Perchance to-morrow's sun will bring
The weary heart a blessing,

For life is sometimes bright and fair
And sometimes dark and lonely;
Then let's forget its toil and care,
And not its bright hours only.

We bid the joyous moments haste,
And then forget their glitter;
We take the cup of life and taste

No portion but the bitter;

But we should teach our hearts to deem
Its sweet drops the strongest;

And pleasant hours should ever seem
To linger round us longest:

As life is sometimes bright and fair,
And sometimes dark and lonely,
Let us forget its toil and care,

And note its bright hours only.

The darkest shadows of the night
Are just before the morning;
Then let us wait the coming light
All bodeless phantoms scorning;
And while we're passing on the tide
Of time's fast-ebbing river,
Let's pluck the blossoms by its side
And bless the gracious Giver.

As life is sometimes bright and fair,
And sometimes dark and lonely,
We should forget its pain and care,
And note its bright hours only.

THE ENDLESS REST. -There are no weary heads or weary hearts on the other side of Jordan. The rest of heaven will be the sweeter for the toils of earth The value of eternal rest will be enhanced by the troubles of time. Jesus now allows us to rest on his bosom. He will soon bring us to rest in his fathers' house. His rest will be glorious. A rest from sin; a rest from suffering; a rest from conflict; a rest from toil; a rest from sorrow. The very rest that Jesus enjoys himself. We shall not only rest with him, we shall rest like him. How many of the earth's weary ones are resting in his glorious presence now? It will be undisturbed rest. Here the rest of the body is disturbed by dreams, and sometimes by alarms; and there are no troublesome dreams of alarming occurrences there. A little while, and thou shalt enter into rest.

CHERISHED MEMORY.-The world has done homage to revelation. What names are dearer at the hearth-stone of cottage and palace than those of the patriarchs, bards and prophets of the Bible? What scenes like that of Moriah, Olivet and Calvary? What mountains like Lebanon ? What city like Jerusalem? Who lingers not on Pisgah-and along the river of Canaan? Who knows not of Gethsemane and the Cross? Who weeps not with Mary at the tomb of the resurrection.

REDEMPTION.

BY J. J.

The word redemption is perhaps the most comprehensive that our own language or any other can afford; consequently, it is the greatest blessing that God could bestow, or man could receive.

It is this, which strikes the joyful strings of the heavenly harps around the throne of God. It is the burden of that new song, which none but the redeemed can sing, "Worthy is the lamb that was slain;" "For thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation." By nature we are all captives of the devil. To some, perhaps, this may appear to be a hard saying; but for proof of this assertion I would refer the reader to 2 Timothy 2: 26, where we have this language: "And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the Devil who are taken captive at his will."

Again, we are by nature captives to the flesh, consequently sin reigns in our mortal bodies, so that we obey the lusts thereof. Some are slaves to drunkeness, some to profanity, some to Sabbath desecration, some to gambling and other heinous sins, of which the Apostle says, "The end of these things is death;" so that while there are many in the world that are strong advocates for human liberty, yet they are slaves to these corruptions. Now Christ came to redeem and save us from these sins of our corrupt nature, and by being made free from sin, we become the servants of righteousness, corroborating the language of the Apostle: "God be thanked that ye were the servants of sin, for ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which I delivered unto you," not because we were once slaves to sin and satan, but that we were turned from the service of sin to the service and obedience of the Gospel. Happy indeed are all such, whose privilege it has been to sit under the dispensation of the Gospel, when they can say, that they have been transformed into the same image from glory to glory as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Again, we are all by nature captives and prisoners to the broken law and offended justice of God. The law demands perpetual and full obedience. Hence it demands obedience or blood. But says the Apostle, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us." Here we have the believers happy discharge from one of the most dismal things imaginable. And hence the question is asked, "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died;" so that all such are entitled to that peace which passeth all understanding. And now for this love and mercy we are taught to ascribe glory and dominion to Christ, "Unto him

that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever." Amen.

Nothing therefore is more congenial to the heart of a real Christian than that the Saviour should be supremely loved and adored.

SEVEN HOURS AT THE DEPOT.

BY. I. H. 8.

Yes! seven hours were we waiting for the train.-TENNYSON writes. I waited for the train at Coventry;

I hung with grooms and porters on the bridge,

To watch the three tall spires; and there I shaped
The city's ancient legend.

There was respectable precedent then for dreaming during the long weary hours of our durance, and why shouldn't we "shape our legend," or rather construct the life history of those who were our companions?

It was the first day of the New Year, and young and old were dreaming over the sad afflictions that had befallen them during the the continuance of that year, whose last minutes had completed its record on the pages of History. In the thick strife of battle, some had offered up their lives, urged on to the deed of daring by glory or love of country, and shedding their blood in the most terrible civil war the world has ever known; others by the painful accident had been born to their eternal home, and the mourner wept their untimely fate; and others, venerated fathers and beloved mothers, whose blessed memories shall forever be precious to the children of their love, had been transferred from this world of unrest to that rest which remaineth for the people of God. All these have their surviving mourners, whose tears shall flow as tender recollections bring up the scenes of the past year, and in their tears, sweet consolation will visit their souls with its balsamic effect. Through such sorrows we are made to feel how weak and vain are all human ties. They must, sooner or later, be sundered, and then how happy is he whose soul's anchor is both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil. He looks forward eagerly, with patient longing for the bour when he shall see the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. Therein he shall find his pious friends, his fond and affectionate parents, all gathered together in the glorious choir which forever and forever sings the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb. Yes! there is a blessing in affliction, when it teaches us that the dead in Christ rest from their labors.

