THE PALE BELL OF THE HEATH. 287 



heavenly consolation are dashed from our lips, be- 

 cause blind unbelief* cannot discern them. 



One trait that I remarked in the beautiful babe, 

 was a peculiarly pensive softness, that it was im- 

 possible to regard otherwise than as the meek and 

 patient yearning of the soul after something that 

 was not found in objects presented to the outward 

 sense. I traced it, during the several opportunities 

 that I had of observing her, and could not believe 

 myself mistaken. The impression was that some 

 glorious things had been revealed, as in visions of 

 the night, to the baby, around whom we at least 

 assuredly know that those angels were busy, who 

 are " ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to 

 them that shall be heirs of salvation." And who 

 will deny that an immortal and ransomed soul, un- 

 polluted by actual sin, and on the point of crossing 

 the threshold of heaven, may have perceptions, 

 and enjoy revelations, quite inconceivable to us, in 

 our depraved and darkened stage of perpetually 

 out-breaking iniquity ? How foolish is the wisdom 

 of the wise, when brought to bear upon a point of 

 which neither they nor I can know anything ! 

 We cannot refer to our own infancy, because — 

 even if memory could, under any circumstances, 

 wander so far back as to our cradles — ive were not 

 of the number of those to whom exclusively these 

 marks apply — infants chosen to early glory, before 

 the world could put in its plea for a share of them 



