His children's home. And He never lets go their hand. Find two verses in the 73rd Psalm, which makes us quite sure of that. But is not this a lovely thought for us, that if we "work with. Father," He is working by our side? Those are surprising words of our Saviour's, that we read in the fifth chapter of John, "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work." One who was a splendid worker, grand old St. Paul, took the full benefit of them, as you will see in the first verse of the sixth chapter of 2nd Corinthians. He did, indeed, work for God, as few men have done, and here, he lets us into the secret of his splendid service; he was a worker, "together with Him." And did he not find the power and preciousness of that side-by-side working, at a time when, as he tells Timothy in his second epistle, the burden and heat of the day were such, that all his fellow-workmen gave up-not one of them could stand. "No man stood with me," he says. How was it the aged apostle kept on? "Nothwithstanding, the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me."

None of you, dear children, may ever have to work so near the furnace-mouth as St. Paul had that day but very commonplace hours of labour may be very weary ones. You may feel sadly, almost despairingly, "Oh, I never can get the day's work done;" but it is done, to your own wonder-there is nothing to wonder about. You forget that you have been working "with Father." While you were leaning, utterly tired out, on His arm, with closed eyes it might be, His hand did that hopelessly hard bit of the work for you :- His tired child will be praised for it, when he gets home.

No

And the steps on the hill-side are all towards home. Our little man would have to go down in the morning, to his work with father. When the children go through the pearl gates into the city, it is for good; we read in the Revelation, they" shall "shall go no more out"; but I think they will still "work with Father.' toil indeed, no tired feet nor hands in heaven; but we will not forget those wonderful words we have just read in the fifth chapter of John, nor that He who spoke them is "The same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever" (you will find that text in the thirteenth of Hebrews). You would not wish, I am sure, to sit idle, even to listen to angel harps and songs in the gladness and glory of the home, where your Father and your Saviour ever work. In those eternities; away beyond the golden mist of starlight, there must surely be an eternity of joyous, unwearying service. Such lovely work may be waiting for some of you up there, work that the great angels may not do-that needs a little hand, unhardened by a long life's weary, loveless toiling, and the close grasping of its wages.

There are many such small footprints on that climbing path. Before evening falls over the labour-field down here, or half a day's work seems done; when you feel you are just getting into it, and would so like to keep on working, you may hear your name spoken, and your Father's voice saying, "Come home with Me, now.

But I have a question for you, dear little friends of mine; one that indeed, must be earnestly asked, and thoughtfully answered by each one of yourselves. The children who "work with Father" go home. We, surely, all want to go home by-and-by. Not one of us would say, "I don't care about going to heaven"; though many of us, it is true, do not seem to be caring much about it. Now, here is our question. How may each of us be "certain sure that He whose home is that bright heaven, is "Father"? "Oh, because we feel we are working with Him." That will never do. Why, you may not be doing a bit of real work all the time; you may only have the feel of it, and to-morrow you may feel nothing at all. You must be sure, by His own Word; no other assurance is worth anything. Let us look in the first chapter of John: one of you will read the twelfth verse, "As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." Have you "received" Jesus Christ; taken Him—that is, as your very own Saviour and Friend-just simply because He asks you to take Him, and says He loves you so? If, dear children, you can say "Yes" to that question, the other is answered. You are the sons and daughters of God, for you have done what He says makes you sons and daughters. You have believed on the Name-believing is just receiving-and that wondrous "power" has been given.

Ah, the Name! There is so much for us there; but our talk has been, I'm afraid, too long already. Yet one more questionnot mine-to end it. To each of you who cannot say that "Yes," who is not working "with Father," He Himself says: "Wilt thou not from this time cry unto Me, My Father, Thou art the Guide of my youth? I will receive you and will be a Father to you" (Jeremiah iii. 4; 2 Cor. vi. 17, 18).

Thank you, dear friends, for the flowers. Several small boxes have come through the post, and, having no address inside. I must thank the senders this way. Rosebuds from Sidcup, Harriet Cade, M. R. S.,

Devizes, and others.-CATHARINE ELLIS.

The Maidens of old England come this day,

A peerless jewel at thy feet to lay,

Most noble Princess! the Pearl of great price,

The Word of England's GOD! All man's device

Has failed to quench its light.

May He endow

Thee and thy Royal Spouse with treasures now
Far richer than earth's crown or diadem.

May God engraft thee on that Royal stem

Whence flows the sap of Life.

