The Little Gleaner Part 37

"At another time, he remarked, 'How good the Lord is to me, is He not?'

And again, 'My sufferings are great, but they will soon be over, for I shall soon be with the Lord'; and in a manner I cannot describe, exclaimed, 'Oh, dear Lord Jesus Christ, and Holy Ghost, come and take me.'

"Not long after, he remarked, 'I shall soon go now. Something has broke in my head. You may send for some one to lay me out.'

"After a short interval he complained of shortness of breath, and proceeded to call upon the Lord in a sweet manner, but in a short time suddenly exclaimed, 'Now I know I shall soon be gone, for two things have broke within me. Does not my voice get weaker?'

"After giving directions about his books, he again complained of his distresses, and I remarked, 'The way to the kingdom was through much tribulation.' He requested that I would pray for patience; and upon being reminded that the Lord loved him too well to detain him one moment beyond the appointed time, he said, 'Oh, why is He so long in coming?

Dear Lord, come _now_!'

"Referring him to some of the Lord's children who had suffered fire and sword, but were now in glory, I added, 'You will soon be with them, and have ten thousand smiles from your Redeemer, with love in every smile.'

This seemed to refresh his spirit, and I continued, 'One moment with Christ will more than recompense for all your pain.' He said, 'Oh, yes.

Come, dear Lord, and take me!'

"Heart and flesh failing, his father was called into his room. The patient sufferer looked calmly at him, gently moved to the other side of the chair, said 'Mother!' and resting his head on his arm, and with a pleasant countenance, and without a groan, quietly fell asleep in Christ, November 17th, 1851, at five o'clock a.m."

Thus died George Woolford, aged nine years and nine months.

"Those that sleep in Christ will G.o.d bring with Him."

"'I take these little lambs,' said He, 'And lay them in My breast; Protection they shall find in Me; In Me be ever blest.

"'Death may the bands of life unloose, But can't dissolve My love; Millions of infant souls compose The family above.'

"His words the happy parents hear, And shout with joys divine-- 'Dear Saviour, all we have and are Shall be for ever Thine.'"

HEPHZIBAH.

"My dear Hephzibah was taken ill on the fifth of November, and though I have not many sayings of hers to record, I nevertheless believe that there was 'some good thing in her toward the Lord G.o.d of Israel,' and therefore, in solemn pleasure, rehea.r.s.e the memorials of His grace.

"On the fourth day of her illness she said, 'Mother, I am very ill, but I am not afraid to die, mother. No; I should like to die, and be with the Lord, for I do love Him, mother, that I do, better than every one besides.' 'But do you not love your father and mother best?' I inquired.

Her answer was, 'I do love _you_ both very dearly, but I love the Lord _most_. Ought I not to love Him most, mother?' I said, 'Yes, my dear.'

She replied, 'And so I _do_. I want to go to heaven, to be with Him. And I should like my dear father, and mother, and Ann Jane, and George, and Rhoda to go with me. Would not that be happy, to meet and never part again? There we should have all we want.' I replied, 'Yes, my dear, "for the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of water, and G.o.d shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." "And there shall be no night there."' 'Oh, will not that be happy, mother?' she exclaimed. 'I want to die, that I may see the Lord. He is so good and kind to me.' I asked, 'Would you not like to get well again?' and her reply was, 'I would rather die and go to Jesus.'

"The frequency of her expressed desires to 'depart and be with Christ'

excited a trembling apprehension in my mind of her speedy dissolution, an apprehension fully verified by the event.

"She now sunk into a state of unconsciousness, in which she continued for more than a week, suffering very much, indicating the speedy disrupture of all earthly ties, and inducing a perpetual vigil.

"To my surprise she suddenly rallied, seemed to get better, and 'hope told a flattering tale'; but it disappointed us, and rendered the separation more trying.

"The sensitive vigilance of my child's conscience was very remarkable.

For instance, when any little delicacy had been declined, she remained inflexible, remarking that to alter her decision would be to 'tell a story,' which, she said, 'would be very wicked.'

"On the day she died, she said, 'Mother, I am very ill. I think I shall die. My throat is so bad.' Shortly after, she said, 'Mother,' and was silent. A few minutes after that, she lifted up her dear eyes and hands to heaven three times, clasping her hands and letting them down again.

"None but a mother knows a mother's heart. I saw the stroke, clasped my loved Hephzibah, and impressed the farewell kiss on her dying cheek. She looked at me, gave up the ghost, and was 'carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom' on November 28th, 1851, in the sixth year of her age."

"One gentle sigh their fetters breaks, We scarce can say, 'They're gone!'

Before the willing spirit takes Her mansion near the throne.

"Faith strives, but all its efforts fail To trace her in her flight; No eye can pierce within the veil Which hides that world of light.

"Thus much (and this is all) we know-- They are completely blest; Have done with sin, and care, and woe, And with their Saviour rest."

[The memoir of the third child, Ann Jane, will appear next month.]

THE BLIND TORTOISE IN THE WELL.

A blind tortoise lived in a well. Another tortoise, a native of the ocean, in his inland travels happened to tumble into this well. The blind one asked of his new comrade whence he came.

"From the sea."

Hearing of the sea, he of the well swam round a little circle and asked--

"Is the water of the ocean as large as this?"

"Larger," replied he of the sea.

The well tortoise then swam two-thirds of the well, and asked if the sea was as big as that.

"Much larger than that," said the sea tortoise.

"Well, then," asked the blind tortoise, "is the sea as large as this whole well?"

"Larger," said the sea tortoise.

"If that is so," said the well tortoise, "how big, then, is the sea?"

The sea tortoise replied, "You having never seen any other water than that of your well, your capability of understanding is small. As to the ocean, though you spent many years in it, you would never be able to explore the half of it, nor to reach the limit, and it is utterly impossible to compare it with this well of yours."

The well tortoise replied, "It is impossible that there can be a larger water than this well. You are simply praising up your native place with vain words."

How many people there are like the tortoise in the well!

BIBLE ENIGMA.

Though 'tis not seen, yet it is known, For oft it makes e'en strong men groan.

The proud and bold have shook with fear When they have felt this strong one near.