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Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul cliche, il est filmd d partir de Tangle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. errata to I pelure, }n d D 32X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bfl 1 •/ *'^% Kingdom (Some. " \ •-•rirfi JA^^ ( ypilB^^ WW* 1 PREFACE. This little book is the harbinger of another and larger one of about L whirh we hone to eive to our fellow Christians as soon as the ^^° ^Sl be fo^^^^^^ The profit on this will be chiefly devoted ro'Sayrnrth^ " Publishing the larger one. the Preface and Conclusion of which we insert here, so that the reader may know the reason why we write, and also have some idea of its contents. I may not Uve°o see it published, but as David prepared with all his m.gh for the house of God, which he was not allowed to build, and because it was not for man, but for the Lord ; h too, have been preparing of such as I have to help on the kingdom of God in the earth. ,^^. .. u„. x As one has said, " I cannot dig, and to beg I arn asharne^ but I can sUll use the pen,' which may the Lord bless to the honor of H^s name and the comfort of His children, for Christ s sake. Amen. E. BENTLEY, Senr ^Biai r HOLINESS. Many ask, How can we be holy in this world ? are we not sinful by nature, and there is sin all around us. But we might ask, How can we DARE to be otherwise, since God has commanded it and brought it within our reach. He is not a hard Master, seeking to gather where He has not strawed ; or like Pharaoh, who required bricks to be made without fur- nishing material. But says one, Don't we sin every day ? don't you ? Well, if I did I should- be very unhappy, for the wrath of God would abide upon me ; but even if I did, I am not the standard by which you are to measure. Christ is the measure, He is the pattern ; we must not measure ourselves by any human pattern. To the law and to the testi- mony ; whatever that says must be right. But what sin is it from which we cannot be delivered, will you specify ? We will pass by the outward or visible sins, for if you profess to be a disciple of Christ you will surely have dropped all these. We will speak of sin in the heart, which no eye but that of God can see. Have you to struggle against pride, envy, guile, lust, covetousness, evil thoughts ? Yes, thoughts ! For thought is the most subtle, and at the root of all action ; we must sin in thought before we act sin. Jesus said, " v^ut of the heart proceed evil thoughts." Now, if we cannot be delivered from any or all of these, neither can your neighbor ; and would you be willing your neighbor snouia exercise any ot these upon you i JNo, mdeed ; you expect your neighbor to be right and to do right towards ycu and he has a right to expect the same of you ; you must make no allowance for yourself. Our Lord goes down to the root of the matter when He says m Matt. 5:28, " Whosoever looketh to lust after her, hath committed adultery already in his heart." And the Apostle says, " He that hateth his brother is a murderer." Verily what we do with or in the mind, or with the desire, that is the sin we commit, for " As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he," though he may not have opportunity to put it in practice. Therefore it is the thoughts of the heart that must be cleansed. Then there must be such a thing as purity ot heart, or Jesus would not have said, " Blessed are the pure in heart," if there were no such state. But experience and observation tells me that no one will find this " Pearl of great price" till he sells all— that is, parts with everything else to obtam it ; until the one consuming desire ot heart is to have everythmg that divides his heart or affections with God, anything that usurps His place, driven out. Can this be done ? O yes, most certainly. My own experience, if I may use it to illustrate. When life itself was not dear to me in compari- son of this blessing, and after a season of deep humiliation on account of spiritual leanness, and a felt want, which I knew was the want of Christ reigning in me by the Holy Ghost, I went alone with God, and laid on the altar of consecration (and we are told the " altar sanctifieth the gift "> ti myself and that which I held supremely dear, my husl)and and tvro little children, making no other stipulation ttian this, that as at His request I yielded my all to Him, He would give HimscH to me and dwell and rule in me. I desired no manifestation. I sought no evidence. I had only done s not now so much the fight with sin as the fight of faith. •' For this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." Was there ever but one Pentecost ? We read of but one, for then the Holy Spirit came to abide and to continue the teaching of Jesus, who said " He shall not speak of him.self. He shall glorify me, he shall take of mine and shall show it unto you." So it is clear we have not done with Jesus Christ, as we have heard some say, because we are m the Spirit's dispensation. Christ said, " Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world." Yet as thousands have received the Atonement through the one atoning sacrifice of rist, so thousands of Christians have re- ceived their Pentecost since the Holy Ghost was ushered into the world to abide, though he certainly has l;een in the world ever since the creation, but in a different manner of operation. There are some prisons we have met who think they are not sinners because they pay every body their own and hurt no one, they are not im- moral. These say they have no sin, and deceive themselves, " for if we say we have not sinned we make God n liar. anH His wnrH ;<: not m nc " 1* or He says, "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." But our Lord came to put away sm by the sacrifice of His own body, and to destroy the works of the devil, and the Apostle says " My little children, these things write I unto you, that ve sin not," yet leaves a way of escape " And ' If,' (we should note the If,) any man sin we have an Ad- vocate." There are many things that some count sinful that are not so, and many things really sinful that are not looked upon as such. We need to learn the difference between Sin and Temptation. Many sincere Christians are sorely troubled on this point. Well that is one point on which the Holy Spirit when admitted into the heart to dwell and reign will clear up. I give an extract that expresses my own views and experience. Augustine's Outline of Temptation. "i. A thought. 