THE

SABBATH SCHOOL MAGAZINE.

WILLIE'S CHAT WITH MAMMA ABOUT ANGELS.

By the Rev. Matthew Brown, of Hightae.

"The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them." "Between the dark and the daylight,

When the night is beginning to lower,
Comes a pause in the day's occupation
That is known as the children's hour."

“I WANT to be an angel, mamma," said a little boy, who stood pressing his lips against a pane in the parlour window.

"An angel! my dear boy," replied his fond parent; "how came you to express such a wish?”

"Well, mamma, we were singing to-day in the Sabbath school,

"I want to be like Jesus,

So lowly and so meek,'

and I am sure I can never be like Him; and if I could just be a little angel, I should be so glad.”

"Would you, my dear?"

"Yes, I would indeed! Would you not like me to become one, mamma? Then I would fly away beyond the clouds, away past the stars, up to the very presence of Jesus, where I would get a nice place, and something to do for Him. I might be put among the angels that sing! Singing is so nice, I would never tire of it, I am sure."

"What have you been reading, my child, or who has been speaking to you to-day at school, that you talk so unusually?"

"My teacher said to-day, when I had repeated my hymn

'Had I the wings of a dove, I would fly

Far, far away! far, far away!'-—

that God often took away little boys to make angels of them. He said he wished he had been taken long, long ago. He meant that, mamma, for he looked so earnestly, and a tear dropped on his Bible as he spoke. NO. 1.] [VOL. XXII.

A

Since I came in, I have been wondering if He will take me.

too old to become one yet, mamma?”

Is teacher

"Oh dear no, my boy! He is neither too big nor too old to be taken away,” replied Mrs. Barton, with a look bright with extreme pleasure, for she was charmed at the novel remarks of her son, who had become, in her estimation, a budding theologian.

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'I really wonder, then, if He will take me? I thought our teacher knew, as he always kept looking at me. I wish I had asked him, when the time for putting questions to teacher came. Bob Smith asked how

angels could hold their trumpets and blow them, if they were mere spirits, and had neither hands nor mouths, as we have. Fred. Thomson laughed quite loud at this, and so did his cousin Willie; but I said, if I were one I would carry good people up to heaven. I wonder if baby brother will have grown big enough to be an angel now. I fear I shall not know him again, although I should have liked. He may know us though, mamma. Teacher also said that even angels grow."

"Your teacher was right there, Willie," said Mrs. Barton. Angels ever grow, but it is in knowledge, in holiness, and in love, under the radiant smile of their Master; but we have no reason to believe they grow taller or older."

I

"How strange that an angel should follow us by night and by day, in order to take back a fair report of our good thoughts and bad deeds! should like so much just to have a peep at that book in which all is written of me, to see what the angel thinks. I am sure I can only be good when I am sleeping, for then it is that angels come to me, and speak to me in my dreams. Do they ever visit you, mamma?”

"Oh yes, dear, many a time, I believe! I can never forget a night vision I had in my youth, Willie, when some years older than you. I had been very serious about my soul from ten years of age until over seventeen. I was afraid to displease God, and rarely failed to attend to my morning and evening devotions. Indeed, I would withdraw every night at nine o'clock, no matter who might be in the room, what company might be present, or how enticing the enjoyments were, in order to read my stated portion of the Bible and confess my sins, believing, that great as they were, they would not shut me out from God's love. But after this I mixed a good deal in society, and became fond of gay life, accepting invitations to dancing parties and late suppers. Soon I became less and less attached to my devotions and formal in prayer, and so deserted the Lord, whom I had resolved to fear and serve. Oh! it is easy to grow cold in God's service, and to leave off praying. Now a few minutes was

