"And that reminds me of a single word that was such a comfort once to my husband and me. It was a time of great trouble; my husband had lost the good situation he had held for years, through his master's death, and we had to leave the happy home where we had lived since our marriage. Before we had settled down again, fever broke out in the village, and went through every one of us, except me and the baby. Our eldest boy died just as he was beginning to be a help and comfort to us, and every penny of our savings was swallowed up by the heavy expenses of so much illness. We were very cast down, everything looked so dark. Again and again we went to the Bible for the comfort we had so often found there before; but somehow nothing seemed to fit in exactly to what we wanted, till one day we were reading the 107th Psalm, and when we came to the words, 'He led them forth by the right way, that he might bring them to a city of habitation,' we stopped short, for there indeed was what we wanted. God himself, our Father and our friend, was leading us forth by the right way. If it had said by a right way, it would have meant that there was more than one, and we might have thought one of the others would have been easier; but it was the right way, the only one; any other would have led us wrong, and he wasn't leading us along it because it was rough, that he might punish us, but only because it was the right way to the city of habitation—to our heavenly home, where there would be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither any more pain, but only fulness of joy for ever more!

"Oh! Sam, when I think of how that little word cheered and comforted us in the days of trouble, I feel that I could not give you a better wish than that God may make the Bible as great a blessing to you, as, praised be his holy name, he has made it to me and mine."

An Unsettled Account.

Na village well-known to the writer, there once lived a man who was engaged in a large way of

business, as a buyer and seller of timber. He was

energetic and industrious. His honesty was so well known, that his word was as good as his bond. He wanted only one thing to make him a bright and shining light to his neighbours around. But this he did not possess. He had no love to God; no regard for his own soul, nor the souls of others. He was so satisfied with the external morality of his life and conduct, that he had no anxiety to find, no desire to possess, an interest in that righteousness which is of God by faith.1 He was so indifferent, indeed, to the claims of God and religion on his attention and regards, that he usually passed the greater part of the Lord's day in posting his books, and making up his accounts. His name was John L—.

The example of such a person is, perhaps, in some ways more injurious to the souls of others, than that of an openly immoral man. For, in the latter case, the hideousness of vice repels those who witness it in the former case, the amiable appearance of ungodliness attracts; so that even those who do not care to copy the example of industry and uprightness thus set before them, draw from it an argument, or what they consider to be such, against the necessity of a change of heart-of love to God, and heart-service to be rendered to him.

The example of John L- was thus pernicious. He spent the Lord's day in business occupations; his family passed it in frivolity, if not in dissipation. To all intents a heathen, though dwelling in a land of Christianity and Bibles, many around him were not unwilling to believe that there need not be any difference, after all, between fearing God and not fearing him.

1 Phil. iii. 9.

While Mr. L—was thus practically doing the devil's work, and proving, though in a way too little thought about, how without faith it is impossible to please God,1 a series of religious meetings were held in a town some few miles from his village home. They were revival meetings; and God was pleased to pour out, in an especial manner, the influences of the Holy Spirit upon those who attended them. Great numbers, indeed, who had previously been careless about their souls, and enemies to God by wicked works, having been induced, either by curiosity or persuasion, to attend these special services, experienced the power of Divine grace, and made a credible profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Reports of these revival meetings spread round the country, and reached the ears of Mr. L and his family.

"I should like to go and see what it all means," said Mrs. L-, one day, to her husband, who rallied her on her curiosity, but put no obstacles in the way of her indulging it. Indeed, as he had business to transact in the town, he offered to drive his wife thither.

"While I am attending to my affairs," he said, "you can go to the meeting, if you like; and after you have done with that, I expect I shall be ready to bring you back again. Don't catch the revival fever, that's all.

Accordingly, Mr. and Mrs. L- drove over to the town; and, after putting up their conveyance, they separated, Mr. L- to call on the dealers and others connected with him in his worldly calling; and Mrs. L- to take her way to the place of religious meeting.

Mr. Lwas disappointed in the object of his excursion. Those on whom he called were some of them unprepared to enter upon business that day; and some were absent from home. There was one person especially, against whom he had a long standing account, whom he could not find. In consequence of being thus frustrated in his intentions respecting the disposal of his time, Mr. L- found himself

1 Heb. xi. 6.

absolutely "standing idle in the market-place," only a very short time after he had parted from his wife.

It was very provoking, no doubt, but it could not be helped; and rather than waste the hour or two in sheer inactivity, he came to the (for him) singular resolution of following his wife to the house of prayer. He might see or hear something there to amuse him, at any rate.

The place of worship was crowded. He seated himself in the rear of the building, and prepared to listen to the proceedings. It would be amusing, he thought, if he could carry away with him a vivid remembrance of those proceedings, so as to narrate them to Mrs. L- on their way home-she not knowing of his having been present.

Mr. L had hardly taken his seat, however, before such thoughts as these were banished from his mind by what was of vastly greater importance. The word of God, which is "quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword," was so applied by the Holy Spirit to the hitherto careless man's conscience, that he was smitten with remorse. His sins rose up before him; and the thought of his life-long rebellion against God filled him with dread.

The preacher spoke earnestly and forcibly of sin as a debt; and he read and expounded the solemn words of Scripture, setting forth this truth. The arguments and appeals, to which he could not help listening, fell in with his previous current of thought. He had been disappointed in the object of his journey, especially in the case of that unsettled account. To tell the truth, he might reasonably feel annoyed. Mr. Lliked clear accounts; this was a confused and complicated one. He liked short accounts and frequent settlements; here was a long standing and unsettled one. He had an objection to owing money to others; and he had an equal objection to others owing him money longer than he thought right. These had been his thoughts; but now they were swallowed up in others, similar, indeed, in their character and order, but infinitely more important to himself. Was there not an unsettled account between God and him

self, which it was more important to have settled than it was to settle any accounts, however important, with his fellowmen? Was it not a long-standing account, and a constantly accumulating account? Was not the account so one-sided, that on the one part was everything, on the other nothing; that he was, in every item, a debtor,-in not a single item a creditor? "How much owest thou thy Lord?" was the great question to be answered; and how could he answer it?

He could not answer it. The benefits he had received were so great and numerous; his sins had been so aggravated! But then arose the cry in his heart, "God be merciful to me a sinner!" and the answer of God's grace fell upon his ear, and came to his soul with living power,-“ I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins :" "The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin :" "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." Enough: feeling and confessing that he had nothing with which to pay his great Creditor, the poor debtor was freely forgiven.

That night Mr. L-returned to his home, a changed man. He told his wife, first, what the Lord had done for his soul; and, the next morning, he called his family together, confessed with tears his neglect of duty to them, and asked them to forgive him, solemnly declaring that, by the help of God, it was his purpose to devote himself to the service of his long-neglected Lord.

Such a scene as followed this unexpected address is not often witnessed. If a voice from heaven had spoken to that household, (as indeed, in some sort it was) they could hardly have manifested more surprise. They were awestricken. All fell on their knees, and the father, with sobs and tears, offered to God his first prayer at the family altar.

The conversion of Mr. L-- was a marked event. There was no doubt or uncertainty in the minds of any concerning the reality of the change. Men "took knowledge of him, that he had been with Jesus." For many years he was a