My Father! I deem'd Thou hadst call'd me to dwell

In the rest Thou hadst for me above;

But I find myself still in the flesh. It is well

If I go—if I stay, it is love.

Love ordered the plan, and in love such as Thine,
How shall I not calmly confide!

Which spared not, to save me, a ransom divine,
The Lamb who on Calvary died.

O welcome the sufferings whenever they come,
That bring with them comforts like these;
Let me always be filled with such foretastes of home,
And I sigh not for health or for ease.

That angel's soft touch thus again would I feel,

Though my heart-string with agony quiver; The pressure is mercy, it wounds but to heal; It will end in enjoyment for ever!

In trouble and in grief, O God,
Thy smile hath cheer'd my way;
And joy hath budded from each thorn
That round my footsteps lay.

ANON.

The hours of pain have yielded good,
Which prosp❜rous days refused;
As herbs, though scentless when entire,
Spread fragrance when they're bruised.

The oak strikes deeper, as its boughs
By furious blasts are driven;

So life's vicissitudes the more
Have fixed my heart in heaven.

R

All-gracious Lord! whate'er my lot
In other times may be,

I'll welcome still the heaviest grief

That brings me near to Thee.

"THOUGHTS OF PEACE,"

These eyes that were half closed in death,
Now dare the noontide blaze;

My voice, that scarce could speak my wants,
Now hymns Jehovah's praise.

How pleasant to my feet, unus'd
To tread the daisied ground!
How sweet to my unwonted ear

The streamlet's running sound!

How soft the first breath of the breeze
That on my temples play'd!
How sweet the woodland evening song,
Full floating down the glade!

But sweeter far the lark that soars
Through morning's blushing ray;
For then unseen, unheard, I join
His lonely, heav'nward lay.

O Lord my God! all these delights

I to Thy mercy owe;

For Thou hast rais'd me from the couch

Of sickness, pain, and woe.

'Twas Thou that from the whelming wave

My sinking soul redeem'd ;

'Twas Thou that o'er destruction's storm

A calming radiance beam'd.

GRAHAME.

What are the mines of shining wealth,
The strength of youth, the bloom of health,-
What are all joys compared with those
Thine everlasting word bestows!

Long unafflicted, undismayed,
In pleasure's path secure I strayed;
Thou mad'st me feel Thy chast'ning rod,
And straight I turn'd unto my God!

What though it pierced my fainting heart,
I blessed the hand that caused the smart;
It taught my tears awhile to flow,
But saved me from eternal woe!

Oh! hadst Thou left me unchastised,
Thy precept I had still despised;
And still the snare, in secret laid,
Had my unwary feet betrayed!

I love Thee, therefore, O my God!
And breathe toward Thy dear abode ;
Where in Thy presence fully blest,
Thy chosen saints for ever rest.

XXXII. THE ONLY TRUE WISDOM AND
KNOWLEDGE.

BEHOLD, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.-JOB Xxviii. 28.

And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge.-EPH. iii. 19.

Deut. iv. 39-xxxii. 28, 29-1 Kings iii. 5, 9-14—iv. 29, 30, 34-v. 12-2 Chron. i. 10-12-Job xxii. 21–xxviii. 12-23, 28— xxxii. 7, 8-xxxiii. 33—xxxiv. 32-Psalm ii. 10-xxxvi. 9, 10— xxxix. 4-xlvi. 10-xlix. 3-lxxxiii. 18-xci. 14-c. 3-cvii. 43 -Prov. i. 4, 5, 7-ii. 11-iii. 5-7, 13-18, 21-23, 35—iv. 5-9, 13— v. 1, 2—vi. 6—vii. 4-viii. 5, 10-12, 14, 33-36—ix. 8-10—x. 8. 14, 17-19—xi. 2, 12, 30—xii. 1, 15—xiii. 14—xiv. 6—xv. 14, 23, 24, 31-33-xvi. 16, 20-23-xvii. 27, 28—xviii. 15—xix. 2, 8, 27– xx. 12, 15-xxi. 30–xxii. 17, 18—xxiii. 12, 15, 19, 23—xxiv. 13, 14-xxviii. 5, 26-xxix. 11-Eccles. ii. 13, 26-vii. 12, 23—viii. 5-x. 10-Isaiah v. 20, 21-Jer. iii. 15-iv. 22-viii. 8, 9-ix. 23, 24-xxiv. 7-Dan. ii. 21, 22,-xii. 3, 10—Hos. ii. 20—iv. 6—vi. 3, 6-xiv. 9-Hab. ii. 14.

Matt. vii. 24, 25-x. 16-xiii. 23, 54-56-Luke x. 22, 39-42— xix. 42-John ix. 39-xii. 50-xvii. 3, 25-Acts vi. 8, 10—Rom. xvi. 19-1 Cor. i. 5, 6, 18-31-ii. 1-8—iii. 18-20-iv. 4-viii. 2— xiii. 8-12-xiv. 20-xv. 34-2 Cor. iv. 6-Eph. i. 16-18—iii. 18, 19-iv. 13—v. 15-17-Phil. i. 9-iii. 8, 10—Col. i. 9, 10-ii. 2, 3 -iii. 10, 16-iv. 5, 6-1 Tim. ii. 4-2 Tim. ii. 7-iii. 7, 14-16— Heb. v. 13, 14-viii. 11-x. 26—Jas. i. 5, 6—iii. 13, 15, 17—iv. 17-2 Pet. i. 2, 3, 5, 8-iii. 18-1 John ii. 3, 13—v. 20.

"Where shall wisdom be found, and where is the place of understanding? The depth saith, It is not in me; and the sea saith, It is not with me."JOB XXviii. 12, 14.

Thou whose uninstructed breast,
Baffled in its lengthen'd quest,
Deems its labour lost and vain,
Yet renew thy search again-
Where the eye of Pity weeps
And the sway of Passion sleeps,
And the lamp of Faith is burning,
And the ray of Hope returning,-
And the "still small voice" within,
Whispers not of wrath or sin,
Resting with the righteous dead-
Beaming o'er the drooping head-

Comforting the lowly mind,

Shines the treasure.-Seek and find.

MRS. CECIL.

One part, one little part, we dimly scan,
Through the dark medium of life's feverish dream;
Yet dare arraign the whole stupendous plan,
If but that little part incongruous seem.
Nor is that part perhaps what mortals deem;
Oft from apparent ills our blessings rise.
O then renounce that impious self-esteem,
That aims to trace the secrets of the skies:

For thou art but of dust; be humble, and be wise.
BEATTIE.