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1869.]

Poetry. The Peace of God-It Ends in Light.

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The Peace of God.

"And the work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever."

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And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet restingplaces."-ISAIAH Xxxii. 17, 18.

O, loving Lord! Thy voice hath hope imparted,
Through all the weary way Thy Church hath passed,
And still 'tis music to the broken-hearted,

Telling of love, and joy, and peace at last.

Of wanderings o'er-of calm and sure abiding
In quiet pastures, far from all earth's strife-
Of streams of living water gently gliding

Beneath the shadow of the Tree of Life.

Of God's own home, where "glory that excelleth,"
The temple fills, whose praises never cease;
The heavenly Salem, where Immanuel dwelleth,
And His redeemed ones enter into peace.

The peace of God! oh, how our hearts are yearning,
Amid earth's changes, for our Father's home;
To its dear light our eyes are ever turning,
To its dear voice that gently whispers, "Come!"

Guide us, O Saviour, guide our footsteps weary,
Show us the comfort of Thy staff and rod,
Till, having travelled through the desert dreary,
We rest forever in the peace of God.

H. W. A., in the "Rock."

It Ends in Light.

"And his banner over me was love."-SONG OF SOLOMON ii. 4.

I say to thee, do thou repeat

To the first man thou mayest meet
In lane, highway, or open street-

That he, and we, and all men move
Under a canopy of love,

As broad as the blue sky above;

That doubt and trouble, fear and pain,
And anguish, all are shadows vain;

That death itself shall not remain ;

That weary deserts we may tread,
A dreary labyinth may thread,

Through dark ways underground be led ;

Yet if we will our Guide obey,

The dreariest path, the darkest way,
Shall issue out in heavenly day.

And one thing further make him know-
That to believe these things are so,

This firm faith never to forego

Despite of all which seems at strife
With blessing, all with curses rife-
That this is blessing, this is life.

B. C. TRENCH.

PAGES FOR THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.

THE SUPPER AND THE MASS.

ONE of the greatest of all pictures is the "Last Supper" of Leonardo da Vinci. It was painted by a devout Roman Catholic, for the use of a convent of Dominican monks in the city of Milan. No one, either Protestant or Roman Catholic, ever doubted that it gave a just and faithful idea of the actual fact of the institution.-See Matth. 26: 26-28. We have given a reduced copy of this great picture.

[graphic]

On the next page is the Mass of the present day, as we find it depicted in Roman Catholic publications. And, placing the two representations in immediate contrast, we ask our readers to say, whether it is possible to conceive of two rites or religious ceremonies more unlike to each other?

That these two things-the Supper and the Mass, differ in all respects, is apparent at a glance. There is not even the slightest resemblance. Had we given a picture of a marriage, and another of a funeral, every one would have expected a contrast. Yet the dissimilarity would not have been greater than is evident in these two representations-the first, of the Lord's Supper, as Christ himself instituted it; and the second, of the Mass, which the Romish Church has substituted in its room.

The Lord Jesus Christ, distributing bread and wine, said, "Do this in remembrance of me." The Romish Church first took away the bread, and substituted for it a wafer, which is not bread of any kind; and then, a little later, it boldly took away the cup also; and thus removed even the last external appearance of obedience to the Saviour's command. Then the same Church called this wafer the very body of Christ, and changed the whole service into the offering of this very body as a sacrifice to God, further declaring that by offering that sacrifice the officiating minister can make an atonement for the sins of the living and of the dead! For as early as in the fourth or fifth century, we find the notion creeping in, that "it will be a considerable advantage to the dead to be prayed for, while the holy and tremendous sacrifice lies upon the altar." Soon it began to be supposed, that if one mass could benefit a departed soul, one hundred or one thousand must be vastly more beneficial.

[graphic]

Look at the humble company, assembled at the institution of the Last Supper, and then think of the wonderful fact, that the commemoration and perpetuation of that simple "breaking of bread" should have been turned into a device, by means of which all the wealth of Europe, for a thousand years, was made to flow perpetually into the coffers of the Church!

This, surely, is the very climax of "pious fraud." The Church's head, at His last meeting with His apostles before the final scene of suffering, took bread and wine, and gave it to them, saying, "Do this in remembrance of me." In the course of centuries a misled and perverted Church first turned this simple rite into "a sacrifice for the living and the dead;" then made that sacrifice all-powerful for the salvation of departed souls; then sold that supposed power for money; then took away both the bread and the wine; and, finally, as if in derision of its victims, gives them a paper from the Papal Chancery, decreeing "that masses which have not been said, shall be as though they had been said."

And that is the sin of Rome at this day. entirely "changed" than the Lord's Supper

Breaking the Bottles.

A messenger came to say that two more houses in this Burman village had just now decided to become Christians. They wished us to go and dash to pieces for them the bottle so long used in making offerings to the spirits of the "dark world," as the Karens themselves express it. This was a work that we were delighted to execute. Both houses were visited, appropriate exercises were held in each, with many earnest words and prayers. Then the venerated vessels, so

Never was an "ordinance of God" more has been by the Romish Church.

often used in their heathen worship, were handed to us, and dashed to pieces on the spot. There was no trifling; the people were thoroughly in earnest, and felt that this was a most critical moment in their lives. We would, on some accounts, have preferred to bring away unbroken the bottles in question, as mementoes for friends at a distance; but their utter destruction seemed the best course under the circumstances. These were the only remaining heathen families. The entire village is now a Christian community.

Of an Humble Bible- Woman

IN FRANCE.

