tidings sounded in their ears:--
A man of God, endued with purpose strong,
Who lived the truth he taught, and hated wrong,
Full thirty years, the schools enjoyed his care;
The sick, the poor, the Missions claimed a share.
But now, we hear his friendly voice no more;
His course is finished, and the fight is o'er.
Come, hear the accents of his flying lips,
"My pleasures are to come;"--the curtain slips,
And hides what follows from our curious eyes:
Enough! he joins the chorus of the skies.

Another scene, and melancholy too;
The bridegroom widowed, ere he pleasure knew;
His hopes of bliss had soared unduly high,
And little dreamt he there was danger nigh;
But see! the throes of death his bride arrest,
The barbed arrow strikes her beating breast:
His hands have touched the cup, but ere he sips,
The wine is hurried from his burning lips.

Such are the sorrows which around I find,
Diverse, and manifold as human kind.
Let these suffice my gratitude to fire,
And with unfeigned praise my tongue inspire.
That I, so undeserving, still possess
Unnumber'd mercies, through redeeming grace.
Let each vicissitude my soul prepare,
By patience here, for endless glory there;
Where sickness ceases, and where sorrows end,
Where no misfortune can the bliss suspend;
Where death is banished, for the curse is o'er,
And love unrivall'd reigns for evermore.

"I have greater pleasure in visiting the sick, and the poor, than
in visiting those who, as far as this world is concerned, are better
circumstanced; in the former case, my object is simply to do or get
good, but in the latter, I find it is in danger of being mixed
with other motives. Christ is the end as well as the source of my
happiness. Oh! to be saved in every word and thought, this is what my
soul covets. I feel I am getting firmer hold of Christ.--I have been
tempted to a spirit of fretfulness and ill-nature; praise the Lord for
the victory. I was enabled to come to him for help, and power; and by
ejaculatory prayer, found sweet access to the Throne. I can say it is
my chief study to live to please God, and to obtain a complete victory
over myself, which I find is no small conquest.--The prospect of my
children's return from school has supplied me with another subject of
prayer. I have asked for patience, perseverance, and firmness to guide
them aright. By simply coming to the Lord, I obtain help; and am sure,
that