thed me: my judgment was
as a robe and a diadem. I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the
lame."--Job xxix. 11-15.

There is a very comforting reflection for bereaved parents in Dr.
Payson's "Comparison of Departed Children to Jewels." To a mother
mourning the death of a child, he said:

"Suppose, now, some one was making a beautiful crown for you to wear,
and you knew it was for you, and that you were to receive it and wear it
as soon as it should be done. Now, if the maker of it were to come, and
in order to make the crown more beautiful and splendid, were to take
some of _your jewels_ to put into it, should you be sorrowful and
unhappy because they were taken away for a little while, when you knew
they were gone to make up your crown?"

In endeavoring humbly to interpret the language of the deceased, and, at
the same time, call attention to her superior magnanimity of heart, I
would not for a moment dare to make it appear that I was compromising
human merit with the free, rich grace of our Heavenly Father, so richly
displayed in His imparted _power_ to His children, enabling them to do
valiantly in the salvation of souls. This power is the presence of the
Holy Spirit in the heart. Just listen to the closing sentence of the
last paragraph: "_I can truly say of myself I can do nothing!_" though
I can also, I hope, add, "_I can do all things through Christ who
strengtheneth me_." Ah! here is the secret of distinguished merit in the
great conflict against all the forms of evil in the world. The
instruction to the disciples were to tarry until they received this
Divine strength. Tarry, how? Well, let us read the record:

"To whom also He shewed himself alive after his passion by many
infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the
things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being assembled together
with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem,
but wait for the promise of the Father, which, sayeth he, ye have heard
of me. _For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized
with the Holy Ghost not many days hence._ When they therefore were come
together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time
restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, 'It is not
for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in
his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is
come upon you: and ye shall be witnesse