Chapter 7

CHAPTER XXI.

WINTER LIFE AND SCENES.

Shall He come and find me standingFrom the worldling's joy apart,Outside of its mirth and folly,With a true and loyal heart?

Shall He come and find me standing

From the worldling's joy apart,

Outside of its mirth and folly,

With a true and loyal heart?

On one occasion, in reference to a severe winter, she writes: "This has been the hardest winter I have known for years." The winters in New York are sometimes very severe. And here we are reminded of Thomson's vivid description of it in his "Seasons." He prefixes it with this wonderful prayer:

"Father of light and life! thou God supreme!O, teach me what is good! teach me Thyself!Save me from folly, vanity, and vice,From every low pursuit! and feed my soulWith knowledge, conscious peace and virtue pure;Sacred substantial, never-fading bliss!"

"Father of light and life! thou God supreme!

O, teach me what is good! teach me Thyself!

Save me from folly, vanity, and vice,

From every low pursuit! and feed my soul

With knowledge, conscious peace and virtue pure;

Sacred substantial, never-fading bliss!"

"SNOW MANTLES THE EARTH. DISTURBS THE COMFORT OF MANKIND.

"The keener tempests rise; and fuming downFrom all the livid east, or piercing north,Thick clouds ascend; in whose capacious wombA vapory deluge lies, to snow congealed.Heavy they roll their fleecy world along,And the sky saddens with the gathered storm."

"The keener tempests rise; and fuming down

From all the livid east, or piercing north,

Thick clouds ascend; in whose capacious womb

A vapory deluge lies, to snow congealed.

Heavy they roll their fleecy world along,

And the sky saddens with the gathered storm."

We all know that a northwest snow-storm in this city is very cold and biting. But amid the blinding snow-drift this woman could be seen wending her way to homes of want, poverty, and wretchedness.

In order to recognize and appreciate her labors we have only to contrast her aims and aspirations with another and far different class that abound in all large cities, so graphically described by Pollock:

Ah! little think the gay licentious proud,When pleasure, power, and affluence surround;Ah! little think they of the sad variety of pain:How many pine in want; how many bleed,How many pine, how many drink the cupOf baleful grief, or eat the bitter breadOf misery; sore pierced by wintry winds.

Ah! little think the gay licentious proud,

When pleasure, power, and affluence surround;

Ah! little think they of the sad variety of pain:

How many pine in want; how many bleed,

How many pine, how many drink the cup

Of baleful grief, or eat the bitter bread

Of misery; sore pierced by wintry winds.

Amid all such sad scenes this heroine bids us labor on in faith, and she adds, "Our labor will not be in vain." No, never! "For, they that go forth weeping, bearing precious seed, shalldoubtlessreturn again rejoicing, bringing their sheaves with them."

What is faith? Faith is simply taking God at His word. Paul, in the eleventh chapter of the Hebrews, reveals to us the victories God's people obtained through faith. There is often something startling to our sluggish spirits by a critical examination of the almost incredible account of the power of faith. How tremendously efficacious. Oh! that the Holy Spirit may reveal to us its vast importance.

"By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.

"By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.

"And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jepthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:

"Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,

"Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

"Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:

"And others had trial ofcruelmockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:

"They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheep-skins and goat-skins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;

"(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

"And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise;

"God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect."

To lift with tender pitying hand,Sin's victims, from the dust;Reproach them not, nor chide their wrong,Be kind as well as just;A word may touch a sleeping chordOf mem'ry pure and sweet,And bring them, sorry for their sins,To bow at Jesus' feet.Go, seek them out—poor, wand'ring sheep,That on the mountain cold,Are hungry—starving now for bread—Go, lead them to the fold;There comes a cheering thought to thoseWho toil in patient love—Each soul reclaimed shall be a starTo deck their crown above.

To lift with tender pitying hand,

Sin's victims, from the dust;

Reproach them not, nor chide their wrong,

Be kind as well as just;

A word may touch a sleeping chord

Of mem'ry pure and sweet,

And bring them, sorry for their sins,

To bow at Jesus' feet.

Go, seek them out—poor, wand'ring sheep,That on the mountain cold,Are hungry—starving now for bread—Go, lead them to the fold;There comes a cheering thought to thoseWho toil in patient love—Each soul reclaimed shall be a starTo deck their crown above.

Go, seek them out—poor, wand'ring sheep,

That on the mountain cold,

Are hungry—starving now for bread—

Go, lead them to the fold;

There comes a cheering thought to those

Who toil in patient love—

Each soul reclaimed shall be a star

To deck their crown above.

