anxious to hear about him; but his pride came in the way. 66 Nay," he said to himself, when the thought occurred, "I'll wait till I've better news to send."

Ned's first news home was in one sense very bad news; still there was something which greatly relieved its badness, and made his wife shed tears of hope and joy.

It was winter when Ned set off from home, and he had a great deal of exposure before he reached Leeds, and the consequence was he took a severe cold. It hung about him for a fortnight after he reached Leeds, and then it laid him quite prostrate in fever. The people with whom he lodged saw what was the matter, and, both for his sake and their own, they bestirred themselves to get him removed to the Fever Hospital. His removal was effected only just in time. He lay for a fortnight unconscious, and his life was despaired of. By God's blessing the crisis passed, and he began to amend, but very slowly. It was six weeks before he could leave his bed, and then the strong man was feeble as a child.

During his delirium he talked incessantly about his wife and children; and when consciousness returned, the tears stole fast and silently down his cheeks as he thought of them. He thought about himself and his past life, too. It was wonderful how things which he had heard in the house of God where he and Mary had attended together in the days of their courtship came vividly to his recollection; and he began to see that he had not only injured his family, but sinned against God.

"Ah," he said to himself, "if I had attended better to what I heard there, this would not have been! I've been almost as bad as I could be. Well, if God spares me, and I think He will now, I'll try to lead a better life."

At length he was sufficiently recovered to be removed to the convalescent ward. He was so weak as to be unable to read, and the time would have hung heavily, if one of his fellow-patients, who was much further advanced towards recovery, had not kindly offered to read to him. He was a

young man about his own age, and, as it happened, of his own trade. They were, therefore, drawn to one another. But, best of all, the young man was a sincere Christian; and he was one of those Christians who are not ashamed to speak about their faith and hope. The young man's name was

George Forster.

"I'll read to you a bit out of the Bible, if you've no objections," said George. "Here are some very nice books; I shall be glad to read out of them; but there's nothing like the Bible."

"Thank you, mate," replied Ned. "It's a long time now since I read any of it for myself."

Forster opened the New Testament, and read the fifteenth chapter of the Gospel by Luke.

"That's a beautiful chapter," said Ned, when he had finished. He was well-instructed enough to know what the parables meant, for he remembered some excellent sermons in which they had been explained, especially the parable of the Prodigal Son. But," he added, "I don't think it ever seemed so beautiful to me as I see it now."

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May be there's a good reason for that, my friend,” said Forster. "Were you ever in a fever before ?"

"I never was three days together off work for illness," replied Ned, "since I went to trade."

"And the trouble you have passed through," said Forster, "has made you think a bit, hasn't it?"

' Ay, that it has," said Ned.

"Well now," resumed Forster, "would you mind just telling me what you have been thinking about ?"

Ned was longing for somebody to whom he might open his heart, and he saw that Forster was a man to be trusted. “Well,” he said, "I don't. I've been thinking, ever since I came to my senses, what a fool I have been, and more than a fool. I had a good father and mother, good Sunday-school teachers, and I don't think there's such another wife in all England as my Mary; and still I went wrong. I left off going to worship, and I got to drinking, and that was how I

had to go seeking work. I should not have been here to-day if I had done as I ought."

"Let us both be thankful," said Forster, "that we had such a place as this to come to; and may be this trial is from God, and he means it to be a great blessing. not you thought about him ?”

Have

"I

"I've thought a good deal about him," replied Ned. see I have done what he has bidden me not do, and that he must be very angry with me. I've been wondering whether he would forgive me."

"That's it, then," said Forster, "that made you see the parable of the Prodigal Son to be so beautiful.

who the Father is, don't you ?"

You know

"I recollect one of my

"It is God, is it not ?" asked Ned. teachers in the Sunday-school telling me so; and then, seven or eight years since, I heard a sermon about it, which I never forgot, and the preacher said so too."

"And you feel that you have been the prodigal, don't you?"

"All sinners are prodigals, are not they ?" asked Ned, especially such sinners as me? Ay, I've been a prodigal enough, and sorely I've had to pay for it."

"Well then, what you have to do is to say, ' I will arise and go to my Father.' Can't you? He's waiting with open arms to welcome you, You can't think how loving and

merciful He is."

"I would like very well to do that; but I hardly know how," said Ned.

"I think I can tell you,” replied Forster. "We rise and go to our Father when we repent of our sins, and resolve to forsake them, and then ask him to pardon us."

"God knows," said Ned, "I have many a time resolved to forsake my sins: but then I've gone and sinned again as bad as ever."

"But the Lord can so show us our sins," said Forster, "that we shall hate them; and he can give us strength to forsake them. He does it by the grace of his Holy

Spirit and he's willing to give you his Spirit if you ask him."

"And will he really forgive me ?" asked Ned.

"Yes, that he will," replied Forster. "All we have to do is to believe with our whole heart in the Lord Jesus, who bore our sins on the cross. Here is the promise, 'that whosoever believeth in him might not perish, but have everlasting life.""

During the short time that Forster remained in the house, they had many more talks together; and the result, by God's blessing, was that Ned found peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ.

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Well," he said, "it was a sore trouble to be sent away from my work and my wife and family in Newborough; but I see now it was all for the best. Thank God! it was His

way of bringing me to a right mind.”

At Ned's request, Forster wrote a letter for him to his wife, telling her where he was, and that he was mending fast. As may be imagined, it was a great relief and comfort to her, although she was sadly distressed to hear her husband had been so ill, and she not at hand to nurse him. As soon as Ned could guide a pen, he wrote a letter to tell his wife how much stronger he was, and still further, how he had found God's great mercy through Jesus.

"Thank God!" she said, as soon as she could speak, "that's the best news of all !"

By the time Ned was fit for work, trade had improved; and Forster succeeded in getting him work in the same shop with himself; and they both rose to be foremen in it. Ned, by God's blessing, carried out the resolves formed in his sickness. He and Forster are very fast friends, members of the same Christian church; and their pastor says they are his right-hand men.

Ned's wife joined him as soon as possible after he left the hospital; and there is not a happier home in all the town than theirs.

Too many are Gadarenes; they love their swine more than Jesus Christ; and rather than part with all for him, they bid him depart from them. What madness!

The blood of Christ and the power of Christ go together; the one procures pardon for transgressions, and the other subdues iniquities. You will never trust Christ to purpose, but as you distrust yourself and all created beings.

God can make you happy in the world, with the world, or without the world; but never expect that anything, or any one, can make you happy but the Lord.

Sin and sufferings always go hand in hand; they never were separated, nor will they ever be.

Some persons look upon religion as a medicine, to others it is their necessary food: the latter are right.

Every circumstance calls for prayer, self-examination, caution, or praise, and will either do you good or harm.

You must very shortly die and leave all; in a little time it will not matter what you have passed through, but it will matter how you have acted while passing through.

Looking to Jesus, and fellowship with Him, will make hard things easy, bitter things sweet, and painful things pleasant; therefore look always to Jesus, and walk with Him.

Believer, you have enough in God and in His Christ; why, then, are you so anxious about other things?

If there is any person you particularly dislike, pray for that person every time you think of him.

Believer, Christ died for you, and you live through His death, that you might live to Him in your life.