How beautiful and descriptive are the words of Mackay in his "Watcher on the Tower," that points to the time when, through the labors of His servants, truth shall be triumphant, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away:

It breaks, it comes, the misty shadows fly, A rosy radiance gleams upon the sky; The mountain-tops reflect it calm and clear; The plain is yet in shade, but day is near.



CHAPTER XX.

REACHING THE HEART.

Jesus, let me thus be waiting, Full of hope, and love, and zeal Let Thy coming, to my spirit, Be a hope divine and real.

Dr. Hanna once said: "The heart is an interpreter. It is not in the intellect, it is in the conscience, in the heart, that the finest, most powerful organs of spiritual vision lie. There are seals that cover up many passages and pages of the Bible which no light or fire of genius can dissolve; there are hidden riches here that no labor of mere learned research can get at and spread forth. But those seals melt like the snow-wreath beneath the warm breathings of desire and prayer, and those riches drop spontaneously into the bosom of the humble and the contrite, the poor and the needy."

The great President Edwards, in his admirable work on the affections, declares that that religion which God requires, and will accept, does not consist in weak and lifeless inclinations raised but a little above a state of indifference. God, in His word, insists upon it, that we should be in earnest, fervent in spirit, and having our hearts vigorously engaged in religion. "And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him; and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul." "And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live."—Deut. xxx. 6.

The primary object of the successful worker then is to reach the hearts of the parents through the children, constantly remembering the divinely inspired words, "that a little child shall lead them." Let the following extracts from her pen speak for themselves:

"During the last month I have made two hundred and five visits, and brought eight children to the Sunday-school. I often find if we can gain the affection of the children it opens a way to the parent's hearts. For example: On entering a room one day, I asked if they had a Bible. The father, a rough-looking man, said, 'We have no money to buy Bibles—we need all our money to get something to eat.' 'Oh,' said I, 'if you have not the means to buy one I will give you one for nothing.' 'If I get it for nothing, I will thank you for it.' I took him one the next day; he thanked me very politely, and said, 'I will read it.' I handed the little girl a tract, in which was a picture of a child kneeling in prayer. The father seemed pleased, and before leaving, I said to the child, 'Now, my dear, if you learn to do as that little girl does, God will love you.' She looked up and said, 'Yes, ma'am.' When I called a few days after, the father said, 'My little girl did not forget her promise to you. Every night and morning she kneels down and prays, and thinks we should all do the same. I have been reading in the Bible. It tells us a great many good things, and when I get some clothes I shall try and come to church.'"

* * * * * *

We must form our opinion of aggressive work for Christ by the fruits that are produced. The pictorial tract put into the hands of the little girl, and her subsequent conduct, elicited the attention of that rough-looking father, and oh, what a blessed testimony to the power of divine grace in the parental statement, "Every night and morning she kneels down and prays, and thinks we should all do the same." It is evident that children feel the full force of the words of the apostle:

"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living; way, which he hath consecrated for us through the vail, that is to say, his flesh; and having a high priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water."

* * * * * *

"In another place," she writes, "where I visit, the father keeps a dining saloon, and sells liquor. His daughter is in our Sunday-school, and he always appears glad when I call. 'You are the only one,' he says, 'who comes to do me good; I hope you will be blessed in your work; go up-stairs and see my daughter. She is a lady,' he added, 'although brought up in this way.' I generally read and pray with her, and as I left her the last time, she said, 'I hope I shall not always have to live in this way.' Her father was at the door as I came down-stairs; he met me, saying, 'May the Lord bless you. Come as often as you can; I would like to live a different life!' The daughter is pleasing, and mourns still for her mother, who died three years since."

* * * * * *

"Christ said I came not to send peace on earth but a sword." Now the word of God is quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword. The key of knowledge of the depravity of the heart is furnished the liquor dealer in the above interview, by the concession, "I would like to live a different life." The saloon keepers generally attribute their remaining in the business to the necessity of it in order to obtain a livelihood. But there are other occupations in which they could be diligently employed in order to maintain their families. Imagine a frail, aged, weak woman, cheerfully bringing gospel light into these dark dens of iniquity. It has been wisely said that the organ of pluck and perseverance has been prominently developed in the weaker sex from time immemorial, as in the case of Joan of Arc, Jennie Mac Rae, and the noble band of Christian workers connected with the Women's Christian Temperance Union of this country. The power of womanly kindness is indescribable. Hence we must ever remember that God has chosen the poor and weak things of this world to confound the mighty.

But to return to the diary. Here we find her intensely interested in a poor blind girl, for she writes, in November of this year, the following:

"About three years since, a young girl, a Roman Catholic, who was then a pupil at the Institution for the Blind, was brought to my notice. She became deeply interested in the Bible, and afterward embraced the Protestant faith, and since that time has continued firm in her belief and practice. She remained at the Institution until the end of the term, which expired in June. It was now necessary for her to seek another home. She was taken to the house of a relative, who insisted on her going to confession. This she refused, and was on this account rendered homeless. It was a source of great anxiety to know how to provide for her. The girl was sincere, evidently willing, 'not only to believe in Christ, but also to suffer for His sake.' Her case was stated to some ladies who felt an interest in her, and although they could not give her a home, they kindly assisted in paying her board; other friends to whom the case was made known did the same, and she is now learning a trade by which we hope she will soon earn enough for her own support. Her employer speaks well of her, and considers her very industrious.

"Another case is that of a family who took no interest in the subject of religion. They had a little daughter eight years of age, who loved to sing of Jesus, and would always sit still to listen to the reading of Scripture. One day she urged her mother to give her the baby, who was eighteen months old, as her own. The mother laughed, and said: 'You cannot take care of yourself; what will you do with him?' But she continued urging her request that the child might be given to her, until at last her mother said: 'Jimmy is yours.' 'Well,' said the child, 'if he is mine, I will take him wherever I go.' Soon after both children were taken sick, and both died, and were buried at the same time. This made a great impression on the minds of their parents; their hearts have been softened, and they now listen with attention to the words of truth, and we trust they may be led to follow the dear Saviour, who so loved their little ones, that He gathered them into his fold."

* * * * * *

The death of loved ones frequently softens the heart. A few days ago, I buried a dear, sweet girl belonging to the Sabbath-school, only sixteen years of age. At the funeral service a man who had been formerly an infidel was completely broken down. Why? because his little boy was taken regularly to the school by this girl, and he inquired of his father, "Now that Fannie is dead, and has gone to be with Jesus, who will take me to the school?" The father responded, and said, "I will." Ever since the father takes him there, and now attends the services at the church.



CHAPTER XXI.

WINTER LIFE AND SCENES.

Shall He come and find me standing From the worldling's joy apart, Outside of its mirth and folly, With a true and loyal heart?

On one occasion, in reference to a severe winter, she writes: "This has been the hardest winter I have known for years." The winters in New York are sometimes very severe. And here we are reminded of Thomson's vivid description of it in his "Seasons." He prefixes it with this wonderful prayer:

"Father of light and life! thou God supreme! O, teach me what is good! teach me Thyself! Save me from folly, vanity, and vice, From every low pursuit! and feed my soul With knowledge, conscious peace and virtue pure; Sacred substantial, never-fading bliss!"

"SNOW MANTLES THE EARTH. DISTURBS THE COMFORT OF MANKIND.

"The keener tempests rise; and fuming down From all the livid east, or piercing north, Thick clouds ascend; in whose capacious womb A vapory deluge lies, to snow congealed. Heavy they roll their fleecy world along, And the sky saddens with the gathered storm."

