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A good man named Sir Hum- Sam Dale was, the earth falling phry Davy, who lived in England between them and the shafts. If long ago, invented what was called the "safety lamp." It was a lamp for miners to use, which would not set the fire-damp on fire. It has saved a great many from death, but, in spite of this, dreadful accidents will sometimes take place.

The morning after the Sunday I have been telling you of, our miner (his name was Sam Dale) went down to his work.

It was so early the stars were still shining, and the sun would not rise for an hour. Indeed, these poor fellows scarcely ever see its bright light except on Sunday. Sam was working in the further corner of a large room, made by digging out iron ore. With no light except what the little lamp on his cap gave, he was busily picking away at the iron, and loading up his barrow, to be drawn through the long galleries to the shaft.

But what was that noise ?-men hurrying along, shouting something in fear and terror. He listened to hear what they said, then dropped his pick, and turned to fly for his life after them. It was the terrible fire-damp, and their only hope lay in reaching the shaft. As he was crossing the long room he stumbled and fell, while at the same moment an awful sound, louder than the loudest thunder, shook the mine. The whole earth seemed to be crashing around him. Then all was still, but Sam Dale was in no haste to rise from where he lay, with his face to the ground. He knew how it was with him, knew that the fire-damp, which might have killed him at once, was shut out, but he was shut in, to wait for a slower and more dreadful death. It often happens in mines, that the earth above the long galleries and rooms will fall down; sometimes it falls right on the miners, and kills them in an instant. At others, they are shut up as poor

the place where they are shut up is large enough for them to breathe well, and they do not starve before they are reached, they may be rescued. But many a poor fellow has died a sad death before help would come.

The miners gathered at the shaft, and soon knew the danger was past; but one of their number was missing. They went quickly to look for Sam Dale, for he was a favourite with all. When they came to the place where the earth had fallen, they saw, by the way it lay, that it would take a long time to reach him.

"It will take four days to dig in to him," said one. "If he isn't dead now, he will be before then."

"Not quite so long," said another, "we'll all dig with a will." And they did.

When one set of men were tired out, others took their places; so, night or day, not a moment was lost. An anxious crowd gathered around the top of the shaft, waiting to hear the first news of the poor buried man.

When Sam Dale got up from the ground, he looked around to see what his chances were. He knew his comrades would work faithfully to try to save his life. He found himself in a place large enough to give him plenty of air. He had his dinner for that day, and decided to save one-half of it for to-morrow. But he knew nothing as to how large the fall might be; it might be many days before he could be found.

"A small chance for me," said the poor man, as he sat down to wait, wait, wait for life or death.

"God only knows which," he said, and then he thought of the words of his little daughter, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." The tears ran down his rough cheeks as he wondered whether he should ever see the pretty faces of his little ones again. But the

"Dead for want of air, poor fellow!"

sweet words never left his heart, called to him, but no answer and they gave him strength to bear came. the long hours of waiting. He could only guess how time was passing. Towards the third night his courage was almost gone. He was suffering from hunger, and still more from thirst. He felt again in his bag to see if no crumb from his dinner had fallen there. He drew out his hand with a cry of joy.

It was an hour before they could get in to bring him out. They carried him to the shaft, and up into the sunlight. Kind friends had kept his wife and children at home, they did not know he was found.

said

"Where's the doctor? " some; but others said, "It's no use!"

"Make way, my men, make way; we'll see how that may be, anyhow." It was the doctor, and

"If the great God spares my poor life, it will surely be by the hand of my little boy." And he knelt and gave thanks, praying for more strength and courage to bear what might yet be before him. It he bent over the man whom all was the little bottle of "medicine" thought dead. "He's alive! he's which Jimmy had put in his bag. no more dead than I am! Quick, He had never thought of it since; men, carry him into the nearest and now what a welcome medicine house, and we'll have him up in it was to his parched throat! Not three hours." much, but enough to relieve the burning thirst for a while. How the happy news, and in a few eagerly he listened, hoping to hear minutes wife and children were at the sound of his comrades working the father's side. When they their way to him! But many more hours passed, and his strength was almost gone. The air about him was getting very hard to breathe. With one more prayer that God would take care of his wife and children, he lay down to die.

Glad voices carried to his home

brought him home that night-for he soon got better-he held the little bottle in his hand. When he had told all I have been telling you he tied it up to a nail on the wall of his little shanty.

"There, Jimmy," he said, “I It was fully four days before the think the good Lord told you to miners dug their way into Sam put it in my bag. It must hang Dale's dark prison. Their faces there always, to make us think of looked gloomy, for they had little what my little girl taught us at the hope of finding him alive. When same time: 'I will never leave the first opening was made, they thee, nor forsake thee.""

POSSESSING CHRIST.

A CHIEF reason why so many believers fail to attain an exalted type of Christian character is because they do not receive Christ as a living, indwelling, personal Saviour. Religion is to them an abstraction rather than a reality. They have faith, but it is a dead intellectual exercise rather than a life-giving power begotten in the soul by the Holy Ghost, through the word of God," which liveth and abideth for ever."

There is very much of Christian philosophy in the words of the dying East Indian who, when asked how she felt, replied, "Happy! Happy! and, laying her hand on the Bible, added, "I have Christ here, and,

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pressing it to her heart, "and Christ here," and, pointing to heaven, "and Christ there." This tells the whole story. "Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God." The Christ of the Bible, the Saviour of sinners, must be first found and apprehended; but a mere intellectual apprehension is not sufficient. The heart must be affected. The affections, those hidden but mighty springs of action, must be touched. Faith will then yield spontaneously its proper fruit. The believer will possess that which is a perennial joy to himself and a fountain of blessing to others.

