I had scarcely taken my place the righteousness. The love of Jesus Christ next Lord's day, when the gaunt-looking to sinful men was the fountain of living little stranger again appeared. Her water of which this poor wanderer deearnest attention and evident pleasure sired to drink deeply; she longed to folincreased. low the Good Shepherd-she to whom the Gospel of the kingdom had never been preached, and who three weeks ago knew nothing of the treasures laid up for all who feel their lost and ruined state and are led to Jesus. Her vacant countenance brightened with intelligence, her very features seemed altered, while she listened with increasing satisfaction to "the good tidings of great joy." Many might have marvelled at her indifference to all outward things, but it was not strange to me; she sought life eternal, and drank in the Lord's loving invitation as one who heard Jesus passing by.

ill;

In the afternoon, my new scholar was again in the place she had chosen, silent and absorbed; but the next Lord's day I missed her. The week had nearly closed, when the woman with whom she lived called at my house, and told me the child was very that she had taken a bad cold, in the first place, from attending the school, and adding, I had better go and look after her. I knew it was not likely to be true that her illness could be attributed to the cause she was so eager to blame.

Again I entered the miserable cellar which these poor people called "home;" so dark was it, that on leaving the daylight of the narrow street, all objects within were indistinct.

The occupation of the family was that of rag-sorting. On a heap of the larger rags, which formed her bed (though the room itself had many other nightly occupants), lay my little stranger scholar, more wan and wasted than I could have imagined possible in the short time that had elapsed since we had parted. I approached her, and, after waiting a few moments to see if she would recognize me, I spoke. She knew my voice, and motioned me to go closer to her, eagerly exclaiming in a shrill voice,

"Oh, come! Come here-and tell me of Him!"

"Tell you what-of whom ?" I inquired, wishing to discover if she had retained anything of the truth. She looked at me half reproachfully, puzzled at the possibility of my forgetting what I had taught her, and in a subdued voice she replied,

"Why-you know. Tell me of Him -that you called Jesus!"

The following day, when I visited her, I was painfully struck by the swift progress of her disease-the flushed cheek and restless eye which ceaselessly wandered around, as if in search of some person or thing she failed to find, the uneasy tossing from side to side, the rapid meaningless question, all convinced me that the delirium attendant on the fever had set in, and filled me with anxiety lest I had come too late to hear her speak to me again, and tell me of her hope.

I bent over her, and asked her if she knew me. She gave me no intelligible reply. In my distress I fell on my knees, and prayed earnestly for one more opportunity of speaking to her of a Saviour; and He, who of old stood by the fever-bed, was beside this also, and that to calm and to sustain; for while I was pleading with Him for help in my helplessness, the poor sufferer's restlessness abated. In less than an hour she recognized me, and her face turned towards me in expectation, as if still thirsting for the water of life.

I took my place by her bed, and went on to repeat to her, in a low voice, the parable of the Prodigal Son, which at our first meeting had so deeply impressed her. The little pinched face became calm and composed, and the distressing excitement gave place to eager but profound attention. At that touching passage, "When he was yet a great way off, his father saw him," &c., she

Motionless she listened, with her eyes fixed on my face, while once more I opened to her the wondrous story of a Saviour's love to sinners, and how He came to seek and to save the lost. I pointed to the one sacrifice for sins for ever-to the blood of the crucified, as the sinner's perfect plea. I told her Satan and our corrupt hearts would strive to induce us to trust anything rather than free grace and a Saviour's exclaimed, in a short decided manner, a

manner peculiar to these neglected little | taught of the Holy Spirit of God; and ones, reared in the very hot-bed of sin I was permitted to witness it, evermore and strife

"Ah! that was just like me!—that's good-say it again. A great way off?

What, ever so far? Away
away like me with the devil?
That must be far from God and the
Lamb!"

After a pause to moisten her poor,
black, parched lips, she continued,-
"Yes! I was a great way off. But the
father saw him before he saw the father
-that's like me again !"

I tried to make her understand that the Father put away the filthiness of sin for His sake alone who had died for sinners, that they might be made holy in His precious blood.

to keep in thankful remen brance this landmark of my own spiritual life, and the love of my heavenly Father.

During the night it was necessary to keep her very quiet. Afterwards I read, and prayed, and talked with her, as simply as I could; asking her once or twice if she quite understood me, to which she quickly replied

"Yes! yes! don't stop; we haven't long."

