better illustrated or better taught than as it is revealed in the holy Bible! True, its sublimities surpass all human transcendentalism, and yet withal it is so very plain that he that runs may read. Hence to the poor the gospel is preached; verily God hath hidden these things from the wise and prudent Colensos, and revealed them even unto babes! Why so? That no flesh might glory in his presence. Hence it is not by human power (philosophy) nor by human might (of armies, see margin) but by God's Spirit (revelation), that any man can possibly be saved. C. M. D. was a notable example of the power of grace. The Bible was her study; she seemed to all to be ripening for heaven. She had this presentiment. This is not our rest, she oft did say. Why so? Because it is polluted! Hence her poetic verses breathed a heavenly spirit. I here insert one or two.

Oh for an angel's harp that I

Might echo back the song of praise,
Which the angelic host on high
Unto the Lord Jehovah raise.

But since no angel's harp is mine,
My lips I cannot now refrain,
And my weak accents soon shall join

To swell the heavenly strain.-C. M. D.

THE CHRISTIAN MARINER.

There's a track on life's wide ocean,
Travers'd indeed by few,

But there the Christian's little bark
Is guided safely though.

Though swelling waves do oft appear
His bark to overwhelm,

Yet 'fear not,' whisper wind and wave,
God's hand is on thy helm.

Dark clouds do sometimes rise and hide,
The Sun as with a shroud,

But safe in darkness as in light,

The bark steers 'neath the cloud.

The Christian's Sun doth never set,
Though clouds of sin arise,
Dark vapours from life's ocean,
And hide it from his eyes.

But soon the sunbeams shall dispel
The darkest clouds of sin,

And shine until the bark is moor'd,

The haven of rest within.

Ah, there no sin shall dim thy sky,
No clouds obscure thy Sun,

Faith's anchor is for ever fixed,

The voyage of life is run.-C. M. D.

THE ROSE OF SHARON.

Are there any flowers in heaven, Mother?
Asked a bright-eyed gentle boy,

As with the spring's first early flowers
He crowned himself with joy.

Will there be flowers in heaven, Mother?
In our home above the sky?

For I love the bright sweet flowers, and
Would not leave them here to die.

The mother looked upon her child,
While a tear bedimm'd her eye
As she thought of loved ones lost to her,
Now blooming above the sky.

There are many flowers in heaven, my boy,
Flowers that can never fade;

For all things bright and beautiful,

By our Father's hand are made.

Look at this little silvery flower,
With its shining eye of gold,
The hand that formed thee, my boy,
Made the little flower I hold.

And all things we possess on earth
By that same hand are given,

But all his love we cannot know
Till we reach our home in heaven.

The Rose of Sharon blooms within,
The home of our souls above;
Yes, fairer far than earthly flowers,
Is the Saviour whom we love.

Ah! then, dear Mother, I will not sigh,
To leave the flowers I love,

Since brighter ones do ever bloom,

In our Father's house above.-C. M. D.

DEATH.

As I write for practical purposes, I need not here philosophise. Example is better than precept. C. M. D. had caught a fever. On the morning of the sixth day all our hope was lost. I sent hastily for the doctor, and he came. "Tell me truly, Doctor-do not deceive me-am I dying?" "Dear Christian, I fear it is too true." Now I am glad I will soon be with Jesus-I see what you do not see-I see a hand beckoning me away." Hear me-I must speak of Jesus, for after I have done I will never speak to you again! Her exhortation was heavenly; it surpassed all I had ever heard before or since. She became silent for a moment, but suddenly

E e

exclaimed, "All is dark-dark. Ah! these are the shades of death! But Jesus is all light to my soul. I will now be with Jesus. I feel no fear." She never spoke again! She had said we would find her last words in her pocket-book. They are as follow. As for her, Requiescit in pace. True, alas,

The grave had gained the victory,
But death itself had lost its sting!

THOUGHTS ON DEATH.

Friends may surround thy dying bed,
Some loved one's arm support thy head,
Children water thy couch with tears;
But, ah! alas, when death appears,
Who'll enter death's dark vale with thee?
Wife, children, friends, none, none there be,
Dear though thou art, to die with thee.
Or it may be that none are near
Thy last departing sigh to hear,
No friend to soothe thy dying bed,
No loved one to support thy head;
But yet thou shalt not be alone,
If Christ the Saviour is thine own,—
For Jesus ever will be nigh

To those who love him, when they die,
And when death's terrors thee assail,
And every earthly friend thee fail,
He, He alone shall with thee tread

The dreary pathway of the dead,

Fear not, his arms are round thee cast,
He will support thee to the last;
And death shall only be to thee,
The dawning of eternity.

Oh why then fear the thought of death';
"Tis but the yielding up the breath
Unto the God who gave it birth,—
The soul belongs not to the earth,
Its home is with its God above,
And with the Saviour of its love.
Nor fear the lone and silent grave,
'Tis but the passing Jordan's wave;
A greater than Elijah will

Its troubled waves and waters still;
And with his mantle will divide
With potent arm the swelling tide
And bring thee safe to Canaan's shore,
Where all thy trials shall be o'er.

