What are the heart's presentiments of coming joy or pain, The sighings of their sorrow o'er the woes that flesh must bear ? We hear them in our slumbers, and waking fancy dreams And when morning breaks above us, and we wake to busy day, In their arms they gently bear us, "lest we dash against a stone." In our journeyings, in our restings, on the land or on the sea, O Thou Whom angels worshipped ere time or we began, CHRISTMAS-TIDE; OR, DEEDS NOT WORDS. "MR. HAMILTON," said Mary, after a long silence, " can you bear very disagreeable things being said to you without hating the person who says them?" "I am not sure," he said; "it depends on what the case is. I don't think I could hate you in a hurry," he continued, looking at her. 'Why do you ask? have you anything very disagree able to say?" 66 "I heard from London to-day, from my friend Miss Hayward, who is intimate with the Lionels," said Mary, hesitatingly. Why did the blood mantle over that open brow? Why did he quail before the timid glance of a young and gentle girl? What was the consciousness which made Edward Hamilton take a hasty step forward, as though to escape the perfect truth and simplicity of his companion. "Does she mention Mr. Lionel?" he said, recovering himself, and speaking in an indifferent tone. "Yes, sorrowfully, doubtingly; his daughter's heart is breaking with the fear which forces itself daily more distinctly upon her mind, that the source of her father's immense wealth is tainted with oppression and injustice. How, she does not know; but wealth can bring no balm to such a grief." "And that has made you look so anxious all the morning?" said Hamilton, after a pause. "No," said Mary, "that would have made me sad, but the end of that letter made me sadder still. It is reported that you and Mr. Lionel have lately become very intimate; that you have entered into some close connection with him; that-that ". she struggled against her reluctance to go on-" that you have entered into all his schemes." "That's a lie," said Hamilton, impetuously; then more calmly, “ And what harm is there in being Mr. Lionel's friend ?” Mary did not notice the evasion, but said with a voice trembling with emotion, "I know I am most unfitted to speak on such a subject; I know you must dislike me for doing what seems completely out of my sphere; but you said words last night which made me think "she hesitated "Think you had a right-a sister's right-to speak to me, dear Mary," said Hamilton, in an earnest voice; " and I think I should be the happiest being beneath the sun if you ever had that right: you are worrying yourself about a mere nothing. But let me hear it all; I don't think, even if you were not Helen's sister, I could do anything but love and reverence you." 66 "Oh, Edward! if you ever look in that child-like holy face; if you ever think of that life, which has grown brighter from childhood, without one shadow of evil ever resting upon it, being knit with yours, you cannot, you would not dare to bring her into contact with anything unholy." 66 "But Mary," said Edward, you are mistaken in applying such a word to my connection with Mr. Lionel. I have nothing to do with his schemes; I lend him money, it is true, but I have nothing to do in anything unjust. In fact, I hardly know anything of his speculations, except that they are always successful." “Oh, Edward! could you have offered this connection up to GOD when you knelt at the altar yesterday! Does it not come like a blight upon your holiest, happiest moments? When Helen spoke so earnestly of her dread of the wealth purchased by the slightest deviation from the strictest obedience to GoD's holy law, did not your eyes sink before her glowing face? Did you not feel unworthy to call a being so untainted by this world's evil yours?" The colour rose in Edward's cheek as he said, "If I had been here a year ago, I might never have entered into the connection. But half my fortune is pledged now, and I cannot draw back. It is too late; and besides, scarcely any one but yourself would blame me. The world would treat the very idea as absurd, and why did you fancy evil dealings which may not perhaps exist." A sickness came over Mary's heart as she foresaw the probable failure of her expectations. "The world!" she said; "and what is the world's opinion to you? What answer will it give your heart when it asks unceasingly, as it does now, Can I hope to attain to a devoted life, while I am treading on the very boundary of evil? There may come a time when that voice might be silenced-when the iron hands of the world might so grasp your very being, and stifle its true life, that its false fleeting opinion might be all you had to look to. But that time is not come yet, Edward; GOD in His mercy grant it never, never may.' There is no pain like that of resisting the clear light of truth. We feel it so degrading to our nature; it seems to stamp the brand of weakness upon our very souls, that we shrink from the thought of wilful blindness. Yet Edward did blind himself. 