2. An imagination. 3. A delight. 4- An assent. These are the four stages. You can stop the process between the second and third stages, but this only with difficulty. The time to stop is between the first and second stages. The first stage comes, it is no sin, it is only temptation, (mark that) but if you let it go to the next stage, if you go to meet it and play with it for two seconds, the chances are one hundred to one that you are going over the precipice, the only thing to do is to project some other picture in its place." We would say stop in time, project the picture of an offended God and an unhappy soul, which would surely be the outcome of yielding to temptation. The Spirit of God is a swift witness and he warns in time if we listen to his voice. He speaks and often warns simultaneously with, yea even before the temptation touches us sometimes. At a two weeks service held in the Presbyterian Church at F a young minister came to assist, (there was great unity among the different Christian bodies there so it came to pass that many of our people attended) he put this test, "All who are not satisfied, stand up" Being seated at the front I could not tell how many rose, I kept my seat for I consciously realized that I was a child of God through our Lord Jesus Christ, and had consecrated myself entirely to the Lord and had the assurance that the offering was accepted of him, and that the one absorbing desire of my heart was to please him in all things. How could I be dissatisfied. But I think the people did not respond as freely as he wished, so coming for- war(^ he said I am not satisfied, then the elder minister arose. It imme diately occurred to me they must mean satisfied in some other sense, for as the finite can never grasp the Infinite so we may go on drinking in more of God daily as our spiritual powers expand. I pondered over the word satisfied and my thoughts ran thus. A child at school (and that is where we are in this life) learns its lessons at home for the next day, and when he has succeeded in mastering them he feels satisfied, he repeats them at school and the teacher is satisfied too. But there is more ahead, even so our heavenly Father gives us daily lessons and never gives us anything impracticable, he is too good and wise fui iiJUL, i)ut Willi cvciy v^vjiiiitiaiiu mil {jiVC in r«cc>j.'..i. ^mcL; iir.d Etr^ngt", and then as Enoch walked with God, and before his translation had the witness that he pleased God even so may we, will not that give satis- faction though there is much more ahead both to receive and to learn. The minister said he wanted to be filled with joy unspeakable, the thought came to me, What is unspeakable, cannot be described ; it must be experienced. It is not necessarily exuberant or ecstatic, it is as indescribable in its quietness, lying down deep in the heart enabling us to endure when the blasts of persecution or the sorest of earthly troubles pass over us, for the joy of the Lord is our strength, even so Jesus, Who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despised the shame and is now set down on the right hand of God. Feeling, many stumble ai the outset about feeling. I thank my God that before 1 was converted no one ever told me anything about feeling consequently I entered the fold without quibbling, simply taking God at His word and accepting the offered pardon through the blood of Christ, then peace like a tiny stream began to steal into my heart and joy soon followed abundantly, there was no lack of feeling then. Hid from the wise and prudent but revealed unto babes. TITHES. The painful fact that so many of our churches are in debt and diffi- culty leads us to ask How is it and Why is it ? There are various reasons, but one reason certainly is the neglect of the tithe system by the people of God, for it was of His own people that the Lord required this, and Chris- tians claim to be the children of Abraham, that is children of Faith or the spiritual Israel, if this be so should we not walk in his steps who gave tithes so freely? The Lord Himself made this regulation, therefore it must be right as He is too wise to err, and He made it for the benefit of man He does not require our pittance for His own benefit, for the world and its fullness are His ; by the mouth of the prophet He says, " If I were hungry I would not tell thee." But our giving and his receiving forms a link between God and man, it is for our good, just as the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath, and it was to be a sign between man and his Maker, as the rainbow was for a sign that the world would no more be destroyed by water. But I will give the substance of " An Appeal"' made to a church of which I was then a member, since as the Pastor said " It was so Scrip- tural" which is the best recommendation it could have, and may be helpful. An Appeal. Dear Companions in the Kingdom and Patience of Jesus. My mind has been painfully exercised concerning the debt on our church and the difficulty ot raising sufttcient money to meet the expenses thereof, this led me to ask the I ord what we should do about it (as you know we are told, If any man lack wisdom let him ask of God who giveth •'Liberally" and upbraideth not and it '^ shall" be given). Immediately God's words to His ancient people pret>ented itself. *' Bring in all 'the tithes into the storehouse that mere may be mcai m r.iinc hcu^e, ^."'