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THE MINER BOY.

"I'm reading the Bible, father;"
Said a crushed and dying boy,
As deep in a coal-mine sitting,
He waited for death with joy.
An arch of the mine had fallen,
His feet were beneath the rock,
But, from under the earth, he answered
Like one of Christ's dear flock.

He had learned, as a faithful scholar
In the blessed Sabbath school,
How to trust in Christ the Saviour,
And obey his gentle rule:
And now, in his dusty prison,
Fast held by the fallen rock,
He could calmly bear his suffering,
For his faith had known no shock.

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"My son," father cried, "are you living?”

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"Yes, father," the son replied.

"And your lamp, my son, is it burning?" "Yes, father, at my side."

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Oh, what will you do, my darling?”
In anguish again asked he,

"I'm reading my Bible, father,

And the Lord is strength'ning me."

From the page of the IIoly record,

Where he read of the mansions bright,

He went to the pearly portal,

And his faith was changed to sight.
Thank God for the blessed Bible,
To comfort the miner boy,

As with faith he received each promise,
Till his pain was changed to joy.

Early Days.

EDINBURGH: T. NELSON AND SONS.

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“TASTE AND SEE."

BY THE REV. DR. H. BONAR, KELSO.

HESE words of David put us in mind of the words of David's Son, after he had gone up to heaven. Both tell us of the water of life, and of the living well opened for man's thirsty soul. Both bid us drink; David says, "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;" and the son of David says, "Let him that is athirst come, and whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely." Great, indeed, is this free love of God. It is love which has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but desires that he should turn and live. It is love which is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come

to repentance. It is the love that pardoned Manasseh, and Mary Magdalene, and Saul of Tarsus. It is the love that wept over Jerusalem, in the day of its impenitence and unbelief. It is the love that is stretching out its hands all the day long to a disobedient and gainsaying people. It is the love that pities the hungry and gives them bread, the bread of life; that pities the thirsty and gives them drink; that pities the poor and makes them rich; that pities the naked and clothes them; that pities the blind and gives them eyesight; that pities the guilty and gives them pardon; that pities the lost, and gives them salvation; that pities the weary and gives them rest! The Lord is good. How terribly he hates the sin, yet how tenderly he pities the sinner! And he knows how to reconcile his hatred of the sin with his love of the sinner. Yes; he has reconciled them at the cross, through the broken body and shed blood of his beloved Son, who, though he knew no sin, was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

It is this "goodness of God that leadeth to repentance." It is the sight of this amazing goodness, this matchless love, so wide and free, that softens the hard heart, and draws tears from the unweeping eye of the heedless sinner. It is this goodness, this free love seen in the cross, that calms the tempest of the soul, and speaks peace to the troubled conscience. There cannot be true rest of soul without the knowledge of this love.

It is free. It exists altogether apart from and independent of anything in us. It does not spring from our love; for "herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us." It is not procured by our prayers; nor bought by our repentance; nor attracted by our goodness. It has come to us unasked, and unbought, and undeserved, like the sunlight of the morning, or the dew of even. Whether we love him or not, it is not the less true that God is love. Whether we repent or not, still the Lord is good, and his

goodness ought to lead us to repentance. Whether we believe or not the gospel is good news; good news respecting the free love of God, in the gift of his only-begotten Son. Our believing does not create the love, nor make the news good; it only receives the love which before we shut out, and welcomes the good news which once we despised.

You ask the world for bread; it gives you a stone. Will God do this? You ask it for a fish; it gives a serpent. Will God do this? You ask it for an egg; it offers you a scorpion. Will God do this? He is too good, too gracious, too loving, thus to mock even the very worst of his creatures. Oh come, then, and taste, and see that He is good.

Some travellers were one day journeying in the great desert of Sinai. The noon was hot; the sands were dry; the rocks were wild; and the water in their skin-bottles was warm and muddy. They were moving onward on their camels till they should reach their afternoon's resting-place. Suddenly their Arabs left them, and began to climb the rocks on their left, disappearing in a ravine or cleft of the rock. In a few minutes they returned, and the Sheikh, or chief, came forward to the travellers with a large earthenware jug, filled with water, which he held up to their thirsty lips, telling them that it was tayeb, that is, good. They drank the cold water from the rock, and were refreshed.

It is thus that we take the cold, clear, heavenly water from the Rock of Ages, and hold it up to the sinner's parched and despairing lips. Earth has no water for thy soul, Oh, young traveller of the waste! There is no real joy for thee in all the world's weary round. Thou belongest to a vast crowd of immortal beings who are not happy. They want to be happy, but know not how. They want to get their empty souls filled, but know not where to apply. They go about, saying, "Who will

show us any good?" Look at this blessed water. It is meant for thee. It is provided by God. It came from the Rock of Ages. It will quench all thy thirst. It will make thee happy. It will fill the sad void of thy heart. It will impart healing, and peace, and life! It will save and bless!"

And it will do all this now; not merely when thou comest to die, but just now. Thou needest not wait; it is at hand. Thou needest not buy; it is free. Thou needest not fear; God really means what he says when he bids you come to the waters. Christ really spoke in love when he cried, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink." OH, TASTE AND SEE THAT GOD IS GOOD!

STREET-PREACHING DEFENDED.

AN interesting case was tried at the Edinburgh Police Court on Wednesday, 23d July. Some persons unfriendly to the street-preaching movement brought a charge against one of the agents of the Carrubber's Close Mission, for obstructing the thoroughfare, by gathering a crowd on the High Street. The magistrate found that there was no such serious obstruction to traffic as to warrant interference, and dismissed the case.

A MILL WITH A FAULT.

A MINISTER had a miller in his parish who was very proud of his mill. It was a very busy mill, grinding and whirring the whole seven days of the week. One day the minister took his sack of wheat to get it ground to fine flour. "A very fine mill this," said the minister, -"the best I ever saw." "" The miller often heard that said, and thought it was no more than just; "but," continued the minister, "it has one bad defect."

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