most rightful law of God Almighty, whereby the ways of places and times were disposed, according to those times and places; itself being the same, always and everywhere, not one thing in one place and another in another; according to which Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and Moses, and David, were righteous, and all these commended by the mouth of God; but were judged unrighteous by silly men "judging out of man's judgment," and measuring by their own petty habits the moral habits of the whole human race.

THE GATE OF HEAVEN.

SHE stood outside the gate of heaven, and saw them entering in,
A world-long train of shining ones, all washed in blood from sin.

The hero-martyr in the blaze uplifted his strong eye,
And trod firm the reconquered soil of his nativity!

And he who had despised his life, and laid it down in pain,
Now triumphed in its worthiness, and took it up again.

The holy one, who had met God in desert cave alone,
Feared not to stand with brethren around the Father's throne.

They who had done, in darkest night, the deeds of light and flame,
Circled about with them as with a glowing halo came.

And humble souls, who held themselves too dear for earth to buy, Now passed on through the golden gate, to live eternally.

And when into the glory the last of all did go,

"Thank God! there is a heaven," she cried, "though mine is endless woe."

The angel of the golden gate said, "Where, then, dost thou dwell? And who art thou that enterest not?"-"A soul escaped from hell."

Who knows to bless with prayer like thine, in hell can never be; God's angel could not, if he would, bar up this door from thee."

She left her sin outside the gate, she meekly entered there, Breathed free the blessed air of heaven, and knew her native air.

Anonymous.

MARCUS AURELIUS.

AURELIUS, MARCUS, the philosophic Roman emperor; born in Rome, April 20, 121 A.D.; died in Pannonia, March 17, 180. On account of his devotion to literature and philosophy he is often styled "The Philosopher," but he is known in history as Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. During his reign, his empire was visited by earthquake, famine, plague, and frequent wars; yet, amid the turmoil, he cherished always his love of peace, truth, and humanity. He founded in Athens chairs of philosophy for the Platonic, Stoic, Peripatetic, and Epicurean sects. His "Meditations," containing the inmost thoughts and purest aspirations of one of the noblest souls that ever lived, has always been highly prized.

EXCERPTS FROM THE "MEDITATIONS.”

THE BROTHERHOOD OF MAN.

BEGIN thy morning with these thoughts: I shall meet the meddler, the ingrate, the scorner, the hypocrite, the envious man, the cynic. These men are such because they know not to discern the difference between good and evil. But I know that Goodness is Beauty and that Evil is Loathsomeness: I know that the real nature of the evil-doer is akin to mine, not only physically but in a unity of intelligence and in participation in the Divine Nature. Therefore I know that I cannot be harmed by such persons, nor can they thrust upon me what is base.. I know, too, that I should not be angry with my kinsmen nor hate them, because we are all made to work together fitly like the feet, the hands, the eyelids, the rows of the upper and the lower teeth. To be at strife one with another is therefore contrary to our real nature; and to be angry with one another, to despise one another, is to be at strife one with another. (Book ii., § 1.)

Fashion thyself to the circumstances of thy lot. The men whom Fate hath made thy comrades here, love; and love them in sincerity and in truth. (Book vi., § 39.)

This is distinctive of men, to love those who do wrong. And this thou shalt do if thou forget not that they are thy kinsmen, and that they do wrong through ignorance and not through design; that ere long thou and they will be dead; and more than all, that the evil-doer hath really done thee no evil, since he hath left thy conscience unharmed. (Book viii., § 22.)

THE SUPREME NOBILITY OF DUTY.

As a Roman and as a man, strive steadfastly every moment to do thy duty, with dignity, sincerity, and loving-kindness, freely and justly, and freed from all disquieting thought concerning any other thing. And from such thought thou wilt be free if every act be done as though it were thy last, putting away from thee slothfulness, all loathing to do what Reason bids thee, all dissimulation, selfishness, and discontent with thine appointed lot. Behold, then, how few are the things needful for

life which will flow onward like a quiet stream, blessed even as the life of the gods. For he who so lives, fulfils their will. (Book ii., § 5.)

So long as thou art doing thy duty, heed not warmth nor cold, drowsiness nor wakefulness, life nor impending death; nay, even in the very act of death, which is indeed only one of the acts of life, it suffices to do well what then remains to be done. (Book vi., § 2.)

I strive to do my duty; to all other considerations I am indifferent, whether they be material things or unreasoning and ignorant people. (Book vi., § 22.)

THIS very moment thou mayest die. Think, act, as if this were now to befall thee. Yet fear not death. If there are gods they will do thee no evil. If there are not gods, or if they care not for the welfare of men, why should I care to live in a Universe that is devoid of Divine beings or of any providential care? But, verily, there are Divine beings, and they do concern themselves with the welfare of men; and they have given unto him all power not to fall into any real evil. If, indeed, what men call misfortunes were really evils, then from these things, also, man would have been given the power to free him