{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_38227/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_38227","id":"gutenberg_38227","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/38227","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Children -- Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction","Christian life -- Juvenile fiction","Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction","Families -- Juvenile fiction","Sunday school literature","Thunderstorms -- Juvenile fiction"],"text":"E-text prepared by Emmy and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team\n(http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by\nInternet Archive (http://www.archive.org)\n\n\n\nNote: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this\n      file which includes the original illustrations.\n      See 38227-h.htm or 38227-h.zip:\n      (https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/38227/pg38227-images.html)\n      or\n      (https://www.gutenberg.org/files/38227/38227-h.zip)\n\n\n      Images of the original pages are available through\n      Internet Archive. See\n      http://www.archive.org/details/rainbowafterthun00ladyiala\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE RAINBOW, AFTER THE THUNDER-STORM.\n\nby\n\nA LADY.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLondon:\nPrinted for Francis Westley,\nStationers'-Court, Ludgate-Hill.\n1823.\n\nT. C. Hansard, Printer,\nPeterboro'-court, Fleet-street, London.\n\n\n\n\nTHE RAINBOW, AFTER THE THUNDER-STORM.\n\n\nJULIA and her mamma resided chiefly in London. Owing to indisposition\nthe family were a little way from home for the benefit of the air. In\nconsequence of that, Julia and her mamma were frequently walking out.\nOne summer's evening they had extended their walk to an unusual length,\nwhen suddenly the clouds gathered, and distant thunder indicated an\napproaching storm. They were a great way from any house, but hurried to\nthe nearest one for shelter. It was a large brick-built house, with a\ncourt-yard, inclosed by a high wall. At the iron gate was a servant,\nwith a pitcher in her hand, taking some milk of a man who stood by.\nJulia's mamma went up to her, and said, \"Will you be so obliging as to\nlet us have a shelter from the storm? It appears likely to be very\nsevere.\" The servant replied, \"I am very sorry, ma'am, but it is not in\nmy power; my master and mistress are not at home, and they have given me\norders not to admit any stranger.\"\n\nThere was no time to hesitate; immediately they proceeded to an\nunfinished house they recollected to have seen; it was a quarter of a\nmile distant. Almost breathless with fatigue, they arrived; the\nwash-house door was standing open, they entered, and thought themselves\nhappy in having so good a shelter. \"Oh,\" said Julia, \"how cruel it was\nin that young woman to refuse to let us go into the house! I would not\nhave done so.\" \"Then,\" replied her mamma, \"you would have done wrong;\nhowever painful it must have been to her, to refuse was no more than her\nduty as a faithful servant.\"\n\nEvery minute the lightning became more vivid, and the thunder appeared\nto be bursting over their heads. \"Oh, mamma,\" said Julia, \"how awful\nthis is!\" \"Yes, it is indeed, my dear,\" said her mamma; \"God thundereth\nmarvellously with his voice; great wonders doeth he, which we cannot\ncomprehend.\" \"This is a storm,\" remarked Julia, \"such as I never\nremember before. Hark! how it thunders. Oh, what a dreadful flash of\nlightning! Oh, the thunder! It gets worse; how shall I bear it! Hide me,\nhide me, my dear mamma; let me get into some dark place.\" \"My dear\nlove,\" said her mamma, \"you surprise me to see you so alarmed; it is\nwhat I did not expect; don't give way to fear; _I_ cannot hide you from\nthis storm any more than I can hide you from the presence of God; and\nthat you are sure I cannot do. Be composed, my love, and let each of us\nsay--\n\n    'Hide me, O my Saviour, hide,\n      Till the storm of life is past;\n    Safe into the haven guide,\n      O receive my soul at last!'\n\nOur father sits at the helm; he will guide the storm, and I shall say to\nyou as our Lord said to his disciples when _they_ were in a storm, and\nas he says to us now in his word, \"Why are ye so fearful, have ye no\nfaith?\" Let us put our trust in _him_, and look for our protection from\n_him_. How much tenderness was there in our Lord's words! He did not\nblame them much for their fears, but kindly reminded them that it was\ntheir duty to trust in God. You are not like your little brother when\n_he_ was about four years old. I was out with him when it thundered, and\nhe said, 'Don't be afraid mamma; if we love God, nothing can hurt us.'\"\n\n\"It makes me tremble so much,\" said Julia. \"If a storm like this is so\nawful, my dear,\" said her mamma, \"what must the second coming of Christ\nbe, when the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also, and\nall the works that are therein shall he burned up! How will the sinner\ntremble, and call to the mountains and rocks, 'Fall on us, and hide us\nfrom the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of\nthe lamb!' Now we need not try to hide ourselves, but if we love the\nSaviour, may say--\n\n    'This awful God is ours,\n    Our father, and our love.'