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Then I saw how much better was a living love than a dead theory, and the lesson which your sweet, happy home-life seemed to teach me was this: let your children see that you love them, and don't make mountains out of molehills. I thought I studied the lesson faithfully while with you, but even now it is not thoroughly learned. Still, I no longer envy you your kisses, for my children love me. Come and see

We are not perfect, by any means, but the 'old maid's children' of last summer have gone. In their places you will find a pair of noisy, loving little rogues, whose greeting will not be wanting in cordiality, however sadly it may be in grace. Come and see these happy little rogues, and their happier mother,

"LESBIA GRAFTON."

"Lesbia has found her heart,"

us. We are pining for your visit. said my grandmother.

CITIZENSHIP.

BY THE REV. W. ABBOTT.

"Fellow-citizens with the saints."-Ephes. ii. 19.

THE grace of God by Jesus Christ gives the chief distinction to man here and hereafter. Many of the Ephesians were the subjects of this grace. They are here reminded of the spiritual changes it had produced among them, the privileges they participated, and the prospects it opened to them. Out of the fulness of his heart the apostle wrote to them, as a partaker with them of the same grace, and as expecting the same glory. No one was better capable of appreciating this subject than the writer. By this grace he was saved; and this grace he had witnessed saving others. It was a truth which he ever felt interested in thinking, speaking, and writing about, and thanking God for. And can we join him in this? Can we, too, say, "By grace we are saved, through faith in Jesus Christ;" "By the grace of God we are what we are ?

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The Apostle here congratulates the Ephesians on their citizenship. Cities have chartered immunities. Privileges are thereby secured to the citizens. The saints, as citizens, excel in their choice and permanent privileges. The covenant of grace is their charter, and relates both to earth and heaven; to the supplies of grace needed while on their pilgrimage, and to the portion reserved for them in the city of glory. It is the new covenant-the Gospel covenant, founded upon better promises, ratified by the Mediator's blood, having an amplitude of blessing, and giving the best possible security. Our great Father's love originated it, while the Redeemer works out the purposes of that love, and the Holy Spirit of adoption witnesses to the truth and grace of it.

These citizens are saints. As such they are of a peculiar class, differing from all other men; they are "a peculiar people," the holy ones of God, the devotees of Christ, the sanctified of the Spirit. Holiness is a living and therefore a growing principle. It is a spiritual

affection of the heart, a habit of the life. It shows itself in spiritual ideas, tastes, affections, and hopes. Special grace, and not creature merit, makes the saint. Men make saints by dressing them up in their creature doings; God makes saints by renewing them in the spirit of their minds. His grace makes the heart right, and so also the life. The one leads to the other; the new heart makes the new "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature."

man.

A sinner and a saint are two different men. A sinner is not a saint, yet a saint is a sinner; for saints are not free from sin, though they desire to be. Sin and holiness both exist in the saint, and make the strange warfare. This will be the case till death; then the saint will cease to be a sinner, but never cease to be a saint. He is a saint now, striving against sin; he will be a saint then, triumphing over sin. He is a saint now, spotted with sin; he will be a saint then, shining in holiness. He is a saint now, weeping over sin; he will be a saint then, with all his sins washed, and all his tears wiped away.

These saintly citizens are in fellowship. They are in fellowship with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit of fellowship is with them and in them. Union with Christ is the cause of their union with each other; and union with each other is essential to fellowship. Union with Christ is by faith. "That Christ may

dwell in your hearts by faith." By faith we come to Him, and also abide in Him. United believers are said to form the "household of faith." “One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one hope of our calling, and one God and Father of us all."

It is a fellowship requiring and promoting spiritual affections. They are quickened to spiritual life; the love of God is shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Spirit; and also the love of Christ constrains them. "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren." This exercise of love is essential to the comfort, joy, and usefulness of their fellowship.

"Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love;

The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above."

