•••^^^^*>^s?rj;r^^ I'.'iiiKis A- Leiit.rel STATIONERS, '(■INTKRS Jt C -OK bINDKBS 45 M aiden Iiaue, NEW V*)RK. je. THE WATCH TOWER IN THE WILDERNESS. BY ANNA SHI-PTON, AUTHOR OF "asked OF GOD," "THE PROMISE AND PROM- ISER," "WAITING HOURS," "SECRET OF THE LORD," ETC. NEW YORK: PUBLISHED BY T. V. CROWELL, 744 BROADWAY. BV THE SAME AUTHOR. THE ANNA SHIPTON SERIES. Tell Jesus. Waiting Hours. Way-side Service. Asked of God. The Lost Blessing. The Secret of the Lord. The Promise and the Promiser. The Watchtower in the Wilderness. Bound in Paper Covers, 25 cents ; in Cloth, 76 cents. THOMAS Y. CROWELL, Pnblisher, 744 Broadway, New York. srlf 0C^l>^63l ^Co\ PFPIP>TIPr^ "When the poor and needy seek ivater, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for tliirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them." Isaiah xli. 17. TO THE KEEPER OF ISRAEL, ■WHO NEITHER SLUMBERS KOR SLEETS, 3 Commit l^tst simple |lccorb3 of mn ?2Ialt^t9 in l^e SnU&cincss, PRAYING HTM TO GUIDE AND BL£S3 THEM TO THOSE T^ HO UAVB NOT TRODDEN THIS WAY HERETOFORE. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. The Chamber looking toward the East - - - - 7 CHAPTER II. Marietta ----------26 CILVPTER m. Too late, but in God's time - - - . - - 47 CHAPTER IV. How God supplies -----.._ 61 CHAPTER V. The Messenger from the high Rocks - - - - 82 CILVPTER Yl. The unseen Footsteps -------94 CHAPTER Vn. Hie Mountain luu --..-... m 5 Vi CONTENTS. CHAPTER Vin. Light in the Darkness ------, 123 CHATTER IX. The dark Tunnel .--.----144 CHAPTER X. Watersprings in a drj' Ground. ----- 161 THE WATCH TOWER. CHAPTER I. THE CHAIVIBER LOOKLNG TOWARD THE EAST. "On the east side toward the rising of the sun shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah pitch throughout their armies." — Num. il. 3. fERRlBLE as an army with banners would be the Church of the hving God, did she go forth in the power J of weakness and the strength of Him who dwelleth between the cherubim. It is the presence of the God of our forces, the Cap- tain of the Lord's host, that we need visibly amongst us ; and until that army become a 7 8 THE WATCH TOWEE. ■willing and obedient people, we shall fail to see the mighty power of the Lord, which He is ready, moment by moment, to mani- fest in behalf of those who trust him. " If God be for us, who can be against us ? " If the eye of faith be on the Lord, He is migJity to save ; and whether we perceive Him or not. He is faithful, even though way- wardly and wilfully we may have wandered. The disciphue entailed upon us through temptation, and weakness, and suffering (2 Cor. i. 4), by our being placed in a new and unexpected position, may give us a knoweledge of Him, enabling us to " succor them that are tempted," to " strengthen the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees." (Heb. ii. 18 ; Isa. xxxv. 3.) The tribe of Judah in the wilderness, en- camped towards the sun-rising, caught the first gleam of light upon the wild waste around ; and those who, like Judah, have been accustomed to watch for the light of the early day, both in the earthly and heavenly sense, can sing many a glad anthem THE CHAMBER TOWARDS THE EAST. 9 of praise for the still hour which has been shared alone with God. Such know more of Nature's sweet mysteries than many a one who is deep in scientific lore. The Lord, who has shown great love in going before me to searcli mo out a resting- place, has often appointed me a chamber looking toward the east, and there has always been associated with such seasons some time of special service, or suffering, or both, which has left golden remembrances in my heart. We receive our mercies too often without regarding them, until we miss them from our pathway, and memory recalls them like some loving gift, too little prized until lost. After an ascent of two hours and forty minutes, I found myself on the summit of one of those lofty mountains on the borders of Italy, no longer, as in years past, inacces- sible except to a few enterprising travellers, but affording a sojourn for all who pined for air at the highest level, or what is mora common still, who desired to see the sun 10 THE WATCH TOWER. rise in that mountainous region. The Lord called me there, and I arrived at one of those mountain rests that afford refreshment and shelter to the traveller. On the evening of my arrival, I heard the various family parties arranging for climbing the heights before dawn. Nature in me longed to climb with them ; but the Lord had said, " Rest ; " and so I went to my bed, in a chamber close upon the ground-floor, whence I heard the many guests arise and depart for the sight of the sun rising. I lay still, and strove to com- fort myself by remembering I was not called to this, and that He who in His wisdom in- capacitated me from bodily exercise, and outward visible service, had given to me the Sun of Righteousness, whose light shone on my way. (Job xxii. 28.) The sun was shrouded in heavy clouds, and rose unseen. The travellers returned weary, dispirited, disappointed; some could not tarry for an other opportunity, and others were as much displeased as if a broth- er man had broken his engagement. An THE CHAMBER TOWARDS THE EAST. 11 Italian woman of the household, in whose eyes the Lord had given me favor to speak of Him, told me of a little turret-chamber looking towards the east, just vacated by a student, who had passed the summer months there with his books. TJie proposal sounded pleasai.t, and the complaisant landlord gave me the room. It was indeed a watch-tower in the wilderness. There lay before me, far away, the white Alps ; nearer, the purple hills ; lower, the vast plain, with the green lakes. After a niglit's rest I was prepared to watch for the dawn over these magnificent mountains. The moon still shone clear and bright on the mountain valleys, the villages, and the lone chalets in the crimson cl\^stnut woods ; and lines of rose-color stole almost imperceptibly over the hills. Exactly at tlie point I had been directed to keep in view for the sun's first appearance, 1 beheld a small gray cloud, which had the similitude of a crown ; soon it became touch- ed with the glory yet to be revealed. Bright- er and brighter it gleamed ; in a few mo- 12 THE WATCH TOWER. ments it became a golden glory-crown ; then the sun rose into it and absorbed it, and in an instant shone forth with a might and majesty that could hardly be surpassed. Many a day has that little cloud, in my chamber looking towards the east, preached to my heart ; and many a little cloud like a man's hand has been the harbinger of a brighter day, and I have watched what first appeared to my eyes as a shadow become a service or an offering accepted of the Lord. Why has the believer so little of the light of life? and why are so many contented without it ? Simply because Jesus is not the object of their life and affections. They are not watching for Him as their bright and Morning Star, that light may shine upon their ways, and so they miss His footsteps, and lack a knowledge of the mind of the Master. They have not entered into the sanctuary of His presence, and therefore are they often cast down and afraid. A prosperous merchant in one of the largest cities of the Continent, being one day THE CHAMBER TOWARDS THE EAST. 13 enjrajred in examininjr some intricate accounts until his brain was weary, felt irritated to be interrupted by the card of a stranger. He refused to admit him; but hardly had the door closed when he questioned within him- self, what was the will of the Lord concern- ing it. He immediately left his counting- house, and going down received a Christian brother from a foreign land, and after un- expected blessing in communion with the friend the Lord had sent him, he returned to his labor invigorated with renewed conscious- ness, that he who would know the joy of life must have no will but to do the will of God. The heart that loves truly blends the ob- ject of its affection unselfishly with its own life. (" Not I, but Christ.") Without this there can be but faint comprehension of the inner sanctuary of His j)resence. There are thousands of outlets the carnal man can never divine, by which a secret worship and service are rendered, which are a mystery to those without. For this there is no necessity for positions of danger and excitement, or for sub- 14 THE WATCH TOWER. lime scenes of nature. The dweller in the crowded city or the mountain home, the pa- tient in the sick-room, the housewife in her domestic duties, the merchant in his office, the commercial man on the road, the travel- ler from health or necessity, may all equally possess the httle sanctuary indwelt by the Holy One, where the earth keeps silence be- fore Him, and His wonders may be witnessed. I have therefore chosen the illustrations of my subject from the common events of every- day life ; for there is as much opportunity for the exercise of bravery and endurance, of wisdom and skill, of generous self-forget- fulness, and of every other excellence of which man is capable, in " the daily round, the common task" of the most uneventful life, as in the most romantic and adventurous career. When the Lord is dealing with the soul of His servant he need be a patient listen ei , only so is seen the little cloud, only so is heard the sound of abundance of rain. Six times did EUjah send for a sign before the TIIE CHAMBER TOWARDS THE EAST. 15 sign that his prayer was answered was vouch- safed. " The little cloud rising out of the sea, like a man's hand " would have had no language to Ahab ; but to the expectant proph- et it bore a message distinct as an angel's voice. The little cloud was the harbinger of many clouds, the heavens were soon black with them. (1 Kings xviii. 