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brance" of the truth they seemed to have forgotten. Constantly we hear of him at Paul's side, "my work-fellow," "my fellow-labourer,' "as a son with his father, serving in the gospel." He passed through his apprenticeship in a loyal and loving spirit; and presently, like other good apprentices, he rose to be a master, with enterprises of his own. Higher work will always be ready for the man who does the lower work modestly and well. Still comparatively young, he is left at Ephesus with an Herculean task on his hands; he has to organize the churches in all that district, to “ordain elders," to "do the work of an evangelist," and at the same time to guard the faith against the active assaults of a spurious philosophy. He becomes the recognized successor of the great Apostle of the Gentiles, invested with an authority hardly inferior to his own. When that Apostle's end draws near, and he seeks some one to be the comforter of his last days, and the trusted executor of his last thoughts and purposes, it is to Timothy that the eager summons is sent, in language of eager fatherly affection. Whether he reached Rome in time to undertake the desired offices, is left untold; but we learn that the honour of suffering imprisonment for Christ fell also to his share, and, if tradition is to be trusted, he died at last a martyr's death in the streets of his own turbulent Ephesus.

With little beyond allusions to guide us, it is difficult to decide on the precise qualities of character which distinguished Timothy from other men. His bodily health was feeble, and required stimulants; his natural disposition appears to have been as sensitive as Paul's, and perhaps deficient in forwardness and courage. Some have urged that he must have been of a cowardly and time-serving spirit, adducing, as a proof, the repeated exhortations in the Epistles addressed to him, to be strong and steadfast. These exhortations, however, must not be unduly pressed. The situation of affairs at Ephesus was at the time extremely difficult and even dangerous. Heathenism was as fierce and as vigilant as when Demetrius led the rioters against Paul. Heresy, in its most pernicious forms, was noisily asserting itself. The bravest might easily have lost heart in such an atmosphere, and would have needed to sustain him every motive which an Apostle could supply. Paul did not think meanly of his follower. On the contrary, he speaks of his unfeigned faith, his unwearied service, his strict fidelity, "the proof of him as a man weighed in the balance and found to be of sterling weight. He calls him by the dearest names, 'my brother," "my son,' "my dearly beloved son," and entreats the special kindness of the Churches on his behalf. He declares, in one place, that in all the chosen band of his fellow-labourers there is none so disinterested as Timothy, none so full of sympathy, none so much after his own heart. High praise from such a pen as Paul's! For it marks out this man, at the age we may suppose of thirty or thirty-five, as the leader among all his comrades in the faith. And he led, be it observed, not because of his natural forwardness, for he had none; nor yet apparently from

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any great intellectual mastery, for he seems to have shrunk from controversy but by dint of his sheer goodness, unselfishness, and trust in God. More dazzling names than his are to be seen in the firmament of the early Church; Apollos flames across the sky, leaving behind the brilliant sparks of his Alexandrian rhetoric: but the star of Timotheus shines on with a gentle, gracious, and unfading lustre, holding forth the word of life. His was one of those delightful Christian characters, which, with little outward show or sound, shine by the very necessity of their inner light. "Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Whatever, then, the contrast between Timothy's peculiar mission and the current of our common life, his character is one which, in its strength, its modesty, and its unselfishness, may be ours. Character

is a building of which God is the architect, and all the designs are His. But the building rises stone on stone, and is the work of many different hands; and it is useful to enquire what particular influences we can trace as helping to make this man what he was.

"From a

One powerful element in his education was the Bible. child" it had been his great lesson-book; its milk had nourished his spiritual infancy, and its meat sustained his spiritual manhood. And now, in this great age of making books, where, by common confession, is there a book that will do for character what the Bible does? "Men cannot do without it," writes Matthew Arnold; "for they want happiness, and happiness is the result of righteousness, and righteousness is to be found in the Bible. "I have put a New Testament among your books," said Charles Dickens to his son, "because it teaches you the best lessons by which any human creature can possible be guided." Dr. Chalmers puts it on record: "If I were asked to specify the likeliest prescription for the well-being of the soul, I should say it was a prayerful reading of the Bible." A Bible Christian is a strong Christian. He escapes the perpetual religious childhood in which too many are content to live and die. The breezes of scepticism do not break his cable. The shocks of life do not destroy his faith. By daily reading and weighing of the Scriptures he waxes riper and stronger, deeper and yet broader, at once a scholar and a soldier, a man of God, "throughly furnished unto all good works." Yes, if we would grow, there is no better secret than the old-fashioned plan of a regular, orderly, prayerful study of the Bible.

