piety, scholarship, and burning desire to do a good and great work. So no persuasion of William Tyndale moved the Bishop of London to help him. He would not give him a chaplaincy or other employment by which Tyndale could gain his living whilst translating the Scriptures in London, nor would he help or encourage him in his holy undertaking. So good William Tyndale left the bishop's palace, Old London House, near St. Paul's Cathedral, very much disappointed and saddened. Perhaps God saw that it was not well for Tyndale to do his work in London; that he had lessons to learn that grammars and lexicons could not teach, before he could really do the work that the Lord intended him to do. 1 |