HOW A PRIEST FOUND PEACE WITH GOD. WE have lately read the following interesting account of how an anxious soul found peace with God. The writer says:

As I sat in the front part of a room, a young Roman priest slowly paced to and fro at the other end of it. He was nobly born-son of one of high rank in the army. From a pious mother he had received deep convictions about his soul. “What shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" followed him through all his studies and travels. Tormented by this, he at length entered the church, not to satisfy ambition, but if possible to find peace of soul. His lank form, his long face, pale and thin-his entire being-indicated suffering; and, without knowing why, I felt myself drawn to him. I remembered, as it were but yesterday, the agony of my own heart before knowing eternal redemption; and thinking that perhaps he suffered from the same cause, I at once asked him: “Have you peace with God, my dear friend?"

"Peace with God," said he. by peace with God ?”

"What do you mean

"It is the effect," said I to him, "of the forgiveness of sins. It is like the consciousness that would exist in the agonised spirit of an unfortunate criminal condemned to be guillotined, to whom a messenger comes suddenly, bringing this despatch from the Emperor : 'All your crimes are forgiven you; go forth in peace!''

"Then," replied he, "I have not peace with God, for I have never yet received such a message from God. For nearly three years I have been imprisoned between four walls, exercising the greatest severities against myself. I have fasted, prayed, ill-treated my body, until I am reduced to what you see, but I have not yet received this message from God."

"You are a sincere man," I said to him; "you are not one of those religionists who affect a heavenly air, and within have nothing but lust and wickedness."

"How should I not be sincere, sir, when I know that it is with God Himself I have to do. Appearance, you know, is only for this world. Reality is for eternity. A thousand times a fool is he who sees no further than this world. For my part it is eternity that occupies me."

"Blessed be God! Blessed be God, my dear friend! He has shown you the curse of the law of God against every breach of that law; according to Gal. iii. 10, 'Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them,' and as you are not a hypocrite, but knowing well that you are violating this law constantly, even in spite of yourself, you at once apply the curse to yourself, well knowing in your conscience that you merit it."

"That is it exactly! You have just laid bare my heart; that is my state precisely. I see the just wrath of God against me, and I much desire to be able to appease or escape it." I took out my Bible, and pointing to Gal. iii. 13 he read, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth

on a tree." Suddenly his languid eyes lit up. The message of peace had come to him through the WORD.

"Do you understand now," said I, "why Jesus upon the cross must needs cry out, My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?"

"It is clear, quite clear," replied he. "If Christ has been made a curse for me, in order to redeem me from the curse of the law, it follows that He Himself sustained that curse. He thus becomes a substitute for me."

"Exactly! a substitute.

word.

You cannot find a better

'He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.' (2 Cor. v. 21.) For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God.'" (1 Peter iii. 18.)

The heart of the young priest was evidently quite overcome. A pardon so sudden, a salvation so sure and so free, almost frightened him; he could scarcely believe himself in his proper senses. He appeared afraid to wake himself up, lest he should find his anguish had been calmed only by a cruel dream-cruel because of its very sweetness.

It was not a dream. It was the truth which had set him at liberty, according to John viii. 32: “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." After this he gave himself much to the Scriptures, his peace became more settled, and his expression of suffering gave place to one of profound rest.

Dear reader! Have you this precious peace with God? Do you know what it is as a guilty, lost sinner, to be reconciled to God by the death of His Son?

Nothing else is real. All other peace is false. You

must have to do with God.

You are accountable to
Jesus, the Son of God,

Him. His word must decide. is the judge. What did He say? "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment (condemnation); but is passed from death unto life." (John v. 24.) Would you not be happy if you were quite sure that you had eternal life? Well, hearken then to Jesus, receive Him as your Saviour, and you have everlasting life!

"AS IT WAS IN THE DAYS OF LOT."

"Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all, even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed."-Luke xvii. 28-30.

"How can this be?" some of my readers may ask. "We thought Christianity would spread, until all the world would be converted. Does not the Scripture say, 'The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea'? (Isaiah xi.) How, then, can this world become as wicked as Sodom; and that wickedness go on, until the very day that Christ is revealed from heaven ?" The answer is very simple. The Scripture nowhere teaches, that the time of the earth's blessing will take place before Christ comes, but after. There can be no doubt, but that it will be · exactly as Christ says. As it was in the days of Lot; yes, until the very day that Christ is revealed from heaven. Yes, my reader may live to see that day. If

not a believer, but a rejecter of Christ, you may be taken with as great surprise, as when they had just taken their shutters down in Sodom, to commence another day's business, and another day's sins.

But let us see how it was in the days of Lot. There are some most solemn lessons, connected with this subject. There was Abraham, the man of God, outside Sodom, in unhindered communion with God. There was Lot, in Sodom; and, consequently, out of communion with God; though saved so as by fire. And there was the doomed city of wickedness.

There was but one Abraham on the face of the earth. And how few, at any one time, have really walked with God. Of the first two men born of a woman, one set aside God's sentence on the earth; and tried to bring the best he could grow, an offering to the Lord; and was rejected. The other Abel, owned the sentence of death, and approached God through the blood of a victim. Enoch also walked

.

with God; but there was only one Enoch in his day. So of Noah; but there was only one Noah, out of the whole world. And in the new world, so soon filled with idolatry, there was only one Abraham. And again, only one Isaac. And only one Jacob. And only one Joseph. And then, not one man of faith is named for some hundreds of years. And then a little child is found hid by faith in an ark of bulrushes. But, on the face of all the earth, there was only one Moses. Aaron even worshipped a calf. And then a Joshua-a Samuel-a David. And what is the history of the Prophets but that of a very few men at any time, on the face of the whole earth, fully walking with God?