45.) Let the kings of the earth eat and drink ; but they who watch the way of the Lord must sit alone on Carmel, content to wait, and to hear six times, if need be, " There is nothing," and be perhaps the sport of mockers, who know not what it is to wait alone upon God. Were this fellowship with God more deeply considered, we should have less complaining of unanswered prayer. When God commanded Abraham to slay his son, his only son, we do not find him pleading to be spared the sacrifice. Unhesi- tatingly, and without taking counsel of man, he goes up to slay him in whom he had received the seed which was to possess the earth, and in which all the families of tha 16 THE WATCH TOWER. earth were to be blessed. But when ungodly Sodom is about to be destroyed Abraham is heard pleading for others, and God is seen in that wondrous attitude of being detained by the prayer of a child of dust ; nor does judg- ment fall until Abraham ceases to intercede. A man lives without God until some ter- rible calamity threatens, or some great per- plexity places him beyond all creature help, and sends him to the place of power, the right hand of the majesty on high. Faith brings down the help ; for God is faithful ; and as the man grasps the tangible answer to his prayer he may cry with Job, " I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear : but now mine eye seeth Thee." (Job xlii. 5.) But why is the believer who has seen and believed — yea, who has so often not seen and yet has believed — why is it thus with him ? Why has he so little knowledge of the mind of the Lord ? Life does not consist in startling events, but in minute and often-recurring perplex- ities and new and unforeseen obstacles in THE CHAMBER TOWARDS THE EAST. 17 the daily walk, calling for the exercise of faith to keep alive that communication be- tween the Saviour and the soul. The spiritual kingdom must always be an eniirma to those who are without. It has a language misunderstood or uncomprehended by them ; " as dying, and, behold, we live ; as chastened, and not killed ; as sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing ; as poor, yet making many rich ; as having nothing, yet possessing all things." " Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature ; old things are passed away ; behold, all things are become new." Faith and hope are the pinions which bear the so id heavenward, and prayer and praise tlic breath of the new creature ; for *' faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." As there is a natural mind, so there is a spiritual mind, that has its instincts more powerful and perfect than that which must perish with the using ; for it is written, " I -will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the 18 THE WATCH TOWEE. prudent. Where is the wise ? where is the scribe ? where is the disputer of this world ? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world ? " (i Cor. i. 19, 20.) The first principle design and effort of the natural man is to attain that which to his mind seems most desirable, be it the wisdom of this world, rank, riches, or fame, and to escape any sacrifice of present good. Yet the pursuit and possession of all that appears fair to him is not worth the toil, for to-mor- row may see him bereft of it. The Hfe of faith, with its endless treasures of everlast- ing love, and grace, and power, is hated and shunned ; for he says, the old life, with its senses and sin, is better. But the Spirit which reveals to us Jesus, does not leave us with our natural life of sense to guide us. He " teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and maketh us wiser than tLa fowls of heaven." (Job xxxv. 2.) Therefore doth He give unto the spiritual man richer gifts than all earth's multiplied power of sense can bestow, and loftier understanding and THE CnAJrBER TOWARDS THE EAST. 19 "Wisdom than the carnal man desires or ap- plauds. The wisdom that cometh from above is a supernatural wisdom ; for it is drawn from the source of life in Him in whom we live, and move, and have our being. The man created in Christ Jesus, and who has entered into fellowship with Him, will no more seek enjoyment in the things that before satisfied him, than the lark who rises with his song in the summer air can return to his shell prison in the mother's nest. Does the new man, living the life of faith, enjoy no earthly blessing ? Ask him. *' The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof." Earthly blessings are enhanced a Imndred- fold when we take each from the pierced hand that bestows them. We behold every gift of time in the precious setting of eter- nity — "All things are yours." Did the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ withhold any good thing when He gave His Son as a Saviour, an Ad vocal e, and a friend ? He gave us in Him all things richly to enjoy ; Ha 20 THE WATCH TOWER. bore away our sins and transgressions ; He would bear away our fears if we would trust Him ; He would hallow our affections and sanctify our sorrows ; He has opened the way to the throne, and He bids us use it. Does the father love less the little ones who make glad his home, because he takes them fron> God to train for Him ? Ask the wife if her husband is less beloved, because she has learned something of the mystery of the union of Christ with the believer? Is the love of the husband less ardent, less faithful ? Nay: ask the child if the summer day's ramble is less delightful, or study more irk- some, since he knew the love of his Saviour, since he has learned to confide in Him for help in his daily tasks, and to find a child's joy in the sympathy of One who was once a Cliild, and knows a child's sorrows and temptations. Ask the sailor who has exper- imentally entered on the life of faith, and is now trusting in the care of Him who rules that great sea over which he once heedlessly Bailed, in storm and calm, thankless for pres- THE CHAMBER TOWARDS THE EAST. 21 ervation, whether life is not brighter and happier now. He will tell you the very rip- ple of the water has auoiher voice for him than heretofore. The wild billow has no terror, for he knows His Father holds the fountains of the deep in the hollow of His hand, and will not suffer a wave to flow beyond the bound that He hath set. Oh, friends, ye are not poor that have Jesus as yours, but rich; for everything is enriched by the hand that gives, and blessed even by the hand that takes away. The spiritual man, even as the natural man, must have his corresponding members, and those members their component parts, to render him fitted for the service of the kingdom which the child of God is called to inherit (Ephes. ii. 21, 22) ; like the priest, he must be neither lame nor blind. (Lev. xxi. 18.) The single eye to which the Lord appended a certain blessing (Matt. vi. 22) belongs to the uprightness of heart to which He calls His people. From it springs sim- phcity, unquestioning obedience, and child- 22 THE WATCH TOWEE. like love. If we choose that in which He delighteth not, we cannot have fellowship with Him. You may multiply ceremonies, and exalt philanthropic efforts ; you may restore forms and rites, which, like all Judaism, have passed away with the rent vail ; but until the resto- ration of that which the outward forms were given to typify (the presence and power of the Lord), the world will remain the same, as far as any witnessing of the Lord's people is concerned. " For if they believe not Mo- ses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead." The dwarfed experience, and the cold lieart- ed scepticism, among professing Christians, arises, from a neglect, or a partial specula- tive study, of the Word of God. They do not deny that tlie manna falls from heaven ; but they go not forth to seek it till the sun is up, or gathering it, they leave it in tlieir vessels, neglecting to feed on it until it be- comes unprofitable. The patriarchs and apostles lived the truths of God before they THE CHAMBER TOWARDS THE EAST. 23 taught them ; and if you live in the Spirit, men will recognize you us one that has been with the despised Nazarene. " This fellow was also with Him." Fear not ; let it be known that you have looked upon and handled the Word of life. Some will de- ride you, some will hate and shun you, for your singularity ; but dare to be singular I for your testimony will remain before Him who has declared, " Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven." (Matt. x. 32.) " Ye are my wit- nesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen : that ye may know and be- lieve Me, and understand that I am He." (Isa. xliii. 