faith and love became strong and settled. Her time was short here below, and the Lord was preparing her for glory. Her disease became most trying and painful; she lingered three months in a state of dreadful suffering. Her husband and all her relations were so much opposed to the word of God, and to those who went to speak comfort to her soul, that she had not much pleasure in seeing them; she always feared they might be insulted by them; but her only desire was to hear and speak to Jesus: and, in the midst of the greatest suffering, she always declared, she would gladly suffer far more, if it were the Lord's will, for all her Saviour had done for her. She much regretted she could not go to the house of God, nor have the people of God around her, but his rod and staff supported her-death had no sting for her she felt her sins were all washed away in the blood of Christ-and all her desire was, to depart and be with Him, who had so loved her. I was with her a short time before she breathed her last, and her end was peace. Many other instances I could relate, equally interesting, of those to whom this young couple have been instruments, in the hands of the Lord, of bringing to the knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus; and as he that watereth shall himself be watered, so do they grow in grace, and the seed sown in their hearts produces a hundred fold, and the happiness and contentment they enjoy in their own breasts sheds its influence on all around them, and they seem to realize that peace of God which passeth all understanding. Their faith has often been severely tried, but it has served only to strengthen their firm dependence upon God. They have committed their way to the Lord, and he has wonderfully directed their path. Often they have been reduced to the greatest poverty-not having bread for their children-still their faith has not failed. It happened, last winter, that the husband had been many months without work, and the wife confined, which added to their difficulties, and they had no apparent means of supporting themselves and their increasing family they had joined the French Protestant

Church, and had been admitted to the communion, which is usually celebrated in the Sunday evenings. On the Friday before receiving it, they consulted how they could get half-a-franc (five pence in English money) to put into the poor-box. They thought they might borrow it of a sister, if she called before that time. However, Saturday night came, and she had not been. To stay away from that ordinance they could not, and to go without giving something was very painful; they therefore spread their case before the Lord, and went to bed in peace. Very early on Sunday morning, there was a loud knocking at the door; the man jumped up to see who was there. It was a gentleman's servant, who came to desire he would go directly to mend some furniture. He replied, "I cannot go; it is the Sabbath." "But you have time enough; it is very early, and you will soon be back." "No! the Lord has forbidden us to do any manner of work on the Sabbathday." "Oh! but this is a very little job, and my master will pay you for a whole day." "If he paid me for six days, I would not break the commandments of the Lord." "Then, remember, if you do not come now, my master will never send for you again." "That I cannot help; the Lord will send me work somewhere else; I shall not want for that; and the Lord speaks to you as well as to me: we are all commanded to keep holy the Sabbath-day." The servant laughed at what he called his "sermon," and went away. When he had shut down the window, he stood speechless in the middle of the chamber. His wife said, "Henry, you surely are not repenting of what you have done; the Lord will never let us want." "No," he replied; "I have full confidence in the Lord; but I was just thinking how vigilant Satan is: he would sift us as wheat; he knew our temptations and necessities, and he would tempt us. to gain our bread by an act of disobedience. No! I do not repent; I know the Lord will help us; let us wait upon him, and pray that he will increase our faith." In the course of the morning, a lady called, but they did not mention to her their position; she went away, but

returned in a few minutes, and put a piece of five francs in the woman's hand. They could only thank her; but as soon as she had closed the door, they both exclaimed, "This is the hand of God; none else knew our circumstances: to him let us give thanks; and oh! may we trust in him as long as we live, and never fear what may come upon us in future."

