that those whom God loveth he chasteneth;' and that the sorrows and troubles of this world, if borne with resignation and faith, are, as the refiner's fire to gold, purifiers of our spirits, fitting them for eternal life in those mansions of bliss where ev'ry tear is wiped from ev'ry eye.'"-LETTER FROM ROBT. M-N, Esq., F. R. C. S., 1841.

"He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness."-MALACHI iii. 3.

WORDS of "Comfort," sweetly sounding,
Cloth'd in garb of meekest hue,
Utter'd in the heart's abounding,
Seeming ever fresh and new,

By one who knew the "better part,"
Proffer'd in the hour of need-
Sooth'd they and sank in bleeding heart,
E'en as sower's timely seed.

It is in nature's day of grief

Most is felt the kind intent;
And Heav'n in mercy deigns relief
Through the earthen instrument.

When, bearing long God's chast'ning will,
Dust beseeching asks a pause;
That heart consenting argues still,

Think, oh! "Is there not a cause?"

Though fiercely warm the furnace be,
"T is God's image to restore;
And with the eye of faith we see
Jesus' love sits brooding o'er,

Close watching; till the process shows
Tracings of his likeness there—
Until the soul's refin'd from dross
'Neath His own, His tender care-

And fit for purest realms of joy,
Lasting as His heav'nly throne,
Where sin, nor grief, nor pain alloy,
Tears and weeping are unknown.

Yes, words of "Comfort"-such they were,
Urging on the faint and weak;
And "words of Comfort" still they are,
As with mem❜ry's voice they speak.

When o'er thy sun the shadows lour,
When thy bark is roughly driv'n,
May, stor❜d within those words of pow'r,
Be the comfort they have giv'n.

"He shall sit as a re

The beauty and comfort of the above passage, finer," &c., are considerably augmented by the reflection, that "it was the custom, in ancient days, for the person who superintended the process of refining and purifying metals, to place himself in a sitting posture, over the molten metal, so as to be able to watch its gradual purgation; until he discovered his own features reflected on the surface, when, knowing that the work was complete, he immediately withdrew it from the flaming element."-REV. T. PRESTON, March, 1846.

"No doubt we have all had our trials: but the question is, Have they been the "trials of Faith ?"-the afflictions of the Gospel? Have they wrought in our hearts the work of the furnace, consuming the dross, and softening the metal,-rendering us less impervious to scriptural impressions, and more conformable to the Divine Similitude." -IBID.

COMFORT FOR THE TRIED.

THE soft and downy sod of Eden is no longer beneath our feet, and its bright and cloudless skies have ceased to be our canopy. Sorrow came with sin, and rough and rugged is the path we tread, and oft keenly blows the desert-blast upon us; lest we should pitch our tent in the Wilderness, nor seek a portion in the Canaan of our Lord; lest the seeds of corruption flourish in our hearts, and the seeds of grace lie dormant. Yet, being touched with a feeling of our infirmities, and foreseeing the chastening His people must endure ere they would become polished stones for His temple, hath He, who was 66 a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief," hung upon the willows by the waters of Marah a harp of "great and precious promises;" and the murmuring wail of the bitter stream beneath is hushed in the melody of its notes. Let us listen to the sweetness of their tones.

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me: He hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to comfort all that mourn, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness." "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou

walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." "All things work together for good to them that love God." “I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction." "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." "As thy day, so shall thy strength be." Happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: for he maketh sore and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole." "He heareth the cry of the afflicted." "I am the Lord that healeth thee." "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten." "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying; neither shall there be any more pain." "When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them." "The young lions do lack and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing." "The

righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles." "The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness." "I will give in mine house and within my walls a place and a

F

name better than of sons and daughters."

"Thy

Maker is thine husband; the Lord of Hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel." "There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee." "Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust." "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee." "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength." "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." "I will not leave you comfortless." "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.”

"Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord." "He is faithful that promised."

SPREAD THE GOSPEL.

"Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." "For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."-MARK xvi. 15.-HABAKKUK ii. 14.

LET each nation sing, and glory

In God's love, redemption's plan:
Spread abroad the wondrous story—
Jesus died for fallen man.