all I could find time for. The gaieties of the world were making me colder and colder daily. One night, exhausted and fevered more than usual, I turned in to bed, to toss and turn, and turn and toss and dream, but not to sleep. Sleep fled my eyes-the sleep that God gives His beloved people, who throw themselves into His arms as they go to rest. It was not long before I saw a vision. I was dying of a severe chest cold, caught by exposure on my return from an evening party. I saw the doctor shake his solemn head, and say, 'Nothing further can be done by man.' My parents wept and cried in great agony, as up till now they had never dreamt that it was likely I would die. Seeing the position of things, the kind physician knelt down, and poured out his heart in strong cries for mercy to my poor soul. His voice, his words, his tears, touched me, and I was aroused to consider my perilous condition. I was able to recall God's mercy to me in Christ Jesus, and I fled to Him that said, 'Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out;' Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow: though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.' I ventured out, and ventured on Christ, and a wonderful peace resulted. I was no longer afraid to die, for Christ came near, shewed himself, and said: 'Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, I am thy God;' and a shining band stood around; and at His signal they bore me up, and charioted me away on their wings into the realms of rest, and visions of eternal and unimagined glory. Oh! what music I heard on the journey; what sights burst on my vision; what hosts of shining creatures flitted past me! By and by we came in sight of the gates of heaven; but just then, I heard strange rushing sounds behind, and, venturing to look round, I discovered a being of awful form and terribly scowling vision gaining upon us, and evidently intending to arrest us. On and on we hastened, until I heard a voice say, 'Come in, thou blessed of the Lord;' and we all passed through with a shout of praise. But barely had we passed the gates, when that dark spirit of evil looks and intentions arrived, and was arrested by the flashing of many swords of the pure spirits that stood guard. Oh! how he made the whole space around tremble and quiver with his blasphemies—so dreadful was his hate at being so late, and thus cheated of expected prey. What awful utterances were heard escaping from him as he dashed off in hot haste! He declared I was his; that I had been serving him for some years; and he had all along counted on me being his at death: and to be thus cheated of his prey! Farther and farther off he fled, and still we clearly heard his awfully menacing words, which caused even my attendants some alarm.

"Imagine what a state of alarm I was in at this occurrence, and how dreadful were my feelings as I awoke. But I praise the Lord for such a scene, vision, or dream, or whatever it was. It caused me great good; it recalled my sins and strange departure from Christ my Lord; it cured me my desire for gay life, and has all along kept me humble, daily mindful of death, judgment, and the heaven of glories beyond, the safe spot of God's loved children. Now I am afraid to sin against His so great love in dying for such as you and I are, Willie. That night vision has been a

of

solemn thing to me—a thing of life and joy.

"I am confident that if we had the spiritual eye sufficiently strong, we would see the entire universe full of these wondrous visitants, for there are myriads of them abroad. Where God's people are there they hover and smile upon them, and begird them with every good, and defend them from every evil. The Apostle Paul knew as much when he said: 'We are compassed about with so great cloud of witnesses."

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"How wonderful, mamma! I never thought of that before, and teacher did not mention it. Do tell me some more about them."

"With pleasure, my son, I will try, as I best can, to gratify and instruct you; but to discourse on, or converse about, such a lofty subject is far from easy, although most delightful, as we are often left to grope in the mazes of our own conjectures. You must understand, then, that angels are, as the poet says,

'Men of a superior kind.

Angels are men in higher habit clad,'—

who exist in another state of being, and constitute a celestial family, over which Jehovah himself presides. They are pure beings that have never known spot of corruption or sin-deathless spirits, over whom the gloom of the grave shall never steal. They weary not, nor do they fear coming sickness, as we do. Their knowledge is vast―their wisdom proverbial, as they reach forth unto things that lie before, but have no need to forget such as are behind. They know much of God, as they stand in near and close contact with Him; and every revelation He makes is an additional cord binding them to the throne, and to Him that sits so glorious there. They bow before Him, and sing His praise when not flying forth on ready wing to execute His pleasure."

"What kind of hymns will be used, mamma?" said Willie.

"You must not interrupt me at this point, my boy; by and by we may speak of that," answered his mamma. "They possess wondrous power as well, for they are God's messengers, sent forth to execute His purposes or to manifest His power. The first-born of Egypt's many families were all, in a single night, slain by one angel."