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The liery Cross—Oriental Gems 85during vacation she was carefully tended by steeple of a City Mission Church is lightedher mother until the bright spirit took its glad every Sunday evening, and this was all sheflight. Without the gospel tbe story of this had seen. It was more to the woman. " Itbeautiful life would bave been one ot misery was God's voice to me," she said. She cameand neglect, her misfortune only tending to to churob, was converted, and, cheered andincrease the unkindness of her people.—The sustained by the uplifting power of God'sCross and Bragon.dear Son, she began to work and pray for berhusband. Her prayers were answered; andTHE FIERY CROSS. he, wbo had been an infidel and a drunkardbecame an earnest Christian, Whenever theA poor woman sat in a small rear room on „ u i, u iu t U4. j i*^ woman beholds the lighted cross, she says,the fifth floorof a large tenement house. She ,.j. r, j, • • i • i ;;.,. ° -, -TT , .1-. tt was God's vision and voice to me."was completely discouraged. Her children cf;^,.-,^-^^ -p^^,.^^ ^^q^_were ragged and hungry. Fifteen years agoshe bad a beautiful home, valued at several ORIENTAL GEMS.thousand doUars hut some old tax papers were The best capital a man oan have is a mindthe only reminders she had of the brighter and that wUl guide him to what is right, and turnhappier days. It was the Sunday evening him aside from what is wrong.before Christmas. Her heart was like a stone. MuhaUab says: I bave often wondered atJust a year ago she baij said to her husband, him who buys slaves with his money, and yeti' I hope I wiU be dead next Christmas, because does not buy the free by his actions.during these days, when other people are ^j^^ jjj^g^^l ^^^ jg ^^^^ ^^ ,^^^^ ^^^^ ^^happy, you make me doubly miserable." q.^^^ „ear to Paradise, whUe the stingy manThe past year had been worse than any that j^ f^^ from man, far from God, and near topreceded it, and, as usual, at midnight or in perditiontbe early morning sbe expected her drunken „ , -j ,, . xu- i • n/ ,, " , '^ .,, , Nusr bas said tbat every thing oegins smallhusband would come home with curses and , , ^ i -i. i,- v, u-, . , . and grows larger except calamities, which beblows,for his was a temperament which Uquor . , , n j ^u-'., , ., -r,.., r gin large and grow smaller; and everythingalways drives io violence. If it were not ior , . -^ ..• v i. i,.•'.,,.,, , ,, , , ,^ cheapens wben it multiplies, except morals,their little children, she would throw herself ...out of the window io escape her misery. Sheopened the sash andlooked down into the dark ^^od never gave a man knowledge exceptcourt. An intense struggle between maternal ^e enjoined him not to hide it, and he neverJove and a desire to escape from suffering took ^njoms the ignorant to learn, without enjoinplace,when suddenly a cross of fire sprang '"^ ^^^^ learned to teach him.out of ihe surrounding darkness. " It is a It is better that a man keep sUenoe forever,vision of hope, a voice from God," she ex- rather than utter his own praises.claimed. She called her children and they There are ten things which are abominablesaw the fierycross, standing out against the in ten, viz.: Distress in kings, apology iu nodarksky. All ihat Sabbath evening the sym- bles, lying in judges, deceit in tbe learned,bol of redeeming love stood high in the hea- anger in the upright, closeness in the rich,vens. The woman inquired of her neighbors levity in old men, sickness in physicians,where tbe mysterious light came from. Sbe scorning in the poor, and boasting in tbe obwasinformed fhat ibe cross wbicb crowned the scure.