after his deat On account of this uncertainty I was exceedingly dissatisfied with Brahmism, which enjoyed no greater light than similar systems in Europe. "Besides, when I came to look at sin, I found myself ever asking, 'How shall I escape the punishment it deserves? There is a God, almighty, wise, and just. I have broken His laws; how can I be saved? Who will satisfy that law for me?' I felt something more was necessary than any repentance or reformation of my own. They look forward to the future. Who shall wipe away the past? I found the need stated and the questions answered in the Bible. That book I verily believe to be the WORD OF GOD. I have examined its claims and studied the evidences of its truth, and having done this, I now accept whatever it declares; and whether my poor reason can fully comprehend its doctrines or not, I implicitly believe them. This word declares,' Without shedding of blood there is no remission of sin.' Christ Jesus is the 'propitiation for our sins.' For, 'if when we were enemies we were re conciled to God by the death of His Son, much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life.' With these texts before me," continued Rám Doyal, "you see I can do nothing but totally and entirely reject the system of salvation by works, and cling to that which will confer salvation upon me through the merits of another." As the two brothers walked home, Prosonno's mind was filled with conflicting emotions. "Could Brahmism be true? Had it really no fixed base to rest on? Was it so uncertain in its teaching, and were its followers actually the upholders of the great idolatry around them? Was it a system that could not satisfy the mind respecting that all-important doctrine, the forgiveness of sins? The Christian atonement again: how strange its teaching, that God had laid upon another, an innocent being, the suffering that sinners deserved! Was it not too wonderful to be true? The Son of God to die for perishing sinners! That indeed would be a love which passes all our comprehension." A FEW WORDS AT A SISTER'S WEDDING. MANY words are not needed on the present happy occasion, and even were they needed, would, perhaps, hardly prove acceptable. But permit me to give expression to one or two thoughts which may be worthy of devout attention. You two now stand in the sight of God as husband and wife, and after a formal signature the law of the land will also regard you as such. You bear sacred names-names expressing the most sacred relationships—those out of which all others spring. By the solemn words of the service you have been reminded that " marriage is to be held honourable by all, and ought not to be engaged in rashly, thoughtlessly, or lightly, but advisedly, reverently, and in the fear of God." This you most firmly believe, and therefore to-day's procedure is no thoughtless one. This public service is but the open declaration of what has long been a matter of serious deliberation and earnest prayer. He whose guidance is unerring wisdom, whose blessing is infinite riches, whose love is the fount of all love, has been sought, and in His fear the vows have now been taken. With the conviction that God approves the momentous step, that it is His gracious will you two should travel the rest of life's path together, friends have gladly gathered here to-day-your parents, amid tears of deep affection, utter their tenderest blessing, and your brother has united you in that bond which death only can sever. Yes, many holy prayers and fervent wishes consecrate this marriage feast; above all, the Great Master, who hallowed a similar rejoicing by His presence and generous deed in days long gone by, now stands in our midst, and breathes upon all hearts His unspeakable peace. Heaven and earth thus unite to utter a sweet benediction upon us at this hour. You have clasped hands in mutual confiding love for life, because the glad conviction fills your hearts that it will prove a better, holier, diviner thing for each of you thus united than would be possible apart. Its beauty will take a brighter hue, its music a richer tone, its significance a deeper meaning, because of one another's presence and help. The purpose you have formed is to live to bless each other. The thought of selfishness. has no place here. Tennyson's fine conception is exquisitely true: "Love took up the harp of life, and smote on all the chords with might; The institution by God of family ties fulness of love are unrealised until Doubtless you have an ideal conception of one another's virtues and worth, for it is the delightful characteristic of youthful love to surround the object of affection with a soft golden haze. Now it may be that reality-the living daily and hourly together, enduring the strife and care and worry and annoyances from which no lot is free-may dispel some of these preconceptions, may strip off some of the poetry with which married life is invested in your eyes. Well, so let it be; no great injury will necessarily result. Where there is sincere love little harm will accrue from seeing each others' disposition and character, strength and weakness, in their true light. The ideal will fade before the real, and it remains with you both to make that real something even brighter than that which fancy had painted in such gorgeous and attractive colours. Above all things believe this-that the common uses of life cannot impoverish love. It ought not to become less intense because daily and hourly employed. Let it be cultivated, as you would cultivate any other divine virtue. Let all things which would injure its growth be carefully removed and jealously excluded. Remember that "to wed Is only the foundation, and to build Permit me further to remind you that little things constitute the great trials and tests in wedded life. They are of importance everywhere, but especially so here. Our daily routine is composed of minor and apparently insignificant events, yet by these our days are either made most delightsome and joyous, or an intolerable burden. Now, if anything will manifest your affection, it will be the manner in which you suffer and enjoy little things. You will learn each other's weaknesses most quickly in this way. It needs not the stress of some great difficulty to reveal what we are, but small things, in which we are most natural, mirror our characters most perfectly. The test of true love is not the sudden strain of strength which is put forth to meet some unexpected emergency, and then sinks back exhausted by the effort, but the carrying through many a