A Letter to the Young.

WHOM SHALL I SERVE?

Y DEAR YOUNG FRIENDS,-It has pleased God that your lot should be cast in times of

the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God, and for the testimony which they held: and they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?" Again we read, "Shall not God avenge His own e'ect, which cry day and night unto Him? yea, I say unto you, He will avenge them speedily."

In the first place, let me say, that it is nothing to be surprised at in that these contradictions and adverse opinions do prevail. So far from their disproving the facts laid down in the great Guide-bookGod's own blessed Word-they establish and confirm its truthfulness and veracity. That such and such things would verily come to pass is most clearly shown in that Word. Hence, were such things lacking, the Bible, in so far as it points out the perilous nature of the last times, would not be true.

In the next place, inasmuch as the spirit and tone of men's minds confirm the truth of Scripture, and go so clearly to show that we really are in the last times, or, in other words, that the end of all things is at hand, or some great crisis very near; how does it behove us to look well to our principles, and to examine the nature and character of our hope or belief or trust or confidence, in case of the great events which the Bible predicts as being about to take place!

Notwithstanding the fact that there are multitudes in our day who are seeking to ignore, or set aside, the Bible, it needs but little observation to discover that there is a great restlessness, uneasiness, and dissatisfaction in the minds of men generally. Moreover, there is evidently a wide-spread belief that momentous events, or some great crisis, is at hand. Yea, there are at least times and seasons when we see that Scripture confirmed, "Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming upon the earth."

Moreover, with respect to the repetition and peculiarity of the visitations which have marked the course of events of late years, in spite of the natural scepticism and hardness and impenitency of the human heart, men are compelled to admit that there is a something peculiar and unaccountable with regard to those visitations. The potato disease, for example. When first Ireland was smitten with it, even the poor Roman Catholic peasantry declared it to be the hand of God-yea, they, without the wide-spread teaching of the Bible which we here in England enjoy, confessed this. Now that it has so extended itself over our own favoured land, and that, too, after the attention of men of skill and experience has been so brought to bear upon it, I contend that it is additionally significant of a divine visitation; and that the same controversy which the Lord of the whole earth had with the sister-land, He now has with our own. There is, however, not only the potato disease, but there likewise those varied and destructive maladies with which the cattle and sheep and pigs have been smitten. This, bé assured, is equally the voice of God!

are

Now, to say the least, all this is suggestive of thought and reflection. We may well weigh these matters, and ask ourselves, "Is there not a cause? That there is a cause I am perfectly sure. We have, as a land and nation, departed from God; and He, in righteous retribution, is thus departing from us. We have been countenancing and pandering to Antichrist that system which has persecuted, even to the most cruel and ignominious of deaths, above fifty millions of people; and, if the blood of the righteous Abel cried to the Lord from the ground, surely the blood of this mighty multitude cries for vengeance also. Mark, for example, that Scripture, "And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar

I will presume, first, that you have had the advantage of godly parents or anxious teachers. The former, it may be, have "passed to the skies," the latter far removed from you, or you from them. Well, now, what think you would have been the counsel of those parents or teachers with respect to your choice? Would they, do you suppose, have urged you to adopt any course or follow any counsel which had not the positive sanction and plain teaching of the Scriptures? Would not the Bible have been the great standard which they would have set up? Would not they have taken their stand fixedly and immovably upon God's blessed Word? If even the shadow of a doubt were brought to bear upon any doctrine or practice, do not some of the older among you, my dear young friends, remember with what vehemence they would quote the passage, "To the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to these, it is because there is no light in them ? "

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Again, consider the end of these loved ones. Mark how they finished their course. Not only were they supported and sustained under, it may be, very heavy affliction and trial, but did you not behold in their case a beautiful illustration of that Scripture, 'Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace?" and again, "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.”

Furthermore, consider not only their bearing under sorrows and cares and anxieties, but contrast likewise the tone of mind of those whom you believe to be the followers of Jesus under their trials and afflictions, with men in trouble who despise religion, and who, from time to time, sit in judgment upon those who profess it. Let each party be plunged into difficulty, or become the subjects of affliction or sorrow, and how striking the contrast between the two! The one, Job-like, exclaims, " Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil also? .... Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither; the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." On the other hand, instead of this holy calm, and peaceful and placid surrender, we see the worldly man, when of a sudden the subject of defeat or disappointment, loss or cross, filled with vexation and anger. He frets against God, and disputes His right and authority to do as He chooses with His own, for naught that a man has belongs unto him. He is merely a tenant at will. "He brought nothing into this world, and it is certain that he can carry nothing out." But the worldly man frets and fumes under loss and cross, as though he had an intrinsic right to what has merely been lent him for a little season; aye, and lent him, too, as a test and a talent, for which he will have to be accountable to God another day.

