Oh what a well of comfort springs
From faith to look on earthly things
With calm untroubled eye!

How rich the heart, when it can go,
In every change and chance below,

And say, Thou, Lord, art nigh!

ANON.

Father! forgive the heart that clings,
Thus trembling, to the things of time;
And bid my soul, on angel wings,
Ascend into a purer clime.

Thy will be done. I will not fear
The fate provided by Thy love;
Though clouds and darkness shroud me here,
I know that all is bright above.

"THOUGHTS OF PEACE."

Be undismay'd; thy God is present here,

Is nigh, is with thee; though through whelming floods,
Through fires, thy path is mark'd, distress'd and tried;
Thy friend omnipotent, thy guardian strength
Accompanies thy steps-is with thee still!
-I trust his promises, I plead them o'er ;
I urge them often on my sinking heart;
I drink into their sweetness deep, and taste
Their nourishment and feel their cordial powers.

BROWN.

Almighty Father of mankind!
On Thee my hopes remain ;
And when the day of trouble comes
I shall not trust in vain.

I know the power in whom I trust,

The arm on which I lean :

He will my Saviour ever be,

Who has my Saviour been.

LOGAN.

Should any earthly things distress me?
Should sufferings, cares, or fears depress me,
When Thou thy love hast given?

When thou wilt leave not, nor forsake me,
But meet for thine own presence make me,
And soon wilt come Thyself and take me
To dwell with Thee in heaven?

Oh, no! with such a God and Saviour,
Sweet peace should stamp my whole behaviour,
Whate'er my present lot ;

Without a care my path pursuing,

My strength by hourly prayer renewing,
Let me, the glorious future viewing,

Go on, and falter not!

XXVI. FAITH AND HOPE.

Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.-REV. ii. 10. Lord, increase our faith.-LUKE Xvii. 5.

Who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, sure and steadfast.-HEB. vi. 18, 19.

Gen. xv. 6-xxii. 1-10-Exod. iv. 31-xiv. 31-xix. 9-Deut. xxxii. 20-2 Kings vii. 2, 17-2 Chron. xx. 20-Job xix. 25-27— Psalm xvi. 9-11-xvii. 15-xxvii. 13-xxxi. 24-xxxiii. 18-xlii. 11-lxxi. 5-lxxviii. 19-22-cvi. 12-cxvi. 10-cxix. 43, 49, 74, 81, 114-cxxx. 7-cxlvi. 5-cxlvii. 11-Prov. xiv. 32-Isaiah xxviii. 16-Lam. iii. 24, 26-Dan. vi. 23-Jon. iii. 5-Hab. ii. 4.

Matt. viii. 2, 3, 5-10, 13-ix. 2, 20-22, 28, 29-xiv. 28-31, 36— xv. 22-28-xvi. 15, 16–xvii. 20—xxi. 22—Mark ix. 23, 24-x. 51, 52—xi. 22-24—Luke i. 45—vii. 50—xvi. 10-xvii. 5, 19— xviii. 8-John i. 12, 50-ii. 22-iii. 14, 16, 18, 33, 36-iv. 39, 41, 42, 50, 53-v. 24-vi. 35, 40, 47, 68, 69-viii. 30, 56-ix. 35-38— x. 38—xi. 21-27, 39, 40, 43-45-xii. 36, 46—xiv. 1, 11, 12—xvi. 30-xvii. 7, 8, 20, 21-xx. 29, 31-Acts vi. 7, 8-viii. 37-x. 43 -xiii. 12, 39, 48-xiv. 8-10, 27-xv. 7-9, 11-xvi. 30-34-xviii. 27-xix. 18-xxi. 20, 25-xxiv. 14-xxvii. 25-Rom. i. 8, 11, 12, 16, 17—iii. 3, 22, 25-31-iv. 3, 5, 12-25-v. 1, 2, 5—vi. 8—viii. 24, 25-ix. 30-33-x. 4, 8-11, 17—xi. 20-xii. 12-xiv. 23-xv. 13-1 Cor. ii. 5—iii. 11–xiii. 2, 13—xvi. 13-2 Cor. i. 24—iii. 18-iv. 13, 14-v. 7-viii. 7-xiii. 5-Gal. ii. 16, 20-iii. 6, 7, 9, 11, 14, 22-26—v. 6—Eph. i. 13-16, 19—ii. 8—iii. 12, 14–19—iv. 4, 5, 13—vi. 16, 23-Phil. i. 25, 27, 29-ii. 17, 18-iii. 9-Col. i. 3-6, 21-23-ii. 5-7, 12—1 Thes. i. 2, 3-iv. 13, 14-v. 8-2 Thes.

i. 3, 4, 10, 11—1 Tim. i. 5, 12, 14, 16, 19—ii. 15—iii. 9, 16—iv. 6, 10, 12-vi. 11, 12, 19—2 Tim. i. 5, 12-14—ii. 22—iii. 15—iv. 7, 8 Tit. i. 1, 2-ii. 1, 2-iii. 8—Philem. 4-6-Heb. iv. 1-3, 14—vi. 11, 12, 18, 19—x. 22, 23, 38, 39—xi.—xii. 1, 2—Jas. i. 3, 5, 6— ii. 1, 5, 14-26—1 Pet. i. 3-9, 13, 21—ii. 6, 7—v. 8, 9-2 Pet. i. 1, 4-Jude 3, 20, 21-Rev. ii. 7, 10, 13, 19, 26, 28—iii. 5, 21—xiv. 12-xv. 2, 3-xvii. 14-xxi. 7.

Faith, like a simple, unsuspecting child,
Serenely resting on its mother's arm,
Reposing every care upon her God,

Sleeps on His bosom, and expects no harm;

Receives with joy the promises He makes,

Nor questions of His purpose or His power; She does not doubting ask, "Can this be so?"

The Lord has said it, and there needs no more.

However deep be the mysterious word,

However dark, she disbelieves it not;
Where Reason would examine, Faith obeys,
And It is written" answers every doubt.

In vain, with rude and overwhelming force,
Conscience repeats her tale of misery ;
And powers infernal, wakeful to destroy,
Urge the worn spirit to despair and die :-

As evening's pale and solitary star

But brightens while the darkness gathers round, So Faith, unmov'd amidst surrounding storms,

Is fairest seen in darkness most profound.

CAROLINE FRY.

Hope, like the glimmering taper's light,
Adorns and cheers the way;

And still, as darker grows the night,
Emits a brighter ray.

GOLDSMITH.

Immortal Hope

Takes comfort from the foaming billow's rage,
And makes a welcome harbour of the tomb.

YOUNG.

Oh say, what hope is that which can impart
Sweet peace and joy to every sorrowing heart?
'Tis the bright hope which He himself hath given,
Who open'd unto us the road to heaven;
Who sits in glorious majesty above,

Whose pow'r is endless, and whose name is love—
It is the Christian's hope, which when each thought
Of happiness below becomes as nought,
Alone can cheer and animate the soul,
And by its peaceful, powerful control,
Shew us that region of eternal day
Where no joys wither, and no hopes decay.

Hope thou in God! to a dying hour

This hope sweet assurance brings,

When worldly preferments, and wealth, and power Shall all be forgotten things.