VILLAGE CHARACTERS.-No. VI. JONAS HARDING. thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground," Gen. iii. 19. Still there are some shades of difference both in the circumstances and characters of the poor; and in both these Jonas Harding shone conspicuously over most of the labourers in our parish. This may be gathered from the follow REFRESHING scenes occurred to memory, as I stood with my foot upon the lowly daisy-decked grave of Jonas Harding. I thought of those days when, animated with holy zeal, I conceived I had nothing to do but to walk forth, and take each fellow sinner by the hand, and leading circumstance, which may be noted him on to heaven. Alas! I had yet to learn, that the god of this world leads man captive at his will; and that mine was but a feeble arm opposed to his who, like a 66 strong man armed," keeps vigilant watch over his prey. cause, It was under these circumstances that I first became acquainted with Jonas Harding. Our worthy old rector, doubtless feeling his inequality to the conflict, mighty champion though he was in God's used, as often as any of his parishioners enlisted under the banner of Christ, to send them out into his field to battle. For this purpose he engaged outposts, if I may so express it, in various parts, where his fellow soldiers might take their stations, on certain days of the week, in order to wield the sword of the Spirit. Among these outposts was the house of Jonas Harding-happy Jonas Harding. Yes, reader, Jonas Harding was happy, and yet he was neither rich, gay, powerful, nor even known to the busy world in which he sojourned. Living in the midst of a cold, bleak heath, the smoke of his chimney mingled with no other smoke; and yet, in the midst of this solitude, he was happy. The secret of his happiness is well told by the poet : "He is the happy man, whose life e'en now Shows somewhat of that happier life to come; Who, doomed to an obscure and tranquil state, Is pleased with it, and, were he free to choose, Would make his fate his choice; whom peace, the fruit Of virtue, and whom virtue, fruit of faith, Though more sublimely, he o'erlooks the world." COWPER. With the early history of Jonas Harding, I am unacquainted: there could have been, however, very little incident in it, and therefore this need not be deplored. The life of one poor man, and such has a friend in every feeling heart, naturally reflects that of another, as face answereth to face in a glass. It is according to the curse pronounced upon the posterity of our great forefather :- "In the sweat of down as the greatest event in the life of Jonas. About forty years ago, some, whose possessions were already great, and which, judging from their extent, Forbad the thought of asking more, looked upon a wide desolate heath, and coveted it. It fell into their possession, and they hedged it round about, that the poor might never set foot any more thereon. The hedges grew and prospered, but the ploughman never ventured to turn up the sod, lest the possessors should be ruined: and so their enclosed possessions remain to this day; reminding the passer-by of the familiar fable of "The dog in the manger." But in the midst of this barrenness, there is a little spot, in such a flourishing condition that one might almost fancy it was laughing at the surrounding scenery. On it, in one part, fruit trees and vegetables, and choice cottage flowers, grow in abundance; and in another part, green grass for the cow shoots up with vigour. It was on this spot that Jonas Harding lived. It appears that when the common herd of labourers lost their interest in this waste scenery, Jonas for his good conduct, (and good conduct will always bring respect, and produce a reward,) found favour in the sight of those whose lot it was to divide the prize. This spot was given to him and his heirs for ever! Perhaps another man, less industrious than Jonas, would have declined the favour, or at least would have endeavoured to have sold the boon; but not so did he he knew that it was a waste spot, and that if he had worked the ground as it was, he would have spent his strength for nought. He saw, however, that he had space, and a good strong foundation whereon he might, in time, spread a good layer of manure and mould, that would insure him the fruits of the earth. This was his aim, and this he accomplished. So completely successful was he, that I must assure the reader I never tasted sweeter fruit, or received a fairer nosegay, as a token of regard, than those that were gathered Y from the garden of Jonas Harding. Be- | his Bible the same day as I had mine. hold, therefore, the effects of industry! The success of Jonas is a striking comment upon this wise lesson of Dr. Franklin: Lose no time, be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions. But this was not all that Jonas achieved. The cottage in which he lived was the work of his own hands; and so also were all the other appurtenances, necessary for the comforts of a cottage. The walls of it were, it is true, in the oriental mode of building, namely, of mud; but a fairer whitewashed dwelling would not have been met with for many a mile round. And then it was so adorned with roses and sweet eglantine, that to a lover of nature, (and "The