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and heat of the day; and then farewell, an everlasting farewell, to sin and its accompaniments-pain and sorrow. Oh! may we be stirred up by the warnings of God's afflictive dispensations to make our calling and election sure; and may we be more in earnest in following them, who, through faith and patience, now inherit the promises as they followed Christ; considering the end of their conversation, Jesus Christ, 'the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever.' How needful are all these trials to keep us in remembrance of our stranger and pilgrim cond here, and to teach us to lay up for ourselves treat in heaven, from which neither death nor life can parate us!

"I trust you have been enabled, not only to submit to the will of God, but to acquiesce in it from a conviction that He doeth all things well. That you can not only say, 'His will be done,' but can also add with Job,

Blessed be the name of the Lord.' 'Now, we know in part' only; we do not know the reason for all that befalls. But that day is at hand when we shall know even as we are known; when we shall bless His name for every stroke of His rod, for every dark and trying hour. And, besides this, when the corn is ripe, must it not be gathered? Ought not the Husbandman to lay it up in His barn? Is there not matter of thanksgiving that a beloved object is beyond the reach of sin, and all the misery that is in the world' taken away from the evil to come?' We could not wish one of those clothed in white robes, who have 'come out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb,' back again to this world, which lieth in wickedness. Death is gain,

L

indeed, to the child of God. 'It doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as he is.'

"What a heavy blow this will be to all your family! Your poor father! None but a husband, as he was, can conceive the depth of the wound caused by the taking down of half the tabernacle. Your sisters, too, how much will they feel the loss of her who was their guide and counsellor! How graciously your return home seems to have been ordered, as though you were sent by the Great Shepherd to cheer your beloved mother in the passage through the dark valley! How great must have been your grief, in coming home, to find her so ill; and how thankful must you have been to have been permitted the great privilege of seeing her once more in the land of the living; and, perhaps, of administering to her temporal and spiritual comforts, for Christ's sake!

"But I must draw my letter to a close. I fear my attempt to speak a word in season, in your affliction, will avail but little. Man cannot comfort his brother in sorrow. But Jesus, if He will, may use the feeblest and most unworthy for this purpose. May He speak to your heart, and pour in the balm and oil of His own grace! May He manifest Himself to you as He does not to the world! May He cheer you with the light of His countenance! May He direct your mind to that blessed hope of everlasting life which is before you! And may He enable you to press forward, with renewed vigour, to the obtaining of the prize of your high calling!

'I will write to you again soon, but I do not feel inclined to go on to other subjects now. Remember me in

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your prayers, and believe me to be your affectionate friend in the bonds of Jesus Christ,

"M. M. HAMMOND."

At a later period of his life, when his own happiness seemed to be complete in his marriage, and he is writing to a friend, herself a mourner, the power of sympathy, to which we have been referring, springs up, as it were, from the deep fountains of his own joy. Instantly he sees reflected there the widow's sorrow, and he places himself in her place:

"Do accept our united thanks for your good wishes, for I know the kind of things that you desire for us—even spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. These will outlive the earthly union. For those who are united to Jesus will sit down at the marriage-supper of the Lamb; and the union begun on earth will be perfected and perpetuated at that great and glorious day of our Lord's appearing. For that day you are, doubtless, waiting and longing. The sweet thought of a reunion, at no distant day, with the dearest of all earthly objects, must many a time have afforded a balm to your fainting and sorrowing spirit. I daresay you are familiar with the beautiful lines of Edmonstone's :—

"The love that seems forsaken

When friends by death depart,

In heaven again shall waken,
And repossess the heart.""

CHAPTER XII.

Fervent in Spirit.

"Oh! happy rest, if once the race were run!
Oh! blessed slumbers, if the fight were won!
Dreams that were sweet at eve, at noon were sin,
With foes to conquer and a goal to win."

OXFORD PRIZE POEM.

THE year 1848 is fresh in our recollections as ushered in with clouds charged with revolution and disaster to so many states of Europe, while in our own favoured land their shadow was scarcely cast. Canada, too, remained comparatively quiet. But in all countries the political horizon looked gloomy and doubtful. Of those who thought at all, there were doubtless many who discovered in those signs of the times, in those "wars and rumours of wars, and distress of nations," matter for deep and solemn speculation. The next letter is dated Kingston, May 2, 1848.

MY DEAREST FATHER,-Our English mail came in yesterday. Your letters were full of interest to me, as I wished much to hear your views of the state of affairs in Britain and Europe, and the account you give me is indeed appalling. But while we tremble in looking to the things

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which are coming on the earth, how thankful should we be that God has blessed our nation with comparative peace! I trust that, as a people, we shall be preserved from following the godless example of other nations, and that we shall never forget that our safety and strength lies in humble dependence on Jehovah's arm. It is very remarkable that the ten horns in Rev. xiii. 1, which represent the governing powers in Europe, are first described as having ten crowns upon them, while the next time we read of them, in Rev. xvii. 15-17, we meet with the same ten horns, but without the crowns, as if the reins of government had passed from the monarchy into the hands of the people. Is not this a remarkable fact in connexion with the signs of the times in which we live? Already some of the crowns have been taken away, and it seems probable that many others will follow ere long.

"As yet there are no signs of any sympathetic movement among the French Canadians of the Lower Province, and up to this time there seems no cause for apprehension as regards them. They are bigoted Roman Catholics, but they enjoy greater religious liberty than the Papists in Ireland. I believe they are a quiet and respectable people, though inheriting the excitable temperament of their forefathers; so that until a Papineau, or some other kindred spirit, excites them to rebellion, there is no reason to fear. I suspect they have not forgotten the lesson they learned when they failed in their last attempt.

“But in the midst of these 'wars and rumours of wars,' and perplexities and distress of nations, how comforting it is to know that all things shall work together for good to them that love God;' for 'the very' hairs of the children's