“A time to be born.”—Ecclesiastes 3:2 Most of us have stood at eventide on some tall cliff that towered above the far-stretching ocean, glowing with the reflected tints of the setting sun; while each restless wave, as it rose and fell, caught the golden glory. Then, as fresh beauties struck us—as new effects of light and shade, harmony and contrast, successively claimed our admiration—we longed for the skill of an artist to depict the scene, for our delight in coming days. The wish, though natural, was vain. The radiance departed from the solemn west; the darkness crept on and hid the distant prospect; and as the evening bell warned us of the flight of time, we wended our homeward way, with faint and fast-fleeting recollections…

Cowper, "The Task,” Book III. I was a stricken deer that left the herd Long since. With many an arrow deep infixed My panting side was charged, when I withdrew To seek a tranquil death in distant shades. There was I found by One who had Himself Been hurt by the archers. In His side He bore And in His hands and feet the cruel scars. With gentle force soliciting the darts, He drew them forth, and healed, and bade me live. Since then, with few associates, in remote And silent woods I wander, far from those My former partners of the peopled scene; With few associates, and not wishing more. The salvation of a sinner is the result of divine arrangements which were made…

"Put thou thy trust in God, In duty's path go on; Fix on His Word thy stedfast eye, So shall thy work be done." The example of our Lord and Master not only gives to the scriptural rite of baptism by immersion its highest and most solemn sanction; but His sacred experience exemplifies the wonderful privileges often conferred upon Christians who loyally and lovingly follow His holy example. As He went straightway up out of the water the heavens opened, and the Spirit, like a dove, descended upon Him; and there came a voice from heaven saying, "Thou art My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." In like manner it not unfrequently happens that as one of His faithful followers rises from the…

"I desire to follow providence, not to force it.”—Dr. Doddridge "Happy the man who sees a God employed In all the good and ill that chequer life! Resolving all events, with their effects And manifold results, into the will And arbitration wise of the Supreme." Cowper. The county of Suffolk will ever he regarded with interest by those to whom the Gospel is precious and important. Here pure and undefiled religion has long found illustrious exemplifications. In thousands of its cottage homes God has been honoured and His precepts obeyed. Its places of worship have often been associated with deeds of truest heroism, and with patient and prolonged efforts for the salvation of men, that were grand in their tenderness and enthusiasm. Here the truth…

"Along my earthly way How many clouds are spread! Darkness, with scarce one cheerful ray, Seems gathering o'er my head. Yet, Saviour, Thou art love; Oh, hide not from my view! But when I look in prayer above, Appear in mercy through. And, O! from that bright throne, I shall look back and see— The path I went, and that alone Was the right path for me.” “Our lives through various scenes are drawn.” So writes the great poet of the sanctuary; and his words find exemplification in the narrative we are relating; the next scene of which is laid in the heart of the Fens of the Eastern Counties. This district was originally one of those immense forests which abounded in our land, broken…

"He that believeth shall not make haste.” (Isa. 28:19) "Thy way, not mine, O Lord, However dark it be; O lead me by Thine own right hand Choose Thou the path for me. Smooth let it be, or rough It will be still the best; Winding or straight it matters not, It leads me to Thy rest. I dare not choose my lot, I would not if I might: But choose Thou for me, O my God. So shall I walk aright." Our narrative brings us to the year 1852. A curious lull followed the closing of the Great Exhibition of 1851, which some had considered as the pioneer of the reign of anti-christ, and others as the harbinger of the millennium, but dreams of…