If we but prayerfully consider the sad condition of the unregenerate, and the innumerable antagonistic diabolical influences to which they are constantly exposed, we will be able to accurately understand the nature and importance of a city missionary's work, and the great need there is of giving heed to the injunction of the Master, "Be ye wise as serpents and harmless as doves." There are few vices which cannot be conquered by the Gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. Here the reader will behold this illustrated, for she writes again:

"In many places I have found it distressing to visit, the destitution being so great; but through the assistance of kind friends, I have been able to assist them in various ways, and thus have found a way to their hearts, and they gladly receive me in many houses, and listen with great attention to reading and prayer. One poor woman whom I found, had been ill for some weeks, and while ministering to her temporal wants I have not neglected her spiritual needs. She seems truly awakened to the sinfulness of her past life, and feels her need of Christ. She begged me to visit her daughter and try to influence her. I have spent some happy seasons in that attic-room, and when I leave she puts her arms around me, kissing me, and asking me to come again.

"A man asked me for a Testament, saying he wanted to read it for himself. I gave him one, and on visiting him again, he said, 'I have been reading your book, and like it so very much, I will pay you for it;' and he handed me a dollar.

"Notwithstanding this has been the hardest winter I have known for years, I have been much encouraged in my work, having been enabled to help every deserving family I have met with; and one, where I have been visiting for years without being able to induce them to attend church, have now been brought in, and have united with the church, both mother and daughter rejoicing in the Saviour, and feeling they have never known happiness before. Let us, therefore, labor on in faith, and our labor will not be in vain."

CHAPTER XXII.

CIRCULATING THE SCRIPTURES.

O land of the blessed, thy hills of delightSometimes on my vision unfold;Thy mansions celestial, thy palaces bright,Thy bulwarks of jasper and gold.Dear voices are chanting thy chorus of praise,Dear eyes in thy sunlight are fair;I look from my valley of shadow below,And whisper: Would God I were there.

O land of the blessed, thy hills of delightSometimes on my vision unfold;Thy mansions celestial, thy palaces bright,Thy bulwarks of jasper and gold.

O land of the blessed, thy hills of delight

Sometimes on my vision unfold;

Thy mansions celestial, thy palaces bright,

Thy bulwarks of jasper and gold.

Dear voices are chanting thy chorus of praise,Dear eyes in thy sunlight are fair;I look from my valley of shadow below,And whisper: Would God I were there.

Dear voices are chanting thy chorus of praise,

Dear eyes in thy sunlight are fair;

I look from my valley of shadow below,

And whisper: Would God I were there.

Amid the toil and sufferings of earth, how comforting is the assurance in our hearts that Jesus is preparing a place for his people. O, how cheering, when we can adopt the language in the song of Solomon, and say:

"My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies. Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether."

It will not be long before we will be done with the cares and vicissitudes of life, and enter into that "Rest that remains for the people of God." I am sure that in the midst of her toil, she ever found joy in the hope that one day she would be forever with the Lord. She had indeed laid up treasures in heaven, and her earnest desire evidently was, not to go to heaven alone, but to take some others with her. This was the joy of her life. Like the Master who, for the joy that was set before Him, endures the cross. Hence she enjoyed a uniform experience of peace, although she witnessed many a sorrowful sight. A late writer, the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, has well observed:

"Joy will reach farthest out to sea where troubled mariners are seeking the shore. Even in your deepest griefs you can rejoice in God. As waves phosphoresce, let joys flash from the swing of the sorrow of your souls. Low measures of feeling are better than ecstacies for ordinary life. God sends His rains in gentle drops, else flowers would be beaten to pieces."

Ah, it was the peace of God that passeth all understanding that enabled her to bear up during the hot summer months in which she penned the following, wherein she says:

"The past three months have been the most trying of any I have experienced since I began my work. There has been much sickness and many deaths. But I have been kept and sustained amid many difficulties. I have been kindly received in many Roman Catholic and Jewish families. A poor woman whose husband was killed a year since, who had lost one child, and has another very sick, is glad to have me read and pray with her, and when I point her to the Saviour she says He is, indeed, her best friend. Another Catholic woman said, she did not see why her priest forbade her reading the Bible, 'for what you have read to me is so beautiful.' When asked if she would like to have a Bible, she said she would, and when I took one to her she gave me twenty-five cents, and said she wished she could give me more. One day I was addressed in the street by a little girl, who asked me to go and see her mother. When I enquired who she was, I found she was a woman whom I had visited some time before. She was very glad to see me, showed me the Testament I had given her, and asked me many questions which would have led to argument; but I told her I only taught the religion of the Lord Jesus, and I wished them to come to Him and seek for light and salvation. She urged me to come again, and gladly listened when I read to them from the Scriptures.

"A young woman on being asked to attend church said, 'The only church I go to is the theatre.' I gave her a Testament which she promised to read; she has now begun to go to church regularly, and says she hopes never again to live the life she has lived. I have been able to take a number of mothers and their children to the sea side, which has been a great blessing. I have given the Bible to two women who have paid for it, and wished for one for a neighbor."

