Pleasant pathways, or, Persuasives to early piety : containing explanations and illustrations of the beauty, safety, and pleasantness of a religious life, being an earnest attempt to persuade young people of both sexes to seek happiness in the love and service of Jesus Christ

Front matter

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Preface

There are many excellent books in the world, written for the purpose of leading young people into the way of peace. They all have their mission, and are all contributing their meed of help in preparing our youth to be polished stones in the Lord's build ing. Yet inasmuch as many of them are written in a spirit so stern, or in a style so grave, as to be without attraction sufficient to command the attention of unawakened youth generally, I have long thought that a volume, made attractive by the abundance and interest of its illustrations, yet dealing pungently with the conscience, and appealing faithfully to the hopes and fears of the young mind, might be instrumental in reaching some erring but precious young souls who are inaccessible to the influence of kindred works. This conviction led me to plan and to commence this book some six years ago. My

6 PREFACE.

editorial and other duties hindered its completion,

until, moved by daily reflection on the brevity and

uncertainty of life, and by a desire to plead in Christ's

behalf with as many of the youth of my times as

possible, I employed the spare moments of the past

year in bringing it to a conclusion. That I have

reached the height of my purpose, or equaled the

have not the vanity to presume ; that I have sincerely

attempted to win some jewels for my Master's crown

from among the millions of our great nation's youth,

I am clearly conscious. With this consciousness, I

send forth my unpretending book — a modest messen

ger of love — praying that it may be an evangel to

many hearts, and the guide of thousands into "ways

of pleasantness and paths of peace." d. w.

Chapter I. The Bubble Burst

The unhappy Comedian — Hypocrisy of Worldlings — The Author's Apology — The Header's Choice — The Child and the Bubble — The World a Bubble — The Figure of Dust — Bewitching Dreams — Dissolved Enchantments — A Supposition and its Application — The Soul's Spirituality unfits it to be satisfied with the World — The European Voyage — The Soul's future Wants — A Madman's Folly — The Emigrant — Competent Witnesses to the World's Insufficiency — Solomon — Gelimer — Saladin — Horatio Nelson — Talleyrand — A gay Sinner — Voices of Experience — The great Problem — Appeal . Page 13

Chapter II. How To Enjoy This Life

The Caliph and the broken Casket of Pearls — The Ethiop's Fidelity — A Difference between the Christian and the Worldling stated — A Truth unfolded — A dangerous Idea exposed — Enjoyment not the chief End of Life — How Happiness is won — The Enjoyment of this World not denied to the Pious — What Piety forbids, and what it requires — The Worldling and Christian contrasted — A Problem solved — An old Fable — Its Application — The Pious Man's Advantage stated — Poetic Extract — Dr. Adam Clarke's Opinion — Mahmoud and the Idol at Somnat— How to enjoy the World — A Plea — Poetic Extract. 33

Chapter III. Social Hazards Of A Sinful Life

Dr. Dodd — His early Prospects — His Temptations — His Weakness — His Fall — His ignominious Death —Dr. Dodd the Type of a Class — The Reader's Inquiry — The young Worldling's Danger — The Reader's Doubt — Siserain the Tent of Jael — The Worldling's Jael — Deceptiveness of Sin — The Peril of a sinful Life — Dr. Dodd's first Step to Ruin — Folly the first Step in every downward Career — A weak Point in every human Character — Poetical Extract — The greatest of Flatterers — A Scene from History — The only true Protector refused — Is a well-educated but enslaved Conscience a reliable Protection ? — Pride of Character — The fool-hardy Douglass — Unexpected Foes — Anxur and JEneas — A Caution — Benedict Arnold — Lack of present Inclination for great Sins no Proof of Safety — The Tiger's Cub — Moral Habits — When reliable — Selfish Morality not reliable — An Ancient Tale — A Test proposed — Probable result — Words of Entreaty — Exfract from Quarles 47