10.) The precept cannot be severed from the promise. " If a man love Me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." Let us lay hold of these exceeding great and precious promises, that we may be partakers of the divine uatui'c, then shall wo realize Hia 24 THE "WATCH TOWEE. power in us, and the sanctuary of His pres- ence. So only can we rest in His love. The inheritance of the saints is an incor- ruptible one. Corruption, or the natural carnal man, cannot possess it. Spiritual blessings fall on those in heavenly places in Christ Jesus ; how then can the world receive them, or comprehend the sons cf God ? " My soul, wait thou only upon God ; for my expectation is from Him." " It is better to trust in the Lord than to have confidence in princes." " Trust in the Lord at all times " does not refer alone to the day of afidiction, but to daily need, and to hourly blessing. MY MOUNTAIN REST. Ajto often my glad song swelling, For mercies for ever new, Is praise for the thoughts still dwelling] On my rest in yon mountain blue. There are chains of those purple mountains, The Alps, with their crests of snow ; — There are green lakes fed from their fountains, And smiling vales below. THE CHAISfBER TOWARDS THE EAST. 25 And content I had been to linger Wherever my Lord might be ; But I felt that His guiding finger Led up to the heights for me. To my spirit He seemed unfolding The path that His feet had gone ; And my heart in His love re-moulding, To follow that path alone. I stood on that mountain hoary, And the white clouds veiled its crest ; And light, like a beam of glory. Fell bright on the green lake's breast. But ever there beamed before me The wannth of His heavenly smUe ; And sweetly seemed whisp'ring o'er me, " Come, thou, and rest awhile." Thus amid the Alpine ranges, One rises fairest of all. Could I count the sky in its changes. Or the sunbeams bright as they fall. Oh, then should my soul, up-springing, Like the lark from its lowly nest, Tell over the thoughts still clinging Bound the days of my mountain rest I CHAPTER II. MAHEETTA. "Even the very hairs of your head are numbered. Fear not therefore." — Luke xii. 7. r r HY has the child of God so little enjoyment of the presence of the Lord ? Because he is so often seek- ing his own will, and weighing his own faith, and joy, and love. While expecting that greater supplies of grace in " some favored hour " will permeate his being, he disregards the occasion prepared for bring- ing into action the grace already given ; and seeking for triumphs before the world and his brethren, he neglects that service which is seen only in secret places. Jesus and Jesus only is the object of the sinner's hope, and He is the saint's strong MARIETTA. 27 habitation to which he may continually resort ; and the heart that is sinceiiy watch- ing for Him will learn in His presence that to be brought nigh unto Him is to receive grace for grace. Not how much of joy, but how much of Jesus. When the house is ready for our guest, we do not spend our time in looking at the house, but out of it, to catch the first glimpse of the expected one, without whom the house is not home. Then the meanest thing that concerns him is important, and the greatest event is nothing to us unasso- ciated with Him, unshared with Him. How often have 1 to remember the sparrow on the housetop, the lily of the field, and that He who cares for them remembers me ! " My dress ! INIy gray dress again ! What shall I do with it ? " I repeated many times, as I packed and unpacked my portmanteau, and there came perpetually before me a cer- tain dress, too valuable to be cast aside, and yet requiring renewing for wear. As I jour- neyed on through Switzerland, I thought.. 28 THE WATCH TOWER. Surely I shall find some ready-fingered needle-woman for my help ; for it was of English manufacture, and j)i"o raised still to be useful. Vain the hope ! With one hand useless from a contusion, and with no human friend to supply the loss — though indeed help was provided for me at every stage in marvellous and unexpected ways — it may be conceived that any additional labor, however light, I would gladly have avoided. My bedroom took fire ; all my winter clothing, unpacked to meet the unexpected severity of the season, was burned, but not this particular dress — that was safe in my portmanteau. It went up into the moun- tains with me, and down into the valleys, over the seas, and back again to the sunniest city of the South. No harm befel it. I would have given it away, but my question- able benevolence was checked. It always seemed unsuitable to the intended recipient ; and when I thought a favorable opportunity offered to dispose of it, the gift I would hava made was unattainable. MARIETTA. 29 I have been led to consider these minute objects and events in which God manifests Himself, which affect our lives, both for good and evil, in walking in the way of Ilis commandments, because I found God in them ; and as we walk in faith. He has promised that we shall see Him. We may not always bask in the sun, but we may often see the reflection if we are looking for it. I have watched the waves on the hori- zon, when the sun went down, and heavy clouds hung between our eyes and the glori- ous orb ; not a ray broke its gray panoply of cloud, but it was shining still, and the dis- tant waves on the extreme verge of the boundary line danced in its light. After a long season of storms, a single rain-drop on the green hawthorn before ray window to- day suddenly gleamed like a star. All else to my eyes was dim ; but it told of a rent in the clouds, and there was light beyond. How often, M'hen the way has been dark, and there has appeared to be so much delay in answering prayer, that the impatient heart so THE WATCH TOWEE. has been tempted to cry, " It is in vain to wait upon the Lord any longer," some light, no more important to others than the gleam on the rain-drop, has caused our heart to cry aloud of His mercy ! We know by it that Ho is near, that He is caring for us, that He has considered our need, that He is waiting for patience to have her perfect work, and to show to His doubting, timid children that His time is the best. What exercise of soul may be carried on by what would be numbered among the mean and contemptible affairs of life; yet how much importance may be attached to them from their influence on ourselves and others ! I remember with shame the irritation with which I one da}' regarded my unpacked dress, from the difficulty of finding a place for it ; but this was put to flight by the tenderness of Him who, on the throne of His Father, remembered His own weariness on earth. Suddenly the thought flashed through my mind, that after all the dress was not mine, but the Lord's, and I would enquire MARIETTA. 31 of Him what He needed done with it. Then "there was a great cahn." Jesus entered the little ship. The gray dress ceased to encumber me ; I felt I was carrying it for Him. This checked even the temptation to part with it. I am not conscious that I possess a single article that has not derived a positive value to me from the instruction or blessing con- veyecl with it from the impress of the pierced hand of Love through which every covenant mercy flows. Each individual pos- session is a way-mark of my wandering life that awakens tears of penitence or songs of praise for mercies every day new and un- merited. Objects and circumstances are nothing in themselves ; they derive their importance from the use we make of them, and the way in which they affect us. There can be neither life nor interest in every-day occurrences to one who sees " no beauty in Him that he should desire Him" Such an one has never wept with Jesus at the grave of Lazarus, nor sat with him weary by the 32 THE WATCH TOWEE. well of Sychar. He would behold notning in the spring but the foliage appearing again on the trees, without any delight in the wondrous mystery contained in Nature's resurrection ; and he might admire the beauty of the Word of God, without any personal application to himself. It is only as the Spirit of the living God broods on the dull waters that there is hfe. Our eyes are opened to see and our ears to hear what saith the Lord in His word and His work. Moment by moment ravens may in this way bring us bread and meat at morn and eve, in deserts far from man's cogni- zance, but not far from the God of Elijah, who had taught his servant to look to the Creator of heaven and earth for his suppHes. The rod with which Moses guided his sheep in the desert became the formidable instru- ment in showing forth the power of Him who had raised up Pharaoh, and in proving to the Israelites what a God had looked on their afflictions, and had called them forth out of Egypt, and bare them on eagles' MAKIETTA. 