It is a true and striking fact, that there are very few women who ever labored so assiduously for the good of others as this Missionary, especially in trying to save souls and make others happy.

We may say we believe in Jesus and, therefore, we will be saved; but we must remember also that faith without works is dead, and on the great day of judgment all will be made known, for St. John says in the Apocalypse: "I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works."

CHAPTER XXIII.

THE NINETY AND NINE.

When he lived on earth so lowly,Friend of sinners was his name;Now enthroned among the holy,He rejoices in the name.

When he lived on earth so lowly,

Friend of sinners was his name;

Now enthroned among the holy,

He rejoices in the name.

When Jesus was here upon earth the question was asked, 'Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? But it is said that the thirty years of Christ's obscurity was the foundation of his three years' manifestations. He was there, however, not alone, for he was under the fostering love and anxious solicitude of His heavenly Father. Nazareth is beautifully described thus:

It was "a handful of pearls in a goblet of emerald. No great road led up to this sunny nook. Trade, war, adventure, pleasure, pomp, passed by it, flowing from west to east, from east to west, along the Roman road. But the meadows were aglow with wheat and barley. Near the low ground ran a belt of gardens, fenced with loose stones, in which myriads of green figs, red pomegranates, and golden citrons ripened in the summer sun. High up the slopes hung vintages of purple grapes. In the plain among the corn, and beneath the mulberry-trees and figs, shone daisies, poppies, tulips, lilies, anemones, endless in their profusion, brilliant in their dyes. Low down on the hillside sprang a well of water, bubbling, plentiful and sweet; and above this fountain of life, in a long street straggling from the fountain to the synagogue, rose the homesteads of many shepherds, craftsmen, and vine-dressers. It was a lovely and humble place, of which no poet, no ruler, no historian of Israel had ever taken note."

Even so, it was a very humble sphere that our missionary filled, but she was precious in God's sight. Her work was among the poor and the lowly. Lost sight of perhaps by men on this account, but the more like her divine master in her work and ways. O, how true are Christ's own words: "Whosoever he be of you that renounceth not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. Salt therefore is good: but if even the salt have lost its savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? It is fit neither for the land nor for the dunghill:mencast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

"Now all the publicans and sinners were drawing near unto him for to hear him. And both the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, this man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them."

Yes! sinners—unworthy, hell-deserving sinners—it is to such, that He criesif any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. How refreshing are the well-known words:

Aid the dawning, tongue and pen;Aid it, hopes of honest men;Aid it, paper—aid it, type—Aid it, for the hour is ripe,And our earnest must not slackenInto play.Men of thought and men of action,Clear the way!

Aid the dawning, tongue and pen;

Aid it, hopes of honest men;

Aid it, paper—aid it, type—

Aid it, for the hour is ripe,

And our earnest must not slacken

Into play.

Men of thought and men of action,

Clear the way!

The following account of the origin of the well-known hymn, the "Ninety and Nine," may have a tendency to stimulate others to go and do likewise. It is taken from "Sabbath Reading," published by the late Mr. Dougal of this city, who has recently passed away into his everlasting rest.

A humble lady in Melrose, Scotland, was led to see the beauty of the character of Christ in the parable of the Good Shepherd. She possessed genius, and sometimes expressed her best thoughts and feelings in verse. The vision of Christ leaving the glories of Heaven and becoming a seeker of men who had gone astray, like an Eastern shepherd seeking a wandering sheep in perilous places, touched her heart with poetic fervor, and she wrote the hymn beginning:

"There were ninety and nine that safely layIn the shelter of the fold."

"There were ninety and nine that safely lay

In the shelter of the fold."

One of the stanzas most vividly and tenderly expressed her clear view of Divine sympathy and compassion:

"But none of the ransomed ever knewHow deep were the waters crossed;Nor how dark was the night that the Lord passed throughEre He found His sheep that was lost.Out in the desert He heard its cry—Sick and helpless, and ready to die."

"But none of the ransomed ever knew

How deep were the waters crossed;

Nor how dark was the night that the Lord passed through

Ere He found His sheep that was lost.

Out in the desert He heard its cry—

Sick and helpless, and ready to die."

The poem was published in a local paper, and the lady soon afterward died, and went to the Good Shepherd, whose love for the wandering and perishing had gained the affections and service of her life. She was buried in one of the churchyards of beautiful Melrose.

The efforts of a sincere life always meet with the needs of others, and are often given, under Providence, a special mission in the world. The simplicity and fervor of the little poem gained for it an unexpected recognition.

The American evangelist, Mr. Sankey, was one day returning from Edinburgh to Glasgow, to hold a farewell meeting there. Glasgow had been the scene of the most signal triumphs in the work of Messrs. Moody and Sankey, and this farewell gathering promised to be one of thanksgiving and tears, of wonderful interest, power, and feeling.

