"He assented, and lovingly speaking of his Saviour, expressed his yearning desire to see Him face to face." I ONE LEFT. T was an Indian summer day—every windowdoor was jealously closed with glass and venetian to keep out the fiery glare of the sun, and the burning atmosphere. Dark and close was the ward within, where were ranged along the walls the charpoys of many sick and wounded English soldiers: one officer shared their lot. But a few days previous had seen the revolt of three native regiments, and though the fear of the Lord had eventually scattered them, it was not till some English blood had been spilt, some Britishers mown down by the treacherous foe. One of these, a noble youth who had but just entered the army, had passed away, leaving no doubtful testimony behind that he went gladly to give account to his Heavenly Sovereign. "The only son of his mother, and she was a widow," stricken down in buoyant health, in early youth, his death could not be deemed premature: : "Let those who make this fleeting earth their all, Talk of untimely deaths, No flower can drop too soon if ripe for glory. Early plucked is early bliss, The earlier deathbed is the earlier crown." The young officer, stretched on that charpoy mortally wounded, was an incontrovertible witness that Christ has triumphed over the power of the grave. Victory was the language of his lip and of his eye, and they who saw the joy of such dying envied him. But a little while had the mortal casket held the immortal jewel, and now both were gone; and this morning the thoughts and speech of all were of the early dead. Another soldier of the Cross had been wounded in the same battle, and yet occupied another charpoy in that room. I went up to him; a tear was in the brave man's eye. Guessing his thoughts, "Ah, friend, you're thinking you too would like to be at Home-up there, where never sin nor sorrow may touch thee more." He assented, and lovingly speaking of his Saviour, expressed his yearning desire to see Him face to face. "But you are getting better, are you not? Your wound is healing? Again assenting, he told how deep the disappointment was, when he had thought himself so nearly entering his King's presence, to be thus sent back into life; and he continued to give a chilling description of the hindrances to religious walking in military life. "But if you are better, is it not a proof that the kind of service God requires from you is life, action, not death?" And, turning to my Bible, I read to bim the following beautiful story :— "And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. And when Jesus was come out of the ship, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains : because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped Him, and cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God that thou torment me not. For He said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. And He asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many. And he besought Him much that He would not send them away out of the country. Now there was nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. And all the devils besought Him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea (they were about two thousand), and were choked in the sea. And they that fed the swine |