33 wings. Solomon spake of the cedar tree that is in Lebanon, but he did not omit the hyssop that springeth out of the wall. The tree is not one whit more important than the hyssop, except in our natural estimation, and both were commanded in the sacrifice and service of the tabernacle. (Lev. xiv. 4, 6.) Withdraw a minute from an hour, and it is no longer an hour. The lichen has its seed- vessel, so has every little span of time, and each will bear fruit — the one for time, the other for eternity. A desire, a glance, a word, a tone, has caused the wreck or the rescue of a life ; has cheered or broken a loving heart ; has led to the slaughter or the salvation of thousands of human beings ; has changed in a moment morning into mid- night, or sorrow into song. The work of the Spirit is to be remarked externall}', as well as its effects spiritually, by its action on tlie soul. Paul and Barnabas were despitefully used at Iconium (Acts xiv.), and they fled to Lystra, in Lycaonia. There they preached the gospel. They were 34 THE WATCH TOWEB. needed there, and the Lord allows the faith of His people to be tried by being spitefully entreated, while the rough file is used to bring forth, not only the instrument for His work, but witnesses for His glory. In Lystra was a certain man, a cripple from his birth, whom the Lord had ordained to be healed, so that the messenger of Satan, who thought to destroy the witnesses of the grace and salvation through Jesus Christ, were only permitted agents in the hands of God for ultimate blessing. I had made a rapid journey to Como for the purpose of seeing some English friends, whom however I did not meet. I had taken a room in one of the large hotels, on the bor- ders of the lake, where I expected them, intending to remain there until I had further tidings of them. The room appointed for mo adjoined that of some very noisy neighbors, who spent their nights at cards and m quar- relling. I changed, and found one was given to me which opened on to the gallery off the saloon, where the unceasing piano, and ♦ MARIETTA. 85 occasional bands, defied all rest ; in addition to which the fcmnie de chamhre was both heartless and negligent, unlike . Italian ser- vants in general, and I was weary and suffering. Patient waiting is more diiUcult than active service. Instead of looking hither and thither in our daily troubles and perplexities, if we meekly sit before the Lord and ask, " Wherefore is it thus with me ? " we gather wisdom for our way, and strength for our trial, which lead us to know more of Ilira, who has never left us because of our little faith, nor forsaken us because of our dim perception of Himself. He created the smith that blows the coals of the fire ready to consume us ; He brings forth the instru- ments for His work, which seems so nigh to break our heart ; but no weapon that is formed against the child of God shall pros- per ; all things shall show forth His power and His glory to them that trust in Him. What appear obstacles in our service are often but the hand of the Lord to hedge up our path in safety. The king would have 36 THE WATCH TOWER. made David keeper of his crown, and would have had him go to battle ; but the Lord placed an obstacle in the opposition of the Philistines (l Sam. xxix. 7), which prevented David doing that which the Lord forbade, Though David was a fugitive, yet he was not out of the sight of Him who had taken him from the sheepcotes to be king over His people Israel. So it is to-day ; the Lord never leaves us, though we forsake Him. The Lord is full of compassion. So I enquired of Him why it was thus with me ? I was assured that I had followed Him so far, and I knew that in waiting on Him I should understand in part " wherefore." The following day, as I went down the lake, I saw a modest hotel and pension, which had escaped my memory, where I had once tarried during my first spring in Italy. I bade the boatman laud me there. The hostess was very ill, and unable to rise, and sent an Italian girl to speak to me. She told me she had but lately arrived, and it was her -first place. She was clean and MARIETTA. 37 neat, but so meanly clad that slie evidently wore the oft-mended garments of her cottage home. Her countenance and manner bore evidence of strong character — shall I say- strong will? — and she interested me. She showed me a large and pleasant chamber inth an eastern aspect, shadowed by pome- granate trees, and overlooking the lake, with a door opening out on the upper terrace leading to the mountains. It pleased me well. She made all the arrangements for me, and took my directions for some alteration I required in the room, which I took possession of tlie following day. All my wishes had been met ; and her compassion, awakened for my helplessness, contrasted with the surly service I had left. My new attendant was most ingenious in devising ways and means to help me. She was truly the " maid- of-ull-work," and I marvelled why she was there. It was a second-rate inn, with little wages and very hard work. She never seemed weary, but she never looked happy ; she was reserved in speech, though so care- ful in everything that affected my comfort. 38 THE WATCH TOWER. By no premeditation on my part, 1 one evening spoke to her of a Saviour, and repeated to her a few texts in French and • Italian. She listened; but it was tlie Christ of the crucifix alone that she knew. She felt her need of pardon ; but seemed to think that was to be obtaind by works only ; and what could she do ? If I had doubted before if my way had been made for me, I should have doubted no longer. That day Marietta lay continually on my heart in prayer, and the peace of God which passeth all under- standing seemed to be allotted to me for my portion in my chamber looking towards the east. Day by day occasion opened to show to her that there is a living God, who num- bers the hairs of our head, and thinks nothing too trivial that can give pain or pleasure to His children. She listened, scarcely under- standing or believing, but always wondering and delighted. My right hand, from over-fatigue, now failed me, and I had to request help to unpack my luggage. I was likely to remain MARIETTA. - 39 some weeks, and few people were in the house. The hostess gave her permission for Marietta to assist me, and glad was I of the arm the gracious Lord had "sent to me to do the work. Neither the helper nor the helped tlien knew all that was contained in the circumstance. She took each separate article out of the box with extreme care, and no little curiosity. At last I heard a smothered exclamation, followed by " Beautiful ! " I looked round, and found she had reached the bottom of the portmanteau, and in admiration was contemplating my gray dress. A thrill of joy ran through my whole being. In my inmost soul I said, " It is good to wait on Thee." I watched her smooth the folds as she laid it carefully by, and then she enquired, " Was it English fabric ? " " Yes," *' Most beautiful ! " I showed her that it needed repair ; on which she told me she could sew well ; that the only marriage portion her mother said she could give her was needle and thread, and that she should have; and she had it in perfection. As the 40 THE WATCH TOWER. portmanteau was closed, I marked her glance from time to time at the dress. She left the room. My travelling companion lay before me. Reader, it is a mean thing in your eyes ; but, like the manger where lay the Infant Prince of Peace, I think, to the unseen angels, there would have appeared a glory over it, so nearly did I trace Jesus in the fact of my carrying a robe for Him. When her day's work was over. Marietta came for the dress to repair it : and as she took it I said, " God has sent you that dress." There was a sparkle of those bright eyes, a quick clasping of her hands before a word would come, and then her thankful joy would have repaid me for a longer journey with the Lord's gift. Then I told her how He had kept me from disposing of it, and that I had prayed He would show me what to do with it, and He had shown me. She listened in rapt attention. I saw, as it were, this child of the night struggling through the shadows to the day. That night she left me with the consciousness that the Lord MARIETTA. 41 knows all our needs, and there is joy and gladness in the service of Jesus. She related to me her simple history. She had not clothing fitted for another place, nor had she any money to purchase it. She was a peasant. Her parents worked in the fields. An uncle living at Bordeaux had taken her as a child to assist in a little shop, where she acquired French. She returned to her family, hoping to help a sick mother and two aunts, who expected to be assisted out of a sum so small, that I could no longer wonder at her appearance. Her uncle died, but wrote to her previously a letter that told her where he had found peace and rest. Temptations will come in service as else- where. Suddenly Marietta avoided speak- ing to me, or being alone with me. Ah I ih'^1 Satan began his old suggestion, that after all the service was not for God. I had required my portmanteau unpacked, and had paid a servant by the gift of a dress I did not wear. To the blind it was no more. I pass- ed a night of extreme sadness, and prayed to 42 THE WATCH TOWER. the Lord to deliver me, by strengthening my weak and wavering faith, that I might con- tinue to rejoice in His mercy. The next morning the brow of Marietta was more sombre, and she herself more taciturn ; and so it went on for some days. At last, as I spoke kindly to her, she sudden- ly, in an impassioned way, exclaimed, " I am desolate because of my sins ! I cry in the night, ' Oh, my God, if I should die, what would become of me ? ' " I repeated, " The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." " Beheve, and be saved." She started, and replied half, as it were, to herself, " The words my uncle wrote to me before he died ! ' Have faith in the blood of Jesus.' That's not like the priest." " You believe God knew your need in sending to you some clothing. Do you think He will leave you to perish ? Your soul is of infinite value to Him." " I know He sent you here," she answered slowly ; " for you have said the words my MARIETTA. 