ve me;' most probably I should ave received your confession with thing more than a simple rebuke, nd a warning never to do it again. stead of that, you paid no attention my repeated question; your fault is the greater; and you have forced your brother, although he was incent, to represent himself as beng the guilty one. As he has ffered himself for you, he must bear he punishment; and you, you are

ree.

"No, no,' continued Mr. Bernard, gently repelling Louis's entreaties, "I cannot unsay what I have said; it is Paul whom I punished; he must finish the task which he has undertaken out of love for his guilty brother. You, my child, I pardon, and I will love you just as much as before; for I am sure you are sorry for your sin, and in future you will ry to show your gratitude to your rother for what he has done for you, and you will avoid falling again into he same fault."

The good master was right; from hat day, in which the innocent was

punished for the guilty, Louis understood better than ever the great love which his brother had for him, and he never ceased trying to show by his conduct the gratitude he felt for that love.

And now, my dear little friends, I must ask you one question, Have you understood the moral of this tale? Does it not remind you of an important, a solemn fact, which refers to each of you personally? Yes; surely it must recall to your minds our Lord Jesus Christ, who came to pay the debt of all your sins,—the sins of all those who believe in Him. And as the good master forgave Louis for his brother's sake, so our heavenly Father forgives us many sins for the sake of the blood

our

of Jesus Christ which was shed for us. And what have we to do? A very simple thing for one who loves his Saviour; we must, like Louis, prove our gratitude by our conduct and by our love for Him, by obeying the commands which He has given

us.

DIVINE PERSUASION.

THERE are many persons whose powers of persuasion are so limited hat they frequently mar the cause they seek to advocate. They repel ather than attract. They hinder more than they help. Often such ersons, with the best of intentions, obtrude their counsels, and even heir prayers, where little good results from it. And there are many ho cannot be contented to rest their cause with God, in faithful and humble confidence, but who seem to think that they must, in a spirit of restless anxiety, endeavour to add their own unprofitable efforts to perfect the working which they desire at his hands.

If you have friends to whom God's Spirit leads you to speak, be faithful, and be bold; but remember that unless God does so use you, your own efforts will never avail. The voice that reaches the sinner's heart is the voice of God himself. And when from the depths of his Soul there rises on the Saviour's ear his confession, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God," the answer of the Lord to him, as Peter, is, "Blessed art thou, for flesh and blood hath not evealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven."

The legitimate result of a Christian's prayer is not in the petition but in the answer. Men are not saved because they are informed that others are praying for them; but because God in His might reveals Himself to them in answer to such prayers. If God lays upon your heart a burden of prayer for your friends, you need not be in too great haste to acquaint them with the fact. Pray on. God can reveal His own working in His own good time.

It is related that a German lady, a follower of Christ, whose husband was still unsaved, being very much distressed on his account, once told a minister that she had done all in her power in persuading and beseeching him to turn from his evil practices, but to no effect.

"Madam," said the minister, "talk more to God about your husband, and less to your husband about God."

The word was heard and heeded. In the secrecy of her closet, the wife poured out her soul before the Lord, and a few weeks after called upon the minister, full of joy and thanksgiving, and related that her prayers were heard, and that her husband was changed by grace, and had turned to live a better life.

So God persuades those whom we can never influence; and while we despair at the failure of our own feeble and superficial efforts, He in His own way and by His own chosen means brings nigh His great salvation, and opens men's hearts to give attention to His word. Not by might nor by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord of Hosts is the work of man's redemption begun, continued, and completed. And be who clings most closely to the promises of God, and relies most fully on the eternal Arm, will labour most effectually in the vineyard of the Lord. Human haste and human zeal avail but little here. Tarry in the city of Jerusalem till ye be endued with power from on high," was the Saviour's own command. Endued with this power we can labour effectually in His work, for our feeble utterances shall be attended by a divine emphasis, as by us God Himself will beseech men to be reconciled to Him. Having power with God, we shall have with power man, and while our prayers prevail before the throne of God in heaven, our words of believing testimony shall melt the sinner's

heart.

66

SATURDAY NIGHT.

