Address to the Associates and Members of the Girls' Friendly Society.

BY THE REV. ARTHUR WILLIAMSON. St. James's, Norland Branch, Jan. 3, 1881. THE motto of this Society, Bear ye one another's burdens,' is followed in the Bible by these words, and so fulfil the law of Christ' (Gal. vi. 2). This, then, is the law of Christians who have to follow our Master in all things; and as Jesus Christ lived by this rule, so must we also try by our endeavours to bear the burdens of others.

Now, in the first place, let me say a few words to you about that word burden.' A burden is something which presses heavily on us as a weight-something which is difficult to carry, something which prostrates and crushes us; and the burden of which the motto speaks is something which has this depressing effect upon our minds and spirits, making us very low and unhappy, taking all the sunshine out of our life, and causing us sometimes, I am afraid, to wish almost that we had never been born. The heaviest burden of all this kind is, I need hardly say, 'sin; and it is one which seems to press more and more heavily on us as we grow older, and especially as we get nearer to God. There are times when we feel it so greatly, times when we are alone with God in silent prayer, or when we are thinking quietly upon our past life; that, like David, in one of his Psalms, we say, 'My wickednesses are like a sore burden, too heavy for me to bear.'-Ps. xxxviii. 4. Again, another burden of the same kind is care and anxiety; care about health, care about our work, and, above all, care about others. It is likely that this burden of care is one which, at your age, will press more heavily on you than that of 'sin.' For instance, I may, perhaps, be speaking to an orphan whose one anxious thought is, What is to become of me, since I have no parents, no near relative, no home?' There is, of course, the consoling consideration of our Father's care, 'When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.'-Ps. xxvii. 10. But even this does not altogether take away the orphan's anxiety. So, too, at times we all of us have some apprehensive thoughts of the future; and although this is a care, we need not feel it in the degree we do; still it is hardly possible for us to be without it in some measure. Thus a mother who is a widow finds it hard to get rid of her care about an only child, its health, its disposition, its education, fearing, too, lest it should be taken from her, or she from it. Another, who has an aged father or mother, or it may be an invalid sister or brother, can scarcely fail to have an anxious thought for them. One of you, again, may have a real burden of care about a fellow-servant; perhaps you know of something she has done which is not right, and you dread the consequences for her when the matter shall be discovered, and you, perhaps, may be blamed for having hid it. Or you may have a real cause for anxiety about your health; possibly you are not strong, and find it very difficult to do your day's work, to get up in the morning, to lift heavy weights, to answer bells quickly, &c.; and you are afraid to tell your mistress that your strength is failing for fear you should thereby lose your place, and, perhaps, not get another. This must be a real distress, I know. Once

more, there is often a burden of care to bear about our work and its responsibility. This is the chief anxiety of a clergyman's life (see 2 Cor. xi. 28). Most, I hope, all of you, are anxious to do your work well; and this makes you sometimes afraid that you may not succeed, and then you know it will grieve your master or mistress, or fellowservants. Now all such cares as these are included in that word burden,' which comes in the motto of the Girls' Friendly Society.

But there is still another burden besides those of 'sin' and care,' viz., the burden of sorrow. Sorrow on account of death, sorrow arising from bad news, sorrow for illness, &c. Thus some here may be deeply sorry for one who is very ill, it may be a father, mother, or sister, or some other near relative or friend; and this burden weighs, upon and depresses you, so that, try as you will, you cannot shake it off. Or you may have heard bad news lately, perhaps, of death, or something else which has made you very sorry, and quite spoilt any pleasure this evening, you feel it so much.

Well, now such are some burdens, which, as long as the world lasts, we shall all of us have to bear: the burden of sin,' the burden of care,' the burden of 'sorrow,'-burdens which, St. Paul tells the Galatians and ourselves also, that people must bear for one another, and in so doing 'fulfil the law of Christ.'

Next let us look at the meaning of the word 'bear.' Burdens can be borne in two ways (i) either by an act of transfer or removal, taking, that is, the burden on ourselves, and bearing it away altogether, or (ii) by an act of support, giving our own strength, and knowledge, and comfort to enable the one who has the burden to bear it more easily, and so sharing, in varying degree, the burden of another.

