ever, that He did not hold silent, mystical
communion with the Father. It seems to me that communion is one thing,
and intercessory prayer another; my own prayers are chiefly of the
latter class; the sweet sense of communion of which I have had so much,
has been greatly wanting; I dare not ask for it; I must pray as the
Spirit gives me utterance. No doubt your experience is beyond mine;
I can conceive of a silence that unites, not separates, as existing
between Christ and the soul. As to her of whom we sadly spoke, I am so
absolutely lost in confusion of thought that I feel as if chart and
compass had gone overboard. I believe there can be falls from the
highest state of grace, and that sometimes a fall is the best thing that
can happen to one; but it is an appalling thought. How wary all this
should make you and me!... Though I have felt the greatest respect for
Miss ----, I have often wondered why I did not _love_ her more. Well,
we have a new reason for fleeing to Christ in this perplexity and
disappointment. I had let her be in many things my oracle, and perhaps
no human being ought to be that. Shall we ever learn to put no
confidence in the flesh? My husband thinks Miss ---- insane.

_To a young Friend, Jan 27, 1874._

The comfort I have had as the fruit of close acquaintance with a
sick-room! I see more and more how _wise_ God was, as well as how
good, in hiding me away during all the years that might have been very
tempting, had I had my freedom. My publishing this book [10] was a sort
of miracle; I _never_ meant to do it, but my will was taken away and
it was done in one short month. I should not expect a girl as young as
yourself to respond to much of it, but I am glad you found anything to
which you could.... When I received my own great blessing thirty-five
years ago, I was younger than you are now, and hadn't half the light you
have, nor did I know exactly what to aim at, but blundered and suffered
not a little.... It seems to me that it is eminently fitting that we
should go to the throne of grace together, and expect, in so doing, a
different kind of blessing from that sought alone, in the closet. I
never feel any embarrassment in praying with those older and better than
myself; the better they are, the less disposed they will be to look down
upon me. The truth is, we are all alike in being poor and needy, and it
is a good thing to get together and confess this to our Father, in each
other's hearing. I ca