Would want some other father. Much design If art to form, and council to conduct, That God is good and kind, appears in his creation. He opens his hand and satisfies the desires of his creatures, granting them food and raiment necessary and convenient. God has created man with a desire after immortality. Why this universal belief among the wisest and best of all nations in a future life? Does the Allwise intend to deceive the creatures whom he hath made? Reason and true Philosophy give an emphatic No! Mark how the good man feels when he obeys the law of love toward his fellow-men. He feels that God approves, and all is well. His conscience bearing witness, his happiness Increases. He feels that God is Love, and that he will be forever blest if he obeys the voice within. Mark him who does his neighbor wrong; peace departs, his soul is tormented, he fears and shuns the presence of his Maker. Although he may profess to disbelieve in the existence of a God, yet he can not escape the lashings of his conscience within. Does not God teach by the Spirit that he has placed within the soul, that he will reward the right eous and punish the wicked? Does he intend to deceive mankind by manifestations thus given? Man "has a soul of vast desires." that can range o'er the creation of God in a moment of time; it can take into contemplation other worlds and beings. Would the Almighty create a being with such desires and aspirations. elevate him above many orders of beings, and then sink him into nothing? Nature recoils at the thought, and Philosophy answers No! In the language of Mr. Addison, which may be considered as a kind of paraphrase on the words of the Apostle, (2. cor. v.), it is thus forcibly stated: Whence this pleasing hope, this fond desire, Or whence this secret dread and inward horror 'Tis Heaven itself that points out an hereafter, And intimates eternity to man. The soul secured in her existence, smiles The traveler being convinced by the truth of true Philosophy, accepts the guidance of Christian Faith. She is represented as holding a cross, the emblem of Christianity, and points upward to a mansion on high. Under the guidance of this daughter of Heaven, the Pilgrim can overcome all difficulties. She sup ports him in poverty and affliction, in humiliation and disappointment. By her power he can calmly look upon these things which may thicken around him, and he can even look death in the face. He recognizes the realities of eternal scenes, compared with which the concerns of this world dwindle into minor im portance. Faith, the Apostle declares, is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen; or in, other words, the passage may imply such a conviction as is impressed upon the mind by the demonstration of a problem, after which proof no doubt can remain. The things hoped for are the peace and approbation of God, and those blessings by which he is sus tained in his pathway and prepared for the Kingdom of Heaven. In an extended sense, the things hoped for are the resurrection of the body, the new heavens and the new earth, the introduction of believers into the heavenly country, and the possessions of eternal glory. The things unseen are the creation of the world out of nothing, the resurrection of Christ from the dead, his ascension and his mediation at the right hand of God, all of which we firmly believe on the testimony of God's word. Faith comforts the soul with the assurance of another and better life. Happy is he who, with a firm and truthful voice, says, “I believe in the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting." It animates the soul. Eternal life! A life with God! with the General As sembly of just men, the Church of the first born, pure and holy. Here are no disappoin ments, but joy present and complete, future and eternal! "Tis Immortality-'t is that alone, Amidst Life's pains, abasements, emptiness, The soul can comfort, elevate, and fill."-Young. Be not high-minded but fear. Rom. x: 20-The Lord taketh BEHOLD the gentle sisters, hand in hand, Looks to the skies, where all seems fair and Sees not the dangers that her path beset, way, Thus, hand in hand, their prudence they display; Fear therefore walks forward with caution, armed with a shield for defense. Hope, on the other hand, having the anchor by her side, is continually looking upward, and perhaps does not always pay sufficient atten tion to the dangers which may lurk around, but by having Fear for a companion, she is shielded and protected. from her enemies. Indeed, these two ought not to be separated while the heavenly pathway is being traversed. Fear and hope are here personified | forearmed." by two female figures, holding each other by the hand, both of whom are traveling to the celestial city through this present evil world. Fear is alive to the dangers which beset her pathway. She discovers the poisonous serpent concealed, it may be behind the rosebush; she hears the growl of the wild beast, for Satan himself is represented as a roaring lion going about seeking whom he may devour. Forewarned, Hopes and Fears" says one, "are the great | The prisoner's freedom, and the poor man's springs of human actions, and though seem- wealth; ingly standing in opposition to one another, The sailor's safety, tossing as one breath, It is declared by divine inspiration that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." This fear of God, according to religious writers, is that holy disposition or gracious habits formed in the soul by the Holy Spirit, whereby we are inclined to obey all of God's commands; and evinces itself by a dread of his displeasure-a desire for his favor-regard for his excellencies-submission to his will-sincerity in his worship, and conscientious obedience to his commands. He that possesses the fear of God can be confided in. Men can deceive cach other, and, it may be, have little regard for what their fellows can do for or against them, but they know that from the Almighty nothing can be concealed, and that he will require a strict account of all their thoughts and actions. Hope is one of the greatest blessings ever granted to man, even as far as the present world is concerned. It is said, in the old heathen fable, that when Prometheus stole fire from heaven with which he animated mortal bodies, Jupiter, the supreme divinity, in anger to mankind, gave Pandora a closed box, but her curiosity-which the god foresaw-prompting her to open it, out flew a variety of plagues and evils, which immediately dispersed themselves over the world. Confounded and astonished, Pandora shut the fatal box again, when all the rest of the contents being fled, Hope alone remained at the bottom, which proved the only consolation that Jupiter or Jove had Bent among them. Hope is the first great blessing here below, It is the staff of age, the sick man's