But the past year had its joys as well as its sorrows. It had witnessed the union of loving hearts, the arrival of bright babeswellsprings of happiness-at home tiresides. Good words had been uttered and noble deeds done, the memory whereof will scatter a sweet fragrance for ages to come. Ah! the past had its sweets as well as its sorrows, just like the world at which we too often complain on account of the troubles and uncertainties that mar our connection with it, but which still is full of the marks of God's goodness as well as His power, a grand old world to live in-to work in, to do the hero's part. Difficulties and trials in the world, if nobly met, but fit us for the duties of life, and even the failures of the past are of avail in fitting us for the responsibilies of the future. We need not

deem the irrevocable Past,

As wholly wasted, wholly vain—
If rising on its wrecks, at last,
To something nobler we attain.

Some such thoughts were crowding our mind while we waited for the train during the first hours of the New Year. Our companions were probably engaged in similar musings. The temptation to read their life-histories was too great for us to resist, so drawing our mantle closely around us, both to protect the body from the chilling cold of the wintry morning, and to form a sort of barrier to any interruption to our thoughts, we scanned faces and put ourselves to the self-assigned task.

"Can you tell me, sir, where the sick-camp of the 4th Ohio Regiment is? I have a son sick there and am going to meet him." A middle aged lady, clad in the sable garb of mourning, with decision of character stamped in every lineament of her countenance, united at the same time with matronly kindness and natural amiability. The delay of seven hours was of course to her a matter of grievous importance. One son had already been sacrificed on the altar of patriotism, a husband was doing his duty in the army, and the second son now on the sick list was demanding the mother's attention. She spoke, with gentleness, of her anxiety to see him, and yet bore the delay with such patient resignation that we felt mortified at our own display of impatience. Yes! patriot mother, you unconsciously read us a lesson of resignation when the minor troubles of life seem to thwart our plans. These are all but trifling incidents in life. There is a Providence that rules all for good. What matters it if our plans are disarranged and overthrown, the Father's plans are of far greater importance to the world. humbly trust in Him. He has sent His Son to bear suffering on earth, so that we might have an everlasting Sympathizer and Mediator in Heaven. Hear the bereft mother speak of the wicked Rebellion. "Far better to put it down if we lose every life than to recognize the right of violating law and order under the name of Secession." For her to say this, meant some thing. It was not unmeaning rhetoric, but the out-spoken thoughts of a patriot, who recognized all that she had and was as belonging to her country

Let us

and her God. Surely there was a lesson of resignation to God's will and of patriotic zeal to be learned of this woman.

A mother with a son, an eight-yearling, had been placed under our care. They were on their way to find the husband and father, a Captain in the regular Ariny. The boy a bright-eyed, manly fellow was comfortably placed on a bed, extemporized from shawls and other wrappings and, save an occasional childish complaint, slept quietly the sleep of childhood. What an experience will his be? Deadly conflicts between states on abstract questions, a father in the service of his country! All these, should his life be prolonged, will make his early recollections of intensest interest when around his knee grand-children shall clamorously demand a story to while away their own youthful hours. The mother, proud of her son and happy in the prospect of meeting the absent husband, and showing him her darling boy, was all unmindful of those sad reverses which might deprive her of the partner of her choice. Here was also subject for thought on the uncertainty of human plans. How rapidly the bright visions which the imagination creates for the future may be dispelled by the stern and sad realities of life! The gay flowers of a summer's morn soon wither and die under the scorching rays of the noonday sun, all their beauty and fragrance disappearing under its exausting heat. So too the last buds of the rose are nipped by the chilling frost. There must be something more permanent than time, something more enduring than the mere pleasures of the moment, however real and innocent these may be. There is a home, where all our joys will be permanent and lasting, where the buds of happiness which are watered on earth by the tender influence of piety, shall unfold their bright petals to a morn of eternal glory and a noontide of everlasting beauty and fragrance.

At

But, of all our company, we were most puzzled to find the rela tion of a gentleman and lady also on their way to Washington; he slightly worried at the delay to which we were exposed, she only anxious for him and living as it were on his smile,-bappy to be by his side, although her time must be spent in the Depot last their story became plain; most likely a medical officer of the Army ordered to Washington, who takes with him his young bride to be his companion when his professional cares shall allow him an hour from the bedside of sick and wounded soldiers. Life was bright to her, because a long future was before her, a future of domestic happiness. There was small necessity for dissatisfaction even though she should miss all the New Year's day pleasures of Washington. Her husband was with her, and the Depot was quite as pleasant under those circumstances, as the East Room at the White House would have been with its tinsel and glare, its crowds of richly uniformed diplomates and soldiers and groups of fashionably dressed ladies. After all, external circumstances are of small account as concerns our happiness. It is the inner feeling of content that constitutes the real secret of happiness. The palace is no more a place of happiness than the hovel, and no less we may add