Mr. Sankey, on this occasion, desired to introduce a new hymn which should represent Christ as a compassionate and all-sufficient Saviour. "Before getting on the train," he says, "I went to the news-stand and bought two or three papers—some secular, some religious—and in one of them I found these verses:

"'There were ninety and nine that safely layIn the shelter of the fold,' etc.

"'There were ninety and nine that safely lay

In the shelter of the fold,' etc.

"I said to my brother Moody, 'That's just the hymn I have been wanting. I think the Lord has really sent it to us!'

"Next day this little tune or chant it is set to, came to me.

"We went into the noon meeting, and dear Dr. Bonar, who has written so many beautiful hymns ('I was a Wandering Sheep and did not Love the Fold,' and 'I Heard the Voice of Jesus say, Come unto Me and Rest') was there, and the thought came to me, 'We must sing now this new hymn that the Lord has sent us.'

"The tune had scarcely formed itself in my head yet, but I just cut the words from the paper, put it in front of me on the organ and began to sing them, hardly knowing where the tune was coming from. But the Lord said, 'Sing it,' and as we were singing it His Spirit came upon us, and what a blessed meeting we had!"

The meeting was a very crowded one, and tender feelings were awakened in all hearts, bringing vividly to all minds, as it did, the fact that the world is full of farewell. The imagery of the hymn, the shepherd, the sheep-fold, the dark-night on the hills, the anxious search and the joyful return, was in harmony with Scottish associations, and touched the best feelings of the converts and inquirers. Christ stood revealed in the song, and it seemed as though the listeners went up some living Tabor, and again saw Him transfigured.

Away in the gallery there sat a lady who was at first startled, and then deeply affected by the hymn. She was unable to speak with the sweet singer in the confusion that followed the close of the meeting, but she soon after wrote to him from Melrose, and said, "I thank you for having sung, the other day, my deceased sister's words. She wrote them five years ago. She is in Heaven now."

The hymn has had a tender mission. Thousands seeking the help of a power outside of their own sinful nature, have seen in it the vision that the prophet saw: "And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered there was none to uphold;therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me."

What a true and striking picture is painted by the dear Saviour in this immortal parable! They are the words of Him "who spake as never man spake:"

"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?

"And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

"And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, 'Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.'

"I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in Heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance."

The intensity of that joy is indescribable. What a glorious company are yonder. Here they toiled and suffered, and sacrificed for Christ, but now they are in the land of light and love.

How sweet as we journey, to pause for a momentAnd look at the foot-prints we see in our way;The foot-prints of pilgrims who've crossed over JordanAnd now are rejoicing forever and aye.O blessed Redeemer, ere long thou wilt call usTo join the great army beyond the dark sea;They fought the good fight, their course they have finished,And now they inherit the kingdom with thee.

How sweet as we journey, to pause for a momentAnd look at the foot-prints we see in our way;The foot-prints of pilgrims who've crossed over JordanAnd now are rejoicing forever and aye.

How sweet as we journey, to pause for a moment

And look at the foot-prints we see in our way;

The foot-prints of pilgrims who've crossed over Jordan

And now are rejoicing forever and aye.

O blessed Redeemer, ere long thou wilt call usTo join the great army beyond the dark sea;They fought the good fight, their course they have finished,And now they inherit the kingdom with thee.

O blessed Redeemer, ere long thou wilt call us

To join the great army beyond the dark sea;

They fought the good fight, their course they have finished,

And now they inherit the kingdom with thee.

What must be the joy in heaven when the meeting and greeting time comes. The holy apostle said, "Set your affection on things above." Why; what does he mean? It is that we may richly enjoy a foretaste of its unutterable bliss preparatory to our departure.

Hark the song of holy rapture,Hear it break from yonder strand,Where our friends for us are waiting,In the golden, summer land.They have reached the port of glory,O'er the Jordan they have passed,And with millions they are shouting,Home at last, home at last.Oh, the long and sweet re-union,Where the bells of time shall cease;Oh, the greeting, endless greeting,On the vernal heights of peace;Where the hoping and despondingOf the weary heart are past,And we enter life eternal—Home at last, home at last.Look beyond, the skies are clearing;See, the mist dissolves away;Soon our eyes will catch the dawningOf a bright celestial day;Soon the shadows will be lifted,That around us now are cast,And rejoicing we shall gather,Home at last, home at last.

Hark the song of holy rapture,

Hear it break from yonder strand,

Where our friends for us are waiting,

In the golden, summer land.

They have reached the port of glory,

O'er the Jordan they have passed,

And with millions they are shouting,

Home at last, home at last.

Oh, the long and sweet re-union,Where the bells of time shall cease;Oh, the greeting, endless greeting,On the vernal heights of peace;Where the hoping and despondingOf the weary heart are past,And we enter life eternal—Home at last, home at last.