Heaven is the home of these saintly citizens. They are freeborn of that glorious city. Elect, redeemed, regenerated, their names written in the Lamb's book of life, and so eligible to all the privileges of that city. It is a city of light. "The inheritance of the saints in light." Light is an emblem of beauty and blessedness, and is often applied to the heavenly state. It indicates both its holiness and happiness. And of this city it is said, "For the glory of God lightens it, and the Lamb is the light thereof." It is a city of peace. Perfect peace is peculiar to heaven. On earth they enjoy peace with God through faith in the Saviour. In this sweet peace they live and die as the earnest of its blissful consummation in heaven. It is a city of freedom. A freedom enjoyed by all the "ransomed of the Lord." Of freedom from every evil; of the free enjoyment of every good. Free

dom from the power, guilt, and grief of sin. Sin is pardoned, sorrows cease, and free and full joy is realised. It is the "glorious freedom of the children of God." It is acity of joy and rejoicing. Here, as saved sinners, they had joy and peace in believing; here the streams of joy relieved and refreshed them; but in heaven they come to the fountain, the "fulness of joy." Everlasting joy is their portion. It is a city of friendship. The Prince is the friend of all the citizens, and they are all friends of each other on account of His friendship. There old friends and new friends meet and rejoice together. All the citizens are friends, and will ever be friends. It is a city of life. There sickness, pain, sorrow, and death are never known; but there life-healthy, active, happy life-life eternal in all its rich blessings, is realised by all the citizens. It is a city of praise, sacred, social, ceaseless praise.

Blunham.

"There shall my passions all be love,
And all my powers be praise."

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STARTING AFRESH.

Mrs.

would certainly give me a lift towards goodness."

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"I'VE come again, aunt Sophy," said Alice Maynard, as she sauntered into the room where a grave, elderly "My blessing, dear child! why, woman sat at her sewing. you have that all the time!" May was Aunt Sophy" to every- "But I want something in parbody in the neighbourhood. Her ticular to-day; it is a solemn sort great, motherly heart held a larger of day to me, in spite of all the parcel of young folks' confidences presents, and the kisses, and the than any woman in town. The visitor helped herself to a chair by her kind friend's side with the air of assured welcome.

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good wishes. There's always any amount of advice to young people, but I don't see exactly how it is. to get me prepared for the future, the solemn duties of life, as the preachers and writers are wont to say."

"Do you want me to tell you what is the very best preparation for the duties of to-morrow, near or far?

"Oh, yes, aunt Sophy, do!"

"Well, it is simply to do promptly and faithfully the duties of to-day. If I could inspire you with that one idea, Alice, it would be a rich blessing to your birthday."

"I thought, aunty, you would offer a great, strong prayer for me, and God would hear it, and I should be blessed."

"And so I will, dear, ask for you in earnest prayer a very great bless

ing. It shall be this: that you may have the disposition to be diligent, to be punctual, to be thorough in everything that belongs to you to do. And then you must yourself answer my prayer for blessing by becoming diligent and punctual and thorough every day. A birthday is a good time to turn over a new leaf, and get a new blessing. Praying and doing, you know, must go together. God wouldn't mind much about our prayers for preparation and for special blessing, if we didn't rouse ourselves up to grasp the blessing with our own hand. Praying that does not take hold of doing is either hypocritical or sentimental; neither the one nor the other makes a woman much better."

"I'm afraid my duties don't amount to much, aunt Sophy."

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Then, dear, I suspect it's because you don't take hold of them rightly. Let's see; you get up in the morning, of course. I wonder if it's always promptly, so that nobody is hindered or tried with your tardiness? And if you go at once about the care of your room, or the breakfast, or the children, no matter what, anything you have to do?

“O aunty, mother has been telling of me, I know she has."

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Alice began to cry. "Oh, aunt Sophy, do show a little mercy! Why, you are as bad as my mother when she gets out of patience!"

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Cry away, child; you know I mean only love by talking so. Such tears are what Mrs. Browning would call 'salt and bitter and good.' I'm sorry for your mother, and sorry for you, and so I deliver my blessing to you, even as the Lord sent you here to receive it."

