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dear little fellow, to visit him some few months since, relative to the concerns of his soul. At my first visit, I saw sufficient indications to warrant me in concluding his stay with us would be very brief. I questioned him with regard to his state, and whether he thought he should die, and what hope he had beyond the grave. He promptly replied, "I know I am a sinner, but Jesus died for my sins; and I am not afraid to die. There is not anything to be afraid of; for I am going to heaven to be with Jesus." Many precious things were dropped at that time. Before leaving I said, "Shall I pray? Is there anything in particular that you would wish me to pray for, that you would wish me to ask Jesus to do for you ?"

His reply was,

Jesus."

"Don't ask for me to get better. I want to be with

At subsequent visits, I found his views of the utter depravity of his nature, the change that had been wrought in his soul,-the saving work of Jesus,—the teaching and grace of the Holy Ghost,-were so clear and Scriptural, that they would have done credit to an old believer. Having been educated some time in our Sabbath school, and privileged with God-fearing parents, I thought it was possible to a certain extent to be the result of the teaching he had received; I was, therefore, exceedingly anxious to draw from him, something of what he had experienced; whether he knew of any change that he had felt. "O yes," he quickly replied, "I know what it was to have a wicked heart. I did not love Jesus then, nor the Bible, but now I do. I love my father and my ma very much, but I love Jesus, and my Bible better than them."

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I said, in reply, "What made you feel like this, do you think anything your teacher or parents said to you produced this change?" 'No," was his quick answer, with considerable emphasis, them, but God the Spirit. I was very wicked," he said, "and felt if I I died I should go to hell, and I was afraid to be alone; and I was afraid of the dark; and one day I felt so strange, I tried to say my prayers: I was so miserable I could not recollect them. I felt I must ask Jesus to save me, and forgive my sins; and all at once I felt I loved God, and Jesus, and the Bible; and I was glad then when Father would read or ma talk to me about my soul and about Jesus.”

Some few days before his death I called to see him, and found him in a sweet frame of mind; but that fearful disease, consumption, making rapid strides upon the small attenuated frame. After some conversation, I was led to pray, the Lord would be pleased to cut short the work, and enable him, ere he departed, to leave some testimony, that his sorrowing parents might be comforted with the thought that he had gone to be with Jesus. This appeared to have rested upon his mind, for the next day he said, "Ma, can you sit quite quiet with me?"

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Yes, certainly, my dear, but why do you wish it just now?" have something to tell you." He then began to open his mind in a way he had never done before, being naturally of a quiet close manner.

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Ma, you know when I went to stay with grandma, she made me read the Bible, and I did'nt want to do it; and I pretended being poorly one night, and I went to bed, but I could not sleep. I was so frightened, I thought I should die, and go to the wicked place; and when I came home, you know I was afraid to be alone, or to go to bed,

or be in the dark; but when Jesus forgave me, I was not afraid then of being alone, or being in the dark, and I am quite happy now, and I shall soon be with Jesus in heaven. Why, do you cry, Ma?"

"O, I don't know how we shall part with you, have you no wish to live with us any longer?" "No, ma, while I do live, I should like to be a little stronger, that I might tell Jemmy (an elder brother) not to be wicked and rough, to read his Bible and pray to Jesus."

At my last visit, a day or two before his departure, I said to him, "Do you remember anything you ever heard at chapel, or Sunday school, that did you good?"

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Yes," he replied, "when you gave us an address in the school, and your text was, 'Thou, God, seest me;' and when I felt I was wicked, I thought God could see me, and He was angry, and He could send me to hell. But when I prayed, I remembered you said, 'He could see us when we could not see Him; and if we had no words, and felt we could not pray, God could see not only our bodies, but what we had never seen ourselves, our hearts, and our most secret thoughts.' And now I know He sees I love Him."

I said, "Your poor, pained body rests upon this nice soft bed, but it cannot give you ease, nor prevent the cough; where is your soul resting?"

"He promptly replied, with an animated expression of countenance, "Why, ON JESUS; THERE IS NO WHERE ELSE TO REST; and Jesus is with me now, and I shall soon be with Him."

Soon after he said to his mother, "Ma, what do you mean to do with my clothes when I am dead?"

"O, my dear," she replied, "I have not thought about them." He said, "They will not be large enough for; and he is a poor weak little fellow, I don't think he will live to want them."

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Well, my dear," was his parent's reply, "have you any particular wish with regard to them?"

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Yes," he answered, "I should like

Why, my dear?”

to have them."

"Because, poor little fellow, he has got no ma.”

"Well then, he shall have them."

"And mind he is to have my best ones."

