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tian to our hearts that the rarest gifts of our lives come out of Thy pure grace, Thy unsolicited, unexpected, abounding grace. Thus the life of this dear little one is alike an illumination unto the mind and a benediction unto the heart. And we thank Thee and we bless Thee, the good God, the gracious God, for this precious darling—the source of our hearts' comfort and joy, the object of our souls' prayer and hope. We feel we cannot adequately acknowledge, we cannot correctly estimate, we cannot even clearly conceive, the immense measure of our gratitude and our thankfulness. What has he not been unto us, during these twelve merciful years, as a perennial proof of Thy providence? When the perplexed mind or the doubting heart asks, what-like will the morrow be?, Thou presentest this loved one to the mind and to the heart: as though to say, here is the pledge of mercy, here is the guarantee of goodness, for the morrow; and thus we are taught to bow down before Thee and to trust in Thee. Erring in our plans and
