of "

But ah! when nature is no more,
And dropt this body's load,
On what unknown, untravelled shore
Shall I have mine abode?

Or with what new-born powers explore
The mysteries of God?

I know not, and I ne'er shall know,
Whilst here I drag my chain;
But, if God's Spirit on me blow,
And I am born again,
Where'er my Saviour is I'll go,

And with him live and reign.

There, there, where death shall ne'er destroy,
Nor suns shall set at even;
New strains of everlasting joy
Shall to my tongue be given;
My Maker's praise my sole employ,
His presence all my heaven.

Miscellaneous.

CATTLE HUNTING.-The muster of a large herd of cattle is a very stirring business, and may be described as a scene characteristic of "the bush" of Australia. Preparations are made for a day or two previously, and word sent to the adjoining cattle stations, as it is customary for neighbours to assist each other; and at such a time as this there can scarcely be too much help, the most indifferent performer on horseback serving at least to "stop a gap." Operations commence at an early hour, as soon as the sun has acquired sufficient power to draw the cattle from the forest towards the water. The horsemen separate into parties of two or three together, and skirt the boundaries of the pasture, driving down the cattle in every direction towards the "rendezvous" by crack stockwhip," an implement of peculiar construction, the handle being little more than a foot in length, while the thong, which is made of plaited hide, varies from twelve to seventeen feet: it is only used in New South Wales, and, when cracked, makes a report which may be heard at a very considerable distance, while its powers of flagellation are formidable even to a wild bullock. The cattle, thus roused, make off towards the low grounds, where they are met by other horsemen, whose business it is to keep them together upon the rendezvous until the whole party are re-assembled; and then, after a few minutes, breathing time, they again start off for the enclosures. The labour now begins in earnest, for cattle seem to have some instinctive anticipation of what is in store for them; and when they are inclined to be refractory, nothing but the most persevering exertions will drive them to their place of destination. As they proceed, the scene becomes more and more animated. From the main body of the herd, dimly seen through a dense cloud of dust, a succession of furious animals break off on all sides, some making back towards the "rendezvous," others to their old haunts in the forest: these are instantly pursued, and hunted back by the stock-men, who inay be seen belabouring them with their long whips in every direction, until, driven to desperation by over-driving and the severe discipline of the lash, they frequently turn the tables, and be

come themselves the pursuers. The air, meanwhile,
is filled with the report of the stock whips, the bark-
ing of dogs, and the cries and shouts of the men,
mingled with the heavy tramping sound of many
thousand hoofs, as the herd rushes on towards the
enclosures. The speed and activity displayed by these
half-wild cattle would astonish a stranger, who had
been brought up in the belief that the ox is naturally
a slow and clumsy animal. On a level plain, or down
a gentle slope, which is most favourable to the action
of cattle, it is often as much as a horse, and a tolera-
bly fast horse too, can do to head some of them for
the first hundred or two hundred yards; and as for
agility, it is no small leap that a cow or bullock will
"refuse" when hotly pursued. In many herds there
are animals whom the enclosures will not hold, though
six or seven feet high, even at a time when the yards
are so filled with cattle that they are obliged to take
a standing jump. Some of them show excellent bot-
tom; and instances are known of horses having been
run to a stand-still by them, even in open country. In
addition to the gallop, which is their usual pace, they
have a long, swinging trot, which enables them to
Cattle-hunting in
get very fast over the ground.
Australia is excellent sport, and many go out merely
with the view to a day's amusement: with less speed
than in horse-hunting, there is more variety; and,
from the constant sharp turning and close contact to
which you are brought with the animal pursued,
greater skill in the saddle is requisite. Serious ac-
cidents are not so frequent as might be expected, and
generally occur from fool-hardiness or want of expe
rience. However, it is never safe to trust the half-
wild cattle too far: if closely pressed, they are always
apt to wheel round and charge at a moment's notice,
when, as their pursuer is close behind, some dis-
astrous accident may occur, if his horse should chance
to be hard in the mouth, or unused to the work; but
this seldom is the case, for perhaps no animal in
man's employment more thoroughly understands what
he is about than the "stock-horse" of New South
Wales. From the earliest period of his breaking, he
is taught to wheel instantly when at full speed, on any
ground; and, from the innate sagacity which horses
have in discerning their rider's object, one that has
been "after stock" for a year or two reaches such
perfection in this point as almost to justify the ordi-
nary recommendation of an Australian horse-dealer,
that he can turn upon a cabbage leaf." The best
exemplification of this faculty is in the process of
driving, or, as it is called, "cutting out" a single
bullock, to which he will not submit without a sharp
tussle, from the instinctive dislike to separation which
all the bush cattle exhibit. At first starting he trusts
wholly to his speed; but finding, after a trial of two
or three hundred yards, that his retreat to the herd
is still intercepted, he doubles short round in the rear
of his pursuer, who, were he to continue his onward
career, would thereby lose a great deal of ground;
but such is the agility of the stock-horse that he
simultaneously wheels round, and still keeps on the
inside, without losing an inch: this sort of thing is
repeated again and again, until the baffled animal,
by this time exhausted with rage and well scored with
the whip, is fain to single out, and take any course
that his tormentor may direct.-Haygarth's Bush
Life in Australia.

