How often has the thought

Of my mourned Mother brought

Peace to my troubled spirit, and new power

The tempter to repel !

Mother! thou knowest well

That thou hast blessed me since thy mortal hour.

J. PIERPONT.

HOLINESS.

"Teach me to do Thy will, for Thou art my God."-PSALM cxliii. 10.

I ASK the rest that spirit knows,

Whose will is wholly bowed to Thine;

That quiet and serene repose,

That can its every wish resign.

I want to labour faithfully

Within Thy vineyard all my day,

Be guided only by Thine eye,

Nor dare to choose my work or way.

And yet, whenever in Thy love

Thou givest the command, "Be still,"
May I as joyfully prepare

To suffer, as to do Thy will.

I ask not comfort, joy or peace,

For self in these oft makes her throne;
I only ask Thou wilt not cease

Until Thy work be wholly done.

I cannot rest, until my heart

Is purged from every taint of sin,

And, through the blood of sprinkling, made
Fit for Thyself to enter in.

And well I know Thy changeless love

Will all Thy living children cheer,
Whenever, in their thorny way,

Their spirits droop from doubt or fear.

All this I trust to Thee alone,

But leave me not, until there be,
On every action, word and tone,
The impress, Holiness to Thee.

E. T. KING.

DAILY WORK.

"In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thy hand, for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good"-ECCLES. xi. 6.

IN the name of God advancing,
Sow thy seed at morning light;
Cheerily the furrows turning,
Labour on with all thy might.
Look not at the far off future ;

Do the work which nearest lies;
Sow thou must before thou reapest,
Rest, at last, is labour's prize.

Standing still is dangerous ever,

Toil is meant for Christians now;
Let there be, when evening cometh,
Honest sweat upon thy brow.
And the Master shall come smiling,
When work stops at set of sun,

Saying, as He pays thy wages,

"Good and faithful one !-well done."

"CHRISTIAN TREASURY."

MY TIMES ARE IN THY HAND.

'My times are in Thy hand deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.-PSALM Xxxi. 15.

FATHER, I know that all my life

Is portioned out for me,

And the changes that are sure to come,

I do not fear to see ;

But I ask Thee for a present mind

Intent on pleasing Thee.

I ask Thee for a faithful love,
Through constant watching wise,
To meet the glad with joyful smiles,
And to wipe the weeping eyes;
And a heart at leisure from itself,
To soothe and sympathise.

I would not have the restless will
That hurries to and fro,
Seeking for some great thing to do,
Or secret thing to know;

I would be treated as a child,
And guided where I go.

Wherever in the world I am,
In whatsoe'er estate,

I have a fellowship with hearts
To keep and cultivate;

And a work of lowly love to do

For the Lord on whom I wait.

So I ask Thee for the daily strength,
To none that ask denied,

And a mind to blend with outward life

While keeping at Thy side :

Content to fill a little space,

If Thou be glorified.

And if some things I do not ask,
In my cup of blessing be,

I would have my spirit filled the more
With grateful love to Thee-

And careful-less to serve Thee much,
Than to please Thee perfectly.

There are briars besetting every path,

That call for patient care;
There is a cross in every lot,

And an earnest need for prayer ;
But the lowly heart that leans on Thee
Is happy anywhere.

In a service which Thy will appoints,
There are no bonds for me;

For my inmost heart is taught "the truth"
That makes Thy children "free";

And a life of self-renouncing love,

Is a life of liberty.

THOU MAINTAINEST MY LOT.

"The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: Thou maintainest my lot."-PSALM xvi. 5.

SOURCE of my life's refreshing springs,

Whose presence in my heart sustains me,
Thy love appoints me pleasant things,
Thy mercy orders all that pains me.
If loving hearts were never lonely,
If all they wish might always be,
Accepting what they look for only,

They might be glad, but not in Thee.
Well may Thy own beloved, who see

In all their lot their Father's pleasure,
Bear loss of all they love, save Thee,

Their living, everlasting treasure.

Well may Thy happy children cease
From restless wishes prone to sin,
And, in Thy own exceeding peace,
Yield to Thy daily discipline.

We need as much the cross we bear,
As air we breathe,-as light we see;
It draws us to Thy side in prayer,

It binds us to our strength in Thee.

DIVINE SATISFACTION.

"In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength."-ISAIAH XXX. 15.

WITH a heart full of anxious request,
Which my Father in heaven bestowed,

I wandered, alone and distressed,

In search of a quiet abode.
Astray and distracted I cried—

Lord, where would'st Thou have me to be?
And the voice of the Lamb that had died
Said, "Come, My beloved, to ME."

I went for He mightily wins

Weary souls to His peaceful retreat—
And He gave me forgiveness of sins,
And songs that I loved to repeat ;
And oft as my enemies came,

My views of His glory to dim,
He taught me to trust in His name,
And to triumph by leaning on Him.

Made pure by the blood that He shed,
My heart in His presence was free ;
I was hungry and thirsty-He fed-
I was sick, and He comforted me;