spent, and, therefore, without holding out one drop of water to quench the feigned fire of purgatory, or drawing forth anything to discover the vanity of their assertion who affirm the soul to sleep, or to be nothing until the resurrection, or theirs who, assigning to them a state of subsistence and perception, do yet exclude them from the fruition of God, without which there is no rest, until the end of all.-Dr. Owen:

THE NEW YEAR.

THANK God that towards eternity
Another step is won;

Oh, longing turns my heart to Thee,

As time flows slowly on:

Thou Fountain whence my life is born,
Whence those rich streams of grace are drawn
That through my being run.

I count the hours, the days, the years,
That stretch in tedious line,

Until, a life, that hour appears
When, at Thy touch divine,
Whate'er is mortal now in me
Shall be consumed for aye in Thee,
And deathless life be mine.

So glows Thy love within this frame
That, touched with keenest fire,
My whole soul kindles in the flame
Of one intense desire

To be in Thee, and Thou in me,
And e'en while yet on earth to be
Still pressing closer, nigher!

Oh, that I soon might Thee behold!
I count the moment's o'er ;

Oh, come, e'er yet my heart grows cold,
And cannot call Thee more!

Come in Thy glory, for Thy bride
Hath girt her for the holy tide,
And waiteth at the door.

And, since Thy Spirit sheds abroad
The oil of grace in me,

And Thou art inly near me, Lord,

And I am lost in Thee,

So shines in me the Living Light,
And steadfast burns my lamp and bright,
To greet Thee joyously.

"Come!" is the voice, then, of Thy bride; She loudly prays Thee come;

With faithful heart she long hath cried,
"Come quickly, Jesus, come!

Come, O my Bridegroom, Lamb of God.
Thou knowest I am Thine, dear Lord;
Come down and take me home."

Yet be the hour-that none can tell-
Left wholly to Thy choice;
Although I know Thou lov'st it well
That I with heart and voice

Should bid Thee come, and from this day
Care but to meet Thee on Thy way,
And at Thy sight rejoice.

I joy that from Thy love divine
No power can part me now;
That I may dare to call Thee mine,
My Friend, my Lord, avow:
That I, O Prince of Life, shall be
Made wholly one in heaven with Thee;
My portion, Lord, art Thou.

And therefore do my thanks o'erflow
That one more year is gone,
And of this time, so poor, so slow,
Another step is won;

And with a heart that may not wait,
Toward yonder distant golden gate
1 journey gladly on.

And when the wearied hands grow weak,
And wearied knees give way,
To sinking faith, oh, quickly speak,

And make Thine arm my stay ;
That so my heart drink in new strength,
And I speed on, nor feel the length
Nor steepness of the way.

Then on, my soul, with fearless faith;
Let naught thy terror move;
Nor aught that earthly pleasure saith
E'er tempt thy steps to rove :

If slow thy course seem o'er the waste,
Mount upwards with the eagle's haste,
On wings of tireless love.

Oh, Jesus, all my soul has flown
Already up to Thee,

For Thou, in whom is love alone,
Hast wholly conquered me:

Farewell, ye phantoms, day and year,
Eternity is round me here,

Since, Lord, I live in Thee.

A. H. FRANCKE, 1691.

A LETTER BY THE LATE WILLIAM SHARP.

MY DEAR FRIENDS,-No doubt you wonder at not receiving a few lines from me ere this, but, before Mrs. S returned home, I had received intelligence of the death of my brother, whom I have been to town to bury. I hope my friends are well, and looking well to their ways. "Ponder the paths of thy feet," Solomon says, "and all thy ways shall be established." None can do so aright but such as acknowledge God's Word in everything. “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to Thy Word" Much prayer is needed in this work, and close searching the Word for such instruction as will afford real peace, which is sure to find opposition from the flesh, so that I cannot do these things as I would. Much humbleness of heart is found where God's Word enters, in which is found much light, and a good understanding of God's truth in its reality to guide our feet. Satan may try to make God's Word of no effect by speaking of our darkness and ignorance, as an excuse that it might, in a measure, be set at nought. Yet, he might suggest, not altogether, in order to hide his cloven foot, and so secretly, yet as powerfully, draw the mind into a snare. "They have despised My counsel, and set at nought all My words." Indeed, how needful is a lamp where the oil is found in the vessel; and God says, His Word is " a lamp to the feet and a light to the path;" and in another place it says that "it shines brighter and brighter unto perfect day." This light enters much deeper than the outside of things. "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me," which I might be establishing myself in. Such as fear God, it is said, shall come forth from them all. Blessed truth, and blessed he who is in the freedom of it! Such an one only can walk in God's ways who has a perfect heart-such a heart who has had its dreadful condition made plain in God's light, and by being at length enabled by the divine Spirit of all truth (to His Church, as well as in Himself) to come, and that willingly, into the light, that his deeds might be made manifest that they are wrought in God. "O Lord, Thou hast wrought all our works in us. Other lords beside Thee have had dominion over us, but by Thee only will we make mention of Thy name." This name only, to a convinced sinner, is found sufficient in such an important thing as considering God's work to be in the soul. How rare a thing indeed is it to find, in this awful day of profession, any who, in the spirit of the mind, walk in the ways of God! " But shall not God avenge His own elect" in this as well as every other evil or trial, "who cry day and night unto Him?" Well, does not the Lord Himself answer this

question before He puts another by saying, "He will avenge them speedily"? and then adding, "But when the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?" May God constantly lead us to examine ourselves whether we be in the faith, and prove it by God's Word dwelling richly in us, &c.