hot wearying day, along a rugged path, the burden of which we cannot be rid. It is the continuous toil the slight weight always borne, the small annoyance frequently recurring, the many temptations to anger, selfishness and pride, arising from the most common-place events of life-which so often manifest the weakness which besets us. Be careful, then, of little things, for they may be like flowers beautifying your life, or like thorns-a constant source of irritation and wretchedness. But beyond all, and summing up all in itself, I would say mutually strive to cultivate in each other's hearts the spirit of love to God, and that will give an enduring quality to your own earthly affection. It is the divine shining through the human which gives the latter its chief charm. I would not undervalue or disparage in the slightest degree the love of man or woman, however it may manifest itself, but I must believe that it is impossible to understand its full blessedness unless earthly affection be hallowed and sanctified by divine influence-unless it be sustained, purified, exalted by partaking of heavenly love. Therefore I say, let God inspire your hearts, and seek ever to subordinate your own to His great and infinite love. As members of the professing Church, your aim will be to stimulate each other towards the highest attainments of the Christian life. Marriage will not prove a hindrance, but a help. To this end there must be an outward observance of religion in the household. You will erect a family altar, whence shall daily arise, as the smoke of fragrant incense, the hymn of grateful praise and the supplicating prayer. Your conversation and character will be in conformity to the laws of Christ, as laid down in the New Testament; those around will see the divine likeness in you both, and take knowledge that you have been with Jesus. There must often be holy religious conversation, a comparing of heart experiences, that you may thus stimulate and "provoke one another to love and good works." Begin married life by a free inter. change of religious thoughts, and seek to enjoy holy communion about the things of Christ. If you do not, it will be almost impossible in after days to break down those barriers of reserve which will speedily arise between you on the subjects of highest interest to you as immortal beings. I fear there are numerous husbands and wives, professed Christians, who know nothing -literally, absolutely nothing-of each other's spiritual experiences. They pass life together at the same hearth, but their souls dwell apart in dreary, unnatural, sinful isolation. This cannot be so with you. Together you will often speak of the love of Christ, and all those glorious truths which are our noble heritage. Together you will grow in knowledge and grace, and as trees planted side by side spring up towards the heavens, and wave their tops close against the sky, so shall your life-companionship lift you nearer God. As husband and wife you are one in the sight of Heaven, so may you be one in all the great joys, purposes, aspirations of life. "Two to the world, for the world's work sake, You will leave this house of things"-shadow and sunshine, gladness and grief-will "work together for your good." The Therefore do we now say " The Lord bless you and keep you. Lord make his face to shine upon you, The Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace." The cynosure of midnight skies appears but one to seamen's eyes, May you, my friends, reverse the view, and while on earth you seem as two, THE BIBLE IDEA OF PRAYER. THE Bible idea of prayer is very simple but very sublime ;it is the asking of God to bestow on us the blessings which He has promised, and of which we feel our need. Nothing can be simpler than this idea, because nothing is more familiar to us. A beggar asks and receives. A child goes to his father, and asks something on which his heart is set, and receives it because he has asked it. A subject goes to a ruler and petitions for something it may be as a favour or as a right, and receives it because he has asked it. In like manner we pray to God; we petition God for certain things which He alone can give or do; we ask Him to give or do these things for us, and He gives or does them because we have asked. From the beginning to the end of the Bible this in all its simplicity is the scriptural idea of prayer; and rightly understood it will be found to be corrective of some people's theories and of other people's practice. 1. It is corrective of some people's theories.-There are who see all manner of difficulty in the notion that man's prayers can influence God's doings, or that God's doings can in any way or to any extent depend on man's desires or petitions, and they think that prayer can only be a means of exercising our own devout affections and cultivating our own graces. But they fail to see that if we divest prayer of its proper character as a seeking from God the blessings we want, we rob it at once of its power to exercise our affections, and thereby cultivate our graces. and We become conscious of solemn hypocrisy in every act of prayer in which we engage. There is a child's life in danger, and with all earnestness we plead with God that He will spare it. The prayer does us good; it brings us nearer to God; it makes us more conscious of our dependence on Him. But if we had believed that our prayer could have nothing to do with the sparing of our child's life; that God must be deaf to our cry, to every other cry that ascends from sorrowing anxious hearts, and must rule men's destinies without any respect to their prayers, we should not have prayed at all; or if we had we should have been conscious of acting a sham; our prayer would have been a cold, meaningless form, and it would have been as powerless to do our own heart good, as to win the blessing we sought. The indirect benefits which we derive from our prayers in the quickening of our own affections, will not be ours if we do not honestly mean what we seem to mean when we come to God with our requests-namely, that we regard prayer as an ordinance of God Himself for connecting His fulness with our wants, and the very channel through which He ordains blessing to flow to us. His I do not now attempt to discuss the theoretic questions which may be asked on the subject of prayer. But this I may remark, that the Bible idea of prayer finds a response in our nature which rises above all speculative difficulties, and, in fact, sweeps them out of the way. Let me argue myself into the belief that all |