"It's all right, I know, aunt Sophy, and true, and I ought to thank you, I suppose. But I didn't think of being blessed in this way, by confronting my faults."

"You thought I would say some loving, tender words, and pray for some spiritual blessing; and then you would feel so sweet and happy, and in some mysterious, spiritual way you would be made better by it. You would go home and be very nice and kind to everybody for a little while, and you would do some things extra, that it happened to please you to do; and then when the transient impression had worn off you would be just as before. But you may be sure that is not the way God gives blessing. His blessing for birth"No, indeed; you've been report- days is a new inspiration that ing yourself to me, little by little, doesn't die out through the year. these two years. And so I am It holds on day after day until anmaster of my opportunity to offer other anniversary comes round, and a very great blessing. I've been to then it starts afresh. His blessing your home, too, a good many times. is vigorous self-discipline; it is What was that you were saying the putting one's hand right into the other day about your sewing getting duty-no matter what it is that behindhand, and especially about belongs to the moment, and comthe hooks and buttons that tore off pelling oneself to be thorough in so much, as if they were never pro- it. His blessing is hard work for perly sewed on? It seems to me other people as well as for oneself. you confessed, too, to reading more His blessing is being patient with novels than anything else, and to slack and disagreeable folks, while forgetting, for lack of review, the you are prompt and well-behaved science and the history it cost so yourself. A new resolution in much to learn at school. On the God's strength to begin at once and whole, if you were to sit to Miss be this, and do this, is God's blessOphelia for a daily picture, I'm ing on your twentieth birthday.

This is what makes a woman good, | better, best."

Alice was crying heartily by this time, and tears were dropping on aunt Sophy's folded work.

"Now let's go aside, dear, and lay the case before your Father and mine."

They knelt down together, the grey-haired matron tenderly clasping the youthful hand.

"Shall I ask Him for this blessing, darling, this that can come only by your own earnest persistent will in everyday doing and everyday prayer?"

Slowly and carefully Alice replied: "Yes, aunt Sophy, even this; I've

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felt for a long time that I must turn over this new leaf, and I need-you know I am so slack and carelessall you can ask God for, to keep me to the resolution. Ask Him for His inspiration, His strength.'

It was a precious season to both : to Alice it was the golden opportunity to begin a new year by a renewed life. This twentieth birthday has but just passed. We shall see in another twelve months what comes of a true resolve in a sacred hour.

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Again and again in our lives 'God takes us by the hand,' as the old Moravian hymn sings, and says, Start afresh!"

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VISIONS AND VOICES FROM THE HOUSE OF
PILGRIMAGE.

I. SONGS IN THE HOUSE OF PILGRIMAGE (Concluded).

BY THE REV. R. H. ROBERTS, B.A. '

Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.” Psa. cxix. 54.

II. TRUE religion is a present joyous appropriation. Unsatisfaction does not mean gloom or bitterness. This is the mistake into which many good people fall. They have fancied that in order to be good it is necessary to be ugly; that in order to be sober it is necessary to be sombre; that in order to walk as those who are dead in Christ and raised to be citizens of the world to come they must go about in graveclothes; that in order to live as pilgrims do, it is necessary to hang the harp upon the willow, and sitting down, clothed with sackcloth and covered with ashes, refuse to sing even the Lord's song in a strange land. It is worth noting that the festivals appointed by God for the Jews were arranged only during summer, spring, and autumn, and that not one was held during the winter. But some Christians seem to be keeping their festival only during the winter, and therefore they appear to suffer from perpetual cold, and to have an everlasting croak in the voice; they talk only in an awful whisper, and if ever they do attempt a hymn your nerves are in a jangle for days after. You will tell me,

perhaps, of what John Bunyan says concerning the pilgrims Christian and Faithful in Vanity Fair. I mind it well enough, and undoubtedly there are times when the fight is very stiff and stern, so stiff and so stern that you cannot afford to smile. But let me ask you to remember what the glorious Dreamer, in nothing more powerful than in this

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