It was Saturday night! The busy world
All its cares was putting away,
And I sat mending the children's clothes,
To wear on the next Sabbath day.
The baby had only just gone to sleep;
He'd been wakeful and fretful too—

But he couldn't be blamed, for I know a tooth
Was trying to push its way through.

My arms they were tired, but Tommie's best pants
Where minus some buttons, he said;
Willie's new coat had a rip in the sleeve-
He told me on going to bed.

The heels of the stockings had all stepped out,
To mend them I couldn't refuse,

For indeed it was not the children's fault,
'Twas pegs in the shoemaker's shoes.

My mending was left till Saturday night,
Because Nellie (only just four),

Had said she must have an overskirt made,
Or not go to chapel more.

I'm sorry to see a love of dress shown

In Nellie, so young and so small;

But she patterns children of larger growth

I ought not to wonder at all.

While stitching so fast, I thought how the hours
Of the week had stolen away;

What sheaves had I brought from the world's great field
To be bound at the judgment day?

I could not get out last Sabbath to church,
All the week was crowded with care;
And the moments were few I found to spend
Alone with my Saviour, in prayer.

I think that's the reason the week went wrong;
That I was impatient and tired;

That I spoke so cross to the children, too,
When baby was restless and cried.
O! sadly in need of mending, to-night,
Is my life so ragged and torn;

I've no excuse like the children to make
Because it is threadbare and worn.

Perhaps though, Jesus, who knows all my cares,

Will put in a plea there for me,

And the Father will mend my life again

So that stronger next week I'll be.

He knows that we cannot afford to keep help,
For John's salary is too small,

And it costs so much in these high-priced times
For the food and clothes for us all.

I thought to-night, that so seldom I find
A time and a place for prayer,

That if I abode in Christ as I should
I could speak to Him anywhere.

The spirit is willing, though flesh is weak,
I know, I shall fall by the way

Unless I lean harder on Christ's strong arm-
O! help me, dear Saviour, I pray,

A SPECIMEN OF RECENT HIGH CHURCH TEACHING.

Q. We have amongst us various sects and denominations who go by the general name of Dissenters. In what light are we to consider them ?

"A. As heretics; and in our litany we expressly pray to be delivered from the sins of false doctrine, heresy, and schism.'

66

Q. Is then their worship a laudable service?

"A. No; because they worship God according to their own evil and corrupt imaginations, and not according to His revealed will, and therefore their worship is idolatrous.

"Q. Is Dissent a great sin?

"A. Yes s; it is in direct opposition to our duty towards God.

66

Q. How comes it then in the present day that it is thought so lightly of?

"A. Partly from ignorance of its great sinfulness, and partly from men being more zealous for the things of this perishing world than for the Lord of Hosts.

66

Q. But then are all those who dissent equally guilty?

“Ă. No, we trust not; for doubtless many sin from ignorance, and although they are all equally sinners, their gilt is relative according to the measure of everyone's opportunities of knowing rightly and acting consistently.

"Q. Are we then to refuse to do them any kind service, when they are in distress, and stand in need of our assistance?

"A. No; we are to do them all the good in our power, provided we do not defraud God's chosen people, they who are of the household of faith. "Q. Are we to pray for them?

"A. Yes, and to love them; and our treatment of them should instance our love, warning them of the danger their souls are in, and putting them on their guard, lest they fail of obtaining eternal salvation. "Q. But do we not find among them many good men?

"A. Many doubtless are unexceptionable characters in a moral point of view, but they are not holy men; and herein indeed we may learn a lesson from them, for if they apparently attain such perfection, what ought we to be in all manner of godly conversation, who possess the means of grace.

66

all

Q. Wherein consists the difference between a moral man and a holy man?

"A. A moral man is one who acts from the impulses of education, position in society, and other worldly principles; a holy man is one who does good works by the Divine aid of the Holy Ghost, duly using the means of grace."

We quote the above, which we suppose we may call "A Specimen of Recent High Church Teaching" (without note or comment), from "Some Questions of the Church Catechism, etc., Briefly Explained, for the use of Families, etc.," by the Rev. Frederic Aubert Grace, M.A, Vicar of Great Barling, Essex.

OUR MISSIONS.