Wrapp'd in his cloak thou may'st appear
Before thy God without a fear;

Washed in his blood thou wilt be clean
From every taint of earthly sin.
Forgotten then shall be thy toil,
For heaven's light is Jesus' smile.

In that bright land where gladness beams,
No tear of sorrow ever streams,—
For who could weep while God is near,
To chase away the rising tear.-C. M. D.

THE SPIRITUAL AND SUPERNATURAL.

The supernatural is a revelation from God. Belief in perceptions as revealed in consciousness is necessitated belief-we must believe them-we cannot deny them, say what we will. So also faith in the supernatural is simply belief in something presented to the mind, which no man could have possibly discovered by his own reason. If the gospel be not of man, it must necessarily have been of God, or else of the wicked one. Hence Pope Pius, without reason, has called the Protestant translation of the Bible, "the Bible of the devil rather than of God"! Even revelation might thus be either true or false. Hence it required attestation. No man could else have possibly, i. e. rationally, concepted and believed its marvellous characteristics. Hence, even as a divine revelation, notwithstanding its inherent truthfulness, and its accordance with the spirit of prophecy, it required the evidence of miracles to confirm it; for who could naturally have believed that a living man was also the only living and true God? If I only testify of myself, said Jesus, my witness is not true, i. e. they were not bound by their law to believe him, in the absence of two witnesses at least. Hence he appealed to Moses and the prophets, because they testified of him. As for himself, he knew that he was from God, and that God was in him of a truth: "Believe me for my very work's sake." Why so? For as it was said, no man could have done such mighty works unless God had been with him. But it may be said that Moses and the prophets were all also wise men, and wrought miracles as well. True; then why not believe them, seeing that they spoke not of themselves, but of the Messias who was to come? Ah! did not Moses err when he smote the rock (type of Christ) twice? The command was once and for ALL. Hence the water flowed abundantly for all, and followed them all throughout the wilderness. The manna also was for all; hence Christ died only ONCE, and that for ALL. Why then not eat (believe) and live? But did not Moses sin more heinously when he said, Shall we bring water out of the rock? He sanctified not the Lord, Deut. xxxii. 51, and hence he died in sight only of the promised land! Even Jesus said, "It is not I who doth the work, but my Father who is in me. He doeth the works; hence believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me. I can do nothing of myself"! Hence he sanctified not himself until he had finished the work which his Father had given him to do, John xvii. 4. Sanctify them through thy truth. Thy Word (Logos) is truth, ver. 17. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be truly sanctified through the truth,

ver. 19. I am the truth, said Christ; no man cometh unto the Father but by me. I and my Father are one. "Glorify thy Son, that thy Son may also glorify thee. I have glorified thee on earth. Thy work and will are done. Now, O Father, glorify me with thine own self, with the glory I had with thee before the world was! Before Abraham was I am." Jesus saw his sufferings before him as certain, and his work as certainly "finished" as well! Jesus glorified not himself by appointing himself to the office of high priest. Hence he was made of God unto us wisdom; hence our righteousness; next, sanctification; and, finally, redemption. Let no man glory save only in the Lord. But what of Intuition? Jesus knew all men's inmost thoughts! No marvel that he excelled all other prophets. No marvel that no man, before or since, ever spake as this man. Again, a prophet was not a true prophet unless. his words were all fulfilled, or being fulfilled. An instalment homologates. The earnest of the Spirit are its first fruits, the full harvest is thus for certain in the ear, and hence near at hand. Jerusalem was destroyed; yea, Zion has been ploughed as a field, her people have been scattered, yet a remnant shall be saved to sing the songs of Zion even on her most holy hill. Who dares to say that Christ was not the greatest prophet after all? That he was a priest must be equally as clear. That he was and is a king, the hour of darkness fully testified; even Pilate himself published this truth-" What I have written, 1 have written;" hence no man dared to annul it. Hence he said, “Behold the man! This is the king of the Jews!" "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. I have both power to lay down my life, and also again to take it up." He who raised to life the widow's son, and Lazarus as well, could he not also asunder burst the cords and gates of death, which for a time had bound his living soul in hell? His Spirit he resigned to God! O grave, where is thy victory now? O death, where is now thy sting? No marvel that heaven's lofty gates opened wide that the King of glory enter might? But who is this King of Glory? Jehovah Jesus! Hence he was and is the great Melchisedec, King of Salem and priest of the most high God as well, i. e. he was and is both type and antitype, i. e. " the Almighty" Father; and hence sole Mediator, i. e. an everlasting priest, and hence, also, the Prince of peace as well. No marvel that it is written, Regni cujus non erit finis!

SPIRITUAL GIFTS, 1 COR. XII.

Dumb idols are misconceptions, i. e. they are not of or conform to reason. They are creations of the imagination; hence