Hence, dear young friends, you have set before you, in the way of choice, God's despised people, with their peace and holy calm under sorrow and affliction, and their hope beyond the grave; or, in a way of caution, men of the world, with their hearts set upon gain; yea, gold their God; but at the same time the creatures of unrest, disquiet, dissatisfaction; the subjects of fear where no fear is-men of whom the Psalmist speaks thus, in his 71st Psalm, "Surely Thou didst set them in slippery places: Thou castedst them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors."

Finally, my dear young friends, I would affection

ately commend for your careful perusal the 37th and the 73rd Psalms. In these the two descriptions of character to which I have briefly alluded are given. God, of His great mercy, grant you His grace, that so, whilst reading them, you may be brought to the holy and happy and abundantly satisfactory decision of Moses, of whom we read, that "when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward." I am, my dear young friends, Your affectionate

OLD JONATHAN.

THEONLY CHILD.

It was a sultry summer-day, when all the world was still, Except the little singing-birds, and the distant sparkling rill; The cattle lay beneath the trees, out of the sun's fierce ray, The lamb had left its mother's side, and by the brook did stray.

A hush o'er everything prevailed, a silence reign'd around, The grass upon the meadow-fields was wither'd, dried, and brown;

A little sheltered cottage stood beneath the poplar trees,
And from its topmost windows could be seen the mighty

seas.

A widow with an only child had made this house her home, When her dear husband left this world for fairer climes to

roam;

Her only comfort was her boy-a child of five years old,
With melting orbs of azure-blue, and locks of shining gold.
How often did the mother pray that God his life would
spare,

A life that was so dear to her, so innocent and fair!
The little child had left his play, and by her side did kneel,
To hear some little story and her fond caress to feel.
She told him of his father, now lying in his grave,
How in the battle's fiercest height he fought and died so
brave.

A shade fell o'er the little brow, a tear beamed in his eye,
As "Mother! mother, dear!" he cried, "must children also
die ?"

A shudder thrill'd the mother's frame, and dim her eye had

The summer months had passed away, and cold the winds did blow

Amongst the poplar branches, drifting the falling snow;
The leaves that once were fresh and green were all grown
The roses and the lilies gone, and but the snowdrops there.
old and sere,

The landscape all looked drear and sad, a gloom hung over all,

But greater still the gloom that hung around yon cottage small;

The little boy no more beguiled his hours in childish play, But on his little couch did lie, from dawn to dawn of day.

'Twas sad to see that little form, as there he helpless lay, When but a few short months before he was so bright and gay;

His small white hands were listless laid across his heaving chest,

His eyes were on his mother fix'd, as his little lips she press'd.

The stricken'd mother o'er him watch'd, and lull'd him into sleep,

Then bowed her head in prayer to Him that He her child would keep;

But see: those little lips-they move; hush!--what is it they say? "Mother, my father's beckoning me to lands far, far away. "Don't weep! it will not be for long, ere you'll be with us there,

Where it is always summer, and the flowers always fair; Good-bye, dear mother! kiss me, and take me on your arm". He paused-she lifted up her child-'twas but a lifeless form. Then down beside the bed she knelt, fast fell her trickling

A BUNCH OF FLOWERS.

ANNY had been on an errand to a lady, who, pleased with her manners, took her into her garden, and gave her a handful of beautiful flowers. She was delighted with them, for she seldom had flowers. Her father lived in a house which had pavement both behind and in front; and, though her mother had a few plants in pots, she never picked the flowers from them, they were so very few. Now Fanny had a fine fresh nosegay all her own, and she went along with a light step and a smiling face.

But a little girl with a thin face, a sallow skin, and a miserable look, came by, leading a cross, cry. ing boy. He screamed and stamped until, to still him, she had to take him up and carry him. But the boy was very heavy, and soon she was obliged to put him on the ground again. He cried then louder than before. Just then the girl's eyes fell on Fanny's flowers, and a sort of smile came over her wan face.