\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\"I think the thunder is more distant,\" continued her mamma, \"and does\nnot succeed the lightning so soon.\" \"Does that make any difference?\"\nasked Julia. \"It proves, my dear,\" answered her mamma, \"that the cloud\nis going from us; but I observed you were more afraid of the thunder\nthan of the lightning; when you hear the thunder, the danger is over. It\nis only the _lightning_ that is fatal. When we have seen the lightning,\nbut have not been touched by it, and when the thunder does not come\nimmediately after it, it is foolish to turn pale and tremble at a sound\nwhich is not dangerous. After the flash of lightning is over, we may\nsecurely wait for the clap of thunder; it is as harmless as the sound of\na cannon. The thunder tells us we have escaped the danger, and at the\nsame time informs us at what distance; for the greater space of time\nthere has been between the flash of lightning and the thunder, the more\ndistant the storm.\"\n\nJulia's mamma proceeded, \"I heard a poor woman once say she thought God\nwas angry with the people, and had sent a storm to punish them. That is,\nhowever, a very ignorant way of talking. Storms are a blessing, and we\nought to be thankful for them; and though we know they sometimes do\nhurt, and a few lives are lost, yet how few compared with what might be\nexpected! Out of seven hundred and fifty thousand persons who died in\nthe space of thirty years in London, there were only two killed by\nlightning. Probably if there were no storms, the air would be so impure,\nthat men and other living creatures would perish by millions. Let us, my\ndear, lift up our hearts in gratitude to the Almighty, who, though he\nsometimes shows us his grandeur and his glory in this manner, yet always\ndisplays more of _mercy_ than of _judgment_. After all, God has more\nglory and greatness than he shows to us; what, then, will be the\nmanifestations of them, when in another world we see him face to face!\nYet what we shall behold of him there will fill us with _delight_, and\nnot _terror_, as I heard you singing the other day, my dear--\n\n    'Millions of years my wond'ring eyes\n      Shall o'er thy beauties rove,\n    And endless ages I'll adore\n      The glories of thy love.\n\n    Sweet Jesus! ev'ry smile of thine\n      Shall fresh endearments bring,\n    And thousand tastes of new delight\n      From all thy graces spring.'\n\nMay we be prepared for that period, and enjoy all that blessedness\ndescribed in those beautiful lines! There, my dear, will be no storms,\nand we shall have no fear.\" \"I thank you, my dear mamma, for talking so\nto me,\" said Julia; \"I have not felt so much fear since you began.\"\n\nThe rain had nearly ceased, and the storm was gone. Julia and her mamma\nwere glad to prepare for going home. As soon as they entered the field\nleading to their home, Julia remarked how refreshed every thing\nappeared. \"Yes,\" said her mamma, \"nature never appears more lovely than\nafter a Thunder-storm. The herbage of the field is revived, and what\nbefore was fading is refreshed. All animals seem to rejoice; birds are\ncoming from their shelter, and are singing delightfully, though it is\nnearly their time for rest; and the cattle share in the general\npleasure. See those two lambs, how prettily they are playing!\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE RAINBOW.\n\n\nIt was at this moment Julia looked around to admire the scenery, and\nbeheld a Rainbow. \"Look, look!\" she said, \"mamma, what a beautiful\nRainbow! How wide it spreads! How many colours are there? Let me count\nthem. One, two, three, four, five--\" \"My dear,\" said her mamma, \"there\nare seven, and in the following order: _red_, _orange_, _yellow_,\n_green_, _blue_, _purple_, and _violet_. These colours appear so much\nthe more lively, according as the cloud behind is darker, and the drops\nof rain fall the closer. The Rainbow can last only while the rain\ncontinues. The sun must be behind us, and the rain opposite to us. The\nsun and rain must appear at the same time in order to form a Rainbow. It\nis caused by the rays of the sun reflected on drops of water, and is a\npicture the most beautifully coloured of any the Creator has given to\nus. The nearer the sun is to setting, the wider the arch extends. When\nthe sun is at its greatest height, the bow appears the smallest.\n\n\"Where do we read, my dear, in the Bible about the Rainbow?\" asked\nJulia's mamma. \"I think, mamma,\" replied Julia, \"it was to Noah as a\nsign the world should not again be destroyed by water, and we read so in\nthe book of Genesis.\" \"Yes,\" answered her mamma, \"my dear, you are\nright. How very fearful would Noah and his family have been whenever\nthey saw dark clouds arise and an appearance of much rain, if God had\nnot kindly said what he intended by the Rainbow! But he explained it by\nsaying, 'I do set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be for a token of a\ncovenant between me and the earth. And the bow shall be in the cloud;\nand I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant\nbetween me and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the\nearth!'