THE LESSON OF HENRY'S DEATH.

I "Dearest Henry, thou hast left us,
Here thy loss we deeply feel;
But 'tis God that hath bereft us,
He can all our sorrows heal.
Yet again we hope to meet thee,
When the day of life is fled,
Then in heaven with joy to greet thee,
Where no farewell tear is shed.

2 That welcome face, that sparkling eye,
And sprightly form must buried lie;
Deep in the cold and silent gloom,
The rayless night that fills the tomb.
And we live on, but none can say,
How near, or distant is the day,
When death's unwelcome hand shall come
To lay us in our narrow home.

3 God tells us by this mournful death,
How vain and fleeting is our breath,
And bids our souls prepare to meet
The trial of his judgment seat.
That death is but a sleep

Beneath a Savior's care;

And he will surely safely keep

The body resting there.

Selected by KATIE OVERHOLT.

OUR FATHER'S CARE.

C. M.

I Encompassed by a throng of tears,
And many griefs and fears,

All that around our fireside sit,
Thus weeping, we must quit.

2 And with an eye of faith look up,
With Jesus drink the cup,

And say, O God, thy will be done;
Thou didst for us atone.

3 When all thy mercies, O my God!
My rising soul surveys,
Transported with the view, I'm lost
In wonder, love, and praise.

4 When in the slipp'ry paths of youth,
With heedless steps we ran,

Thine arm, unseen, conveyed us safe,
And led us safe to man.

5 Through hidden dangers, toils and death
It gently cleared our way;

And through the pleasing snares of vice,
More to be feared than they.

6 When worn with sickness, oft hast thou
With health renewed our face;
And when in sins and sorrows sunk,
Revived our souls with grace.

7 Through every period of our lives,
Thy goodness we'll pursue;
And after death, in distant worlds,
The glorious theme renew.

8 When nature fails, and day and night
Divide thy works no more,

Our ever-grateful hearts, O Lord,
Thy mercy shall adore.

9 Through all eternity, to thee
A joyful song we'll raise;
For, O! eternity's too short
To utter all thy praise.

10 O! may we meet, and be complete,

To utter all thy praise,

In sweetest strains of heavenly bliss,
Loud anthems ever raise.

S. GODSHALK.

HYMN.

C. M.

Alas! and did my Savior bleed,

And did Sov'reign die?

Would he devote that sacred head,
For such a worm as I?

That suffer'd in this world of sin,

On Jesus did rely;

Who shed his blood on Calvary,

To cleanse me from all sin.

CHORUS

My soul will overcome by the blood of the lamb,
My soul will overcome by the blood of the lamb,
Overcome, overcome, overcome,

By the blood of the Lamb.

HYMN.

METRE II.

I The church in her purity, what a grand sight,
In which all believers do take great delight,
To serve the Redeemer, in true living faith,
Submissive and humble, as the Bible saith.

2 Dear Henry, this was all your consolation,
In sickness, in trouble, in desolation;
The blessings that flow from the church triumphant,
Uphold it, O Jesus! and thy blessing grant.

3 In trials and trouble do watch over it,

And suffer it not by the tempter to split,

To slide from the faith, and the old sacred creed,
Be with us, dear Savior, thy help we all need.

4 Henry, were you conscious of the troubles here,
When thick gloomy clouds also trouble and fear,
And sickness surrounded you on every side,
That you would in heaven forever abide.

5 To reap of the spirit, eternal life there,

And palms of great honr in vict'ry to wear
With those that came out of great tribulation,

And made their robes white in the blood of the Lamb.

S. G.

S. GODSHALK.

The afflictions caused by the death of those we love often cause the deepest sorrow and the most intense agony of mind; and yet for the child of God they have a sanctifying influence, the experience of which is of inestimable value, and which those who have learned its worth, would not exchange for all the fleeting joys this world can give during a lifetime extending through as many years as that of Methuselah.

There is a bitterness in the first experience of these afflictions which is very hard to bear; and against which the soul very often rises up, as it were in open rebellion against a kind heavenly Father's will, but when the first outburst of the storm subsides, then comes a calm which is full of peace and blessedness. We are displeased and murmur and rebel at the hard lot which has been cast upon us, because we were made to drink the waters of Marah, but when the olive branch of God's Grace is cast in, and the soul rises up in prayer to him who is a very present help in every time of need, then we learn submission and the bitter waters are made sweet, and we rejoice in that love which through the christening rod of affliction taught us the way to a higher plane of Christian life, where in a greater fullness, clearer waters flow and greener pastures grow.

Thus David, when he mourned for his son, Absalom, would not be comforted, but afterwards he was enabled to say: "It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes.” Ps. 119:71. The wise man says that “it is better to go to the house of mourning, than to the house of feasting.” So Job, when he heard that all he had was to be taken away from him, and that all his children, in a single hour, had been slain he came down in sackcloth and ashes and mourned as though, in his sorrow he must die, yet afterwards he gives us an example of pious trust and submission which has proven the comfort of thousands in after days. "The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." And again he says, "Though he slay me yet will I trust in him."

The Lord has dealt with you, dear brother, in a manner which brought upon you a most severe affliction. You mourned and wept, and even now your soul feels an emptiness which can be

filled only when the long severed ties are again united and we meet the "loved ones gone before" on the golden shores of the "home over there," and yet there is a sweet comfort in the thought that Henry trusted in the dear Saviour, the sinner's friend, and that we have a bright hope, if we are faithful, to meet again. These light afflictions, which are but for a moment, work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. "Weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning." JOHN F. FUNK.

A GERMAN HYMN.

I Unser Bruder ist nicht mehr, Er ist nicht mehr vorhanden,
Er ging erstich von uns hier, Weit fort in fremde Landen,
Was die bewegend Ursach war, Dasz er von uns gezogen,
Das ist bei Gott all offenbar, Was ihn dazu bewogen.

2 Wie Jakob dort mit Benjamin, Gings fast dem Vater eben,

Sein juengster Sohn den sieht er geh'n Er that ihm Abscheid geben. Ein klein Stueck Weg ging er mit ihm, Thaet ihn noch kurz begleiten, Mit Hand und Kusz scheiden sie dan, Der Sohn sprach dann beim Scheiden:

3 Nun wollen wir doch leben so, Dasz wenn wir hier auf Erden
Uns nicht mehr seh'n im Leben da, Dasz es doch so moeg' werden,
Dasz wir uns moegen treffen dort, in Gottes Reich dort oben,
Mit allen Frommen unsern Gott, Ewig zu schau'n und loben.

4 Der Sohn kam gluecklich und gesund Ans Ziel von seiner Reise,
Er schien vergnuegt im fremden Land, Und kaufte gleicherweise
Sich ein Stueck Land zum Eigenthum, Thaet es dem Vater schreiben,
Thaet es ihm kund, was er gethan, Es schien, da wollt er bleiben.

5 In seinen Briefen schreib er so, Er thaet sich wohl befinden;
Um das zu hoeren, war man froh, Das kann man leichtlich denken;
Doch aber hoert die Neuigkeit, Bald hoert man andere Reden:
Die Botschaft kam, O, Traurigkeit! Er ist nicht mehr beim Leben.

6 Euer Sohn er starb im fremden Land, Auf einer Strasz alleine.
Man sein entseelten Leichnam fand: Wie traurig dies auch scheint.
Man musz euchs doch zu wissen thun, Er liegt schon in der Erden:
Ach Gott, ach, dieser Trauerton, Der brachte grosz Beschwerden.