"Oh, see, see! don't cry; look at the pretty flowers!" she said. Just then Fanny turned round, and, seeing her sad face, could not but

answer.

"Are yon tired because that little boy cries so ?"

"He almost always cries.” "Is he your brother ?” again asked Fanny.

"No," said the girl; "I live with his mother in that house," pointing down the street. "I hadn't anybody at all, and his mother took me when I was little." Fanny looked at her old and dirty dress, and said, "Is she good to you?"

"I don't know," was the quiet answer.

Fanny's clothes were neat and comfortable; she had kind and loving friends, and a happy home. The poor little girl, what had she? This thought went through Fanny's heart as she divided her flowers and gave the large half to the little girl, saying, in a gentle tone, "There! do you like flowers ? You have these." may

"Thank you," said the little orphan; and, when Fanny looked again in her pale face, the smile had come back, and

there were tears now in her eyes.

THE ORDER OF THE OLD TESTAMENT.

GENESIS first in order stands,
Exodus gives the Ten Commands;
Leviticus and Numbers see,
And Deuteronomy next will be.
Joshua, Judges, Ruth, each dwells
'Fore Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles;
Ezra, and Nehemiah then

To Esther points, the pious queen.
Job, Psalms, and Proverbs next appear,
With Ecclesiastes; while we hear
The Song of Solomon declare
What beauties in the Saviour are!

Isaiah speaks in sweetest strains
Of Christ, and tells us all His pains:
While Jeremiah, weeping, bears
His Lamentations to our ears.
Ezekiel, Daniel, then will come;
Hosea, Joel here find room;
Amos, and Obadiah too,
Jonah and Micah stand in view.
Nahum and Habakkuk make way
To Zephaniah and Haggai;
Then Zechariah's book is seen,
And Malachi concludes the scene.

THE VALUE OF A MINUTE.

SMALL vessel was nearing the Steep Holmes in the Bristol Channel. The captain stood on the deck, his watch in his hand, his eye fixed on it.

A terrible tempest had driven them onward, and the vessel was a scene of devastation. No one dared to ask, "Is there hope ?" Silent consternation filled every heart, made every face pale.

The wind and tide drove the shattered bark fiercely forward. Every moment they were hurried nearer to the sullen rock which knew no mercy-on which many ill-fated vessels had foundered, all the crews perishing.

Still the captain stood motionless, speechless, his watch in his hand. "We are lost!" was the con

viction of many around him.

What was the matter? It was not so much the flowers, though she liked them, as that some one had spoken kindly to her, and seemed to care for her. When she got home she put her flowers in water. How beautiful they were to her! The woman whom she called her mother began to scold her, but it did not make her sullen as it used to sometimes. Fanny's sympathy was still in her heart, and from that day it seemed the beginning of a new life with her.

"ALL EQUAL HERE."

It is related of the Duke of Wellington, that once when he remained to take the sacrament at his parish church, a very poor old man went up the opposite aisle, and, reaching the communion-table, knelt down close by the side of the Duke.

Some one, probably a pew-opener, came and touched the poor man on the shoulder, and whispered to him to move further away, or to rise and wait until the Duke had received the bread and wine. But the eagle eye and quick ear of the great commander caught the meaning of that touch and that whisper. He clasped the old man's hand, and held him to prevent his rising, and, in a reverential undertone, but most distinctly, said: "Do not move; we are all equal here."

SILENT :

1

A POINTED SERMON.

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CORE than one hundred years ago there graduated at Harvard University a man by the name of Grindoll Rawson, who subsequently settled in the ministry at Yarmouth, on Cape Cod. He used to preach very pointed sermons. Having heard that some of his parishioners were in the habit of making him the object of their mirth at a grog-shop he one Sabbath preached a discourse from the text: "And I was the song of the drunkard." His remarks were of a very moving character, so much so that many of his hearers rose and left the house in the midst of the sermon. A short time afterward, the preacher delivered a discourse, still more pointed than the first, from the text: "And they, being convicted out of their own consciousness, went out one

A HINT TO BOYS. RICHARD is a boy of sixteen, or thereabouts, and a week ago he came to the city to find something to do. He is strong, active, intelligent, willing to work, and a Christian. But last evening when he came into the room it was evident that he and his cigar had but just parted company.

