2 1 you of it, He will enable you to conquer and overcome it. It must be conquered-no matter what the consequences may be, or how hard the struggle. Do you remember that the devil is called 'a liar, and the father of it;'1 and God is called 'a God of truth; so if you are a child of God you must be truthful. There is not one single sin more frequently or more solemnly spoken against, both in the Old and New Testament; and liars are in many passages put in the very same list with such awful sinners as 'murderers, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and idolaters;' they and 'all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.'3 While lower down in the same chapter, after the wonderful account of the New Jerusalem, with its gates of pearl and its streets of gold, and the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb for its Temple and its Sun-after all that come the solemn words which tell us that 'there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie.' And in the next chapter, after speaking of the blessedness of those who have a right to enter in through the gates into the city, it says that 'Without 'without the gates, and therefore unable to get into the city'without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.' 5 That is what the God of truth tells us of liars." A long and earnest conversation followed, and deeply I felt for that young girl in the hard struggle that I knew lay before her, in her efforts to overcome the sin that had laid such firm hold of her; and I knew that, even apart from the desire of pleasing her master, there must be a very great pleasure in selling quickly and well. We talked it all over, the difficulty, and the temptation, and how the doing anything forbidden by the rules of the establishment was acting a lie, and therefore to be as scrupulously shunned as a spoken untruth; for instance, the sitting down during busi3 Rev. xxi. 8. 1 John viii. 44. 2 Deut. xxxii. 4. 5 Rev. xxii. 15. ness hours, or writing a letter, or reading on the sly. And humbly, but firmly, feeling her own utter weakness, but trusting in Him, who, "having been in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin," and "having suffered being tempted, is able to succour them that are tempted "1 trusting simply in Him, she determined to watch and pray continually for grace to overcome the sinful habit, and, if it came to the point, to brave even her master's anger rather than tell or act a lie, and grieve her Saviour. But it was not only of the sin and the difficulty and the danger that we spoke; of what it would avail to gain the whole world, and lose one's own soul.2 I told her, what I am sure is the case, that for one customer she lost by not telling a lie, she would gain ten by speaking the truth; that it would be very soon found out how entirely her word might be trusted; and told her of shops where, because I knew they were truthful, I would rather trust the seller's opinion than my own, so true is it that "a lying tongue is but for a moment, but that the lip of truth shall be established for ever;"3 and I added: "I think you hardly know the difference it makes to a customer to be served by one who is really anxious to please, and is cheerful and obliging !" "But," I said, "the greatest help of all is prayer. While you are getting the bonnet, or the cap, or the mantle, lift up your heart in one moment's prayer to Him who has said, that they that deal truly are His delight." Ask Him to help you to make a good sale, and He will, for He loves to honour those who simply trust in Him. 'How is it that your dresses always fit so well?' said a lady to a young dressmaker. I do not know, ma'am,' was the reply, 'unless it is that when I am fitting on a dress I always ask God to help me to do it well.' And He will help you to be a good saleswoman, just as He helped her to be a good dressmaker. 'He cannot lie,' and He will strengthen and 5 1 Heb. iv. 15 and ii. 18. 2 Matt. xvi. 26. Prov. xii. 22. 3 Prov. xii. 22. 5 Titus i. 2. uphold you through every difficulty, and make you more than conqueror through Him that loved you."1 Very happy it was then to kneel together, and while confessing the sin, and praying that it might be washed away in the precious blood of Christ, to ask the Holy Ghost, who had first convinced her of sin, now to sanctify her wholly,2 to lead her into all truth, and day by day to teach and guide and strengthen and comfort her. I cannot think it was merely accidental, rather I believe it was so ordered by God to strengthen my own faith and that of others, but at all events on the very day week on which the above conversation took place another young girl came to me from a large boot and shoe establishment. A very bright young Christian she was, and one who, in spite of the warmest natural affection, and an intense craving for its return, had given up home and family rather than deny the Lord who bought her.3 And that Lord had not forsaken her, but had so filled and satisfied her with His own love, that as I spoke to her I could not but recall the promise, "There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, . . for My sake, and the gospel's, but he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time . . with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life!" 4 Happy girl! the persecution would soon be over, and then eternal life, through Him that loved her and gave Himself for her. "I She was telling me of the wonderful way God had watched over her, and raised her up friends wherever she went. think you are like Joseph," I said, "for surely the Lord was with and showed you mercy, and gave you you, favour." She smiled and said, "I often think I am like Joseph, for unless the Lord had indeed been with me I could never have got on. But with Him for our pilot, no matter how fierce the storm may be, we cannot be shipwrecked." "How did you manage when you first began business ?" 8 2 Peter ii. I. Ro.. viii. 37. 2 I Thess. v. 23. 5 Gen. xxxix. 21. 4 Mark x. 29, 30. I asked; "did you find it very difficult not to tell business lies ?" "I could not tell them," she replied, "not even to save my losing a situation. I can only say I got on because the Lord helped me, and taught me my business." "What do you mean?" I asked, with great interest. "Why, ma'am, I dare say you know that fitting on a new boot is quite an art, and not at all an easy one. When I went first to a shop I had no one to teach me, or even to give me a hint-in fact, I was expected to be able to do, and to do well, what I had never learned, and my very bread depended on my success.' "And what did you do?" "I prayed. When I turned round to the glass-case to get out a pair of boots or shoes, I used just to pray, ' O God, for Jesus Christ's sake, teach me how to fit these on!' And He did. He taught me so wonderfully, that before my first week in business was over my master remarked the way I sold, and asked me 'how I managed, for that I sold better than others who had been years in business;' and I told him what I have told you, 'that I got on because God taught me.'" And He teaches her still, and honours her truthfulness and trust. She is now in a much higher shop, and though she has been but a short time there, only a few months, her salary has twice been raised, her master is astonished at her success, and every one she serves wishes to come to her again. I feel that nothing I could say would add force to this simple story, so I will close it with an earnest prayer that if any of my readers have been tempted to tell business lies, they will never do so again, but will try the other plan instead, even the power of prayer. Excuses. (A TRUE NARRATIVE.) "And they all with one consent began to make excuse."-Luke xiv. 18. T must be the evil one, dear friends, for it is no angel of light, who helps us to frame the many excuses we are ever ready to make, when asked to turn aside, for a moment, from our usual occupations and attend to the things that concern God, religion, and the soul. It is one of those innumerable ways in which he "goes about" like a hungry "lion," seeking for prey. And he has his triumphs. But how fares it with the victim whom he deceives and beguiles to his destruction? Alas! we dare hardly draw aside the curtain that veils the dark life and darker end of the wicked. In view of the great realities of death, judgment, and eternity, how mean, how trivial, are the best of our excuses! When appealed to, we are pressed for time ;” we will 66 consider them at a more convenient season ;" sure to have a few days just at last!" 66 66 we shall be visitor, to go He resisted her Sunday evening, A poor working man in the town of L was first encouraged, and then urged by the Bible-woman to the house of God one Sabbath evening. arguments, and ended by saying, "Not this Mrs. A- ; next-again I'll see about it. But he missed his opportunity; he died suddenly, and that very Sabbath, "next again," he was carried to his burial. Another poor man, in the same town, very sick and feeble, was asked kindly, should he be ready if his summons were to come shortly? No," he said, "he should not." He thought it "very bad indeed to give God the refuse, and ask to be saved when he was of no more good!" So indeed it is. But better late than not at all. He received instruction, was shown the right way, listened eagerly to the truth, and there was hope in his end. A third poor man was entreated by the Bible-woman to |