^ prove me now herewith saith the Lord of Hosts if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it." Was not this a challenge as well as a promise? and will the Lord be less gracious to His people in this day? or does His cause require less to maintain it in the earth ? \'erily, no, for there are many more open doors now, and the command has been given " Go ye into all the world." This Scripture seemed so clear and positive and has proved so true in my own experience and that of many others, that I felt as if I couLi pledge myself for its fulfiln)ent if we would only do our part, and was led to exclaim, " Who will trust God, who will believe and obey, and boldly step out on the promise." Then I considered the circumstances of many of our people, some out of work, others making very little ; but may not this state of things, in some measure, rise out of the neglect of God's appointed rule, n with- holding the tenth, or tithe? He calls it robbing Him, and for this cause said, " Ye are cursed with a curse." Again, '* Ye looked for much, and it came to little ; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it ; and ye earned wages to put it in bags with holes." It is evident the Apostle applied Old "Testament rules to New Testa- ment times, saying, " It is written. Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn." It was allowed to help itself freely while laboring for them. And then he asks, " Doth God take care for oxen, or saith He it altogether for our sakes ?' For our sakes, no doubt, this is written : that he that ploweih should plow on hope, and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. In other words, they that labour for our spiritual welfare should share generously in our temporal things, seeing they give their life, time and strength to this work. 8 In these hard times some men mr.y not make more than $5 per week, and have to pay rent and keep a family. Can they do it ? I ow n it looks difficult, but faith and experience says, God is able to make $4.50 go farther with His blessmg, than $5 without it. Who will trust God ? Who will give Him the tenth whether their income be much or little ? Who will have faith enough in God to try Him ? He Himself invites us to '* prove him," and see if it is not profitable. Some one has said, " Free-will offerings and giving to God's cause won't count till we have paid our just debt." When we have paid our tenth, which we really " owe," then after that we can begin to do what is really giving. O, friends, let us rise up in our might as the heart of one man, and be deter- mined we will not bring down upon ourselves or the Church of which we form a part, the curse of barrenness, or be compelled to use So many artificial ways of raising money. Then our socials would be socials indeed after our Lord's pattern, when we would have no anxiety about how much we were going to make out of them. We would then invite to our supper the pjor, the aged and infirm who could not recompense us ; but God Himself will recompense us at the resurrection of the just. Now, if each of God's children would lay aside the tenth (or tithe) as the Apostle we believe refers to, would there not be meat in his house, that is, a plentiful supply for all needful service, and also keep our seats free ? Let not the day come when people will have to pay for the seat they sit on to hear the gospel in our church. Let us not treat God * meanly, for " He is the bountiful Donor of all we enjoy." In the days of Malachi they treated the Lord's offerings contemptuously and said, " Be- hold what a weariness is it, and ye have snuffed at it, saith the Lord of hosts ;" but He marked it. •' There is that s'^attereth, and yet increaseth ; there is that withholdeth more than is meet, and it tendeth to poverty." 1 have been signally helped to make ends meet when I determinately avoided touching the tenth for my own use, though none knew of it but the Lord Himself. I give a clipping which I think is very good : — "The Conversion of the World waits on the generosity OF God's people." ** The habit of storing or laying aside one tenth of our income is the secret of a happy, useful, and often steady-going Christian life. Of course it pays. •* A Christian Hindu who tried both keeping and neglecting it, once remarked, •' It pays to mind it, for nine tenths with God's blessing goer much further than ten tenths without it." We hold our possessions as stewards from God. Mark Guy Pearse says : — ' There is no stealing so mean or so bad as stealing from God.' *' Then on the other hand the habit of giving elevates the character, enlarges the heart and invigorates spiritual life. * It is a great help in get- ting away from self.' " One of our members who some two years since adopted this plan met the Secretary the other day and said, ' Do you know anything that wants funds, I have given all my subscriptions and I still have money on hand to give away.' In another case whenever a special sum is needed or some purpose the secretary has only to telep hone and it is sent over. mmmmp''r^''^'^smmmm ■WES^y^rr^^T^ "Other instances might be given fhowing the benefit to the giver of adopting this plan and sticking to it. If you are paid weekly and your salary is $io, each pay day take out $i and put it in this separate box recognizing it as not your own. We should like to hear from any who decide to adopt this plan."