sort, nor all at one time of a man's life, and not all at another; nor
all in one circumstance of need, and not all in another; nor all to the
saints and not all to the sinner; nor all in the hour of joy, and not
all in the hour of retribution; being ready and able to supply one want,
and unwilling to supply another. For," as he would add, "does a man want
righteousness? there it is laid for him in Christ; does he want merit?
there is the treasure full and brimming over; does he want rest and
peace? they are also provided for him; does he want faith? there also is
faith prepared for him; but the times and the seasons, these are not
given to him to know; and, if confusion and every evil work now prevail,
Christ being all, he will bring order out of confusion, when the fulness
of the time shall come.

"And so," continued the old man, "when it was given me to see and
accept this one passage first, in its completeness, all other parts of
Scripture seemed to fall at once into their places; and the prophecies;
the beautiful prophecies of future peace and joy to the earth, of the
destruction of death and of hell, all opened out to me, as being hidden
and shut up in Christ,--for Christ is all; and as I desired the
treasure, so I was drawn more and more towards Him who keeps the
treasure, and all this," he would add, "was done for me, through no
deserts or deservings of my own; for till this light was vouchsafed me,
I was as other unregenerate men, living only to myself, and for myself;
and more than this," he would say, "were it the Divine will to withdraw
the light, I should turn again to be dead and hard, as iron on the cold
anvil." In this way, Shanty often used to talk to Mrs. Margaret, and
after a while to Tamar; but the old lady for many years remained
incapable of entering so entirely as he could wish, into his views of
the sufficiency of the Redeemer. She could not give up entirely her
notions of the need of some works, not as evidences of the salvation of