earth's light fades, as one after another of God's lights, and our beloved ones go away, or cease to do their active work here. But as Mr. Dallas gave his dying opinion of the nearness of the Lord's coming, as indicated in the signs which have been growing in impressiveness, and at last have culminated in the Pope's assembly of a thousand of his lords, in the palace of his kingdom, 'to praise the gods of gold and silver,' etc. (Dan. V. I-23), so I believe. And never did the prayer 'Come quickly' so occupy my heart as now. 'He cometh, He cometh to judge the world in righteousness, and the people with His truth.' The governments of the earth are breaking up; the dispensation of the Church is becoming more and more infirm and confused; the wisdom of man to remedy the vast and grievous evils in Church and State, and in all conditions of life, is becoming more and more convicted of utter insufficiency; the darkness grows deeper, all in preparation for His coming, who will judge Israel, administer justice and righteousness, give peace, establish holiness, fulfil His promises. ON THE DEATH OF BISHOP MCILVAINE'S SON. TO HON. R. C. WINTHROP. MY VERY DEAR FRIEND, It was most kind in you to write me the affectionate and heart-helping letter of sympathy in our affliction, received yesterday; especially as you were in painful anxiety about your own son. Our Father has chastened us in His love, to make us, through His Spirit, more entirely 'partakers of His holiness.' The affliction is the more deep, because our beloved son, since his college-days, had been an invalid, and so had most tenderly possessed our hearts, even beyond the usual love of parents. Then all his life had been so DEATH OF BISHOP MCILVAINE'S SON. 301 tenderly filial to us and faithful to God. It is twentythree years since, after a boyhood of serious thoughts and desires, he became an intelligent communicant; and for nearly twenty years he had lived, in the atmosphere of a public office in Washington, such a life of pure, humble, steadfast consistency as a Christian, that 'Christian gentleman' was the praise everybody gave him. I never knew such pure love of knowledge for its own sake, or a more persistent growth in good attainment. We had long been meditating, and he also, his resignation and coming home. I think I could not possibly have a more perfect, sweet and uplifting, praising, adoring certainty of his salvation and present blessedness; so that Mrs. McIlvaine and all of us are not merely resigned, we are full of loving praise to God for his goodness and grace to that most dear son; and yet the poor heart is sore-it is bercaved, and cannot help aching. I do earnestly trust, my dearest friend, there is no such pain in store for you as regards your absent son. But whatever affliction may ever come to you, may you find in God 'a very present help in the time of need.' . . . With a heart of tender love. YOUR AFFCTIONATE FRIEND. ON LEAVING AGAIN FOR ENGLAND. May 24th, 1870. Note-book. I take leave of all at home this afternoon for New York, expecting to sail for England on the 28th. 'Ye know not what shall be on the morrow.' It is not at all unlikely that to-day I shall take my last look, this side Eternity, of all these my beloved ones. 'The Lord's will be done'-'Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed upon Thee, because he trusteth in Thee.' That peace in a sustaining degree I feel, that trust I have. It is the anchor of my soul. That word of promise, on which it rests, is sure and steadfast.' That hope, so resting, 'entereth into that within the veil,' whither my dear Lord and all-sufficient intercessor has for me entered. I trust in Him, and have peace. Blessed be God for His boundless grace to me a sinner. Now all, good-bye-my dear wife and children, my sons-in-law, my daughter-in-law, my grandchildren -all beloved. I commit you to the love and grace of God in Christ, and pray, that when the Lamb's Book of Life shall be opened, each of your names may be found written there. Farewell, dear ones. How soon I shall see again my precious son, so recently gone from us to his Saviour! ON GREAT NATIONAL CHANGES. Farnham Castle, Surrey, October 4th, 1870. TO HON. R. C. WINTHROP. MY VERY DEAR FRIEND, I have had your interesting letter of the 14th a few days. It reached me in Winchester, whence I came here, yesterday, to see again my dear and venerable friend, Bishop Sumner, who, though he is no longer Bishop of Winchester, retains during life this fine old seat, which bears striking marks of one of Cromwell's sieges. I first came here in '35, and it has been one of my dear homes ever since; and all my family, except one daughter, have been here at different times. I am glad the meeting for Memphis was not called. Our board is fast changing. We must carefully get in some more enduring material, as a keel to the personal identity of the Trust. I will certainly fulfil your request as to the inscription at Fulham Palace; and will hope to report it to you soon. We are here in England so near the tremendous and ADDRESS ON THE NEW YEAR. 303 most awful things going on the other side of the Channel; and then the Pope's temporal sovereignty gone! What is God's doing? His arm is made bare. We stand still, and in quietness wait to see His salvation, while the judgment of the nation goes on. YOURS VERY AFFECTIONATELY. CHAPTER XVII. 1871-1873. BISHOP MCILVAINE'S ADDRESS ON THE NEW YEAR. Cincinnati, January 2nd, 1871. TO ALL OF THE DIOCESE OF OHIO, CLERGY AND LAITY, DEAR BRETHREN IN CHRIST JESUS: I desire to offer my affectionate salutation, on the opening of a new year. May it be to all of us a year of that happiness, which nothing can give but a true faith in Him, whose coming in the flesh, to be a sacrifice for us, we have recently celebrated. May His grace abound unto you, my brethren, in all holiness and faithfulness of living, with all joy and peace in believing. When last I endeavoured to labour among you, by active visitation from parish to parish, I was compelled by very reduced health to cease; and I went abroad to escape what is always so debilitating to me, the heat of our summer. By the goodness of God, I have recently returned with renewed strength, but conscious of the need of great carefulness in that part of my work, in which I have always found so much enjoyment of heart-the preaching of the Word. It is not, however, to be wondered at, considering my present age, and how long I have been permitted to labour in the Lord's vineyard. Last July was the fiftieth of my ministry; and I am now in the thirty-ninth year of my. Episcopate. Of all the venerable brethren, who were Bishops of this Church before me, none survive. Of the three who were consecrated with me, only one has not been taken away. Of those added during the subsequent eight years, only one remains. These are solemn facts in the numbering of my days. It is time to expect the decay of strength. The Lord be praised for what yet continues, and enable me to use it faithfully for Him and for you. My New Year salutation comes to you, brethren, in a very impressive period of the world's history. Looking back upon that just ended, how rapidly events have succeeded one another of the greatest magnitude, of which no believer in the Providence and promises of God can doubt, that they have a most intimate and momentous connection with predicted developments of His gracious purposes, introductory to the Second Coming of our Lord. Among them, the most important, though not that which has drawn the chief attention, is the dethronement of the Bishop of Rome from his usurped temporal sovereignty, and the occupation of that city, under a vote of the people, as the capital of another power. How marvellous that fall, from the very pinnacle of his own. temple, and just when his heaven-daring decree had been proclaimed, which was to secure, enlarge, and glorify his proudly asserted position as supreme head of the Church and the world--whose word none are permitted to doubt-whose will none may venture to disobey. Remembering that great Council of his spiritual lords, before which the decree was announced in great pomp, and in the great temple of Rome's idolatries, the description comes before us of the King of Babylon, before a thousand of his lords, feasting with the sacred vessels of gold and silver, taken from the ruined temple of God and Jerusalem, and praising' the gods of gold, and silver, and wood, and stone.' One cannot but remember the |