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But majestically rose, an apotheosis of light,

Till they clomb the dark blue heavens, stars for ever 'mid the night:

And thence shining on our pathway from their glorious home afar,

Tell us of the things that have been, that they shall be, and they are.

Brother, I have told thee all my gloomy tale of fear and

sin;

Ah, forgive me, for I could not die and keep it pent

within

Since she went, this heart's beloved, thirteen dreary years have pass'd,

Something tells me in my bosom, this-joy, joy !-shall be my last.

Brother, I have lived and roam'd in tracking those I once beguiled,

To essay with me sin's fearful dark interminable wild : Days and nights of supplication I have agonized for them,

Till to all, 'mid storm and shipwreck, beam'd the Star of Bethlehem.

Nothing now remains for lifetime-take my last, my fond farewell;

If a heart like mine can bless, heaven bless thee more than heart can tell!

Grant that all my dark experience may be imaged back in light,

When reflected from the sunny waters of thy spirit bright:

Till thy race on earth is finish'd, and ye hasten to complete

Those our mother's vision saw, a blessed band at Jesus' feet.

And when I am dead, dear brother, lay me by the sacred yew

That o'ershades this heart's beloved. Fare thee well

adieu-adieu.

E. H. B.

Who can estimate the worth of a christian's bright shining light? Happy in his own soul, like his counterpart in the heavens, he sheds a joyous light around him. But how glowing then, is the light of the Church in the combined shining of all her members! Many of them have no remarkable individual splendour. Yet the whole,-like the lesser stars forming the milky way, present a bright path of holiness in the spiritual firmament. This happy, heavenly light, shineth unto perfect day; and that day will never set. Sometimes it may be obscured, but only that it may break out more gloriously, and soon it will be a day without a cloud. But it is the light of the righteous that rejoiceth. Sin therefore will bring the cloud. Do we hope to Then must we

shine in the heavenly firmament? shine with present glory in the firmament of the Church: "So delicate is the Divine principle, that every breath of this world dims its lustre." Prov. xiii. 9.-Bridges.

A CHAPTER ON FADED FLOWERS.

My beloved is gone down into His garden to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens and to gather lilies."-Cant. vi. 2.

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CHARLOTTE ELIZABETH and CAROLINE WILSON are dead and gone, like summer flowers. Let us consider these lilies of Eden, for they were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their deaths not long divided. We know that they shall live and grow again, clothed with such robes of beauty as Solomon never wore. Light is sown for the righteous." It was sown when the Righteous One, the Light of the world, was buried in the dark earth, and rose again on the first day of the week ; a glorious sheaf of first-fruits to wave before the Lord of the harvest. And so, the children of light go down to the grave and are hidden for a time, but they shall yet spring forth in the golden splendours of immortality. Therefore we have hope concerning our sisters that they shall return with all that holy family, whom the Lord will confess before His Father and the holy angels. He shall stretch forth His hand towards His disciples and say, "Behold my brethren and my sisters-for whosoever will do the will of my Father, the same is my brother and my sister and my mother." Then the Maries and Martha and Dorcas, and all the blessed women of all time, whose names are written in Scripture and in heaven: who did what they could for Jesus, so that the whole house of God is yet filled with the

odour of their offerings; who ministered unto Him, and sat at His feet and waited for His words, and wept for their sins and for His sorrows, shall enter into the joy of their Lord. They shall be gathered together in one sweet society of kindred spirits, of one heart and mind in the unity of one Spirit of love. Now, they compass us about as a luminous cloud of witnesses; then, they shall clearly shine forth as glorious stars of light, revolving round the Sun of Righteousness, and reflecting his brightness for ever and ever. "It is meet and right that we should give thanks unto our Heavenly Father, for those who have departed this life in His faith and fear, beseeching Him to give us grace so to follow their good example, that with them we may be partakers of His heavenly kingdom."

Charlotte Elizabeth and Caroline Wilson now rest from their labours, and their works do follow them. They were servants of the Church, and friends of Jesus, loving what He loved, and doing His commandments, They both reflected the same light of heaven, though in varied tints of beauty and of grace. One was like Peter in fervency of zeal; the other rather resembled John in depth and stillness of love. "Go ye to the lost sheep of the house of Israel," said the Good Shepherd. This command was especially fulfilled by St. Peter, it was his peculiar vocation. So, according to her ability, and besides her other works of faith, did Charlotte Elizabeth seek the welfare of the house of Israel. Her spirit was stirred within her for the Lord's "heritage, the dearly-beloved of His soul." Her last testimony in this Magazine was an indignant protest against Gentile coldness towards this ancient people, whose first father was called the friend of God. And her dying voice breathed the same spirit of zeal in a

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good cause. Truly she fell asleep in Jesus, and not only so, her last testimony to His faithfulness and truth was a message to her beloved Israel.'-Thus the last aspect of her soul was eastward-looking towards Jerusalem.

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It reminds us of a sweet passage in the life of Christian. The Pilgrim they laid in a large upper-chamber whose window opened towards the sun-rising; the name of the chamber was Peace, where he slept till break of day, and then he awoke and sang'-So she sleeps in peace, and when the day dawns she will awake and sing. She was not only the friend of the Jews, but of the Gentiles also. The limits of these pages forbid any detail of her works of faith and charity, and so we merely prolong the last breath of her soul, as it still seems to whisper among the leaves of this book. She was not partial in the law;" she sought to fulfil all righteousness. Yet we do not unduly exalt our departed friend—we glorify God in her; because it is His pleasure to place burning lamps in earthy pitchers, that the power and the victory may be of Him alone. It is to be supposed that, like other daughters of Eve, she had her faults and her 'foolishness,' and they are known to God who remembereth that we are but dust and they are buried out of His sight in the sepulchre of Calvary, never more to rise. But when the trumpet sounds, she herself will arise, disencumbered of the earthen vessel, and clothed with the light and perfection of a spiritual body.

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Of that other sweet sister of the Lord who is fallen asleep, we need not inquire- Whence had she this wisdom and this holy love?' Her gentle voice is hushed in death, or she might answer-" All my fresh springs are in Thee, O Lord!" She drank deeply of the

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