happiness in things which do not change,-the Church of God, and that which is, in truth, a running commentary on it, the fair things of God's visible creation.

And calmly, gently, silently, like himself, the silver cord was loosed, and he felt himself going through the dark valley of the shadow of death. Through life he had sought peace, and ensued it; and now the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, was with him, and made him the son of peace indeed. For, having long regarded death as but the close of a long journey, necessary indeed to bring him to the haven and the home where he would be; yet still, in some of its stages, rough and wearisome even to him; so now, when he actually tasted of the water of the river over which he was to go, it proved sweet and very pleasant. One only request he made-that on the shoulders of his faithful tenants, with no pomp of funeral apparel, he might be borne to his grave. Then, with a quiet gesture, he forbade all earthly concerns to approach him, and laid himself down like a wearied dove.

"Peace, peace, none but Christ," he said. They asked him if he wanted anything? "Yes, I want to go home; carry me home." And already the angels were on their way to deliver his spirit from the burden of the flesh, and to bear it on its home

ward journey; for as he raised his eyes to bless by name each member of his family, “it came to pass (if we may reverently say it) that while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven."

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee."

CHAPTER XVI.

DEAR WILLIE.

Heaven in the depth and height is seen;

On high among the stars, and low
In deep clear waters; all between

Is earth, and tastes of earth; even so

The Almighty One draws near

To strongest seraphs there, to weakest infants here.

God's angels keep the eternal round
Of praise on high, and never tire;—
His lambs are in His temple found

Early, with all their hearts desire.

They boast not to be free,

They grudge not to their Lord meek ear and bended knee.

Lyra Innocentium.

ONE of old has made this beautiful remark, that whereas the holy Gospel delivered by God's ministers resembles the morning light, shining through a window of clear glass,—yet, when that Gospel is enforced, not by the lips only, but also in the life of the instructor, it becomes like those ancient church lattices, rich in Scripture stories, that con

vey the same light in colours of rubies, and emeralds, and amethysts, through the living forms of saints, of apostles, and of martyrs.*

This is the blessed way in which it has often pleased God to teach me His heavenly truths. We have just spoken of one whose hoary head was a crown of glory; we come now to tell of another to whom "an unspotted life was old age, who, being made perfect in a short time, fulfilled a long time;" but of both it may be written, "As thou art, so were they; each one resembled the children of a king."

When I first knew Willie, rather more than five years ago, he was about twelve years old; he used to sit next me at Church, and one could not help observing his attentiveness to the prayers, and even to the sermon a thing so unusual in boys of his age. By and bye, we contracted a warm friendship for each other, and this gave me many opportunities of seeing his obliging and generous temper it showed itself to all who came near, because it began at home. His mother, his little brothers, his school-fellows, and the poor, all these came in for it in one form or other. I knew one little pensioner of his, a boy with a club foot, who had long cause to feel the loss of Willie's

* Vide, George Herbert, " Church Windows."

alms; indeed, I believe he spent nearly all his pocket-money in alms-giving and flowers: these last he used to rear in a little garden bed at school, that he might have some of his own to bring to his mother. I have one of his favourite plants nowa sweet-scented geranium, which is covered, in its season, by small lilac flowers, veined with claret. Delicate and fragile, like himself, it has, nevertheless, long outlived its gentle owner. Alas! not it, but he, is withered "like a flower of the field."

It is not to be expected that there should be anything startling, or showy, or what the world calls "striking," in the short lives of such as Willie. Man must needs display his treasures; but God's chosen ones are also His hidden ones, brought up before Him in secret and in silence, till they are meet to be transplanted into His heavenly kingdom. And yet it was very evident to us all, how Willie sought to fulfil, even to anticipate, every command of his earthly parents; and especially, like the holy child Jesus, the least wishes of his mother. For this he toiled at his little garden ring, for this he petted his baby brothers, and worked almost harder at his lessons than his failing strength began to permit. "If I can but please my own dear mother;"-this was his highest earthly ambition. He seemed, moreover, to have an instinctive consciousness of, and a sensitive shrinking