Oh, the long and sweet re-union,

Where the bells of time shall cease;

Oh, the greeting, endless greeting,

On the vernal heights of peace;

Where the hoping and desponding

Of the weary heart are past,

And we enter life eternal—

Home at last, home at last.

Look beyond, the skies are clearing;See, the mist dissolves away;Soon our eyes will catch the dawningOf a bright celestial day;Soon the shadows will be lifted,That around us now are cast,And rejoicing we shall gather,Home at last, home at last.

Look beyond, the skies are clearing;

See, the mist dissolves away;

Soon our eyes will catch the dawning

Of a bright celestial day;

Soon the shadows will be lifted,

That around us now are cast,

And rejoicing we shall gather,

Home at last, home at last.

It is no wonder that St. John in the Apocalypse, speaking anticipatively, says:

"A voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.

"And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

"And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

"And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God."

Who are the true called to the marriage supper of the Lamb? Who are arrayed in white linen, pure and white?

They are those who try to be like Him who said, "I am the good shepherd who gave His life for the sheep." Here, in this wilderness of wandering, it is our imperative duty to go out after the suffering and sorrowing and straying, and bring them into the fold.

CHAPTER XXIV.

ANSWERED PRAYER.

I want to go home, to know it all—The Saviour's love for the sinner's soul,The mercy of God and the glory givenTo saints when they're safely brought to heaven.

I want to go home, to know it all—

The Saviour's love for the sinner's soul,

The mercy of God and the glory given

To saints when they're safely brought to heaven.

"Here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come." Ours is a camp life. Moses, in his wonderful prayer, claims God as his guide and protector amid all the changing scenes of life. "Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men. For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is passed, and as a watch in the night."—Ps. xc. 1-4.

How essential then to constantly seek the guidance of God in all we undertake for His glory.

He directs and controls all our affairs just as much to-day as He did this ancient Israel by the great miraculous cloud by day, and pillar of fire by night, stretching far high into the heavens.

Hopeful Cases.

Concerning such, she writes: "Some encouraging circumstances present themselves amidst the scenes of trial and suffering with which my daily walks render me familiar, and I will note a few which have excited my warmest sympathy. Among others, there is one family of a father, mother, and three small children, whose whole subsistence depends upon what the mother is able to make by washing. The man has been for two months lying ill, with what the doctor calls typhoid fever; but which seems now to have settled on his lungs, attended with a severe cough, and no hope of recovery. I have been enabled to assist them from time to time with a little nourishment. When I entered their house one day with what I had provided for them, I found they had nothing but a little bread. As I showed them what I had brought, they looked from one to the other, and were so filled with gratitude, and overcome by the unexpected supply, they appeared unable to speak. I find thus, not only an open door to their home, but also a welcome to their hearts. They have not been in the habit of attending church, and, as might be supposed, the duty of personal and family religion was also neglected. But it appears evident that these trials have not been sent in vain by the Lord. The sick man loves to have me read the Scriptures, and pray with him: and the children delight to see me, often running to meet me, and take me by the hand before I reach the house."

Recognizing the necessity of prayer for the Divine blessing in all our work, she writes in her journal thus:

"March2, 1875.—In commencing my work this morning I asked for guidance in the direction of my visits, and I was led to go to a house quite out of my district, to visit a colored family who were very destitute."I found them at family prayer, asking the Lord to send them some food; my heart was touched as I listened to the simplicity of the petition, and I could not but feel the Lord had directed my steps to the house in answer to their prayer, and was reminded of that passage of Scripture, 'while they are yet speaking, I will answer.' I believed these words, and procured them both food and fuel. As we then sat down to read God's word, the tears streamed down the cheeks of these aged women, as I was helped to explain the word to them, and when we knelt to pray, we were blest together. Truly, while teaching others our own souls are often refreshed!"March 6th.—Poor Mrs. L. was visited to-day; she has been suffering for years from rheumatism. As I went in I said, 'Mrs. L., is Jesus precious to-day?' The tears came to her eyes as she said, 'I fear I have grieved Him to-day; I felt like murmuring because my pain has been so great.' I told her Jesus understood her, and knew she did not mean to murmur. And then I read to her how He had a feeling for our infirmities, being Himself tried and tempted; and so she was comforted, and became quite cheerful. On leaving her I felt what a blessed privilege it is to be able to comfort the sick poor. A poor brother sent to my house to-day for something to nourish him, as he felt quite weak. I prepared some broth and gave it to him, which he ate with a relish, and that passage from the word came to my mind, 'Inasmuch as ye have done it to one of the least of these, ye have done it unto me.'"March 8th.—Felt much wearied with visits and climbing stairs, and was glad to return to a cheerful fireside, and settle for the evening; but before I had removed my rubbers, a knock at the door assured me some call had come for me, and so it proved. A child of one of my families came to say her mother was ill, and wanted to see me. This woman, a few months before, did not seem to care for religion, and would not hear me read, saying she had no time for it; she had to earn her living without listening to what did not concern her. But when she came to lie upon a bed of suffering, she thought of me first, and found the word of God was just what she wanted; and as I read the words, 'Whosoever cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out,' the tears ran down her cheeks, and she at once cast herself upon Christ, taking him for her Saviour, and her face shone. As I left her my soul rejoiced, though it was far in the night when I returned home, that I had been permitted to point one soul to the 'Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world.'"'Oh! that all the world my Jesus knew,Then all the world would love Him too.'"One poor woman asked me if I would get her a Bible, and she would pay twenty-five cents a month. I promised, and am rejoiced at finding so many that seem eager for Bibles; quite a number have asked for them, and I trust it may prove a lamp unto their feet and a light unto their path."March 11th.—After the fatigue of the day, I did not feel like going out again in the evening, but our pastor, Rev. Geo. O. Phelps, came in, and after tea he said, 'We have not many minutes to spare, but we will have a few words of prayer before parting.' They were few, but they cheered and comforted me so, I felt refreshed, and forgetting all fatigue, I arose and went to the prayer-meeting, feeling as my people do sometimes when they say to me after a visit, 'Oh! Mrs. Knowles, how your prayer hasrestedme.'"March 23d.—A message came to-day, saying Mrs. L. was dying, and wanted me to come at once. I went, and was helped in return to see the triumph of spiritual over temporal things. The Lord was present to bless us at the bedside of the dying one. Her trust and faith are firm in Jesus, and her whole desire is to be with Him and see Him as He is."

