XCIII.-ANGRY WORDS. link, a single ring of a chain; Glied. mar, to hurt; verderben. JAMES 3, 8-10.: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the likeness of God. Out of the same mouth cometh forth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Angry words are lightly spoken In a rash and thoughtless hour; Poison drops of care and sorrow, Love is much too pure and holy, Thus to desolate and mar. Angry words are lightly spoken, Bitterest thoughts are rashly stirred, Brightest links in life are broken By a single angry word. XCIV. JUSTIN, THE MARTYR. mar'-tyr, a witness who testifies by his blood; Märtyrer; Blutzeuge. pre'-fect, a Roman officer who had charge of a province; Präfekt. e'-dict, law; Verordnung; Gesek. cap'-ti-vate, to charm; einnehmen. de'-i-ty, a god; godhead; Gottheit. re-sort', to betake one's self; seine Zuflucht nehmen. Scourge, to whip; peitschen. sac'-ri-fice, to make an offering to the gods; opfern. tort ́-ure, extreme pain; Folter; Marter. tri-bu'-nal, a court of justice; Gerichtshof; Richterstuhl. 1. Justin the Martyr was educated in all the wisdom of the Greeks, but not finding rest for his soul in all their philosophy, he at last found it in the Gospel of Christ. He suffered martyrdom under the emperor Marcus Antonius Philosophus, about the year 163. 2. He, and six of his brethren, were seized and brought before Rusticus, the prefect, who undertook to persuade Justin to obey the gods, and to comply with the emperor's edicts. The martyr defended his faith and religion; upon which the governor inquired in what kind of learning and discipline he had been educated. He told him that he had endeavored to understand all kinds of discipline, and had tried all methods of learning, but finding satisfaction in none of them, he had found rest in the Christian doctrine, however fashionable it might be to despise it. 3. "Wretch!" replies the indignant magistrate, "art thou captivated by that religion?"-"I am," says Justin, "I follow the Christians, and their doctrine is right.": "What is their doctrine?"-"It is this:-we believe the one only God to be the Creator of all things visible and invisible; and we confess our Lord Jesus Christ to be the Son of God, foretold by the prophets of old, and that He is now the Savior, Teacher, and Master of all those who receive His instruction, and that He will hereafter be the Judge of mankind. As for myself, I am too mean to say anything becoming of His infinite Deity; this was the business of the prophets, who, many ages ago, have foretold the coming of the Son of God into the world." 4. "Where do the Christians usually assemble? "The God of the Christians is not confined to any particular place.' "In what place do you instruct your scholars?”—Justin here mentioned the place in which he dwelt, and told him that there he explained Christianity to all who resorted to him. 5. "Hear thou," said the prefect, "who hast the character of an orator, and imaginest thyself to be in the possession of truth. If I scourge thee from head to foot, thinkest thou that thou shalt go to heaven?"-"Although I suffer what you threaten, yet I expect to enjoy the portion of all true Christians; as I know that the divine grace and favor is laid up for all such, and shall be so, while the world endures."—"Do you think that you shall go to heaven and receive a reward?"-"I not only think so, but I know it, and have a certainty of it which excludes all doubt." 6. Rusticus insisted that they should all go together, and sacrifice to the gods. "No man whose understanding is sound," replied Justin, "will desert true religion for the sake of error and impiety."-"Unless you comply, you shall be tormented without mercy."-"We desire nothing more sincerely than to endure tortures for our Lord Jesus Christ, and to be saved. Hence our happiness is promoted, and we shall have confidence before the awful tribunal of our Lord and Savior, before which, by the divine appointment, the whole world must appear." 7. The rest assented, and said: "Dispatch quickly your purpose; WE ARE CHRISTIANS, and can not sacrifice to idols." The governor then pronounced sentence: "As to those who refuse to sacrifice to the gods, and to obey the imperial edicts, let them be first scourged, and then beheaded according to the laws." The martyrs rejoiced and blessed God, and being led back to prison, were whipped and afterwards beheaded. Their dead bodies were taken by Christian friends and decently interred. XCV. THE MAELSTROM. suc'-tion, act of sucking, or drawing in; Anziehung. vor'-tex, a whirlpool; Strudel. dex'-ter-ous-ly, skillfully; gewandt. tim'-o-rous, fearful of danger; furchtsam. un-ag'-i-ta-ted, not disturbed; calm; nicht aufgeregt. hi-lar-i-ty, cheerfulness; Heiterkeit. ro'-ta-ry, turning as a wheel; drehend. crit'-ic-al, decisive; entscheidend. ac-cel'-er-ate, to hasten; beschleunigen. 1. The most tremendous whirlpool in the whole world is that which is called the Maelstrom, and which is situated on the western coast of Norway. The water near this Maelstrom is continually in the most fearful commotion. Ships of the heaviest burden, if drawn into it, are inevitably destroyed; the whale is sometimes overcome by the power of its suction, and dashed to pieces in its vortex. Its influence is felt in all the surrounding waters, and those who are once drawn towards it seldom escape. The following story may not be without interest in association with this fearful Maelstrom : : 2. On the shore, nearly opposite the whirlpool, one fine afternoon in the month of July, a party of young ladies and gentlemen agreed to take an excursion that evening in a pleasure-boat. They were not much accustomed to "the dangers of the sea." The young men could not ply the oars as dexterously as many others, but they supposed there could be no danger.. 3. All nature seemed to smile. The sunbeam briskly played on the bosom of the ocean. Calmness had thrown its oily wand on the billow, and it slept. The water, presenting a smooth, unruffled surface, seemed a sea of glass. The most timorous would scarcely have suspected that danger, in its most terrific form, was lurking just beneath the surface. 4. The evening came― the young people assembled on the beach. The mellow moonbeam would tremble for a moment, and then sleep on the calm, unagitated bosom of the ocean. The pleasure-boat was unmoored—the party gaily entered; the boat was moved from the shore. It was soon under way. It was rapidly propelled by those at the oars. But they soon discovered that it would skim gently over the bosom of the deep when the motion produced by the oars had ceased. They allowed the boat to glide gently along-they felt no danger. All was thoughtless hilarity. 5. The motion of the vessel in which they sailed became gradually, and to them insensibly, more rapid. They were moved by the influence of the whirlpool. Their motion was rotary. They soon came round almost to the same spot from which they had sailed. At this critical moment, the only one in which it was possible for them to be saved, a number of persons on shore, who knew their danger, discovered them, and instantly gave the alarm. They entreated those in the boat to make one desperate effort and drive it on shore, if possible. 6. When they talked of danger, the party of pleasure laughed at their fears, and passed along without making one attempt to deliver themselves from impending ruin. The boat moved on, the rapidity of its motion continually increasing, and the circle around which it was drawn by the |