30. A Path Strewn With Blessings

A Path Strewn with Blessings

"I will save you, and ye shall be a blessing."—Zechariah 8:13.

"When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me,

it gave witness to me: because I delivered the poor that cried and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him"—Job 29:11-12.

The "Sussex Daily News" of June 6th, has the following quotation and remark:—"' The path of a Pope must be strewn "with blessings.' Such is the neat and appropriate sentiment attributed to Leo XIII." So far as the history of a Pope has come under our own observation it has rather been strewn with curses than with blessings. Pio Nono at any rate appeared to be exceedingly voluble when delivering a tirade, and could fulminate an anathema as neatly and appropriately as any other dealer in strong language. Happily we have reason to believe that his denunciations were not much more effectual than his benedictions. If either the one or the other had any effect at all it would appear to have operated by the rule of contrary: for those whom he cursed most prospered best, and those whom he blessed had cause to cry "save us from our friend." We believe that as a matter of fact his fulminations were so barren of all results that we may apply to them the lines of" Ingoldsby Legends," which describe the cardinal in his great red hat when he had lost his costly turquoise ring:

"The Cardinal rose with a dignified look, He call'd for his candle, his bell, and his book! In holy anger and pious grief, He solemnly cursed the rascally thief!

He cursed him at board, he cursed him in bed; From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head;

He cursed him in sleeping, that every night He should dream of the devil, and wake in a fright; He cursed him in eating, he cursed him in drinking, He cursed him in coughing, in sneezing, in winking; He cursed him in sitting, in standing, in lying;

He cursed him in walking, in riding, in flying, He cursed him in living, he cursed him in dying!

Never was heard such a terrible curse! ! But what gave rise To no little surprise, Nobody seem'd one penny the worse! "

True, there was a certain thievish jackdaw which began to pine and lose its feathers, but we do not believe that Pio Nono ever managed to injure even a sparrow or a spider with his bulls and excommunications.

Let us hope that Leo XIII. intends to abound in benisons, but even if he does so we suspect that nobody will seem one penny the better. However it will be all the better for Leo himself if he will learn to lie down with the lamb.

If from the quotation we take out the word" Pope," and write" Christian," the sentiment will be more neat and appropriate than ever—"The path of a Christian must be strewn with blessings." God has blessed him unspeakably in Christ Jesus, and he should therefore bless God with all his heart and soul. The promise is" I will bless thee, and thou shalt be a blessing," and every child of believing Abraham should endeavour to be a blessing to all those that are round about him, according to that ancient covenant promise. Like David, the believer should bless his household; nay, more, like the high priest of old he should bless all the people. His words should impart the blessing of instruction and his life should confer the blessing of holy example. His private prayers should bring down innumerable blessings from heaven, and his public acts abounding with pity and love should bless the poor and needy of earth. The sick, the afflicted, and the desponding should hail his presence, and find in him a tender friend. He should go about doing good. As there is a promise that his path like the shining light shall increase in splendour so also should he increase in the warmth and light of love and kindness, bearing life and joy and healing to the sons of men. May the blessed God reveal himself in his blessed people, that in them and in their seed all the nations of the earth may be blessed.