that, trusting in Him, there is no possibility of being weak. If that prayer is offered, God will not answer it though the devil may; for the moment they cease to realise the possibility of weakness, weakness positively asserts itself. "To realise constantly the possibility of being weak" is, with them, an essential condition to the maintenance of those checks and safeguards which will alone enable them to finish their course-if not with joy, to finish it; and the fittest prayer for them to offer is : "Let not them, O Lord, who love Thy name, be ashamed for my sake."

A FIFTY PENCE RELIGION.*

honour or conscience in the way they discharge their personal obligations.

In the world's markets a thing is said to be worth the money it will bring. In the economy of Divine grace the gospel is without price, "Can you say in conscience that because it is beyond all price. But you have done all you can to raise the value which men place upon this money?" said a Christian man the free gifts of God is in some to a somewhat well-to-do beggar measure indicated by the thank- who once came to him for assistofferings which they return, and by ance in a church enterprise. the sacrifices they make to extend to others the benefit which they themselves have received.

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Why, no, if you put it on the ground of conscience, I cannot say that we have done all that we could."

When there are no obligations upon men save those of gratitude, And yet this man was ready to and they are entirely at liberty to be sent, and his brethren were determine for themselves the extent ready to send him, to ask others to of those obligations and their duty do what, if they would really in discharging them, then whatever undertake it, they were able to do there is of hidden meanness and themselves. Instances are too covetousness within a person is numerous where persons will seek liable to manifest itself.

help of others to do what they All have heard of the man who themselves are abundantly able to thanked God for the "free salva- do. And sometimes wealthy and tion" he had enjoyed for ten or prosperous men will accept, for twenty years, and which had thus religious purposes, charities which far only cost him a shilling. There have been procured by the toil of are many people who, while they the weary hands of women, and the could not quite equal him in this mites of widows who have cast boasting, yet show a very limited their all into the treasury of the appreciation of their individual Lord. The prevalent "societyism” responsibility to God in view of the of the day may in some blessings which He has conferred foster this feeling. The society upon them; and there are many begs money, and the society diswho are very willing that others should do the duties that properly belong to them, and who seem to evince very little that looks like

cases

tributes tracts; and so sometimes a man accepts the benefactions of a society who would not at all like to be called a beggar, but who is, in

* Our readers will see that this article is from an American paper, but it may contain a lesson or two for some folks at home.-ED.

fact, receiving as a gift some poor seamstress's money, while his own cash is safely invested, drawing interest at ten or twelve per cent. There is a story of a church in the state of Connecticut which for many years was partially dependent upon the aid of the Home Missionary Society for funds to meet the expenses of public worship. They raised what they could, or in other words what they chose to, and then by proper representations of their poverty they secured the balance needed from the treasury of " the society."

and looking at it with incredulous surprise, and thinking the man had made a mistake, said

"Did you not mean that for fifty pence?"

The carter straightened himself up and emphatically replied"I do not value the gospel at fifty pence a year!"

His subscription was fifty dollars, and it was a revelation to the deacon, who went away with a new idea, and calling at once upon his pastor and narrating the circumstance, said, "If that man is able to give fifty dollars, I am able to give two hundred and fifty;" and so he was; and he did it! Others, stimulated by the good example, and shamed out of their littleness and covetousness, gave as the Lord prospered them, and they found that henceforth they had no occasion to call upon missionary societies to do their work, or bear the expenses which they themselves were fully able to meet.

One year a humble labouring man, who carted coal and did other similar work for his living, moved into that neighbourhood. He was not wealthy, and so was not especially honoured, but he earned his bread by honest labour, and was usually found in his place in the house of prayer. One day, not long afterwards, one of the deacons of the church-Deacon A—, a man who had considerable money, There is a lesson here which and knew how to hold on to it- many might ponder with profit. went around the neighbourhood, as This "fifty pence religion" is far was customary, with a subscription too abundant-a religion which paper, to see what funds could be transfers a man from the world secured to meet the expenses of into some sect, but does not cleanse public worship for the ensuing year. him of his innate covetousness and The first person he met was our greed. A religion which is valued at friend the coal-carter, with his fifty pence a year by the man who team, and though he had not much counts his wealth by thousands is to hope from him in the way of of very little use to himself or anypecuniary assistance, yet as every one else; and the man who, poslittle helps," he thought he would sessing this world's goods, casts not pass him by. Accordingly he such a scanty pittance into the broached the subject withtreasury of the Lord, would do well "Good morning, Mr. B; to cease his talk about his "widow's are you willing to give anything mite" until he, like that widow of toward the support of our pastor?" old, had "cast in all" his "living at the same time handing him the as an offering to God. A religion subscription paper. that has not lifted a man above this The man stopped, stood thought-contemptible level has done very fully a moment or two, and draw- little to profit him in this world, ing out his pencil with his grimy and may do still less to benefit him hand, wrote his name at the head in the world to come.

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of the paper, and set against it fifty

God calls for manly men, whose dollars. The deacon took the paper, honest, faithful, grateful souls

PARDONING GRACE A PLEA FOR REPENTANCE.

BY THE REV. W. B. BLISS.

"I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee."-Isaiah xliv. 22.

Ir is the delight of "fools" to make " a mock at sin." It is the delight of God to redeem from sin. The contrast between these two methods of treating sin is great indeed, and it is a proof of the vast distance at which every sinner stands from God. Morally, men are removed from God by sin, as far as we in England are removed, geographically, from the inhabitants of New Zealand. They are as remote from us as the circumference of the earth permits, and sin separates the soul from God as far as any creature can be from its Creator. We sometimes speak of man as the noblest work of God. That is true of him as God's hand made him, or as God's grace remakes him. But man sinful and sinning is the least and lowest of all creatures upon the earth. The very worm is better than he; for the worm has never violated its own nature, nor constituted itself the enemy of God.