'Why, Richard, do you smoke?" was asked in surprise.

"Well, yes, occasionally; not much, though-only about two cigars a day," he stammeringly replied.

When he was urged to give up the practice he said that he would give a great deal if he had never begun it, but he had smoked ever since he was twelve years old, and it seemed as if he could not stop now. He had begun it in play, and never thought but he should be able to stop when he wished to; but a few weeks before he had tried,

and found it was not so easy as he had imagined. Think of it once-only sixteen, and already bound by fetters that are so hard to break! To say nothing of the expense, which he can ill afford. If he keeps on as he has begun, what chance has he of ever getting out of this bondage into a free manhood? If his will is so feeble now, what will it be in the years to come? And all those other boys whom we see going about the streets with pipes and cigars in their mouths-the time will surely come when they will deeply regret that they had ever begun the practice. We never knew an old tobacco user who could say he was glad he begun to smoke or chew. The only safe rule is never to touch such things. If you never begin, you will never have to stop.

FREE GRANTS OF OLD JONATHAN.-Miss Hill, 100; Mr. William Ough, 100; Mr. R. Graffen, 50; Mr. Chadwick, 200; Mr. Whitmore, 200; Mr. J. B. Cutting, 100; Mr. Morgan, 100; Mr. Chick, 200; Mr. Wilson, 100; Miss Pearse, 100.

OUR PORTRAIT.

THE LATE MRS. DENING.

D

IVINE Sovereignty, or Jehovah's perfect right to do as He pleases, is, from time to time, strikingly shown in the instruments He employs for the carrying out His own all-wise and ever-gracious designs. "He rules in the armies of heaven, and arong the inhabitants of the earth. None dare stay His hand, nor say, What doest Thou?" "The foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weak ness of God is stronger than men." "Ye see Pour calling, brethren," adds one who, after all his own manifold personal attainments, had been brought to count them but dung," "how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: that no Besh should glory in His presence" (1 Cor. i. 26-29). Now, in proof that the Lord employs the weak and frail and feeble, we quote the case of the late Mrs. DEMING. Knowing personally some little of what the tax upon the mind and frame of a public speaker Es, we cannot but express our perfect amazement at the amount of work done by her whose removal has been a source of universal regret to all those who personally knew her. We are assured that, although she passed away at the comparatively early age of De-and-thirty years, and although she had only been a converted person some twelve or thirteen years, yet her public addresses amounted to about 4,000! We repeat that we are astounded at this. Moreover, some of these addresses were given at Plymouth, for example at the early hour of five in the morning, and toaudiences of 3,000 persons! The fact is amazing! The tax upon a frail frame, such as Mrs. DENING possessed, is beyond conception. After some of these most exciting scenes she would become perfectly exhausted, and no wonder. At times she would literally faint, and become for a season unconscious. Her readiness, therefore, to nerve herself afresh for the work (with these probable consequences before her) was the more remarkable, and proved her earnest desive to serve her Lord and Master to the utmost of her ability. It appears, however, that her mind had long been imbued with the conviction that her days were fex, and that, consequently, she must make the most of her time. It would seem how deeply she felt the force of those Scriptures, "Work whilst it is called today, for the night cometh in which no man can work" "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest (Eccles. ix. 10).

The last great day alone will declare what theresult of Mrs. DENING's labours were. Now that she is no There, her writings will speak for her. We should have been glad, could we have had a sight of the Memoir which is now in course of preparation, to have gleaned from it a few facts for this article. We understand, however, that the little tract, "This Man receiveth Sinners," contains the substance of Mrs. DENING'S own personal experience. This fact will necessarily give additional interest to this tract in particular. That Mrs. DENING believed her time on arth was short is evident from the subjoined lines, which were found in her desk after her death, and which are supposed to have been written only a few days before she was attacked with her last illness :— "I am hastening homeward

To the land I love;
Wouldst thou bid me linger
From those realms above?
Soon I'll be with Jesus,
See Him face to face;

Then I'll sing the glory
Of His wondrous grace.

"In His presence standing

I my voice shall raise,

Sing one sinless anthem

Of eternal praise;

Praise to Him who brought me
Into wondrous light,

Put away my foulness,
Clothed my soul in white.