Chapter IV. Linked Armor For Tempted Young Souls

Napoleon's Habit of Precaution — Precaution in the Campaign of Life urged — The only reliable Means of Victory — The Weaver's Apprentice — The Missionary — Effect of regenerated Life on the Conscience — Poetic Extracts — High Self-respect begotten by Religion — Its restraining Power — Love to Christ — The sick young Noble and the loving Peasant Boy — Restraining Power of Divine Love — Rutherford — Paul — Poetic Extract — Beautiful Idea from Job — Colonel Gardner — Words of Persuasion 72

Chapter V. The Dark Days Of Life

Sayings of Emerson, Longfellow, Bishop Hall, and Holy Writ — Trouble every Man's inevitable Destiny — A grave Question — A Case of Commercial Shipwreck supposed — Is Strength of Mind sufficient in great Trials ? — The two Merchant Princes — Napoleonat Borodino — The Sympathy of Friends — Its probable Worth — Poetic Extract — Uncertain Value of human Friendships — Bereavements — The Widow's Hearth-stone Desolated — A comfortless Heart — Saying of an impatient Lady — Of Euripides — Of a bereaved Deist — Dogged submission described — The Dragon with many Heads — The Christian in Affliction — Napoleon at Wagrani — Mental Repose in Trouble — The Dew-drop that became a Pearl — Pity's Interpretation of Affliction — The Hunter and the Honey-bird — Another use of Affliction — Servulus — Its all right, Father- Christian Submission — Words of Entreaty 86

Chapter VI. Pleasures Peculiar To Piety

curious Legend — The March of Sinful Deeds through a guilty Heart — The Inheritance of the Christian — Peace of God described — Poetic Extract — The Child and its Dead Mother's Picture — Love of Christ — The principal Thing in Piety — The Love of God described — Augustine — An Old Man sitting in God's Shadow — Rutherford's Love — "What Divine Love does

— The rich Landholder and the simple Peasant — Hope — Its Eaptures — Peculiarity of a Christian's Hope — Earthly Hope compared with the Heavenly — Sublime conception of Hope by a Deaf Mute — Rutherford's Hope — The Pleasure of Victory — Napoleon at Paris 108

Chapter VII. How To Win Victory In Death

The two Ships — The Storm — The Wreck — The Arrival — Opposite Destinies — What every Mortal's Life must be — Death near at hand — Extract from Schiller — An unpleasant Theme — Rachel's Death-bed — The Fisherman's fear — Two Facts which make it unpleasant for Sinners to think of Death — Christian Views of Death — Poetic Extract — A priceless Blessing — ■ What must it be to die? — An unconscious Death — Terrible awakening in Eternity — Fearlessness of some wicked Men in their Death — Gibbon — Hume — Nelson — Ney — The Girondists — Napoleon — A Contrast — Indifference to Death explained

— The Sleeper on the Volcano's Breach — The bold Sinner in Eternity — The Shadow of the Second Death— Goethe's Death-bed — Foretastes of Damnation — Extract from Blair — A Sin-

sr's dying Cry of Despair — Cardinal Mazarin — Voltaire —

Paine — Eandolph — Hobbes — Bell — Chaloner —A good Man's Death delightful — Mrs. Hamlin — Dr. Moore's Patient.* — Montmorency — Golcling — An old Man on the Brink of Jordan

— Degrees of Triumph — Words of Exhortation — A Christian' a Death-song 126

Chapter VIII. Life Beyond The Grave

A charming Spectacle — Outward boimd Ships and their Destinies — The Fates of Men — The Soul immortal — The Insect's Task, an Illustration — Greatness of the human Soul — A painful Spectacle — A prosperous Sinner in Hell — A representative Character — The Nature of the Eich Man's Torment — Sin the Euel of Hell-fire — Pangs of a guilty Conscience in this Life — Sir Walter Scott's Confession — The sick Youth — Bev. C. Simeon — The half-drowned Man — The Murderer — Conscience itself a Hell — Milton's Archangel — Hell an Association of lost Souls — A startling Thought — Heaven visible to the Lost — The Judgment Day — Appeals — Eternal Life — Views from the Land of Beulah — How the Souls of Believers reach Heaven — Carried by Angels — The blissful Thought of Safety — The Introduction to heavenly Society — Eaptures of the Saved — A Soul's first Hour in Heaven — Things unknown — A Consolation