We all know that a northwest snow-storm in this city is very cold and biting. But amid the blinding snow-drift this woman could be seen wending her way to homes of want, poverty, and wretchedness.

In order to recognize and appreciate her labors we have only to contrast her aims and aspirations with another and far different class that abound in all large cities, so graphically described by Pollock:

Ah! little think the gay licentious proud, When pleasure, power, and affluence surround; Ah! little think they of the sad variety of pain: How many pine in want; how many bleed, How many pine, how many drink the cup Of baleful grief, or eat the bitter bread Of misery; sore pierced by wintry winds.

Amid all such sad scenes this heroine bids us labor on in faith, and she adds, "Our labor will not be in vain." No, never! "For, they that go forth weeping, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless return again rejoicing, bringing their sheaves with them."

What is faith? Faith is simply taking God at His word. Paul, in the eleventh chapter of the Hebrews, reveals to us the victories God's people obtained through faith. There is often something startling to our sluggish spirits by a critical examination of the almost incredible account of the power of faith. How tremendously efficacious. Oh! that the Holy Spirit may reveal to us its vast importance.

"By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.

"By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.

"And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jepthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:

"Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,

"Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

"Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:

"And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:

"They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheep-skins and goat-skins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;

"(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

"And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise;

"God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect."

To lift with tender pitying hand, Sin's victims, from the dust; Reproach them not, nor chide their wrong, Be kind as well as just; A word may touch a sleeping chord Of mem'ry pure and sweet, And bring them, sorry for their sins, To bow at Jesus' feet.

Go, seek them out—poor, wand'ring sheep, That on the mountain cold, Are hungry—starving now for bread— Go, lead them to the fold; There comes a cheering thought to those Who toil in patient love— Each soul reclaimed shall be a star To deck their crown above.

If we but prayerfully consider the sad condition of the unregenerate, and the innumerable antagonistic diabolical influences to which they are constantly exposed, we will be able to accurately understand the nature and importance of a city missionary's work, and the great need there is of giving heed to the injunction of the Master, "Be ye wise as serpents and harmless as doves." There are few vices which cannot be conquered by the Gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. Here the reader will behold this illustrated, for she writes again:

"In many places I have found it distressing to visit, the destitution being so great; but through the assistance of kind friends, I have been able to assist them in various ways, and thus have found a way to their hearts, and they gladly receive me in many houses, and listen with great attention to reading and prayer. One poor woman whom I found, had been ill for some weeks, and while ministering to her temporal wants I have not neglected her spiritual needs. She seems truly awakened to the sinfulness of her past life, and feels her need of Christ. She begged me to visit her daughter and try to influence her. I have spent some happy seasons in that attic-room, and when I leave she puts her arms around me, kissing me, and asking me to come again.

"A man asked me for a Testament, saying he wanted to read it for himself. I gave him one, and on visiting him again, he said, 'I have been reading your book, and like it so very much, I will pay you for it;' and he handed me a dollar.

"Notwithstanding this has been the hardest winter I have known for years, I have been much encouraged in my work, having been enabled to help every deserving family I have met with; and one, where I have been visiting for years without being able to induce them to attend church, have now been brought in, and have united with the church, both mother and daughter rejoicing in the Saviour, and feeling they have never known happiness before. Let us, therefore, labor on in faith, and our labor will not be in vain."



CHAPTER XXII.

CIRCULATING THE SCRIPTURES.

O land of the blessed, thy hills of delight Sometimes on my vision unfold; Thy mansions celestial, thy palaces bright, Thy bulwarks of jasper and gold.

Dear voices are chanting thy chorus of praise, Dear eyes in thy sunlight are fair; I look from my valley of shadow below, And whisper: Would God I were there.

Amid the toil and sufferings of earth, how comforting is the assurance in our hearts that Jesus is preparing a place for his people. O, how cheering, when we can adopt the language in the song of Solomon, and say:

"My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies. Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether."

It will not be long before we will be done with the cares and vicissitudes of life, and enter into that "Rest that remains for the people of God." I am sure that in the midst of her toil, she ever found joy in the hope that one day she would be forever with the Lord. She had indeed laid up treasures in heaven, and her earnest desire evidently was, not to go to heaven alone, but to take some others with her. This was the joy of her life. Like the Master who, for the joy that was set before Him, endures the cross. Hence she enjoyed a uniform experience of peace, although she witnessed many a sorrowful sight. A late writer, the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, has well observed:

"Joy will reach farthest out to sea where troubled mariners are seeking the shore. Even in your deepest griefs you can rejoice in God. As waves phosphoresce, let joys flash from the swing of the sorrow of your souls. Low measures of feeling are better than ecstacies for ordinary life. God sends His rains in gentle drops, else flowers would be beaten to pieces."

Ah, it was the peace of God that passeth all understanding that enabled her to bear up during the hot summer months in which she penned the following, wherein she says:

"The past three months have been the most trying of any I have experienced since I began my work. There has been much sickness and many deaths. But I have been kept and sustained amid many difficulties. I have been kindly received in many Roman Catholic and Jewish families. A poor woman whose husband was killed a year since, who had lost one child, and has another very sick, is glad to have me read and pray with her, and when I point her to the Saviour she says He is, indeed, her best friend. Another Catholic woman said, she did not see why her priest forbade her reading the Bible, 'for what you have read to me is so beautiful.' When asked if she would like to have a Bible, she said she would, and when I took one to her she gave me twenty-five cents, and said she wished she could give me more. One day I was addressed in the street by a little girl, who asked me to go and see her mother. When I enquired who she was, I found she was a woman whom I had visited some time before. She was very glad to see me, showed me the Testament I had given her, and asked me many questions which would have led to argument; but I told her I only taught the religion of the Lord Jesus, and I wished them to come to Him and seek for light and salvation. She urged me to come again, and gladly listened when I read to them from the Scriptures.

"A young woman on being asked to attend church said, 'The only church I go to is the theatre.' I gave her a Testament which she promised to read; she has now begun to go to church regularly, and says she hopes never again to live the life she has lived. I have been able to take a number of mothers and their children to the sea side, which has been a great blessing. I have given the Bible to two women who have paid for it, and wished for one for a neighbor."

* * * * * *

It is a true and striking fact, that there are very few women who ever labored so assiduously for the good of others as this Missionary, especially in trying to save souls and make others happy.

We may say we believe in Jesus and, therefore, we will be saved; but we must remember also that faith without works is dead, and on the great day of judgment all will be made known, for St. John says in the Apocalypse: "I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works."



CHAPTER XXIII.

THE NINETY AND NINE.

When he lived on earth so lowly, Friend of sinners was his name; Now enthroned among the holy, He rejoices in the name.

When Jesus was here upon earth the question was asked, 'Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? But it is said that the thirty years of Christ's obscurity was the foundation of his three years' manifestations. He was there, however, not alone, for he was under the fostering love and anxious solicitude of His heavenly Father. Nazareth is beautifully described thus:

It was "a handful of pearls in a goblet of emerald. No great road led up to this sunny nook. Trade, war, adventure, pleasure, pomp, passed by it, flowing from west to east, from east to west, along the Roman road. But the meadows were aglow with wheat and barley. Near the low ground ran a belt of gardens, fenced with loose stones, in which myriads of green figs, red pomegranates, and golden citrons ripened in the summer sun. High up the slopes hung vintages of purple grapes. In the plain among the corn, and beneath the mulberry-trees and figs, shone daisies, poppies, tulips, lilies, anemones, endless in their profusion, brilliant in their dyes. Low down on the hillside sprang a well of water, bubbling, plentiful and sweet; and above this fountain of life, in a long street straggling from the fountain to the synagogue, rose the homesteads of many shepherds, craftsmen, and vine-dressers. It was a lovely and humble place, of which no poet, no ruler, no historian of Israel had ever taken note."

