During her last illness she was mercifully supported, and died in peace on Thursday, September 28th, 1882, aged seventy-seven years. As she lived, so she died, looking for the mercy of the Lord Jesus unto eternal life. Nothing was more apparent than the steadfastness of her faith and love. She knew the work was the Lord's, and was not left in trial to cast away her confidence.

About three months before her death, I had the sweetest visit with her I remember. A whisper from the Lord had assured her of the forgiveness of all her sins. This was to prepare her for the end and the deep inward trials that attended it. She frequently mentioned the verse of the hymn as expressing

these

"He'll cause thee to bring

Thy griefs to His throne,
But answers of peace

To thee shall send none :
Then sorrow and sadness
Thy heart shall divide,
Because He's determined
His grace shall be tried."

Deeply mourning and sorrowful as she was, we know now she is comforted; and, even before her departure, sweet helps were vouchsafed her. It was deeply serious, but sweet to witness the breathings of her soul in faith and patience as the end drew near. She wanted nothing earthly means could supply to ease and refresh her. It was a privilege to know and love her, and we shall long miss her. Her remains lie beside her mother's grave in Pulverbach churchyard.

Pulverbach.

R. B. BENSON.

[Many of our readers, doubtless, are well acquainted with the interesting memoir of Sukey Harley, and will read with pleasure this little account of her only child, for whom she felt a deep concern, and offered up many prayers, which a covenant God graciously answered in bringing her to the feet of Jesus, and preserving her to His heavenly kingdom. May praying parents be thereby encouraged to seek the salvation of their children, remembering that all power is His who said, "Ask, and ye shall receive;" and, even though He delays to give us our request, that time is not lost which is spent in prayer.-ED.]

WHEN thou hast truly thanked thy God

For every blessing sent,

But little time will then remain

For murmur or lament.

LINES

WRITTEN FROM THOUGHTS UPON HABAKKUK III. 17, 18.*

AH! why this disconsolate frame?
Though earthly enjoyments decay,
My Jesus is ever the same—
A Sun in the gloomiest day.
Though molten awhile in the fire,
'Tis only the gold to refine;
Then be it my simple desire,

Though suffering, yet not to repine.
For what are the pleasures to me
That earth in its fulness can boast?
Delusive its vanities flee-

A flash of enjoyment at most.
And if the Redeemer could part,
For me, with His throne in the skies,
Ah! why is so dear to my heart
What He in His wisdom denies ?

If riches to others are given,

And in vintage and corn they abound;
Yet, if I have treasure in heaven,

There should my affections be found.

Why stoop for the glittering sands
Which they are so eager to share,
Forgetting those wealthier lands
Which form my inheritance there?
Dear Jesus, my feelings refine,
My roving affections recall;
Then be there no fruit in the vine,
Deserted and empty the stall—
The long-laboured olive may die,
The field may no harvest afford;
Yet, under the gloomiest sky,

My soul may rejoice in the Lord.
Then let the rude tempest assail,
The blast of adversity blow;
The haven, though distant, I hail,
Beyond this rough ocean of woe.
When safe on its beautiful strand,

I'll smile at the billows that foam;
Kind angels shall hail me to land,

And my Jesus will welcome me home.

These lines are noticed in "The Life and Letters of the late Thomas Hardy, of Leicester," Vol. I., page 77. Mr. Hardy highly esteemed them, as conveying light on that wonderful passage, Habakkuk iii. 17, 18.

[WE purpose devoting a few pages monthly, of the SOWER, to the exposing of Popery, and the deadly tendencies of those evil notions which are being spread abroad under various names, but all containing alike the seeds of infidelity and influences subversive of the interests of the rising race, both morally and spiritually. Many families could bear sad record to the spread of this Satanic poison.]

THE WHOLE COUNSEL OF GOD TO BE PREACHED.

Do you believe the Bible? Then depend upon it hell is a subject that ought not to be kept back. It is striking to observe the many texts about it in Scripture. It is striking to observe that none say so much about it as our Lord Jesus Christ, that gracious and merciful Saviour; and the Apostle John, whose heart seems full of love. Truly it may well be doubted whether we ministers speak of it as much as we ought. I cannot forget the words of a dying hearer of Mr. Newton-"Sir, you often told me of Christ and salvation, why did you not oftener remind me of hell and danger?" Let others hold their peace about hell if they will-I dare not do so. I see it plainly in Scripture, and I must speak of it. I fear that thousands are on that broad way that leads to it, and I would fain arouse them to a sense of the peril before them. What would you say of the man who saw his neighbour's house in danger of being burned down, and never raised the cry of "Fire"? What ought to be said of us as ministers, if we call ourselves watchmen for souls, and yet see the fires of hell raging in the distance, and never give the alarm? Call it bad taste if you like, to speak of hell. Call it charity to make things pleasant, and speak smoothly, and soothe men with a constant lullaby of peace. From such notions of taste and charity may I ever be delivered! My notion of charity is ever to warn men plainly of danger. My notion of taste in the ministerial office is to declare all the counsel of God. If I never spoke of hell, I should think I had kept back something that was profitable, and should look on myself as an accomplice of the devil-RYLE.

