THE 'LOVE OF CHRIST.'

THE CONSTRAINING POWER IN CHRISTIAN MISSIONS.

IT was a Jew--an Hebrew of the Hebrews,

who first wrote the words, the love of Christ constraineth us.' I do not know whether he meant Christ's love for us, or our love for Christ, nor does it much matter which of the two it was, for either forms a grand motive-power for the spread of the Gospel. If Christ's love for us will not move the heart to doing and suffering, and selfsacrificing effort, I do not know what will. It sent out Martyn, and Brainerd, and Williams, and Carey, and Marshman; it has sent out men, with hearts full of love, to the frozen north, to the sun-scorched plains of India, to the primeval forests and rolling prairies of the far west. And as they worked and toiled, the one thought ever present to their mind was, 'O this Love! this surpassing, unspeakable love of Christ!' Instead of imagining that they had made any fitting return for it, the offering of their lives upon the altar of Missions seemed ever a small thing compared with the offering which was made on Calvary eighteen hundred years ago.

The 'Love of Christ' produces in the heart deep love for those whose nature the Son of God took on him. They who give themselves to the high and holy work of Missions know how great are the blessings of which the superstitions and ignorance of heathenism are robbing souls that must live for ever.

The

heathen are in darkness, and Christ is Light: in error, and He is the Wisdom of God; utterly corrupt and defiled, and Christ is the mighty Sanctifier. Before their spiritual

vision ten thousand thousand hands are outstretched for aid, and their ears are filled with the cry of countless myriads who are sinsmitten and dying. Five hundred millions of souls,' exclaimed a missionary, 'are represented as being unenlightened! I cannot, if I would, give up the idea of being a missionary, while I reflect upon this vast number of my fellow-sinners who are perishing for lack of knowledge. Five hundred millions! intrudes itself upon my mind wherever I go, and however I am employed. When I go to bed, it is the last thing that recurs to my memory; if I awake in the night, it is to meditate on it alone; and in the morning, it is generally the first thing that occupies my thoughts.'

BIBLE QUESTIONS.

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THREE Prizes, in each of the two divisions, are offered for the largest number of correct answers. The Prizes to be awarded in December 1873.

The following are the conditions:

1. In the first, or Junior division, the questions for which will be printed first in order; competitors not to be above thirteen years of age.

2. In the second, or Senior division, competitors not to be above eighteen years of age; and in both divisions the answers must be honestly the work of the individuals competing.

3. All answers to be addressed, not later than the 18th of each month, to the Rev. JOHN KAY, Greenbank Cottage, Coatbridge.

As a matter of convenience and economy the answers may be written on post cards. Be careful in all cases to give the name and address of the competitor.

JUNIOR DIVISION.

31. Which psalm is a prayer for God's blessing on the church, in order that the whole world may be converted?

32. Name two converts from heathenism, from whom Jesus was descended?

33. What heathen city received God's message in a manner which Jesus tells us would condemn many who had enjoyed greater priveleges ?

SENIOR DIVISION.

31. Where do we find the first promise that persons of every nation shall come to Christ? 32. Where are we first told that the whole earth shall be filled with God's glory?

32. Where is the duty of sending the gospel to the heathen enforced by four questions?

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS IN SEPT. 'DAYSPRING.'

JUNIOR DIVISION.

(25) Gen. xxi. 4; (26) Ex. xii. 26, 27; (27) Deu. xxxi. 12.

SENIOR DIVISION.

(25) Neh. viii. 8; (26) Deu. xxix. 11; Josh. viii. 35; Neh. viii. 2; 2 Chron. xx. 13; (27) Heb. x. 25.

READING THE PICTURES. NE day a very little boy got hold of a

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large book, and carrying it to his Aunt, he said, 'Shew me the pictures, Aunt Mary.' As she was occupied with something else at the time, his Aunt only turned over the leaves that the child might amuse himself with the book. But little Bobby was not at all satisfied with this mode of shewing him the pictures, and looking up imploringly he said, 'Read them to me, Aunt Mary, read them to me.' Little Bobby had been accustomed to have a story told him from each picture, and this he called reading them. So Aunt was obliged to lay aside her work to read the pictures to her little pet.

An engraving of Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath, was a special favourite of little Bobby's, and the expression of his bright black eyes told the delight with which he listened to that interesting history. He knew that God had sent the famine because the king was wicked, and the people were wicked, and he loved to hear of how God took care of the good prophet Elijah, how he put faith into the poor widow's heart, and so made her willing to share her handful of meal with Elijah. And he knew too that the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, that though the prophet and the widow and her son used what they needed one day, next day there was as much in the barrel and in the cruse as there had been before, and their little store never became less till God sent rain, and the famine ceased. Little Bobby knew the story quite well, and yet he liked to hear it over and over again, for these grand old stories are like perennial springs, ever old, ever new.

