are tempted to repine that their share of this world is so scanty, remember that their treasure is in Heaven, and that a large measure of its riches and honours is neither essential to their felicity nor their usefulness. How beautiful

was the contentment of the Shunamite. From the accommodation which she made for the prophet, it appears that, though her rank was great, her wealth was moderate; yet, when a fair opportunity was presented to her for the advancement of her family to a more lucrative situation, she said, "I dwell among mine own people." Valuable is the little which a good man possesses. It is acquired with honour, it is managed by prudence, it is sweetened by contentment, and a blessing is in it.

I shall only add, that it shows us that the most valuable friends and relatives cannot be permitted to remain with us always. It would be wise for us to rejoice in them with trembling. It is a great favour to a family where such parents are continued with them till they are established in the world, and are able to copy their wise and holy pattern; but whether this is to be the case or not, is determined by Him alone in whose hand our times are. There are various indications, which the considerate will observe, that the departure of friends is at

F

hand; and one of those is their peculiar eminence in spirituality and wisdom. High attainments in grace evince their meetness for glory, and call upon us to improve their presence more carefully than ever, and to prepare for resigning them to Heaven. We should recollect, that when the corn is most yellow, and the ear is most full, the sickle is put in; and that the beautiful colours of the evening sky are formed by a setting sun. Soon after the removal of Mrs F. she was followed to Heaven by her husband, and in a few months after by her brother. And, while we are taught, by her example, to show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope to the end, this is the lesson held forth by every departure of the good, "That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who, through faith and patience, inherit the promises."

THE THREE SISTERS.

PICTURES of domestic worth powerfully affect the virtuous and the feeling heart. The excellence which blazes in public life attracts the

wonder of multitudes, and shall shine in the page of history; but it is the goodness by which families have been blessed on which the heart loves to dwell, and which it cherishes among its dearest recollections. It has a milder beauty than the other; and, from its appropriate character to our situation and circumstances, must awaken in us a deeper interest.

The Scripture abounds in domestic scenes. It exhibits them to us in the simple manners of the East, and, in such a beautiful association with its climate and its scenery, as charms at once the imagination and the heart. There is a most interesting picture drawn of the family of Job, after the Lord had turned again his captivity. His three daughters are celebrated as pre-eminent in beauty; and, as they were given him as pledges of the divine favour and approbation, we may believe that they were no less good than beautiful. We may figure them to our minds, solacing by their kindness the age of their father, and shedding, for a long course of years, lustre on his memory, by the graces to which he had guided them by his lessons and by his spirit.

The three sisters to whom this sketch is to be appropriated, were, in their sphere, ornaments to their sex and to religion. From my earliest

years I was accustomed to look up to them with veneration and love; and, though some time has elapsed since they died, it is with a feeling of pleasure that their memory is cherished, and that I now attempt to exhibit them as evidences of the respect with which true worth is regarded both while living and dead.

They were early left orphans, and they lived to a good old age in the uniform exercise of the Christian virtues, and in the exemplary discharge of their respective duties. They were eminent in piety. Though they lived at a considerable distance from the place of public worship, they were regular in their attendance on divine service. Their minister was a very godly man; and they often spoke, with respect and pleasure, of his piety, his friendly spirit, and the fidelity, suitableness, and fervency of his practical exhortations. He spent much of his time in pastoral labour among his people; and, with the kind solicitude of a father, was always eager to point out their duty, and to admonish or to comfort, as circumstances made it necessary. Meetings for catechizing and exhortation were often held in the house of these ladies, and, instead of claiming any exemption from being examined publicly, on account of their rank or information, they stood up in their turn,

along with the poorest in the quarter; and, by this amiable humility, the hands of their minister were strengthened, and their neighbours were encouraged to a due attendance on such ordinances. They delighted in religious reading, and it was their custom to retire to a lone place in the evening for meditation and prayer. I never pass that way without looking at the crag from whose clefts devotion rose to the throne of grace, and where God imparted the blessing of his goodness to souls that hungered and thirsted after righteousness. The retirement of a country life is highly favourable to pious contemplation, and, amidst its various scenes, the agency of God is clearly seen. In the bustle of cities the world agitates and engrosses, and the objects which are pressed on the attention are the schemes and labours of men; but the successive seasons of the year show us, in hills, and fields, and gardens, the ever-working hand of Providence. Amidst the deepest solitude the holy mind delights to walk with God, and in the darkest gloom it can rejoice in the light of his countenance.

They were uniformly contented with their situation, and felt no regret at their distance from the society and the gay amusements of a town. Their place of abode was agreeable to