I then proceeded to tell her as much as in her weak state she was able to hear, of the Lord's gracious dealings with this dear brother, and left her, promising to see her again very soon. I did so, and found to my great joy, that the Lord had been most graciously pleased, to bless to her, what had previously passed between us. I heard no more of her good heart; her language now was, "What shall I do to be saved?" "God

be merciful to me a sinner." And O what a sacred pleasure it was to me, to point her to him who says,

I am the way, the truth, and the life," to him who says, "This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent;-to the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the world."

It is hardly necessary to add, with these new views and new feelings, that she diligently attended the means of grace, as soon as returning strength would allow; at least such a measure of health and strength as would permit her to reach the house of God: for indeed she never recovered either, but gradually sunk into a declining state, which, in about three years, terminated in her death. I will not attempt to describe the interest with which from this time I visited her. The rich and glorious promises of the gospel were to her like water to a thirsty soul; and it was delightful to see her drink them in, as it were, with the eagerness of one dying with thirst. Surely that Scripture was applicable in her case, "Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled."

I have said thus much of Ann Tucker, in order to introduce the story, which gives the title to this little book. The reader having heard how the Lord had graciously led, and taught her hitherto, will read with increased interest, how she was enabled, in time of pecu

liar need, to cast her burden on the Lord, and how he graciously fulfilled his own promise, "Call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me." Psalm l. 15.

One fine spring morning, I think it was Easter Monday; I visited my missionary district as usual; and finding, when I reached the house of Ann Tucker, that she was sufficiently disengaged, to be able to attend to a few verses from God's word, I offered to read a chapter. I wish my readers could have seen the joy, which beamed on Anne's countenance, whenever I had time to make this offer; and on this occasion, it was particularly striking. Having expressed a wish to hear the chapter from which the text had been taken, the preceding Sabbath, I proceeded to read the 2nd chapter of the 1st Epistle of Peter; and coming to that verse, "Desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby," and endeavouring to explain to her the reason of its being compared to milk, its strengthening, nourishing properties, &c. she interrupted me by saying, There now, if you had not told me that, I should never have known it, I be such a heathen sure! No, I replied, you must not say so; the heathen neither know nor love God, and I am sure you do. 'Love him!' she exclaimed, love him!' she again repeated, with that peculiar tone and manner, to which I have before alluded; I must love him! you don't know what a friend he has been to me just lately, I have been longing to tell you, all about it.' I closed my book, drew my chair nearer, and sat all attention, while she related to me the following interesting particulars; which I shall give the reader in her own simple language.

You know last christmas, I lost my bucket down the well. I was in a deal of trouble about it

at the time; my husband paid two men a shilling each to get it up again, but they could not; so they gave it up, and ever since I have every morning, borrowed a bucket of some one of my neighbours ; and got me up water enough, for the day; and then that satisfied me. Well! yesterday was a week, I was working with Hannah Brown's bucket, and down he went, O I was in such a way, I felt as if I had dropped my child down! why it was borrowed! ! borrowed!! who would lend me one again? what could I do? I called in my next door neighbour; you know she is a good strong woman, and she was very kind, and tried at it, for a long time, and her husband came home for his dinner, and he came in, and tried; and Hannah Brown heard of it, and she came over and tried; and my husband came home to his dinner, and he tried; they all pushed me back; they said you poor weak woman, you had better stand out of the way. At last master Walsh could stay no longer, nor could he longer spare his wife, as he wanted her to get his dinner. Hannah Brown must go home to her's, and my husband was impatient for his dinner, as it was time to return to his work. So they all left me, promising to return and try in the evening. When they were all gone, I sat me down, and I thought to myself; thinks I, there's one friend I have not been to yet, and I ought to have gone to He first; so I shuts too that door, and I kneels down at that there chair, where you sits, and I prays to the Lord to help me. It was an uncommon poor prayer I made; I could not think of many words; but I told him what trouble I was in, and that if it was pleasing to him, he could help me out of it. And then I got up, and sit me down in the chair, but I could not get on with my needle work neither, so I goes out into the yard, and looks Ig

down into the well, and without hardly thinking what I was about, I begins to wind. The gravels, (meaning grappling irons) were on. Presently it feels rather heavy, so I goes on winding; and what should come up, but my own Bucket, that had been down ever since Christmas !'