This is not all, however. Such faith can point to heaven with the precious assurance that it possesses a Christ there. Amid life's fitful changes the soul abides in peace and hope. When lengthening shadows tell that the day declines, and the heart begins to understand how empty are earth's promises and how vain its trusts, then is felt the faithfulness of that Christ who has trodden life's pathway before us, and who now sits at the right hand of the Majesty on high to intercede in our behalf. And when at last the feet come down to the silent river, and the sullen waters seem ready to overwhelm the soul, the believer can yet say, "I know whom I have trusted, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day." He rests upon that word which declares, "I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live" (John xi. 25). Though the enemy seems to triumph, the Christian knows that triumph will be short, for he trusts in One who has gotten the victory over death and the grave, and who has said, "I will come again and receive you unto Myself; that where I am there ye may be also " (John xiv. 3).

So we may, we must, possess Christ if we would be His. In the Bible, a crucified Christ; in the heart, a living Christ; in heaven, a glorified Christ; in the future, a coming Christ:-Christ in life, Christ in death, Christ in a coming judgment—"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever."

WHILE STOPPING AT THE INN.

FROM much loved friends whene'er I part
A pensive sadness fills my heart,
Past scenes my fancy wanders o'er,
And sighs to think they are no more.

Along the road I musing go
O'er many a deep and miry slough,
The clouded moon withdraws her light,
And leaves me to the shades of night.

An inn receives me: where, unknown,
I solitary set me down;

Many I hear and some I see,

I naught to them, they naught to me.

Thus in the regions of the dead,
A pilgrim's wandering life I lead:
And still at every step declare
I've no abiding city here.

For very far from here I dwell,
And therefore bid the world farewell;
Finding of all the joys it gives

A sad remembrance only lives.

Rough stumbling stones my steps o'erthrow,
And lay a wandering sinner low,

Yet still my course to heaven I steer
Though neither moon nor star appear.

The world is like an inn, for there
Men call and drink and storm and swear,
While undisturbed a Christian waits,
And reads and writes and meditates.

Though in the dark ofttime I stray,
The Word shall light me on my way,
And to the City of the Son

Conduct me when my journey's done.

There by these eyes shall He be seen
Who sojourned for me in an inn;
On Zion's hill I those shall hail
From whom I parted in the vale.

Why am I heavy, then, and sad

When thoughts like these should make me glad?

Muse, then, no more on things below,

Arise, my soul, and let us go.

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DO YOU ATTEND THE PRAYER-MEETING?

How came it to pass that three thousand were converted on the day of Pentecost? Had not the meeting for prayer, of which mention is made in Acts i. 14, when it is said, "These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication," a close and influential connection with the glorious results of that day? Undoubtedly it had. But what was there in that meeting of one hundred and twenty disciples to exert an influence to the conversion of three thousand individuals ? Whence had it that power? It was a prayer-meeting, professedly a prayer-meeting; a meeting of Christians to express their dependence on God, unitedly to call on Him for His blessing, to plead His promise, and to await His fulfilment of it. These are the efficient meetings in which Christians meet and agree to ask of God. I wonder they do not value them more. To the prayer-meeting Christians come to exercise the high privilege of intercession for others; to do good and

to communicate, to act the "more blessed" part; whereas, to meetings of another kind, they go for the purpose of receiving good. Yet Christians value no meetings so little as prayer-meetings. But the influence of that meeting of a hundred and twenty was not owing entirely to its being a prayer-meeting. There was much by which it was distinguished from ordinary prayer-meetings. The mention of these peculiarities may be of service. It may provoke imitation in some Churches.

1. All the Church attended the prayer-meeting. "These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brethren" (Acts. i. 14). There were but one hundred and twenty disciples, and they were all present. How different it is now! They who meet may agree among themselves to ask for an outpouring of the Spirit, but it is after all but the agreement of a minority of the Church. The majority, by their absence, dissent from the request.

2. As all attended, of course the men attended as well as the women. Yes, every male member of the Church was present; they did not leave it to the women to sustain the prayer-meeeting. That prayer-meeting had not the aspect of many a modern prayer-meeting, in which almost all are the weaker sex.

3. The most distinguished members of the Church attended, as well as the most obscure. There were all the apostles, and "Mary the mother of Jesus," and "His brethren." None of them felt above being at a prayer-meeting. How is it now?

4. They were all agreed- "of one accord," as it is said: not merely agreed as touching what they should ask, namely, the fulfilment of "the promise of the Father," but of one mind generally—ay, and of one heart. They thought and felt alike. They all loved one another. Such cordial union among Christians has great power with God. It does not always exist in our prayer-meetings.

5. They persevered in prayer. "These all continued in prayer." First they stirred themselves up to take hold on God, and then said: "We will not let Thee go except Thou bless us." They met often for prayer, and all met, and they lingered long at the throne of grace. But how long did they continue asking? Until they obtained, and then they did but pass from the note of prayer to that of praise. They sought the Lord until He came. It is time we all should do it. They were together holding meeting when the Spirit descended. I think if all our Church-members would habitually attend the prayermeetings, they would not wait in vain for the promise of the Father. How often we hear it said, "It is nothing but a prayer-meeting!" Nothing but? -I should like to know what surpasses a prayermeeting!

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