love of nature's works, COWPER,) it carried an attraction with it, that disposed the mind to take up its abode beneath the lowly roof, and forego ambition. For myself, I can say, that I never spent happier moments than when thus sheltered from the winds of heaven. And the air of comfort which prevailed within answered to that without. Pendant from the roof, there hung a rack loaded with the good things of this life, while the walls were decked with crockery and brazen utensils; and especially a small library, pictures of various kinds, all innocent, and some instructive; while the floor, which for cleanliness might have served as a table, was well stocked with household furniture, which labour had made as bright as the polish produced by French art. The library of Jonas Harding demands particular notice, because while poring over it, his character as a Christian may be elicited. Observing me scanning its contents one day, Jonas joined me in the inspection, and entered into conversation upon some of the treasures there deposited. Taking up a "well-thumbed Bible first, he said, "This book, sir, is able to convey the richest blessings to mankind. I never sit down to read it but I get up wiser and happier than I was before. It is only surprizing to me, how the world can neglect it as it does. And it is not only those, who professedly despise this blessed book that so neglect it, but many of those who profess to live upon its contents, scarcely ever look into it. Why, there's Joseph Rundell; he had now, Our rector visited both our cottages on New Year's day, 1815, and left us both this blessing behind. Now Joseph is always boasting to me what care he takes of his treasure. Jonas,' says he, very frequently, as he visits our cottage, 'you don't prize our rector's gift; see how sadly your Bible is thumbed. I should like you to see mine. From that day to this I have carefully preserved it in my clothes chest, and there is not a spot of dirt, nor a bit of dust upon it: it looks as bran new as when I first received it.' I told him once, by way of reproving him for his negligence, that if our rector was called upon to decide which of us prized his gift most, I thought he would say, Jonas Harding. But I will not boast, for that is not the duty of a Christian. Nor will I look at the mote that is in my brother's eye; rather I would endeavour to pull out that which is in my own. I often think that if Christians would always act up to the spirit of the eleventh commandment, how happy we should all be.” The At this point of his discourse, Jonas seeing me give a look of surprise, paused as though he waited some reply. fact is, the idea of an eleventh commandment was new to me, and I wanted information on that point. 66 'The 'A new Jonas smiled and continued, eleventh commandment, sir," said he, "is this: our Saviour says, commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another,' John xiii. 34, 35. Now as this is said to be a new commandment, and there were only ten before, this surely makes the eleventh." Truly," I replied, "it is worthy of being ranked with the Ten Command ments." "It is," rejoined Jonas; "and as I was saying before, if Christians would always act up to the spirit of this commandment, how happy we should all be! for in the words of one of our hymns, 'Love is the golden chain that binds And he's an heir of heaven who finds There would then be no strife among brethren; or if there was any, it would be which should act the most kindly towards his brother. Oh, sir," continued Jonas, "if this blessed book contained only this one passage, it would | inhabitants exclaim, 'Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.' That John Bunyan was a wonderful clever man, and yet I have heard that he was only a tinker by trade." be a prize to mankind, and ought to be highly valued; but when I consider that it is filled with the words of wisdom, from Genesis to the Revelation, of how much more value must it be ! It is worth untold gold. Surely it was written by more than man, surely it must be the word of God." 66 Why do you deem it such ?" I asked. "Because," answered Jonas, with a countenance lit up with joy and love, "I feel, when I read it, that it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth,' "Rom. i. 16. 66 'Jonas," I rejoined, "you are a happy man, and I wish from my heart, that every one in our widely extended parish, nay in the whole wide world, were partakers of your joy.” "Amen, amen," added Jonas, with deep fervour of heart. "But," I continued, "I see you have more books on your shelf besides the Bible. I should like to know your opinion of some of them; you must be able to give it, for I perceive that they also have been well read." "They have been read," answered Jonas, "whether they have been well read or no, it is not mine to say. I hope they have; for if they have not, it is a sin that will be laid to my charge. Good books are put into our hands that we may profit thereby if we neglect our privilege, we shall be called to an account for it. I recollect, when I was a boy, good books were as rare as fruit trees on our heath, but now they seem as abundant as blackberries in Blackberry-lane. For this we have to thank the Religious Tract Society. Most of my