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Several devoted lay evangelists, some of them speaking the Irish language, are employed by the Society, both in principal towns and cities, and in the rural districts, visiting the people where it is practicable, from house to house, holding cottage meetings, conversing individually with wayfarers, attending the sick and dying, inducing the careless to addict themselves to public worship, teaching the young, distributing tracts and Bibles. These earnest workers have been much blessed of the Lord. Their peculiar work is associated with difficulties, which are nearly unknown by those who are similarly engaged in England.

The following extracts are given from the journals of some of the lay evangelists. One of their number says:

"Two visits, one reading; hearers, eight; Scripture read, part of John xvii. and Ephesians ii. Offered a few remarks on each; hearers appeared interested. At present there is a great deal of caution to be observed in going amongst the people, lest by any inadvertent remark a door of entrance and usefulness might be closed, and prejudices raised against the truth and its bearer. Papists and some sections of Protestants are looking out for a division of the spoils of the Established Church. Others, who wont have anything to do with the garments or gold of Babylon, are treated as enemies by these political religionists, and are looked on with suspicion by Churchmen; hence the difficulty of steering clear of all these, and faithfully answer for the truth.

"19th.-Three visits; one reading; hearers read and spoken to about the way of salvation, sixteen; Roman Catholics, nine; who were both civil and attentive. Were it not for priestly influences, supported by rabble law, the respectable portion of the Roman Catholic population would most gladly listen to scripture and reason, but at present they fear the mob.

"27th.-Three visits; three readings; hearers, sixteen, Roman Catholics, four. Scriptures read, Matt. xvi., John xiv., and Romans viii.; on each portion offered a few practical remarks; hearers appeared interested; gave away twenty tracts, which were thankfully received."

Another evangelist writes:

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five families. Read and expounded the Scriptures to eleven Roman Catholics and nine Protestants; with one of the Roman Catholics, a surveyor, had a long conversation, which he in a measure commenced himself.

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During this month, visited 131 families; read and expounded the Scriptures to 216 Roman Catholics and 254 Protestants; also distributed fifty-nine tracts."

An evangelist in a large city says:"During the above month it will be seen that I have made 240 visits to families, including five visits to the sick. Number of meetings held, four; number of attendants, sixty-nine; number of Scripture readings, eighty-nine; number of tracts distributed, 174; number of children induced to attend Sunday School, four; number of persons induced to attend public worship, twenty-one.

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This man, who had originally been a Roman Catholic, is anxious to join the Church. He has been now a long time attending the public worship of our Church, and I have also been in the habit of visiting him and speaking to him and his wife on religious things for a long time. He has but very little knowledge of Congregational principles, but I believe him sincere in his desire to be a Christian and to glorify God.

"I have often spoken of this man in my journals. He was a respectable and intelligent Roman Catholic, but some few years ago, through the reading of the Scriptures, and by attending occasionally on the Gospel ministration in the M- Hall, and other places, he was led to see the errors of his Church, and to abandon them. My visits to him were also greatly blessed in giving him clearer ideas of the truth as it is in Jesus, and in confirming and strengthening his faith. His dying

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words were, I want no priest but Jesus,' words which show clearly how completely he had renounced all trust in priestcraft, and had committed his soul to the care of Him who died, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us unto God.' His poor widow and children, who are Protestants, found no small comfort in the thought that he fell asleep in Jesus,' and that those who fall asleep in Jesus shall God bring with Him."

Were the means available such agents as those whose work is thus indicated, could, in larger numbers, be speedily and beneficially employed. What is, however, still more imperatively needed and desired, is the engagement of, at least, one or two ministerial evangelists, whose sole work should be to itinerate throughout the length and breadth of Ireland, preaching the Gospel of Jesus, not in the spirit of controversy, but in that of tender and sympathizing love, in chapels, in lecture-rooms, in townhalls, in market-places, on the highway, upon the mountain-side, wherever a congregation could be gathered. Men of deep piety, of powerful utterance, of earnest zeal, of unshrinking courage, they would require to be. But if the Churches of Christ are prepared to supply the means, and will betake themselves to fervent prayer to the Great Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth such labourers, would they not be speedily forthcoming?