Even so, it was a very humble sphere that our missionary filled, but she was precious in God's sight. Her work was among the poor and the lowly. Lost sight of perhaps by men on this account, but the more like her divine master in her work and ways. O, how true are Christ's own words: "Whosoever he be of you that renounceth not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. Salt therefore is good: but if even the salt have lost its savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? It is fit neither for the land nor for the dunghill: men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

"Now all the publicans and sinners were drawing near unto him for to hear him. And both the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, this man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them."

Yes! sinners—unworthy, hell-deserving sinners—it is to such, that He cries if any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. How refreshing are the well-known words:

Aid the dawning, tongue and pen; Aid it, hopes of honest men; Aid it, paper—aid it, type— Aid it, for the hour is ripe, And our earnest must not slacken Into play. Men of thought and men of action, Clear the way!

The following account of the origin of the well-known hymn, the "Ninety and Nine," may have a tendency to stimulate others to go and do likewise. It is taken from "Sabbath Reading," published by the late Mr. Dougal of this city, who has recently passed away into his everlasting rest.

A humble lady in Melrose, Scotland, was led to see the beauty of the character of Christ in the parable of the Good Shepherd. She possessed genius, and sometimes expressed her best thoughts and feelings in verse. The vision of Christ leaving the glories of Heaven and becoming a seeker of men who had gone astray, like an Eastern shepherd seeking a wandering sheep in perilous places, touched her heart with poetic fervor, and she wrote the hymn beginning:

"There were ninety and nine that safely lay In the shelter of the fold."

One of the stanzas most vividly and tenderly expressed her clear view of Divine sympathy and compassion:

"But none of the ransomed ever knew How deep were the waters crossed; Nor how dark was the night that the Lord passed through Ere He found His sheep that was lost. Out in the desert He heard its cry— Sick and helpless, and ready to die."

The poem was published in a local paper, and the lady soon afterward died, and went to the Good Shepherd, whose love for the wandering and perishing had gained the affections and service of her life. She was buried in one of the churchyards of beautiful Melrose.

The efforts of a sincere life always meet with the needs of others, and are often given, under Providence, a special mission in the world. The simplicity and fervor of the little poem gained for it an unexpected recognition.

The American evangelist, Mr. Sankey, was one day returning from Edinburgh to Glasgow, to hold a farewell meeting there. Glasgow had been the scene of the most signal triumphs in the work of Messrs. Moody and Sankey, and this farewell gathering promised to be one of thanksgiving and tears, of wonderful interest, power, and feeling.

Mr. Sankey, on this occasion, desired to introduce a new hymn which should represent Christ as a compassionate and all-sufficient Saviour. "Before getting on the train," he says, "I went to the news-stand and bought two or three papers—some secular, some religious—and in one of them I found these verses:

"'There were ninety and nine that safely lay In the shelter of the fold,' etc.

"I said to my brother Moody, 'That's just the hymn I have been wanting. I think the Lord has really sent it to us!'

"Next day this little tune or chant it is set to, came to me.

"We went into the noon meeting, and dear Dr. Bonar, who has written so many beautiful hymns ('I was a Wandering Sheep and did not Love the Fold,' and 'I Heard the Voice of Jesus say, Come unto Me and Rest') was there, and the thought came to me, 'We must sing now this new hymn that the Lord has sent us.'

"The tune had scarcely formed itself in my head yet, but I just cut the words from the paper, put it in front of me on the organ and began to sing them, hardly knowing where the tune was coming from. But the Lord said, 'Sing it,' and as we were singing it His Spirit came upon us, and what a blessed meeting we had!"

The meeting was a very crowded one, and tender feelings were awakened in all hearts, bringing vividly to all minds, as it did, the fact that the world is full of farewell. The imagery of the hymn, the shepherd, the sheep-fold, the dark-night on the hills, the anxious search and the joyful return, was in harmony with Scottish associations, and touched the best feelings of the converts and inquirers. Christ stood revealed in the song, and it seemed as though the listeners went up some living Tabor, and again saw Him transfigured.

Away in the gallery there sat a lady who was at first startled, and then deeply affected by the hymn. She was unable to speak with the sweet singer in the confusion that followed the close of the meeting, but she soon after wrote to him from Melrose, and said, "I thank you for having sung, the other day, my deceased sister's words. She wrote them five years ago. She is in Heaven now."

The hymn has had a tender mission. Thousands seeking the help of a power outside of their own sinful nature, have seen in it the vision that the prophet saw: "And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered there was none to uphold; therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me."

What a true and striking picture is painted by the dear Saviour in this immortal parable! They are the words of Him "who spake as never man spake:"

"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?

"And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

"And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, 'Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.'

"I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in Heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance."

The intensity of that joy is indescribable. What a glorious company are yonder. Here they toiled and suffered, and sacrificed for Christ, but now they are in the land of light and love.

How sweet as we journey, to pause for a moment And look at the foot-prints we see in our way; The foot-prints of pilgrims who've crossed over Jordan And now are rejoicing forever and aye.

O blessed Redeemer, ere long thou wilt call us To join the great army beyond the dark sea; They fought the good fight, their course they have finished, And now they inherit the kingdom with thee.

What must be the joy in heaven when the meeting and greeting time comes. The holy apostle said, "Set your affection on things above." Why; what does he mean? It is that we may richly enjoy a foretaste of its unutterable bliss preparatory to our departure.

Hark the song of holy rapture, Hear it break from yonder strand, Where our friends for us are waiting, In the golden, summer land. They have reached the port of glory, O'er the Jordan they have passed, And with millions they are shouting, Home at last, home at last.

Oh, the long and sweet re-union, Where the bells of time shall cease; Oh, the greeting, endless greeting, On the vernal heights of peace; Where the hoping and desponding Of the weary heart are past, And we enter life eternal— Home at last, home at last.

Look beyond, the skies are clearing; See, the mist dissolves away; Soon our eyes will catch the dawning Of a bright celestial day; Soon the shadows will be lifted, That around us now are cast, And rejoicing we shall gather, Home at last, home at last.

It is no wonder that St. John in the Apocalypse, speaking anticipatively, says:

"A voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.

"And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

"And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

"And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God."

Who are the true called to the marriage supper of the Lamb? Who are arrayed in white linen, pure and white?

They are those who try to be like Him who said, "I am the good shepherd who gave His life for the sheep." Here, in this wilderness of wandering, it is our imperative duty to go out after the suffering and sorrowing and straying, and bring them into the fold.



CHAPTER XXIV.

ANSWERED PRAYER.

I want to go home, to know it all— The Saviour's love for the sinner's soul, The mercy of God and the glory given To saints when they're safely brought to heaven.

"Here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come." Ours is a camp life. Moses, in his wonderful prayer, claims God as his guide and protector amid all the changing scenes of life. "Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men. For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is passed, and as a watch in the night."—Ps. xc. 1-4.

How essential then to constantly seek the guidance of God in all we undertake for His glory.

He directs and controls all our affairs just as much to-day as He did this ancient Israel by the great miraculous cloud by day, and pillar of fire by night, stretching far high into the heavens.

* * * * * *

HOPEFUL CASES.

