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"C True; I said wrong but if Hubert once cast in his lot with us, would he not do it heartily? If he once began to climb God's holy mountain, would he not strive to attain the highest peak? Oh, Ethie, I cannot tell you how I long to see that noble fellow enlisted to fight the Christian's battle. I could not help thinking of him when I was preaching this morning."

"Dear Rowly, it is for us to pray, and it shall be done. God's grace is truly sovereign, but He has pledged Himself to answer prayer; little Harry's simple faith has taught me that. Let us pray, believing, and we shall see our Hubert the servant of the Lord's Christ."

"Either on earth or in heaven. How many glad surprises there shall be above-meeting those of whom, when we died, we stood in doubt! I think that in heaven there will be more whole family-gatherings than we expect. It is true, that we seldom see an entire family walking together along the narrow road; but God has different ways of bringing in His children, and don't you think, amongst spirits made perfect, there may often be the glad exclamation, This my son was dead, and is alive again; was lost, and is

found?'"

"I have not thought of that before, Rowly; but I agree with you. I like to feel that it will be with Christians as it was with Israel; they shall go to Canaan with their old and with their young-with their sons and with their daughters -that there shall not be 'a hoof left behind.' More believing prayer will surely bring more abundant blessing."

Ethie, I should like to have a word with old Colin tonight. Will you go with me?"

"I have to meet the servants in the housekeeper's room in half an hour, and it is nearly my last evening with them." "Oh, then you can't go. Perhaps Hubert will."

Rowland met Hubert in the hall, and he seemed pleased to accompany his brother. They walked, however, rather silently. Each felt an almost unaccountable reserve. Hubert was conscious, that he had not peace with God—that he had never felt the Gospel of Christ, to be the glad tidings which Rowland had described; and though he longed to talk freely to his brother on the subject, yet he dreaded to appear as if he had more interest than he really felt. Rowland had an earnest wish to talk to Hubert concerning these things, but he doubted his own wisdom of utterance; he feared lest any word of his should prove a stumbling-block in his brother's way; and he had yet to learn the full meaning of the promise of inspiration, "Commit thy way unto the Lord, and He shall bring it to pass."

Old Colin had lately become bed-ridden; his eye was very dim, and his natural force was much abated. His intellect was, however, unimpaired, and the eye of faith still gazed steadily on the Canaan whither he was bound. He greatly enjoyed Rowland's visits, and had on that day been continually present in spirit with the youthful pastor.

"Well, sir," he said, holding firm his hand, "and have ye got on fine the day? The Lord has helped ye, has not He?"

"Yes, Colin; my weakness has, I trust, made manifest

His strength."

"Ye know why that is, master; I take it, it's because He is God, and we are men."

"Then He does it for the glory of His own name.

"Ay, even so. And is He not good, to choose to show His glory in saving poor weak men? Might I be bold enow to ask the text, sir?"

"I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ.'

"Not ashamed! The sailor manna be shamed of the compass. Shamed of the Gospel! Dears, dears no. And, thank God, the Lord Jesus not shamed o' us neither. That's the wonder, I take it, sir."

"Not ashamed to be called our God, for He hath prepared for us a city. He found us the poor outcast child, but he hath washed us with water and clothed us with fine linen, and put a beautiful crown on our head; and now He looketh on us and saith, 'Ye are perfect through my comeliness.'"

"I once read that, sir; where could it be?"

"It is in Ezekiel, Colin. Is it not so like what Paul says, 'Ye are complete in Him?' ”

"Ay, sir, the glorious Gospel is all writ clear in both the Old and New Testament: it's the same sun, ye know, that paints the sky at three o'clock those bright mornings, and shines over our heads at noonday."

"And now that it is evening with you, Colin, the same sun sheds its golden light."

"Ay, master," said the old man, his eye brightening; "and then, when the new day dawns, there'll be no night then."

He was silent for a little while, fixing his eye on Hubert, of whom he had not at first taken special notice.

"And is that ye, Master Hubert? I'm right glad to see ye. And ye'd hear yer brother this morning? Ye're not ashamed neither of the cross of the Lord Jesus?"

it."

"I'm not ashamed, Colin, but I am not fit to carry

"And surely auld Colin is not fit: but God has said, Bear it for me;' and we manna say, 'Nay.' Ye're a good sailor, Mr. Hubert, and I'll engage to say, if the admiral bade you do something, ye would not stay to think, ye weren't strong enough."

Hubert knew how he had always sought the post of danger-how he had lately hazarded his life that he might chase the enemy-how the admiral had marked him out as the man that never flinched; and old Colin's words made him feel that his humility was not genuine-that it was dislike to the struggle, rather than conscious unfitness, that made him unwilling to unfurl the banner of the Cross.

The brothers talked more unreservedly as they walked homewards, and as they parted, Hubert said,-“ Rowly, I am a poor, good-for-nothing fellow. Ask God, sometimes, to give me a glimmer of the light old Colin sees, and it may help me yet to go upward, onward, on the way heavenwards."

Rowland prayed, not sometimes, but oftentimes; he knew that a struggle was working in Hubert's soul, and he longed to see, that he was looking off the dizzy heights of earthly greatness to the mountain of the Lord's house, exalted high above the hills

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