Year: 1870

What am saying? Shall my Father not
choose his own way to bring me to the
light of Heaven? 1 must say, His will be
done"


Just then the children came running in :;
that the eyes closed on earth, were surely
beholding the beautiful vision for he spoke
as a son beloved, whose very soul was full
of the glory of the Fathers presence.
The sermon which followed was such
one as they had never before heard from
his lips. There was power in it, a fervor
tenderness which no words of mine can de-
scribe. 1t was the testimony of living
witness who has found the Lord very
present help in time of trouble,


When all was over, and he came down
the pulpit stairs, his wife stood again at
the foot, and he took her arm and went
out silently. He seemed to the waiting
congregation, as one set apart and conse-
Grated by the amounting of special sor-
row, and they dared not break the holy
silence around him, with common speech.


The next afternoon, a committee from
the church, went to the parsonage. Mrs.
Spencer saw them coming and told her
husband.


sit must be" he said to ask my advice
in the choice of my successor.


81 think they might have waited one
day y she cried, with a woman's passionate
impatience at any seeming forgetfulness of
the claims given him by his years of faith
full service.


The delegation had reached the door by
that time and the minister did not answer
her. She waited on the men into the study,
and left them there, going about her tasks,
with heart full of bitterness. 1t was
natural, perhaps, that they should not want
blind minister, but to tell him so now. to
make the very first pang of his sorrow
sharper by their unthank fulness, it was too
much.


An hour passed before they went away,
and then she heard her husbands voice
calling her, and went into the study pre-
pared to sympathize with sorrow She
found him sitting where she had left him,
with such a look of joy, and peace, and
thanllfulness upon his face, as she never
expected to see it wear again.


"Mary," he said, there are some kind
hearts in this world. My parish wants me
to stay with them, and insist on raising my
salary hundred dollars year,


"Want you to stay with them ?'' she
cried, hardly understanding his words.


"Yes, told them that l could uot do
them justice but they would not listen !;
they believe that my very affliction will
give me new power over the hearts of men
that l can do as much as ever. They
would not wait day, you see, lest we
should be anxious about our FUTURE


"And l thought they were coming in
indecent haste, to give you notice to 60"
Mrs. Spencer cried penitently. How I
misjudged them shall never learn Chris
tian charityn'


So it was settled that tina minister of
Montclair should abide with his people.


For three years more his persuasive voice
called them to pursue the better way and
then his own summons came to go up
higher. In those three years he had sown
more seed and reaped more harvest than
some men i'll a long lifetime. He did his
work faithfully, and was ready when the
hour came for him to go home. Just at
the last, when those who loved him best,
stood weeping at his bedside they caught
upon his face the radiance of light not of
this world. He put out his hands with a
/ glad cry


81 see, see Out of the dark into the
light"


And before they could look with awe
and wonder into each others eyes, the
glory had begun to fade, the outstretched
hands fell heavily, and they knew that the
blind minister was gone "past night past
day." where before him there would be nc
more darkness Chandler MouIton