43 uncle bade me remember. Oh, if I could only say the penitential Psalms! but I can- not I My sins ! my sins ! " and covering her face with her hands, her whole frame trembled. I took from my pocket a little vokime of Italian texts of Scripture, and showed her, one after another, — invitations to come to Jesus. She asked me if I would lend it to her. The following day she was reluctant to part with it. Many precious reminiscences were connected with that little book ; but I felt I had Jesus, and this might lead another nearer to Him, so I bade her keep it. This "was a treasure beyond the first, and from that time no doubt remained in my own mind of the Holy Spirit's work begun in that soul. Her sense of sin would often send her to my side in deepest distress, and the peace that followed from the repetition of the completed Sacrifice for sin told whence that peace pro- ceeded. I passed three weeks in the pension, and retui-ned the following year for a few days, 44 THE WATCH TOWER. primarily to see Marietta. Tlie hope of en- gaging her for my own service filled my mind, but the Lord unmistakably disap- proved, and I was thankful He had given me discretion to keep that desire to myself, to prevent disappointment. Her affection was deep, and shown in the impassioned welcome ; and the parting, like her own nature, was full of power and pathos. " Others come and go," she said ; " it is nothing to me. But you I love as my mother. I am full of grief to part with you." I left by the earliest boat, soon after five in the morning, and the last sight of the landing-place from the deck of the steamer showed me Marietta still there in her gray dress — her Sunday suit — with aa expression of utter desolation at my last fare- well. I wrote to her occasionally, sending to her as I CO aid what I thought would best help her. Lastly, she wrote that she was very ill at home. I forwarded a small suui of money. I heard no more. Her letters ceased, and I lost all trace of her. But we shall surely meet MARIETTA. 45 again, when the white wedding-robe shall re- place the soiled and worn-out garments of our pilgrimage. We shall look back, I believe, on these mi- nute links of life's histor}'-, not as insignificant and unimportant objects, as some count them to-day, but as wondrous examples to exalt the power and wisdom of God, which shall carry their influence through eternity. He has promised to manifest Himself to us as He does not unto the world. " The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made ev3U both of them." (Prov. xx. 12.) <>o»io« BEHOLD, GOD IS MY HELPER. Psalm liv. 4. Oil, fierce the foes that never tire, And never cease their \vTath ! But Thou, Lord, art a wall of fire About Thy childreu's path. Thou seest the conflict close and sharp None others gaze upon, And angels strike a golden harp For every victory won. 46 THE WATCH TOWER. At night encamped around our bed There waits a shining band ; And where the evil spirits tread, God's holy angels stand. Then shall I dread the darksome nighty Or fear the fowler's snare, When midnight is as noonday bright. And Thou art everj'where ? Safe sheltered 'neath Thy canopy, I will in danger hide — The arrows harmless passing by, While 1 with Thee abide. Cover me, Lord ! my trust shall be In Thee and Thy great name ; For he whose hope is set on Thee, Thou ne'er hast left to shame. CHAPTER III. TOO LATE, BUT IX GOD's TIME. " Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon Thee { Thou saidst, Fear not." — Lam. iii. 57. 'HE Lord does not show us beforehand the way and means by which He will work our deliverance ; enough for us that He has said, "Call upon Me ... I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me." Perhaps after all the marvels by which the children of Israel were delivered from their enemies, they would find it difficult to believe they could walk through the sea. But Moses makes no demur to the command of the Lord, but stretches forth his hand over the sea, and, behold, the waters obey him, and the children of Israel go forward, 47 48 THE WATCH TOWER. and that very element their enemies ex- pected would be the cause of their over- throw, was their protection from the savage anger of men more ruthless than the waves. And when the waters were behind them, a barrier from their enemies for ever, then could they sing, " Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which Thou hast re- deemed : Thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation." (Ex. XV. 13.) So it is still. We think some cir- cumstances in the place to which we are called must obstruct our path, or destroy us. The same Lord who divided the Red Sea for the Israelites will make a path in the mighty waters for us, and though His footsteps are not seen, yet the pillar of cloud and fire is still our guide. But let not the enemies of God strive to follow in such a path ; for there is no prom- ise of safety to tliem ; they shall lie dead on the shore of that sea which the Lord has made a path for His ransomed to pass over, " The ways of the Lord are right, and the TOO LATE, BUT IX GOD's TIME. 49 just shall walk in them ; but the transgres- sors shall fall therein." (Hosea xiv. 9.) When difficulties arise, and perplexities like rolling waves hedge up the path ; when prayers seem to bring no deliverance ; when light is hid ; when the soul cries despair- ingly, " All these things are against me ; " when " He sealeth up the hand of every man; that all men may know His work" (Job xxxvii. 7), these are the days when the Lord shall fight for you, and you shall hold your peace. " Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord." But beware that the place is one to which He has called you, and not some self-chosen service or testimony : for there is no prom- ise to them that are out of the way. There must be confession, and restoration, and re- turning, in the obedience of childi-en follow- ing on to know the Lord. After three days' journey in tlie wilder- ness, when there was no water, their late deliverance was forgotten, they did not cry unto the Lord, but murmured against Moses. 50 THE WATCH TOWER. Yet He who had brought them through the Red Sea, and had so shown them that the winds and waves obeyed Him, could as easily have given them water when they thirsted as He divided the sea. He was training His people to trust Him. How often are we sighing over the barren and dry land where no water is ! Those who know the joy of having trusted Him will recall the overwhelming shame when Ihey have limited Him. We are prepared by Marah to understand the value of that branch which makes life's bitter waters sweet, the branch of that Tree which, out of its garden-grave, blossomed and bore glo- rious fruit : " Twelve manner of fruits, and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." Moses cast in the only remedy for tlis poison. It would not have availed anything had he cast in all the spoil of the Egyptians, or anything the Lord had not commanded ; the bitter waters would have remained bitter still. That Branch still can make life's TOO LATE, BUT DT GOD's TEME. 51 needful waters pure and wholesome. Our Father looks beyond our momentary trial ; he sees after the twelve wells of sweet water, and the fruitful palms threescore and ten ; a well for ever}'^ tribe, a palm tree for every elder, proving that He has only to speak the word, and behold all things abound for His wilderness family. But to live ever beneath Elim's pleasant shade would be to lose that prize for which we left the house of bondage. We must follow Him who alone can lead us in safety still. Why are ^^■e, like the Israelites, mur- muring at every step we do not understand, or which is against some preconceived notion of what the way of the Lord should be ? He has bade us go over to the other side, and we distrust Him that He can carry U3 there safely. When we see Ilim with us in our little ship, then we know it shall be well with us. "Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee ; I answered thee in the secret j^lace of thunder : I proved thee at the waters of Meribah." (Ps. Ixxxi. 7.) 