"Here I now have sorrow,

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There shall be no more-
Hushed is every wavelet

On that glorious shore.
One by one they're gath'ring;
Home from ev'ry land;
Soon I'll pass the desert,
Soon I'll join their band.

Why, then, should I murmur
If the way be rough?
Jesus, He will guide me-
Is not that enough?
Then let clouds o'ercast me,
I need never fear;

His strength shall sustain me,
His sweet voice shall cheer.

46 Therefore I will hasten
Homeward on my way,
Singing as I journey
To the realms of day;
And my song for ever

Love and grace shall be-
Boundless love in Jesus,

Yea! His love to me."

A further proof of her belief that her work was nearly at an end may be gleaned from the fact, that she so expressed herself to her now bereaved and mourning husband, but a short time before her death, and just as she had heard of the removal of a beloved friend. Her husband endeavoured—but in vain-to dispel these thoughts. It seems they were too deeply rooted to be thus removed; and the sequel proves that there were ample grounds for her belief. Doubtless she had heard-and thus heeded-the allimportant injunction, "Set thine house in order, for thou shalt die, and not live."

Well it will be for us, dear reader, if so be the removal of one and another from our midst should solemnly and savingly remind us of our own mortality. The old must die, the young may die. And, when so youthful, active, energetic, talented a character as the lamented Mrs. DENING was, is thus so early called away, how well may one and all sit loosely to both the general pursuits and especially to the pleasures of this poor uncertain dying world! How well may we give heed to the words, "Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth!"

HYMN SUNG AT THE GRAVE BY HER BIBLE CLASS.

THEY are gathering homeward from every land,
One by one.

As their weary feet touch the shining strand,
One by one.

Their brows are inclosed in a golden crown,
Their travail-stained garments are all laid down,
And clothed in white raiment, they rest on the mead,
Where the Lamb loveth His children to lead,
One by one.
Before they rest, they pass through the strife,
One by one.
Through the waters of death they enter life,
One by one.

To some are the floods of the river still,
As they ford on the way to the heavenly hill;
To others, the waves run fiercely wild:
Yet all reach the home of the undefiled,
One by one.

We, too, shall come to the river's side,
One by one.
We are nearer its waters each eventide,
One by one.

We can hear the noise and dash of the stream,
Now and again through our life's deep dream;
Sometimes the floods all their banks o'erflow,
Sometimes in ripples the small waves go,
One by one.

One by one.

Jesus, Redeemer, we look to Thee,
We lift up our voices tremblingly,
One by one.
The waves of the river are dark and cold,
We know not the spot where our feet may hold.
Thou who didst pass through the dark midnight,
Strengthen us, send us Thy staff and Thy light,
One by one.
Plant Thou Thy feet beside as we tread,
One by one.
On Thee let us lean each drooping head,
One by one.
Let but Thy strong arm around us be twined,
We shall cast all our cares and fears to the wind;
Saviour, Redeemer, be Thou in full view,
Smilingly, gladsomely, shall we pass through,
One by one.

The annexed came to hand after the foregoing was written :

The portrait here presented to our readers is that of the late widely-beloved and deeply-lamented Mrs. HENRY DENING, formerly Miss GERALDINE HOOPER, who fell asleep in Jesus, at Bath, on the 12th of August, 1872, aged 31.

No portrait can give a fair impression of her countenance, for she had one of those changeful and

expressive faces that defy reproduction by the pencil. Loving, brave, and ardent was the soul that looked forth from those beautiful eyes, and tenanted that slender and fragile form: a sharp sword in a delicate scabbard, it soon wore out its sheath, and, before middle life was reached,

"The soul undressed, from her mortal vest,
Stepped into its car of heavenly fire,

And proved how bright are the realms of light
Bursting at once upon the sight."