— American Monthly. SABBATH OBSERVANCE. Do we as professing Christians value as we ought, and profit as we might, by the blessed Sabbath day ? It is painful to think of how many make it a day of extra cooking, visiting and worldly conversation, or driving about on the Lord's day, which he said was to be kept holy, and as a day of rest, and set us the example by resting from all His work. " And blessed the seventh day and sanctified it," and made it a day of blessing to us, if we use it aright. And a gre^t part of the blessing lies in the " rest," for by that both body and mind are refreshed, the mind for worship, the body for the work of the coming week. When the children of Israel were journeying, the Lord gave tnem bread from heaven, a double supply on the sixth day, that they might rest on the Sabbath ; and God took care that it did not stink or breed worms, as it would if they gathered a double quantity at any otljer tim^. Exod. i6: 23, 24. Nehemiah in his day contended with the nobles of Judah and those that sold wares round about the city, saying, " What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the Sabbath." Neh. 13: 17, 18. " And God said. To the eunuchs that keep my Sabbaths, and do the things that please Me, and take hold o5» My covenant, I will give them a name and a place better than of sons and of daughters." But some say the Sabbath is to benefit the labouring class, and afford them some recreation. The God who made man, and after the fall appointed him to labour, knew best what he needed, and said, it was rest. As for pleasure taking, hear what the Lord saith by His servant Isaiah, ''If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable ; and shalt honour Him, not doing thine own ways, nor find- ing thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words. Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord ; and I will cause thee to ride on the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father ; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it " Isa. 58: 13, 14. Is not the word of the Lord as good now as then, the Lord hath not forsaken the earth as some thought in Ezekiel's time. But the Lord said to him, '* Son of man hast thou seen what the ancents of the house of Israel do in the dark every man in the chambers of his imagery, for they say the Lord seeth us not the Lord hath forsaken the earth," in the chambers of the imagery that is where the wickedness is concocted the schemes planned and prepared. But who is there that can lawfully set aside God's laws on this subject or even put it to the vote whether they shall be kept or not. Ezekiel also says, '* And he cried also in mine ears with a loud voice saying cause them that have charge over the city to draw near every man with his destroying I 10 weapon in his hand, and one among them was clothed in linen with a writer's inkhorn by his side. And the Lord said unto him " Go through the midst of the city through the midst of Jerusalem and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry tor all the abominations thiuc be done in the midsi thereof." And to the others he said, " Go ye after him and smite, slay utterly, but come not near any man upon whom is the mark and begin at my sanc- tuary." Then they began at the ancient men that were before the house, Eze. 9: 1-6. And again in the 20 c. the Lord complains that they pollu- ted His Sabbaths that He had given them to be a sign between Him and His people. And would it not be well if store keepers out of respect for the Sab- bath would put blinds on their windows and not advertise their goods or tempt people to look at these wares on the Sabbath? And to those who like what is called a good Sunday dinner would it not be a pleasant change to give the wife or servant a rest on that day by a little self-denial. In many cases something quite as palatable could be provided. We have kept house for forty-five years and never was meat cooked but three times on the Sabbath and then it was partly for the sick, yet the family of nine children were never made uncomfortable by it but rather that was the day for some little dainty or a surprise if possible to make things cfieery, and to the present day we never think of doing other wise and we find a pleasure in it as all have more time and quietness to enjoy the Sabbath services. At the time that voting for and against Sunday street cars was going on in Toronto, I was in the country ; but 1 read of prayer meetings being held on the subject, and joined in 'hem, though absent, and sent the following letter to my classmates. Thi. late Mr. McDonnel was our leader, a true man of God : — " My Dear Companions in travail, — This is a day of gladness and a good day of sending portions one to another, Esther 9: 22. I find these words come welling up through my heart again and again, and so it comes to pass that I send this my portion. This has indeed been a good day to my soul. Have been to the Sabbath school, and heard an excellent address by Mr. Jeffrey, a young man from another Sabbath school. Then we passed into the church, where * I sat under Hi? shadow with great delight,' and drank in the wine of the kingdom. God was in everything ; but the climax was reached when at the close of the sermon the pastor announced that the street cars were not to run on Sabbath. I couldn't withhold the exclamation. Glory to God. I trembjle with joy, or rejoice with trembling, and ask myself, is it true, is it true that we are delivered from so great a death ? " O, my dear friends, though I have been absent in person, yet I have been present in spirit, and sharing in the conflict that has been going on. Every day, anr' many times a day, my prayer has been going up again and again. I have breathed the mighty name of Jesus, to which every knee shall bow, and thought it would be very proper to have a day of fasting and prayer, like Esther and her maids, that God would turn aside this wicked device, which from the first promised to be a hard battle, and if God had not fought for us and inspired His people in the fight, doubtless mmmm- mmmmf^^^'^mmim II tlie day was lost. O, let us praise the Lord. Should we not have a day of public thanksgiving, and make some offering to the Lord ; what shall it be ? How many of us have loved ones so situated that they must either have given up their employment, or have been untrue to God. Truly it is no vain thing to wait upon God.'' Let us praise him for all that is past, And trust him for all that's to come. WORK FOR PROHIBITION. Proverbs 3: 27, 28. "Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. Say not to thy neighbour. Go and come again and to-morrow I will give, when thou hast it by thee." I St. Good is due to our fellow being whenever it is in our power, and to withhold it is sinful. Christ came into the world to do good to mankind, and left us an example that we should tread in his steps. Surely it would be doing our fellow beings a great good to lessen the sources of temptation and do what we can to rid the earth of the curse of strong drink. 