\n\n\"A bow bespeaks terror; but this has neither string nor arrow; it is an\nemblem of peace. If it had not been said that it was a token to all\ngenerations, even _we_ should have feared a deluge whenever a storm\napproached. How must Noah have felt when he and his family left the ark,\nand not a vestige of any thing remained they had seen before! For the\nwaters had covered the highest mountains, and had risen fifteen cubits\nhigher; that is, seven yards and a half; so that in vain would salvation\nhave been hoped for from the hills and mountains. What was Noah's\nconduct on leaving the ark? He did not forget (as many do) the mercies\nof God which he had received. The first thing he did was to build an\naltar for the worship of God. One would have thought, so dreary as every\nthing must have appeared, his first care would have been to build a\nhouse for himself and family, warm and sheltered as they had been in the\nark. But no; Noah _feared_ God, and therefore his first care was to\n_serve_ him.\n\n\"May it be so, my dear, with _you_,\" continued Julia's mamma. \"May _you_\nseek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all other\nthings shall be added unto you! Noah's worship was accepted, and\nimmediately God said unto him, I will no more destroy the world with a\nflood. What kindness is here shown! I think, my love, it is time we\nhastened home.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\nWhen they arrived at their abode, as Julia's papa was not expected that\nnight, her mamma, according to her usual practice in his absence, rang\nthe bell for the servants to attend family worship; and a large family\nbible being laid on the table, her mamma, with great solemnity, read the\ntwenty-ninth Psalm, which being done, all kneeled, and she, in a sweet,\nfeeling manner, approached the throne of Mercy. When prayer was over,\nall rose from their knees; Julia kissed her mamma, and took her leave of\nher for the night. \"Good night, my dear,\" said her mamma; \"don't forget\nto pray in secret before you close your eyes for sleep. Adieu! dear\nJulia;\n\n      'May angels guard thy head,\n    And through the hours of darkness keep\n      Their watch around thy bed!'\"\n\nI hope, my dear young reader, you will consider what Julia's mamma said\nto her for _her_ instructions and comfort about the Storm and the\nRainbow is here mentioned for _your_ instruction and comfort too on such\noccasions. Only fear God, and you need not fear any thing else.\n\n    How dreadful to hear in the sky\n      The thunder so long and so loud!\n    To witness the fork'd lightnings fly,\n      Discharged from yonder black cloud!\n    Lord, mercy on me do bestow,\n    And show me the peaceful Rainbow!\n\n    In vain to shelters do I run,\n      If I find no shelter in Thee;\n    No threat'ning dangers can I shun,\n      But as Thou art gracious to me.\n    Thou can'st hush my fears I well know,\n    By showing the peaceful Rainbow.\n\n    That tells me the storm shall soon end,\n      The earth shall be delug'd no more,\n    That God is my father and friend,\n      Whose love is great as his power.\n    His signal to creatures below\n    Is the peaceful, lovely Rainbow.\n\n    This bow is not bent by a string,\n      Because the anger is all fled;\n    Nor has it an arrow to fling,\n      So that I have nothing to dread.\n    And God now would have me to know,\n    All is _mercy_ in the Rainbow.\n\n    In future, then, when I'm afraid,\n      And darkness and storms fill the air,\n    I will think that God who them made,\n      Views me as a child of his care;\n    That storms will soon cease from below,\n    And the sky display the Rainbow.\n\n\nFINIS.\n\n\n    T. C. Hansard, Printer,\n    Peterboro'-court, Fleet-street, London.\n\n\n\n\n_New and Approved Reward Books_,\n\nJUST PUBLISHED BY\n\nFRANCIS WESTLEY,\n\n10, STATIONERS'-COURT, AND AVE-MARIA-LANE.\n\n\n1. THE WASHERWOMAN. By a Lady. Neatly printed, with Four Wood Cuts,\n32mo. Price 1_d._\n\n2. HENRY'S SERMON to his Servant, when he was only Eight Years Old. By a\nLady. Embellished with Four Wood Cuts, and neatly sewed in stiff\nWrappers. Price 1_d._\n\n3. THE VILLAGER'S DAUGHTER. Embellished with Four Wood Cuts, and neatly\nsewed in stiff Wrappers. Price 1_d._\n\n4. THE YOUNG LOITERER. Neatly printed, 32mo. Price 1_d._\n\n5. THE SNOW DROP. Neatly printed, 32mo. Price 1_d._\n\n6. THE YOUNG MECHANIC. Neatly printed, 32mo. Price 1_d._\n\n7. THE LITTLE ARTIST; or, The History of Francis Thomas. Second Edition.\n32mo. Neatly printed. Price 1_d._\n\n8. A MOTHER'S NARRATIVE. 32mo. Neatly printed. Price 1_d._\n\n9. No. 1. GEMS OF SACRED POETRY, selected for Sunday Scholars.\nIllustrated with 15 Wood Cuts, 32mo. Price 1_d._\n\n10. No. 2. Ditto. Ditto.\n\n11. No. 3. Ditto. Ditto.\n\n12. ARITHMETICAL TABLES for the use of Schools. Neatly printed, 32mo.\nPrice 1_d._\n\n\n\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n\n\n\nTranscriber's note:\n\nObvious punctuation errors were corrected.","title":"The Rainbow, After the Thunder-Storm","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":2544}