Now Jesus Christ, you all know, bore the burdens of men in the first way. Thus of the burden of 'sin' it is said of Him, Who His own self bare our sins in His own Body on the Tree' (r S. Pet. ii. 24). And again, The Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all' (Isa. liii. 6). But though it is certain that, in the truest sense of the words, Christ has removed this burden from us by taking it on Himself (and I do hope that you all believe this), yet there is still a way in which sin is ever a burden to us. The debt of sin may be discharged and its guilt taken away, but the recollection of it will remain long after we have felt forgiven, and been cleansed in the Precious Blood of Christ; and this very remembrance is a burden on the mind, from which I doubt, if we are ever quite free again: it is not everyone who believes in the free forgiveness of God, and in the power of Christ's Blood to cleanse us from all sin. There are those who are afraid it is not true, either because they cannot understand it, or because they do not feel they deserve this love; and to them sin, when realised, is a very great burden indeed. The thought of it is often so distressing and overpowering that it makes them very wretched, weighs them down, and lays such hold on them that, as the Psalmist exclaimed, they are 'not able to look up.' (Psa. xl. 12.)

Now it is those who are feeling this burden of sin that you should try, as Members of the Girls' Friendly Society, to help; you cannot bear the burden of another's sin in the sense of removing it, for Christ, I repeat, has done this, and it cannot be done again (Heb. ix. 28). But you can

help in another way to bear another's burden by showing how it has been removed, pointing to Jesus, and so giving the relief which comes from the knowledge that there is One who has taken away the sin and borne its burden for us.

Again, think how you can help one another to bear the burden of care.

When Jesus Christ was on earth He bore this burden also by taking it away altogether and bearing it Himself. Thus at the marriage festival at Cana, and on the hills of Gennesareth, He removed the care about bread and wine by supplying all and more than all that was needed. Moreover the anxiety men and women felt about their own or some one else's health He took away by healing those who came to Him of every disease they had.

We cannot, of course, bear one another's burdens of care in this sense. But there is a text, you all know, which says, 'Casting all your care upon Him for He careth for you' (1 St. Peter, v. 7), and this helps us to see how we can bear them. Our daily cares will always be numerous, since, for instance, we are more or less anxious, most of us, about 'to-morrow,' our food, our clothing, &c.; and my own experience is, that when we forget that God is caring for us, and do not 'cast our care upon Him,' then we are depressed and miserable; but that when we remember and act upon the text, then our cares melt away as rain before sunshine. So if you will only help one another by showing them how to cast their cares upon God, and reminding them that He cares for each one of His children, you will have done much in bearing this burden for them.

Or, again, you may sometimes do the same thing in a more practical way by mutual assistance. Suppose any one of you to be anxious about your health: perhaps you are delicate and liable to catch cold, or you may have a bad cough which you cannot get rid of, &c. Now how much a fellow-servant might do to assist you to bear this burden of care, and, most likely, if she were asked, would do gladly. For, by a little kind thought, she might save you a great deal by doing things, which, though your duty, you would have done with risk. I need not enter into particulars, but if you wish to think about it you will find how the strong ones amongst you can often help those who are weak to bear this burden of care, by sparing them as much as possible from doing anything which might endanger their health.

So in the same way with anxiety about work, the more conscientious we are, the more anxious we become about what we have to do, and many find this care most oppressive to bear. But it becomes much more tolerable when some one offers to share it with us, and help us by showing us how to do the work better, and more easily and quickly. What I should like you all to do is to be on the look-out for ways in which you can lighten the burden of these cares for others, and so by diminishing their weight help to bear them.

Lastly, there is the burden of sorrow,' and we must think how we can bear this for one another. Now we often notice people who have a hard, unsympathising disposition. Perhaps this is natural, they are born with it; and though they may correct it in a great degree, they can never quite change it. But there are others, and I take it the greater number of us, who are full of natural sympathy, and have a very soft heart.

Now (if we may say so with reverence) it was so with Jesus Christ. He had all the softness of the human heart. He could never witness sorrow without giving some sign of sympathy. When He saw a poor widow woman following her only son to the grave, He had compassion and tried to stop her tears. So with Mary and Martha He wept over the grave of their beloved brother. It is also frequently said of Him how deeply He felt for the spiritual as well as physical condition of the multitudes who followed Him. But you notice that here again the way in which He bare the burden of the earth's sorrow was by taking it away altogether, raising the dead, healing the sick, feeding the multitudes.

We, however, must bear one another's burdens of this kind in a different way, by showing sympathy and lightening them by means of our own compassion, taking off some of the burden to our own heart. This, again, is not always easy, for there are sorrows of which we have never had personal experience, and into which we cannot enter. Still, by an effort, we can accomplish much in the way of sympathy, even here.

I hope, then, you may see a little better the way in which you can carry out the Girls' Friendly Society's motto, and bear one another's burdens; not, you see, by taking them away altogether as Jesus did, but by making them as light as possible, and in this sense sharing the burden. And now I only pray and trust that God will help you all to try and do so for one another in this year and throughout your whole life.

