GOLDEN OPPORTUNITIES.

"IN THE MORNING SOW THY SEED." Eccles. xi. 6.


Have you ever witnessed a glorious sunrise? Have you ever seen the orb
of day go forth as a bridegroom to run his race, arrayed in robes of
crimson, and purple, and gold? Then nature has taught you the lesson
that early opportunities are the brightest and best. Golden are the
early hours of morning, when the mind is most vigorous, and the powers
of nature, refreshed by sleep, are in full play. Golden too are the
days of early youth, before the heart is saddened by vanity, and the
spirit pressed down by the accumulating cares and responsibilities of
life. Let them be diligently improved, and they cannot fail to bring a
rich and profitable return. Therefore "in the morning sow thy seed."

Mary Burdsall was not indifferent to these opportunities. In the
beginning of life she formed the habit of early rising. She rose with
the lark and sang as merrily. She cultivated a taste for reading and
reflection; and although the natural vivacity of her disposition was
a constant snare in her path, she never lost sight of the purpose
she had formed of living for God. In secret she communed with her
own heart, and, the better to secure her growth in grace, commenced
a diary, which, with two or three short intermissions, occasioned
by sickness, was continued until within a week of her death.
Unfortunately a considerable portion of these manuscripts, including
a period of several years just preceding and following her marriage,
were destroyed by her own hands. What remains, is however no small
proof of her diligence and perseverance, as they extend to twenty