journeys. Nicolas was continually sending spiritual counsel to the Friends in Bavaria, Germany, Switzerland, and France, by the hands of Ruprecht, who brought news back of the welfare of each. Nicolas is always styled in this correspondence, "The dear Friend of God in the Oberland," his dwelling-place remaining for a long time concealed. He and his friends had built for themselves a large house high upon some mountain in the dominions of the Duke of Austria, two leagues from any town. There they were wont to sit down by a mountain stream, amid storm and sunshine, and wait upon God, and confer together on the wonderful things God was about to do on the earth; and while thus waiting upon God they profess to have received direct revelations from heaven. It was in this mountain seclusion that Nicolas found a great concern resting on his mind to pay a religious visit to Pope Gregory.

The Pope was in open conflict with the Emperor of Germany, and not long after there were two Popes contending for the papal chair. Nicolas was now more than seventy years of age, and the severity of an Alpine winter, and an attack of illness, caused the journey to be postponed. But it still rested on his mind, and in March, 1377, he proceeded to Rome, with a celebrated Christian jurist as his companion. Nicolas had in Rome an old acquaintance, who "entertained them most courteously, with all manner of good cheer," but observed to Nicolas: "Methinks it somewhat strange that thou, in thine old age, should come to Court from such a distant land, unless it be upon some urgent occasion." To which Nicolas replied: "So it is, we must speak to our Holy Father upon very weighty affairs."

"Then," said the Roman, "I shall be able to bring you into his presence; for I am very familiar with him, and often dine at his table." So on the third day

they came into the presence of the Pope. Nicolas spoke in Italian, and the jurist in Latin, saying: Holy Father, there are many grievous crimes being committed in Christendom, whereby God's anger is provoked, and thou ought to consider how to put an end to these evils." The Pope The Pope replied: "I have no power to mend matters." Then they told the Pope plainly of his own sins. "Holy Father, know of a truth, that if you do not put away your evil doings, and amend your ways, you shall die within a year. Hereupon the Pope became very angry. But Nicolas, with that strange power he possessed of influencing men, calmly produced "certain evident tokens" of his sin, and brought such evidence before him that the Pope rose from his throne, and embraced him, and kissed him on the mouth, and invited him to stay. But Nicolas replied: "Holy Father, suffer us to return home, for we seek no earthly gain, but we seek only God's glory, and the welfare of Christendom." The Pope gave them letters recommending their cause to the Bishop and the clergy of their diocese. They returned to their mountain dwelling, and made this entry in their diary :-" Nevertheless the Pope was unmindful of God's message and obeyed it not, and died that same year as we had prophesied, to wit, about the fourth week in Lent, 1378."

Darkness thickened on the political horizon. The bright streaks of light revealed the heavy clouds. Nicolas and the Friends of God left their mountain home after years of waiting, and spread themselves through Europe, Jonah-like, warning cities to repent, and upholding the necessity of holiness. They were witnesses for God, and the more open the witness the greater was their danger. Martin of Mayence was burnt, as a "Friend of God," at Cologne, in 1393, and others of them were burnt about the same time in Heidelberg. The light and life that had been kindled

ascended to heaven in flames of fire; but much had been done to prepare the way for Melancthon and Luther. Nicolas himself, an old man of ninety years, perished at the stake, at the hands of the French inquisition at Vienne, in the diocese of Poitiers, under the indictment that he had declared "he was in Christ, and Christ in him."

HENRY STANLEY NEWMAN.

REST.

THERE falls at times a hush upon our lives
Welcomed at first as sorely-needed rest,
And thus enjoyed, till, with returning strength-
Ungrateful for the power-renewing lull
Now that its work is done-our spirits chafe
And murmur fretfully that no event

E'er breaks upon our life's dull monotone.
That we but sleep and eat, and walk and read,
And sleep again, to tread the self-same round
Day after day, doing no good.

It is

As if the forest Pine could, moaning, say,
While from its whorl of branches sending up
Its solitary stem, "I've lost my power!
Time was when it was given me to spread
My shoots to north and south and east and west
And, spreading still, to form a very floor
Of dark green verdure; but a single stem
Is all that's left me now! Is this to last?
Am I to lead a selfish lonely life
For evermore?" Our plaint is similar.

The Pine in God's own time sends out afresh
A plain of verdure. When He wills, too,
Time brings us something to be done or borne.
The tree's one stem has upward grown meanwhile;
This layer of work is higher than the last.
How much 'tis higher outward influence
Alone decides; the sun and wind and rain.
Have come around it, and its growth is but
The balance of their forces. Not so ours.
The stately Pine unconsciously obeys
Its Maker's laws; we have a partial choice,
And can resist the sunshine and the wind.
The loving visitation, known to none,
We can receive or close our hearts against.
The sterner pressure from without that tries
The firmness of our roots, we can withstand
In these hushed seasons, or may weakly bend
And yield our uprightness before its power.
Our spirit's upward growth depends on more
Than outward circumstance.

Let us not murmur, then, when quietness reigns, But take it as a preparation-time

For duty's call, an opportunity

For growing heaven-ward-and so use it well.

JANE BENSON.

THE PASCHAL SUPPER.

BY BARNABAS C. HOBBS.

PART II.

IN approaching the second branch of this subject, let us always keep in mind the tenacity with which the Jewish Christians observed the Mosaic Law entire. They continued year by year to offer bloody sacrifices in the Temple until it was razed to the ground by the Roman army under Titus, and the Holy Place was profaned, so that from that day to this no altar has been found on which to offer to the Lord bleeding sacrifices. The Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, shed His precious blood once for all. The Lord is a jealous God-jealous of the honour of the Son upon the cross, and thus compelled the ritualistic devotee to look away from His sacred mountain on earth to His sacred mountain in Heaven. "God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. He seeketh such to worship Him."

"Luke describes the ritualistic condition of the Jewish Christians in Palestine in the year 60, eleven years before the destruction of the Temple, on the occasion of Paul's last visit to Jerusalem (Acts xxi. 20-25)-Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of the Jews there are which believe, and they are all zealous of the law, and they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs. . . . As touching the Gentiles which believe we have written