— Fullness of Joy — What must it be to be there ? 147

Chapter IX. I Pray Thee Have Me Excused

Parable of the Supper — Disinclination the Parent of Excuses — Season for considering Excuses — Dread of prospective Duties . — The young Man who felt he should be called to preach - A Warning — Appeals — Difficulties vanish when the Heart is converted — Fear of Persecution — Fear a fearful thing — Admiral Byng — Gen eral Wobfe — Bepresentati ve Facts — Appeals

— The Eain-drop and the Granite — Persecution yields to Eesolution — The young Man and his angry Father — The young Lady and her Betrothed — Courage necessary — Excuses of the Gay and Mirthful — The gay Lady's three Pleasures — Folly of rejecting Eeligion for the World — How God often de^ls with

Bueh — The young Lady who lost her Soul for a Ball — Fear of Failure considered — God seeks to save — Alexander the Great

— Earnest Eesolution needed — Words of Exhortation 171

Chapter X. The Procrastinator's Doom

The Prisoner and the fatal Cistern — A Picture of the Reader's relations to Eternity — Terror of his Condition — Scene in the Carthagenian Senate — The great Choice — "Wickedness of tho Procrastinator — His danger — The Eedcross Knight — Enervating effect of Procrastination — The Maiden and her Flowers — Procrastination Beguiles — The Hoary Fool — Fate of a young Heir — A young Lady cut off — God is in earnest — Presumption Provokes God — The point of Peril — The Lady who was past Feeling — The doomed old Man — The Gay young Man's Death — Pleasant Floating — The scoffing Procrastinator — The young Soldier's Death-bed — Motives to Decision — Love of Jesus — Efforts of J esus — Self-love — Love of others — Eegard for Parents — A Father's agony over the loss of his Son's Soul — Word)* of entreaty 192

Chapter XI. Voices Of Duty

Nelson's Signal and Napoleon's Proclamation compared — Motives ennoble Actions — The Motive of Duty — Frederick the Great and the Miller — Eights and Duties Eeciprocal — God's Rights as the Owner of Souls — Men's Duties as Creatures — Sin viewed in the light of God's claims — The Ungrateful Guest — The Grateful Servant — The claims of a Benefactor on the Gratitude of the benefitted Parties — God a Benefactor — Duty of grateful Sendee — The Boy who saved his Mother's Life — Special Benefits impose special Obligations — God as a Redeemer —His special claim on Man Redeemed — God should be Loved and Served for what he is in Himself — The Monk and the Picture — Effect of Spiritual Illumination on our Views of God's Character

— The more we See of God the less we think of Self — Resume of Motives — Words of Entreaty 221

Chapter XII. What Shall I Do Be Saved?

Warren Hastings — Eesolution to be saved urged — The Magistrate's Purpose — The Illustration applied — A Eesolution to seek God possible — He is urged to put forth his Power — The Eesolution signed — Joy in Heaven — The Eeader conducted to the Cross that he may study himself — The Eeader's past Life portrayed — The Eeader's exceeding Wickedness illustrated

— The highest Proof of Depravity — Confession of Sin urged

— Springs of Penitence unsealed — A Penitential Cry — A Difficulty suggested — A Search for favorite Sins Advised — A Divine Light — Eestitution — Sinful Business to be abandoned — Pertinent Facts — The Man who Stole a Bag of Dollars — Effects of Eestitution on his Spirit — Eestitution necessary to Pardon — What the Spirit taught Freeborn Carrettson — Emancipation necessary to Pardon — A Message from God — A shocking Crop

Distiller's Promise — The Penitent urged to believe 244