Well, I exclaimed with delight, you do surprise me; surely our God is a faithful God. I expect now to hear that you tried for the other. No, my dear Ma'am, she replied, no! it was the Lord that helped me to get up that; and he should help me to get up t' other if it was pleasing to him; but I would not try without asking He first; so I comes in again, and kneels down at the chair, I could'nt make no better prayer than before, it was a very poor prayer, but I told the Lord how thankful I was, that he had helped me; that if it was pleasing to him, I would try for t' other, if not I could give my bucket to Hannah Brown, so then I went out, and lets down my gravels again, and, first turn, up he comes.

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I called in my neighbour, and says to her, there's my bucket, and there's Hannah Brown's. And I suppose, I said, you told her, by what strength you had so wonderfully succeeded. No, my dear friend, said she, putting her finger gently on my arm, no! I did not; you know she does not love the Lord, nor Hannah Brown neither; and I was afraid they would jeer Him; and I could'nt bear to hear that. I tell you, said she, again pressing my arm, because you'll praise Him. And indeed I could not but praise. Him, and rejoice with her at the mercy she had found, in this her time of need; and I said, you remind me of the borrowed axe in Elisha's time. But this was quite new to her; she knew but little of the Old Testament history, as, since she had begun to read and value God's

word, she had read mostly in the New Testament; and could scarcely believe that any thing like the buckets, could possibly be found in the Bible and lest the reader should not be acquainted with this remarkable circumstance in the history of Elisha: I will copy the first seven verses of the 6th chapter of the 2nd book of the Kings.

"1. And the sons of the prophet said unto Elisha, behold now, the place where we dwell with thee, is too strait for us.

2. Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, go ye.

3. And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go. 4. So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood.

5. But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water and he cried, and said, alas, master! for it was borrowed!

6. And the man of God, said, where fell it? and he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim.

7. Therefore, said he, take it up to thee; and he put out his hand, and took it."

I had but just begun to read these few interesting verses to Ann, when her husband came in; and was equally surprised with his wife, to find any thing so like their bucket in the Bible. I then read to them, from the Olney Hymns, Newton's hymn on the same subject, which so delighted them both; that I afterwards copied it out for them in large printing letters, on a half sheet of paper, which they stuck into their large Bible, as a memorial of the Lord's kindness to them. Perhaps the readers will like to read the hymn; I shall therefore copy it for them also.

THE BORROWED AXE.
The prophet's sons in times of old,
Though to appearance poor,
Were rich, without possessing gold,
And honoured, though obscure.

In peace their daily bread they eat,
By honest labour earn'd;
While daily at Elisha's feet,

They grace and wisdom learn'd.

The prophet's presence cheer'd their toil,
They watched the words he spoke ;
Whether they turned the furrowed soil,
Or fell'd the spreading oak.

Once as they listened to his theme,
Their conference was stopped;
For one beneath the yielding stream,
A borrowed axe had dropped.

Alas! it was not mine, he said,

"How shall I make it good?" Elisha heard, and when he pray'd, The iron swam like wood.

If God in such a small affair,
A miracle performs :
It shews his condescending care
Of poor unworthy worms.

Though Kings and nations in his view,
Are but as motes and dust;
His eyes and ear are fixed on you.

Who in his mercy trust.*

Not one concern of ours is small,
If we belong to him;
To teach us this, the Lord of all

Once made the iron to swim.

May this little narrative teach every reader, the compassion of God our Saviour-The success of fervent prayer-The duty of thankfulness and the blessedness of having an Almighty Friend to whom we may come at all times, for all the mercy and all the grace we need, till all trouble and sorrow have passed away, and everlasting joy be our portion. "Lord, increase our faith."

KEZIA.

*"For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him."-2 CHRON. xvi. 9.

"The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry."-PSALM XXXIV, 15.

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The sweet sounds of peace were heard upon earth, when its inhabitants encircled in the bowers of Eden, consisted of two sinless beings, with whom the "beasts very of the field were at peace," for the law of heavenly concord was then unbroken, which united all inferior creatures to him who had dominion over them, and to the creator of all.

