as regards their bodies or the length of their lives, but, Lord, adopt them all, choose them all; manifest soon that Thou hast chosen from all eternity our CHILDREN! One is Thy minister and Thy servant. Is there not the same grace to change their hearts as his? "Lord, I cannot let Thee go Till a blessing Thou bestow." Some think, to believe all our children will be saved is presumption; but "For His grace and power are such, None can ever ask too much." I do not ask for riches, but for grace. Feed them with food convenient for them; give us and give them neither poverty nor riches, if it be Thy will, O God; but may we serve and love Thee, and glorify Thy holy name! May 25th.-Sometimes dark, sometimes light, but Jesus is mine. He is still the same long-suffering, compassionate Saviour. Satan is very busy-ofttimes disturbs my peace by very trifling things; but-oh, glory to our God!-he is a chained foe and a conquered enemy. Self, sin, and Satan shall all be destroyed. This ofttimes-hard heart shall torment me no more when "He that shall come will come." I want the continued presence of my God; I seem to have lost this. Will He not come again? I look back on this year as the happiest of my life; but I have not enjoyed so much the last fortnight. Do shine again, precious Lord! Come, come again, blessed Spirit! Blessed Father, give me to fully realize my adoption! keep me near Thyself! June 15th.-I have not written anything lately. Not that I have not a faithful God to bless, and magnify and bless, but because writing seems all of self; and then I fear lest to exalt self should be the motive. Lord, Thou knowest I would hate my own depraved heart and exalt Thee, the risen Saviour. I fear much lately, not my interest in Christ, for I do know in whom I have believed, but the cares of this world, anxiety for the future, doubting not the Lord's power, but my own conduct in many respects, feeling such shortcomings, such a want of wisdom whether I am doing right in this matter or that matter as regards temporals, and then such lukewarmness in spirituals; I feel tossed to and fro, and I cry, "Oh that it were with me as in months that have passed, when the presence of the Lord was my continual rejoicing! Yet I do desire to follow hard after the Lord, feeling that it is of His sovereign mercy that I feel in this continual warfare, and that He will again shine into my soul. Happy hour, when the distance shall be for ever removed! It seems a long time to wait, but the fighting will one day be over, and our great foe torment us no more. I do desire to praise my God that one of my children is desiring to walk in the narrow way. Lord, perfect those desires! Lord, cause her to know Thee! take her, take me, out of looking to vile, vile, hateful self to THEE! This grace bestow, precious Jesus, on this dear child, on ALL! Have mercy upon our children; convert our children; let one, let another come forward to testify to Thy grace! Lord, glorify Thyself in bringing out our children, not for our deserts, O Lord, but because Thou art a prayer-hearing and a prayer-answering God! Lord, do now show→ Lord, to us now-Thy wonder-working hand! Thou knowest I would ask this more earnestly, far more, than any other deliverance, or from earthly cares. This I do desire. Lord, hear! Lord, answer! The Lord bless, guide, direct, strengthen my beloved husband in the matter of the schools! I know Thou wilt, Lord; it is Thine own work, and Thou art pledged to help. I cannot doubt Thee, Lord; yet, in our own little matters, I often doubt, and feel bowed down, but then I think it is because I do not see clearly my own line of duty, and if I did I fear I shrink back from that duty. Lord, Thou knowest all my flittings, all my tossings, all my deep anxieties to know Thy will. Lord, show, Lord, give me strength, to do and act as Thou wouldest have me! July 6th.-Since the last entry of my private thoughts and feelings I have known much of the hidings of God's face, and a dark cloud has passed over; my horizon indeed has been darkened; and I could not even desire to have it removed-distance from God-and I sighed and mourned; but all seemed hopeless. What sorrow, what misery was this! and it lasted for many, many days. But during the last week the Lord has again shined upon me, and the partition was removed, and again I cry, "My Lord and my God!" Yet trial of various kinds seems to follow us; but mercies are ever abounding. Death, too, has entered; and my dear and only sister is a widow. Her husband is, I doubt not, before the throne. Happy, happy, happy! The vileness and abominations of my heart seem greater than I can tell. O Lord, cleanse me! Surely I shall have the most to praise Him for-the most long-suffering patience to a hell-deserving sinner. all sinners I am chief, and yet a saved sinner-saved with an everlasting salvation. May the knowledge of this make me hate every sin, fight against it, and never expect to leave off fighting until the victory is won; and the last cry shall be, "Victory, victory, through the blood of the Lamb!" Amen, amen. Of Sunday, August 17th.