2ndly. To do it at the earliest opportunity Now, just now; don't say to our opportunities Go and come again, I will attend to it some other time, the present we have by us, the future may never be ours. To-day we have the power by uc let us use it for God and good. Queen Esther came to the kingdom by the good providence of God, just in the niche of time. Mordecai said to her " How knowest thou whether thou hast come to the kingdom for such a time as this." How do we know but that we are getting liberty and opportunities, yes privileges for work that we may help to bring about a great deliverance in the earth. Esther was humble and obedient, she did the bidding of Mordecai. like as when she was brought up with him, although she was Queen of the realm. Let us be lowly, knowing that our help comes from the Lord. Let us trust in His almighty arm. Esther worked as well as prayed. She got others to join her in her endeavours, and then went into the presence of the King uncalled, thus venturing her own life to save her people. She was in earnest. We may ask. If she had not done her part, would the Jews have been saved ? would she herself have escaped ? and we may ask ourselves the question. Shall we escape if we fail to do our duty in the present crisis? or shall we suffer by seeing our loved ones fall victims to the cruel monster, Strong Drink ? Thousands ot the flower of the human family are being sacrificed to this idol which men have set up in the'r hearts. Can it be possible that men and women are so blind, so dull of heart to understand, that they will allow brewers and distillers and vendors of the poison, to grow fat on the bread of hungry women and chijidren ; to adorn their families richly in the garments that weary toilers should wear, and half clad little ones should have. 12 When I see tlietn riding in carriages, I say in my heart, You are the beggars ; you are the paupers ; you live on the bread of others ; you fatten on their destruction. I see on the walls of their grand houses, not the pictures that hang there, but letters of flaming fire written by the finger of God, accusing them for the crimes that come from strong drink. Is drunkenness on the increase in Toronto, notwithstanding all the efforts put forth ? We hope not ; but it 7s sad to see bloated, trembling, disfigured men and pale, shattered youths coming out of or hanging round the saloon corner, sometimes a drunken row, then the patrol wagon carry- ing them off, besides all the other vileness that springs from . the liquor ; but worse than all, to see women degrade themselves so as to fetch or carry, not to say drink, the vile stuff that spoils their very humanity and puts them lower than the brute, for they will then be cruel to their own offspring. O, God, the God of battles, guide us by the skilfulness of Thy hand. When Haman sought the Jew's destruction Mordecai sought his niece the yueen, And bade her use her place and station, And go in and stand between. Her people and the danger threatened, And fortified by prayer she went; O take courage God is for us Surely for this work were sent. MY RAILWAY LESSON ON FAITH. While standing at the station waiting for a friend I expected to meet, a freight train came gliding along and stood still in front of the station. There were forty or fifty cars attached to the engine. As I looked on, I received a ' ^sson, and I know that our Lord, in the days of His flesh, taught the people by surrounding objects. While I was admiring the ease and grace with which that long train was carried forward, this question was put to my heart : " How far would those cars go without the locomotive power, the steam engine ?" I said, " not far," no, not if all the men in the place were put in the stead of it, I don't suppose they could draw it to its destination ; but attached to the motive power how beautifully and with what ease it glides along over all manner of difficult and dangerous places, and lands its freight in safety at the end of the road. Even so, no human power is sufficient to carry us on in safety over the difficulties and dangers that beset us, and enable us to keep the highway of holiness. But let us be linked to God the great Motive Power, and we find it can be done, the difficulty vanishes. Then it was said to me, " But if we get off the track, what then ?'' I said, " A wreck." And I saw if those cars became detached from the engine, and got no further, they would be a nuisance, they would be in the way. So Christians, if they do not progress, but stand still, they soon backslide and become a nuisance, a hindrance to others ; and as the goods contained in the cars would spoil if left standing there, so the good the soul has received will perish and die out if not kept in use in the service of God, and the benefit of our fellow man. '^.. .r( 13 I then walked to the end of the station where a number of passenger cars were standing, and as they were somewhat raised I could see the under-works which appeared to me very mtricate