In

GERALDINE HOOPER was a worthy descendant of the godly Bishop of the same name, who, in 1555, at Gloucester, passed from the flames of martyrdom to the Paradise of God. She was born in 1841, and "born again" about 18 years later. From the time that she became a child of God, by faith in Jesus Christ, she felt that she was not her own, and she determined to be not only a child but a servant of the God who had redeemed as well as created her. Endowed with talents that would have enabled her to shine in the world, she consecrated them entirely to the glory of God and to the good of souls; and, during her brief Christian course she accomplished more than many who attained twice her age. She felt that every power she had must be used, and used to the utmost, in the Master's service; and, as one of His most conspicuous gifts was that of eloquence-the power of persuading and, as another was a voice that could reach assembled multitudes, she was led into a path of service somewhat unusual (now-a-days) for a lady-the public preaching of the Gospel. very many villages, towns, and cities of our land, her pleading voice has besought sinners to be reconciled to God, with glorious saving results. Her popularity was very great. Few preachers have been more idolized by the common people, who always heard her gladly. Her evening meetings in various parts of the country were generally so thronged that large numbers were unable to obtain seats, and, very frequently, in order that they should not be disappointed, she would promise to address them at from five or six o'clock next morning, so as not to interfere with their hours of toil. Nor was this immense popularity the result of excitement and curiosity. In Bath, where she preached for ten years, as regularly as any other minister, her meetings were never larger than just prior to the time of her sudden removal. St. James's Hall-a building erected by her devoted husband for Gospel meetings, which seats 1,000 persons— used to be filled at her services, and very deep and sincere was the attachment of the people to her and Mr. DENING, who is now carrying on the work. She was full of tender, loving sympathy, and it was out of the abundance of her heart that her mouth spake. She loved the souls of her hearers, and yearned over them with a Christ-like solicitude. Nor did she forget their temporal wants. In sickness or sorrow, she was an ever-ready and efficient help and comfort, and thousands of the poor and needy, of the unhappy and the suffering, felt that in her they lost a real friend. Last winter she got up a tea meeting on Christmas-day for 700 of the most destitute people in the city, and made an appeal for funds, by which a weekly dinner was given at St. James's Hall to 600 hungry children throughout the winter. Her evangelistic labours extended far and wide. She preached in many towns in Norfolk, in Bedfordshire, in Northampton, Buckingham, Dorset, Devon, Somerset and Cornwall, as well as in London, South Wales, and other parts. Her views of the Gospel were clear, and she firmly held the doctrines of grace. She attacked self-righteousness and legality with great force, and exposed the hollow pretence of religious formalism with an unsparing hand, while she gloried in proclaiming the freeness and sovereignty of God's love, and the absolute security of those who are "in Christ" by faith. On one occasion, when preaching in a chapel, she happened to say, in commenting on a part of the tenth of John, something to the effect that "the devil would never have the satisfac. tion of glorying over one of Christ's sheep in hell.” The statement offended some, and the worthy deacons waited on her to expostulate. "Did you give utterance to such a sentiment ?" "I probably did, since the chapter says so. Do you believe the reverse ?” "That is not the question. Such statements are not in harmony with our views. "Well, when you can show ine they are not in harmony with

the statements of God's Word, I will retract them; but Christ says of His sheep, 'No man shall pluck them out of my Father's hand. "But they may fall out?" "If they do, they shall never perish,' for the Good Shepherd says so." But the deacons could not be reconciled to such statements; and, not wishing to pain their feelings, she preached no more in their chapel, saying: "You may put me in your pulpit, but you can't thus make me one of your sect." And yet she was thoroughly large-hearted, and loved real Christians of every sect and party, though herself an attached member of the Church of England. The extent of good accomplished by her unwearied, earnest efforts the great day alone will declare. She preached not less than 4,000 times, and her audiences might not unfrequently have been counted by thousands. Large numbers owe to her, under God, the salvation of their precious souls, and will be her crown of rejoicing in the day of Christ. Her last illness was brief. Erysipelas, brought on by cold, affected the brain, and intense and long-continued mental strain had rendered it too susceptible to withstand the attack; effusion took place, unconsciousness followed; at the end of ten days the ransomed spirit was set free from the frail tabernacle, and GERALDINE DENING went to be for ever with the Lord. Her remains were interred in Locksbrook Cemetery, Bath, not less than 10,000 people attending the funeral.

NOTE. A Memoir of Mrs. DENING, written by her friend, Mrs.

GRATTAN GUINNESS, is in the press, and will shortly appear. It will contain several illustrations, as well as a portrait, and the price will be 1s. 6d. It may be ordered from the Author, 15, Kensington, Bath, or of Mr. Mack, 58, Park Street, Bristol.

HEROE S. III.-MOSES.