I spoke to her of her Saviour's sufferings of His thirst-; adding, " And all this He bore for sinners like you."

She remained perfectly calm and peaceful, and about eight o'clock fell into a doze. After an absence of some hours, for the discharge of other duties, I returned, and found sleep had given place to a sort of stupor. This, howOh! how good!-how kind !-But "ever, did not continue long; but her she hesitated, and covered her restlessness for a time was excessive, and face with her long thin fingers, as her her throat was so parched and painful tears flowed fast, and sob after sob that it was with difficulty she could almost choked her utterance.-"I am speak to be understood. afraid I have been worse than that bad son. I have told lies! and you said no liar could enter the beautiful home. I have used bad words-awful bad words The upturned eyes and glance of -worse than you know of; and God intense gratitude I cannot describe, but said no one should take his name in vain I shall never forget, as she whispered, I have had a book, too, full of" Thank you; deur Jesus!" wicked songs, and I have sung them and . don't turn away your head, I have .... stolen too .... I thought of all this when I came home, and for a long time I felt frightened to go to God; but all at once I remembered about the thief-that poor thief who died with Jesus, you know; and as soon as everybody was fast asleep in our room, I got up, very softly I went over into the corner there by the fire, I took my song book and tore it into little pieces, cover and all, though I once thought it so pretty. I struck a match, I burnt it every morsel to tinder! Then I said, 'Dear Jesus! I want very much to love you I want to get away from repeated words, "Father, I have sinned! the devil--please help me! Take away Saw him a great way off;-ran— my naughty thoughts-please do, dear not the son, the Father ran. Jesus? I think He heard me-I know God, grant me Thy Holy Spirit; Wash He did!" she added, with animation, me! make me clean in the blood of "for I felt somehow different ever since; Jesus!" proved that the parable which am not afraid now!-no, not one bit! first attracted her attention was con-and I love Him-oh! so much!" stantly in her mind.

I

I watched her for a few minutes in silence; but she looked at me wistfully, as if she had something more to say, but could not express it; nor could I understand what she wanted for some little time, when I said,

"Do you wish me to thank God for you?"

'Yes, yes! Oh, that's it!" was the reply.

During the next two hours, which were spent in reading or repeating to her portions of the word, or in prayer, she was frequently slightly delirious; but even then out of the abundance of the heart the mouth spoke, and the often

Oh!

Much passed between us that I can- Night came, and it was evident that not accurately recall. She grew in the poor tenement would not much grace, as those alone grow who are longer be required, and that this fair,

was

new-born, blood-cleansed soul
about to join the countless host of the
redeemed.

Death damps stood upon her face, which yet beamed brighter in the valley of shadows, than it had ever shone in the valley of tears; her feet were cold, and her hands also, though they continued folded in prayer.

I whispered a few words to her in reference to the glory she would so soon behold face to face with Jesus.

It was a solemn hour. One mightier than the mightiest of this world was there, and I felt His awful presence; but, thanks be unto the God of all grace! a mightier than he was there also, his Conqueror, my Refuge and Strength, her Ransom and Deliverer.

For a time all was still, even laboured breathing ceased, when, with sudden energy, and far greater power than I could have supposed it possible for her to have retained, she raised herself up, and with her earnest eyes fixed on my own, she said in a clear distinct

Voice

Again there was silence,-she scarcely breathed,-a slight spasm crossed her face,-all was nearly over I said, "Dear child! Jesus has gained the victory FOR you!"

She caught the word, and with a shout of gladness, such as never rang from those pallid lips before in the fourteen years of her sorrowful life, she cried,

'Victory! victory!-I am washedand made clean - Glory!"

The rest of the song was sung with the happy children of her Father's house, "who hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither shall see the sun light on them, nor any heat; for the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters; and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."

The dead was alive again! The lost was found.

THE LORD WILL PROVIDE.

To the Editor of the Gospel Magazine.

