"Then said the king unto her, What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is thy request? It shall be even given thee, to the half of the kingdom."

Esther v. 1-3.

SAD is her youthful brow, and shaded o'er With anxious care, for early grief has press'd Her bright young head, and bow'd its stateli

ness.

The orphan daughter of an outcast race,

Over her early years a blight has pass'd,

Though her rare charms have rais'd her to a throne.

The bright tears gather in her anxious eyes, And glisten through the long dark fringe that shades

Her marble cheek; the trembling lips betray Her inward feeling, and her beating heart Flutters beneath the rich and costly robe That covers it. What brings that timid girl Uncall'd, unask'd for, to the palace gate?

How dare she stand before the haughty band
Of courtiers, and their prouder king, alone
And unsupported? Well may she tremble now
And her full heart upheave with deep emotion.
A nation's doom hangs on th' uncertain issue
Of her petition. And as a shy gazelle,
She stands before the dense and gazing crowd
Of Persia's highest nobles'; while the king,
Like a bright sun, sits on his royal throne,
Holding the golden sceptre; but the smile
On his proud lip revives her fainting hopes,
As she draws near to touch the regal ensign,-
Faintly her falt'ring voice breathes her peti-
tion.

Sweet Esther! thou hast conquer'd, and the

despot,

The proud, stern despot yields to thy gentle

pleading :

"Ask what thou wilt, it shall not be denied,

E'en to the half of all my vast dominions."

Sinner! thou also hast a suit to plead

Before the King of kings. A fearful doom
Hangs over thee, of awful, endless woe.

Fear not; thou hast a mighty Advocate, Whose pure blood, sprinkled on the mercyseat,

Pleads a full pardon; while the gracious hand That leads thee, bears a mark which tells of

sin

Pardon'd and cancell'd-justice satisfied.

That pierced hand can ne'er be rais'd in vain,
A Father's yearning heart will not refuse
His only Son, His well-beloved One !-
Thy suit is heard, for Jesus must prevail.

DESPAIR, AND ITS REMEDY.

"Having no hope, and without God in the world."Ephesians ii. 12.

"The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head, there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores."-Isaiah i. 5, 6.

"Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there?"-Jeremiah viii. 22.

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."-Isaiah i, 18.

"Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."-Matthew xi. 28.

HOPE! there is none for me, not one bright ray Of blessed hope to cheer my spirit's sadness; No golden gleam of an eternal day,

A state of sinless joy and heavenly gladness!

Dark is my soul, darker than Egypt's night
Wrapt in an awful veil, a cloud of gloom;
No living beam of morn to cheer the sight,--
No land of Goshen, but a dreadful doom
Of endless torment in that gulf of pain

From whence once plunged, no soul returns again.

My sins like mountains rise, and weigh me down
With giant force, beneath their heavy load
Of guilt and fear; I shudder at the frown-
The withering frown, of an offended God;
Before whose glance the lightning's flash is
dim,

Before whose voice the thunders cease to roar;
Who dwells between the shining cherubim-
The heavens His glittering throne, and earth
His floor.

What refuge shall I find, where shall I fly

From the stern gaze of His all-searching eye?