Be Careful Of Your Words.


WHO can tell the power for good or evil of but

 one sentence falling on a fellow-creature's ear,

 or estimate the mighty series of emotions, 

purposes, and actions, of which one articulate

 breath may be the spring? "A word spoken in 

season, how good is it!"

In another sense than the poet's, all words are

 winged; and imagination can illy track their 

flight. Evil or idle words may seem, as they are

 littered, light and trivial things; yet if light, 

they are like the filaments of the thistle-down

 each feathery tuft floating on the slightest

 breeze, bears with it the germ of a noxious

 weed. Good, kind, true, holy words, dropped 

in conversation, may be little thought of, too; 

but they are like seeds of a flower or fruitful 

tree, falling by the wayside, borne by some bird

 afar, haply thereafter to fringe with beauty some

 barren mountain-side, or to make glad some

 lonely wilderness. 


North British

Review.



Control Yourself.

A GOOD deacon, who was naturally a high-tempered man, had been used to beating his oxen over the head, as all his neighbors did. It was observed that when he became a Christian, his cattle were remarkably docile. A friend inquired into the secret. "Why," said the deacon, "formerly, when my oxen were a little contrary, I flew into a passion, and beat them unmercifully. This made the matter worse. Now, when they do not behave well, I go behind the load, sit down, and sing Old Hundred. I don't know how it is, but the psalm tune has a surprising effect upon my oxen."


FEAR thou the Lord, 

and thou shall then

Have nothing else to fear;

Make thou his service thy delight,

He'll make thy wants his care.



CHRIST sacrificed for man; 

but man does not willingly

and cheerfully sacrifice for Christ.



YI