whom you have chosen as your Master, and in these ordinances of Divine appointment acknowledge openly Him whom you serve. Come and receive freely the blessings he stands ready to bestow upon every open, fearless disciple, and let no thought or fear of man stand between your soul and its Redeemer. Come, and so confess him before men, that he may confess you before the Father and his holy angels.

Remember, too, that as you take this open, definite position, you express your faith in that vital union which should ever exist between the soul and its Redeemer. "I am the vine, ye are the branches"; and as the abiding and sustaining Comforter, Quickener, and Friend, he has promised to dwell within you, to guide and animate you, to prompt you to duty, to restrain you from sin, to lead you to the Father. You express, too, not merely your affection and allegiance to Christ, but your purpose to strive tỏ be like him, "the willing servant of every human want,” — to be prompt in duty, ready for every benevolent exertion, willing to make sacrifices, to give yourself to his work, wherever and however he may point the way.

"O, give to Christ alone thy heart,

Thy faith, thy love supreme;
Then for his sake thine alms impart,

And so give all to him."

But you say, "At times I feel thus, and would

be willing to make any exertion or sacrifice; but again I am cold and indifferent, and I dare not trust my own faith and purposes." I reply, that if you are conscious of sincerity of purpose and aim, of having made the distinct choice of Christ as your Saviour and Guide, then observe these very ordinances which he has appointed as means of spiritual nourishment, growth, and quickening. God reads your heart, and, while your feelings may often vary according to your peculiar temperament and the influence of outward circumstances, He knows the settled purpose, the true and real desire, of the inmost soul. While, then, you may not always be able to feel the same fervor and interest, let the observance of the holy Supper be preceded by self-examination and prayer, by communion with your Saviour, and meditation on all that he has done, and has promised to do, for you, and it will never be without some quickening, hallowing power over your soul. If observed in a right spirit, it will be the means of greater watchfulness, of a truer earnestness, and a more faithful walk among men; weaving stronger bonds of spiritual union, and bringing you into closer harmony with the great Head of the Church Universal.

Come, then, and in these ordinances of Divine appointment openly and joyfully acknowledge your relationship to Christ, your membership in the one great spiritual Church of which he is the

Life and the Head. Consecrate yourself to the Father who loves you, who has ever watched over, kept, and sustained you,—the God of eternal wisdom, power, and love. Consecrate yourself to your Saviour, to him who lived and died for you, who has given you the assurance of pardon and salvation through his redeeming love, who has promised to aid you, and to dwell with and in you, even as your spirit turns to him in humble faith for strength and blessing. Consecrate yourself to those influences of the Holy Spirit promised, through Christ, to every believing, waiting soul; and thus acknowledging your Divine allegiance before men, thus confessing your Saviour on earth, may you be aided so to live, that he shall at length receive you, a redeemed and purified spirit, to his nearer presence, -that you may hear his own joyous words of welcome, "Well done, good and faithful servant! enter thou into the joy of thy Lord!"

LETTER XV.

THE HOME OF THE BELIEVER.

SINCE I last wrote to you, my dear friend, you have been called to pass through new and trying experiences, in the removal from your little circle of one very near and dear to you. Another has passed on, leaving your home solitary indeed, yet leaving the blessed memories of her pure and Christ-like spirit to cheer and guide you, as you strive, through earnest prayer and a trusting faith, to say with your Redeemer, “Father, thy will, not mine, be done!" "If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I go unto the Father"; and while the discipline of this present life is needed for your further purification, needed to prepare you better for those higher and wider spheres of progress and of love in the Saviour's immediate presence, will you not, even amid your sorrow, listen to those blessed words: "I am the Resurrection and the Life; in my Father's house are many mansions, I go to prepare a place for you; and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive

you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also"? Will you not turn with a deeper faith to Him who has taught us, by his own cross as well as by his lips, that through suffering the soul is made perfect,-made strong, patient, trustful? Will you not look upon this new bereavement as one of those marks of favor, honor, and distinction, which the Father, who loveth those whom He chasteneth, has set upon you? What hearts so likely to preserve the elevation, peace, and strength of the spiritual life, as those which have some of their nearest friends already within the veil, dwelling among things unseen to these mortal eyes? In what spirits is prayer likely to be so fervent, and the daily life so true, as where the communion of saints is felt to be a precious reality, and the intercourse between earth and heaven is innocently kept open and free by the passage of human sympathies and affections? What so animating as the thought of the "cloud of witnesses "?

The demands laid on you are now peculiarly strong; yet this is not your burden, but your dignity, not your hardship, but your joy, designed to stimulate and animate, not to depress you. Of yourself you are not sufficient for them, but all the more must you lean on the Almighty arm, and watch for the leadings of His providence. Leave every day to the God who watches over you, cares for you, and will direct your