Occasionally an inquiry was made as to the hour, with some reference to this "getting to rest." About six o'clock the 23d Psalm was read at his request, and then some detached verses,-"When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee: and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee, for I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel thy Saviour." "Fear thou not, for I am with thee: be not dismayed, for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also." "To him that overcometh, will I give to eat of the hidden manna; and I will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it." "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." "Read me something secular," he then said, "I don't wish to go to sleep yet." Possibly the excessive tremulousness of voice in reading such heart-stirring words, suggested this change; for no act of self-denial was too great for him. Standing near the gas, for the light was kept low, his sister 1859. THE END APPROACHING. 363 spent the next three hours in continuous reading, picking out from various journals lying around, papers interesting but not exciting. One, it is remembered, was on Gems, another on the Scilly Isles, and occasional observations showed he was listening with perfect comprehension. His mother entering the room while he was alone, for a few minutes, saw him evidently engaged in prayer, and quietly withdrew. Dr. Cairns arrived at nine o'clock, and went to him almost immediately. Though unaware that a summons had been sent, he showed no surprise at the presence of this dearly-loved friend. "I found him very low," Dr. Cairns says, "and to my eye-long familiar with death-it was only too visible in his face. He was quite conscious, though he could speak but little. He asked me to pray, which I did, and he fervently assented, saying, 'I am in the hands of a good and kind Redeemer; I rejoice in that every way;' and in answer to my query whether he had peace, replied, 'Yes,' with his usual sweet smile, sweeter than ever on the pallid face of death. On leaving the room, he said, 'Come as often and stay as long as you please.' His kind friend Dr. Duncan once more visited him, and when he left, the oft-expressed wish for "rest" was repeated. Dr. Cairns returned for a few minutes: to the inquiry made once again, "Is all peace?" came the same reply "Yes," with a smile. This question elicited the only smiles that had been seen in those days of weakness. "Shall I pray with you?" "Yes, but short," evidently feeling the moments numbered. His uncle coming in, they shook hands and parted, he saying, "Don't vex yourself about me; you've been very kind to me." His mother then came and kissed his hand; he in reply (knowing she could not hear his voice) raised his right arm, pointing significantly heaven wards. Each one was calm outwardly, the utmost selfcontrol being exerted, that he might not be distressed by witnessing emotion on their part. A love of quiet, and avoidance of anything like bustle, were ever strongly characteristic of him, and now this was borne in mind. He was therefore left alone with his sister, the light being lowered as much as possible: she once more bathed his face and hands; it was evidently soothing, and he said, "How can I ever thank you for all your care and kindness?" For the first time she then expressed her consciousness of his state, by saying, "You're going home, dear." With distinctness he uttered the words, "I've been an unworthy servant of a worthy and gracious Master;" then the voice broke, and only one word more could be distinguished, "sin." Two portions of Scripture were repeated with the hope of pointing from sin to the sin-Bearer. "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." "Ye are complete in Him." A very marked change appearing in his countenance, a bell at hand was rung, which brought his mother and John Cairns again beside him. "He was breathing rapidly and with difficulty, and his end was near.1 I shortly prayed again, and a slight elevation of the eyes showed that he recognised me. Your mother, Jessie, and I watched him intently as the breathing became more laborious and slow, and the eyes nearly closed. At length a slight convulsive effort announced almost the last struggle; but his breathing was, after a pause, resumed, and the actual falling asleep was so gentle that it could not be distinguished. His features retained the most peaceful expression," and thus at eleven P. M. was his wish fulfilled, and he entered into the rest for which he had so longed. 1 We quote from a letter written by Dr. Cairns, an hour later, to the absent sister Jeanie. 1859. 365 CHAPTER XII. VALE! "Thanks be unto God, who giveth us the victory!" Think not the spirit fears To cast away its earthly bonds of clay, A glorious bright to-morrow WYKE BAYLISS. THE tidings of George Wilson's death spread next day with mournful speed. As often happens, his long struggle with disease had led to the hope that again he would triumph over it. "We had begun to fancy that he possessed, not a charmed, but a blessed life, which was to be prolonged for further usefulness." The illness, also, had been of such short duration, that many knew not of it. A gentleman, who had written to him a few days before, and received no reply, went on the morning after his death to the University, unaware of the state of things, to make inquiry about him, and addressed to the first student he met, the question, whether he knew if Professor Wilson would be at the College that day. The sole reply was a burst of tears. Professor Balfour met the class, according to previous arrangement, and announced to them the death of their much-loved teacher. A student, in reply, expressed the dismay with which the tidings had been heard, and the grief with which they could not but regard the mementoes around-class specimens and diagrams-without hope of again hearing the voice that had expounded them. "Even in classes never personally connected with him, the students showed their sense of the common calamity, by the hushed attention, and even reverence, with which they received every allusion to his memory." For some days sorrow was felt in many hearts throughout the city, not among any one class in particular, for rich and poor, learned and unlearned, seemed equally affected. The experience of one seemed that of all: "Though not much in the habit of meeting with Professor Wilson, he felt almost as if suffering from a family bereavement.” 1 In the Chamber of Commerce a touching allusion was made by its Chairman,2 before reading a report on the Industrial Museum: "The Technological Chair promised to be one of the most popular in the University; and by none, next to his own relatives and personal friends, will his loss be so much deplored as by those who were more immediately connected with him in his class, the laboratory, and the Museum, even to their most humble dependants, who worked as much from love as duty. Who, indeed, would not have worked for Dr. Wilson? Though not a stone had been laid of the building which was to be the Industrial Museum of Scotland, it had obtained a name that reached to distant lands, from which gifts were continually flowing in to assist the Museum, established with so much diligence and success." A lecture to this body had been promised by Professor Wilson in the December following, the subject 1 Mr. Charles Cowan, at a meeting of the Merchant Company, Nov. 25. 2 Mr. R. M. Smith. |