Concerning such, she writes: "Some encouraging circumstances present themselves amidst the scenes of trial and suffering with which my daily walks render me familiar, and I will note a few which have excited my warmest sympathy. Among others, there is one family of a father, mother, and three small children, whose whole subsistence depends upon what the mother is able to make by washing. The man has been for two months lying ill, with what the doctor calls typhoid fever; but which seems now to have settled on his lungs, attended with a severe cough, and no hope of recovery. I have been enabled to assist them from time to time with a little nourishment. When I entered their house one day with what I had provided for them, I found they had nothing but a little bread. As I showed them what I had brought, they looked from one to the other, and were so filled with gratitude, and overcome by the unexpected supply, they appeared unable to speak. I find thus, not only an open door to their home, but also a welcome to their hearts. They have not been in the habit of attending church, and, as might be supposed, the duty of personal and family religion was also neglected. But it appears evident that these trials have not been sent in vain by the Lord. The sick man loves to have me read the Scriptures, and pray with him: and the children delight to see me, often running to meet me, and take me by the hand before I reach the house."

Recognizing the necessity of prayer for the Divine blessing in all our work, she writes in her journal thus:

"MARCH 2, 1875.—In commencing my work this morning I asked for guidance in the direction of my visits, and I was led to go to a house quite out of my district, to visit a colored family who were very destitute.

"I found them at family prayer, asking the Lord to send them some food; my heart was touched as I listened to the simplicity of the petition, and I could not but feel the Lord had directed my steps to the house in answer to their prayer, and was reminded of that passage of Scripture, 'while they are yet speaking, I will answer.' I believed these words, and procured them both food and fuel. As we then sat down to read God's word, the tears streamed down the cheeks of these aged women, as I was helped to explain the word to them, and when we knelt to pray, we were blest together. Truly, while teaching others our own souls are often refreshed!

"MARCH 6th.—Poor Mrs. L. was visited to-day; she has been suffering for years from rheumatism. As I went in I said, 'Mrs. L., is Jesus precious to-day?' The tears came to her eyes as she said, 'I fear I have grieved Him to-day; I felt like murmuring because my pain has been so great.' I told her Jesus understood her, and knew she did not mean to murmur. And then I read to her how He had a feeling for our infirmities, being Himself tried and tempted; and so she was comforted, and became quite cheerful. On leaving her I felt what a blessed privilege it is to be able to comfort the sick poor. A poor brother sent to my house to-day for something to nourish him, as he felt quite weak. I prepared some broth and gave it to him, which he ate with a relish, and that passage from the word came to my mind, 'Inasmuch as ye have done it to one of the least of these, ye have done it unto me.'

"MARCH 8th.—Felt much wearied with visits and climbing stairs, and was glad to return to a cheerful fireside, and settle for the evening; but before I had removed my rubbers, a knock at the door assured me some call had come for me, and so it proved. A child of one of my families came to say her mother was ill, and wanted to see me. This woman, a few months before, did not seem to care for religion, and would not hear me read, saying she had no time for it; she had to earn her living without listening to what did not concern her. But when she came to lie upon a bed of suffering, she thought of me first, and found the word of God was just what she wanted; and as I read the words, 'Whosoever cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out,' the tears ran down her cheeks, and she at once cast herself upon Christ, taking him for her Saviour, and her face shone. As I left her my soul rejoiced, though it was far in the night when I returned home, that I had been permitted to point one soul to the 'Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world.'

"'Oh! that all the world my Jesus knew, Then all the world would love Him too.'

"One poor woman asked me if I would get her a Bible, and she would pay twenty-five cents a month. I promised, and am rejoiced at finding so many that seem eager for Bibles; quite a number have asked for them, and I trust it may prove a lamp unto their feet and a light unto their path.

"MARCH 11th.—After the fatigue of the day, I did not feel like going out again in the evening, but our pastor, Rev. Geo. O. Phelps, came in, and after tea he said, 'We have not many minutes to spare, but we will have a few words of prayer before parting.' They were few, but they cheered and comforted me so, I felt refreshed, and forgetting all fatigue, I arose and went to the prayer-meeting, feeling as my people do sometimes when they say to me after a visit, 'Oh! Mrs. Knowles, how your prayer has rested me.'

"MARCH 23d.—A message came to-day, saying Mrs. L. was dying, and wanted me to come at once. I went, and was helped in return to see the triumph of spiritual over temporal things. The Lord was present to bless us at the bedside of the dying one. Her trust and faith are firm in Jesus, and her whole desire is to be with Him and see Him as He is."

* * * * * *

Blessed hope, "to see Him as He is, and to be transformed into His image." John declares:

"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as He is pure."

It was about this time that she penned in her diary the following touching record of her toil. It reveals how sincere, diligent, systematic, and unprejudiced she was in her work for Jesus, even mentioning the names of the streets. She faithfully copied the example and closely followed the directions of her master, given to Ananias at the wonderful conversion of the great apostle of the Gentiles, when giving directions how to find Saul of Tarsus:

"The Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth:

"And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.

"Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:

"And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.

"But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:

"For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake."—Acts ix. 11-16.

* * * * * *

She writes: "I called on a woman in Broome Street who was convicted of her lost condition and ready to yield to despair. Her mind had been impressed by a letter from her husband who had gone West some time since on business.

"He had been converted during his absence, being awakened by witnessing the wickedness and depravity of his fellow-men, the profanation of the Sabbath, licentiousness in high and low places, and reflecting that if there were a righteous God, the wicked could not go unpunished. It was pleasant to be able to tell this distressed woman of the love of Jesus, and to urge her to go with her husband in the narrow way. On my next visit I found her more cheerful, and feeling that there is hope for her. She wishes me to get her a Bible, which she will pay for by weekly instalments.

"Met with a woman in Eldridge Street,[4] who was given to drinking. As she was sober at that time, I conversed with her about her sin. She burst into tears and said, 'I have long wanted some one to talk to me about my soul.' As I read to her the story of redeeming love, she seemed to drink it in with delight, and promised to attend the place of prayer. She, too, wishes to possess a Bible, and to use the money she has before spent for rum in payment. I am greatly encouraged to labor and pray for her.

[4] This was the street in which our missionary died.

"Visiting some families in Madison Street, I conversed with one woman who excited my especial interest. She had been very ill with a sore throat. She was a Romanist, but the Spirit of God had opened to her view the evil of her heart, and she now desired to hear from me of the way of life. I told her of the forgiveness of sin through Christ's blood. She said she had confessed to the priest, and had received absolution, but found no relief from her load, which weighed upon her like a mountain. I directed her to the Lamb of God, who alone can take away sin. But after conversing with her some time (although her throat was so much inflamed as almost to deprive her of the power of utterance), she broke forth into one of the most affecting prayers I ever heard. Her husband sat by and listened to all that was said, being very anxious lest she should abjure the Catholic faith and die out of the pale of the Church. He interrupted me frequently, saying, 'My good lady, we don't want you to teach us, the priest instructs us in all we need.' But I told him I had a message from God, and I could not be prevented from delivering it. He left the room in anger, but I hope this poor soul may find peace, by trusting in the 'sinner's Friend.'

"Who can tell but what even this poor man may be found at last among the ransomed ones!"

This short extract from The Home Mission Monthly for May, published by the Woman's Executive Committee of Home Missions of the Presbyterian Church, is peculiarly appropriate to the above experience of her who now sleeps in Cypress Hills Cemetery,

"Under the shadows gray."

"At this spring-time season, when the seed is cast into the brown bosom of the earth, the lesson taught by the great Teacher, eighteen hundred years ago, in Palestine, 'as the sower went forth to sow,' is borne in upon the mind once more, and these lines are the reflex of the impulses which are astir in many hearts:

"I know my hand may never reap its sowing, And yet some other may; And I may never even see it growing— So short my little day!