books, which were chiefly supplied by our Rector, came from them. Here is one," continued Jonas, taking up the Pilgrim's Progress, "that I prize next to the Bible. There is in it something so deep, and yet so clear, that I can fancy when I am reading it, I am travelling with Christian and Faithful, and the company under the protection of the valiant Great-heart, through all the stages of Christian experience here below, to the city, over the gate of which, it is said, there was written, Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city,' Rev. xxii. 14. Nay, I can fancy that I enter in there with them, and that I hear the bells ring again for joy, and the heavenly 66 "I believe you have heard correctly," I replied; "but we need not wonder at that, Jonas. You know it is written, 'If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him,' James i. 5. And again, God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: that no flesh should glory in his presence,' 1 Cor. i. 27-29. The pride of learning, Jonas, has often received a check in this way, and I could point out a long line of illustrious characters, both in literature and art, who have arisen from the humbler walks of life. Wisdom emanates from God, and it is as free as the air we breathe, to all ranks of society. Thus it is written, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship," Exod. xxxi. 2-5. Among my own acquaintance there is a man who for twenty-one long years filled various stations in humble life; but who, after that period, became famous in the art of chemistry, by which he not only made a large fortune, but benefited the world at large. Who was it furnished him with these endowments ? It was He who taught Bezaleel to work in all manner of workmanship; He from whom all gifts and graces are derived. What shall we say to these things, Jonas ?" "That the Almighty works as he pleases," replied Jonas, "and none can say unto him, What doest thou? And now we are speaking of John Bunyan,' he added, "here is an old book done by him, which is as rare a book as the Pilgrim's Progress. It was left me by poor Old Richard, who, you know, is gone the way of all flesh. It is called the Holy War. Sir, no true Christian can read | that book without reading his own experience therein. Too often have I listened to the suggestions of carnal security, while my ears have been deaf to the exhortations of those that fear God. Too often have I looked with pleasure upon the vanity of this world, while I have turned away mine eyes from the beauty of holiness. Diabolus did, indeed, take possession of my soul, but now I trust I am fighting under the banners of the good king Shaddai. The Holy War, I say again, is a rare book. I dare say, though, that the world would not understand it; for you know that 'the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned,' 1 Cor. ii. That book is founded upon the Bible, and true Christian experience." 14. "These three books," continued Jonas, "I am never tired of reading." Then taking down a packet of well-preserved tracts, he added, "And here, sir, what shall I say in favour of these little messengers of mercy? I can say, I have found them precious to my soul. You know we poor folks have not convenient pockets for large books, so every morning, when I go out to my daily labour, I take one of these paper books, and wrapping it up as gentlefolks do their bank notes, I put it in my mole-skin purse, and when I have a spare minute, I take it out and read it. By this means I am reminded of my duty as a Christian, and am constantly directed to Christ, whom, in the midst of the labours of the day, we are too prone to forget. It was a good thought to have pieces of paper cut to these various sizes whereon the words of life might be printed. The man who first shaped them deserves the thanks of every labourer in the kingdom. They are as good-they are better to me than bank notes !" From this the reader will perceive the truly Christian spirit with which Jonas Harding was endowed. He was, indeed, a rare character. Happy Jonas Harding! Methinks I see him now, as was his usual wont in summer and winter, waiting my approach in the road that leads to his house, with his own peculiar placid smile playing upon his countenance, and with some choice flower, in his hand wherewith to decorate my coat! Turning my fancy to the Saxon edifice standing before my study window, methinks I see him also with the same placid countenance worshipping within its venerable walls! But this is illusion. With many that I have known, and not a few over whose graves I have wept, brief though my life hath been, he also is gone to his rest. "All flesh is grass, and all its glory fades Ay! there it is. Though the form of Jonas Harding has passed away as a shadow, his Christian virtues still live, and shall be had in remembrance before God for ever. They live also in my page, where they are recorded that the reader may copy them, and again exhibit them to the world! THE RECORDer. THOUGHTS ON CONTENTMENT. HINTS and reflections, which are calculated to render our minds happy under the circumstances in which we are placed, are always valuable. The wise man who teaches us not always to tempt the dangerous deep, nor always timorously