66

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(Tabor.)

service he fulfilled. But we read of no fault,
no sinful act of folly, in all that is told us of
Daniel. In a wonderful manner" integrity
and uprightness preserved him." Envy and
malice, watching for his halting, making it
their daily object to pick some hole in his
character, and snatch some accusation against
him, could find nothing to lay hold of (v. 4).
See what testimony his enemies reluctantly
bore to his integrity and blamelessness
"Then said these men, We shall not find any
occasion against this Daniel, except we find
it against him concerning the law of his God"
(v. 5). Faithfulness to God, and rejection of
the false gods which the Babylonians wor-
shipped, that was the only fault which they
could lay to his charge, with all their vigi-
lance and all their spite.

in the highest degree in which morality and virtue have ever been displayed by men, but he was a man of spiritual godliness. And very wide is the difference, much wider and deeper than many think, between moral virtue and true living godliness. Daniel, without the spiritual grace of God, might have been an amiable, benevolent, and upright man, faithful and valuable to his masters, the kings of Babylon; but, without God's special grace, Daniel could not have been what Daniel was, any more than Paul would have been what he became by grace. There was spiritual life in his soul: there was a fervent love of God, and of holiness for God's sake, in his heart. He set the Lord always before him; and whatsoever he did, he did it to the glory of God. And, although it is probable that he was, naturally, of amiable, honest, and upright disposition, it was not by nature that he did that.

Are we, then, to think that Daniel was a sinless man towards God? Most surely not. "There is none righteous; no, not one;" and, tried by the law of God, Daniel was not My brethren, this is a truth which, as righteous, and could not have been justified" preachers of righteousness," we have the by his works. Assuredly, confession of sin greatest occasion to set forth in the plainest entered into his daily prayers; and he found, and strongest manner, that, without the reas he searched his own heart, reason to cry, generating, sanctifying, and saving grace of "God be merciful to me a sinner.' Sinless God, you may be amiable in your disposition perfection is on earth the desire and the aim and conduct, respected, and honoured as of all saints, but not the attainment of any. useful members of society, dear, and justly The souls of the regenerate hunger and thirst dear, to your neighbours, to those who enjoy after it now, while burdened with bondage of your friendship, or to those who receive your corruption; and, what they so hunger and aid (all this, with or without the form of relifollow after here, they shall be "satisfied" gion), but that you cannot, because you are with in the life to come. For that glorious such, conclude that the life of God is in your state of perfected holiness Daniel was looking souls. Before you can be sure of this, you and waiting. To him bright visions of it must examine and search yourselves inwere vouchsafed, even such as were given in wardly; you must bring the touchstone to after times to St. John. He foresaw the re- your hearts; you must try the principles surrection of the saints in the likeness of which dwell, and the motives that are acting Christ, when (said he, by the Spirit of pro- there; and see that they are more than natuphecy)" of them that sleep in the dust of ral and earthly, that they are indeed the earth, many shall awake; some to everlasting fruits of the Spirit, the principles of faith, life....And they that be wise shall shine as and the motives of love towards God. You the brightness of the firmament, and they must know what Jesus meant by those words that turn many to righteousness as the stars of his, "Without me ye can do nothing;" for ever and ever" (xii. 2, 3); and to him it and you must see that, under the deep and was said expressly: "Go thy way, Daniel; humbling conviction of this truth, you are for the words are closed up and sealed till the seeking from Christ that needful strength time of the end. Many shall be purified, and by which all things may be done (Phil. iv. made white, and tried.... But go thou thy 13). You must " come to the light," and try way till the end be; for thou shalt rest, and your deeds by that, that "it may be made stand in thy lot at the end of the days" (xii. manifest that they are wrought in God" 9-13). This was a prediction of the resur- (John iii. 21). Otherwise, there will be no rection of the body to eternal life, and of life in your virtue, no charity in your beneholiness perfected in soul and body united; ficence (1 Cor. xiii. 3), no power in your and that Daniel should attain to that bles-form of godliness: your best works will be sedness.

