to his wants. A melancholy smile o'erspread Clement's countenance, and kissing her brow, as she sat upon the ground beside him, he folded her to his heart, and his overwrought feelings found relief in prayer, saying: "Lord, thou hast been my guide through life's uneven way, and hast crowned my labours in thy vineyard with success: the partner of my joys and sorrows, and my three noble boys, thou hast wafted to a brighter world. One boon, one only, would I ask, even that my pilgrimage on earth may be prolonged, till this gentle lamb, my Alethea, is sheltered from the perils of the desert, or the cruelty of man; then shall I in peace lie down, and sleep the sleep of death." A long silence followed; Alethea was weeping upon his breast, and he, with a prophet's eye, thinking of her future lot. As the lamp of day sank in the west, they watched its course till night threw her mantle o'er the desert. Irenæus joined them, and intreated Clement to repose in a tent he had erected, from the materials given by Philetus. "I thank thee, my son," he said, "but the night wind is so welcome to my burning brow, that I will remain here. To pass the hours of night, with no other shelter than the arch of heaven, seems to recall the period, when, with the en thusiasm of youth, I travelled from land to land, diffusing the gospel of Jesus; life's journey is now drawing to its close, and soon I shall leave this lower world to dwell in one of cloudless light." CHAPTER X. "I give thee to thy God!-the God that gave thee, And precious as thou art, And pure as dew of Hermon, He shall have thee And thou shalt be His child!" Mrs. Hemans. "He suffered-but his pangs are o'er." Montgomery. AT early morn, a strain of music trembled among the surrounding palms, then rose, and swelled, and died away within the solitude. It was the hymn breathed by the Christians, welcoming the dawning of the sabbath. Vibrating to the touch of sincere devotion, they poured forth a song, so melodious, so thrilling, that it seemed like the music-tones of a brighter, purer world. On that small verdant spot, from which no living thing was visible—and all around was a trackless, awful wilderness, they felt as if no longer citizens of earth, but inhabitants of that fairer clime, where, unshackled by the shell of clay, mind freely wafts aspirations to the Deity, and unites in eternal love and friendship with kindred angels. As hour after hour of the sabbath glided past, the christians breathed un ceasing prayer. Each soul that feels God is omnipresent, and owns him as Father, is engaged in this holy office, even when the tongue is silent, and the hands employed in labours of industry. No consecrated temple spreads its roof of marble above them, or echoed their voices through its aisles, but the isolated spot of earth they stood upon was not less holy, because unconsecrated by man. God's temple is the universe, and the holiest place, where the purest devotion ascends like incense to his throne; in beauty He has decked our earth to be a paradise of praise, and at the creation pronounced all good. At the summit of Mount Olivet, the house of Mary, and the well of Samaria, Jesus preached; the synagogue, the prison, and the sea-side, were the temples of his first and purest followers; never, till the period when christianity became corrupt, and blended with paganism, was a house of worship considered more holy by the consecration of man. So entirely spiritual was the tone of Clement's mind, that, during the devotions of that sabbath, he felt raised above his infirmities, and seemed to enjoy again the vigour of departed days; but soon nature sunk exhausted, and symptoms of approaching death were manifest. "My children," said Clement, "I would, if possible, once again com memorate on earth the death of our Saviour. Bread and wine, the usual emblems, we have not, but fruit of the fig, and pure water from the fountain, if received with sincere devotion, will be equally acceptable to Jehovah." Seated on the green turf of that oasis, the christians fulfilled the last command of the dying Jesus, conversed together on his sufferings, his victory over sin, and glorious resurrection, and prayed for grace to be perfect, as their heavenly Father is perfect. Methinks if our Eternal Parent can ever feel increase of joy, it is on beholding man, the topmost link of creation's chain -the being formed by Him to be the recipient of his own exhaustless love, ascend, as those believers did, in spirit above the vanities of earth, to adore Him in simplicity and truth. It is the inward worship he desires: outward ceremonies, deeds of self-denial, and even charity, are lifeless, if the heart is still below. When love, the main-spring of real devotion, casts its hallowing influence o'er the soul, prayer rises from the heart spontaneously without the aid of studied forms, stated hours, or consecrated buildings. If the simple fact, that God is a spirit, and must be worshiped in spirit, were more generally known, bigotry would vanish, and mankind, ceasing to regard those only of a |