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plant them in the mountain of thy inheritance, in the place, O Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in; in the sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established. The Lord shall reign for ever. For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the Lord brought again the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea." Ex. xv. 13-19.

Thus did the waters roll away from his people, which rolled back upon their enemies. That which brought safety to the one, brought destruction upon the other.

The same sickle which cut down the tares to be burned, cut down the wheat to be housed. If we are true believers in Jesus, what have we to fear? "What can man do unto us?" Has the Captain of our salvation lost the will or the power to save us? We dare not doubt his willingness, neither dare we doubt his power and his love. This is our strong consolation in the days of our pilgrimage. This is the anchor of our hope, sure and stedfast. This is our confidence in which we may rest. It is the way in which we walk in peace and safety, while "the whole world which lieth in wickedness" around us, is in commotion. And the contrast is great. The people of God are kept in perfect peace; but "the wicked is like a troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked." Is. Ivii. 20, 21.

S. M.

A FLOCK IN THE WILDERNESS.

We need not apologise to our readers, though perhaps we should to the writer of the letter from which we have taken the liberty of making the following extracts without waiting for his permission. The subject must interest all: and some may be led to do more than merely wish God speed to our dear friend's noble project.

*

This village was brought to my notice by my brother, who happened to be fishing in its neighbourhood last spring. On his return, he said that he had not been at any place of worship during his absence, as there was no church within his reach. He moreover added, that a Mr. R had offered £50 towards erecting a church, if any one would come and assist him. On hearing this, I accordingly wrote for further information respecting the place. I received in answer such an interesting detail of facts, that on my return from England, about a month since (where his letter was forwarded to me), I visited Roundstone. After a very long journey of 145 Irish miles, which I was obliged to perform without stopping, I reached in 25 hours Mr. R's house, distant from Galway 40 miles. After leaving Galway, the road, which is finely engineered, and in good order, leads the traveller over a heathy,

rocky, barren country, with the vast bogs and creeks of Lough Corrib stretching along the right, and before the eye as far as it can reach. There is nothing of interest to attract the sight, except the excessive dreariness of the scene. But when I entered Connemara, I found myself on a heathy table-land, out of which rose rocky heights, whose precipitous sides and pinnacled summits gave a character of grandeur to them which perhaps their elevation scarcely would warrant. Winding round the craggy points of these frowning mountains, I skirted the dark margin of many a cold and gloomy lake, whose shores were destitute of trees, and whose bosoms alone were broken by rocky islands, crowned with natural oak. Scarce a human habitation was to be seen. Sometimes groups of ragged children appeared, I knew not from whence, and ran after the car, which slowly winded among these dark hills. Many of them could read: most of them were returning from school, they said. I gave them some little books which I had with me. With eagerness they gathered round one another, forming a circle in the road; and I watched their demonstrations of joy, till another frowning rock hid them from my view.

'I have travelled through a great part of Ireland, but never did I see so wild a scene. I have beheld many grander defiles, many more beautiful views; but the desolation, the solemnity of the prospect, broken by these mountains heaped into fantastic confusion, and rising abruptly either from the barren expanse of heath or the dark forms of the lakes at their bases, I never before witnessed. Mercifully did God comfort and support me. By my side sat a Galway fisherman, a young Scotchman (I perceived

him to be by his voice). He happened to be going on business for the company to which he belonged, not to C, where the mail car was going, but to Roundstone. He had been in Mr. R- -'s employment for two years; he knew him well; the place, its population, their callings, &c. He seemed to be one whom the Lord had taught. He gave me much information about the place, and cheered my desponding heart. He was a Presbyterian: with regret, but by command, he had left Galway on this day (Saturday); he was to spend the Sabbath where he would not hear (he thought) the sound of the gospel proclaimed-where the Lord's vineyard remained untilled. I told him what I had come for; his eyes brightened: thus were we made mutual comforters to one another. My weak heart, my weak body, needed strength; it was desponding, but the Lord raised me up.

But I must hasten on. Mr. R- received me very kindly. He is a very intelligent, clever, zealous man. We discussed my plan, and I soon retired, to thank the Lord for his mercies, and to refresh myself by repose, and thus prepare for the Sabbath. The Sabbath came-a wild, stormy, rainy day, like its predecessor. Mr. R told me that they always meet together to read the Liturgy, and join in prayer and praise for mutual edification, and asked me, would I assist them? I complied with his request, and at twelve o'clock we repaired to an upper room in a small house, lately occupied as an inn, but now untenanted. Here, notwithstanding the wetness and wildness of the day, there was a nice little congregation assembled. They did not expect any one, so my presence was a surprise. I read the

morning service, and we sang three times. The attention of this little company was great indeed. We met again in the evening, and certainly my heart was filled with praise to the Good Shepherd who had guarded these few stray sheep in the wilderness. Delighted were they when I told them that I thought the time was not far distant when a house would be built for the glory of the Lord, and when a minister should be appointed over them to guide them to the feet of Him who came not to be ministered unto but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for sinners.

The next day I visited some of the members of the little flock; and by a lady was taken to a poor cabin, where I found, lying on a wretched bed, a young woman, apparently in great suffering and weakness. She is the daughter of a Protestant woman by birth, but who conformed to the religion of her husband shortly after marriage; the children were brought up Roman Catholics, following their father's creed. The young woman of whom I am writing went to service to an English lady, I believe an officer's widow, who invited her to family prayer; she attended; her heart was touched, and "Kitty" became anxious to hear more and more of Him who had poured out his blood a ransom for her. But the lady left the county, and "Kitty" sought another situation. She was again in service, but in a family which did not care for her soul. She therefore left them, and engaged with the wife of a clergyman as child's maid. Her little charge, a young girl, died. She grieved greatly for her. The Lord was teaching her, and preparing her to confess him publicly before men; as yet she had not done so. At length

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