"Still must I sow, although I go forth weeping, I cannot, dare not stay. God grant a harvest! though I may be sleeping, Under the shadows gray."



CHAPTER XXV.

THE SIN OF IDOLATRY.

It is not that the city is glorious to behold, Her walls of lucid crystal, her very pavement gold, All shrined in dazzling splendor, beyond description fair, But I am pressing onward to see my Saviour there.

How dangerous is idolatry. When God says, "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image," etc., He means that we should not only avoid kneeling to them, but we should worship Him alone, and come to Him through the only mediator between God and man—the man Christ Jesus. How explicit are the words of the beloved John: "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." (1 John, v. 21.) She seemed to realize the importance of speaking of Jesus only.

There is an alarming and increasing propensity in religious circles, to look with leniency on the worship of saints, angels, martyrs, and the Virgin, but the Master himself said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by Me." Pure worship is spiritual, not aesthetical; hence the use of all pictures, crucifixes, and figureheads of apostles and saints dishonors Christ.

* * * * * *

In August, 1875, Mrs. Knowles writes: "Among many discouragements, I meet with enough to cheer me on my way, and induce me to feel that my labor is not all in vain.

"Among other incidents, I will mention the case of a family I have referred to before, as having visited. The mother received me very kindly. She had four children, and as I was speaking to them of Jesus while the little ones gathered around me, the father came in, a very rough-looking man, and at the time apparently under the influence of liquor. The mother and children looked at me, and a feeling of sadness was visible on their faces. I spoke to him of his family, but he said little, and I then knelt and prayed with them. I asked if they had a Bible. He said 'No,' and they had not much time to read. I then asked him if he would like to have one. He said he would, as 'it was a good thing to have one in the house.'

"I took them one in the course of a day or two, and he has been led to read it daily; the mother and children also read it, and a few nights since he signed the temperance pledge. He said to me lately, while visiting him: 'No more pennies for rum; those pennies will go toward the support of my wife and children.' He now attends evening church, feeling his clothing is not good enough to go by daylight. He has told me, although they are very poor, he was never as happy as now. He has not yet been able to procure steady employment, so I help them as I can.

"I have been helped on to perseverance in my work by what was told me by one I visited. In speaking of herself, she said she owed much to the efforts of a home missionary, who not only sought her out, but followed her up; and although she often neglected her duty, and stayed away from the preaching, he was so persevering and diligent in his efforts to win her, he at length succeeded, and she is now truly a Christian. A severe trial has lately come upon her: her son, a boy of ten years, has been killed by falling from a house. He lived but a short time after the accident; and as I stood by her at the side of the remains of her departed child, she was calm and resigned, telling me the Lord was helping her.

"I have been visiting at the hospitals much of late, where I have procured places for my sick, of whom there have been many this season. I have also assisted some, and procured work for others; have also distributed several Bibles, for which some have promised to pay as they are able. My Superintendent and Pastor are both kind in aiding me; for while I can truly say, 'of myself I can do nothing,' I can also, I hope, add, 'I can do all things through Christ, who strengtheneth me.'"

* * * * * *

We cannot leave this part of the record of the Lord's work without observing her strong attachment to the children. In this she was very judicious. What momentous issues are at stake during early childhood. It is doubtless true that Christ meant to teach a practical lesson with reference to our tender watch-care of the little ones during His third brief interview with His disciples, after His resurrection. We read:

"So, when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith to him, yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.

"He saith unto him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

"He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep."

Amid such a scene so truthfully depicted in the above narrative, we behold the insecurity of the children. What a sad sight. An intemperate father and no Bible in the house. What a statement in this land of Bibles! Oh, what fearful consequences hang upon the conduct of parents. What would become of the masses in the lower part of the city, were it not for our truly devoted Bible women? What victories for Christ and His Church have been achieved—who can tell?

The cheering light that dawned upon the deeply bereaved mother when her boy was killed, is beheld as we, in imagination, take our stand by the bedside with them, and hear that sorrow-stricken mother exclaiming, "that the Lord was helping her." This is a striking proof that He who comforted Martha and Mary, at Bethany, was in that tenement-house, saying once again, "I am the resurrection and the life, he that believeth in me, though he were dead yet shall he live." Yes, helping her to look beyond this vale of tears, and say even amid the loss of her darling boy, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him." Surely the language of Job must have been experienced on an occasion like the above. "When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me: Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him. The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem. I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame."—Job xxix. 11-15.

There is a very comforting reflection for bereaved parents in Dr. Payson's "Comparison of Departed Children to Jewels." To a mother mourning the death of a child, he said:

"Suppose, now, some one was making a beautiful crown for you to wear, and you knew it was for you, and that you were to receive it and wear it as soon as it should be done. Now, if the maker of it were to come, and in order to make the crown more beautiful and splendid, were to take some of your jewels to put into it, should you be sorrowful and unhappy because they were taken away for a little while, when you knew they were gone to make up your crown?"

In endeavoring humbly to interpret the language of the deceased, and, at the same time, call attention to her superior magnanimity of heart, I would not for a moment dare to make it appear that I was compromising human merit with the free, rich grace of our Heavenly Father, so richly displayed in His imparted power to His children, enabling them to do valiantly in the salvation of souls. This power is the presence of the Holy Spirit in the heart. Just listen to the closing sentence of the last paragraph: "I can truly say of myself I can do nothing!" though I can also, I hope, add, "I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me." Ah! here is the secret of distinguished merit in the great conflict against all the forms of evil in the world. The instruction to the disciples were to tarry until they received this Divine strength. Tarry, how? Well, let us read the record:

"To whom also He shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, sayeth he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, 'It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.' And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight."—Acts i. 3-9.



CHAPTER XXVI.

PEACE THROUGH BELIEVING.

Oh, the unsearchable riches of Christ! Wealth that can never be told;— Riches exhaustless of mercy and grace, Precious, more precious than gold!

At the sixty-eighth annual meeting of the New York Female Auxiliary Bible Society, the Rev. Dr. William M. Taylor, in his earnest masterly address on the occasion, happily said:

"In the prosecution of the excavations at Pompeii, the workmen laid bare an ancient spring, the water of which, as soon as it was set free, flowed forth as copiously as ever, and carried refreshment with it wherever it went. For centuries it had been buried beneath the ashes of the volcano, but the moment it was again uncovered, it sent out its stream of blessing with all its pristine fulness and wholesome influence.

"Something like that was the work which Martin Luther did for the fountain of truth in the Sacred Scriptures. For many generations that had been virtually stopped up by the rubbish of tradition and entombed beneath the weight of authority, but by his sturdy strength, his steady persistence and his dauntless courage, he dug it clear again; and it became once more, as at the first, the well-head of the river of progress among the nations."

What was said of the great German Reformer can be truthfully applied to this humble mother in Israel.

At the above meeting it was stated that this Missionary woman in her advanced age made four hundred and forty visits in two months, she had read the Scriptures in many homes, prayed with a large number, comforted dying believers with Christian song, administered first aid to the injured; thus bringing into practical use the instructions she had received, and receiving the commendations of physicians, distributed religious reading, and suspended the "Words of Life" in the rooms of the sick. Streams from this uncovered fountain of truth are turned by the cheerful, willing, working hands, heads, and hearts of our Bible women into human habitations in this city, where degradation, poverty, drunkenness, vice, and squalor sink the inmates to the level of brutes. The cleansing waters, as if by magic, convert these dark places into homes of joy and brightness, sobriety, industry, cleanliness, and godliness.