When we contemplate the character of Daniel, one thing to be remembered is, that by the grace of God he was what he was. He was not only a moral and virtuous man,

but dead works: all will be deceitful, like glittering metal and stones, which the unpractised eye looks on as precious gold and jewels; and like fruit which on the outside seems fair and good, but when opened is

found rotten at the core; and like pleasant | pictures of living things, which only the imagination of admiring beholders inspires with the breath of life.

It was the grace of God, whether with or without natural courage, which made Daniel resist and overcome in the way in which he did; not on carnal principles, not through merely natural feelings and natural strength of mind, but through faith and love towards his God. It was this which made danger a trifle, which made suffering welcome, and which took away the sting from death. Therefore nothing could move him from his consistency and perseverance in the confession of his faith. But,

earthly enemy, have been such as Satan by all his agents could not daunt. They have not feared to face and resist him in his fiercest attacks, when the weapons of their warfare The chief points which we see in the reli- have been only spiritual, and his have been gious character and conduct of Daniel, and not only spiritual, but carnal-such as fire in which he is a pattern to us, are his cou- and sword. Cowards by nature, they have rage and consistency. He illustrates the become through grace bold confessors of the meaning of those words of scripture, "the faith, and patient martyrs of God. They rightcous is bold as a lion." He had no would have made poor soldiers in a worldly hesitation as to how he should act when his army, with bodily weapons of attack or dechoice lay between suffering and danger on fence; but they have been resolute followers the one hand, and idolatry and sin on the of him "who before Pontius Pilate witother. See in him the wide difference be-nessed a good confession," good soldiers of tween godly fear, and natural cowardice or Jesus Christ. terror. Godly fear was the very thing which made Daniel brave and fearless. The true fear of God--that fear which his children have and cherish in their hearts, and which is so unlike the dread of God which his enemies have is another name for the love of God. This fear, this love, dismissed all other fear from Daniel's soul. He did not fear Darius, nor the bitter enemies who sought to kill his body, nor the lions' den. Strong in faith, he knew that the God of all power, whom he served, could preserve him from the devouring beasts, if he pleased; and, if God should" not please to do this, still he had no fear of them who after they had killed his body had no more that they could do. He was willing, for righteousness' sake, to be torn in pieces of lions; but he was not wil-mined to show that a servant of God was not ling, for the saving of his life, to commit one deliberate sin. In this he was of the same heart and mind as those other blessed men, the friends and companions of his youth, with whom in the land of captivity and idolatry he took sweet counsel concerning the things of God-Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; who "answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known to thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." We do not know that Daniel was naturally a courageous man. He may have been; and if so, his natural character combined with his fear and love of God in making him dauntless of the lion's den. But without that, the grace of God was for him sufficient, that "strength which is perfected in weak

ness."

Many of the saints of God who have been naturally timid men, inclined to shrink from all danger and suffering, and who would have trembled in an earthly cause, before an

when he knew that the writing was signed, when worldly wisdom would have suggested another course-a concealment, at least, of his private prayers-he disdained all compromise with danger and idolatry: he deter

to be turned from the way of righteousnes
at the bidding of the servants of sin: "He
went into his house; and, his windows being
open in his chamber towards Jerusalem, he
kneeled upon his knees three times a day,
and prayed, and gave thanks before his God,
as he did aforetime." He did not do this for
the sake of display, nor for the purpose of
rushing into danger, uselessly and rashly;
but, as he had been accustomed to pray daily
with "his windows open towards Jerusalem'
(the holy city, which he always remembered
and pleaded for in his prayers), he would not
be so far moved from his stated practice as
even to close his windows when he knew that
there were listeners and spies watching to ac-
cuse him of having transgressed the king's
decree, and incurred the penalty of death, by
making prayer to his God. None of these
things could alter his conduct, or disturb the
communion of his soul with God.

Surely, if there is one situation more than another in which it is difficult to hold peaceful communion with God, to worship him in spirit and in truth, to pray with the heart fixed, and the mind withdrawn from surrounding distracting circumstances, it is where we know and feel ourselves to be