Does it happen that his only support, of assisting in its erection. a poor man loses his cow the whole parish subscribe and raise a sum sufficient to replace it. Is a poor man visited with a misfortune of any kind, he is not the only sufferer for all his neighbours participate in his affliction, as the Apostle says, 'If one member suffer, all the members suffer with it.' 1 Cor. xii. 26. "These admirable works are doubtless effected by the influence of the Holy Spirit from on high, and by that spirit of Christian benevolence which the attentive and constant perusal of the Holy Scriptures cannot fail to inculcate. "I will just mention as a single instance, among many others, of the transforming power of religion, that one young woman refused to marry, that she might devote her time, her talents, and her strength, to works of benevolence; and, allowing herself only the bare necessaries of life, she presented the fruits of her assiduous and unremitting industry to the excellent and pious institutions of the present day; she also sold all that she thought she could do without, and gave the produce to such objects as she believed calculated to advance the kingdom of our adorable Lord and Saviour. "The excellent Sophia Bernard, after whom you inquire, left her dwelling here below to in habit a brighter mansion, about four years since, to the great regret of the whole parish, and of the inhabitants of the adjacent villages, who, though of a different religious denomination, considered that they had lost in her a mother, consoler, and comforter. "Catherine Scheidecker and Maria Miller still live, though the former is very infirm.* They both continue to walk in the path of Gospel truth; endeavouring to follow the steps of their Divine Master, and praying to him continually for the salvation of their families, and that of all the inhabitants of their parish, as well as for every individual living. Both are poor in the wealth of this world, but rich in faith; and they take every opportunity of evincing their gratitude to God, whose love is shed abroad in their hearts. 66 My venerable father sends you the salutation of a friend and brother in Christ Jesus our Lord, and implores the blessing of Almighty God upon you, and the labors of your society. He longs for the joyful period, when, released from his narrow prison-house of clay, he may enter upon that happiness which is to be acquired only *She died in the autumn of 1826, and has doubtless received the "crown of glory" promised to those who are "faithful unto death." T 6 through the merits of the Son of God, whose name is the Wonderful, Counsellor, the Prince of peace." " I have already stated that it was the practice in the Ban de la Roche to meet on a particular evening, at stated periods, to read the Scriptures and pray for the Divine blessing on various religious institutions, and afterwards to make a collection for them. The collections thus made, consisted of voluntary contributions according to the abilities of the donor; and the sums that were sometimes raised are truly astonishing; two hundred and ninety francs having been at one time remitted to the Paris Bible Society, and on another occasion, the sum of five hundred to the London Committee, in furtherance of the same object. The following extract is taken from a letter addressed by Mr. Daniel Legrand to Professor Kieffer. It is dated July 17, 1825. "As all that our venerable patriarch receives and possesses, is only employed for the advancement of the kingdom of his Divine Master, he has again remitted to me one hundred francs, desiring me to forward them to the Bible Society at Paris. His Louisa, (the name of his faithful housekeeper,) has added to it ten francs for the same purpose, and ten for the Missionary Society at Paris. She has a single field, and this is the amount of the May the Lord put a peculiar blessing it!"* rent. upon It would be almost a repetition to say that these contributions towards public institutions did not prevent the inhabitants of the Steinthal from appropriating large sums to charitable societies nearer home. Their beneficence was not, however, confined to their immediate vicinity; for the Foundation for Protestant Theological Students at Strasbourg, the Reformed Theological Society at Montauban, and particularly the Protestant Institution for the Education of Poor Children of the Neuhof, near Strasbourg, were indebted to Oberlin and his people for much efficient assistance.. What can we add to facts so full of eloquence? Whilst contemplating the rich blessings which Oberlin disseminated around him, and which the pervading influence of his example so greatly *Louisa Schepler has lately received one of the "Prix de vertu," distributed annually by the Académie Française, in consequense of a bequest by M. de Monthyon. Nearly the whole of this sum, amounting to five thousand francs, she has, with her characteristic disinterestedness, appropriated to benevolent purposes, chiefly among the poor of the Ban de la Roche, who are still in extreme want. See Appendix, No. 5. 66 augmented, we can only earnestly hope that the 99 centre of Christian benevolence being once moved, "circle after circle" may succeed, and tenfold good be effected. "Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.” — Jeremiah xvii. 7, 8. CHAPTER X. TOWARDS the latter part of Oberlin's life, the infirmities of age precluded his discharging the greater part of his pastoral functions, and he was therefore compelled to delegate the charge to his son-in-law, Mr. Graff, being able to do little more than occupy himself in constant prayers for his beloved flock* That no individual might be omitted in his intercessions at the throne of grace, he used in the morning to take *In consequence of an apoplectic attack, Mr. Graff was compelled to relinquish his pastoral duties in the Ban de la Roche soon after Oberlin's decease, and to |