-"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise Him." I am cast down, indeed, with a sense of my ingratitude and worthlessness. I feel as if, of all Christ's flock, I was the most useless, the most hell-deserving. What can I write but that I long for the day to come when I again shall rejoice in the light of His countenance? The days of darkness are so many. I ask, Why is it thus? On looking back, I see three months have passed away, and I have not realized for any continuance the presence of my Saviour-at times a glimpse, but only transient; and for three months and more before that time I enjoyed the nearly-constant sunshine of His love. Why is this, O my God? "Is there any secret sin within me ?" Lord, if there is, show it me! The early months of this year were the happiest I ever spent. Sometimes I fear such seasons will never return on earth; they were only given to show what HEAVEN MUST BE. I Precious, precious Jesus! Thou art all my desire. I mourn for Thy return. "Return, O holy Dove, return!" The aching void is left. feel there is something wrong-some looking to self-something, Lord, that is opposed to Thee. Turn, Lord, each rival out. Lift me out of self, and fix my heart on Thee. "Welcome the hour of full discharge, yes, blessed Jesus! all communion, then all love, then no darkness, no coldness-all light, all love. Can any Christian desire to stay here? Except for others, surely not. What, desire to be absent from our glorious Head, yet loving Him supremely! "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." The dear children-" Lord, may they live before Thee!" Glory be to Thy great name for that which is already begun! Go on, O Lord, until Thou hast subdued every heart. Bring, Lord, every one of us to Thy everlasting kingdom. "I cannot let Thee go Till a blessing Thou bestow." Lord, answer; Lord, forgive; Lord, bless us ALL! (To be continued.) NOT NOW. "He that had been possessed with the devil, prayed Him that He might be Nor now, my child,-a little more rough tossing— Thy willing hand must be outstretched and free; Not now, for dungeon walls look stern and gloomy, Go with the name of Jesus to the dying, And speak that name in all its living power; One little hour!-and then the glorious crowning- C. P. Correspondence. VICTORY OVER SICKNESS, DEATH, HELL, AND THE GRAVE. To the Editor of the Gospel Magazine. MY DEAR SIR,-The subject of the following simple record was a subscriber to your Magazine during the last fifteen years-regarding generally your obituary notices as amongst those papers which are most interesting and profitable, both in the light of exhibiting God's faithfulness to His promises, as also in witnessing to the truth of the Gospel; I venture to introduce it to your notice, in the hope that it may find a place amongst the many which have been presented in the GOSPEL MAGAZINE, for the comfort and edification of its readers. S. Hwas taken ill last March, and lingered on until the end of October. The nature of his illness and likewise its duration appeared nearly to correspond with that of the late lamented Mr. Parks. S. Hused to inquire with interest concerning those accounts from "the sick chamber' which were issued in your Magazine, from month to month, observing on the apparent coincidence in their cases. One great difference however, has since appeared, which existed between them, viz., that Mr. Parks was not obliged to keep his bed until near his end, whereas the subject of this paper never left his, from early in May, until he was borne to the grave. During all this time his conduct bore testimony to the peace and satisfaction which reigned within; a murmur was never heard to escape from him. About a fortnight before his death his strength seemed all at once to fail. Ho calmly observed, with all his professional knowledge as an experienced physician, the steady advance of his disorder, seeming, by his inquiries of his attendant, only desirous that I should perceive the truth, which he feared I did not sufficiently apprehend. On the morning of Friday, at eight o'clock, I went to look at him before commencing my toilet. I was startled to observe his eyes open and fixed, upturned. I spoke; no answer. I touched