to creep along the shore, not to be elated with prosperity, nor cast down by adversity; but in the days of plenty to remember, and in times of want to hope; to steer contentedly between the little and the great; to hold the golden mean, gives to the mind of man that which the philosopher's stone would give to his estate, an incessant source of wealth. The peasant who is contented with his lot is rich; the prince who pines for something more is poor. One great source of discontent, is the belief that our own lot is burdened with unusually trying circumstances, from which our neighbours are free; and that our own means are incapable of affording the amount of happiness which theirs insure. This mistaken view of things arises partly from our ignorance and vain ideas of the real condition of others, which naturally causes us to form an exaggerated estimate of their state, and partly from well knowing, and therefore undervaluing our own means. Imagination magnifies the | vagrant like, as chance may direct; but object which our senses cannot fully it is not thus: she is swayed by an unappreciate. erring principle. How desirable, then, it is for us to endeavour to form a just estimate of ourselves and our condition; and while the sickly and morbid mind of one leads him to fancy that all are great and happy but himself; and the heated and perverted imagination of another represents his own character and capabilities as superior to all around him; while the boaster lives on his vain conceit, and the grumbler on his complaints, let those who search for happiness cherish that healthy state of mind which will enable them to maintain their true rank; to witness superiority without envy; to excel without pride; to appreciate and bring into action their five or ten talents; and, in the industrious application of their best abilities, and the discharge of their duty, to enjoy that most desirable of all blessings contentment. The agony of mind which disaster causes, can continue but a limited time: affliction at last benumbs the most tenderly sensitive heart. The pleasure which intoxicates us on the accomplishment of some favourite wish subsides with the novelty of the enjoyment. But contentment is that calm and satisfied state of feeling which may be experienced continually without producing satiety. It is the standard by which our measure of happiness is adjusted; all things when brought to this test lose their artificial value; fame, riches, power, stripped of their deceptive guise, appear valuable only in proportion to the ratio of approximation or departure which they bear to this mark. Contentment is the privilege of no rank or person. The king cannot command it; to the beggar it is not denied: the independent crust may yield it, while it is sought for in vain at the feast; it may shed its sweet influences round the cottager's hearth; it may solace the sufferer on his bed of pain; it may even find its way to the bosom of the captive; while the banquet, and the cheek of health, and the free air of the mountain top cry, "It is not in me;" and from him who seemeth to carry it in his breast, it is too often far Since then, no false pretensions, no outward circumstances, can insure contentment; and since her presence is a prize so earnestly coveted by all, and from the contest for which none are excluded, let us consider how we may best secure to ourselves this valuable treasure. None can enjoy contentment but the virtuous: vice and remorse are inseparable; remorse and contentment are incompatible. Judge those actions in which guilt and pleasure most closely mingle, are they not such as yield unmixed regret afterwards? And unless our bosoms are seared by the repetition of vice, and our characters abandoned to immorality, do we not cry out, Oh that my sins were sunk as a mill stone in the depths of the ocean! On the contrary, let us call to mind some one act in which we have been enabled by the grace of God to repel an evil sug gestion, and, binding truth to our bosoms, have stedfastly embraced the law of virtue, and we shall find satisfaction in the review. Man, as he passes through life, is continually toiling after some proposed object. Few, perhaps, could say with truth, that the present time was not marked by some flattering scheme, the design of which was to secure their own gratification, or, in other words, to render them contented; while as to these some are plausible, some reasonable, and a few sure to effect what they propose, let us never be tempted for a moment to believe that vicious actions, though they may appear to accelerate our wishes, can ever yield more than a transient and false pleasure, terminating in bitter disappointment. Is there some obstacle in our way, some Mordecai sitting at our gate, some thorn in the flesh, of which we are continually saying, Were it not for this, I could be happy? Shall we attempt, by sly and underhanded means, by some unlawful or ungenerous conduct, to be rid of our annoyance? Such efforts, however successful, will only remove that cross which Providence has laid in our way, bidding us take it up and bear it with humility and meekness, to inflict upon ourselves the lash of a guilty conscience under which we have neither alleviation nor support. |