and I fell to musing on the skill and ingenuity that is brought into action in the construction of those cars, then the thought, Where did the skill come from ? From the great Master Mind of course, then what a wonderful being man is to par- take so of the God-like. Next came the thought, how many different persons have been em- ployed on those cars, from the blacksmith, the carpenter, the painter, the glazier up to the upholsterer, and The Voice said to me, Yes and what faith is placed in these men that their work is safe and trustworthy. But how little " Faith m God." With what confidence people walk into the cars, choose comfortable places for their loved ones, throw in their valuable luggage and trust all to the skill and management of the R. R. officials. Some days later came the thought, ( if we could gather up in our arms all the faith that we place in our fellow creatures in one great bundle and throw it all over on to God and say " All this and much more we owe to thee O Lord, for Thou only art worthy of all faith and love and honour, what rest it would bring to the soul. Try it, dear friend, give God the confidence of your heart, speak to him freely, he understands you better than your best beloved, there is no danger that he will impugn your motives or put a wrong construction on what you do or say. Nay he is so True and Faithful that he will even tell you the truth about yourself. A highway shall be there. TOBACCO.— AN INCIDENT. In the Christian Guardian same time ago, there was an article headed, " Our Opportunities," in which the writer blames us women folks, and perhaps not without reason, tor not making more of the opportunities for doing good when they come in our way ; and indeed they are more precious than gold, but we let them slip through our fingers as if they were ot no consequence, and the stream of time rolls on and carries them away, and they are lost forever. That admonition was not altogether lost upon me. Her thoughts carried my thoughts back over more than thirty years of my past life, when my sons were little boys. O, how earnestly I desired for them true r obility of character, and labored to show them its beauty, its power for good, its safety for themselves, better than wealth, better even than that inestimable blessing, health ; but always pointed them to God Himself as the only true source from which all that is pure and good must come, and He so willing, so desirous to impart the giaoe. Thank God, my labour, prayers and tears have not been all in vam. •' S. M. W." in " Our Opportunities " expresses regret that we do not make more use of them, which leads me to ask for a hearing. I have been grieved at what appears to me an increase in the use of tobacco. I don't think we used to see so many men and young boys smoking years ago, when cigarettes were not so common ; and it is painful to see so many pale, puny boys, and yellow, sickly looking men as we meet with every day on the street ; and what is worse, fathers and sons wending their way /' 14 together to a Methodist church on Sabbath morning, puffing away at cigars or pipe. I could hardly believe my eyes the first time I saw this. Some years ago a brother whom I had never seen, but who was reported to be a good local preacher, was appointed to preach in our church. I went, expecting a treat, but he did not put in an appearance. When I did see him it was at the home of a friend, sitting with a pipe in his mouth. O, how that little stupid looking, useless thing wiped out at one stroke ever so much of the good opinion I had formed of that brother. When very young I formed the resolution that I would never marry any man who used tobacco or intoxicating liquor, and I kept to it ; nor one who was not a Christian. These three things I determined to have, or remain single ; but I found them all. A short time ago while standing with a friend near the corner of King and Yonge Sts. waiting for a stre car, there came along three little boys pale, puny and pinched looking each smoking a cigarette, the oldest would not be more than ten, they stopped to admire the contents of a store win- dow, this gave me an opportunity to speak to them, my heart was grieved for them, laying my hand on the shoulder of one I begged him not to smoke telling them how hurtful it was to their health. I thought they might resent my interference and be rude, but no, the little fellow dropped the cigarette at his side looking ashamed, then spoke out in a strong voice to one of his companions " I say, throw it away," he made no reply for a minute, then said with determination " Look here lady" and flung the filth away. I thanked the boys for obliging me so much, said a few words more and the car came along and I had to leave the lads, but I gathered inspiration from the incident and courage to try again which I continue to do, reminding them of the evil effects on their health and appearance. Another day meeting a trio of boys the oldest probably about sixteen with the cigarette puffing away, being pressed for time I just said in pass- ing " O don't smoke, its bad for you," and passed on but my thoughts fol- lowed them, and I turned to look after them ju-st in time to see the cigar- ette flung away, I'm not so sanguine as to believe these boys will smoke no more, but a seed thought may be sown that perhaps will lead them to consider their ways and stop. In an article headed " Inferior Men" Dr. Seaver is quoted as saying " that the students of Yale College who indulge in tobacco smoking are inferior in physical vigour and mental ability to those who do not ... It would seem therefore, that- the brain power and the scholarship of the smokers of Yale are far inferior to those of the ant i smoker. A question might be raised. Are these men mferior because they smoke ? or do they smoke because they are inferior ? Our answer would be, '* Yes " to both