attention either to the weather or to the fast-closing-in evening, except by hurrying their steps.

"It's sad work," said the younger, as she drew her shawl closer round her: "I don't know which way to turn, or where to look for help. My husband seems to grow worse, instead of better. The landlord threatens to turn us out of our cottage, where we have lived ever since we married; there is a heavy doctor's bill owing, besides the one we are running up week by week for George's illness, and I can hardly make enough to keep us, work as hard as ever I will. Bills are beginning to mount up in the village, and I feel ashamed to go to either butcher or baker-I, that prided myself on never owing a penny in my life!" And the poor woman fairly sobbed, as she ended her sorrowful tale. "I am glad I happened to fall in with you, Mary," said the elder woman: I had no idea what trouble you were in; and it's a lonely walk for either of us-especially for you, with such a sorrowful heart. But cheer up; it's a long lane that has no turning, and may be you will find a turning in yours before long."

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" I

"I have given up hope to-night!" said poor Mary. have been over to Halton, to George's uncle, to see what he would do for us. It was my last chance; and he almost turned me away from the door. He said cruel things that broke my heart; and now we have not a friend in the world !"

"But there's One in heaven," said the other woman, softly. "Have you asked Him to help you ?"

Yes, that I did at first," answered Mary, "for I foresaw all this trouble coming upon us, when George first fell ill; and I prayed and prayed, day after day, till it seemed of no use, for we only grew worse and worse, and never an answer to my prayer did I get."

There was silence for a few moments, broken at last by the elder woman crying out joyfully,

"There it is!-there is my friend in the night! Oh, Mary it has spoken many and many a comforting word to

me when I have been low and miserable! Has it ever talked to you?"

"Talked to me?-what do you mean?" asked Mary, wondering.

"Don't you see that little light out at sea ?—the revolving light? Watch it—how bright it is! It says, Be the night ever so dark, and ever so rough, there's somebody waking and watching; there's something that abides steadfast, and no storm can shake. But see !—it is beginning to fade; it grows fainter and fainter; now it is a mere speck of light! -now it is quite gone!"

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Yes," said poor Mary, despairingly; "no light shines long in this world, I think."

"Look, look!" cried her friend, triumphantly; "it's coming again! Brighter and brighter it grows there it is, shining away as steadily as ever, to keep poor souls off the dangerous rocks, and to guide them into the quiet havens where they would be!"

"Yes, it is a good thing for the poor sailors," said Mary; "but I don't know why you should think so much of it, unless it is company for you in the night."

"Company?—I should think it was company! for it tells me of the best of company, and preaches me a fresh sermon every time I see it. I will tell you what it says to me, Mary. It tells me about the Lord Jesus: the Light that is set up above all the waves and storms of life for us to look up to and be guided by, lest we be shipwrecked among all the troubles and dangers we are forced to sail through. He does not keep far away from us-not up in heaven, where we cannot reach Him-but sets His light up just where we want Him most. If we keep always looking at Him, we can't get far wrong. But sometimes it seems as if He hid His face, and did not hear us, and we think He pays no heed to our prayers or our troubles, and is going to let us shift for ourselves, and we take our eyes away and see nothing but the great tossing sea, and hear nothing but the wild wind; and the storm terrifies us.

But if we had only

kept on looking steadily through the darkness we should have seen the light come back again, just as it is doing now. We want to learn that it is there all the time; only hidden from us for a little bit; and we must go on gazing till it comes back again, as it surely will.

"Oh, Mary! the light has a message for you to-night. It says, Go on praying; go on hoping; never despair! God has hidden His face for a moment; but He has not forgotten you, and He wants you to go on hoping against hope, as some would say-trusting in Him, I say to help you as soon as ever He sees the right moment has come. Don't think He has forgotten you; don't give up praying, but go on believing; and the light that is turned away from you now, leaving you all darkness, will be quite sure to come round again and show its brightness, as soon as ever the right time comes. When you are in sore trouble like the present you think God has forgotten you, and you are ready to despair because you do not get an answer to your prayer at once. But you must do as the sailor does with the revolving light-believe that it is there, and wait till its friendly beam shines out again, never doubting for an instant that it will. The eye of our Lord Jesus is watching you from heaven all this time, though clouds are between you and Him; and though He may not send you the answer you expect, and may not send it as soon as you wish, He will never leave you to perish while you look up to Him. Never!-never, Mary! His word is firmer and stronger than the great mountains; His faithfulness reaches up to the clouds; and what does He say Himself? Ask, and ye shall receive ;''Call upon Me in the day of trouble; so will I hear thee, and thou shalt praise Me.'"

"But if He loves us so much, why does He let such trouble come upon us? If He can do everything, He could surely keep it away ?"

"Why do you send your children to school? Little Mary does not like going, I know, and perhaps she thinks, if you loved her, you would let her stay at home and play all day.

But you want her to learn to read and write, and to grow up a good, and useful, and happy woman, And we are all like children, who have to be taught; and God sets us our lessons; and sometimes we are so dull and inattentive that

He is obliged to set us very hard ones. He has set you one now, Mary-to teach you to pray, and trust, and wait; and if you only learn those three things, some day you will see this present trial was a blessing in disguise. Never doubt His love for a moment, any more than you would let the children doubt your love because you gave them medicine when they were ill, or punished them when they were naughty, or made them do what they did not like because it was good for them. Besides, if you know anything of His love at all; if you know that He gave His only Son to bear the punishment you deserved-to die instead of you-and that you, for His sake, in spite of all your sins and unfaithfulness, might rejoice for ever with Him in heaven-is it likely that He would neglect and forget you now, when it can cost Him no sacrifice? The Son of God came down from heaven and gave His life for you; the Father spared Him willingly: would either leave you to yourself now, and let you perish, and leave off loving you, when both have made such sacrifices for you? Will not God rather give you that faith which He requires to insure an answer to your prayers, if you ask Him? Is He not now longing to bestow it? Is He not longing to hear you say, 'Lord, save me! I perish!' that He may stretch out His hand, and draw you out of the stormy waves, where you are ready to sink, as He drew Peter out of them when his faith failed? Let the light that keeps coming and going, and always coming back again, remind you of the Light of the World,' shining steadfastly behind the clouds; and as the sailor looks and waits, and guides himself by it, so do you watch and pray, and never faint; and then, however rough the sea or threatening the sky, you can never be shipwrecked, because you know in Whom you have believed, and that He is the Master of winds and waves, and can make a calm as soon

as ever He pleases; and you will be content to wait His time who promises to hear all them that call upon Him faithfully."

If any one in trouble should read this, any one who is tempted to think God has forgotten him, let him think of the revolving light at sea, and wait hopefully till light shines through his darkness also. Let him remember the eye of Jesus watches him through the clouds all the time; the ear of Jesus hears his prayer; the love of Jesus sends him this message: "I hid My face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer."

Peace, God's Free Gift.

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H foolish heart, when wilt thou cease
The vain and sinful strife,
Thy fruitless efforts after peace,
Disquieting thy life?

No work, no effort of thine own
Can bring it to thy breast,
'Tis God's prerogative alone

To send the heaven-born guest.
In vain with cautious steps I seek
To shun earth's pleasure snare,
With closed lips unmurmuringly
Shame and reproach I bear.

Or like an anchorite of old

In solitude I dwell,

'Or all life's cares and joys inclose
In cloister's confined cell.

Or, sacrificing rest and ease,

Talents and time expend,

To gain sweet peace-all, all are vain
As means unto the end.

Vain cautious steps and closed lips,

Body by walls confined,

Penance of self-denial as vain,

Sin still affects the mind.