decisions were characterised by inflexible uprightness.

Now, when the Jews desired a king, they were thrusting Saul aside from the office to which the Lord had called him, and which he had so eminently adorned by his virtues. They were stripping him of honours which he had worn long and worthily. They were degrading him from his post as judge. There was much ingratitude in this act. There was great indignity. There was cold and cruel insult. His grey hairs could not protect his useful career from this most disgraceful close.

But no resentment, no souring of spirit, took place in him. Rejected, condemned, he forgot his own wrongs, in grief for their sinfulness. His bosom beat only with the desire that wrath and woe might be averted from them. On the very day of his consummated public degradation from office, he said, "As for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you."

Oh for that grace to walk in the steps of this faithful old man! We must suffer wrong at the hands of those whose good we seek. They may cast out our names as evil. They may call us "filth of the world, and the offscouring of all things." From one and another, we may endure gross, repeated, exasperating indignity. And what, then, is our duty? To pray for them. To ask that they may be forgiven of God. To come often to the throne of grace-our bosoms burdened with desire for their salvation-our lips. breathing their names in fervent intercession. Many now in glory

owed their conversion to the prayers of those on whom they heaped indignity. Say, shall we not speak by prayer to save those who are heaping such indignity on us?

Other examples than that of Samuel, and examples far more impressive, teach this same lesson. The first martyr, when surrounded by men who breathed out threatenings and slaughter, nay, while they were stoning him, "cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." And a greater than he-even the Saviour of martyrs and prophets-the One sacrificed for sinners-when nailed to the cross, found time and heart, amidst His fearful agonies, with His murderers, แ as strong bulls of Bashan," about Him, to breathe His prayer, "Father, forgive them; they know not what they do!"-Hard task, when undertaken in the strength of naturerather in nature's want of strength! But when attempted in the light of these examples, with power from on high, delightful labour of love.

WRATH DISARMED BY

CHRISTIAN CANDOUR. A MAN of my acquaintance, who was of a vehement and rigid temper, had a dispute with a friend of his, a professor of religion, and had been injured by him. With strong feelings of resentment, he made him a visit for the avowed purpose of quarrelling with him. He accordingly stated to him the nature and extent of the injury done him, and was preparing, as he afterwards confessed, to load him with a train of severe reproaches when his friend cut him short by

acknowledging, with the utmost readiness and frankness, the injustice of which he had been guilty, expressing his own regret for the wrong which he had done, requesting his forgiveness, and offering him ample compensation. He was compelled to say he was satisfied, and withdrew full of mortification that he had been precluded from venting his indignation, and wounding his friend with keen and violent reproaches for his conduct. As he was walking home, he said to himself, "There must be more in religion than I have hitherto suspected. Were any to address me in the tone of haughtiness and provocation with which I accosted my friend this evening, it would be impossible for me to preserve the equanimity of which I have been witness, and especially with so much frankness, humility and meekness, to acknowledge the wrong which I had done; so readily ask forgiveness of the man whom I had injured, and so cheerfully promise a satisfactory recompence. I should have met his anger by anger, &c. There is something in religion that I have hitherto been a stranger to." He soon after became a Christian.

LITTLE FAITH. THE saint's safety lies in the strength

and faithfulness of God, who is the promiser; but the present comfort and repose of an afflicted soul is fetched in by faith relying on God as such. Hence it is, though all believers are out of danger, in the saddest condition, yet too many of them, alas! are under fears and dejections of spirit, because their faith acts weakly on a mighty God, and suspiciously on a faithful God. "Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?" (Matt. viii. 26.) You see the leak at which the water came in to sink their spirits-they had "little faith." It is not what God is in Himself, but what our apprehensions at present are of God, that pacifies and comforts a soul in great straits. If a man fear the house will fall on his head in a storm, though it be as immoveable as a rock, yet that will not ease his mind till he think it so. Were a man under the protection of ever so faithful a friend, yet so long as his head is full of fears and jealousies to the contrary, this man must needs have an uncomfortable life, though without cause. You see, then, of what importance it is to keep up the vigour of thy faith on the power and truth of the Promiser; and if thou meanest to do this, banish sense and carnal reason from being thy counsellors.

AMONG the many cases of conversion that occurred in the recent outpouring of the Holy Spirit in America, is one of unusual interest; not only from the important social

position held, but in the radical change wrought in the whole life and character of the individual. A lady of cultivated intellect, a bold thinker, impressing her opinions on

all with whom she came in contact, became involved with the ensnaring fallacy of Unitarianism. In settling down in this belief, she was aided by one of her own sex, equally educated and accomplished, who confirmed her in this fatal error. By mutual conference each strengthened the other, until at length the resolution was taken to join the Unitarian Church.

In this state of mind the claims of the Gospel were presented to her, but only to be most strenuously resisted. Salvation by a crucified Redeemer was indeed to her "a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence." To a friend of hers, who was privileged to labour with her, she replied with an emphasis characteristic of the carnal mind, which

"enmity against God:"-"If I accept Jesus Christ on the terms which you propose, YOU MAKE ME A DEBTOR TO HIM!" Amid much discouragement, yet with a constant presentation of the "truth as it is in Jesus," the Holy Spirit (after many months of unbelieving rejection) was pleased to discover "Christ crucified," as the only way to God. Then came the struggle to submit to the "righteousness which is by faith in Christ." Weeks passed by in the vain hope of satisfying God by a righteousness of her own. But the text-book used during this season of trial was the Word of God. "Thus saith the Lord," was the answer to all the cavils of unbelief, and all the reasonings of philosophy, falsely so called. At length, when human reason failed to unravel the great truths of revelation, it was suggested by her friend as the con

clusion of the whole matter, "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" and there he rested the subject. It pleased God to make that declaration of His own Word the means of settling her perplexed and bewildered mind. She rested on it, and found peace in believing on Jesus. Shortly after, she wrote to her Unitarian friend; and an extract from that letter will give you, perhaps, a better idea of the work of the Holy Spirit on her heart than mere general description :