his eyes; no answer or sign of recognition. Attendants were summoned, and, whilst three of us were gazing and I in tears, he suddenly came to himself, and looked as if astonished. "Do you know me?" I said. "I do indeed know you, my dear wife, E. H- -;" and, still looking inquiringly at us from one to another, he continued, "Perhaps my time is come, and the Lord may be about to take me; but İ may go on long in this way, and it is better not to weep about me." Directing his looks to me, and, as if reproving my tears, his eyes beaming with exquisite happiness, he said, "If this be death, it is very easy-very easy; and sure it is only like the disciple falling asleep on the bosom of Jesus." Whenever the doctor saw him afterwards, he did not think that he could have lasted ten minutes, and yet he continued until the following Tuesday morning, one o'clock. A blessed privilege this for those who ministered to him. He saw several persons who wished to bid him farewell; being weak and weary, he would say, "God bless you, good night." Sometimes, when I would repeat a text or verse of a hymn, he would say, "Go on." After nights of watching I lay down for a short sleep on the couch, leaving direction that he should be narrowly watched, which injunction the attendant especially remembered and acted upon. At halfpast twelve o'clock, on awaking, I found her in the act of lighting a candle to hold to his eyes, having observed a change coming over him. She called to me to come near. On my taking a seat beside him, and his hand in mine, he endeavoured to speak, as his poor head moved to and fro, "Happy, happy." "Do you mean to say," I asked, "that you are very happy?" "Yes." "Is Jesus with you?" "Yes." "Do you see Him?" "Yes." He spoke something, of which I could only catch the words, "Heavenly Father"-perhaps committing me to His care. His last word was "Phlegm," alluding to that he had been wishing for two days previously, or else some pain to take him away, saying that the way had been very long, and he gave so much trouble to those who watched him. One of his medical attendants observed to me that he had seen many a deathbed, but never one so resigned throughout; adding, that it had "taught many a lesson." Another, seemingly struck with the contentment he exhibited three months before his death, remarked, that it was not length of time that had reconciled him to lying there, for he had seen him walking out only the day before he took to his bed; and one who is in a position of knowing the general estimation in which he was held, said, that he was a "living epistle, known and read of all men." The word continually on his lips was, "Here I lie, looking for the mercy our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." During the (to us around) privileged four days that he was dying, his smiling, intelligent countenance gave impression of happy communion with the invisible. On quoting the lines of Toplady— on." "Sweet to rejoice in lively hope, That, when my change shall come, of I asked, "Is that your experience?" He nodded assent, and said, "Go He would now and then exclaim, "All's right;" "Jesus is merciful;" "His presence never leaves me;" "The Lord is my Shepherd;" "Lord Jesus, come quickly." To a minister he one day expressed his longing desire to see Jesus coming, not as at first, in humility, but in His glory. He had sometimes appeared to entertain some slight hopes of recovery, whilst from the first he calmly viewed the grave as his almost certain destination. His conduct throughout his long and weary illness bore much the character of a Christian hero, peculiarly remakable in one of his timid and shrinking nature: this, with his happy death, has created a widespread sensation and interest in the neighbourhood. An incident, deemed not insignificant by some, occurred on the Sunday preceding his death. An attendant, watching by him, observed a dove come to the window, and, looking in earnestly at each pane, cooed three times. This was talked about, and the relater remarked to me that "it seemed as if looking for another inside." And, surely, there was a dove-like spirit within, to which the Holy Spirit was whispering, "Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land” (Cant. ii. 10—12). In an instructive address at the grave, the Rev. W. H. M'C- observed, that, although the late subject of his discourse would have preferred being buried in silence, yet, that as good men were rarely found, the present occasion could not be afforded to be passed over unimproved, &c. The outline, as furnished by himself, is as follows: : The Rev. W. H. M'Č- M.A, having made some general remarks on |