Year: 1859

which exclaimed: Come unto me. all We
that labor aud are heavy laden, and / will
give you restP thus, my afflicted friends,
cried the Redeemer to you Yesterday and
to-day. Listen to his message.


AT this unexpected declaration all heads
were turned But the darkness at this mo-
ment was so dense that no figure could dis
tinctly be seen, no one could discern the
messenger. All the more powerful, there
fore, was the impression produced by those
words which resounded across the field a
mid the dismal darkness of the night, from
the lips of the invisible preacher, who, with
a voice and power full of inspiration, con.
veyed the consultations and light of the G os-
pei to those miserably unhappy people slit.
ing in the midst Of darkness; showing them
the all-sceing eye Of the Father guarding
them in the gloom of night, the loving
Fathers heart ready to console ALL to help
all. Never did any sermon improyised for
the moment produce deeper effect upon
its hearers. The stupor of misery, silent
despair and gloom passed away from the
soul people spoke; they wept; they sobbed
aloud; but it was no longer because they
were inconsolablc. They were profoundly
arrested, they were unspeakably affected
by the thought Of Him who bore with us
the crown of thorns and the cross, and who
bore them for our salvation. Never before
had his image been presented so clearly and
brightly TO the minds of the listening peo-
pie. They poured out their emotions, like
the waves of a surging ocean, in sighs and
tears, as they listened to the powerful and
faithful discourse of the preacher. All at
once, this was interrupted 10y wild shrek
Of sclf-accusaton:


1T was |; it was | who cansed all this
misery, - Here the voice was silenc-
ed, as if stihed by external violence. The
darkness prevented its being known from
whom the cry proceeded; bnt some persons
who were near fanced that they saw fig
ure, like that of youth, hastily raise it.
SELF as from the ground, but which was al
most as huStiiy dragged down again by a.
mother figure.


Darkness and silence again covered the
scene. There was moment of deep and
breathlesS silence All seemed to he eX.
pecting hat dark mystery was about to
be revealed; that the anthOr of the fire was
bOOAN w CDlliG lpl W ulQ anu UNuW HIS Rullb,
and many hands were involuntarily in mo-
ton ready to seize upon the criminal. They
waited, one, two, three, four, five minutes
but all remained silent A dull, threatening
murmur, like that Of approaching thunder
was then heard rising from the mass of peo
pie in the field, the murmur from thous
and breasts and lips; but above this again
was raised, loud and powerful, the mild and
manly voice Of the first speaker, exclaim
ing:


Should there be here any guilt burden.
ed heart which would accuse itself of caus-
ing, accidentally or by design, the msfor-
tune under which SO many are suffering,
then-may God have mercy upon him!-
We desire not his confession 1t would
not be any benefit to us. 1t might make
others more unfortunate than they already
are. Let him keep silence. God will
speak as a judge in the depths of his heart.
Aud if that voice should become more ter
rible than he can bear, let the unhappy
one remember that the Lord our God is q
forgiving God; that if our own heart ac-
cuses us, God is still greater than our own
heart, and knows all things. Let us not
judge one anotherP


At this moment the blush of morning
was kindled in the eastern horizon, on the
other side Of the desoated town, and its
rosy light CLEANED beautifully against the
dark clouds. The preacher paused for a
moment in order to turn the minds of bis
hearers from the thought of the incendary
to that of the Redeemer.


, avnlain1al bo tbo ci,rn of tka
Redeemer in the sky; the sun, the light
which again ascendS after the dark night
Read the handwriting of fire in the HeaV
ens No night without a morning; no sor
row without Gods mercy over it As the
| light comes to the earth so comes the de
lverer, the consoler to us. Behold his light
Listen to His words and to His promises
My friends, let us stand up aud praise Hin
by our song, Blessed is he who cometh il
the name of the Lordp


1t was profoundly affecting sight, wher
that great multitude of people, many O
whom had lost their all in the fire; hun
dredS and hundreds of men aud women
old people ami children, still pale and bear
ing the traces of the misfortune which had
despo,led them, all at once, as if impelled
by mighty impulse, rose as one man, and
under tie guidance of their spiritual teach
er struck up the glorious hymn


'Hosanna to the Son Of David


Higher and higher ascended the flames
of the morning radiance, diffusing ligh
over the whole country; and still lOude
and more powerful became the song, ant
every countenance, lately so pale gloomy
looked now, turned toward the ascendin.
light, and ilumined by its splendor, like
choir of redeemed aud thanksgiving spir
its. Tears ran plentifully from many eyes
but there was no longer the pang Of despair
Many year hence will more than one ol
those lev present testify, For ell that el
which the FIRE deprived, would not have
been deprived of that moment


Among those who took no part IN the
universal transport of devotion was Rudolph.
Her,ha's evident adherence of him, and
the sight of all the want and misery which
the coudagration had caused, threw ter
rible light on the dim consciousness of the
young man's mlnd He now felt within
him, impressed, as it were, in fire and burn
Ing fame, the perception of the crimnality
of deed which, according to the measure
| nf his dull fapnltips WAS merely intended