204 FORGETFUL GLASS-LOOKERS. burned before they could be removed. In less than two minutes, the blaze reached the spot where the waggons were standing, which created great alarm, as there was a quantity of gunpowder in them. But the Hottentots, by beating the fire as it approached with their karosses (or sheep-skin cloaks), others with branches of bushes, or whatever they could immediately obtain, kept it from getting under the waggons. In a very short time the fire had spread a mile from us, and soon thousands of acres, which formerly looked like a field of ripe oats, were covered with the black remains of the conflagration. FORGETFULNESS OF GLASS-LOOKERS. If any man be a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass. For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.-JAMES i. 23, 24. A man is listening to a gospel sermon,-some remarks made in it convince him of various defects in his character and conduct, which he resolves to remedy; but no sooner does he retire from the worship, than both the discoveries of his deficiencies and his resolutions of amendment evaporate, or are completely forgotten. Such hearers are said in the text to resemble a man who views his face in a mirror, and thereby discovers spots of dirt upon it, or that his face is foul, and resolves to wash it; but when he retires from the glass, something else engages his attention, FORGETFUL GLASS-LOOKERS. 205 so that he forgets the foulness of his face, and neglecting to wash it, it remains as it was. Many a time have I shown uncivilized Africans their faces in a glass, by holding it up before them. But though in every instance that I recollect, they were displeased with something they saw in their countenances, and walked off disgusted, in a little space, when two or three who had seen themselves met together they began to smile and laugh at what they had seen; and soon other matters attracted their attention, and the whole affair was forgotten. I remember, however, an instance of a more permanent impression being made by the same occurrence. It was a young wild Bushman who travelled for a short time with us. One day he came into my tent when the looking-glass happened to be at hand. On holding it up before him that he might see himself in it, he was first astonished, and then greatly disgusted, which he showed by shutting his eyes, shaking his head, moving his hands in a way that could not be misunderstood, and hastily running from the tent, and never afterwards would come near the glass. I overheard the Hottentots one day, for their own amusement, telling him what fine things he should get when he came to the white man's town, meaning Capetown; that he would get fine clothes, muskets, knives, tinder-boxes, &c., which greatly pleased him; but knowing his antipathy to looking-glasses, they assured him, with much merriment, that he would get looking-glasses the same as the one in the tent, so he should be able S 206 THE WINDOWS OF HEAVEN OPENED. to see himself in it every day. The information shocked him; he turned away from listening to them, and told them he did not want any lookingglasses. I remember a similar case in this country, in reference to the Word of God, of a female whose mind was extremely uneasy, who declared to myself that she was done with the Bible, and had resolved to read it no more, for she never could look into it but she met something that condemned her, and only made her more unhappy. In such an unhappy state of mind, it is far wiser to say with Peter, "Lord, to whom can we go but unto thee, who hast the words of eternal life?" for if the sacrifice of Christ which the Scriptures exhibit for the sinner's reception, refuge, and resting-place, be rejected, there remaineth no other sacrifice for sin which God will accept in the room of the sinner. BLESSINGS DESCENDING FROM THE WINDOWS OF HEAVEN. Bring ye all the tithes into the store-house, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.-MAL. iii. 10. In the days of Malachi, Israel seems to have lost all respect for the temple-worship, and to have taken no interest in the ordinances of it, though appointed by God, through his servant REQUIREMENTS OF THE LAW. 207 Moses, for the trial of their faith and submission to his will. It is true the temple-worship was expensive, from the multitude of sacrifices which, according to the law, were constantly to be offered; but as these were offered by the command of God, he would be debtor to no man; according to his promises they could lose nothing by obedience to his precepts. Perhaps the time referred to was with them a time of great drought, which is a great affliction to any country, and especially so where the climate is hot and sultry. Now try me (as if God had said); come forward and liberally contribute to the support of my worship, and I shall refund whatever you have contributed, by sending so plentiful a rain, as if heaven was full of windows, and pailfuls of water were thrown from all of them; and in such abundance and continuance, that your lands shall be so completely saturated, that there shall not be a spot on the high lands or low lands that shall require a drop more to render them sufficiently fertile abundantly to supply all your wants. Can you not trust to my faithfulness, and proceed instantly to the performance of your duty? What a lesson is here given to Christians, only to believe the promises, and obey the precepts, and they shall experience the salvation of God. REQUIREMENTS OF THE LAW. And Jesus answered him [the scribe], The first of all the commandments is, Hear O Israel, the Lord 208 REQUIREMENTS OF THE LAW. our God is one Lord; and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.-MARK xii. 29-31. Were these two branches of God's law universally and cordially obeyed on earth, this world would be a minor heaven. From the want of obedience to the latter, the dark or ignorant and heathen parts of the world are full of the habitations of cruelty. The aged are murdered or cruelly treated, as if useless creatures; and as for the poor or necessitous, they are despised and treated as cumberers of the ground. Had they a dictionary, I hardly think the word charity would have a place in it. The last time I was at Lattakoo, I saw an affecting instance of the truth of their cruelty to the indigent. As a waggon was going to the Griqua country, twelve natives turned out to accompany it, in hopes of obtaining food from the Griquas, whom Christianity had rendered more tender-hearted than their heathen townsmen at Lattakoo. While they waited for the departure of the Hottentots and waggon, I had an opportunity of witnessing their miserable plight. Most of them were women, with some tattered skins about their shoulders, and bodies so emaciated by want of food, that they looked more like spectres than human beings. They were obliged to leave their native town and country because no one pitied them or gave unto |