Like all of ours, they were weak and faltering fingers that touched the key. board of life, and the anthem they woke had many discords. The master's hand only evokes the sublime harmonies that sleep below.

Yet I say the poor room where the woman's life has been wrought out, with many and painful strokes, holds something grander than all the world temple alight with the sunset and vocal with vespers.

What is it yonder elms plead to the merciless night? Something of the last summer when the broken chants of the silver voiced waves chimed up the beach at their feet, and the sweet south wind thri'd tender fingers through all their green tresses! Or the wrestling anguish of past storms, the hoarse pæon of the waves, when the tender fingers had tightened to a grasp of iron, and all the young branches broken and scattered? The summer, I think. Tempests are forgotten, O weary heart, in the larger growth, the strong endurance they bring. So it is the faded leaves that haunt the woman's heart. Old hopes and dreams that lie dead and still in the pathway over which she has come. Not south winds, but loving hands, not sunset pictures but faces that brightened all a dim life, and went down at last in the whirl and spray of the world, or are hid away under the sod. Not the hymns of the summer waves, but some fond foolish ballad she sung in her long gone youth. Storm after storm have swept them away. Aye! and more. How long was it the strong heart strove to shelter itself under some tender fancy learned at a mother's knee. How long was the fight against the storm that tore the frail shelter of a religion away from the shrinking soul. Bitter and long-blessed storm! The face once set straight up the strong beautiful mountain of God's truth, no shelter could be asked, nay, though the wind and rain of all the world's hatred beat remorselessly down!

that looks out into the Strong and steadfast it

Storm after storm have taught and ripened the soul sunset. Joy has sweetened it, sorrow has chastened. waits now for the dawn. Girt about with all the tender memories it holds sacred, it yet thanks God most for the storms. The "glory revealed in us" is worthy the suffering.

Meantime the night gathers over the sunset pageant, and the life is near its end.

From the heart of the forest choir swells a chord whose burden is "content," and above all the stars watch on distant hills for the dawn.

The stars and God's unfaltering love over all.

M. H.

DISCOURSE BY LUCRETIA MOTT.

At the Second Unitarian Church, Brooklyn, Sunday Morning, November

WE

24th, 1867.

HEN the heart is attuned to prayer, by the melody of sweet sounds, or, it may be, by silent introversion, it seems sometimes almost as if words were a desecration. Still, we have need to stir up the pure mind, one in another, by way of remembrance, to endeavor to provoke one another to love and to good works. And in yielding to the invitation to gather with you here this morning, it was in accordance with a desire previously felt that I might have such an opportunity to gather with those accustomed to gather here; not supposing, however, that there would be the general notice or invitation extended which I found in the papers. And in coming now and mingling with you I have felt somewhat of the desire of the condition that existed in the first coming together of the disciples after their Beloved had left them; when they were so moved by the divinity of His presence and the inspiration of His faith and of their faith, of His God and of their God, that-the record states-they spake one to another so that each man heard in his own tongue in which he was born, whether Parthian or Mede-and so on. It is not needful that I should go on.

Now I can suppose this. I can believe it to have been done without mystery or without miracle-and, therefore, I seek no supernatural aid, but the Divine aid, which is natural, which is the Divine gift of God to man equally with his intellectual powers; seeking only this aid I feel that we may now speak one to another so that every man may hear in his own tongue in which he is born. To us, coming together here this morning, with all our variety of sentiments and of use, as to worship, there is, after all, notwithstanding this diversity-there is a language through which we can address one another that is universal in its application. And we find this to be the case from the hearty response that is returned to truth when read to righteousness, to justice and mercy, and all the attributes of the Deity with which we have any right to seek the acquaintance. We find that there is this appreciation of the right. Why, to these same beatitudes which have just been read, who is there that would not respond? Into what language can they be translated, free of the incumbrances of theology, in which there would not be a recognition of their divinity?

I believe that there would be none.

And knowing that it is customary, in presenting what is called " a sermon to the people, that there should be a text taken from the Scriptures, and, not being accustomed to bind myself to such a form or such an arrangement in preaching, I had not selected any particular passage of the Bible; but, after sitting down with you here, a text arose from the Apocrypha, the truths of which there found are to me just

as canonical as any other part of the Scriptures. Indeed, coming down to a later time in the full faith that the revelation of God is as clear, as plain, and his inspiration as universal now as in any former time, I can, with as much veneration for the truth, cite occasionally the good words of more modern inspiration of that which proceedeth from those who have been enlightened in our generation and day, equally so with those who have been enlightened in any other time. And this does not lessen our regard for the Scriptures, but increases, rather, an intelligent appreciation of Scripture; though not for it to be made the idol of Christendom, as it seems to me it is, to some extent. Indeed, long before that time, long before the advent of Christendom, we find from the researches that have been made elsewhere, that they disclose a divinity as pure, a revelation of God as sacred as the revelations found here. And this research is most valuable to us in that it furnishes corroborative testimony to the eternal inspiration of God, to the Divine teaching of His Holy Spirit, which is coming to be, I rejoice to believe, more the acknowledged faith of Christendom. Beginning, it may be, with the despised name of Unitarian and of Quaker (but Quaker,' I must say first, as George Fox and his co-workers, preceded what is called the Unitarian beginning), joice to believe that this universal gift of God is now presented not only by those in a clearer light, as the advance has gone on, but a Bishop Colenso comes forward; the learned and distinguished ones of the dissenting denominations are beginning to assert this as transcending all other authorities, including the Church arrangement of the Thirty-nine Articles-that the authority of this truth is beginning to be declared as paramount, however all those may be aids to piety, to devotion, and a confirmation of our faith.

