December 11: God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains… Psa. 68:6

To-day the storm rages and darkness prevails, but to-morrow the sun will gild the heavens, and no storm traces remain. Hope whispers in the ear of that mother whose first-born has been smitten by an arrow from Death's quiver; her grief is assuaged, her tears are dried, and life is again possessed of some joys. The light from this good angel's presence penetrates the prison-house of Despair, and the strong bolts melt away; the chains that bound the many victims become as ropes of sand, and the prisoners arise and walk forth. When the shadow of Death darkens our threshold, and benumbs the senses, and the heart has almost ceased its pulsations, Hope whispers, "You shall live again," and points to an existence unfettered by the restraints of the present life, and unaffected by its evils. R781