This degradation of man through sin supplies a very weighty plea for return to God. But our text suggests one weightier still. Divine forgiveness is the great plea for repentance.

I. God proclaims Himself a God willing to forgive. This is His way of dealing with sin-to blot it out. This is not the only possible, nor the only righteous, way of dealing with it. Not thus has God dealt with the fallen angels. Not thus does He deal with men who persist in sin. He has visited sin, He does visit it, with correction, with judgment, with severe punishment. He does so in this world; He does so in the world beyond death. And, considering how offen: sive all sin must be to Him, would it be wonderful if this were His only way of dealing with it? That it is not His only way, is explained by the graciousness of His nature. "God is love." "He willeth not the death of a sinner." "He wills that all men should be saved." His revelation to men in His word, and especially in His Son Jesus Christ, puts this in the clearest light, proving that God is "rich in mercy.

Forgiveness is no sudden impulse on God's part. Not the changeful purpose of one who perhaps may change again. Not the mere relenting at the sight of suffering or the cry of misery, of a heart which perchance may harden itself once more. To forgive is God's settled purpose, His deliberate choice, His abiding preference. This, which is taught everywhere in Scripture, is finely illustrated in the passage under our notice. Israel was travelling on the downward road which leads to the deepest depths of sin. But it had not yet reached those depths, and a timely repentance might yet avert God's threatened

judgments. But although Israel should still continue its downward course, and bring upon itself, as we know it did, the judgments of which it had been forewarned, yet even these judgments, leading it to reflection and so to repentance, should be to it a gospel; and when Israel repented, God would forgive. So sure was this, that although the event was future and remote, Isaiah is commissioned to speak of it as actually accomplished. God says, not, "I will blot out," but "I have blotted out thine iniquities."

Note the expression, "I have blotted out." This signifies more than "to cover," -a common word in Scripture for forgiveness of sin. It means to get rid of, to obliterate, to cause to be as though they had never been. It announces forgiveness even to the extent of forgetfulness. "Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. And, mark-sin is the only thing God ever does forget. He never forgets to feed the ravens, to refresh the parched ground, to order the spheres, to pity the poor, to answer the prayer of the humble. But He does forget the sin of the penitent. He "casts it behind His back." He throws it into "the depths of the sea." It sinks as lead in the mighty waters!

Note again, the image, "As a cloud, a thick cloud." See how black the heavens are! All nature is shrouded in densest gloom. Every creature trembles at the portents, and in dismay awaits the threatening storm. But a breeze springs up. The black masses of cloud begin to move and break. Here a glint of sunshine, and there a patch of clear blue sky, give promise of fair weather. Gradually the brightness grows, the clouds are driven before the wind, and presently the whole firmament, from zenith to horizon, is one grand expanse of azure loveliness.

So God forgives sin. The breath of His redeeming grace blows on and disperses the clouds of impending wrath, and scatters them, till not even a shadow of them remains on the tops of the mountains. They are clean gone for ever more!

Note, too, the efficient cause. "I have," &c. In nature, the sun is primarily the cause of the dispersion of the clouds. And in grace, forgiveness is God's own work. He sends His own Son into the world to give it life. Jesus takes away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. God pardons for His sake. His blood atones. His Spirit applies atonement, and the sinner is clean. Divine preference has developed into a Divine purpose, which has effected a Divine propitiation; and the Divine proclamation follows: "I have blotted out thino iniquities as a thick cloud."

II. God urges this as a plea for repentance.-Does the thought suggest itself to any one, "Then God is too mercitul to be severe"? Does any voice whisper, "Ye shall not surely die"? Do men say one to another, "Therefore let us continue in sin"? Deceitful thought! devilish suggestion! basest perversion of infinite compas

sion! No, not this; but, "Therefore return." "The goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance" (Rom. ii. 4).

Is there not here proof that repentance is necessary? Sin is a thick cloud formed of the foul vapours that rise from our hearts as from a pestilential marsh, hiding the heavens from view, intercepting the light of life, rendering the air oppressive and existence burdensome, portentous of storm, tempest, deluge, destruction. Is there then no cause for fear? Can there be peace while such things last? What if the storm burst upon defenceless heads? What if there be no shelter from the lightning and the flood?" Therefore return.'

1

Does not this open a way for repentance? The law, as well as the gospel, proves the need of repentance; but it is the peculiar province of the gospel to show how repentance may avail. If there be no authority for repentance, if all those who would repent are destitute of hope, if all that sinners know is that they must endure and die-will they repent? Can they repent? Surely there is no anguish which could equal that of a hopeless sorrow for sin. But the gospel spares us that anguish, for "in returning and rest ye shall be saved." "Therefore return.'

Is it not a special inducement to repent? Sternness is apt to beget stubbornness. Wrath is apt to beget resistance. But tenderness has a melting power, and love attracts. Then if there be aught that the sinner's heart is unable to hold out against, it must be the grace of God. See that revealed in Jesus. "Behold the Lamb of God!" Observe His willing sacrifice for sin.

"See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingling down:

Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,

Or thorns compose so rich a crown?"

And as you look, will not your heart begin to say,—

"Were the whole realm of nature mine,

That were a present far too small;

Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all"?

Belgrave, Leicester.

CONFIDE IN GOD.

THERE once lived in an old brown cottage, so small that it looked like a chicken coop, a solitary woman. She was some thirty years of age, tended her little garden, knit and spun for a living. She was known everywhere, from village to village, by the cognomen of " Happy Nan-set His royal seal.

cy." She had no money, no family no relatives; she was half blind, quite lame, and very crooked. There was no comeliness in her; and yet there, in that homely, deformed body, the great God, who loves to bring strength out of weakness, had