E do not pretend to observe chronological order in this brief survey of Old Testament worthies, but prefer rather to introduce them without any regard to age, country, circumstances, or There is no lack of heroes-the difficulty is in selection.

era.

In meditating upon the life and character of Moses, we are, as in the case of David, again favoured with the necessary materials for understanding how truly this "servant of God" has made good his claim to be considered amongst the foremost of God's heroes. There is the ring of the true metal in nearly all his actions-patriotic, self-denying, humble-minded, and courageous. It is the welfare and safety of others, and not his own, that he constantly strives after. One of his countrymen is cruelly used by an Egyptian; with the impetuosity of youth, he hastens at once to the rescue, without considering the responsibility such an act would necessarily entail. His sister Miriam is afflicted with leprosy for rebelling against him; he is most urgent in his supplications for her recovery, crying, "Heal her now, O Lord, I beseech Thee!" Mark, too, the tender pleadings and mild remonstrances with which he regarded the disloyalty and frequent murmurings of his vacillating countrymen, and also the strength of the love he bore to them, which caused him on many occasions, when destruction seemed imminent, to wrestle as it were with God for their preservation. His nobility of character seems to dwarf every other character in the narrative. He is a giant amongst men, and instances of his devotedness and disinterestedness crop up at every turn.

Then, again, if anything were wanted to add grandeur to the biography of Moses, it is surely supplied by those mysterious conferences he held, at various times, with God Himself. Whether we look at him as he stands upon the Mount of God, with the tables of the law in his hands; when, speaking "mouth to mouth” with God, denunciations were breathed out against his wayward countrymen; or, in the closing scene of all, when he is relieved of his onerous trust, dies to all temporal affairs and relationships, and is buried by God, a halo of glory seems to surround the devout Lawgiver, and our souls are brought under that indescribable influence often felt when standing in the presence of a man who lives near to God.

The Israelites were under a cloud when Moses was born. The descendants of Jacob had increased too

fast for the despotic Pharaoh, and so he determined to place his iron heel upon the neck of the nation, and crush out its life. This has always been a favourite argument with despots for removing people who stand in their way, and who prevent them from obtaining their unholy desires. But the reign of cruelty, though sharp, is short-lived, and the violence of its proceedings often increases the evil it tries to eradicate.

The slaying of the first-born was a case in point. The mothers of Israel were stricken down in anguish at the cruel order of the king, but the exercise of the maternal instincts and ingenuity of one of them, under an overruling Providence, brought about the ruin of both the king and the nation. The binding together of a few rushes into a cradle to hold little Moses was not the result of chance, but arranged by Divine Wisdom to carry out His purposes.

Fearful of being detected by an emissary of the king, with what anxiety Jochebed would lay her precious burden among the flags by the brink of the Nile, taking a last look and embrace, and committing him to the care of that loving God, who hears the wail of the tiny infant as well as the cry of the strong man in agony.

There was considerable method and maternal acumen in Jochebed's arrangements. She would do her utmost to save her boy, and then leave the issue to God. No tyranny could keep her from loving him, nor from doing all she could to save him from the peril which threatened his life. She could no longer follow the boat that contained her child, so a sister's eyes must for the present supply a mother's arms; and well those eyes kept watch over the crib, and noted every ripple that rocked the cradle of little Moses. Perhaps he looked very lonely as he lay sleeping in his cot, drifting amongst the reeds on the banks of the river; but really he was never so well cared for in his life.

Let us also do justice to Pharaoh's daughter, who is by no means an unlovely figure in the picture. She was a princess, and the daughter of the king who had decreed the slaying of the children; but her highest title was that she was a true woman. She was wise-she merged the princess in the woman, and not the woman in the princess. The wail of the helpless infant was more powerful to her than the relentless edict of her royal father. She followed the natural promptings of her heart in taking the alien child to her bosom, and adopting him as her son. Perhaps she thought that the boy which had been sent to her in so mysterious a manner was designed to fill a void place in her heart, for we are told by Josephus that the princess was a married woman, but without children; such, however, was not to be the case. With his mother for a nurse, and the princess for a friend, we are not surprised that Moses thrived well. Although he was reared amidst the magnificence and luxury of the royal household, his intercourse with his own humble family was unexpectedly maintained. At Pharaoh's court, and in the highest schools of learning, he was "instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians." In the hut where his father and his mother lived, his sympathies for his own oppressed people were cultivated, the knowledge of the promised redemption of Israel was instilled with all a mother's tenderness and anxious care, and day by day he would be further instructed in the oracles of God. How distressing must have been the fears of his parents, lest the allurements of Pharaoh's court should make him a traitor to his countrymen, and an alien to the faith of his fathers! There were also bed;-would the kind-hearted princess obtain that special reasons for anxiety on the part of Jocheplace of honour in the heart of young Moses which by right belonged to herself? In the prayers which ascended daily from Amram's hut, an earnest petition that Moses, amid his many temptations, would remain faithful to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Jacob, would always be heard; and, as we turn over the later chapters of his eventful life, we learn with what blessed result.