I intend, God willing, to visit you on Tuesday, the 30th of this month (October), and I must leave you to let Mr. Haynes and the Ide Hill people know, and tell them not to neglect in time seeing Mr. Knight, of Westerham, and settle with him what night I might be there. Mrs. Sharp got home the same night she left you, and very comfortably. She is tolerably well, and desires very kindly her love to you. The rest of us are tolerable in health, while I subscribe myself, Your servant in the Lord,

Brighton, October 9th, 1835.

W. SHARP, Senr.

"HAPPY DICK."

"HAPPY DICK" was an old blind negro, who walked with God. He was another man's chattel, but his master happened to be a kind one, and kept Dick in his old age for the good he had done, allowing a free hut and maintenance for himself and his wife. Dick's cheerfulness and invariable contentment procured him, by universal consent, the name he bore. His little cabin stood under a great magnolia-tree, and there his song might be heard from morning to night, as he sat in the door, weaving osier baskets or whittling tiny playthings for the picaninnies of the plantation.

A Christian lady once asked him if he never felt uncomfortable when he thought that he was a slave; and if he never longed for the independence of other men, so that he might know what it was to lay up his earnings, and have something to call his own.

"Oh, missus, don't ask me dat," said the grey-headed negro. "Dem days is all gone by, and I's longed for freedom mightily. But I long for heaben too, and dat's a great deal better. I nebber allows myself to 'flect on de bad tings dat happen to me, nor on de good tings dat I nebber had; and, when I tink about somefin to call my own, it seems as if I had a big treasure right here, dat I don't owe any man for."

"How is that, Dick?"

"When all de rest of de world, missus, are saying, 'Dis is my house,' 'Dat is my sugar-mill,' Dere is my great cotton. patch,' I say, 'Dere is my hope, and dere is my Saviour; and, when I own de Lord Jesus, it seems as if I owned all de rest; for 'de earth is de Lord's, and de fulness dereof.' De air is

mine, and I can breathe it; de sunshine is mine, and I can sit in it; de earth is mine, and I can lie down in it to sleep."

"But wouldn't it be nice to own a great farm, like Job, and have cattle, and horses, and things to give away?"

"Ah! old Dick couldn't take care on't. Tell ye, missuswhat a man has beyond enough to take care on, and look out for his own soul too, de same time, is stealin' de Lord's. But I beliebe eberyting is ordered for de best; and I s'pose de good Lord made some folks to hab de first pick, and some to take de leabins, and some to get both; and massa Job was one of dat kind; and I s'pose de Lord make me take the leabins. Den why shouldn't I be tankful? I get de leabins of de tables, I get de leabins of de time, I get de leabins of de money, de leabins of my strength, de leabins of young massa's learnin', de leabins of de campmeetin', and de leabins of heaben; and why shouldn't old blind Dick be happy?" and the tears ran down his black face.

"But, if the Saviour is yours, Happy Dick, and He owns everything, you ought to have the first pick if you want it." "Dear missus, I do git de first pick in de way I mean, but not in de way de world understands. I lib like de good old Paul, as habin' noting, and yet possessin' all tings.' De more world I want, de less Christ Jesus I get; and de more Christ Jesus I get, den I come nearer to habin' all tings; for all tings are His, and I hab de first pick because I hab Him."

"You mean, then, my good old friend, that your interest in the world's people and property is a spiritual one, not a money one?"

"I s'pose you'd call it one. You see, men hab a conscience, and dat gits de humble good man a power ober dem in spite of demselves. Massa Hammond, oberseer on de plantation, is berry proud and wicked, and laughs at my religion; but I know, if de day of judgment should come now, he'd ask me to pray for him fust."

"Do you think that this Scripture will literally come true, 'The meek shall inherit the earth?"

"I s'pose so, missus. Dere is a deep-down-in-de-heart respect now in de world for de good and meek man; and, by-and-bye, when de Lord shall bring forth dat man's righteousness as de light, and his judgment as de noon-day, dey won't be ashamed of dere respect; and so de meek man will git de big offices, and den pretty soon after de millennium will come.'

"Happy Dick" has long since gone to his rest, and sleeps under the shadow of a pine that has numbered far more years than his. He inherits his spot of earth, and, better than all his hopes, he now reposes in a free country, where there is no more hard work, and friends never part.-Gospel Magazine.