66 Stop, Mary," he said; "you are utterly ignorant of business; I cannot explain to you why I should be ruined if I gave up my connection with Mr. Lionel; nor can I for a mere dream, a scrupulous overstrained notion of self-sacrifice, give up my position, the respect of my friends, my hopes of calling Helen mine," he added, in a tone of deep sadness. Mary raised her eyes to heaven, and her spirit poured itself forth in the silent prayer-" FATHER, give me in this hour the words which I shall speak." And when she did speak, all tremulousness was gone from her voice, all agitation from those clear beautiful eyes; the thought of herself and her own painful position passed like a cloud before the realisation of GoD's presence. "I am very young, and very ignorant to speak on such a subject," she said. "If there had been any one who could have done it, I should never have thus spoken. But now I must say on, and for this once you must listen. I will not speak to you of Helen, though she would fade like a broken flower, the first moment she became conscious that there was a dark corner in her husband's heart closed against the light of love; she would sicken in an atmosphere tainted with worldliness and covetousness. I will not say how your own love for her, which now I do believe is pure and true, and holy, would sink lower and lower, till at last it was quenched in the darkness that the love of this world ever brings. There is something higher, deeper, even than all this. Oh, Edward! you are veiling the Face of GOD from yourself. Year by year the barrier will thicken, year by year the darkness will become deeper. Brilliant shadows may indeed surround you; the idol you are setting up may be adorned in the fairest colours; it may bear the name of due care for those you love and honour, and of wisdom; but it is not GOD. And when the time is come, and you stand on the brink of the other world, and the prosperous, exalted, refined inhabitant of earth, must leave the known for the unknown, what will come next? Will not the barrier you are raising now crush you then beneath its ruins? What will its show of happiness avail you then? Edward, once upon this earth, He, whose coming we are now commemorating, said to one on whom He looked with love, If thou wilt be perfect, sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and come follow Me.' Does He not now speak to you too, and bid you, for the sake of His Love, tread beneath your feet these things of earth? Sacrifice everything which cannot with a single heart be offered up to Him, and then with a free spirit follow Him. Edward, in His holy Name, I beseech you listen to His Voice; turn not away sorrowfully. How you ought to act you only know; only, cost what it will, break through these miserable tinsel bonds that hold you, commit the future to His hands in childlike faith and devotion, and let your way be straight and right onward to your true abiding place." "I will, I will," said Edward; "I will listen to the Voice I have resisted. Mary, I will do right, even though the consequence should be the loss of Helen. I have done very wrong," he continued ; you shall hear all; I have-" 66 66 Stop!" she said, laying her trembling hand upon his armStop, I am not the fitting person to hear what you have done, or what you should do now. Lay your sorrow and your hope alike before CHRIST in the person of His Minister. There is one near at hand whose whole life is devoted to ministering to the souls for whom his Master died. He has been Helen's guide and mine from the beginning. He will gladly receive you. Only go at once, dear Edward-do not delay-now will be the time for the fiercest temptations-give them not time to overpower you." "I will go directly," said Edward, "only hear me thus far, Mary." She shook her head, and smiling through the tears which were falling fast, pointed out the path that led to the vicarage. She was utterly exhausted by the effort she had made, and overcome at the unlooked for termination of it; and when Edward left her, she could only thank GOD in silence for the wonders He had wrought by the Name of His Holy Child JESUS. During that evening Edward was silent, and his look wore a chastened sadness, yet Mary felt he was at peace. He lighted her candle when they were all retiring to rest, and said in a low tone, Angels have rejoiced with you to-day, Mary, over a peni 66 tent's return, and if the prayers of such can avail, GOD's blessing will rest on you indeed.' Three years passed away-years of unremitting toil, of selfdenying hardship, of patiently endured reproach-and Edward gladly welcomed all as the fitting punishment of former unfaithfulness. Beneath this discipline his character matured and deepened, and he returned to Deanwood as a devoted minister of CHRIST's holy Catholic Church. Then, and not till then, did he venture to tell Helen of his long-tried affection for her, and ask her to share with him the self-denying life which he desired to lead, devoted to the care of his flock. And when Mary heard from Helen's happy pen, of the peace and joy of a well-ordered home, she went on her way rejoicing, and thanking GOD, who had turned a threatened sorrow into an exceeding joy! Church News. CHURCH EDUCATION. THE 7th of February will not be soon forgotten. On that day was held, in Willis's rooms, S. James's, one of the largest and most influential meetings that have been held for years on Church matters. The room was crowded to excess, and on the platform were the Bishops of Bath and Wells, Exeter, Chichester, and Glasgow; Earl Nelson; Viscounts Fielding, Campden, Castlereagh, and others. We cannot, of course, give anything like a detailed account of these interesting proceedings; but we are confident that our readers will be delighted to peruse the masterly and telling speech of the Rev. W. Sewell, B.D., Exeter College, Oxford. "When this resolution was submitted to me, my first object was to go to the records of the effects of education in Germany, and in France, and in Ireland, so far as its effects have been yet traceable, in order to bring before you something like statistics and evidence, from which you might draw conclusions, that the character of this system is deeply pernicious, and deeply fraught with the seeds of anarchy and social confusion; for that is the only point on which I am called to address you. But one great difficulty I have is, that it is impossible to reason and argue upon this without such a collection of details as shall bear a very rigid induction. The words we are |