Then shalt thou know

The fruits of joy and peace Christ doth bestow
On those who love His word. In sorrow's hour

Thou shalt draw out that word's sweet healing power!

In all thy ways acknowledge Christ the Lord,

Then rest, in life and death, upon His Word.

[We are indebted for the use of the above charming picture of H. R. H. the Duchess of Albany to the great kindness of the Rev. Charles Bullock, Editor of Home Words.]

THE MAIdens' bible.

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THE MAIDENS' BIBLE.

BY ONE OF THE DEPUTATION.

VER since the Princess Royal left our country as a bride of seventeen, all the United Kingdom following her with moved hearts and earnest prayers, as the first of our beloved Queen's family to whom we had to say Farewell for a foreign home, it has been the custom to offer a copy of the WORD OF GOD to each member of our Royal Family, on the occasion of their marriage. The Matrons of England offered it to the Princess Royal, and to her whom we cannot yet cease to mourn, England's home heroine, the beloved Princess Alice. The Gentlemen of England offered it to the Prince of Wales; but with the Princess Helena's marriage, it came to the turn of the MAIDENS of the United Kingdom. And they have ever since held to their prized privilege, as an honour too precious to be parted with, and have come with the same gift on each successive occasion.

Thus, when it was known that Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, had sought and won a young Germán Princess, whose name was loved and treasured in every house in her father's Principality, we began to think of our welcome.

The answers to the very first letters showed at once that the Maidens were willing, and waiting for the honour of offering their gift. A larger number than ever before were ready to sign the paper of invitation, and to put their names to the following words, with a pledge of enlisting all they could:-"The approaching Royal marriage again recalls to us the pleasant privilege which we have enjoyed on so many past occasions, of offering the WORD OF GOD, as our welcome, to another member of our Royal Family. We, therefore, cordially invite one another to share once more in making the same offering, both as a token of our increased value of the Word of God, and also as a tribute of unshaken and deepening loyalty to our beloved QUEEN."

The response was at once ready and eager, and what was best of all, with numbers of the answers came hearty assurance of prayer for every blessing on the young Princess it was our joy to welcome. Every part of the United Kingdom responded. No one single county in England, Ireland, or Wales was unrepresented, and in Scotland contributions came from every county except five.

Every rank of society joined, so it was a really representative

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THE MAIDENS' BIBLE.

gift. One of the most diligent workers was a black nurse from Barbadoes, who gathered over a hundred names with eager loyalty. As the piles of well-filled papers poured in day after day, we said, "There are certainly many more subscribers than last time." Aud when the counting began, our joy was great to find that the number of 11,500 had more than doubled, and this time 26,000 joined. More of us had waked up to our happy honour than ever before. Ireland had responded in such a way that showed the spirit of loyalty has fast hold wherever the Word of God is loved and lived in, and all the workers were so ready to prove the questioned loyalty of their country, that Ireland outdid even loyal Scotland. It just tells us again that "Fear GOD and Honour the KING" always go together.

One shilling was the outside of the subscription, but thousands of penny ones poured in besides. The Young Women's Christian Association sent between six and seven thousand of their members' names. The marker was given from them. The picture was taken before it was ready.

While we were enlisting givers, the workers over the gift itself were putting forth their best will and work upon it, and it is a joy to know that those whose hands worked on the outward gift had also taken the "Gift of God" Himself, Jesus the Lord, as their own personal Saviour. All united in preparing a gift which should be worthy the Royal Lady to whom it was to be offered, and which should also prove the wealth of welcome in the givers' hearts.

The Bible is of the "family" size, bound like one which belonged to Queen Elizabeth. The letter H and coronet are silver gilt on a crimson ground, cream coloured leather surrounds the crimson, and purple is the outer colour. The edges are beautifully painted with short texts on scrolls. The dedication page is a great work of art and bears the following words: Presented to Her Serene Highness Princess Helen of Waldeck Pyrmont, on the occasion of her marriage to Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, by the Maidens of the United Kingdom, April 27th, 1882." And underneath, "The entrance of Thy words giveth light." The costly casket is of splendidly carved English oak. The two small volumes are the Morning and Evening "Daily Light," consisting entirely of Scripture. Then there were besides two very portly volumes in red morocco, containing nothing but the subscribers' names.

The total number is 26,020, divided thus: England, 18,04 3; Ireland, 3,309; Scotland, 3,271; Wales, 461; Isle of Man, 197; Channel Islands, 551; Orkney and Shetland, 8; Foreign, 150.