THE MONEY SCALES.

37

grace. The most useful lose their utility if Thou withhold Thy good influence; and in Thy hand the most minute may become the instrument of a mighty judg

ment.

V.

The Money Scales.

N opulent merchant having received a sum of money, was putting the ducats, one by one, into a pair of scales, in order to ascertain that they were not too light. "For my part," said

Gotthold, who was present, "I should be more afraid of their being too heavy." "How so?" inquired the merchant. "Do you not think," rejoined Gotthold, "that money is too heavy when bedewed with the blood of the poor, the sweat of the laborious, and the tears of the widow and the orphan; or when loaded with the curses of those who, by fraud or violence, have been. robbed of it? I will hope, however, that there are no pieces of this description in that heap of yours; or rather, I will not fear that there are any. Suffer me, however, without offence, to express the wish that you will always make your conscience your scales, and weigh in it your dollars and ducats to ascertain that they are of proper weight, and have been honestly ac

38

THE DROWNED MAN.

quired. Many a man never learns, until he is struggling with death, how difficult, or rather impossible, it is to force a soul, burdened with unrighteous gain, through the strait gate which leadeth unto life. Take heed, then, that no such gain ever burdens yours. The more he carries, the more the pilgrim sweats and pants as he climbs the steep; and the more the conscience is oppressed with dishonesty and fraud, the harder will the struggle of a death-bed be."

O, my God! withhold from me the wealth to which. tears, and sighs, and curses cleave. Better none at all

than wealth like that!

VI.

The Drowned Man.

HE magistrate of a well-known town, accompanied by some acquaintances, had gone on public business to a neighboring village, across a frozen river. On their return in the evening, they did not reflect that the intervening thaw might have softened the ice, and rendered it unsafe; and so, unsuspicious of danger, they proceeded along, the magistrate taking the lead, conversing with his companions, and expecting soon to

THE DROWNED MAN.

39

reach the opposite bank. Alas! the shore he reached was that of death! Slipping a foot, and the ice breaking, he fell into the water, struggled for a while, and sank, leaving a disconsolate widow and several helpless children to mourn his fate. Weeks elapsed before his body was found.

Here, said Gotthold, when he heard the story, wo have another instance, which may serve as a mirror to show us what we are. Children of men, alas! what is your life but a soft and slippery sheet of ice, which breaks, now here, now there, and plunges you, one after another, into the flood of death and oblivion. This you see, but do not take to heart; and you pace heedlessly along, although at every step the ice bends beneath your feet, till in a moment you disappear. Wherefore, be at all times ready; and while life lasts, prepare a refuge for your soul, that if suddenly called upon to depart, it may know whither to fly.

Lord God! be not angry with me. Behold, I take upon me to speak unto Thee, although I am but dust and ashes. Surprise me not by a sudden death, lest it find me unprepared; neither keep me too long in the mortal struggle, that my patience do not fail. But I will be dumb and hold my peace, for Thou wilt order it aright."

1 Gen. xviii. 27.

2 Psalm xxxix. 2.

40

THE TWO MIRRORS.

VII.

The Two Mirrors.

YOUNG lady, otherwise well-behaved and esteemed, made an idol of the beauty which she had received from nature, and often labored by ornaments to improve it. For this purpose,

she had two mirrors in her chamber, placed opposite to each other, so that when she stood between them, she could see her figure behind as well as before; the one at her back reflecting the image into the one in front, and there presenting it to her view. Gotthold saw this with some surprise at the ingenuity of the device. At the same time he said: Are you aware that beauty when unadorned and left to its own native loveliness, is often more admired than that which paint and ornament have been used to set off. The rose is of itself beautiful and fragrant; sprinkle it with balm, and you will injure its innate perfume. Over-anxiety to be beautiful is to be half-ugly. Be moderate, therefore, and delight not too greatly in the verdant gourd of your comeliness, lest God prepare a worm to smite it that it wither. I will, however, recommend to you two other mirrors, in which you may contemplate yourself with profit, the one is the Past, the other the Future. That will show you how great the mercies you have, all your life long, received from God, and how small

THE SENSIBLE WIFE.

41

the returns of gratitude you have made him; this will exhibit the various changes which still await you, viz., pale sickness, sorrowful old age, certain death, and at last the terrors of judgment. Or would you prefer two other mirrors? In that case, set up continually before your eyes the Divine Justice, which sees all things, even our most secret thoughts, and will, in due time, bring them to judgment; this will guard you against pride and security. On the other hand, look also at the Divine Mercy which incessantly follows after the sinner, and consumes his transgressions in the flame of love; this will keep you from despondency and excess of sorrow. Such an employment will be as much more profitable than that in which you are now engaged, as the immortal soul is nobler than the vile body.

VIII.

The Sensible Wife.

RECOLLECT, proceeded Gotthold, having been told the following story: A prudent and pious lady observing her husband deeply dejected on account of some misfortune which had befallen him, so that he could not sleep at night for care, pretended in the morning to be still