When creation looked up fresh and fair from the Creator's hands, when his omnipotent Lord had called light from darkness, and indeed from chaos, when every herb, and tree, and plant, broke forth into beauty, and beholding every thing he had made, he pronounced it very good; when the morning stars sung together, and the sons of God shouted for joy at the perfection of wisdom, power, and goodness displayed in the formation of a new order of beings, and the provisions of their dwelling-place; when Adam and Eve, clothed in the beautiful garments of holiness and innocency, walked perfect before God, knowing no

shame, and fearing no evil, and enjoyed free unfettered communion with the uncreated source of intelligence, light, and truth; when the presence of God heightened the joys of paradise, and imparted no fear to the heart of man ; then peace was known upon earth, and the blessing of peace was the lot of its inhabitants. Of such a state we can have little idea; the human imagination dimmed and impaired by sin, can hardly stretch to the conception of a state of perfect happiness, constituted by one of perfect holiness. But holiness formed the bliss of Eden, and peace was known on earth, only during the short time that elapsed before man attained the knowledge of sin, just so long as the heart of man was not "6 enmity against God."

Since that period poets have dreamed of, and fabled a clime far away from all bad and busy scenes, where peace should spread her halcyon kings, and the sweet plants of paradise, love, and joy, and happiness, and truth, might bloom in freshness; but could they call into existence their imaginary creation, it would only be to awaken the poignant feeling of disappointment, that all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

"The Lord breathed into man's nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul; a breath of eternal life, a spirit of divine animation was then consigned to an enshrinement of dust; that breath, eternal in its nature, and heavenly in its origin, tends upwards to its source; peace was felt while "the

breath of life” within the human breast enjoyed communion with the eternal source from whence it issued, while unestranged from its divine original, the divine principle implanted in man, existed in an atmosphere suited to its nature. When Adam fell, his race ceased to be immortal; but the aspirations of immortality continued, for the breath of life remained, though

its circumstances were different; and that which is finite, can never meet the requirements of what is infinite; nor can that which is mortal fill up a void in the desires of immortality.

The circumstances of man in paradise, were suited to his nature; all was peace, for God and man were one; the immortal, in man, was not estranged from its original.

WHEN the promise of the tempter was fulfilled, and the eyes of Adam and Eve were opened, it was to behold peace with uplifted foot, forsaking the earth into which sin, its deadliest enemy, had entered.

"The covenant of peace" between heaven and earth then was broken, and it became an alien to the hearts' happiness, and forsaking it, fled from those who fled from God, who no longer hailed with joy the presence and voice of him in whose favour is life, but losing at once the light of pure intelligence, and the confidence of unsullied innocence, sought a miserable refuge from an offended creator among the trees, which at his word the earth had brought forth,-plunged by the search after unhallowed knowledge, into the depths of ignorance, the voice of omnipotence was requisite to announce to them that none can hide in the thick darkness, from the presence of him who filleth heaven and earth.

Fit emblems of the devices the children of men have since adopted! the foliage of Eden might indeed conceal their Maker from them, but could not hide them from their Maker. Sin, in that awful hour of darkness, ignorance and alienation, had 66 separated between them and their God."

The fruits of the Tree of Knowledge have been tasted by all man

kind; they made bitter the waters of earth, and we are compelled to drink of the streams of Marah, which flow even from the garden of the Lord.

By one man's disobedience many were made sinners, and thus the birthright-blessing of peace-was alienated from the human race: for when Eve listened to the workings of the temptation that ended in transgression, a mind was implanted in her contrary to the mind of God; and this mind has become the natural portion of mankind, even the "carnal mind," which is enmity against God; the implantation of which broke the bond of peace that was perfect only while the mind of man was in unison with that of his Creator. The human mind is now naturally estranged from God, it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be: it is" enmity against God:" for God is holy, the carnal or natural mind is unholy; God is light, the carnal mind is "darkness which hateth the light;" it cannot be subject to the Law of God, for that Law is holy, just, and good, and therefore opposed in its principle to that which it should govern, and though obedience to a repugnant law may be obtained by the strong arm of power, we know that the obedience of the heart, which is the obedience God requires, can only be