198 BERTHA'S VISIT TO HER 



were gradually unfolded with increasing clearness 

 by the later prophets ; but at the best they were 

 obscurely understood, or, in the language of St. 

 Paul, they were seen as * through a glass, darkly.' 

 It was reserved for our Saviour to throw such a 

 clear and steacty light upon the doctrine of immor- 

 tality, that ' we might have a strong consolation, 

 who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the 

 hope set before us : which hope we have as an 

 anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast *.' 



(t This beautiful simile," continued my uncle, 

 " which compares hope to an anchor, was first 

 used by St. Paul. The ancient poets described 

 Hope as a nymph, decorated with smiles and 

 flowers, and soothing the labours of man with 

 the idea of distant pleasures ; but St. Paul repre- 

 sents hope as the stay and anchor of the soul ; 

 and so striking is the figure, that it has been since 

 adopted into every language. He does not allude 

 to the vain wishes arising from a heated imagina- 

 tion, but to the stedfast hope which springs from 

 faith : as the vessel is kept firm at her anchor, 

 in defiance of storms and currents, so the Chris- 

 tian is ' not moved away from the hope of the 

 Gospel,' by adversities and temptations. 



" You are all acquainted with the ancient 



fable of Pandora's box ; at the bottom of which 



it is said that, as the only means of supporting 



the human race under the multiplied evils that 



* Hebrews vi. 18, 19. 