health; Alas! without hope, of what value would our mortal existence prove? How should we be enabled to bear up under difficulties; what cordial should we have to oppose to the thousand heart-corroding cares with which this frail life abounds? It is then we avail ourselves of this anchor, and of the three Christian graces; but are most relieved by Hope, which leads on, through faith, to the promise of happier days here, and to endless bliss be yond the grave. To be without hope is the most dreadful of all earthly punishments; it is the refuge of the poor and needy, and renders the distribu tion of cur lots below more equal, since the high and low, the rich and poor, can not, with justice, be deemed so widely different in the estates, when we consider that These are placed in hope and those in fear. Hope is, in short, our best companion; it leads us, as it were, by the hand through all difficulties and dangers; and it may justly be said of it, as has been observed of love, that The cordial drop heaven in our life has thrown, To make the nauseous draught of life go down." "There is," says Dr. Johnson, "no temper so generally indulged as hope; other passions operate by starts on particular occasions or in certain parts of life; but hope begins with the first power of comparing our actual with our possible state, and attends us through every state and period, always urging us onward to new acquisitions, and holding out some dis tant blessings to our view, promising us either relief from pain or increase of happiness." Hope is necessary in every condition. The miseries of poverty, of sickness, captivity, would, without this comfort, be insupportable; nor does it appear that the highest lot of terrestrial existence can set us above the want of this general blessing, or that life, when the gifts of nature and of fortune are accumu fated upon it, would not still be wretched, were it not elevated and delighted by the expectation of some new possession, of some enjoyment yet to come, by which the wish shall be at last satisfied, and the heart filled up to ita utmost extent. Then shalt thou call and the Lord shall answer. Is. LVIII: 9.And while they are yet speaking I will hear. Is. LXV: 24. THOUGHT o'er the wire speeds on with lightning wings, And lo! an instantaneous answer brings, The one above the sinner's prayer will heed. The power of communicating thought or words to distant regions in a moment of time, is one of the greatest discoveries of modern times. The nature of the agent by which this is accomplished is wonderful and mysterious. In a certain sense. time and distance are almost annihilated In an instant we can send our When thoughts upon the wire of prayer as cend, Earth and Heaven together quickly blend. words, our thoughts, and desires over wide countries, through mighty seas, to those we wish to see, and hold sweet converse with those we love. This method of communication is, in some respects, a striking similitude to that by which man can make his wants known to his Father above, and hold close converse with him. For the welfare and convenience of his creatures, the Great Proprietor of all has established stations where they can send their petitions and desires, and receive gracious answers. These stations are the sanctuaries or places where God's people meet. To get into communication, the applicant or operator must ascend the steps of Faith and Hope to that of Love and Prayer. Here he can send his messages by the telegraph wire of prayer, over hills and mountains, up vast heights, even to regions beyond the clouds-to the Great God who is above all, with the expectation of receiving a speedy answer. The telegraph wire is supported throughout its course by props. These represent the promises of God, firm and everlasting, being in this respect unlike those which we often see in other lines of communication, which are blown down and broken by tempests. The props of the Spiritual Telegraph line, however, remain forever the same. When tempests sweep around, and lightnings flash, when thunders roll, they neither bend nor break, but stand upright while ceaseless ages roll! Though we may be in the depths of affliction, the wires of the Spiritual Telegraph are ever within our reach. Our Heavenly Father understands every touch we make, and oftentimes, when we are yet speaking, he will answer our petitions. Though we may be in the depths of poverty, and know not where to obtain our daily bread-though our clothes may be in tatters, so as to render us unfit to appear in public, yet we have the privilege of using the telegraphic wires without money and without price. On the telegraphic lines, certain persons have privileges which are not granted to others, such as those who hold official stations, etc., who have the right of sending communications over the wires before all others. This is deemed necessary for the general good, as private affairs must give way to those of a public character. But those who use the Spiritual Telegraph are under no such restrictions. He "who sits in the circle of the Heavens can receive at one and the same moment myriads of communications from every part of his vast creation, perfectly understanding every thought and desire of all beings in all worlds. He can, also, at one and the same moment, give as close attention to every applicant, as if there were but one among all created beings. The dutiful son who is in a distant country, often thinks of home, and sends messages to those whom he loves. Thus the Christian, "whose conversation is in Heaven," will be often sending messages thither by the Spiritual Telegraph. He has communications with God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and with the Holy Ghost the Comforter. O blessed art of holding communion with the Father of our spirits! O the height and depth of that blessed wisdom that devised the plan, that carried it out, and "opened the kingdom of Heaven to all believers!" Render, then, O Christian, thy faithful acknowledgements to the Redeemer, Mediator, and Intercessor! Remember that even amid the busy scenes of life, you can, in an instant, touch the telegraph wire, and open your heart like a little child to your good, loving Heavenly Father above, and ask his guidance and protection. When you lie down at night, remember that swifter than an angel's wing is the flight of a believer's petition to Him who never slumbers nor sleeps, The telegraphic current of communication is sometimes stopped or disturbed by storms, etc., in the vicinity of the lines. So storms of human passion, unholy and opposite currents in the atmosphere, will, on the Spiritual Telegraph, stop the communication between God and the soul. It is the same as "grieving the Holy Spirit of God," which we do when we sin, because of his immediate presence with us. When we set up |