If ever God's Israel were summoned to come up to the "help of the Lord against the mighty," they are summoned to give that help to Ireland, and they are summoned now! For Ireland's sake, for England's sake, for the world's sake, glad and grateful will the Committee of this Society be to receive their brethren's aid.

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Golden Words for Busy People.

THE MAJESTY OF CHRIST SEEN IN HIS
MERCY.

LET those great words of the Lord
Jesus be recalled to mind-"O Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets,
and stonest them which are sent unto
thee, how often would I have gathered
thy children together, even as a hen
gathereth her chickens under her wings,
and ye would not." The bearing of these
words on the character of Jesus is very
obvious,-on His grace especially-His
deep, wondrous compassion. It is not
quite so obvious, but they have a mighty
bearing also, and none the less important,
that it is indirect and incidental, on the
glory of the Saviour's person.
have gathered thy children together,"
said He, addressing the city of Jerusalem.
Of course, by Jerusalem's children he
meant her people at large. It is com-
puted, that the inhabitants of Jerusalem
at that time must have been about a

"I would

million of souls. "I would have gathered them under my wing," said Jesus Christ, even as a hen gathereth her little brood of chickens under hers! What manner of man is this--a million of souls gathered beneath His wing? It can be none other than He of whom David sang, "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wing shalt thou trust." Why, no human mind is able even to conceive, distinctly, what a million is. Our ideas have become wholly vague and undefined, long before we have reached that sum. Who is this that speaks of gathering all the souls in the city of Jerusalem beneath His wing, keeping them secure there to eternity, with as much ease as a hen gathers her half-dozen chickens under hers? Who, but He of whom Moses sang, "As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young,

spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings, so the Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him;" He of whom Boaz said to Ruth, "The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust,"--that very God, now manifest in the flesh, and about to "purchase the Church with His own blood."-Dr. C. J. Brown.

AN ANXIOUS SEAT IN THE PULPIT.

"He preached as if he was dyin' a'most to have ye converted," said a simple woman, when she was describing the devout and earnest M'Cheyne. In those few words the good woman gave the secret of that young saint's extraordinary pulpit power. A passion for souls possessed him. The love of Christ constrained him. And he would have counted that Sabbath a lost day, and that sermon a waste of breath, which did not accomplish the awakening of some stupid conscience, or the leading of some guilty soul to Calvary. There was always one "anxious seat" at least in his church, and that was in the pulpit.

AFFLICTION.

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"Afflictions," says an old writer, are like files, they serve to give an edge to our devotions; or they resemble the counsellors of Benhadad-they send us, with ropes upon our necks, to the merciful King of Israel." In prosperity, God invites us to Himself by a profusion of favours; in adversity, He leaves us no choice. Then we have no other arm to lean upon-no other helper to implore. Then, turning away from creatures, we look up and say, "Now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in Thee." What brought back the prodigal to his father's house? -famine. What led Manasseh to seek the Lord God of his father?-degradation, imprisonment, and fetters. What said David to himself? "It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn Thy statutes. Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now have I kept Thy word." What was it that brought the woman of Canaan to Christ? But for her

affliction, she would have remained at home, and made no inquiries after Him. This was the case with her neighbours. It is the case with thousands now. "Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God."-W. Jay.

THE DANGER OF ADMITTING LITTLE SINS.

As when Pompey could not prevail with a city to billet his army with them, he yet persuaded them to admit a few weak, maimed soldiers, but those soon recovered their strength, and opened the gates to the whole army. And thus it is that the devil courts us only to lodge some small sins, a sin of infirmity or two, which, being admitted, they soon gather strength and sinews, and so subdue us. How many have set up a trade in swearing with common interlocutory oaths, as "faith" and "truth ?" How many have begun thieving with pins and pence? How many drunkenness with one cup more than enough? How many lusts with a glance of the eye? And yet none of them ever dreamt that they should be prostituted to those prodigious extremities they afterwards found themselves almost irrecoverably engulfed in.—Price, 1646.

