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a low, sweet voice, I have been thinking and wishing, dear nurse, that, since I am forsaken by earthly friends, perhaps God will reveal himself, and no longer hide from me the blessings of religion.' Then, seeing that surprise made me silent, she smiled, and taking her Bible from beneath her pillow, asked me to read the fifteenth chapter of St. John's Gospel.

"As you may suppose, I was greatly astonished at all this; but arriving at the conclusion that it was perfectly right and proper for one in danger like hers to think of religion, I obeyed her wishes, reading in a self-satisfied and careless manner, and making frequent remarks altogether irrelevant to the subject.

"Your reading does not please me,' she at length said; adding, in a sorrowful tone of supplication, ‘Oh! gracious and long suffering Lord! I have indeed neglected all until too latea store of holy thought and feeling-a knowledge of thy blessed promises the comforting influences of thy word; these should all have been acquired when in health, then would they be remembered now; and I should rejoice in hope instead of being cast down in fear!'

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"Dear Miss Emily,' I began, what reason can you have for fear you have always been gentle and good?'

"Nurse!' she interrupted - Nurse, you know that you are trying to deceive me into a false security; but no more deception-let me for once hear the plain truth that I am a sinner; and, as such; lost for ever unless God interfere to pluck me as a brand from the burning, Tell me how I have forgotten God, and this alone is sufficient to condemn me; it is those who forget God' that are destroyed without remedy. Tell me of my pride, selfishness, irreligion, and unworthiness in every way. Talk to me like this, and I will bless you, for I have been too long with those who have said, peace, peace, when there has been no peace, until destruction has come upon me unawares, and fear like an armed man.'

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"Thinking these ravings attributable to her complaint, I tried to soothe her, and spoke of other things, hoping thus to divert her attention; but apparently vexed beyond further endurance, she burst into tears, exclaiming 'I am not raving; I am not wandering, as you suppose; listen to me, nurse, and believe, or pray to God to help your unbelief. You know that day when I

went to the church-yard; you remember that grave stone, over the words of which I bade you throw a covering, foolishly thinking I could thereby turn aside the sword of the Spirit, which wrote those words upon my soul in characters never to be erased. From that period I have never been happy; whatever my occupation, whether by day or by night, a voice has sounded in my ears and bid me repent. If I looked upon my drawing, if I exhibited it, every one who saw it repeated those words, commenting upon them, or turning pale with the thoughts they awakened. Yet then I would not believe that they applied to me. I would not believe that I came under the condemnation accorded to the wicked; and I sought in my Bible for confirmation of the hope with which I solaced myself. But every word condemned me, and tore from my unwilling eyes the veil which vain hope had raised. Oh nurse! my mind is very dark about religion; but one thing I know-that I am a sinner, and that I have forgotten God. Eighteen years have I lived-eighteen years which are lost to God, I would give all the wealth I possess, could I remember any one action done to promote the glory of God; for the remembrance of any prayer which has not been lip-service only. But I have no such consolation; my mind is all dark and confused—confused,' she repeated lowly, as turning to me her head fell upon my shoulder, while a faintness like that of death stole over her.

"Dear Miss Emily!' I exclaimed, 'I do believe you; only tell me what to do, or in what way I can serve you?' But the fever gained upon her too quickly, for her to collect her wandering senses, and from that period for many weeks of painful suspense, she was unconscious of all around her. Yet I did not prove unmindful of my charge, for the prayers of a christian minister were daily offered for her, and the first words which greeted her returning sense, were those of pious thanksgiving.

"I cannot describe the joy and thankfulness of my young lady, on finding her life prolonged; she never seemed weary of talking of the goodness of God, or of planning schemes by which she could promote his glory; nor was her piety like the passing cloud, but on the contrary, it became daily more visible, manifesting itself in all good works, and yielding the peaceful fruits of righteousness.

"While remaining at home she exercised a beneficial influence over all around her; and was married early to one who, following the steps of that Divine Master, whose servant he was, went about doing good. There was no want of energy, no half yielding to God, no withholding because of difficulties, in the religion of this dear young lady. This was, indeed, ‘life in earnest ;' and, when remonstrated with on account of her failing health, she would reply, 'You forget how lately I have begun to live! Eighteen years are numbered by Satan against me, and I have now the past time to redeem, as well as the present to improve, therefore let no man hinder me!' And thus she ran her race until her sun went down, while it was yet noon, and she was called to be a partaker of His glory whose grace had been her comfort here, and by whose righteousness she was alone made perfect unto salvation."