The effulgence born of the lustre of Christ drives out the darkness of sin and sorrow, and the thoughts of regenerated souls are indeed carried upward to the throne of God. All sorts and conditions of men, all varieties of human life, find their adaptation in the religion of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Later on she writes: "During the month of January, 1876, I have been greatly encouraged in various ways. Knowing how many were the wants, and how small the means for supplying them during the present winter, I called on my old friend, Mr. M., at his place of business, and telling him how low our funds were, as he always took an interest in our work, he gave me twenty dollars for the Society. Much encouragement has also been afforded me by seeing some, among whom I have been laboring for years, brought to Christ, and those of whom I had the least hope, now testifying their love for the Saviour. It is not more than three or four weeks since they began to attend church, and since then it is surprising to witness the change. They have risen in the prayer-meeting and told what the Lord had done for their souls.

"One of those women, when I visited her, told me when I asked her to attend church, that the devil was her best friend; he helped her out of all her difficulties, by lying and cheating, and she intended to give herself entirely to him. Such an expression falling from the lips of any one, but especially from one for whom I have been watching and praying for years, rendered me almost speechless; but I kissed her, and saying there would be no use in my calling on her again, as she had settled in indifference, I left her. In a few days she sent for me, and I had another interview with her, which resulted in a promise, on her part, to attend church. She did not do so for some weeks. A noon-day prayer-meeting was then established in our church, and I invited her there. In a few days she came, and since then has been attending both noon and evening meetings, and coming to church. She has risen to ask prayers for herself, her husband, and children, and a dear old mother, nearly eighty years of age, still out of the ark of safety.

"Last Sabbath morning, upon entering the church, and seeing a stranger in my pew, I could not express the feeling of joy that filled my soul, upon discovering this was the same woman, now come to the house of God, having exchanged masters, and forsaken the territory of Satan, anxious to become the servant of Christ, and receive the gift of God which is eternal life, instead of the wages of sin, which is death; and which, a short time since, she avowed herself determined to secure.

"Another woman with whom I had talked about the sin of her encouraging a love for dress and pleasure in her young daughter, acknowledged the truth of what I said, and has since attended church, and undoubtedly been brought to Christ. Her husband, also, who had not set his foot in a church for fifteen years, but spent all his leisure time in a liquor store, and associated with a rough class of men, according to his own statements concerning himself, believes he has found the Saviour, and attends the meetings regularly. A few evenings since he told me he had to watch himself very closely, as he had become habituated to profane swearing. The change that has been made in him is remarkable. It appears clear to my mind that nothing but a Divine power could have effected it.

"Another case is that of a young girl who was brought to the meeting by her mother. She is so impressed herself, that her great concern is for others with whom she has been associated, to induce them to attend, the language of her heart being, 'Come with us, and we will do thee good, for the Lord has spoken good concerning Israel.'

"There is a great outpouring of the Spirit in our midst; we have unmistakable evidence of it. We have but to 'open our mouths wide that we may be filled with it.' All are ready to hear and learn, and we are in every way encouraged to labor on with our whole hearts, knowing that if we are strong, and of good courage, God will not fail in the performance of His promises.

"Our sewing-school is also improving; the children in good behavior; the mothers are asking, in many cases, for Bibles, while the Sunday-school is filling up so fast, we cannot get a sufficient number of teachers.

"There are many cases of sickness in my district, and a great deal of distress, occasioned by want of work.

"I made about one hundred and sixty visits during the month, and sold but one Bible."

* * * * * *

Her gratitude, when any kind-hearted friend like the above gave of their substance, to carry on the Lord's work, was unbounded. Also, when those among whom she labored for years were brought to confess Christ, by testifying at the meetings. Oh! how true are the words of Malachi: "Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another; and the Lord hearkened, and heard it: and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels."

No spot on earth was so dear to her heart as the house of God, hence the expression: "I could not express the feeling of joy that filled my soul upon discovering this was the same woman, now come to the house of God, having exchanged masters." She evidently entered into the feelings of David when he said of the Church, as the recognized holy spouse of God: "How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth, for the courts of the Lord, my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God."

Her practical piety is continually manifested, not only by her strenuous exertions to save souls, but in the recognition of Divine power in the execution. She says, "The change is remarkable. It appears clear to my mind that nothing but Divine power could have effected it."

The doctrine of the personality of the Holy Spirit is here brought to our view, strongly reminding us that it is not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.



CHAPTER XXVII.

DRAWN BY THE CORDS OF LOVE.

Blest Saviour, slain for me, In grateful love to Thee The cross I bear; Thou didst for me endure, My pardon to insure, And thus for me secure A Crown to wear.

"One poor woman," she writes, "asked me to call and see her, as she wished to tell me her troubles. She said she was afraid to believe that God loved her. I have seldom seen any one in such ecstacy as she, when she was told that God loves her with an everlasting love, and that she need not be afraid to trust Him, as the more she rejoices in Him, the more she would glorify Him."

The earnest desire of Paul for the Church at Colosse was: "That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgment of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

* * * * * *

GRATEFUL OFFERING OF A SAVED SOUL.

She writes again thus: "One woman, to whom I took a Bible, said to me, 'If it had not been for you I should have died in ignorance.' Although she is poor, two Sabbaths since when a collection was taken, she put down her name for two dollars. She says, 'she can never thank the Lord enough for bringing her out of darkness into light.'

"I visit a woman who endures great agony from cancer. She lives alone, in a tenement house, poor and friendless, having been driven from her home by her relatives because she has become a Protestant. But she has a firm trust in God, and it is indeed wonderful to see how she is supported amid terrible sufferings. She cannot read, having never learned, but says, 'I thank God that He sends His servants to read the Bible to such as I.'"

* * * * * *

What a picture of all that is conceivable of human suffering. Alone, poor, persecuted, yet thankful and trustful. Oh! How amazing is God's grace.

Oh, yes, to the uttermost Jesus is able To save the poor sinner who cometh to Him; His word is most sure, and His promise is stable: Though feeble thy trust and thy faith very dim, Yet listen again to the soul-cheering sound, Our Jesus can save to the uttermost bound.

Did I hear some one say, "But what of to-morrow, For my foes are so strong, and I'm sinful indeed?" He is able to save to the end of the journey— To the uttermost bound of thy uttermost need. That same Jesus who died for us now ever lives, And as mightily saves as He freely forgives.

* * * * * *

WORK AMONG THE JEWS.

"Though laboring to bring souls to Christ, of any nation, my chief interest and work is among the Jews.

"I called upon a family of very religious Jews. I talked with them of Christ as the true Messiah and of His sacrifice for our sins. I saw that they had the Old and New Testament, given them by a Christian lady. They said they often read it together, and I could not but think that the good seed was sown in their hearts.

"I am often discouraged by the opposition of one member of a family. A child who goes to Sunday-school is kept away by an unbelieving father, just as the truth has found a lodgement in her heart; but, again, my heart is filled with joy when I find that my labor has not been in vain. Such was the case in a family where I have prayed, and conversed often about their souls' salvation. The mother, a Jewess by birth, had changed her Jewish religion some time ago. But her heart remained untouched. I endeavored to make her understand what a change of heart is, and persuaded her to go with me to a German church. Some weeks after the father spoke of his faith in Christ, and a week since his wife also gave evidence of being a Christian woman. During the month of March I visited a poor woman who had had great sorrows. She asked me for a Bible, for which she was most thankful. Her husband, a Catholic, now reads it with her, and shows by his greater kindness to her its blessed effect. What a blessing, indeed, is this holy book in these poor homes?"

* * * * * *

ANOTHER YOUNG JEWESS BROUGHT TO CHRIST.

