THE GOOD RESOLUTION.
New York
PUBLISHED BY LANE & SCOTT,
FOR THE SUNDAY-SCHOOL UNION OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 200MULBERRY-STREET.
JOSEPH LONGKING, PRINTER. 1831.
THE GOOD RESOLUTION.
"Why am I so unhappy to-day?" said Isabella Gardner, as she opened hereyes on the morning of her fourteenth birth-day. "Is it because the sunis not bright enough, or the flowers are not sweet enough?" she added,as she looked on the glorious sunshine that lay upon the rose-bushessurrounding her window.
Isabella arose, and dressed herself, and tried to drive away heruncomfortable feelings, by thinking of the pleasures of the afternoon,when some of her young friends were to assemble to keep her birth-day.But she could not do it; and, sad and restless, she walked in herfather's garden, and seated herself on a little bench beneath a shadytree. Everything around was pleasant; the flowers seemed to send uptheir gratitude to Heaven in sweetness, and the little birds in songs ofjoy. All spoke peace and love, and Isabella could find nothing therelike discontent or sorrow. The cause of her present troubled feelingswas to be found within.
Isabella Gardner was in the habit of indulging in a fretful and peevishtemper. She was often "hasty in her spirit to be angry;" forgetting thatthe wise Solomon says, "Anger resteth in the bosom of fools;" and that agreater than Solomon had commanded her to forgive, as she would beforgiven.
Her disrespect and ill-humor toward her parents had caused her manyunhappy days and sleepless nights; and often had the day closed onfaults unrepented of, and sins unforgiven. It was but the afternoonbefore that she had spoken in a high angry tone to her eldest sister,Mary, and parted in displeasure from her brother Edward, because hewould not leave his studies to go into the garden with her. Thus had the"sun gone down upon her wrath;" and we cannot be surprised that when itrose in the morning she was unhappy.
Isabella had a generous temper; and after she had been unkind or unjust,she was frequently sorry, and determined to be so no more; but herregret was forgotten as soon as she was again tempted; and at the ageof thirteen she had gained no victory over the sinful habit of indulgingin an angry temper.
Isabella had kind and indulgent parents;—parents who looked withthankfulness upon the virtues, and with sorrow upon the faults, of theirchildren, and prayed that the former might be strengthened, and thelatter corrected. Mrs. Gardner had long seen with deep anxiety thegrowing defect in Isabella's temper, and it was now brought morepainfully home to her feelings, as she reflected how much an added yearincreased the responsibility of her child.
She had risen early, and had been long engaged in prayer to Him who canalone regulate the unruly dispositions, wills, and passions of sinfulmen. She prayed for knowledge of her duty to her child, and forstrength to perform it: she prayed for Isabella, that God would convinceher of the error of her way; that his Holy Spirit might renew her in thespirit of her mind, that she might become a child and follower of theLord Jesus Christ.
Long and anxiously the pious mother continued her supplications at thethrone of grace; and after