wrath had cast him, "My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me; forasmuch as before him, innocency was found in me!" May such deliverance be ours, from the snares and perils of error and sin, through which our mortal lifecourse must be taken.

I served the Lord Jesus, and he has never forsaken me. I cannot forsake him now!" He whom the world despised, "God manifest in the flesh," had become their shield and their salvation.

The same protecting grace still lives, and abounds for man. The same Almighty power still guards the good, protects the innocent, shelters the exposed, dwells with the humble and contrite, seeks and saves that which was lost.

A similar shielding of his chosen do we perceive in turning to the records of the history of the Saviour of the world. His opening life was in the midst of peril. It is our hope, our reliance and The edict of an earthly king had gone out strength in temptation. Though the for the destruction of all such tender in- forces of evil may combine against us, nocents as he, in the land. Yet was this they cannot triumph over us, if we but child preserved, "a light to lighten the succeed in being victors over ourselves. Gentiles," and God's salvation to the Jesus was made invincible by his inward ends of the earth. All wickedness intent | power, the power of the Father that dwelt upon his overthrow is thwarted, and yet in him; enabling him to say to the adverhis ministry is an open one in the face of sary, "Get thee behind me!" and to be day; confirmed there "by signs and mir- a priest of heavenly right and glory before acles which God did by him." Until his the world, for all ages. A like defence work is done, no weapon formed against may be ours, a defence in which the most him can succeed. Heavenly guardians disheartened of the truthful and faithful ministered unto him. Even death was may trust; a defence, in which the connot his conqueror. Shielded by Omnipo- sciousness of right, and the inspiration of Omnipo-sciousness tence and clothed with its power, he broke goodness, have made thousands strong in the grave's sealed portals, and came forth, the midst of the most perilous conflicts our ultimately to ascend on high, and give new world has ever known. There is a pasevidence of life immortal to our race. sage from one of the literary writers of our day, which sets forth this truth in language as forcible as any I have seen out of the Bible.

Time would fail in attempting to recount the evidences of the protecting power of our heavenly Father, made manifest in behalf of his children. The first apostles rested in this power. They were enabled to labor and suffer reproach, because they trusted in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of them that believe." Paul affirmed, "When I am weak, then am I strong. I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me. They felt themselves compassed about with the favor of Him whose "loving kindness is better than life.'

"Virtue has resources buried in itself, which we know not till the invading hour calls them from their retreats. Surrounded by hosts without, and when nature itself, turned traitor, is its most deadly enemy within; it assumes a new and a superhuman power, which is greater than nature itself. Whatever be its creedwhatever be its sect- from whatever segment of the globe its orisons arise, virtue is God's Empire, and from his throne of thrones he will defend it. Though cast And the great companies of noble mar- into the distant earth, and struggling on tyrs, who have laid down their lives in the dim arena of a human heart, all things testimony of Christ, their great Master above are spectators of its conflict, or enand Exemplar, how glorious in life and in listed in its cause. The angels have their death do they appear! Unterrified, un-charge over it-the banner of archangels shaken, scorning renunciation; as the are on its side; and, from sphere to venerable Polycarp, who, when called sphere, through the illimitable ether, and upon to renounce his faith, replied with round the impenetrable darkness, at the exultation, "Lo! these long years have feet of God, its triumph is hymned by

THE BLACKSMITH,

AT THE BATTLE OF BRANDYWINE.

The thousand instances of high courage and heroic daring among our brave soldiers, which the report of every new battle brings to our ears, and which make the North glory in her sons, have had their parallel in days gone by. Our Anglo-Saxon race is not now for the first time noble-spirited and valiant. These two qualities are inherent in our nature; the wars of the Revolution and of 1812 developed valor and reckless daring which, in mauy instances, burst forth in almost fearful forms. Of this character was that which is detailed in the following incident. The hero was a stout blacksmith, ―aye, an humble blacksmith, but his stout frame, hardened by toil, throbbed with as generous an impulse of freedom, as ever beat in the bosom of Lafayette, or throbbed around the heart of mad Anthony Wayne. Read the recital in better language than I can give it.

"It was in the full tide of the retreat, that a follower of the American camp, who had at least shouldered a cart-whip in his country's service, was driving a baggage wagon from the battle field, while some distance behind a body of Continentals were rushing forward with a troop of British in close pursuit.

The wagon had arrived at a narrow point of the by-road leading to the south, where two high banks of rock and crag arising on either side, afforded just space sufficient for the passage of his wagon, and not an inch more.

His eye was arrested by the sight of a stout, muscular man, some forty years of age, extended at the foot of a tree at the very opening of this pass. He was clad in the coarse attire of a mechanic. His coat had been flung aside, and, with the shirt sleves rolled up from his muscular arm, he lay extended on the turf, with his

up

"I'll not get into your wagon," he exclaimed in his rough way; "but I'll tell you what I will do. Do you see yonder cherry tree on the top of that rock that think you hangs over the road? Do you could lift a man of built my there?for you see, neighbor," he continued while the blood flowed from his wound, "I never meddled with the Britishers until they came trampling over this valley and burned my house down. And now I'm all riddled to pieces, and haint got no more than fifteen minutes life in me; but I've got three rifle balls in my cartridge-box, and so just prop me up against that cherry tree, and I'll give 'em the whole three shots, and then," he exclaimed, " and then I'll die!"