We hope our young friends will read the pictures to their little brothers and sisters, and so plant in their infant minds seeds of truth, which, if watered by the Holy Spirit, will spring and grow up, and yield abundant fruit.

Good Philip Doddridge tells us how he got his first knowledge of the Word of God. There were no nice picture-books for children, such as we have now, in his

days. But there were Dutch tiles round the chimney of the room where they usually sat. From these tiles young Philip's mother taught him both Old and New Testament history, and thus before he could read, the Word of God was graven on his infant heart.

HOME LESSONS FOR THE LORD'S DAY. SIN REIGNING.

THE fall brought mankind into an estate of sin and misery. Mamma, why is Adam's first sin called the fall?'

'The first sin is called the fall, because by it man, who was created in the likeness of God, became like Satan, the enemy of God and man. Before they sinned, our first parents were the loving children of God, and delighted in His friendship; but after they sinned, were they glad when they heard the voice of God walking in the garden? You can tell me, Maggie dear?'

'No, mamma, they were afraid, and tried to hide themselves amongst the trees of the garden.'

'That shows what a sad change had passed upon them. Falsehood had come into their hearts instead of truth, fear instead of love, an evil conscience instead of confidence toward God. Sometimes I have seen children afraid to meet their kind papa. Do you know when they are so, Maggie?'

'You mean when we have been naughty, mamma; we don't like to meet papa then, because we know he will be angry with us.'

"That is why sinners are afraid of God. They know that they deserve His anger, and like Adam and Eve they vainly try to hide from Him. Read the nineteenth answer, Willie, and it will help you to understand this one better.'

All mankind by their fall lost communion with God, are under His wrath and curse, and so made liable to all miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell for ever."

That is a picture of the terrible consequences which followed Adam's first sin, and when we contrast this sad description of all mankind with man's glorious condition when created, we see why the first act of

disobedience is called the fall. The history of the first child born into the world shows us the sad consequences of the fall.'

'That was Cain. He was very wicked; for he killed his brother Abel. But Abel was not wicked, he was good, mamma.'

'Abel was a sinner as well as Cain; but the Holy Spirit gave him a new heart and made him believe in the promised Saviour. That was what made the difference between Cain and Abel. Had Abel not been a sinner, he would not have needed to offer a lamb for a burnt offering. Read Heb. xi. 4, Willie.'

666 By faith Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, &c."

'Abel was the first who entered heaven, and he got there because he trusted in the blood of Jesus. In the sixth chapter of Genesis you will find a description of the world before the flood, which shows us the awful state of all mankind sixteen hundred years after Adam's sin. Read verses 5, 6, 11, 12.'

"And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart.

The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth."'

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What a sad, sad picture! "All flesh had corrupted his way." Man, who was made after God's own image, had become corrupt, like a dead body,-dead in trespasses and sins. "How is the gold become dim! how is the most fine gold changed! The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers?" Only think of the whole world with only one good man in it; and why was he different from the rest? verse eighth and it will tell you.'

Read

"But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord."

'Noah was no better by nature than the wicked world around; only grace made

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Do you know,

him better than they. Katie, what grace means?' 'It means something good in the heart, mamma.'

Grace means more than this; it means God's free love shown to those who deserve His anger. God put His Holy Spirit into Noah's heart, and made him a preacher of righteousness; but the world was so wicked that none would believe his message, and the flood came and took them all away.'

'But, mamma, surely the world is not so bad now as it was then. There are a great many good people in it now.'

6 The heart of man is the very same now that it was then-"deceitful above all things and desperately wicked." You will find Paul's description of all mankind in Rom. iii. 10-18.'

"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God, &c."

'Men are so very wicked, that though the gospel is preached to them continually, no one ever comes to Jesus till the Holy Spirit makes him willing. And the worst of all is, that men think themselves very good, and have no idea of their own dangerous condition. You have heard of the great historian, Merle D'Aubigne, who died a short time ago?'

'Was he the good man who wrote the story of Luther finding the Latin Bible in the monastery, mamma?'

'The very same; and I am going to tell you how he became a true Christian. When he was a boy he knew very little of Scripture truth; but while he was a young man, Robert Haldane, a very pious Scotch gentleman, went to reside for a time in Geneva. He found the students in that city so very ignorant of the Scriptures, that he opened a class for their instruction, and Merle D'Aubigne became one of his pupils. The epistle to the Romans was the portion of Scripture which Haldane explained to his class; and when he came to the passage which you have just read, he tried to show them that this awful account, is God's description