SPIRITUAL SEA-ANEMONES.

By the bounty of God's providence, some are in such a situation that they do not need to toil for a subsistence; they go to bed when they please, and get up when they can sleep no longer, and they do with themselves whatever they like; and though we dare not say that theirs is the happiest life, it certainly is the easiest. But it will neither be a lawful life nor a happy one, unless it have some work in hand, some end in view. Those of you who are familiar with the shore, may have seen attached to the inundated reef a creature, whether a plant or animal you could scarcely tell, rooted to the rock as a plant might be, and twirling its long tentacles as an animal would do. This plantanimal's life is somewhat monotonous, for it has nothing to do but grow, and twirl its feelers, floating in the tide, or folding itself upon its footstalk when that tide has receded, for months and years together.

Now, would it not be very dismal to be transformed into a zoophyte? Would it not be an awful punishment, with your human soul still in you, to be anchored to a rock, able to do nothing but spin about your arms or fold them up again, and knowing no variety, except when the receding ocean left you in the daylight, or the returning waters plunged you into the green depths again, or the sweeping tide brought you the prize of a young periwinkle or an invisible star fish? But what better is the life you are spontaneously leading? Are you more useful?

You go through certain mechanical routines of rising, and dressing, and visiting, and dining, and going to sleep again and are a little roused from your usual lethargy by the arrival of a friend, or the effort needed to write some note of ceremony. But as it curtseys in the waves, and vibrates its exploring arms, and gorges some dainty medusa, the seaanemone goes through nearly the same round of pursuits and enjoyments with your intelligent and immortal self. Is this a life for a rational and responsible creature to lead?-James Hamilton, D.D.

Pages for our Young Friends.

SAINT GEORGE AND THE DRAGON.

ENGLISH children are familiar with uncouth pictures of St. George and the Dragon-they see them everywhere-but how many English children could tell me who St. George was, and when and where he killed, or is said to have killed, the Dragon? And no wonder. For not only is the Dragon, with its crested head, and enormous claws, and spreading wings, a fabulous animal, but learned men are still discussing the question whether there ever was a St. George, and if there was, who he was, and how arose the legend about his killing the Dragon. It must be very clear that if England had not enjoyed better guardianship than its unknown patron saint could give it, it would not have prospered as it has done these hundreds of years.

But what's a patron saint? This question is worth answering before I speak of St. George's victory over the Dragon.

The old Romans and Greeks, and other heathen nations, worshipped, as you know, "gods many and lords many." They had a notion, or at least some among them had a notion, of a supreme or highest God. But, practically, the people worshipped only the demi-gods or under-gods. And these they counted by hundreds and thousands. The sea and the dry land, the rivers and fountains, wind and storm,

peace and war, and every passion of the heart and life, had their own gods, to whom they were sacred, or who were supposed to rule over them. The roads and streets and highways had their gods. Every town and village had its god. Now the idea of patron saintship is nothing but this old Paganism in disguise.

"The noblest heathen temple now remaining in the world is the Pantheon in Rome, which, as the inscription over the portico informs us, having been impiously dedicated of old by Agrippa to Jove and all the gods,* was piously consecrated by St. Boniface the Fourth to the blessed Virgin and all Saints. With this single alteration, it serves as exactly for all the purposes of the Popish as it did for the Pagan worship, for which it was built. For as in the old temple every one might find the god of his country, and address himself to that deity to whose religion he was most devoted, so it is the same thing now; every one chooses the patron whom he likes best, and one may see here different services going on at the same time at different altars, with distinct congregations around them, just as the inclination of the people leads them to the worship of this or that particular saint."

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