The wagoner started his horse ahead, and then with a sudden effort of strength, dragged the blacksmith along the sod to the foot of the cherry tree surmounting the rock by the roadside.

In a moment his back was propped against the tree, his face was to the advancing troopers, and while his shattered leg hung over the bank, the wagoner rushed on his way, while the blacksmith very cooly proceeded to load his rifle.

It was not long before a body of American soldiers rushed by with the British in pursuit. The blacksmith greeted them with a shout, and then raising his rifle to his shoulder, he picked the foremost from his steed, with the exclamation : "That's for General Washington!" In a moment the rifle was loaded, again it was fired, and the British rode over the body of another fallen officer. "That's for myself!" cried the blacksmith. And then with a hand strong with the feeling of coming death, the sturdy freeman again loaded, again raised his rifle. He fired his last shot, and as another soldier kissed the sod, a tear quivered in the eye of the dy

ing blacksmith, "And that," he cried with a husky voice which strengthened into a shout, and that's for mad Anthony Wayne!"

Long after the battle was past, the body was discovered, propped against the tree, with the features frozen in death, smiling grimly, while the right hand still grasped the never failing rifle."

And thus died one of the thousands of the brave mechanics of the Revolution ; O, Southerners! were they only "greasy mechanics?"-thus will die thousands of the brave mechanics of the North, and West in the present desperate war for the Union; brave in the hour of battle; undaunted in the hour of retreat; and undismayed in the hour of death. C. M. S.

awakening! The presence of those convolvulus flowers,-(morning glory; we like this common name the best,) carved upon this tomb, was hailed with deep satisfaction. No skeptical idea of "death, the eternal sleep," was there expressed. Here, French infidelity had not set its signet, and we were thankful!

A short walk, paved with marble, and flanked on each side by a low wall of the same material, enclosing a narrow border of soil in which white chrysanthemums were growing, led to the door. This, like others of its description, was open at the top, and protected by an iron screen. Looking into the interior, which was a square, open space, of modest dimensions, from which steps led down to the unoccupied vault below, we were surprised at the number of wreaths which lay in piles upon the floor. These were richly woven of immortells, and had been brought by friends and admirers, as tributes of respect and affection, or admiration of her whose wondrous genius had awakened such acclamations of praise, from appreciative thousands, throughout Europe, from the shores of America, and from the Islands of the Sea! We counted nearly one hundred of these garlands, thus laid upon the shrine of the tragic queen, while we noticed large numbers of cards upon the marble slab opposite the door; many of them with the corners turned down, indicative that the owners of these names had presented their mementos in person. What absurd mockery in thus making calls and offerings of compliment. at the very door of the tomb! was the first thought. And yet, in the next instant, there seemed a kind of touching pathos in these tokens that 'she who was the star of public favor had not gone down in night-was not forgotten-was still living in the hearts that had known and lov

ed her.

bath morning, surrounded by monuments of buried loves and hopes,-the wrecks of pride and blighted joys, we were touched with a tender respect for the spirit which prompted these remembrancers of one who, clothed with honors so painfully won in the field of effort to which she felt called by the wondrous powers with which she had been gifted, had walked the earth for a brief, bright period not indeed, wholly uncontaminated by the dangerous atmosphere inseparable from that career, yet winning a name that will long throw lustre upon her once despised nation! She had now laid by her stage robes and gone to her silent chamber, from thence we trust, to awaken to a higher life of holier calm, after the feverish excitement of an unsatisfying earthly career.

Lilfred's Rest.

M. C. G.

THE SUNNY SIDE.
Our life has sorrows and has joy,
The world is not all sad;
Its thousand beauties well we know,
When sunshine makes it glad.
Though clouds will sometimes intervene,
And darkness oft enshrouds,

A sunny side may still be seen
Of even darkest clouds.
Though night and darkness are around,
Their gloom hastes soon away,
And gloomy hours that sadden hesrts,
Are darkest near the day.
Kind Providence is over all,

And knows our every need,
And He hath said He will not break
A bruised and bending reed.
Then let us seek to do God's will,
Whene'er that will is known,
And He, who doeth all things well
Will leave us not alone.

T. N. R.

If Abraham, Isaac and Jacob-the worthies of old-cluster on the heavenly hills, if Moses wears a glory more celestial than that which he bore from the awful mount, if Elijah is clothed with a radiance brighter than the wheels of his fiery chariot, if By some, these tokens of honor, paid, Stephen's face still shines like an angel's, (it is true, in a remarkably Parisian but is mingled now with no hue of death; style,) to the memory of one who, in pur- if all these are existent yet-because God suing a splendid though dangerous career, is not a God of the dead, but of the living had not passed unscathed amid its mani- let us feel that even the least find a fold temptations, might have been deemed home somewhere in the hospitable uniabsurd, nay, even impious. Yet, stand- verse, and in the sustaining omnipresing there in the bright calm of that Sab-ence of the Father.- Chapin.