THE BLESSINGS CONFERRED ON ENGLAND BY THE ACCESSION TO THE THRONE OF WILLIAM OF ORANGE, AND BY THE PROTESTANT SUCCESSION THEREBY SECURED TO US.

The blessings conferred on England by the accession of William of Orange ought long to be remembered by all those who love to worship G.o.d in the way their conscience tells them is right.

He came to England at a time in its history when it was especially in need of help. He restored liberty, both civil and religious, and backed up Protestantism. The Protestant people were greatly burdened by the cruelties of James II., who, it is said, had a mind more devoted to the infliction of pain than had been since the Romans conquered England.

Here he persecuted those who held fast to the "common prayer," and in Scotland put to death as many as would not adopt it. He had two women tied to stakes and drowned in the Solway Firth, because they would not repeat the Apostles' Creed.

By these incidents of his cruelty, we plainly see the great blessing of liberty which G.o.d, through William III., bestowed on England, and the great blessing which Protestantism is to the land.

James having thus shown himself to the people, and his cruelties being so great, it is naturally to be expected that they would readily accept this new sovereign, who was a good man, and who had supported the Protestants of Holland all his life. He had a right to the crown by his marriage to Mary, the daughter of James II.

England received a great blessing in the year 1701, the Act of Settlement being pa.s.sed by the consent of William and his Parliament, which shut out from the English throne all persons who were Roman Catholics, or persons married to Roman Catholics.

The successor to him was Queen Anne of Denmark, and when she died, leaving no child, another agreement was formed, placing the crown on Sophia, Dowager-Electress of Hanover, and her posterity, if they were Protestants. Since this Act was pa.s.sed there has been no Roman Catholic on the throne. If it had not been pa.s.sed, several Romanist sovereigns might have reigned.

The Protestant religion is a great blessing, and the main cause of the prosperity of our nation. Romanism greatly impoverishes all countries which are its victims, such as Ireland, where Popery predominates. Never has the accession to the throne of a Protestant king been more needful than it was then.

It is since then that England has won a name as a great nation and a brave people. If Protestantism is such a standing religion, which "has been through the water, and not been overflowed," and "through the fire without being burned," surely we ought to labour hard for the overthrow of that false religion which is the main curse of many nations in the world. By the important incidents we plainly see G.o.d's overruling providence guarding us and our religion, and, as Wickliffe said, after one of his trials, so say we again with still greater force, "The truth shall prevail."

WILLIAM ERNEST CRAY (Aged 11 years).

_Pearl Cottage_, _Carlyle Road_, _Forton_, _Gosport_, _Hants._

[We are sorry that no more of our young friends have sent Essays for this month, but our young friend has thereby the advantage of taking a second prize.]

[The writer of the above Essay receives a copy of "The Reformation and its Heroes."

The subject for November will be, "Lessons to be Derived from the History of Daniel," and the prize to be given for the best Essay on that subject, a copy of "Cowper's Poems." All compet.i.tors must give a guarantee that they are under fifteen years of age, and that the Essay is their own composition, or the papers will be pa.s.sed over, as the Editor cannot undertake to write for this necessary information. Papers must be sent direct to the Editor, Mr. T. Hull, 117, High Street, Hastings, by the first of October.]

"THE NAILS ARE GONE, BUT THE MARKS ARE LEFT."

A little boy, whose father desired to see him a good child, was told one day that a nail should be driven into a post whenever he should do an act that was wrong; and when he should do a good deed, he might pull one out.

The little fellow tried to be good, and, though there were a number of nails driven into the post, after a while not one remained.

How happy must Benny have been when he saw the last nail disappear from the post!

His father was greatly pleased, and was congratulating his son, when he was surprised to see that he was weeping; and very touching was the remark he made--"Ah! the nails are all gone, but the marks are left!"

Was not this contrition?

BIBLE SUBJECTS FOR EACH SUNDAY IN SEPTEMBER.

Sept. 2. Commit to memory Isa. viii. 12.

Sept. 9. Commit to memory Isa. viii. 20.

Sept. 16. Commit to memory Isa. viii. 13.

Sept. 23. Commit to memory Isa. viii. 14.

Sept. 30. Commit to memory Isa. viii. 17.

Interesting Items.

"G.o.d save the Queen" is now sung in eighteen languages.

THE cost of making a bank-note for any amount is less than one halfpenny.

EIGHT million baskets of peaches are expected from Delaware and Maryland this season.

THE Pool of Bethesda has, according to the quarterly statement of the Palestine Exploration Fund, been authoritatively discovered.

IN the whole sky an eye of average power will see about 6,000 stars.

With a telescope this number is greatly increased, and the most powerful telescopes show more than 60,000,000. Of this number, not one out of each hundred has ever been catalogued.

THE oldest newspaper in the whole wide world is the _King Pau_, or _Capital Sheet_, published in Pekin. It first appeared A.D. 911, but came out only at irregular intervals. Since the year 1351, however, it has been published weekly and of uniform size. Now it appears in three editions daily.

ON an average each Englishman writes forty letters a year, each Scotchman thirty, and each Irishman sixteen. The average Italian only posts six, and the American twenty-one. It must be remembered that in the country letter-writing is a rare pursuit, and that the bulk of letters are written by business men.

THE tomato is, perhaps, used more as a relish than for its nutritive value. Uncooked, it forms the prince of salads, and it is one of the most appetising, palatable, and popular vegetables we have. Violent heat destroys the delicious flavour of this half fruit, half vegetable, so when you cook them, be most careful to use only moderate heat.

SAVING THE BUFFALO.--The buffaloes on the American prairies were thought to be nearly extinct, thanks to the reckless destruction of big game in recent years; but a happy find has been made of a herd nearly one hundred strong in a remote and uninhabited part of Texas. To prevent any danger of their annihilation, an expedition of trained huntsmen is being sent to Texas to drive the buffaloes into a given enclosure, where the breed will be carefully preserved.

THIRTEEN thousand boxes gone astray, thirteen thousand umbrellas left in railway carriages, sixty-seven thousand different items of property lost on the railways of the United Kingdom during the single month of August, 1887! The railway companies are not responsible for this property, but to their credit be it said, they afford every facility for its recovery.

POPERY IN PORTUGAL.--A correspondent in Oporto describes the Romish ceremony of washing an image of Christ in Lisbon, and adds--"If those who are drifting Romewards could only see the depths of greed, hypocrisy, and deceit to which the Church descends in these countries where she holds sway, and how immorality, infidelity, and spiritual darkness rule among the people, from high to low, they would surely hesitate to introduce Popish mummeries into free England."

TO CURE FEATHERS.--The following recipe gained a premium from the Society of Arts. Mix a quant.i.ty of lime-water in the proportion of one pound of quicklime to a gallon of water, mixing well, and pouring off the clean lime-water for use as soon as the undissolved lime is precipitated. Put the feathers in a tub, adding enough of the clean lime-water to cover them to a depth of three inches. Stir them about until well moistened, when they will sink. Leave for three or four days, and then pour the whole through a sieve to get rid of the foul water.

Wash well in clean water, and dry upon nets in a room where the air can be admitted. Cabbage nets will do well, the feathers falling through the meshes as they dry. About three weeks will finish the feathers, which will only need beating afterwards to get rid of the dust.