He then divided his toys and books as deliberately and collectedly as if going for a visit.

A relative having given him a small sum of money one day that he might have a little cash at command for any little delicacy he might fancy, this money he had spent in Bibles and the names of different friends written in them, feeling it was the best present he could make them.

Thus sweetly fell asleep in Jesus this truly experimental and practical little Christian, at the early age of eleven years, in Devonshire, January, 1867.

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Can we not gather from the foregoing, some profitable hints? Do we not see the sovereign, condescending, and discriminating grace a Covenant God, in calling this young Samuel out of nature's darkness and bondage into an experimental realization of peace?

Do we not see in this young believer's experience, an unmistakable refutation of the wretched Colenso assertion, that Christ is not to be

praised or prayed to as God? This child prayed to him and had the testimony in his soul, that he was not only a God-hearing but a God answering prayer, and a soul-saving, and sin-pardoning God, agreeable to the language of the sainted poet,

"That Christ is God, I can avouch,
And for His people cares,

For I have prayed to Him as such,
And He has heard my prayers."

Mark also, how he looked beyond all instrumentality, and was enabled to see by faith, the Godhead, personality, and work, of God the Holy Ghost.

Praying parents, who travail in soul for your dear children, that that you may see Christ formed in them the hope of glory, pray on. The Lord would never have put it into your hearts thus to pray, if He did not intend a gracious answer.

Faint-hearted Sabbath school teacher, cheer up, your God is allsufficient, your labour shall not be in vain in the Lord; it may be weeping time now, well, it will soon be over, the rejoicing will soon begin, and that will last for ever.

Poor tried perplexed brother in the ministry, you, perhaps, are ready to say, "Who hath believed our report? Perhaps the children in your Sunday school give no evidence of good received, and their noise and inattention in the house of God may grieve you; but fear not, it is not lost in every case. You are sowing good seed in the good and prepared ground; you may not see its upspringing, nor matured fruit, but it shall be brought about at God's time, in God's manner, in God's own pre-appointed place:

So that instrument and seal shall be constrained to say, "Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory."

IOTA.

"I AM THE LORD, I CHANGE
NOT."

CHANGE is our portion here!
Soon fades the summer sky;
The landscape droops in autumn sere,
And spring-flowers bloom to die;
But faithful is Jehovah's word,

"I will be with thee," saith the Lord.
Change is our portion here!

E'en in the heavenly road,
In faith, and hope, and holy fear,
In love towards our God;
How often we distrust that word,

"I will be with thee," saith the Lord.

Change is our portion here!

Yet midst our changing lot,

Midst withering flowers and tempests
drear,

There is that changes not;
Unchangeable Jehovah's word,
"I will be with thee," said the Lord,
Changeless the way of peace;
Changeless Immanuel's name;
Changeless the covenant of grace,
Eternally the same.

"I change not," is our Father's word;
"Thou art my portion," Holy Lord.

ORIGINAL PASTORALS.

By Wm. LEAY, Incumbent of Downside, Bath
"Be ye not unwise."-Eph v. 17.
ETERNAL Love! the Shepherd died
To save the sheep! the Crucified,

The Lamb once slain I preach!
Oh! for a seraph's harp to raise
The melody of song and praise,

A waiting flock to teach!

To feed the flock, fresh streams provide,
And safely through the desert guide
The lambs so prone to stray:
Ah! "who sufficient?" Lord, inspire,-
Enlighten with celestial fire

A Pastor on his way.

On Israel's fields of old, as now,
In Surrey, Meath, or Linlithgow,

The sheep are seen to rove,-
Lo! multitudes who needed grace,
Once saw the Saviour face to face,

Yet knew not of His love!
For why? because not taught to seek
Or come to Him who "lowly, meek,"
Himself the Ransom gave.

Oh! Holy Spirit teach the flock,
Instruct them now to ask and knoek,

Till taught Thy power to save.

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BY BENJAMIN TAYLOR, MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL, PULHAM ST. MARY,

NORFOLK.

"The key of the house of David."-Isa. xxii. 22

IF WE attend to the literal meaning of the history before us, we shall see that the prophet refers us to Eliakim. This Eliakim was one of the chief treasurers of king Hezekiah, a minister of the state, and master of the household. He was one of Hezekiah's ambassadors that was abused by Rabshakeh, the ambassador of Sennacherib, king of Babylon. Doubtless, Eliakim was a type of Christ, who is the chief minister of the sanctuary, the treasurer of the Church; having the care of all her riches; is faithful to His trust, and, however much abused by self-righteous Pharisees, will defend His Father's household, and take care of His property. We notice

1st,―The house of David.-2nd,―The key and its use.

