Page:TheYoungMansGuide.djvu/99

 nances showed  that  the  cares  of  a  family  were weighing upon  them,  met  as  they  were  engaged in wheeling  their  barrows. "Give me  a  pinch of  tobacco  to  fill  my  pipe!" one man  said  to his  comrade;  "  it's  about  the  only  solace  a  poor man  has  in  these  days  of  want  and  scarcity. These  are  hard  times  indeed;  I  can  scarcely believe  that  there  is  a  God  in  heaven!"

But the  other  replied:  "Hold  your  tongue! Your  complaints  will  not  mend  matters!  You just  look  at  me!  I  have  a  sick  wife  and  seven children,  and  they  have  all  to  be  supported  by the  labor  of  my  hands!  The  bread  doesn't  go very  far  in  filling  their  mouths,  and  my  heart  is often  heavy  when  I  look  round  on  them  all. But  do  you  know  what  sustains  and  supports me?  I  have  been  married  for  seventeen  years, and  God  has  never  forsaken  me;  His  hand  will not  be  shortened  in  years  to  come,  and  He  will never  cease  to  help  me;  for  Providence  watches over  us!"

3. "O  what  an  excellent  lesson  is  this  in simplicity  and  pious  trust  in  God,"  I  reflected; "how suitable,  and  practical  a  subject  has  been chosen!" Providence watches  over  us! Frequently have I  heard  these  consoling  words,  but never did  they  seem  so  impressive  as  upon  this occasion, when  I  heard  them  uttered  by  a  father who had  an  invalid  wife  and  seven  children, and in  these  hard  times  had  only  his  scanty earnings, wherewith  to  furnish  them  with  daily bread, and  whose  confidence  in  God  never wavered for  an  instant  in  spite  of  everything.

4. Providence  watches  over  us  ! How does this thought  bring  comfort  to  the  heart  of  him who is  overtaken  by  misfortune. But where  is confidence  in  God  to  be  found  in  this  unbelieving