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times laughed at her; for her earnestness and simple singleheartedness were so different from the general run of mankind, and even of professing Christians, that she seemed to them as 66 one that mocked." Still even these cherished a secret respect for the earnest, godly, whole-hearted Christian; feeling in their inmost hearts that they would give anything to be as secure upon the Eternal Rock of Ages as was she.

No luxuries ever came to her lot. Her greatest treat was to go to some tea-meeting, especially one intended solely for church-members, or to travel on foot to her native town, to renew the acquaintances of former years. To all these her coming was like the appearance of a fair green oasis in the desert of life; for the refreshment of her conversation and goodness was something to be remembered long, long after. And on such occasions the simplest fare was offered and received with thanksgiving. A slice of dry toast and a cup of tea, or a few potatoes, were her staple articles of diet, and formed her chief support.

To a friend, who occasionally gave her some little comforts, she once observed: "My heavenly Father has always ministered to my needs, but never to my need-nots. What I have needed that He has given me; but what I have not needed has all my life long been withheld. I never had a sufficiency of income to buy anything save bare necessaries, and we have had to be very frugal with them; but God knows best. He has made me rich in faith, and beside and beyond all that, I am His adopted child; I shall come to my inheritance before very long."

Her work of tract distribution was never allowed to flag. No matter what the weather, or how weary her frame, she was faithful to the last, and as regularly as the day came she was to be seen with her basket going her rounds and serving her Master. She was like Mary of Bethany, lost to all considerations of worldly wisdom when her Master's work required to be done, or her Master's name to be glorified. More and more markedly her conversation was in heaven; and even those who knew her best noted how

she grew in grace and faith. While among a party of friends one day she repeated a hymn expressive of her desire to be with her Lord. Said a listener: "Do you really feel like that? Do you long to be with Christ now?" To which she replied: "Oh yes; if it were this evening, I should welcome the summons. I do love Him; yes, I do love Him!" Eight days from that time she was in the presence of her Lord and Master.

The day on which she went her last round with her tracts was bitterly cold and wintry. A north-east wind blew when this devoted tract-distributor started forth on her mission. A friend endeavoured to dissuade her from her intention, but she would not listen, saying: "I must not lose the opportunity of sowing the good seed in more than sixty families." So, with her basket on her arm, she trudged away on her errand of faith and labour of love. But it was for the last time. More than once she faltered before the cruel blast, but she finished her round, and then returned home to die. Inflammation of the lungs rapidly supervened, and her weak nature succumbed to it after the lapse of two or three days. But calmly, and even rejoicingly, she awaited the change. To a friend, who asked her how she felt in the near prospect of death, she replied in the words of a dear old hymn :

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Lord, when I quit this earthly stage,
Where can I fly but to Thy breast?

For I have sought no other home,
For I have found no other rest."

Christian friends came around her, anxious to do everything in their power to alleviate her sufferings, and, if possible, to bring her back to health and strength. But it was all in vain. The long-waiting child was summoned home to the more immediate presence of that God whom she had so long followed. She passed away in a quiet sleep, exchanging earth for heaven without one struggle.

She was almost seventy years of age at the time of her death.

E. R. P.

A Prayer for every day and all day long.

N the morning hear my voice,

IN

Let me in Thy light rejoice,
God my Sun! my strength renew,
Send Thy blessing down like dew.

Through the duties of the day,
Grant me grace to watch and pray,
Live as always seeing Thee,
Knowing "Thou God seest me."

When the evening sky displays
Richer pomp than noon arrays,
Be the thoughts of death to me
Hopes of immortality.

When the round of care is run,
And the stars succeed the sun,
Songs of praise with prayer unite,
Crown the day and hail the night.

Thus with Thee, my God, my Friend,
Time begin, continue, end,

Whilst its joys and sorrows pass

Like the flowers of the grass.

Bristol, Oct. 25th, 1838.

J. MONTGOMERY.

Looking unto Jesus;" or, My New Year's Cards.

NE New Year's day the post brought me two cards of greeting from distant friends. The first I opened had printed upon it a wreath of violets, within which the words were written, "A Happy New Year." I felt very grateful for the kind remembrance; but these words were not in tune with my feelings that day. The year just past had been a season of blighting sorrow; it had brought me one of those shocks of trouble which, more especially in our youth, leave us almost unable to believe in earthly peace or gladness for us again; and

though I knew something of the secret of joy in my God, yet as I laid down the pretty card I said to myself with a sigh, “I can't face the future a year at a time, and, thank God, I need not; it will only come to me day by day moment by moment, and perhaps before this new year grows old the Lord Himself will come, and bring our years to an end, like a tale that is told."

And then, with tears in my eyes, I opened my second envelope. The card it contained was very plain, pale blue, with a narrow silver border, and it bore the words, "Looking unto Jesus." Old familiar words! but they reached my very heart at that moment of sadness with the wonderful living power with which God's Word is imbued by His Spirit. They dispelled the vague dread and healed the soreness which my first New Year's card had made me feel, and spoke to me peace and strength; and this New Year's card, hanging framed on my wall, has been so comforting and helpful to me many a day since, that I cannot forbear writing down some of the precious truths it has spoken to me, in hope of cheering some who may be entering on a new year with a heart sad and sinking, as was mine that day.

I. "Looking unto Jesus" means trusting Him for help. This is the very beginning of a life of real Christian faith; the helpless, conscience-stricken sinner is invited to look unto Him, as the dying Israelite on the brazen uplifted serpent, for healing and salvation. "Look unto Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth," is His unbounded invitation to mankind. The temple of old was in this sense a beautiful type of Jesus, the appointed meeting-place where the Father's eye is resting in pardoning love, to which therefore the sinner's eye may be turned in full assurance of pardon. "That Thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which Thou hast said, My name shall be there: that Thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which Thy servant shall make toward this place."1 St. Paul writes to his Galatian converts of such 1 I Kings viii. 29.

looking unto Jesus as the only and entire foundation of their Christian faith. "Before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you."1

And having thus trusted Him wholly as our Saviour from death eternal, it is our right, ay, and our bounden duty, to look unto Him with the same entire dependence in every kind of want and weakness. In every difficulty, anxiety, perplexity of our daily life, we may say, in full assurance of faith, like one of old, "We have no might, neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon Thee." Or when entangled, hemmed in by worldly, hostile surroundings, seemingly held fast down to earthly things, we need not weary ourselves with vain struggles, but rest our hearts on Him, and say, "Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord, for He shall pluck my feet out of the net." We may indeed be made to wait for His succour, but oh, how restful such waiting will be while "looking unto Jesus;" while we can say, "As the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters; . . . so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that He have mercy upon us";3 while we are trusting in His unfailing love which cannot, His almighty power which need not, delay one moment too long the looked-for blessing, "My help," can we triumphantly sing, "my help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth."4

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2. 'Looking unto Jesus" implies that we order all our ways with reference to Him, considering what is His will in all we do and say and think. Without this there can be no looking to Him in real peace-giving trust. "Study pure and holy walking," says Leighton, "if you would have your confidence firm, and have boldness and joy in God; you will find that a little sin will shake your trust more than the greatest sufferings." "He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk even as He walked," looking unto Jesus not as our guide alone, but our example.

And, as believers in Jesus, we are to refer to Him not our doings alone, but all our sufferings. "Looking unto 1 Gal. iii. I. 2 2 Chron. xx. 12. 3 Psa. cxxiii. 2. 4 Psa. cxxi. 2.

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