questions. Dr. Seaver is physician of Yale College, and the professor of athletics." i f ^^^ i' 15 POEMS Unes on a Sermon preached in Sc. Alhan's Church, ParkdaUy by the pastor^ Rev, G. McCnllough, Nor. 24, rSgS- THANKSGIVING. If ever there was ... in our lives a time for thankfulness, It is the present, when the Lord doth us so greatly bless ; For He hath sent a rich supply of food for man and beast. And joyfully we praised His name in our thanksgiving feast. Let all thinfi;s that hath breath proclaim His love and faithfulness, Sun, moon and stars, earth, sea and sky. His power and skill confess, Nor less the power of music doth our Maker's wisdom show, Music is heaven-born ; His the skill in- fused in man below. For cunning workmen are 1 lis work ; He giveth skill to make The instruments that charm us with melody so sweet. Thanks for deliverance from the scourge of epidemic's power, Thanks for our sanitary laws, may they prevail yet more. Yea, thanks for sickness when it comes, affliction works our weal. This David knew, and owned it good, re- straining him from ill. Thanks for ourChurch and Sabbath school, and all the means of grace. They re like so many stepping stones to help us gain our place. And thanks for this fair Canada, the land in which we dwell, So '^rich in rivers, lakes, and niines, in forest, hill and dell ; For this Queen City where we hold our Sabbath quiet dear. Her inslitutians are so grand, affording all a sphere. For men and women to the front thtir places come to all. Because she educates them well, and well rewards their skill. What though some sordid souls, for gain, proved recreant to their trust. The nobler souls that hold the rein shall tread them in the dust. Thanks for the laws that govern us ; thanks for our noble Queen ; What woman e'er bore royalty with such a gracious mien ? What queen has ever blest her realm with pattern half so good ? What glory like the glory due her virtuous womanhood ? And yet in sympathy so warm, her peo- ple's grief to share. God bless her ; v^hen her course ^is run, a brighter crown she'll wear. Thanks for the times in which we live ; 'tis not so long ago Since steam power, steamboats and steel pens were things they did not know. In Wesley's days electric light was still a thing unknown. And tel. and phonography too, and railroads had not grown, But now they traverse o'er the land, from east to west they flee Those iron horses, and we now can talk across the sea. We should be grateful to the Lord, such blessings who bestowed. And meditate upon the works and wonders He hath showed. For gratitude in heaven lives when faith has sight become. And prayer in praise is lost yet still will gratitude live on. But gratit of heart includes obedience, loving true. And lacking this right element the Lord will it eschew. If this be wanting, all our praise is flatter- ir^ compliment. An offering of an odour foul which (iod will sure resent. O let us come with loving hearts and bring an offering meet To be acceptable to Him, and lay it at His feet ; A loving heart is the best gift to offer to our Lord, From first to last we find this truth is written in His word. i6 QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY. May 24th, 1895. 'Tis the twenty-fourth of May, Our gracious Queen's birthday, Blest is her reign. Victoria wise and good In virtuous womanhood Strong for the peoples' good, God bless our Queen. O, Lord, her life still spare, Teach her to cast her care On Thee her God. O, lead her gently on, Till all her duties done. And life eternal won, Through Jesu's blood. It may be her last year To spend among us here, In widowhood. Tha next year she may be In glorious company, And her Prince Consort see, Albert the good. And we should thankful be, That such a queen as she Reigned in our day. What blessing hath she been. Is not as yet half seen, But future years will glean Fruit of her sway. Then take her to your heart, And each one bear a part Right loyally, To lift her up in prayer, That God may sooth her care. And land her safely where No grief she'll see. SABBATH AND CHRISTMAS, It was Christmas morn and Sabbath too. And my heart was glad because the two Had come together for Christmas day Seemed fitter for worship than for play. The preacher's words that day were grand, As beneath Christ's banner he took his stand, And showed us the evils of heathendom. Then we prayed in our hearts Thy king- dom come. He showed so plain what the difference made, That my soul rejoiced and my heart was glad. And I longed that day as never before. That the gospel might go to the heathen shore. TO REVD J. C. DOBSON. YourChristmas sermon so strong and clear, Seemed helping to make up our Christmas cheer. It charmed me so, that while walking along After meeting, there rose in my heart a new song. Then I questioned why thoughts that to me were given. Of God and good, of earth and heaven .Should come and go, or unheeded lie. As nothing worth and be left to die. No, I said, in God's name I will send them forth, They can do no harm if but little worth. I was glad that Sabbath wasChristmas day, And that we had met to praise and pray. And echo the song sung by angels bright. To the shepherds who watched their flocks by night. And I wished that the world would hush it's din. And drink the heavenly jnusic in. But the charm of the sermon'seemed to lie. In that it exalted Christ so high. May this still be your theme till life is past, And continue while endless ages last. What makes the difference you asked, Twixt heathen lands and ours. Why does not Christmas bring to them. Some joyous happy hours. Why are their women so cast down. Why sad and dark their lives. No proud and happy mothers there, No lov'd and honoured wives. Why do they cast their baby girls Into the Ganges deep? Or leave them all alone to die ^ Where poisonous reptiles creep ? It is because they know not Him, Who