"A young Jewess, who had found and believed in Jesus as her Saviour, wanted to unite with a Christian church, but her aged mother would not allow it. I encouraged her to pray for her mother, and one day calling to see her, I found she had now no objection to her daughter doing as she wished. I have had many conversations with Jews, and have often been allowed to read the Bible to them."

* * * * * *

It is certainly very encouraging to read how intensely interested she was in the conversion of the Hebrew people. We cannot wonder at this when we consider that they were the chosen people of God; and also to those who are in the habit of prayerfully consulting their Bibles, especially the prophecies pertaining to the Messiah, as they behold them literally fulfilled, not only as to the time and place of His birth, but His person, life, miracles, death, resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ.

"He surely came unto His own and His own received Him not, but to as many as received Him them gave He power to become the Sons of God, even to those who believed in His name."



CHAPTER XXVIII.

LOVE FOR THE HEBREWS.

A weeping sinner kneels, The chains of death are broken, And soon his glad heart feels The Saviour's welcome spoken.

Christ said, "Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees." She seemed to hate everything that looked like spiritual pride, or idolatry, or worldliness. Hence her sternness and courage in watching for sin in herself or others was marked. The language of Jesus ever sounded in her ears: "Take heed to yourselves, lest haply your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day come on you suddenly as a snare: for so shall it come upon all them that dwell on the face of all the earth. But watch ye at every season, making supplication, that ye may prevail to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man."

She felt also that God was no respecter of persons, and her great ambition on this account was to try and save the Hebrew people from their vain delusions that they were still the chosen people of God, notwithstanding their rejection of the Messiah.

This is evident from the following conversation with a Jewish woman about God's Word.

"Visiting another Jewish woman, she asked me to sit down, and soon we were in earnest conversation about the Bible, and her soul's salvation. After hearing me read some passages, she said, 'We Jews must all be wrong if you are right.' I told her it was not my word, but the Word of God. I begged her to search the Scriptures for herself, and left with her a tract relating to Christ, written by a Jew. She asked to have a Bible, which I carried to her. Again we conversed on this great subject. She liked the tract, and had lent it to several of her friends. She said she would read the Bible with prayer, and if she was wrong, the Lord would open her eyes. During these four months I have made over one thousand visits, distributed many tracts and given away eight Bibles, besides taking several children to the Sunday-school, and using the Mission funds in assisting the poor.

"There has been a great deal of sickness this summer, especially among the children. But I have been enabled to do some good by taking these little ones and their mothers into the country. Among them were several Roman Catholic families. They expressed surprise that we should do so much for them, saying, 'It was more than their own people would do for them.' In visiting one of these women soon after, she said her husband had told her she had better take my advice and read the Bible. He said she had better have one, for it could do her no harm. I took her the Gospel of Matthew, which she has been reading attentively, and her children learning verses by heart. She gave me fifty cents, asking if that would be enough to buy a Bible.

"To several Catholic families I have lent Bibles, and they now wish to purchase them, paying for them in small sums, as they are able. One man, who has led a very wicked life and abused his family, is now so changed that when he comes home he asks his children to read to him. He does not go to church, but says he does not know why his people are not allowed to read the Bible.

"A poor woman to whom I gave a Bible handed me one dollar, saying she wished she was able to give more, as it had been such a blessing to her in her sickness and poverty. I have been much encouraged by the gratitude expressed for my reading the Scriptures in some families. A Catholic woman was in great distress for her husband. She begged me to pray for him, and calling her five children about her, we knelt in prayer.

"I have a mothers' meeting at my house, at which several women have desired prayers for their husbands. Visiting in a house where were some Jewish families, I asked if they would allow me to pray with them. They said they would not dare to kneel, but would stand and listen. On my leaving them, they shook my hand, with tears in their eyes, and said they liked to hear my prayer. Another Jewess said she would be sorry if she thought we would not meet in heaven. I begged her to pray God to show her the true way, and read to her in Isaiah the prophecies concerning the Messiah. She, too, promised to think, and pray for light.

"I have good hopes of several intemperate persons. They have abstained from drinking for several weeks, one has joined the Temperance Society, and another has promised to drink no more. They asked for a Bible, which I took to them. We have opened our Sewing-school again, and have the hope of accomplishing much good this winter among the children."

* * * * * *

GLADNESS IN COMING TO THE HOUSE OF GOD.

She continues to write thus: "Some of the women who attend my mother's meeting have never attended any place of worship, and it is encouraging to hear them speak of reading the Scriptures, which they have never done before, and of the pleasure they take in going to the House of God, and in listening to His Word.

"A Jewess, to whom I spoke of the Saviour, said, 'Your religion must be very comforting, when you have something to rest upon. I would like to go to your church, and hear about your Saviour.'

"I found a family where the mother was sick; the father without work, and four children to be fed. I obtained assistance for them, and after doing what I could to make them comfortable, I read a portion of Scripture to them. As the woman lay listening, the father came into the room and said, 'You are reading the Bible; it is a good book; my children love to hear it; they learn in the Sabbath-school what will do them good, but the times are hard; I can get no work, and everything seems dark.' His wife said, 'God has sent us help just when we needed it the most.' I urged him to trust in our Heavenly Father, and pray to Him; he said, 'I will try.'"

Why not? for

E'en the hour that darkest seemeth Will His changeless goodness prove; From the gloom His mercy streameth; God is wisdom, God is love.

The shadows of earth are immediately dispelled when we trust God, for He says, "Call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorify Me." This passage has been the cup of great blessing to many a benighted soul.

* * * * * *

She writes: "In another family, the kindness shown has led the father (who has also been ill) to think seriously of religion, and resolve on leading a new life.

"One poor woman, to whom I had given a Bible, said to me, a few days since, that she wanted to 'pay something for her Bible,' it had been such a comfort to her in her lonely hours. She said she had never read so much of the Scriptures before, nor found so much comfort from reading them, as during the last few weeks; and now she wished me take ten cents as part payment; she had been keeping it for me, and would add more soon, as she wanted to give me fifty cents. She was living alone; her husband dead; her son, having married recently, had left her, but gives a little toward her support. She was also made happy by some addition for Thanksgiving.

"My visits among the children of the Sewing-school are also productive of good. One little girl whom I brought to Sabbath-school for the first time, induced her mother to come to church, where she was enough pleased to desire to come again. This family have usually spent their Sabbaths in reading stories in the newspapers, as is the case with many others from which we have gathered the children, and when they say at parting, 'Do come and see my mother,' I feel here is a wide field of usefulness opening before us, inviting us to enter in and work for the Master."



CHAPTER XXIX.

THANKFULNESS TO GOD.

He is a whole Christ—He is a full Saviour! He saves to the uttermost all who believe; His arms of compassion are ever extended, The contrite and penitent souls to receive.

St. Augustine says: "The Kingdom of Light was from its very commencement assailed by the Kingdom of Darkness." But, notwithstanding the opposition of Satan, and the strong prejudices of his ancient people, how encouraging to read the following narrative from her pen:

"I have been able to supply the immediate necessities of some poor families, and it encourages my heart to see their gratitude for what is done for them, but, above all, for their joy at receiving the 'Word of God,' and knowing that it was their own. From four persons I have received payment for the Bibles, who were anxious to receive them, and who read them daily. I have met with some success among the Jews. A Jewish girl who has been in my Sewing-school is very happy to be there, and says that now her father does not forbid her to read the Bible or attend Sunday-school. A young girl who attends the meeting which I hold in my house has joined the church in Allen Street, and is so much in earnest that she is trying to induce others to follow her example. I am thankful that my efforts for the young have not been without results."