52 THE WATCH TOWEE. One sultry evening in July, I was about leaving Zurich for Lucerne, when a stranger paid me a visit, which detained me a few minutes after the hour intended for my de- parture, and I beheld the train leaving the station soon after I entered it. After waiting for two hours, I took my seat in another train, and had proceeded part of the way, when the guard entered the carriage, and told me that the train would proceed no further than Zoug, where a gveatfete of the " Tire " of the four cantons was held, and that it would be impossible for me to procure lodgings or even a bed ; and then left me to my meditations. ^Af ter a long summer's day of great fatigue, alone, and with this prospect before me, I had no hope but in God. I had the carriage to myself, and I praised Him for it, that I mio-ht seek Ilis will without distraction. O And I was able to spread before Him all my perplexity, which did not seem to Him light. (Neh. ix. 82), asking Him to show me where to rest my weary head, and what to do. TOO LATE, BUT IN GOD's TIME. 53 Before I arrived at the end of my journey, there came into my mind the name of a lady in whom some months airo I had been much interested, who had spoken of her intention of passing some weeks in the summer at one of these mountain rests in this direction. Clearer and clearer it came to my inward sense that this was my way ; but how to accomplish it ? Jehovah-Jireh 1 Zoug was a scene of wild jollity, such as I had never witnessed. The trees and avenues long before we approached the scene gave evidence of the fcte^ extending from village to village. Zoug itself presented the appear- ance of one gigantic fair, while every house was decorated with banners, garlands, and devices. A wild confusion of hilarious mirth seemed to reign. For a moment I looked round with dismay. A carriage was my only hope of quitting the town ; but how was this to be procured ? Not one was to be seen. How could I seek for one, and how could I carry even the little luggage I required ? 1 cast my helplessness 54 THE WATCH TOWER. on Him who I believed had shown me the way. He who turns the hearts of kings like rivers of water touched the heart of the guard of the train, and after considering me for a moment, he bade me wait until he had de- livered his papers, and he would return to me. I had not long to wait. He took up my bag, and bade me follow him, and I found myself in the midst of that motley crowd, while the tall, strong messenger the Lord had sent to help me made me a path along which I passed unmolested, to look for some con- veyance that at the close of such a day should be able to carry me safely up the mountain of the Felberg. At last my guide obtained an old cabriolet, with a jaded horse, so thin and wretched in appearance, that my spirit sank to think that to his labor of the day it was for me to add a mountain journey at night. The German boy who drove him won my favor at once by his care and kindness to the poor animal; and the kind-hearted Swiss guard, having seen me safely into the cabriolet, bade me farewell. TOO LATE, BUT IN GOD's TBIE. 55 Slowly and cautiously the driver threaded his way along the crowded highway, now blazing with lights in every direction. The gi'eat gate of Zoug presented the appearance of an enormous bower, and over it, in large letters, formed of flowering heath and ever- lastings, " WELCOME ! " met my eyes. It seemed like the welcome for me in the path the Lord had called me to tread, and I thanked Him, and took courage. Never, since I have known what it is to trust in the living God, have I received a more sensible realization of Himself than when ascending that mountain, in the clear twilight of that sultry day. On the first platform Fritz rested and watered his horse, and I walked slowly on. The fresh, cool mountain air was charged with the scent of the pine, and the herbs on the bank drank in the dew after a da}' of burning heat, and gave forth their fragrance to the breeze. The moon rose over the lowest point of the mountain as we wound into a yet broader space, and the vast plain below was as dis- 56 THE WATCH TOWEE. tiiict as in the full light of day, Zoug itself appearing like a little illuminated garden in the valley. It was near midnight when I reached the mountain home, and on enquiring for the lady so suddenly brought to my mind, I found that she was still there, and a light yet burned in her chamber. I asked for ad- mittance. My appearance there was one of her first answers to prayer for any tangible blessing, and she recognized it in wonder and gratitude. She told me that that very day, in desolation of spirit, she had wept in the pine grove, and prayed the Lord in pity to send her some one to speak comfort to her ; but she had never calculated on such a pos- sibility as that He would send me. The stranger sent of God had delayed my journey but three minutes ; but this had been used to discipline my will, and to bless and cheer the lonely-hearted. Thus I learn- ed another lesson of following Him who has never failed the soul that trusts in Him. A day in that sweet, cool retreat refreshed me, TOO LATE, BUT IN GOD'S TIME. 57 BO that when the Lord bade me proceed, 1 was able thankfully to rcpljs " Send me." And now, the heart comforted, the work done, I must descend again into the valley ; but this time I had no good Fritz to drive me, but a man who, when we arrived in the town, would stop and drink at every beer- house, in spite of the expostulations of my fellow-travellers that we should lose the train, which we did ; but he was reckless. Again I found myself in the station, in the midst of the dusty town, in the heated atmosphere, heavy with the fumes of tobacco and beer. I felt grieved, impatient ; but I remembered how lately my disappointment was the little cloud that led me where the Lord needed m? for blessing to my own soul, and com- fort to another, and I prayed that I might again realize His care, and s0e His footsteps, and praise His name and all within was peace. It was neither by carelessness of mine, nor lack of committing my way to Him, that I was there in that great salle of the station, 68* THE WATCH TOWEE. every window open, and unshaded from the burning rays of a July sun. I felt it perhaps yet more keenlj^ from the contrast to the quiet, cool shelter of the pines, and the pure mountain air I had left ; but I was able to say, " As Thou wilt," and I was satisfied. A noisy throng came and went, and I watch- ed to see if the Master had need of me. At last the room was empty, save of myself and a young and delicate German lady, who, though on another route, like myself, had lost the train. I saw her distress and dis- appointment, and spoke to her of the Lord Jesus holding in his pierced hand all the tangled threads in perfect order, clear and distinct in every particular, and reminded her that every hair of the head of His child was numbered. My companion listened in tear- ful interest; and for an hour and a half we sat in sweet communion. As the passengers at last thronged the room for the train by which she was to de- part, she remarked, " Look around. Is there one face in this crowd that bears the visible TOO LATE, BUT IK GOD'S TIME. 59 seal of the Holy Spirit ? Listen ! Is there even the expression of a thought concerning Him ? Let us praise the grace that has sepa- rated us to Himself." I know not what was the message the Lord comforted her with. She listened as if she would not lose a word from my lips, and looked long and lovingly in my face ere she bade me farewell. Then, suddenly clasping me in her arms, she gave me — " Our next meeting - place — before the throne." " Then," slie added, " and not till then, you will learn that indeed it was not in vain that you waited for two hours in the station of Zoug." -ooJOioo- Tlic desert can ne'er lonel}' be, If you find but the master there ; The lislit of Tlis presence only Makes earth in her beauty fan-. Better the cross be the sorest. Better be still and mute, Thau tread, mid flowers of the forest, And miss tlic trace of His foot. 60 THE WATCH TOWER. Faint and athirst he knew me, As I travelled my life's lone road, And nearer His heart He drew me : 'Tsvas there my fountain flowed. He sendeth the hot breeze blowing In the weary land I stray; But He is mj' " Great Rock " throwiog The shadow upon my way. CHAPTER IV. HOW GOD SUPPLIES. ••Tlie silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord."