serious thought of the future; trying to kill time. And some, worse still, are trying to ruin other people-leading them into temptation; instilling doubts in their minds; breaking down the barriers which a carefully-shielded infancy and a tenderly-guarded home life had built up between them and the knowledge of evil; presenting sin in an attractive form like sugared poison drops; pleading, "Is it not a little one?" when the first temptation comes to break God's day, or to frequent questionable places of amusement, or to read books which, to say the least, are best unread. But we will not pursue that line of thought, but take up another.

Did you ever tell a child to be good? Did you ever ask a child to try to be good? Did you ever try it yourself? Did you ever feel as a little girl of three or four years old expressed it, "Mamma, I wish Jesus had been a little girl instead of a little boy"-just that there was something in Him (though really in your own heart) that prevented Him from feeling with and for you in your particular circumstances, and that therefore it was a hopeless try, and you never could be good? I remember such vain efforts. My birthdays were always to be fresh starting-points; and yet, when the birthday came, it was more often a day of tears than of smiles. Something untoward was sure to happen to put me out of conceit with the idea that it was a beginning of days, and a burst of tears would wash away my high hopes, proclaiming the failure of my efforts to be good, and my utter hopelessness of ever attaining my aim. "Hope deferred maketh the heart sick;" and the dismal effort to be good with a bad heart ends always in the heart-sickness of disappointment.

But does not the Lord say, Try? "Strive to enter in at the strait gate?" Yes, He does; and He crowns effort with success. "The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." Effort there must be--patient, sustained, and not fitful effort. No man ever yet gained a prize for running who contented himself with

putting down his name among the runners. None ever yet bore the palm of victory who fought not, who wrestled not, who watched not, who girded not himself to the battle. Nothing was ever accomplished in the strife and stress and battle of life, nothing was ever achieved without patient, continued effort. St. Paul says, "So fight I; fight the good

fight of faith: so run that ye may obtain: work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” Therefore effort must be right. But it is clear that the company in which those souls have embarked their all who are striving to work out for themselves a righteousness, to weave for themselves a presentable wedding garment, to make themselves so holy that they may stand before a holy God, is not founded on a true basis, and must be broken up and formed anew with fresh rules and other plans. It is painful to see the earnest efforts of some, and know that they are but expending their "strength for nought, and their labour for that which satisfieth not." We often see failure in the affairs of daily life just from this causeimproperly directed effort. A machine appears in perfect order, and we vainly endeavour to make it work. We do not understand the mechanism, we do not know the secret of unlocking it, and all our efforts are unavailing until some one comes by who can put us in the way, or put his hand on the spring which constitutes the motive power. We often see a child struggling over a thing with the vexation of impotence, getting angry because he cannot succeed in doing what he is trying to do, and when a kind friend with hand and head lends him the aid he wants, and explains the reason of his failure, he is content to try again with some chance of success. So, then, St. Paul tells us how to run the race, and fight the fight, and work the work-looking unto Jesus. We must make sure that we are on the raceground, for too many imagine that they are running the race, and use very diligent efforts to keep up with the runners, but they are outside the course. There is no prize for them:

that is certain and fair enough. We must make sure we are on the right side in the field, fighting under the Captain of our Salvation, if we mean to be on the winning side, "more than conquerors," and take part in the triumph of victory. We must make sure that we have got the right pattern and direction for our work if we mean it to stand when "the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is," and the Lord shall "give every man as his work shall be."

In many of the Bible stories of the old worthies we see the result of trying under the Master's eye-the effect of patient, continuous effort. Only to mention one: Gideon and his three hundred men, who went forward to the work of the Lord, to gain the victory over the enemies of Israel, "faint, yet pursuing." As David says, "By Thee have I run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall, I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed. For Thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: Thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me."

We well know the pleasure of overcoming a difficulty from the time that we were encouraged to patient effort over a difficult sum, or some childish duty, or some first principle that must be mastered, by the familiar rhyme:

"Try, try, try again,

And if at first you don't succeed,
Try, try, try again."

And we see the satisfaction worked out in many lives by those who are members of the "Try Company;" while those who give in lose a great pleasure, and an opportunity of strengthening their character by using aright the discipline of difficulty. There is many a Hill Difficulty to be climbed, many an exercise of faith and patience to be mastered, but "prayer and pains" will accomplish everything; from the child's hard lesson which must be learnt, from the bad habit which must be overcome, from the good habit which must be acquired, from the hasty word which must be checked, to the hardest and most difficult task which has ever been

set to any one on earth, to the patient continuance in welldoing, to the enduring to the end, to the learning to do some great thing for Jesus, or the learning to sit still when we would rather be actively employed-" prayer and pains" will accomplish everything; because prayer enlists the strength of God on our side, and, strengthened with all might by His Spirit in the inner man, we may confidently try to do our duty, saying, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

But the members of the true "Try Company" are, in truth, a happy band. Love the spring of their actions, nothing is too great to be attempted, nothing is too small to be overlooked. They remember the Word, "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might." "Whether ye eat or drink, do all to the glory of God." "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." They remember the example of their loved Master who said, "My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His work. I do always such things as please Him;" and they desire to follow in His steps. They remember the exhortation, “As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him." They remember that they are to "recommend the gospel," and "adorn the doctrine of God their Saviour in all things."

If we are not members of the "Try Company" let us at once enrol ourselves, and see what a power for good our influence may be. We will try in all things to please God and our neighbour for his good to edification. Does it matter if we waste time, speak harshly, act uncourteously, do not use the talents God has committed to us? Yes, verily, if we fail in these things we bring discredit on our Christian profession.

We remember well the story of Robert Bruce waiting in a forlorn state of mind, uncertain what to do next after six times of failure in his efforts to free his country from her enemies, and getting heart to try once more by watching

the persevering efforts of a spider to fix its web. Six times it failed, but the seventh trial was successful, and this determined him to persevere. Perhaps some one is watching us that we wot not of, and will be influenced to make another effort after good by seeing us never "weary in welldoing," always hopeful, and never despairing. Combined effort is very good, and much may be done by it, but individual effort is needed, or there can be no combined effort; and it is often by a number of little persevering efforts that a great work is accomplished. "The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer; the conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks; the locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands; the spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces." Each one must lay hold of the hope set before him; and then each one must perform his allotted portion of work, and by-and-by the aggregate of the effort will be seen when "the righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father," when "the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ." Blessed time! Shall we not each one try to help forward the coming of the kingdom?

I

Lines Written at the Close of 1875.

LONG to be a Christian, to love my Lord more truly;

I'm conscious that as things are now, I love the world unduly.

I know that now I pine too much, for honours and for wealth,
That I am far too anxious for continued life and health.

I'm conscious that my passions are too little under sway,
I know that I look sadly back on many a wasted day.

I know that many good resolves in this past year I've broken-
Vows made perchance when I received the sacramental token;
Vows made in sickness and in pain, or when I've been in trouble;
Vows made and broken quickly as doth burst the new-blown bubble.
My sins oft weigh me down.
"Oh, save me, Lord, I

perist!"

I cry,

But still I feel that Thine own Word forbids me not to cherish