Would that every reader of this narrative would reflect upon his past life-would remember that every year lost to God is given to Satan, and will be adduced as evidence against them in the last great day, to prove that they have been the servants of sin, and have fairly earned their hire. And then in the sight of many witnesses the wages for which they agreed will be awarded, and they shall go away to shame and everlasting contempt!

H. D. H.

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THE TIMELY WARNING.

Starting from one of the diligence-offices at Paris, to go to Dijon, a friend who had accompanied us to the coach, put a tract, (Le prix de l'ame,) Value of the Soul,' into the hands of a gentleman in the yard, who happened to be going by the same conveyance as ourselves. He travelled in a different part of the diligence from that we occupied, but in a later stage of the journey was put, through some unexpected arrangement, into the 'interieur,' where we were seated. Conversation was commenced and maintained on serious subjects, and at length we put the tract, Le Suicide,' into his hands. He started on noticing its title, and asked if we gave or sold the books. We replied that through the benevolence of some christians we were empowered to distribute them gratuitously. He then drew forth

the former tract, 'Le prix de l'ame,' and asserted, 'Here is one which has saved my life!'

"An explanation was sought; and he replied that having the day before sustained some severe pecuniary losses by gambling, he had fully determined to destroy himself in some river in the route; that before mounting the coach that pamphlet had been put into his hands, the title of which arrested his attention; that he had read it, and in consequence a great change had occurred in his views and feelings, for he saw the salvation of the soul was of the utmost moment, and that of course he had totally abandoned all idea of self-destruction. We gave him what advice we could before parting, and soon afterwards saw him no more. 'Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?'"-Christian Spectator.

THOU ART THE MAN.

THE church is catholic, universal, so are all her actions; all that she does, belongs to all. When she baptizes a child, that action concerns me; for that child is thereby connected to that Head which is my Head too, and engrafted into that body whereof I am a member. And when she buries a man, that action concerns me; all mankind is of one author, and is one volume; when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated. God employs several translators; some pieces are translated by age, some by sickness, some by war, some by justice; but God's hand is in every translation; and his hand shall bind up all our scattered leaves again for that library where every book shall lie open to one another.

No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's, or of thine own were. Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls:-it tolls for thee!-Donne.

E

THE COURSE OF LIFE.

TIMES and seasons should be noticed and improved. The last Sabbath, the last day of the year, new year's day, and similar occasions, demand our serious and solemn reflection, to check our too eager attention to earthly things. No less so the return of a birth-day, which seems to point at the future, and to say, "Remember, you are one year nearer to eternity; one year nearer to the grave; one year nearer to the tribunal of God; one year nearer to heaven, or one year nearer to hell!"

Every thing around us, every thing we behold or hear, is our monitor to remind us all of the brevity of life. How rapidly do the seasons pass, how quickly is the year completed! The very clock that strikes the hour; the sun that rises and sets; the flower that quickly withers; the corn that ripens and is cut down; the human countenance that gradually changes; the grey hairs that cover the head, all say, “Remember how short your time is!" All should impress us with the brevity of life, the value of time, the necessity of improving it, for

The man's unborn who duly weighs an hour

Time flies, death urges, knells call, heaven invites,

Hell threatens!"

Human life is short actually. Our days are threescore years and ten; a term soon completed, and spent as a tale that is told! The infant soon grows up to youth, then to manhood, then to maturity, then to age.

"So gentle life's descent

We shut our eyes, and think it is a plain;

We take fair days in winter, for the spring,
And turn our blessings into bane."

Few, very few, live to be old. Of those who are born, it is computed that the greater part die in infancy-many in consequence of youthful intemperance, gluttony, drunkenness, and accidents debauchery. Diseases surround us in every locality; befal many, and remove vast numbers to the tomb. Every year does Lloyd's list present a frightful catalogue of the destruction of human life by shipwreck-victims to the destructive violence of that element which tears up the long planted and deeply rooted oak of the forest, and, in its fury, lays prostrate the pride and strength of ages.

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