DEARLY BELOVED IN THE LORD,- |2 Cor. xi. 23-28, and his conclusion of May His richest blessings be upon you, the whole matter-" light!" "Our and your seed with you; that being light affliction which is but for a mostrengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man, you may continue to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound. Yes, beloved, He does indeed "endear Himself wheresoever flesh fails." He is the altogether lovely One. I have been in a "heavenly place," laid on my Father's bosom, with His everlasting arm around me. It was not strength, but helpless security. Do you understand me? "A Refuge for the oppressed" is my stone of remembrance. How many we shall have to recount when we have crossed the Jordan; more than we now should be able to express, so great is the sum that it exceeds the arithmetic of time, and can only be told in the pure language of the better country. I have been meditating upon Paul's great fight of afflictions, recorded

ment." Truly the blessing of the Lord maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it. How gently the Lord has dealt with me. Any one of these trials would have crushed me to pieces. But instead of going forth in the dances of them that make merry, I am full of heaviness because I have not a week's provision for one day's consumption. The Lord has given me meat to eat that the world knows not of, in your opening piece, "The One Word Wanted," very refreshing it has been to my soul, and I pray Him to carry it home to the hearts of others of His poor and afflicted people, that the blessings of them that were ready to perish may be upon you, and fresh songs of praise ascend to our Triune Jehovah.

Ever yours affectionately in the love of Jesus, H. E. A. C.

The Protestant Beacon,

tion they could occupy in England was
infinitely preferable to that which they
were so infatuated as to expect in
be disposed to pity them, we confess our
However we may
the Papal service.
satisfaction at their being enabled from
personal experience to tell their country-
men the real truth as to Rome and its
present Government."

THE POPE'S VOLUNTEERS. DOUBTLESS our readers have observed from time to time the announcements in the papers of the illegal enlisting in Ireland, on behalf of the Pope. The most painful disappointment has been the result to those who allowed themselves to be duped by the fair promises which were held out. Those who know Ireland cannot but have been struck by the fine THE UNCHANGEABLE CHARACTER OF body of its police. These were the men POPERY.-The following striking paswho, for most part, resigned their posi-sage is extracted from the Rev. HENRY tions, and joined the Pope's brigade, to MELVILLE's Sermons, published in the be treated, as they found to their cost, year 1838:-"We are continually told as the most abject of slaves. Numbers that Popery is not what she once was; have returned to Ireland in the most and this, no doubt, is one of the most pitiable plight-in little better than rags, specious of the deceits by which she has and all-but starved! We trust the lesson carried on her work. We are gravely they have thus learned will be a profitable assured that the Roman Catholic relione, and that the practical insight they gion took its complexion from the have now had into their own system, at times; and that tenets against which head-quarters, will not be lost upon Protestants loudly exclain, and printhem. We wonder how many of them ciples which they indignantly execrate, would now be anxious to kiss His Holi- were held only in days of ignorance and ness's toe. Who now do they prove to barbarism, and have long since fled bebe their friends, the Protestant Clergy, fore the advance of civilization. And or the Priests of their own communion? very unfair and ungenerous it is, we are Who are the men that are ever ready told, to rake up the absurdities and to sacrifice them, but their own self- cruelties of a rude and uninformed age, seeking, lying, treacherous priesthood? and to charge them on the creed of men Surely, it is time they awoke to the of our own generation, who detest them dreadful consequences of their own deas cordially as ourselves. Be it so we structive dogma, that "the end justi- are, at all events, dealing with an infalfies the means;"-that no matter how lible Church; and, unless the claim of many of the noble-hearted peasantry, or infallibility be among the things which tall, stately, well-proportioned police of she has given up, we are at a loss to Erin, were sacrificed, so long as the tot-know how she can have greatly changed, tering fabric of the Romish See were upheld, or the person of the Pope protected. The National Standard thus speaks of the matter :—

or how, since she never goes wrong, she can renounce what she believed, or condemn what she did. And the Roman Church is not suicidal enough to give "Several of those wretched dupes of up her claim to infallibility; but she is the Popish Priests in Ireland, who were sagacious enough to perceive that men induced to violate the law and enlist in are willing to be deceived; that an the service of the POPE, by the misrepre-excess of false charity is blinding them sentations of the Nation, have returned to to facts; and that there is abroad this country in the deepest state of dis- them such an idolatry of what they call among tress and misery. They are loud in their de-liberal, that they make it a point of nunciations of the deception practised upon honour to believe good of all evil, and them, and in their indignant exposure of

the shameful treatment they experienced perhaps evil of all good. Of this temwhile in the service of their Holy per of the times the Roman Catholic Father,' the POPE. They have found by Church, marvellously wise in her genesad experience that the very worst posi-ration, is adroitly availing herself; and