"I found them at family prayer, asking the Lord to send them some food; my heart was touched as I listened to the simplicity of the petition, and I could not but feel the Lord had directed my steps to the house in answer to their prayer, and was reminded of that passage of Scripture, 'while they are yet speaking, I will answer.' I believed these words, and procured them both food and fuel. As we then sat down to read God's word, the tears streamed down the cheeks of these aged women, as I was helped to explain the word to them, and when we knelt to pray, we were blest together. Truly, while teaching others our own souls are often refreshed!

"March 6th.—Poor Mrs. L. was visited to-day; she has been suffering for years from rheumatism. As I went in I said, 'Mrs. L., is Jesus precious to-day?' The tears came to her eyes as she said, 'I fear I have grieved Him to-day; I felt like murmuring because my pain has been so great.' I told her Jesus understood her, and knew she did not mean to murmur. And then I read to her how He had a feeling for our infirmities, being Himself tried and tempted; and so she was comforted, and became quite cheerful. On leaving her I felt what a blessed privilege it is to be able to comfort the sick poor. A poor brother sent to my house to-day for something to nourish him, as he felt quite weak. I prepared some broth and gave it to him, which he ate with a relish, and that passage from the word came to my mind, 'Inasmuch as ye have done it to one of the least of these, ye have done it unto me.'

"March 8th.—Felt much wearied with visits and climbing stairs, and was glad to return to a cheerful fireside, and settle for the evening; but before I had removed my rubbers, a knock at the door assured me some call had come for me, and so it proved. A child of one of my families came to say her mother was ill, and wanted to see me. This woman, a few months before, did not seem to care for religion, and would not hear me read, saying she had no time for it; she had to earn her living without listening to what did not concern her. But when she came to lie upon a bed of suffering, she thought of me first, and found the word of God was just what she wanted; and as I read the words, 'Whosoever cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out,' the tears ran down her cheeks, and she at once cast herself upon Christ, taking him for her Saviour, and her face shone. As I left her my soul rejoiced, though it was far in the night when I returned home, that I had been permitted to point one soul to the 'Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world.'

"'Oh! that all the world my Jesus knew,Then all the world would love Him too.'

"'Oh! that all the world my Jesus knew,

Then all the world would love Him too.'

"One poor woman asked me if I would get her a Bible, and she would pay twenty-five cents a month. I promised, and am rejoiced at finding so many that seem eager for Bibles; quite a number have asked for them, and I trust it may prove a lamp unto their feet and a light unto their path.

"March 11th.—After the fatigue of the day, I did not feel like going out again in the evening, but our pastor, Rev. Geo. O. Phelps, came in, and after tea he said, 'We have not many minutes to spare, but we will have a few words of prayer before parting.' They were few, but they cheered and comforted me so, I felt refreshed, and forgetting all fatigue, I arose and went to the prayer-meeting, feeling as my people do sometimes when they say to me after a visit, 'Oh! Mrs. Knowles, how your prayer hasrestedme.'

"March 23d.—A message came to-day, saying Mrs. L. was dying, and wanted me to come at once. I went, and was helped in return to see the triumph of spiritual over temporal things. The Lord was present to bless us at the bedside of the dying one. Her trust and faith are firm in Jesus, and her whole desire is to be with Him and see Him as He is."

Blessed hope, "to see Him as He is, and to be transformed into His image." John declares:

"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as He is pure."

