Thongh rough and thorny be the road, B. A. EARLY PIETY. * MY DEAR SIR,-May I beg you to find a place in your valued work “the Children's Friend,” for the insertion of the following particulars of a little child not quite four years old. X CONSTANT READER. We called one day to see this dear little shild. She was very ill; suffering much from cough and pain in her side. We asked her, “shall we give you something to make you well again, dear ?” “No (she replied) I would rather die and go to Christ.” She had been in the habit of repeating at night the Lord's Prayer and the Belief. Some one came in and said to her, “ you ought to pray from the heart." And from this period, she would add these words to her daily form of prayer; “Lord, teach me; I am a wick. ed little child, and save me for Jesus Christ's sake." She was asked, “should you not like to get well again, and go out and play with the little children?” “No (she repli. ed) I would rather die and go to Christ.” She often said to her mother, “I hope I shall die to night.” She suffered much at niskt rom cough, and fever ; but she con: stantly spoke of dying soon, and going to Jesus. She scarcely ever spoke a word on any other subject. Her father had been in the habit of drink, ing; and she often said to him; “father, drunkards never go to heaven; and if you do not give up spending your money in drink, you will go to hell.” At Christmas when her mother took her to the window to see some of the sights, and to hear the music, she said, “take me away, they are sinful things, and there is much better music in heaven.” She was one day brought here to see us. We shewed her some Scrip." ture prints; one of Jesus, and one of little Samuel; she was delighted with them, and kissed the latter several times. Two little birds in a cage were shewn to her; but she soon turned from them to look on the pic. ture of Jesus, and told ber aunt when she returned home, that she bad seen the piciure of Jesus and the spear which was run into his side, and which gave him pain, as she had often felt in her side. She was a very affectionate child; and said, “ I love mother very much, but I love Jesus better." At times she appeared rather cross on being asked many questions; but the next time we went to see her, she would appear to recollect herself and put her little arms round us, and kiss us, and express sorrow when we did not come as usual to see her. A few days before her death (when scarcely able to speak) she said to an old woman who came to see her, “ you must pray from your heart, and tell your husband and little Jane, hat they must pray from their hearts." She would often beg her mother and aunt to read the Bible to her. One day her aunt was reading in the Acts to herself ; the child begged her to read aloud. The aunt was ill, and had some difficulty in doing this, but she would not refuse the dear little child. In the midst (and whilst she appeared greatly interested in what was reading) her mother came in to dress her ; but the dear child would not consent to go, till they had promised to go on with exactly the same part as soon as she was dressed, A few weeks before her death, she beg.: ged her mother to bring her down to see us, that we might tell her something more of Jesus. This dear little child's parents were not pious, and she had never been taken to any place of worship, or been placed at any school : the only means through which her soul could ever possibly have derived any benefit, was that of her mother being in the habit of reading a chapter in the Bible to the family on Sunday evenings and this when the dear little child was only three years old) and the other means was, that she was in the house with a sick aunt to whom pious persons sometimes came for prayer and pious conversation. The dear child was taken from her little earthly tabernacle in January 1830. LITTLE BOY AND THE ALMOND. If ye know these things, bappy are ye if ye do them.-John xiii. 17. So said the Lord Jesus Christ to his disciples after he had shewed them a wonderful example of his great humility. It applied just as much to every one of the commands he has given us; and every person, young or old, rich or poor, learned or unlearned, has an equal right to think that Christ speaks to him by his word. I am going to tell you about a little boy who not only knew the eighth command. ment, but was enabled to keep it. He was very young, not five years old ; but had been well instructed by a kind aunt, who took care that he should early know the Scriptures, which were able to make him wise unto salvation. He was ta. ken 'one day by her to the shop of a drug. gist, and there be observed an almond which had dropped from the counter on to a seat just below it. He wished much to make it his own; but knowing it was not right to take what belonged to another, he walked to the door of the shop. Still however, he could not help thinking of the Almond; he returned and looked at it, toucked it with his finger, and then went away again. But Satan, who is always ready to tempt chil. dren as well as grown up people to commit sin, put it again into his head, how nice the Almond would be, it was only one.it could never be missed. So be walked again to. wards the seat; but calling to mind the command of God, was heard to say to him. sell : “ Thou shalt not steal,” and imme. diately going away from the place of temp. tation, he remained at the door of the shop, until his aunt was ready to walk away with him home. Dear children, pray that you may be en. |