stooped to human woe, And took the children in His arms. Because He lov'd them so. And bade sad women lift their heads. And go in peace, forgiven. Through faith in Him who lived on earth, Although the Lord of heaven, Who healed the sick and called the dead. Forth from the silent grave, Who fed the hungry multitude. And walked the stormy wave. They know not that to us a child Is born, — a Son is given : Who has prepared for them and us, A glorious home in heaven. V L 17 *m V V Upon whose shoulders broad and strong, The government shall rest. Of all the worlds, above, below It well befits Him best. Before whom angels veil their face, And Holy, Holy cry; But from whose presence spirits lost, And trembling devils fly. His name shall be called Wonderful, And Counsellor, O joy, To have a mighty friend above, Who doth His powers employ. To plead our cause in heaven's court. And counsel us below, And guide our faltering footsteps in The way that we should go. The increase of His government, And peace shall never end; But justice, truth and righteousness, His kingdom shall attend. » And though dear brother you must go, Another field to till. Be sure that in our hearts we hold. Your memory precious still. And for dear sister Dobson too, We ever shall retain, The memory of your diligence. To us it has been given. Your earnest prayers your gentle words. Have oftimes cheered our heart, What joy t'will be to meet aejain, Where friends no more shall part. Not flattering words we offer you, But loving gratitude. We give our gracious Lord the praise, O fall that's pure and good. A CHRISTMAS POEM. When the mountains first were settled. And I he t.ills had been brought forth, And the firmament like curtains Had been hung around the earth. When the heavens declared His glory, And the fountains of the deep Were strengthened, and a limit Was given them to keep. In a gaiden east of Eden, Which the Lord had planted there. With trees that all were good for food. To look upon were fair. There grew the tree of knowledge, In the midst the tree of life. And in that lovely j;arden <;od placed Adam and his wife. Of every tree therein save one. They freely might partake ; That one a test of loyalty The Lord saw fit ro make. And happy in their innocence, While they obedient were ; They lived and loved, and talked with God Without a fear or care. Alas, for them : alas, for us, rhey learned to disobey. And lost their glorious innocence, And lost the heavenly way. O, dark, dark, dark and sad the hour. When woman raised her hand. And dared to touch the fatal tree, And break God's high command. Well might the angels stand aghast, The morning stars be mute. Each Seraph in astonishment Lay down his golden lute ; And well might silence reign in heaven, For who would undertake . To plead the cause of fallen man. Or restitation make. What consternation reigned around. Creation felt the shock ; , . ,, Through heaven and earth and hell re- Jehovah's laws are broke. [sound, And now they must be driven forth, Lest in their fallen state. They of the tree of life partake. And thus prolong their fate. O, woman, fair and beautiful, Thou handiwoik of God, What ruin has thy fall produced Through all the earth abroad. What wond'rous power for good or ill, Is centred all in thee ; Where wilt thou cast thine influence ? On which side shall it be ? Wilt thou, so formed for happiness. Devote thy powers to ill ? Or use the gifts Ciod giveth thee. The woes of life to heal ? We turn to thee, O mother Eve, And in thy daughters see. The channel through which God will bless Thy vast posterity. Thy Maker hath not cast thee ofT, Although from Eden driven. But sent through thee His blessed Son, To lead us back to heaven. And now we celebrate His birth. And join the glad refrain, Peace and good will to men on earth. Glory to God again. i8 The Christmas tree a symbol is Of Christ the tree of life, Who came to bless the world with peace, And banish sin and strife. His hands are filled with gifts divine, The fruit of heavenly love, For God the Father sent the Son And Spirit from above. The Son to tell the Father's love, The Spirit to inspire. And kindle in cold, stony hearts A flame of heavenly fire, O, let us yield ourselves io Him, That He may work His will In us, and then we joyfully His counsels shall fulfil. Jesus the gift unspeakable; Of God the Father's love, The Holy Ghost the Comforter, And guide to heaven above. The written Word the letter is, That brings the joyful news ; O sons of men, God speaks from high, His message don't refuse. CHRISTMAS EVE. A Letter to my Children. It was C atmas Eve, I was tired and sad My husband and I were alone. He busy with books and I with my thoughts Of the children, now scattered and gone. When sudden I heard just outside the door. The sound of some voices and sleigh, T'was some neighbours, they'd been to the village they said, And called as it was in their way. To bring me a box that had been expressed. From the P. O. — a letter likewise, T'was so unexpected that you may be sure, To us t'was a pleasant surprise. The books for that night were left to them- selves, My tiredness and sadness \ re gone. But my thoughts went after the children still, And formed themse'ves into this song. The Letter. Dear children, As I cannot send you cards this Xmas time, The difficulty I will mend by making my own rhyme, Cards are not handy here to get so this is now my plan. As I cannot send you what I would, I'll send you what I can. So Willie, Samuel, Eliza Jane, and my dear daughter Lizzie, I can't write each a letter now for I am very busy. But I'll just send these lines for all till I can write a letter, To let you know how well we fare, and hope you fare still better. Well, Christmas Eve as usual came, and with it came your present, Kindly proposed 'Liza Jane which made it still more pleasant, The groceries were very choice, one d