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m inister, was once visiting a deaf and dumb in stitu tion . Taking th e slate from one of the little fellows, he w rote thereon: “Why are you h ere ?” Quick ly rubbing out the words the little mute w rote: “Even so, F a th e r; for so it seemed good in Thy sigh t.” P aul was closing his g reat life in bondage be cause it was God’s will. We would probably have had P au l’s life end in trium ph, b u t God knows best. A mother and her little son were go ing out to visit. Ju s t before starting , th e rain came down in to rren ts. “ I th ink , my d ear,” said th e mother, “we will kneel down and ask God to take away th e ra in .” Studying a moment, the child enquired, “Mother, does God send th e ra in ? ” “Yes, my d ear,” re plied th e fond mother. “Then we bet te r le t Him alone,” earnestly replied th e boy. The L ast Wor ds of Some G reat Men. Here are some of the world’s noted men not pronounced Christians. Alexander, the G reat, B. C. 323, was dying of marsh fever. He was asked to whom he w ished'to bequeath his em pire. He replied: “To the strongest; bu t I foresee a bloody competition at my funeral games.” Mark Antony, B. C. 30, to C leopatra: “I have lived th e g reatest and most powerful of men, and though I fall, my fate is not ignom inious; a Roman my self, I am a t last by Roman overcome.” Napoleon Bonaparte, A. D. 1821, to Count de Month olon—^“ I die before my time, and my body will be given back to th e earth to become food for worms. Such is the fate of him who h as been called the g reat Napoleon! W hat an abyss between my deep misery and the etern al kingdom of Christ, which is pro claimed, loved, and adored, and is ex-; tended over the whole ea rth .” Hon. F rancis Newport, th e infidel, said when dying, “Oh, th e insufferable pangs of hell and dam n ation !” Tom Paine, A. D. 1809, “ I would give
worlds,, if I had them , th a t th e ‘Age of Reason’ had never been published.” In answer to Dr. Manley’s question, “Do you then believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ?” Paine’s reply and last u t terance was, “ I have no wish to believe on th a t subject.” Good men of note. John Wesley, A. D. 1791, “The best of all, is, God is w ith u s!” R ichard Baxter, A. D. 1691, “ I have pain— th ere is no arguing against sense, but I have peace! I have peace!” John Calvin, A. D 1564, “Thou, Lord, b ru isest me; bu t I am abundant ly satisfied, since it is from -Thy hand.” Rowland Hill, A. D. 1833,— “And when I die, . ‘Receive me’ I ’ll cry; For Jesus h ath loved me. I cannot tell why; But th is I can find, We two are so joined, He’ll not be in glory, and leave me behind.” Golden Text Illu stration .—A little girl was to undergo an operation. The physician said to her, as he was about to place her upon the operating table. “ Before we can make you well, we must pu t you to sleep.” The little girl looked up, and, sm iling ,' said, “Oh, if you are going to p u t me to sleep, I m ust say my .prayers first.” Then she knelt, and said: “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray Thee, Lord, my soul to keep; If I should die before I wake, I pray Thee, Lord, my soul to ta k e.” Like this little child in simple faith, Paul said, “ I have fought a good fight, f have finished my course, I have kept th e faith .” “To depart and be w ith Christ is far b etter.” Phil. 1:21. I have in my lib rary a book contain ing the last words of five hundred re m arkable persons, .but none of them sums up th e career of a g reat man as does th is golden text.
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