It was about this time that she penned in her diary the following touching record of her toil. It reveals how sincere, diligent, systematic, and unprejudiced she was in her work for Jesus, even mentioning the names of the streets. She faithfully copied the example and closely followed the directions of her master, given to Ananias at the wonderful conversion of the great apostle of the Gentiles, when giving directions how to find Saul of Tarsus:

"The Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth:

"And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.

"Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:

"And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.

"But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:

"For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake."—Acts ix. 11-16.

She writes: "I called on a woman in Broome Street who was convicted of her lost condition and ready to yield to despair. Her mind had been impressed by a letter from her husband who had gone West some time since on business.

"He had been converted during his absence, being awakened by witnessing the wickedness and depravity of his fellow-men, the profanation of the Sabbath, licentiousness in high and low places, and reflecting that if there were a righteous God, the wicked could not go unpunished. It was pleasant to be able to tell this distressed woman of the love of Jesus, and to urge her to go with her husband in the narrow way. On my next visit I found her more cheerful, and feeling that there is hope for her. She wishes me to get her a Bible, which she will pay for by weekly instalments.

"Met with a woman in Eldridge Street,[4]who was given to drinking. As she was sober at that time, I conversed with her about her sin. She burst into tears and said, 'I have long wanted some one to talk to me about my soul.' As I read to her the story of redeeming love, she seemed to drink it in with delight, and promised to attend the place of prayer. She, too, wishes to possess a Bible, and to use the money she has before spent for rum in payment. I am greatly encouraged to labor and pray for her.

"Visiting some families in Madison Street, I conversed with one woman who excited my especial interest. She had been very ill with a sore throat. She was a Romanist, but the Spirit of God had opened to her view the evil of her heart, and she now desired to hear from me of the way of life. I told her of the forgiveness of sin through Christ's blood. She said she had confessed to the priest, and had received absolution, but found no relief from her load, which weighed upon her like a mountain. I directed her to the Lamb of God, who alone can take away sin. But after conversing with her some time (although her throat was so much inflamed as almost to deprive her of the power of utterance), she broke forth into one of the most affecting prayers I ever heard. Her husband sat by and listened to all that was said, being very anxious lest she should abjure the Catholic faith and die out of the pale of the Church. He interrupted me frequently, saying, 'My good lady, we don't want you to teach us, the priest instructs us in all we need.' But I told him I had a message from God, and I could not be prevented from delivering it. He left the room in anger, but I hope this poor soul may find peace, by trusting in the 'sinner's Friend.'

"Who can tell but what even this poor man may be found at last among the ransomed ones!"

This short extract fromThe Home Mission Monthlyfor May, published by the Woman's Executive Committee of Home Missions of the Presbyterian Church, is peculiarly appropriate to the above experience of her who now sleeps in Cypress Hills Cemetery,

"Under the shadows gray."

"At this spring-time season, when the seed is cast into the brown bosom of the earth, the lesson taught by the great Teacher, eighteen hundred years ago, in Palestine, 'as the sower went forth to sow,' is borne in upon the mind once more, and these lines are the reflex of the impulses which are astir in many hearts:

"I know my hand may never reap its sowing,And yet some other may;And I may never even see it growing—So short my little day!"Still must I sow, although I go forth weeping,I cannot, dare not stay.God grant a harvest! though I may be sleeping,Under the shadows gray."

"I know my hand may never reap its sowing,And yet some other may;And I may never even see it growing—So short my little day!

"I know my hand may never reap its sowing,

And yet some other may;

And I may never even see it growing—

So short my little day!

"Still must I sow, although I go forth weeping,I cannot, dare not stay.God grant a harvest! though I may be sleeping,Under the shadows gray."

"Still must I sow, although I go forth weeping,

I cannot, dare not stay.

God grant a harvest! though I may be sleeping,

Under the shadows gray."

4 (Return)This was the street in which our missionary died.

CHAPTER XXV.

THE SIN OF IDOLATRY.

It is not that the city is glorious to behold,Her walls of lucid crystal, her very pavement gold,All shrined in dazzling splendor, beyond description fair,But I am pressing onward to see my Saviour there.

It is not that the city is glorious to behold,

Her walls of lucid crystal, her very pavement gold,

All shrined in dazzling splendor, beyond description fair,

But I am pressing onward to see my Saviour there.

How dangerous is idolatry. When God says, "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image," etc., He means that we should not only avoid kneeling to them, but we should worship Him alone, and come to Him through theonly mediator between God and man—the man Christ Jesus. How explicit are the words of the beloved John: "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." (1 John, v. 21.) She seemed to realize the importance of speaking ofJesus only.

There is an alarming and increasing propensity in religious circles, to look with leniency on the worship of saints, angels, martyrs, and the Virgin, but the Master himself said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by Me." Pure worship is spiritual, not æsthetical; hence the use of all pictures, crucifixes, and figureheads of apostles and saints dishonors Christ.

