A treasury of family reading, pertaining to God, the church, the family, life, death, and heaven

Front matter

' 1 \

Vi r % i

V

Preface

We do not feel that any apology is necessary for the publi¬ cation of another book pertaining to the Family, as anything done to improve and elevate it must meet with the cordial approbation of all well-wishers of society. That many excel¬ lent books have been written, covering this department of literature, we gladly admit, and no doubt they have done good. And yet true as this is, the subject has not been exhausted, nor overdone.

As far as our knowledge goes, there is no book that covers the ground that this does. The Golden Dawn , Gems For The Fire-side , The Royal Path of Life , Mother , Home and Heaven , and other popular books, are all excellent works of their kind, and have been widely circulated, and yet it requires only a glance at the Table of Contents of this volume to see that it has a mission of its own, that it is unique and fills a place which no other book occupies.

The subjects which form the central ideas of the Book— “God,” u The Church,” u The Family,” u Life,” “Death,” and “Heaven”—are such as deeply concern us all, and about which no one can, or ought to be indifferent. For, if there be a God, as we verily believe there is, we ought to know who he is, what relations he sustains to us, and what duties we owe to him. In like manner there are subjects pertaining to the church, the family, life, death and heaven, in reference to which we ought to have clear and definite information, so as to make the best possible use of the short time allotted to us in this world, that, when called to leave it, we may have a bright and cheering hope of a blessed immortality.

Another peculiar feature of the Book is the very large number of its excellent contributors, containing as it does articles from the pens of over one hundred active and devoted ministers and Christian workers , old and young, a peculiarity which cannot fail to give it special interest, in view of the variety of topics, views, live thoughts and religious experi-

PREFACE.

ence which it contains. The articles are also short, so that they can be read at intervals, and are written both to please and instruct the reader, and encourage him to seek after true manhood and nobility of character. So many indeed are the contributors, who have kindly aided us in our work, all of whom have our sincere thanks, and so many the selections we have made from the best writers in our language that we may say,

“We have gathered posies from other men’s flowers,

Nothing but the thread that binds them is ours.”

A book containing the reading matter this does, cannot fail to be a blessing and educator in the families where fit may find a welcome, having a word for father, mother, husband, wife, sister, brother and the children, showing the relations which they sustain to each other and the duties arising there¬ from.

It has been prepared with special reference to the wants of the Family, as its name imports, in which it asks a place as a Treasury to be prized, read and studied, promising a rich reward to those, who so treat and regard it. If this end is sub¬ served the Publishers will feel that they have done a good work, as he is a benefactor, who contributes to the elevation of the family, where the characters of those who will soon sway and control the destinies of the church and nation are f ormed.

As our object, therefore, is to improve and elevate the Family, we ask the hearty co-operation of our friends in the circulation of the Book, believing, as we do, that he, who takes it up, having time only to read an article now and then, u will find some savory morsel of wisdom; some sweet touch of poetry; some timely hint for the hour, or some rich cluster of truths, that shall be like a bunch of grapes from the King’s own garden.”

Table Of Contents

THE BEING OF COD.

Preface .

Table of Contents .