To seek to the second means with the neglect of the first is the fruit of a false faith.-Bishop Hall.

THE heir of a great estate, while a child, thinks more of a few shillings in his pocket than of his inheritance; so a Christian is often more elated by some frame of heart than of his title to glory.-Newton.

THE BANEFUL INFLUENCE OF POPERY.

THE influence of Popery is evil, always and everywhere. See the testimony of the most eminent men of our time.

Lord Macaulay says "Throughout Christendom. whatever advance has been made in knowledge, in wealth, and in the arts of life, has been made in spite of her, the Papacy, and has everywhere been in inverse proportion to her power. The loveliest provinces in Europe have, under her rule, been sunk in poverty, in political servitude, and in intellectual torpor; while Protestant countries, once proverbial for sterility and barbarism, have been turned by skill and industry into gardens, and can boast of a long list of heroes, statesmen, philosophers, and poets."

The opinion of Bishop Burnet—"Learn to view Popery in a true light, as a conspiracy to exalt the power of the clergy, by offering to the world another method of being saved besides that presented by the Gospel. Popery is a mass of impostures, supported by men who manage them with great advantage, and impose them with inexpressible severity on those who dare call anything in question that they dictate to them."

Milton's opinion-" Popery is a double thing to deal with, and claims a two-fold power-ecclesiastical and political-both usurped, and one supporting the other."

Canon Melville says—“Make peace if you will with Popery; receive it into your senate, in your chamber; plant it in your hearts; but be ye certain—as certain as there is a heaven above you, and a God over you-that the Popery thus honoured and embraced is the very Popery that was loathed and degraded by the holiest of your fathers, the same which lorded it over kings, assumed the prerogative of Deity, crushed human liberty, and slew the saints of God."

JESUITS.

WE leave our readers to surmise if, and how far, the following letter may be justly applied at the present time. It was written by a Jesuit agent of the name of Fagan, to the Sacred and Holy Society of Jesus, at Paris, dated May 13th, 1642:

"REV. SIRS,—We doubt not but to make a great progress in what we have undertaken. We have put the mobile out of conceit with Canterbury, the head of their heretical Episcopacy, and doubt not in time to perfect our designs through factions between themselves. It must not be totally arms that can conquer heresy, as you have advised, but separation, which has prevailed much of late.

We be encouraging the Independents

purposely to balance the sects, lest they grow too ponderous, high, and lofty; and, as we shall find them also, we shall encourage the Anabaptists, knowing all these are a distraction in a heretical monarchy. We entreat you to signify to the Convent that we want wise, learned, and subtle scholars to come and assist these new sects, that they may be still at variance. The old cub, Canterbury, suspects not the Church Catholic in the least, but is inveterate against the Puritan sort, and they against him. We seem very civil to him, and cherish him against the Puritans, whilst we visit him, so that he dreams not how the net is spread to catch him."

[We leave our readers to reflect how far the above is literally true to-day.-ED.]

LORD QUEENSBERRY AND THE HOUSE OF LORDS. THE Marquis of Queensberry, speaking at the opening of a branch of the Secular Union at Stockport, said that he had been excluded from the House of Lords for his opinions. This representation of his own case had led to its being said that he was an atheist, and denied the existence of God; whereas, on the contrary, he being an agnostic, had never expressed an opinion as to the being of a God, believing the problem too abstruse to be solved by man in his present state.

Well may it be asked in Holy Writ, "Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?" (1 Cor. i. 20.) The above fact is one of many now frequently passing under our notice, which prove that the world by wisdom knows not God, and that even the learned and the great, untaught by the Spirit of God, professing to be wise, manifest themselves to be fools when they attempt to speak of matters which concern the souls of men. Here is a nobleman professing not to know whether there be a God, and believing it impossible for man in his present state to solve the question. Believers know that man, by searching, cannot find out God, but they also know that He manifests Himself to His saints as He does not to the world. They are brought by His teaching to know Him in His Word, feel His power, grace, love, and presence in their hearts, and by faith to commune with Him at the throne of grace, so as to be assured of His existence and His friendship, for "he that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself" (1 John v. 10). Happy are they who, receiving the remission of sin through faith in Jesus, can say, "I know whom I have believed" (2 Tim. i. 12). They are not like the poor wretches who, after having disowned and denied God and His truth, are in no better a position at the best than one who