I. THE HOUSE OF DAVID. · The word David means beloved, pointing us at once to Christ, the beloved Son of God; and the house of David here means the Church of Christ, which is a choice dwelling, desired above every other habitation, an everlasting rest for God, and abundantly blessed with the choicest provision. The nature of this house is beautifully described by Solomon, who says, "The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir." It is a beautiful and glorious house; it has a golden foundation, silver sides, a purple covering, and is paved with love for the daughters of Jerusalem. Ah, say God's fearing and trembling ones, we admire the form, beauty, and riches of this house; we love to see it and hear about it, because of its wise master builder; but do we belong to its inhabitants? Do we form a part of its distinguished family? Why, beloved brethren, you remind me of a certain people spoken of in the Acts of the Apostles, "And of the rest durst no man join himself to them, but the people magnified them." You cannot help admiring the house; it gives you pleasure to speak of its inmates; and you find such a feeling in your heart towards them as you have towards no others; and that you would give a world to have a clear evidence you are bone of their bone, and flesh of their flesh. Now this is absolutely one of the marks of these children; for they are a little flock, subject to fears, liable to many changes, call themselves dry trees, and cannot believe but what they are separated from the Lord's people. Notwithstanding all this, these poor down-cast tried ones love the brethren, choose the things that are right, take hold of God's covenant, and really have an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. Ah, says poor little faith, but these things do not belong to me. I am not satisfied that I have a real work of grace in my heart; I cannot say I have those evidences I want: how little do I know and feel of the piercings and terrors of a righteous and holy law! And what do I know of the glorious liberty of the sons of God? Since I first professed to believe

Jesus, and thought my sins might be forgiven, and I might be justified through grace, alas, how dark, hard-hearted, and barren have I been! How worldly-minded! And O how dull and stupid concerning the greatest and best things? What are my prayers, desires, and

thoughts? and what are my ends and motives in all I say and do? O Lord, I beseech thee to search me, and neither let me deceive myself nor others. Ah, my friend, David knows all about us, what kind of house he owns, and what is the state and condition of all his children. He knows they are crooked and perverse, stubborn and self-willed, and that they are more liable to do evil than good. Hear his complaint : "Although my house be not so with God; yet He hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure: for this is my salvation and all my desire, although He made it not to grow."

II. Let us now say a word or two upon THE KEY OF THIS HOUSE,

AND ITS USE.

Let me remind you of the fact that the key of my house is not intended to unlock the doors of other people's houses; no, it belongs to my own house, and is for the entire use of it. The key of David's house does not belong to the house of Pharaoh, nor to Caleb's house, nor Saul's house, nor Joab's house. The Church is God's house; the master of that house is Christ, and He has a key—a certain key belonging to this house fitted to every door of it, and will readily unlock every door when applied. The key, mind you, cannot unlock the door of itself; no, it must have an agent. I know my heart was locked and barred against holy things; I know what key opened it; and I know also who used this key. The key is the word of life; and the Holy Spirit is the divine agent, who makes use of this key to unlock the doors of all those who compose David's household. With this key, the Holy Spirit unlocked the doors of three thousand hearts all at one time. The moment the key was thrust into the lock, there was a creaking noise heard in the opening of the doors, and that sound was this: "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" You know also the creaking noise that was heard when the Holy Ghost put in his key and unlocked the door of the jailor's heart: "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" and when the heart of the publican was unlocked, he cried out, saying, "God be merciful unto me a sinner." Now, if the Holy Spirit has opened the door into your soul, you know what it is to hope in God, long for the Spirit's teaching, the consolation of the Gospel, and communion with your God. Again, the Lord Jesus also, being Master of the household, has the key, and knows when and how to use it. He opens eye door, ear door, and mouth door; and when He opens, none can shut, and when He shuts, none can open. Our Lord Jesus has the key of the Holy Scriptures, and can open them when He pleases, and to whom He pleases. When He opens the Scriptures to His saints, and refreshes their souls by this means, they know who is the agent, and what is the key He makes use of, and they say, "Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened to us the Scriptures?' Christ then, has the Bible-key to open its sacred mysteries; He has also the church-key to fix ordinances, bestow gifts, and grant blessings. Christ has also the key of heaven, to open a way into that by His blood and righteousness; and He has also the key of hell, to open the door of the pit, and put in those whose names are not in the book of life, but who worship the beast and bear his mark in their foreheads. Hear the words of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, and when you hear them, fear and tremble, "I am He that liveth and was dead, and behold, I am alive for evermore, and have the keys of hell and of death."

January 3rd, 1867.

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