In every age and country, good mothers have ever taken a noble part in fostering piety and patriotism amongst the young. The mothers of Israel did so at various times when the extinction of Israel as a nation seemed imminent; the mothers of Greece and Rome, with such light as they had, trained their children to believe that love of country was a great

national virtue; and, so long as the mothers of England use the fuller light of God's revealed will, which shines about them at the present day, in leading their children to recognize the value of those privileges which are offered to them freely by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, then we need not fear that Britain can either nationally or religiously decline. A nation with such mothers and such teachers will never want brave sons to defend its honour or its rights, and less cause will there be to exercise it. "Traitors may talk of England going down (In quicksands which their coward selves have made She swims in hearts like these."

But we are losing sight of our hero. There care a day when Moses had to decide whether he would be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, and become a prince, and possibly the future king, or whether he would throw in his lot with his own kith and kim, and become a slave. No, not a slave: no chains can bind men like Moses. They will always be princes amongst men, whether they live in palaces or in mud-huts-whether they are clothed in purple and fare sumptuously, or whether they are clothed home-spun, and know what it is to go without a meal The title of their nobility may not always receive the patent of man, but it is endorsed with the sign-manual of the Creator of man. Moses had been in and out amongst his people, had seen how they were oppressed by the Egyptian taskmasters, and, on more than one occasion, had chivalrously defended them. He resolved no longer to halt between two opinions. He would take his stand for God and for his countrymen. In making this choice, we think that Moses showed consummate wisdom, and proved himself a true hero. He learned what was right, and then permitted no miserable considerations of expedien ey to turn him aside from following it. He renouneed a life of ease and self-indulgence for one of hardship and affliction, and so obtained a victory over himself... At many turns in our lives we are called: upon make the same choice, between self-indulgence and self-renunciation-between God and mammon. We may never be placed in the same circumstances as Moses was, and our temptations may be of a different kind, and perhaps less powerful; but the two courses will certainly be presented to us in some shape or other, and a decision will have to be made as which we will take, and whom we will serve. We must, in short, take our side, show our colours, and quit ourselves like men. There is no room for neutrals, and the warfare is incessant. Happy for us if we, like Moses, have made our stand for God and His righteousness, and have resolved, in abe might of a Strength greater than our own, to rentnin

faithful unto the end.

to

We cannot follow the great prophet through those stupendous events by which the purposes of God were unravelled. Throughout them all we admire the wisdom, the courage, the self-denial, the faith, and withal the tenderness and humility, of the great Lawgiver, whose heroic deeds, generous enthusias and fervent piety will continue to command in the future, as they have done in the past, the admination of enlightened Christendom. Our young men masy also see that to trifle with conscience, to renonce or to neglect simple, prosy, and perhaps uncomfortable present duties for the dream of a future, however brilliant it may appear, is far more wretched. than the direst poverty, and that no slavery is ar abject as that into which it inevitably leads.-J. P.

PERFECT PEACE.

A MIND at "perfect peace" with God;
Oh, what a word is this!

A sinner reconciled through blood-
This, this indeed is peace!
By nature and by practice far,
How very far from God!
Yet now by grace brought nigh to Him
Through faith in Jesus' blood.

So nigh, so very nigh to God,
I cannot nearer be;

For in the person of His Son,
I am as near as He.

So dear, so very dear to God,
More dear I cannot be;
The love wherewith He loves the Son,.
Such is His love to me!
Why should I ever careful be,
Since such a God is mine?
He watches o'er me night and day
And tells me "Mine is thine."
C. P