I re

Well, the passage is this-"For thine incorruptible Spirit searcheth all things" (or proveth al! things); "therefore chastenest thou them, by little and little, that offend, and warnest them by putting them in remembrance wherein they have offended, that leaving their wickedness they may return to thee, O Lord." This I consider to be the prevailing language of the Divine Spirit, this the voice of the Word of Truth which we may so speak of and declare that every man may hear in his own tongue wherein he is born, whether Presbyterian, Unitarian, Methodist, or Episcopalian-Catholic or Protestant, Dissenters, or what are called Infidels-though I would rather not use any term that might not seem sufficiently respectful to the free-thinker, for I believe free-thinking to be a religious duty; and a scepticism of the religious plans that prevail-however those may be held in religious veneration, I believe that such proving all things, such trying all things, and holding fast only to that which is good, is the great religious duty of our age. The superstitions of the past must give way to this incorruptible spirit which searcheth all things. Our own conscience and the Divine Spirit's teaching are always harmonious; and this Divine illumination is as freely given to man as his reason, or as are any of his natural powers. Let us believe this, my friends! Why, it is a Trinity of a great deal more consequence to us than any theo

logical trinity that may be taught; and far nearer, because it may become selfevident; while a trinity that is contrary to reason can never become selfevident to the natural man, or to the component parts of his nature. And this faith is in accordance with this Divine teaching, this supreme teaching of the Apostle. First, that which is natural, or animal, and after, that which is spiritual. The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them"-Why? Not because the natural man is weak, but because they are spiritually discerned.” Let us believe this, and then we shall find God's ways to be explicable and not inexplicable. God's ways are not "past finding out." The more we apply this to the revelation of God's truth, the more we shall discover the invariable nature of this law; and it will modify the prayers that are put to him, which are often an abomination. The Apostle said, Ye asked and received not, because ye asked amiss. Let us bring our kingdom of heaven here-down, if you call it down, for it has been placed up so high that even your ministers cannot speak of God without the uplifted eye. But the Quaker cannot do that, because that which is known of Him is revealed within: and so of the "engrafted word which is able to save the soul." Why, the young are setting up or imagining some wonderful operation because the persecuting Saul needed a light above the brightness of the sun to see that is was indeed Jesus whom he persecuted. Believe me, my younger friends, when you would ask, Where is he? and, Who is he? Thou hast both seen him and it is he that talketh with thee. It is so simple, so beautiful, and I think so plainly in accordance with his teaching-if they would not overlook this Spirit dwelling in them.

And this, it seems to me, is my mission to you. It was my mission in Boston last spring, where I mingled with a large company who imagined in some measure that they had outgrown religious organization. How my heart yearned for them. The congregation came together and heard with patience the simple words that I uttered, and though feeling as on the brink of the grave, I, on arriving here, with this feeling in my heart, the more readily come to you and mingle with you. (But with reluctance, knowing that at this hour of the day there is in Philadelphia such an objection to have women come into the pulpit.) And not only on this account, but from the education I have received and which by conviction has become an adoption, and as a testimony in favor of a free gospel ministry, a testimony in favor of an acknowledgment of the Divine Spirit teaching women and men equally to declare that which God hath done for their souls, and to incite their brethren to say, "The Lord, he is God;" and believing that George Fox and his cotemporaries in their day did a mighty work towards breaking down the monopoly of the pulpit, until I am glad to see there are no longer in your churches the high enclosures for single persons, as in the churches in England, but that all is widening and spreading, until encouragement is given that the time is coming when the ministry will be more extended, and when there

will be a different understanding to that by which one person ministers year after year to the same people. I am glad to see an effort made to this end in your radical journals. I know that this is very different to the learned and beautiful discourses that are delivered from this place, yet I think if men and women practised more to give utterance to their thoughts they might learn to do it with more effect. All this, however, may be merely educational with me.

The special mission which brought me to you, which took me to Boston, was to call upon those who seemed to see beyond the dry theology of the day- why, even one of your own writers has said that the consecration of the Sabbath intimates the desecration of the other days of the week-and seeing all this and the more enlightened views, as I think, which are presented from time to time by a certain class of thinkers, views that are well worth receiving, though they may be slow to find entrance into the minds and hearts of the orthodox, because a liberal faith is always everywhere spoken against by the more thoughtless among them-seeing all this my mission is to call upon you. Why not judge ye for yourselves what is right? Yet after all, the fear of man is so strong that too often the believer suffers himself to believe in the truth. I know the stigma cast upon the Quakers because they could not receive the peculiar theology of the day, as the English Quakers have received it, and now, that generation having passed, and a people having. been raised up who know not Joseph, they are now beginning to go back again to the weak and beggarly elements of theology. This is painful to see because I believe Truth to be ever progressive. As Jesus used to say so frequently: "If the truth make ye free, then are ye free indeed." This is no new doctrine, as he affirmed; and so let us believe it, my friends. I have been accustomed from early life to receive these truths as I found them, the reading of the bible often being more to me than my daily food, and yet never read as a religious ceremony, but in asking for the truth and finding it. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for"-though I dwell in the high and holy place theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy." To the pure, thou wilt show thyself pure. To the merciful, thou wilt show thyself merciful. To the upright, thou wilt show thyself upright. By many it has been said that peace had its origin with Jesus. By no means. Why the apostle had to quote the old testament itself. If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink, for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head."

My friends, let us see how universal this truth is, how universal its requirements, how the entering of sacred temples is as nothing compared with walking uprightly and speaking the truth in the heart. "I am weary of your Sabbaths, of your solemn assemblies, because ye grind the face of the poor, saith the Lord." The requirements of truth have ever been similar in all ages, and as nations have been prepared by circumstances