JUVENILE MUSIC. Furnished for this work by LOWELL MASON, Professor in the Boston Academy of Music. HYMN. 'Great God! and wilt thou condescend.' 1 Great God! and wilt thou condescend, 2 Art thou my Father? let me be A meek obedient child to thee; And try, in word, and deed, and thought, 3 Art thou my Father? I'll depend Art thou my Father? then at last PREVAILING PRAYER. Some years ago, the town of C., N. Y., was visited with a powerful revival of religion. In the family of Mr. S., the devoted minister of that place, lived a little lad. For several days he had been deeply serious, and anxious to attend every religious meeting. Suddenly his concern seemed to abate, and on a certain evening, he declined attending the meeting, saying, that he did not wish to attend the meetings any more. Mrs. S., who had felt much anxiety about him, was now greatly distressed. Being necessarily detained from the meeting, she invited a pious girl who resided in the family, and who was also detained from the meeting, to unite with her in prayer for the conversion of the child. The young lady excused herself, and retired to rest; but Mrs. S., alone in her room, agonized in prayer for the little boy. When her husband returned from the meeting she was thus engaged, and declined retiring to rest; but did not explain her reasons. She passed the night in prayer. A little before the dawning of day, she waked her husband, and related to him her peculiar exercises about the lad-said she felt great relief now, and could not but hope that he would soon be brought to the Savior's feet. Mr. S. immediately arose, and went to the boy's room. He was not there. In his search for him, he finally proceeded to the barn, where he found him on his knees. With tears of joy, he told Mr. S. that he had found the Savior.Great was the joy of that lovely family, as they gathered around the family altar, to praise the Lord for his goodness—and great was the joy of that child, who had just given up his heart to Christ, the good Shepherd, who takes the lambs in his arms, and carries them in his bosom. ANOTHER EXAMPLE. A few years passed away, and this excellent minister was removed from the toils and labors of this life, to the glorious rest of heaven. He left a widow and two lovely children-a little girl eight years old, and a son only two or three weeks old. Not long after his death, his afflicted widow, with her two children, returned to her father's house, about twenty miles distant from C. Feeling strongly attached to the Church, of which her beloved husband was pastor, she retained her relation to it. She made an annual visit to C., and her visit was so timed, as to embrace the anniversary of her husband's death, and a communion season of the Church. When making one of these visits, she attended a Church prayer-meeting on a Sabbath morning. She presented her children as subjects of special prayer. This Church loved their pastor-his memory was embalmed in their hearts-they loved his heart stricken widow too, and the dear children, who, so early deprived of a father's care, hung solely on her feeble arms. They prayed for these beloved ones, and "while they were speaking the Lord heard." 66 Soon after Mrs. S. returned to her father's, her little daughter, then twelve years old, said to her: Mama, I never had such feelings in my life, as I had the last Sabbath, and I could not help thinking the people in C. were praying for me.” What was the joy of this mother, when, on hearing a statement of her little daughter's feelings, she found them such, as to warrant the belief, that she was on that very Sabbath, born into the kingdom of God. The little girl was soon after admitted to Church privileges, and gives pleasing evidence that she is one of those happy and favored ones, who early devote themselves to God. THE VISIT TO GRANDMOTHER. CONCLUDED. "Father don't you think there is a long hill?” said George Howland, as, towards the close of the day, they drew near their home. "And if it is, what do you wish, my son? " asked the kind father. “Why, I am tired of locking out at the bills, and trees, and meeting-houses, and I want to hear about the grasshopper that was a burden." "And (said Helen) so do I, only if I could have a glass of very cold water, I could hear better. I can see a well over in that field-and there is a house too, close by, and some little girls sitting at the door." Mr. Howland checked the horses, and calling to the children, asked if they could bring to him a glass of water. After looking very earnestly at the little party, they arose, gently opened the door of the house, and, without speaking, went in. Supposing they had not understood his father's request, Edward descended from the carriage and knocked at the door. A low voice bade him enter. It was but a moment before he returned and begged his father and mother to come in, "for," said he, "there is an old man in here, and I should think he was going to die." Mr. Howland immediately complied with Edward's request, and, followed by his little family, entered the dwelling of poverty and distress. He felt the truth of the remark that “nothing in this world was made without its purpose of instruction," and he wished strongly to impress upon the young minds around him, that old age is not the time to prepare for heaven. They found, as Edward had told them, an aged man, cold and shivering beneath the hand of death. A few locks of white hair, lay upon his forehead, and his eyes were closed. His daughter watched beside him. As the children surrounded the bed, gazing with deep interest on a scene painfully new to them, Mr. Howland prayed that the soul, now weighed heavily down, with its burden of sorrow and death, might be sustained as it passed through the dark valley. He then told the afflicted daughter of the consolations of the Spirit which were neither few nor small, commended her fatherless children to Jesus, and they returned to the carriage. As they drove slowly away Mr. Howland said, "now you will understand the remaining part of the chapter I began to explain this morning. You saw the few white locks on that aged man's head. In Eastern countries the almond flower blooms upon a leafless bough, and the tree, when in flower, resembles an old man with white locks. So Solomon says, "the Almond tree shall flourish," that is, when people become old, their hair shall turn white like silver, or like the flowers of the Almond tree. The grasshopper in the East was a great luxury as an article of food. It was a species of locust, such as John lived upon in the wilderness of Judea. But "the grasshopper shall be a burden "" to the aged. The nicest food would be tasted with disrelish by the poor man you just saw. His desire for all earthly comforts and pleasures has failed, because he is dying, going to his long home, from whence he will never return; and his sorrowing daughter, and his two pretty grandchildren, will be the mourners who will go about the streets, bereaved and desolate. The figure in the next verse, is taken from a ruined well-a well like that you saw a few minutes since, Helen, in the field, back of the old man's house. The "cord "refers to the rope or chain from which the bucket is suspended. The "bowl" refers to the bucket. "The pitcher at the fountain" is that into which the water is to be poured. "The wheel at the cistern" is that to which the chain is fastened, and around which it passes.~ |