No less helpful were the powerful personal influences by which Timothy was surrounded. The scriptures came to him at first from the living lips of his mother and his grandmother, sweetening every word with the persuasions of human love. The gospel was commended to his conscience by the inspiring example of his great foster-father Paul. He owed to them what we owe to the sainted parents, the devout instructors, the godly companions, of our earlier days. A Bible well-explained and earnestly enforced is ten times a Bible. Be it ours

now to teach it to our children, to our friends, as it was taught to us. Whatever illustrations we can gather to add interest to the precious truths of God, let us employ. Above all, let us feel what we teach, bringing the treasure out of the depths of our own hearts, and we cannot teach in vain. The making another Timothy lies in many a Christian mother's hands; and none among us but may have a work to do in encouraging younger brethren by our own example, in helping to educate them for a fuller service, and to animate them to a nobler faith. Yet, after all, the main human force at work in the formation of Timothy's character was Timothy himself: the determining will was his own. He had the humility to listen and to learn, the candour to accept, the decision to choose, and the patience to endure. These were God's gifts to him; but he cherished them, held them fast, and increased them by practice: therefore he profited by his advantages, and became what we have seen him to be. Nor will it be ever otherwise. Success in life, secular or spiritual, depends not so much on the number of advantages, as in the use we make of those that we have. If you have a heart for God, and for His service, a way will be found for you; and if you have no heart, neither pious parent nor diligent teacher can supply the lack. Be serious, be earnest, stoop to the Saviour's yoke, and yield to the guidance of the Spirit; and you too shall be "made wise unto salvation." You shall fight a good fight in the great warfare with evil. You shall overcome at last; the heavy armour shall be loosened, and the crown brought forth with shoutings; and the King Himself shall acknowledge you before the holy angels as a good soldier of Jesus Christ."

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THE LOST OPPORTUNITY.

NELL stood by the window with the baby in her arms, drumming on the glass for the child's amusement, and for her own amusement watching the queer, tumble-down little house on the opposite side of the street-the one blot upon that very respectable neighbourhood. Families had moved in and out there until Nell had christened it "The Panorama," and now, after a week's silence and solitude, it was again thrown open, and a new set were taking possession.

"And such a set!" commented Nell, reporting proceedings to her eldest sister, who was busily employed farther back in the room. "That old man with the old blue

coat on has brought a load of goods on a handcart. There are two pumpkins, a rocking-chair-minus the rockers-a bench, a pail, and a churn, with a little mite of a girl standing in it. What an idea! Put her there to keep her from falling off, I suppose. Oh, there's another small specimen of humanity done up in a straw bed! Well, he understands packing children for transportation, at any rate! Come and see what funny little mortals they are, Lydia."

"There is an older one than those two," said Lydia, laughingly watching them as they emerged from their strange quarters; "a boy some ten or twelve years old."

"And I guess that's all the "You needn't be afraid of offering family," answered Nell. "Don't any neighbourly benevolence you believe there's a woman about the have to spare, Lydia. I think establishment." they'll be ready to accept it with. out overwhelming you with gratitude."

"There is, though "-Lydia's mirthful glance softened as it rested on the old tenement-"but she is sick." I saw her when she came this morning, and she looked so pale and miserable as they carried her in that I could not but pity her. It must seem forlorn to one ill as she is to have to move, and into such a place as that. I mean to go and see her by-and-by, when I have a good chance."

"You needn't wait long on their account; there doesn't seem to be anything to settle," responded Nell, completing her survey of the goods and chattels.

A sharp, quick rap at the back door startled them, and before they could answer the summons the door was partially opened and a tumbled curly head thrust in. A pair of bright black eyes scanned the apartment for an instant, and then rested upon the occupants.

"I'm Dick."

"Are you, really?" began the astonished Lydia.

"True as ye live an' breathe," affirmed the new-comer, earnestly, thinking the statement had been doubted. "Uncle Pete wants to know can he borrer the loan of two sticks o' wood."

"Who is uncle Pete?" demanded Nell.

"Lives over yer." The boy pointed in the direction of the house. "Wants to know can he borrer the loan o' two sticks of wood, an' a ax to chop ’em.”

