shalt be saved.

Through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, and by Him all that believe are justified from all things."" (Acts xiv. 38, 39.)

I said much more to prove to her that salvation is by grace alone, through faith, but all I could say was only met by sighs; so I left her with the Lord, praying Him to turn her self-occupied eyes "unto Jesus," that she might see that the same Jesus who once bare our iniquities is now risen and sitting at God's right handwithout our sins, of course. He left them for ever on the cross, to be remembered against us no more for ever. She continued coming as before, and for several weeks I could see but little change in her state. Lord's day afternoon she light is dawning on me.

One

said to me, "I believe the I sometimes see something

bright above. Could I see you again?"

I could not see her till the following Friday, when I had a blessed feast. Her very face beamed with delight.

"I found full peace at the meeting last evening," she said, "while you were comparing the various foundations people try to rest on with the foundation of God. I saw plainly the foundation I had been trying to rest on ever since I first saw my sinful condition was just this: putting my earnest resolution to lead a godly life together with my feelings of deep sorrow, and bringing that to God as recommendation. I would not have owned that even to myself, but when I saw the foundation of God, the deepest and most secret recesses of my evil heart were made evident to myself. When I saw the foundation of God, that eternal redemption which Christ, on the cross, obtained

for us, I scarcely knew what to do with myself for joy. All the way home, after meeting, I could but repeat to myself: Oh, what a fool, what a fool I have been! always trying to do or to feel some great thing, instead of just believing what Jesus has done, and what my sins made Him feel, on the cross."

"Now," I said, "I am going to urge you on to what I discouraged you from a few weeks ago. I feel convinced you are alive from the dead now; you are born again, a converted soul, a child of God, an heir of His, and a joint-heir with Christ. Your heart is right now, so I don't care how much you do. You know Christ now. Live unto Him. Before you knew Christ, God looked for nothing but sin from you. It was all you could bring forth, and the end of that is death. But now God expects a holy life from you, a thorough separation from the world and the world's ways; in a word, He expects you now to follow Christ, to walk in the world as He walked in it. If you are faithful in that path, you will have to suffer much shame, for the world is no better now than it was in His day, despite all its profession; but knowing and believing now what He has done for you, you cannot but love Him, and love can suffer anything: indeed, it not only can suffer, but it counts it a privilege to suffer for Christ and with Christ. May God by the Holy Ghost work in you now for His glory, as Christ on the cross worked for you for your redemption."

"There is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." (Romans iii.)

THE HIDING-PLACE.

Psalms cxxxix. ; xxxii. 7.

VAIN the thought from God to flee,
Though in cave or cell we hide;
Dive into the deepest sea,

Or in forest's gloom abide;
Though upon the wings of morn,
With the sun we flee apace,
We the strife must yield forlorn,
Nature has no hiding-place..

Though the sinner far retreats,
Though his works his refuge be,
Or his thoughts, or his conceits,
He from God can never flee.
Him His piercing eye shall reach,
And his chosen covert trace;

There shall sound His solemn speech:
Come thou from thy hiding-place.

God in mercy calls thee hence,
Finds thee in thy place of pride,
Rends the veil from each pretence,
That in HIM thou mayst abide.
Hearken to His voice of Love,
Look on Him in Jesus' face;
He who died e'er lives above;
Make Him now thy hiding-place.

Then, though Satan rave and roar,
Loath to let a pris'ner free,
Thou shalt be his slave no more,
But a son of God shalt be;
Christ will be thy righteousness,
Robe of beauty, light and grace;
While with joy thou wilt confess
God in Christ thy hiding-place.

"WHEN SHALL I GET ENOUGH?"

As a Christian traveller was one day wending his way along a quiet country lane he was met and accosted by a poor blind man, whose hoary locks and tottering limbs plainly indicated that his earthly journey was well nigh over. The old man's request for the bestowal of an alms was responded to; a few coppers were placed in his trembling hand, and the Christian stranger was again stepping forward, when the following words reached his ear: "When shall I get enough? When shall I get enough ?" This arrested his curiosity, and he at once turned to learn the meaning of such strange expressions; whereupon the old man, moved by the kind and gracious manner of his benefactor, candidly told him that he was a Roman Catholic; that the priest could not, or would not, grant full absolution until a certain sum was paid down, and that to this end he had for many a day been denying and even starving himself, but feared after all he should never be able to get enough. By this time the traveller's interest was fully enlisted in the poor fellow's behalf, so he said to him, "If you will step inside this field, and sit with me on yonder sunny bank, I will tell you how your case, bad as it may appear, can be happily and instantly met. The old man agreed to this proposal, and the stranger opened his Bible at the third chapter of John's Gospel, and read the blessed story therein contained. The "lifted up" Son of man-God's Lamb-was pointed to as the One who had by His own precious blood made, once

and for ever, a perfect and sufficient payment for the guilt of lost sinners; and that all that was left for him was, not to find any additional payment, but only to believe and rest in the precious atoning blood of Christ. As the wondrous story of the cross was being unfolded to the anxious old man, tears ran freely from his blind eyes, for the light began to dawn upon his hitherto darkened soul; and at last he rose upon his feet, praising and blessing God whose great love had provided such a Saviour. "And now," said the old man, "before we part, I have one request to make of you: Oh, do let me kiss the lips that told me this sweet story!" Dirty and squalid though he was, his request was freely granted, and they kissed and embraced each other, while God Himself looked on with joy. (Luke xv. 10.)

A few months after this, the Christian traveller had again occasion to visit that neighbourhood, and well remembering the incident just related, he inquired in the village for the house of his old blind friend. The house was readily found, but the weary pilgrim was "for ever with the Lord." Upon inquiring of the old man's relatives (who were Catholics) what kind of end he made, the traveller was told that "he died raving mad," that he refused the ministrations of the priest, and that all he talked about was 66 a serpent that bit him, and a serpent that cured him." Blessed madness!

And now, dear reader, have you ever yet discovered that you are bitten of the Serpent? that you are GUILTY BEFORE GOD? God says you are. (Rom. iii. 19.) Do you believe Him? Perhaps your heart's an