"It was during the heat of the day; the cafe was full. Countrymen with their elbows on the tables drank and conversed, while others read the papers. A woman enters. 'Bon jour, Messieurs, I think you can all read? Here are some good little books.' 'What are they?' is asked from all sides. The Word of God. I only give to those who wish for it.' [Respect fully], 'We are all Catholics, and willing to read the Word of God;' and each one eagerly takes a tract or a Scripture portion. 6 Take those books,' says a man just come in, I have read them; they are excellent.' And what religion are you of?' asked some one. 'Of the religion of Jesus Christ. And you?' 'I won't tell you.' The woman, leaning on the back of a chair, speaks of Jesus and his love to sinners, first to one tablefull, and then to another. She is listened to with a degree of surprise, but with attention. The landlord, charmed with the presents made to his customers, manifests great good will; and when the courageous handmaid of the Lord takes leave of her hearers, she sees the journals laid down and each one reading a little book.

Had I Heard when Young.

ONE morning, while visiting these women (in India) I met an aged heathen, a person of uncommon mind, who had been and still was a most devout Buddhist :

"Don't tell me. I can't learn your prayer. I'm too old. Your Jesus don't know me. I've worshiped Gaudama. I've done good. I've fed the priests. I've built a kyoung. If I take another now I shall fall between the two. No, no. Let me alone. I am an old woman. If I am lost, I am lost."

"Hush! hush!" she cried, as we continued pleading. "Tell me not," she exclaimed in a loud voice: "Tell me not. Had I heard when young I might have believed, but Loonbie! Loonbie !-too late! too late!"

The Saddest Thought about
Romanism

Is, that it does not encourage any one to come to Jesus. In one of the Romish chapels of Italy, there is a picture sublimely executed, the light of which awes the beholder, but does not draw him to Christ. It represents Jesus, not as inviting men to come to Him, but as an angry Judge, brandishing in his hand thunderbolts, ready to launch them at poor sinners who are crouching before him; but Mary, the mother of Jesus, is represented as trying to shield them from his wrath, and pleading with her Son to have mercy upon them. As though he was not as ready to have mercy upon them as Mary is!

And so the children of Italy, of Mexico and Spain, and some children of Catholic parents in this country, really know nothing of Jesus, as saying, "Suffer the little children, and forbid them not to come unto me." Who shall undertake to tell them? Shall not the children of our Sundayschools, by the establishment of Sundayschools in these Romish countries?

Superintendents, teachers, parents ! are your children trained to only a sentimental Christianity? There is no numbering the songs they sing about doing missionary work-being "little workers"-soldiers, "enlisted in this army"—but how many thousands who thus sing, are suffered to drift on doing nothing? Train them to Do Something. Among other things, interest them in helping to establish Sabbath-schools for Roman Catholic children.

HIDDEN TREASURES.

IN the "green room" at Dresden may be seen a silver egg, a present to one of the Saxon queens, which, when you touch a spring, opens and reveals a golden yolk. Within the yolk is a chicken. Press the wing and the chicken flies open, disclosing a splendid gold crown, studded with jewels. Nor is this all. Touch another secret spring and you find hid in the centre a magnificent diamond ring!

So it is with every truth and promise of The more we examine, the greater riches God's Word-a treasure within a treasure. we find. But how many neglect to touch the springs!

SPECIAL MISSIONARY INTELLIGENCE.

FROM OUR OWN MISSIONS.

Italy.

MILAN.-MR. CLARK.

THE belief every where in these European countries is, that Americans have means and ability, and Italian Christians have the same belief with respect to American churches. They feel assured that if interest is felt, something will be accomplished. They say Christians in America are intelligent, they know the trials and persecutions we endure in endeavoring to plant the pure Gospel in our ignorant, superstitious, and bigoted Catholic country. They say American Christians are rich, they give five, ten, twenty, fifty, and

sometimes a hundred thousand dollars to

build a place of worship, and surely they will not forget their Christian brethren in Italy, who as yet have no houses of worship, and who find the greatest possible difficulty at times to hire a suitable room where, unmolested, they may worship God. American Christians are large-hearted and liberal, they love us, and they will not forget us.

And, in fact, there have been causes sufficient to justify the Italians in having this assurance and expectation of real and effective assistance from American churches. The efforts of the American Bible Society in the circulation of the Scriptures the American and Foreign Christian Union in the noble work it has already done in sustaining so many evangelists and colporteurs in all parts of Italy, and more recently in generously sustaining the Theological School at Milan, where evangelists may be qualified, in the real sympathy and encouragement given by the deputation of this Society, sent to Italy the past year to examine its work, and sympathy manifested by many of its influential members and friends, and a short time since by the visit of its President to the School at Milan, where he addressed at length the Evangelists of the

city, the professors and students of the institution, giving a full statement of the character of the work, policy and purposes of the American and Foreign Christian Union with respect to Italy, and assuring Italian Christians and the Italian churches of the deep interest felt by the American Evangelical churches of all denominations in the religious reform of Italy. All these are causes which have greatly influenced and encouraged Italian Christians, and which have produced the firm conviction that now American churches will help them. With confident expectation these friends of the Gospel in Italy now rely upon aid from their American brethren.

At no time, since I have been in Italy, have there been so many good men ready to take the field, as active evangelists and successful preachers, as now. And sad to say, never before have we found such difficulty to obtain funds to send them forth. There are some now waiting to be sent, but the means are wanting. And

never has there been a time when there were such numbers of young Italians desirous to enter our School, and qualify themselves for evangelists. There is a great pressure upon us in this direction, but funds are wanting to sustain even the twenty we have, and some of these must soon leave, as we cannot longer give them bread. With liberal aid, great things could be done for Italy.

Chili.

VALPARAISO-DR. TRUMBULL.

MR. MERWIN is now fairly in his work in this city. The hardness of the task begins fairly to be perceived. There is so much disregard for the Sabbath, that even some who would are unable to attend his preaching. It is the day for our fire companies to exercise; the day for political clubs to assemble for debate, and the day for the military to be called out

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