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Yes, I suppose he can," said Lydia, slowly; but you can't carry them."

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Oh, he'd rather come and pick 'em out his own self; he don't want every sort," was his quick reply; and the door was shut again as suddenly as it had been opened. Nell laughed.

"I wish I had asked about the sick one, though," persisted Lydia, "I was so surprised that I didn't think of it."

"Don't mourn; they'll be sure to give you opportunity enough," prophesied Nell, mischievously.

Home to an early dinner came Brante Garnet, greeting the pretty nook and group within it with the satisfied air of a man who fancies himself blessed with the dearest wife, the nicest sister, and the smartest baby in the universe. This last possession he caught in his arms unceremoniously, and began tossing it in the air. Then he walked to Lydia's flower-stand, and showered down some leaves for the young gentleman's diversion. The scattering reminded him of a gathering, perhaps, for he turned toward his wife.

"Oh, Lydia! The association meets here next Thursday, you know."

"Does it? I'd forgotten." "And there are the delegates to be accommodated, you see.

Mr. Garnet paused, but Mistress Lydia only looked up with a smiling unconcern that conveyed no hope of her making a suggestion, or taking a hint, so he went on:

"The committee wanted to know if we could take some; and I thought perhaps we could-two or three."

Nell drew down the corners of her mouth, and an expression of dismay flitted over Lydia's face.

"Why, I thought," said Mr. Garnet, noticing these signs-" of course, you needn't have them if you don't want to-but I thought you said last year that we could have accommodated some of them as well as not."

"Yes, Brante; but that was later course; but things do seem smoked in the season. We were through and dusty, and not as nice as usual our house-cleaning, and everything so late in the season. Those looked nicely." curtains in the front chamber must be taken down, washed, and put up fresh

"Oh, if that is all, you needn't be troubled!" exclaimed the gentleman, relieved. "It is good enough for anybody now. I don't see but everything is all right." He glanced first at the ceiling, and then at the baby, and neither of them had fallen.

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"As if the wise spectacled gentlemen that are coming would have any eyes for such vanities,' interposed Nell. "It will be neatness wasted on desert air.”

"It will do me some good, at least," insisted Lydia. "I don't intend to attempt much, though— only a few things."

Voting to have an association in one's own town is voting to do all the work while somebody else has all the fun," replied Nell, But "few" was a very indefinite stirring her coffee meditatively. term in Lydia's vocabulary. "If "You can't see and hear what is her îngers touched a single link, done; you can only stay at home she must go to the end of the chain,' and take care of those who are said her sister, disconsolately. And doing it. It's a sort of diluted so it happened that when the glory, like Mrs. Smith's. She said curtains were taken down the next she didn't know Washington Irving day, the opportunity for washing herself, but she had walked out of the windows proved too fair to be church behind a woman who lost. Then, with windows and had!"

"I was almost as fortunate as that myself," laughed Brante, " for I slept in a room that he had once occupied. At least the landlord said that Mr. Irving had that room whenever he stopped there, but after I had tried it for one night, I had a strong suspicion that he didn't stop there often."

The conversation wandered from celebrated persons to noted places, and then drifted away to the trio's pet plans for visiting these last; and the comparing of various charming routes for their imaginary trip prolonged the dinner marvellously.

"I had no idea it was so late," said Lydia, when Brante left them at last.

"You will hardly make any calls to-day, even on your delectable neighbour across the street."

shutters both open, every spot upon the walls became plainly visible, and must necessarily receive hydrophobic treatment. Other rooms came in for a share of attention, and it was quite late in the afternoon that Lydia, with a handkerchief still fastened over brown braids, was hanging the pictures back in place, while Nell was driving the final tack in a strip of drugget.

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In upon them, unceremoniously as before,came the little visitor from the opposite house, Dick. He came quite into the room this time, and looked admiringly at the pictures before he spoke.

"Uncle Peter wants to know can he borrer the loan of a half a loaf of bread?"

"An' a knife to spread 'em," added Nell, sotto voce.

"'Cause he hadn't got his bakin' done," pursued Dick.

"No, Nell; if there are to be strangers here, we must re-arrange “Yes; I'll ask Bridget to get it Some of the rooms a little," Lydia for you. Who is sick over at your began, very thoughtfully. "Brante house?" questioned Lydia. doesn't understand about it, of

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