Why? we ask; because He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not with Him also freely give us all things.

"I have had much encouragement," she continues, "in my labors during the summer. Visiting at the Hahnemann Hospital, I have become much interested in some of the patients. They ask me to sit down and talk to them, and I then point them to Jesus as the best Physician for soul as well as body. I have been kindly received by Roman Catholics, and have loaned Bibles to some of them, and some have kept them and paid for them.

"During the months of July and August, I have found many sick, in assisting whom I have been aided by the Flower Mission.

"I see a great change in families where the Bible is being read. One little girl says, 'I read the Bible every day, and so do my father and mother. Now they do not work on Sunday, as they used to do, but go to church, and read God's Word.'

"My own church has been closed a part of the summer, but the prayer-meeting has been well attended, and there has been much interest evinced. A man who was a drunkard for many years, has given up his bad habits and is now the support and comfort of his family. I gave him a Bible, which he reads, and he seems to be a truly converted man. I have sold several Bibles, as well as given several away."

At one time coming in contact with a very serious case of hardship, she wrote concerning it, "Formerly the mother depended upon the daughter for support, but she has lately been obliged to stay at home, and take care of her mother; and in consequence of this, they have both suffered, as they belong to that class who are unwilling to make their wants known.

"I asked if they had attended any place of worship. The mother said she had been a member of a Protestant church in Troy, but since she came to New York, and her circumstances had changed, not having clothing to make a decent appearance, she had not been to church. She added: 'I must say, it was pride, but I could not overcome it. Now I know and feel that I did wrong.'

"She is now more comfortable; for I have been able to get her some little delicacies, which she suffered greatly from the need of.

"It is a great satisfaction to us, when we meet with so many cases of want and suffering, to give some relief, however small, but the anxiety and labor that have often to be borne to succeed in the work is great. I often think that if those who employ us to go forth with the Word of Life in our hands could see us engaged in our work, giving consolation and encouragement to the poor and destitute, the sick and dying, and as far as in our power relieving their wants, they would feel abundantly rewarded for the good and honorable work in which they are engaged.

"Every month I feel more and more the greatness of the work, and the necessity of laboring with earnestness, in order to compel them to come in, that the Lord's house may be filled, and that jewels may be gathered for our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. I have brought a number of children into Sabbath-schools, and have induced several to attend church, and feel that my labors have been abundantly blessed, and that during the last month I have been much encouraged.

"I have succeeded in getting five tons of coal for my poor, besides groceries, etc. Have sold three Bibles, and given one away."



CHAPTER XXX.

LOST, BUT FOUND.

Love of Christ, amazing love! Vast as His eternity; Theme of angel choirs above, Theme of souls redeemed like me! Outward to creation's bound, Up to Heaven's serenest height, Universal space around, Swells the chorus day and night.

Here she writes about a woman whom she visited several years ago, and who attended her meetings: "I lost sight of her for seven or eight years. She moved away from the city. One day recently I was sent for by a sick woman; I found it to be Mrs. V., who had returned. I read, prayed, and visited her until she died, believing in Jesus." Here she reports the conversion of several others whom she has visited and brought out to religious services.

An unknown Christian lady writes thus: "Mrs. Knowles has great success in her work, reading God's Word, and leaving the Bible to be read by those whom she visits, when not able to purchase a Bible; one is given in some instances; even the poorest will pay a small sum. A great change is noticeable after the Bible is read with real interest—cleaner children, better-dressed men and women, and a desire to hear the Gospel."

Why this marvellous success? What brought about this personal reformation in the habits and character of parents and children? There are two reasons for this great change, namely: 1. Contact with God's Word. 2. Contact with a soul set on fire with the love of Christ. Oh! the tremendous power there is in divinely implanted affection when it is beautifully blended in a human heart. Sir Walter Scott says:

Love rules the court, the camp, the grove, And men below, and saints above; For love is Heaven, and Heaven is love!

* * * * * *

CONSOLATION AMID DOMESTIC DIFFICULTIES.

When we remember that we are penning for publication only a few stray gleanings from the multiplicity of instances of conversion, the reader, we trust, will behold the variety of cases recorded, and we sincerely hope the Christian worker will utilize them for practical purposes.

Some one has said that Paul's favorite illustrations by images are drawn, not from the operations and uniform phenomena of the natural world, but from the activities and outward exhibition of human society, from the lives of soldiers, from the lives of slaves, from the market, from athletic exercises, from agriculture, from architecture.

At this time she again writes: "I visited a family where the mother was a Christian, and the father a Jew. The father being sick for two years past, and unable to support his wife and four children, has gone to his own people. The eldest girl is a member of my Sunday-school class. The mother told me one day, as I was speaking to her of the Bible, that she had not seen or read one since she was married; 'but,' said she, 'since Amelia has been in your class, she has repeated the lessons she has learned at home, and I am longing for a Bible.' I gave her one given me for my Jewish children. She thanked me heartily, and now reads it every day with her children. One Sunday morning her husband came in to see them, and found her reading aloud to the children from the Bible. He asked her what she was reading. She told him it was the Bible, and how she had got it, and that the children went to Sunday-school, and that she went to church. He was not pleased, but could say nothing, as he does not live with or support his family. This poor woman was deeply convicted of sin, and was earnestly seeking for forgiveness and peace, and peace has come to her son through humble trust in the Saviour of sinners. Thus the Lord is prospering our labors, and the meetings begun in trembling, have been blessed to some souls."

It seems her source of unalloyed happiness was in watching for souls, at morning, noon, and night. Her prayers were perfumed with sighs, and cries, and tears for the impenitent. She was one of those so graphically described by Jeremiah: "They say to their mothers where is corn and wine? when they swooned as the wounded in the streets of the city, when their soul was poured out into their mother's bosom. What thing shall I take to witness for thee? what thing shall I liken to thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? what shall I equal to thee, that I may comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Zion? for thy breach is great like the sea: who can heal thee."—Lam. ii. 12-13.

Long they sat beneath the shadow, And the gloom of moral night, Waiting only for the dawning Of the promised heavenly light. But they've heard the glorious Gospel, Of salvation full and free, Now they read the "Blessed Bible," They are coming, Lord, to Thee.

Hasten, Lord, the coming morning Of the bright, millennial day,— And may we who love the Saviour Labor to extend His sway, Until every ransomed being, On the land and on the sea, Shall unite in one grand chorus, "We are coming, Lord, to Thee."

* * * * * *

THE FORTUNE TELLER.

"During the last two months I have met with several interesting cases. One Jewish woman whom I visited was always pleased when I told her of my interest for her people. Being poor and in delicate health, she could do but little for her own support, and I learned had resorted to telling fortunes. I showed her that this was wrong, and that God would not bless her, as it did not agree with His Word. She said, 'I have often thought it might be wrong, but I am now convinced of it; but what shall I do for my living?' I directed her to prayer for guidance, and assured her that those who put their trust in the Lord would be taken care of. She has since been to our meeting and requests to have a Bible.

"I visited another woman, whose husband is a Catholic. Her three children are in my Sunday-school class, and I am much interested in them. The mother came to the German church, and I gave her a German Bible, as she never had one. Calling one day, I found her in great trouble. She said: 'Oh, Mrs. Knowles, I have been praying for you, and the Lord has sent you. I read and prayed with her, directing her to the Friend of sinners for peace. I think she became a true Christian, and soon she wished to unite with the church. Her husband, however, opposed it, and threatened to take away the children from her. He did so, and sent them to the Catholic Sunday-school. But the seed is sown in their young hearts, and they say to their mother, 'We will never turn to the Catholics.'"