been heard in prayer with God's people, and many took notice of him that he was walking with Jesus. He joined the Sabbath school, where he was soon recognized as an efficient teacher, and by-and-by married the superintendent's daughter. He became respected by his countrymen, rising from one degree of honour to another; and for the last thirty years he has been a preacher of the blessed Gospel; and many through his instrumentality have been brought to the Saviour.

Reader, thou art lost without Christ. Before the darkness encircles thee for ever, call upon the name of the Lord. Give Him no rest till thou hast a sure footing on the Rock of Ages, and art travelling towards heaven. In the wide field of truth there is work for all, and what is sown in weakness is often raised in power. He that winneth souls is wise and no wisdom is so grand and exalted as the soulsaving reception of this great scriptural truth, that Jesus Christ by the grace of God has tasted death for every man, and therefore tasted death for me.

The Unchanging One.

HE Lord our Saviour is not only Jesus Christ the ever-living, who "was, and is, and is to come," but He is also Jesus Christ the ever

gracious, who is "the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever." Amid the mutations of earthly things, and the passing away of earthly friends, and the changefulness of our own frames and feelings, the remembrance of an immortal and immutable Redeemer is unspeakably precious. When we say, "How great is His goodness, and how great is His beauty!" we can cherish the assurance that in these things He is the Lord, and changes not.1 His "goodness" is no early cloud or morning dew which passeth away; His "beauty" is such as never perishes, and never waxes old.

1 Zech. ix. 17; Mal. iii. 6.

In order, therefore, to know something of His present grace, and the grace which He has in store for the future, we call to mind what His past grace has been. In order to estimate more gratefully the everflowing fountain, we trace the refreshing and fertilising influences of its life-giving

streams.

If we would understand what Jesus Christ was "yesterday," or in the past, we learn it first from the history of His life; from the Gospel records, which not only teach of His holiness, wisdom, and power, but also reveal Him as the loving One, who healed the sick, pitied the erring, invited the heavy-laden, bound up the broken in heart, wept with the mourner, took little children in His arms, and blessed them thus ever suiting His heavenly mercy to each one's earthly necessity, whether it were a Bartimeus, a Jairus, a Zaccheus, a Magdalen, a Mary, or even a mere "infant of days."

If we would learn what Jesus Christ was "yesterday," we may contemplate the scenes of Gethsemane and Calvary, which disclose Him as the Saviour, and which unfold the wondrous story of His self-sacrifice, when for our sakes He drank the bitter cup of suffering, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, that He might obtain an "eternal redemption," and bring in an everlasting righteousness," and " save to the uttermost" all them that believe.

66

We may note further the story of His resurrection as the Divine conqueror of death, and His ascension to glory as the intercessor and forerunner of His people, exalted to give gifts to men as the King, Priest, and Prophet of His Church.

We must scan His messages of mercy, which endear Him to us as the Promiser; His words of free welcome to "whosoever will;" His offers of a full forgiveness; His legacy of a peace such as the world can never give; and His announcement of the Holy Spirit's work as a Teacher, Remembrancer, Helper, Comforter and Guide.

Let us not forget to recall "that same night in which He was betrayed," and mark the feast of love, wherein He so touchingly bade His followers to hold Him in remembrance from age to age through the memorial symbols of the broken bread and the wine poured out.

We may glean further knowledge of what Jesus Christ was, if we pass on to the experience of the apostles and first Christians. They could attest, because they had tested His grace. "Christ crucified" was their theme. Christ was their hope, Christ their strength, Christ their head, Christ their life, Christ their all-in-all. "The love of Christ constraineth us," says Paul; and "I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord." "That which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life," says John, "declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us." "Unto you which believe," says Peter, "He is precious;" "Whom not having seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory."

Not

Consult the long roll of martyrs and confessors. only has Christ been to them so precious that they have esteemed His smile above all earthly favour, His service above all earthly comfort, and His glory above earthly life itself, but in the midst of their sufferings He has been so near to each and all of them, from the dying Stephen and the imprisoned proto-missionaries at Philippi down to the Madagascar Christians of our own day,—that they have been able to sing in their dungeon, or to take joyfully the spoiling of their goods, or to lay down their life for His sake so peacefully that even the martyr's painful death has been a falling "asleep."

Do we ask again what Jesus Christ was "yesterday?" We obtain an answer, as with one consent, from eminent saints in all ages,-men like Rutherford, who could write of Him thus: 66 'Oh, His weight, His worth, His sweetness, His overpassing beauty! If men and angels would come

44

Somebody to lean upon."

IN a fine October day, at a northern seaside place, a gospel minister was once asked to visit a retired

military man, prostrate at that time from a wasting attack of that terrible scourge-consumption.

The sick room faced the sea, which rolled up its grand old waves, lighted with that pure frosty light that marks a clear autumn day. Both minister and patient felt the influence of the watery scene before them; the broad expanse of ocean telling them of the vastness of eternity; the ebbing tide suggesting the merging of time and eternity, the call to the soul to prepare for that ebbing of life temporal towards the ocean of life eternal; the very power and boldness of the breakers also illustrating the power of our God to save and to punish according to His will.

By-and-by conversation of a general character as to the principles and beauties of religion gave way to that of a more personal character: confession of signal failures and errors of the past, now too clearly seen, but not too old or too great for the treatment of the Saviour's love and power; the expression of the deepest anxiety for a full forgiveness of sin; inquiry most searching and frequent as to the assurance of hope.

And then followed from the lips of this dying man a most beautiful confession of faith, and of deep conviction as to the only source of strength in the hour of trial, and of farewell to this passing scene:

"The weak state to which I have been brought has taught me better than anything could that we are helpless indeed spiritually; and that if we rely upon ourselves we shall be disappointed. In short, I feel most fully that we stand in need of help from a higher source—that we want Somebody to lean upon. Some one who can and will support us under weaknesses and trials. I appreciate fully the aid of services and sermons. Yes, and of your advice and

comfort now; but, after all, it lies between myself and Him who has died for me. And I can assure you that in my prayers I try to talk to Him, feeling that He is listening to me."

No one can tell the relief afforded to the writer of this narrative when his dying friend uttered these words, save he, who, doubtful as to the state of some beloved one about to leave this world, has heard from his own lips an assurance of firm faith and of loving trust in Christ.

Let us endeavour to learn a lesson or two from this narrative-Somebody to lean upon.

(1) There is a word for the Young. Isaiah most beautifully prophesies of Christ: "He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom." How won

derfully in accord is this with His actions while on this earth" He took them up in His arms, put His hands upon them, and blessed them.”

And thus it is that He deals now with the young ones of His flock; drawing them to Himself by their little troubles; taking from them very often the earthly props whereon they lean in order to put in their place His own sure support; bearing them up in the time of weakness; sometimes transferring them from the earthly cradle of suffering to His peaceful and heavenly bosom.

66

Here is Somebody to lean upon for every Christian child. (2) Then there is a word for the Weary. Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

Surely a beautiful promise for all who in this restless, busy world are forced to compete for a livelihood! How numerous are the props-riches, power, ability, strengththat striving men set up, whereon they fondly hope to lean, but which in the time of adversity give way, and bring to the ground those who were trusting to them!

Now Christ speaks to all such: "Come unto Me, and I will give you rest. I died to secure that rest for you. blood was shed on Calvary in order that I might offer this

My