only for this world! May He turn that thoughtless brother, or that giddy sister, or that wayward child, who are thinking only of the joys of earth! May He bring many souls to Himself by such means as He sees fit to employ !

But we must go back to Naomi, and hear the mournful account she gives of herself: "And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi; call me Mara." Now, most of the Jewish names have a meaning. "Naomi" meant pleasant; and "Mara" signified bitter. "Call me not Naomi; that name no longer suits me; for all my pleasant things are laid waste. Mara will be a more fitting name for me now; for I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit. The Almighty

hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty; why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?"

Is my reader one who is ready to say, My name is "Mara;" bitterness has been my portion; my brightest hopes have been disappointed; my plans have failed; every earthly spring of comfort has been dried up. Then pitiable indeed is your state, if you have no consolation beyond what this world can offer you. And yet, I be lieve, there are thousands of aching hearts, which are seeking only earthly remedies to relieve them. Ah, you may try them all, and they will chase away your grief perhaps for a moment;

but they will never heal your wound. The blood may be stanched for a time; but the aching sore remains. Let me tell you, there is in heaven a Great Healer. There is a Physician there, who can heal the soul, and who asks you with a voice of tenderness, "Wilt thou be made whole? Bring your wounded heart to me, and I will ease it. Tell me of all your troubles. Pour out every sorrow into my bosom." Yes, Jesus can, and will, heal you. He who said to the Widow of Nain,

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not;" and to the troubled sea,

Weep

"Be

still; can in one moment dry up all your tears, and give peace to your soul. If you have never gone to Him in your affliction, go to Him now: and you will find Him a very present help in trouble.

But perhaps this may meet the eye

of one of God's dear children. You love your heavenly Father, and yet His afflicting hand is upon you. Fear not: your Saviour is near you; you have the comfort too of feeling that everything, even your present suffering, is working a far more "exceeding and eternal weight of glory." These stormy waves are bearing you up all the nearer to heaven. How blessed is it to feel that it is a Father's hand that is smiting you. He holds the rod, and not one blow too many will fall upon you. There is love and mercy in every stroke. Oh, it is better, far better, to be one of God's afflicted ones, than to be one of the world's favoured ones. Blessed are they that weep now, for they shall be comforted.

We often fancy that our own trials

are harder to bear, than those which fall to the lot of any one else. The truth is, when we ourselves are called upon to suffer, we can then taste every single grain of bitterness that is in the cup. Each separate cut makes us smart; and therefore our own wounds have a pang, which we imagine others do not feel. This is a very natural mistake; but we should take care that it does not lead us to have hard thoughts of God, and to fancy that we are of all men the most miserable.

Instead of giving up ourselves to our sorrow, it is good to feel that there are other mourners in the world besides ourselves. It is good to remember how many blessings are still left to us; how much heavier are the afflictions of others, and how much heavier might have been