— Hag. ii. 8. " Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name : the upright shall dwell iu thj' presence." — Ps. cxl. 13. HY are there not more frequent Eben- ezers to the glory of God ? Why this sad eompltiiuing, as if God were hard to be entreated? Why has not Jacob prevail- ed ? Why are ye so fearful ? How is it that ye have no faith ? Did we, like God's servants of old, build an altar for every fulfilled promise, or set up an Ebenezer for every deliverance, faith would be communi- cated by the voice of pra3'er and praise, which would often make glad our dwellings. The footsteps of the redeemed would thus leave a record of the power and faithfulness 61 62 THE TVATCn TOWER. of Him who has said, " He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty ; " and, " He shall call upon ]Me, "^nd I will answei him ; I will be with him in trouble ; I will deliver him, and honor him." (Ps. xci.) We may discourse long and learnedly on the power and the faithfulness of God, without warming our own heart or the heart of others, if our talk expresses merely a theory ©f the head, rather than the over- flowing of a full heart. We are accustomed to look at the dealings of the Lord with His ancient people ; but we overlook that He will deal as miraculously with each individual soul in the world-desert to-day. We do not see manna fall from heaven when we hunger ; but the Lord can feed His hungry people as wonderfully as He did the Israelites, by putting it into the mind of some one of His many instruments to supply all their need. " The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water : HOW GOD SUPPLIES. 63 He turneth it whitlicrsoever lie will." — (Prov. xxi. 1.) I knew a poor woman who was very rich in the promises of God fulfilled, and in prayers laid up in heaven's great treasure- house. She was a laundress, and such an admirable one that many marvelled that she lived in such a desert spot, where few could benefit by her skill ; but the Lord had led her there, and the blessing that flowed from her hearty, simple, rejoicing faith, will be known when every man's work shall be seen, whether it be good or whether it be bad. She traced much of her blessing to the fol- lowing circumstance in her life. Her generous hand always gave liberally, and she held to the promise, " The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich." One sultry summer's evening, when alone in the cot- tage, she was startled by the entrance of a rough-looking sailor, who asked permission to rest. He had only one eye, and looked so repulsive that, while she consented, she lifted up her heart to the Lord, in whose 64 THE WATCH TOWER. presence she abode. He told her that the villagers had all refused him entrance, and as he spoke she felt reassured. She had only two loaves in the house. She gave him one, prepared for him some tea, and pressed on him her last half-crown ; which he de- clined, telling her he had enough. The sailor rose to leave, and then he solemnly blessed her ; such a blessing that she often afterward dwelt upon it as having come di- rect from the fountain, as none ever came before. The promises never rusted in her keeping. They were in daily use ; but she always dwelt upon that day, when she con- quered her timidity, and gave rest and re- freshment to one of the Lord's people, how- ever strange the outward appearance was. She had a large family, and proved how compatible was the heavenly Master's ser- vice with the daily life of one who had to care for her children and earn their daily bread. A long illness laid her by from work, and the only staff that supported her thi'ough HOW GOD SUPPLIES. 65 many a dark valley was, " Call upon Me in the day of trouble : I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me." .(Ps. 1. 15.) After her long illness labor pressed heavily on her, and to satisfy her employers she was obliged to hire assistance, and thus her ex- penses doubled, and for the first time in her life she found herself in debt for rent and ' coal to the amount of three pounds. The doctor forbade her attempting to commence her labor again, and she saw herself deprived of the means of livelihood, as far as strength was concerned ; for every attempt to return to her former activity was followed by re- newed sickness. Her principal employers were the squire and his family, and now she must go to them and tell them she could work no more. The debt pressed" on her, but the Lord had writ- ten for her consolation, " Thou shalt call, and the Lord shall answer ; thou shalt cry, and He shall say. Here I am." " Behold the Lord's hand is not shortened, that Ho cannot save ; neither His ear heavy, that He 66 THE WATCH TOWER. cannot hear." Her need was great, and yet the very step she was compelled to take, seemed to be shuttmg the door of help with her own hand ; but our laundress had proved the promises, and trusted in Him who had never failed. Accordingly she set forth to the manor, and at the gate met the squire. He was a rough, passionate man, of whom most were afraid. He had the character of being covetous, and oppressive to the poor, and no one cared to come into collision with him. She told him her errand, that she had come to give up the washing, her health having failed. He was much displeased, but con- sented that she should give up all but his fine linen. She answered firmly that it was not possible for her to continue even that, and he bade her go to the hall and get some dinner, and he would speak to her again. " I could not eat," she said ; " my heart was heavy, and I felt afraid." An hour went by and the squire returned, and told her he would not consent for any HOW GOD SUPPLIES. 67 one else to iron his linen, and that she must do it, and that he would pay her better than before. " No, sir," she replied, " my husband and my children cannot do without me, and I see it is the will of the Lord that I give it up." On this decided refusal he swore, and spoke roughly to her, and went out of the house. She watched him as he paced the terrace with strong impatient steps, his hands in his pockets, pausing now and then, and looking towards the window where she sat ; she saw that he was in a great passion. She rose to leave, when he met her, and in a gruff voice exclaimed, " There, if you won't iron my linen, take that," upon which he thrust a sovereign into her hand and turned away. She stood confounded. She had prayed to the Lord to deliver her from debt ; but she did not expect her first answer would come through the hand of this rough donor. There was one sovereign towards the debt ; but where could the other two come from ? 68 THE WATCH TOWEE. All ! has not the Lord written, " The silver and the gold are mine " ? Still the squire paced the terrace with hasty strides ; sud- denly stopping as he saw his trembling vis- itor ready to depart, and looking verj' much disconcerted, he came forward, and in r. tone which had more of fear than anger in it, he said, " I don't know what is come to ine ; I cannot help giving you this, and telhng you I am sorry I spoke so roughly to you," and he thrust two more sovereigns into her hand. It is good to trust in the Lord. The child of God had not trusted in vain in her heavenly Father. She had gone forth empty, believing in His power ; and re- turned full, praising the God of her hope. Another time she and her husband went to a missionary meeting. Moved by the condition of the heathen, which contrasted with her happy enjoyment of the love of God, she consulted with her husband on the possibility of giving their last shilling to the missionary. " No, no," said the husband ; but a voice in the wife's heart said, " Give.'* HOW GOD SUPPLIES. 69 Her prayers had risen and her tears had flowed for the poor strangers, and should she keep back her bit of silver because it was her last, when she had treasures in heaven ? Nay . So as she passed the plate she dropped in her shilling. The pair walked on in silence, the husband wishing they had left^ the shiUing at home, and the wife re- joicing that she had brought it, and repeat- ing, as was her wont, promise after promise to cheer her husband in his anxious fears for the morrow. The moon shone bright, and her light glittered on the frosty branches ; the meadow path was white and crisp be- neath their feet ; but it was not the moon- light that made light in the heart of the happy woman. " My husband," she said, " turned to help me over the stile, when hig e3'e lighted on something glittering brightly on the path we had trodden. He pointed ifc out to me. I turned back, and found a shilling, white and new, as if just come from the mint." *' Blessed is the man who trusteth in the 70 THE WATCH TOWER. Lord, and whose hope the Lord is ; . . . for he shall be as a tree planted by the rivers of water, . . . and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." When little prospect of prolonged life lay before me, and my earthly future was more than ever obscured, a physician who at- tended me intimated that the only hope of amelioration to my suffering lay in wintering in a southern cHmate> As I had specially prayed for guidance and relief, this advice did not startle me. The Lord himself had prepared me for it. I knew, when casting all my care on Him who careth for me, that this also was of the Lord, excellent in coun- sel. As for any anxiety to live or die, I had none ; though, as often as I sought the Lord, I felt that I had yet to suffer and serve be- fore I entered into my rest. In the spring of this year, I saw in a vision of the night a mountain of a peculiar form, overhung with clouds. Light broke from a hand parting the clouds, and I be- held a packet addressed with my name- HOW GOD SUPPLIES. 