"For several days I have had a letter on hand to send you, and have written and re-written it from the difficulty I found in saying just what I wanted. Now, however, I feel that the simplest way is the best, and that I ought no longer to delay in confessing my Saviour before men. Indeed, I long to confess Him, though it be in weakness, and with much trembling. Let me confess Him to you, my dear friend, and let me ask you to listen patiently to what are now the dearest and deepest thoughts of my life. And yet, what can I say? JESUS DIED FOR ME! One thing only I know, whereas once I was blind, now I see.' I see Him, my Redeemer, my Sanctifier, my ever present Lord and Master. Above all I see Him an all-sufficient atonement for my sins; and at the sight the weary burden has fallen from me, and left me free in that liberty wherewith Christ has made me free. Oh, if I could but find words to express to you the deep inward peace and joy which has been mine, at intervals, for the last few weeks, dear I think it would touch

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think, been praying and seeking to be enlightened with the true light from above, and gradually, almost insensibly, I have been drawn nearer and nearer unto Jesus of Nazareth, until at last, weary, sin-sick, and unworthy, as I know I am, I have fallen at the foot of the cross, and have sought and found mercy. It is unspeakably precious to me to have been thus brought—and oh, I would not exchange this all-sufficient Saviour, and the salvation which is His free gift, (and oh, how free!) for all the righteousness which years or centuries of perfect obedience to the law might win for me! I glory in the cross of Christ.

"Yet I write these words in fear and trembling, lest through my unfaithfulness I may bring reproach on the cause I long to serve. May the power of our Lord Jesus Christ keep me faithful to Himself. And now, my dearest friend, how my heart yearns for you! How I long to see you come to this Saviour, and be at peace! What can I say? I feel that words are useless. I can only pray for you, and this, God granting me the ability, I will do, until you are brought into this sheltered fold of which Christ is the compassionate Shepherd. I do not feel as if I could argue the subject with you, for though I know that my Redeemer liveth,' I know also that it is not by

TONGUES AND TRANSLATIONS.When the Gospel was first preached to all nations, it was necessary to give a diversity of tongues; a tongue for each nation; and this was done by the Divine Power. But in this second promulgation, as it were, of the Gospel, the work will probably

argument, but from conviction that you will embrace the truth, and this no words can adequately express. My heart is too full to write more at present, yet this one thing I may say, that no motive for work was ever half so powerful as the thought that I am now working for my dear Saviour. It seems to me, that through Christ strengthening me I can do all things."

To another friend she says, "On the 13th of March I went to the prayer-meeting at Jayne's Hall out of mere curiosity. I took my seat in the crowded room with a feeling of infinite superiority to the benighted souls around me, who could find any comfort in such scenes of fanatical excitement. But irresistibly a different feeling stole over me. I realised that the Spirit of God was present there, in a way never wit nessed by me before. My own poor philosophical religion seemed vain and dead, in view of the whole-souled earnestness which I saw and felt around me. Here was something above and beyond my experience, and though I had gone in to criticise and scoff, I sat there in tears, with a bitter sense of the insufficiency of all my philosophy. For the first time my faith in my preconceived opinion was shaken. These worshippers knew whom they believed, I did not, and I could not be at peace."

be carried on by a diversity of translations, a diversity of Scriptures; a translation for each nation. Instead of the gift of tongues, God, by His providence, is giving to mankind a gift of Scriptures.- Claudius Buchanan.

"And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was."-JOHN xvii. 5.

GOD is said to glorify any person when He gives him glorious qualities and powers; or by revealing and manifesting those glorious qualities which he hath; or when he doth receive him and treat him agreeably to his glory. The meaning of Christ's prayer, then, must be of one or the other of all these senses. When He prays that the Father would glorify Him with that glory that He had with Him before the world was, if it be taken in the first sense, He desires that God would bestow upon Him as Mediator, or God incarnate, a glory saitable to that glory He had with Him from all eternity. If in the second sense, He desires His glory may be revealed, or become conspicuous in His human nature. If in the third, that God would receive Him honourably and agreeably; which sense is the chiefest, for it containeth the other two. The meaning, then, in short is, that He might be received to the full enjoyment of

To every young man we would say, "if you wish to thrive, husband time, and take care of money." Neglect of either rule will be fatal to success. It is sure in the end to entail poverty, and the natural fruit

that glory which He had before the world was.

"Lift not up your horn on high; speak not with a stiff neck."-Ps. lxxv. 5. THIS passage will receive some illustration from Bruce's remarks in his travels to discover the source of the Nile, where, speaking of the headdress of the governors of the province of Abyssinia, he represents it as consisting of a large broad fillet, bound upon their forehead, and tied behind their head. In the middle of this was a horn, or a conical piece of silver gilt, about four inches long, and in the shape of our common candle extinguishers. This is called kirn, or horn, and is only worn at reviews, or on parades, after victory. The crooked manner in which they hold their neck, when this ornament is on the forehead, for fear it should fall forward, seems to agree with what the Psalmist calls " speaking with a stiff neck;" for it perfectly shows the meaning of speaking with a stiff neck, when you "hold the horn on high," or erect, like the horn of a unicorn.

of that is borrowing, begging, stealing. Even the first of these is a great evil.

Of all the troubles of this life there are none that so absorb every feeling, so deaden the energies, so