In August, 1875, Mrs. Knowles writes: "Among many discouragements, I meet with enough to cheer me on my way, and induce me to feel that my labor is not all in vain.

"Among other incidents, I will mention the case of a family I have referred to before, as having visited. The mother received me very kindly. She had four children, and as I was speaking to them of Jesus while the little ones gathered around me, the father came in, a very rough-looking man, and at the time apparently under the influence of liquor. The mother and children looked at me, and a feeling of sadness was visible on their faces. I spoke to him of his family, but he said little, and I then knelt and prayed with them. I asked if they had a Bible. He said 'No,' and they had not much time to read. I then asked him if he would like to have one. He said he would, as 'it was a good thing to have one in the house.'

"I took them one in the course of a day or two, and he has been led to read it daily; the mother and children also read it, and a few nights since he signed the temperance pledge. He said to me lately, while visiting him: 'No more pennies for rum; those pennies will go toward the support of my wife and children.' He now attendseveningchurch, feeling his clothing is not good enough to go by daylight. He has told me, although they are very poor, he was never as happy as now. He has not yet been able to procure steady employment, so I help them as I can.

"I have been helped on to perseverance in my work by what was told me by one I visited. In speaking of herself, she said she owed much to the efforts of a home missionary, who not only sought her out, but followed her up; and although she often neglected her duty, and stayed away from the preaching, he was so persevering and diligent in his efforts to win her, he at length succeeded, and she is now truly a Christian. A severe trial has lately come upon her: her son, a boy of ten years, has been killed by falling from a house. He lived but a short time after the accident; and as I stood by her at the side of the remains of her departed child, she was calm and resigned, telling methe Lord was helping her.

"I have been visiting at the hospitals much of late, where I have procured places for my sick, of whom there have been many this season. I have also assisted some, and procured work for others; have also distributed several Bibles, for which some have promised to pay as they are able. My Superintendent and Pastor are both kind in aiding me; for while I can truly say, 'of myself I can do nothing,' I can also, I hope, add, 'I can do all things through Christ, who strengtheneth me.'"

We cannot leave this part of the record of the Lord's work without observing her strong attachment to the children. In this she was very judicious. What momentous issues are at stake during early childhood. It is doubtless true that Christ meant to teach a practical lesson with reference to our tender watch-care of the little ones during His third brief interview with His disciples, after His resurrection. We read:

"So, when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith to him, yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.

"He saith unto him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

"He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep."

Amid such a scene so truthfully depicted in the above narrative, we behold the insecurity of the children. What a sad sight. An intemperate father and no Bible in the house. What a statement in this land of Bibles! Oh, what fearful consequences hang upon the conduct of parents. What would become of the masses in the lower part of the city, were it not for our truly devoted Bible women? What victories for Christ and His Church have been achieved—who can tell?

The cheering light that dawned upon the deeply bereaved mother when her boy was killed, is beheld as we, in imagination, take our stand by the bedside with them, and hear that sorrow-stricken mother exclaiming, "that the Lord was helping her." This is a striking proof that He who comforted Martha and Mary, at Bethany, was in that tenement-house, saying once again, "I am the resurrection and the life, he that believeth in me, though he were dead yet shall he live." Yes, helping her to look beyond this vale of tears, and say even amid the loss of her darling boy, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him." Surely the language of Job must have been experienced on an occasion like the above. "When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me: Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him. The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem. I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame."—Job xxix. 11-15.

There is a very comforting reflection for bereaved parents in Dr. Payson's "Comparison of Departed Children to Jewels." To a mother mourning the death of a child, he said:

"Suppose, now, some one was making a beautiful crown for you to wear, and you knew it was for you, and that you were to receive it and wear it as soon as it should be done. Now, if the maker of it were to come, and in order to make the crown more beautiful and splendid, were to take some ofyour jewelsto put into it, should you be sorrowful and unhappy because they were taken away for a little while, when you knew they were gone to make up your crown?"

In endeavoring humbly to interpret the language of the deceased, and, at the same time, call attention to her superior magnanimity of heart, I would not for a moment dare to make it appear that I was compromising human merit with the free, rich grace of our Heavenly Father, so richly displayed in His impartedpowerto His children, enabling them to do valiantly in the salvation of souls. This power is the presence of the Holy Spirit in the heart. Just listen to the closing sentence of the last paragraph: "I can truly say of myself I can do nothing!" though I can also, I hope, add, "I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me." Ah! here is the secret of distinguished merit in the great conflict against all the forms of evil in the world. The instruction to the disciples were to tarry until they received this Divine strength. Tarry, how? Well, let us read the record:

"To whom also He shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, sayeth he, ye have heard of me.For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, 'It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.' And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight."—Acts i. 3-9.

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