71 The Land was withdrawn into the cloud, and the large envelope fell on the opposite side of the mountain. There was a lausjh of derision, and a voice triumphantly shouted " Now it will never reach you ! " Faith was given me to believe that it would, and I fearlessly replied, " If it is ordained for ms, it must reach me ; and if not intended for me, it matters not." I awoke with such a strong impression of the peculiar outline of the mountain, that I described it to my Christian servant as one of those remarkable dreams that seem distinctly to act on the spiritual man, as drawing forth the power of faith even in slumber. We travelled on to the West of England, and after many journeys, as the Lord led me, we halted at Sennen. The summer had settled in, and soon after our arrival, with the assistance of an arm, I was able to wan- der near our cottage, in one of those lanes that form one of the loveliest features of this most interesting county of Cornwall. The rough stone wall that shut us in was 72 THE "WATCH TOWEE. green with ivy and fern, overhung at inter- vals with witch-elm and hazel; while the mossy banks on either side were rich in purple and white foxglove and the delicate harebell. Such a scene of fresh beauty, after a dwelling in towns and in a chamber of sickness, filled my heart with praise. At the ^end of the lane I found myself at a low wicket-gate, which opened into the fields, and in face of the mountain I had seen in my dream. I pointed out to my companion the same singular outline which I had de- scribed to her, and, resting on a fragment of rock in the sunny bank, we spoke together of Him whose path is in the deep waters, and His footsteps are not known. In the quietude of that sweet spot I recalled some of the many mercies that marked my daily life, and caused me to raise the Ebenezer to-da}', and leave the wisely-clouded future all to Him. When we returned to the cottage, two letters awaited me — one from a friend in tender sympathy, urging me to. leave Eng- HOW GOD SUPPLIES. 73 land before the fog and cold of winter would take from me the power of removal. I turned to the other. It had followed me from place to place, and bore on its super- scription various additional addresses. I tore open the envelope, and a hundred pounds fell at my feet ! But this was not all. A few words in the letter which en- closed it came over me with a power which I knew was from Him who can give speech and language wherever the ear is turned to listen. It was sent " for traveUing expenses to Nice ; " and as I read it, I knew that He called me there, and this was the will of the Lord concerning me. Two or three medical opinions were taken, and each one decided this route as most prejudicial to me ; so that I bejian to vacillate. But circumstances over which I had no control overruled every other suggestion and plan, and I found my- self exactly where the letter had pointed. The climate was injurious to me, there was no doubt ; but the blessing that met me there will be read only in the light of eter- 74 THE WATCH TOTVEB. nity. And to follow Jesus, neither health, nor wealth, nor strength is needed. On another occasion I was on the point of leaving the South of Ireland for the North. The friends with whom I had been resting a few days were distressed at the idea of my proceeding alone ; for I had been many months a prisoner to the house from illness. The day previous to my departure a gentleman suddenly called to bid them adieu. He was leaving for England, and for this purpose was proceeding by the night train to the place from which he intended to embark. " Could you not delay your departure, and take care of our dear friend ? " urged my kind host ; for the idea of my long, lonely journey was more formidable to him than to me. " Impossible ! " rephed the stranger, at the same time expressing his regret. " Why impossible ? " urged my host. " I have engagements that compel me to leave to-night." HOW GOD SUPPLIES. 75 After a few words, which did not reach my ears, the gentlemen left the room together. I was not anxious for a companion, and the evident disinclination of our visitor to post- pone his journey left me perfectly satisfied in the matter. I did not know they had quitted me for prayer ; but so it was. A quarter of an hour elapsed, and they re-entered togeth- er. The stranger, advancing towarde me, expressed much pleasure in delaying his journey to suit my arrangements; and this was done so frankly and courteously that I was surprised and not a little touched at the care for my comfort. Naturall}', I would rather have travelled alone, but the choice was taken out of my hands, and it remained for me to seek from Ilim who had never failed me how this long journey could be ac- comphshed to His glory, and for blessing on my companion, so that he should not regret the sacrifice of his convenience. I gave myself to prayer, and so near an access was granted me, that I doubted not it was at least an opportunity of blessing, as 76 THE WATCH TOWER. everything must be that draws a soul to the mercy-seat. But this was not all. I prayed to be used in some way to the Christian brother, stranger though he was. My kind host had retained the coupS for us, and we travelled from the early morning until late in the afternoon. At several sta- tions we were detained, when I observed my companion busil}^ engaged in writing. I did not interrupt him, but our conversation was immediately renewed as we proceeded. "We spoke of the power and work of the Holy Spirit, particularly as I had lately witnessed it exhibited in the lives of children, in whom my companion evinced as deep an interest as myself. I felt cheered by his evident sym- pathy as I spoke of those whose change of heart testified of the power which the assur- ance of salvation gives to the lives of these little ones of the flock. " Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right." (Prov. xx. n.) The details of the testimony of one in the HOW GOD SUrPLIES. 77 broken circle I had just quitted greatly touched my listeuer. Towards the close of the afternoon, as we waited for the arrival of another train before proceeding, he learned from a placard that the vessel he intended to sail in had left several hours earlier than he expected, and instead of proceeding with me to the termi- nation of my journey, he must leave me at once by express. I shall not forget our parting. He warmly thanked me. The fol- lowing day he was under an engagement to address six hundred boys. He had felt quite unequal to the task, and desired to rest at the town where he was expected, for the purpose of preparing his address. To his astonish- ment, I unconsciously started the subject on which his heart was pondering, and, opening his note-book, he showed me copious notes from our conversation, arranged in the most methodical form, for the anticipated lecture on the following day. "To-morrow," he said, "at six o'clock, your words, spoken only to me, will be listened to by hundreds.'* 78 THE WATCH TOWJiR. How the Lord supplies ! He wanted help, and he had it. I cried for blessing, and had received more than I asked ! 1 listened till my friend had told me all — all his anxiety for time to rest and leisure after his journey, the feeling of depression at being called to a service for which he was unprepared, and much more. And then I answered, " I prayed that the Lord would bless you in some way, and not suffer you to lose anytliing by your relin- quishing your own plans to suit mine, for Christ's sake. I asked that I might be the channel of blessing, and receive some bless- ing through you ; and these hours of converse and communion are from Him. Doubtless you had prayed for it also. " No," replied my companion, with some- thing of sadness in his tone ; " I never thought of it ; but I thank God that you did." And so we parted, to meet no more on earth. Strong in praise for answered prayer, I continued my journey, asking this time for a Christian traveller through the only part HOW GOD SUPPLIES. 79 of my journey that presented any difficulty in the matter of a conveyance to carry me on. My prayer was hardly breathed, when a Christian officer entered the carriage. He had long dwelt in a dry and thirsty land, where no water was, and he greeted me as a sister. I spoke of the Lord, who had that day been so gracious to me, and he listened with eagerness and joy to the praise of Him who goes before His people to make Himself a glorious name. My way was smoothed and made bright by Him who, when He called me to follow Him, promised to supply all my need out of the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus. And He has done so; for God is faithful. ONLY A SLING AND STONE. I said, " Where shall I flee. ? My foes encompass me. Lord, keep me at Thy side : There may Thy -weakest hide." But His dear voice replied — ♦Tly not ! / am thy Shield. Thou shalt not shrink nor yield. Nor might nor prowess own ; Take thou thj- sling and stone, Trust in Thy God alone." " Lord, I am but a child, So easily beguiled. So swiftly overthrown," I answered with a moan ; "I cannot go alone." "Say not, ' I am a child ! ' " And then He sweetly smiled. And every fear was gone : " Take thou thy sling and stone ; Thou shalt not