THE CONTRACT.

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the other was instantly satisfied, and replied: Since you have given your word and hand, I trust you as an honest man. Well done, my friends! exclaimed Gotthold; this is old German truth and integrity. Would that they were still universal! Christian sincerity should be the most binding of all obligations ; but, being now so rare, recourse has been had to writings and seals; and even these are not always found to be the best security. But another thought has just entered my mind: We men do occasionally trust a fellow-man in whom we discover some trace or hope of truthfulness, provided he pledge his hand and word. Why, then, do we not trust God, whom no one ever found false? We have His word in the Scripture and its promises; we have His hand in the dealings of His providence, and in the experiences of our whole life; we have His heart in the crucified Jesus; and, I might also add, His letter, written with the blood of His Son, and confirmed by the seal of His Holy Spirit. What, then, should hinder us from joyfully and fearlessly trusting Him with our whole heart and soul? We trust a father, a mother, a brother, because they are related to us by blood; we trust a lawyer for his wisdom, and commit to him our affairs; we trust a physician for his skill, and confide our health into his hand. Why, then, do we not trust God, who is all, knows all, and is both able and willing to do all that is necessary for our present good and final salvation?

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PALPITATION OF THE HEART.

CXLIII.

Palpitation of the Heart.

HE conversation, in a company, happening to turn upon the beating and motion of the heart in the human body, great admiration was expressed at the power and wisdom with which the Creator has so contrived

these, as to keep the blood in circulation, and impregnate it with vital power, assimilating the heart, as one of the company observed, to the great machines which, through secret pipes, distribute water over a whole city. Gotthold observed: Let this remind us of the expression which the Holy Spirit has twice used respecting David, namely, that his heart smote him,' upon one occasion, when, in the cave, he cut off the skirt of Saul's robe; and upon another,2 after he had numbered the people. And let us supplicate as a grace from God, that, whenever we are tempted, by imprudence or infirmity, to enter on any doubtful or dangerous course, our heart may in the same way beat and palpitate, to warn us of our danger; or that, if we have already been misled, and are fallen into sin, it may give us no rest, but smite and compel us, till, with true repentance, we fly to the cross of Christ, and find rest for it in Him. Not

11 Sam. xxiv. 5.

2 2 Sam. xxiv. 10.

without reason do I call such palpitation a grace of God; for, in fact, it is nothing else but Christ and His Spirit knocking at the door of our heart, either to dissuade us from sinning, or induce us to repent of having sinned. In the body, the stoppage of the heart's beating indicates the presence of death; and, even so, he who no longer feels palpitation in his conscience, is, even though living, spiritually dead.

CXLIV.

Second Meditation on the Heart.

N the case of the criminal who has long stifled his conscience, the heart beats violently when he labors under apprehension or anxiety. We are told of an ingenious judge, who, as an easy and expeditious way of detecting a murderer among a number of persons who were suspected, or dered them all to stand round him in a circle, and uncover their bosoms. He then proceeded to lay his hand upon each in succession over the region of the heart, and discovered the perpetrator by the violence of the palpitation.

Here Gotthold paused; but a learned man, who was

present, took up the word, and said that he had recently met with a very beautiful story, which was highly appropriate to the subject of conversation; and that, if it was the company's pleasure, he would briefly relate it. It happened in Switzerland, about one hundred and twenty years ago, that a worthy peasant was sentenced to the flames for adherence to the truth of the gospel. After many admirable proofs of constancy and fortitude during his confinement, he, so to speak, bequeathed to posterity a most remarkable one immediately before his death. When bound, and ready to be thrown into the fire, he craved permission to speak once more to the judge, who, according to the Swiss custom, was required to be also present at the execution. After repeatedly refusing, the judge at last came forward, when the peasant addressed him thus: You have this day condemned me to death. Now, I freely admit that I am a poor sinner, but positively deny that I am a heretic, because from my heart I believe and confess all that is contained in the Apostles' Creed (which he thereupon repeated from beginning to end). Now, then, sir, he proceeded to say, I have but one last request to make; which is, that you will approach and place your hand first upon my breast, and then upon your own, and afterwards frankly and truthfully declare, before this assembled multitude, which of the two, mine or yours, is beating most violently with fear and anxiety. For my part, I quit the world with alac

rity and joy, to go and be with Christ, in whom I have always believed; what your feelings are at this moment is best known to yourself. The judge could make no answer, and commanded them instantly to light the pile. It was evident, however, from his looks, that he was more afraid than the martyr.

Gotthold offered the thanks of the company to the speaker for his beautiful story, with which, he said, he had not met in any of the martyrologies, and added: Let us, therefore, earnestly desire and continually pray, in the name of Christ, to God, graciously to give to us at our death an equally calm, happy, and fearless heart.

CXLV.

Books.

STUDENT of theology complained one day that he was too poor to procure a sufficient supply of books; and yet, according to his opinion, a study without books was like a druggist's shop, in which the unstopped phials and empty boxes can furnish no medicine for the cure of disease. Gotthold replied: There is some truth in what you