The winter passed on without producing any change for the better; but they believed, and therefore did not make haste they waited patiently for the Lord; and none have ever waited in vain. One day, a gentleman called, and said he was establishing a manufactory, and wanted a steady man to superintend the works; he would have permanent employment, and a house rentfree in the country. The poor woman's heart was full: she said, "Oh! that will indeed be a blessing to us.' The husband not being at home, he promised to call again the next time he came to town, which would be in three weeks. She told her husband what had passed, and they both received it as a testimony that the Lord was indeed with them. The intervening time was passed in the anticipation of this happy change in their prospects, and in praying that the Lord would in some way shew them if it was his will that they should gc. Sometimes they thought, "We must leave our Christian privileges-we shall have no Gospel ministry therebut the Lord has enlightened us, and it may be his wil! that we should be as missionaries to others: we must

wait till the way is made plain before us. At the expiration of the time, the gentleman called again; the woman was alone; the Bible was on the table; he took it up, and asked what book it was. "The Bible."

"And do you read it?" "Yes! it has been a great blessing to us, and we are both very much changed since we have read it.” "But in what does the change consist ?" "We now take the word of God, instead of the word of men, for our guide." She then read to him several passages, shewing the necessity of leaving every refuge of lies, and of following the Lord wholly. "But I forgot to ask you if my husband will be required to

work on the Sabbath?" "Oh, no! I shall not in the least interfere with your new religion; you can follow it if you like-only, if any of the machinery breaks, of course your husband must work." "Oh, then, that decides it for us; for we are commanded to keep holy the Sabbath-day." "But it may never happen, and, at all events, very occasionally." "That may be, but I feel the Lord put it into my mind to ask that question, and I know it is not his will that we should subject ourselves to the chance of being obliged to break his commandments; and so we must remain where we are." "But you are throwing away the certainty of a permanent employment for what may never be the case; and you will not want anything-you will be well provided for." "Nor shall I want anything while trusting to my heavenly Father, whose commandments I cannot break." The gentleman went away much displeased. She told her husband what had passed; he quite approved of what she had done, and felt it was the Lord's doings; and they were again left as before. But they did not repent what they had done; and after some little time he was permanently engaged in a daily employment, where he could live in his own family, and have the Sundays entirely to himself. This was the thing he most desired; he accepted it as coming from the Lord; and now they are gradually paying their debts, and, if the Lord continues the blessing of health, in a short time they will be very comfortable; and their various trials have drawn them nearer to the Lord, and they are both able and desirous of comforting and encouraging others in their afflictions, with the comfort they have themselves received from the Lord; and as those who wait upon the Lord shall never be put to confusion, they testify to all how the Lord has brought them out of all their trouble, "and has set their feet upon the rock, and ordered their goings, and hath put a new song in their mouth, even a thanksgiving to their God; and many shall hear of it, and shall praise the Lord for his faithfulness." They shall rest under the shadow of his wings, and say, "Whom have I in heaven but thee?

and what is there upon [the earth in comparison of thee?" and "although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olives shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation."

A MUCH NEGLECTED DUTY.

A VERY simple and obvious duty it is, but one, we are certain, which many Christians overlook in this bustling age. They read, they pray, they act, they give, but they do not think! They do not take time to sit down quietly, in solitude, and ineditate on heavenly and divine things. Some do, and love the hour of retirement which thus makes them conversant with God and their own souls. But many do not, and to those we are speaking.

No Christian, with a good conscience, suffers a day to pass without prayer. And we do not mean to urge that the duty of meditation is as plain and stringent as that of prayer. Rather would we speak of it as a privilege, so sweet and so fruitful of comfort and profit to him who indulges in its luxury, that argument to enforce it will not be required. It is one of the highest privileges to be enjoyed on earth-that of sitting down alone to think of God, and heaven, and holiness.

Some have found great assistance in giving direction to their thoughts, in the use of Jay, Mason, Bogatzky, and others, whose "meditations" are full of profitable and delightful counsel. But this is not the thing. Such helps should not be made a substitute.

It will be of comparatively little use to read a chapter in one of these books, and then go to sleep, or rush into the world. It is better to take one of the pages of these books, and as from a starting point, after closing the volume, go on and upward in the contemplation of divine truth.

This should be habitual with every Christian-a daily dutyperformed at such an hour as the world may most readily be excluded; for the moment that we cease from reading, or speaking, or listening to another, the mind turns toward those things that lie nearest the heart. So we often find, that thoughts of business in