Outlines of prophetic truth

given" unto Him.1 And as a closing illustration, in point, I think I cannot do better than narrate here an interesting circumstance, which occurred under my own observation several years ago.

At that time I was visiting, amongst others, a poor woman, a Mrs. D—, who was dying of cancer; and who was much hindered from fully trusting in the Lord, by "an evil heart of unbelief." On the occasion referred to, I had not intended to visit her, having seen her but a day or two before but a curious combination of circumstances, followed by a strong impulse of the Spirit, finally impelled me to do so. I read the 22nd Psalm to her, commented upon it, and prayed with her; but without any particular unction of the Spirit, and seemingly without any effect upon herself. This caused me to wonder why I had been sent. There happened, however, to be a little child there, between two and three years old, sitting on a stool by the fire. It was asleep when I entered; but before I had concluded, it awoke, and stared at me in a fixed manner for some time, seemingly wondering how I had got there. When I had finished, it got up, and toddled to Mrs. D and said, "Mammy, Mammy.”

"Oh," she said, "it wants to go to its Mammy! Oh, dear! My daughter's gone out, and there's nobody to take it" for she herself was confined to the sofa, and could not get up. "Oh, sir!" she said, "Will you take it to its mother? She lives close by, the third door from this." "O yes," I said, "with pleasure. Come along with me, my little darling, and I'll take you to your Mammy."

The little thing had never seen me before in its life, but it came up to me, put its little hand in mine, and walked off with me directly; and I took it at once to its mother. But even then, so blind was I, that I did not see the

meaning of the Lord in it: but the moment I had left the child with its mother, the whole thing flashed upon me at once, and a kind of awe came upon me, as if the Lord Himself had come down to teach us in the person of this little child; and I ran back at once to Mrs. D, and said to her

"Oh, Mrs. D—, the Lord has been teaching us most blessedly, and neither of us has seen it! I have often spoken to you about faith, and of the confiding nature of a heart-trust in Christ; and the Lord has just been giving us the sweetest possible illustration of it; and we have both of us missed it. You know He has told us that, 'Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child,' i.e., teachably, confidingly and submissively, 'he shall not enter therein: "2 and this little child has been teaching us how it is to be done. You know this dear child had never seen me before in its life; and yet when I said to it, 'Come along with me, my little darling, and I'll take you to your Mammy,' it believed me at once, trusted me implicitly; and acted out that belief, by putting its little hand in mine, and at once walking with me in the way."

And now that the matter had thus been made plain to us, the Spirit at once drew back the vail of unbelief from her heart, and away went with it the vails of ignorance and prejudice; while the light shot into her spirit, as she cried out with tears, "Oh, the dear little thing! the dear little thing! and I saw it do it! The dear little thing! And I'm sure it had never seen you before. The dear little thing!"

"Oh!" I said, "doesn't this child put us both to shame? You see, it trusted me when it didn't even know me-me a sinner, who might not have known where its mother lived, or might have deceived it! And we cannot

trust a God of infinite love and boundless mercy; Who 'cannot lie,'1 and Who is moreover Almighty and Infinite! How humiliating!"

And oh! may the ever-Blessed Lord Himself give to both Writer and Reader more of this precious, simple, child-like faith and trust in Him.2

And now a few words only, as to the delay that has taken place in the bringing out of this Second and Concluding Volume. I am not ashamed to own that it has been simply because I had not the means to enable me to do this: for as I do not of course write for profit, and my Works are too solid for general readers, I am naturally a considerable loser by them; and I have, therefore, to wait until the Lord enable me to publish them. This is why I closed the Preface to my former Volume by the remark, that I trusted the Lord would "grant me the same grace and help to complete the 'Second Series' of these Outlines,' as He had done the 'First; ' and either by the sale of this Volume, or in any other way, enable me to publish it likewise." And now, notwithstanding the sneers of a popular preacher, who is also the Editor of a Magazine, which has an extensive sale, not only among his own denomination, but amongst others also, who, in referring to this paragraph, says that the Author, "so far from craving indulgence for his diffusiveness, asks prayer that his First Series of 'Outlines' may pay, and thus pave the way for a Second Series; " I gladly and thankfully acknowledge, notwithstanding the First Series has not paid, but has occasioned me a considerable loss, that the Lord has graciously answered this prayer; and has enabled me to bring out this concluding Volume.3 And

1 Titus i. 2.

This case is more particularly referred to in my "Reaping in Due Season," pp. 44-49.

3 He has, moreover, most graciously enabled me in the meantime to bring out no less than three other Works, the first, on "The Personality

when I tell the devout reader-for it is to him alone that I would now speak-that I only commenced this Volume in the middle of August last, and that it was completed by the middle of March following,' he will at once see that the Lord has most graciously helped me in the writing of it. Indeed I know not when I have been so blessed, or have had such refreshing seasons, as I have had in the writing of this Work. And I would, therefore, again ask the godly reader-not to ask the Lord that the Book might pay for I never did ask this for the other-but that the Lord would graciously use this also, as He has done the former one, for His own glory, as well as for the edification and comfort of His dear children in Christ Jesus.

8, Trinity Road, Scarborough. March 15th, 1890.

and History of Satan," in December, 1886; the second, on แ

Gleanings

from the Book of Ruth," in March, 1887; and the third, on "Demonology and Witchcraft with special reference to modern 'Spiritualism,' so-called; and the Doctrines of Demons,"" in April, 1889.

1 I ought to state, however, that Section 3 of Chapter IV., and Section 1 of Chapter IX. have before appeared in print as Tractates; and that Section 2 of Chapter II., Section 2 of Chapter IV., and Section 3 of Chapter XI. have before been delivered as Addresses, and were written out for publication as Tractates some years since, but have never previously been actually published.