Just let me say a very few concluding words to those who have these burdens laid upon them by God, who are feeling the weights of sin, care, and sorrow; and let me ask you to confide in others, and allow those who are willing, to help you in bearing them. For there is no merit in refusing sympathy, or in shutting up our troubles within our own hearts. Remember the example of Jesus Christ in this respect, when He fainted under the weight of His cross He did not refuse the aid of Simon of Cyrene; when He was enduring the agony of parching thirst He accepted the sponge full of vinegar from the soldier. So, when you are in any trouble, and oppressed with the burden of some cross, when the same helping hand is offered you, be willing to accept it, and so make it easier for those who care for you to bear your 'burden,' and thus fulfil the law of Christ.

NOTICE TO CORRESPONDENTS.

All Communications respecting the Magazine, including those for the G. F. S. REPORTER, should be sent to THE EDITOR, care of the Secretary G. F. S. Central Office, 245 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London, S.W.

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ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS and DONATIONS for the maintenance of the Home of Rest are earnestly solicited, and will be gratefully received by the Hon. Lady (B. C.) Grey, Fairmile House, Cobham, Surrey.

HOMES OF REST-GENERAL FUND.

It is desired to collect, by degrees, a Homes of Rest Fund, to secure admission for our Members to Convalescent Homes where payment is required. We think many of our Members may like to help their sister Members by subscribing small sums for this object. The smallest donations, from ONE PENNY upwards, will be received with pleasure, and may be forwarded to HON. LADY (B. C.) GREY, Fairmile House, Cobham, Surrey.

They will be acknowledged each month in the Magazine. The following are gratefully acknowledged :

DONATIONS TO HOMES OF REST

Lady Grey has to announce that she holds a second order for the Seaford Seaside Convalescent Hospital, one for Walton Hospital, and two for out-patients for the St. Saviour's Cancer Hospital, all sent her by Mrs. Poynder, 16 Lypiatt Terrace, Cheltenham. Also an out-patient's letter for the National Hospital for Diseases of the Heart and Paralysis, sent her by Miss Townsend, Bournemouth.

In addition to the orders for hospitals announced in Friendly Leaves for February, Lady Grey has received the following St. Andrew's Convalescent Home, Folkestone, from Miss Thursby, Ormerod House, Burnley; Moreton-in-Marsh Cottage Hospital, Stratford-upon-Avon Nursing Home, Bournemouth Sanatorium for Diseases of the Chest, the three last from Frederick Townsend, Esq., Honington Hall.

The Shedfield Cottage Hospital, Botley, Hants, is open to G. F. S. Members at 8s. per week. Apply to the Lady Superintendent.

GRANT MADE FROM HOMES OF REST
GENERAL FUND.

VOL. VI.

No. 56.

Simple Thoughts for Good Friday

and Easter.

OME of you, dear readers, may be hard-worked, and have little time for reading or attending services; and you may be tempted either to spend Good Friday as a holiday, or to let it pass without any special holy thoughts or prayers in the midst of your daily work.

Now let us think about this for a moment. Surely it cannot be right for any Christian to choose the day of our Lord's sufferings, the day on which He gave His life to atone for our sins, the day on which He was thinking only of us and of our salvation, as a day of noisy pleasure and amusement? On the other hand, even in the midst of the hardest work, should you not try and think of Him? Even if you really cannot go to any service, can you not make a quiet place in your heart for the remembrance of your dear Saviour who died for you?

It is to help you, if ever so humbly, to do this, that I have put down the following thoughts, praying that God the Holy Spirit may bless them to your use, poor and imperfect though they be, teaching you Himself with His own most gracious teaching at this holy season.

THURSDAY, THE DAY BEFORE GOOD
FRIDAY.

Try and prepare for Good Friday very specially the day before. On this Thursday evening, when you are going to your warm bed, the Lord Jesus was going to His agony in the garden. All through this night, while you are sleeping, He was being mocked, and beaten, and spitted on by the rough, unfeeling soldiers. Remember, too, how lonely our Lord felt; how He asked His disciples to keep awake with Him one hour, just as we should like to have a dear friend near us if we were ill and miserable; and yet they were so sleepy that they could not do it.

GOOD FRIDAY.

Think of our Lord's bodily sufferings on the cross, the long, cruel nails driven right through His sacred Hands and Feet into the wood of the cross, His whole weight hanging on them; the thorns pressing into His forehead, the awful thirst, the weariness and exhaustion of those long hours without food.

Then think how all His chosen disciples. had run away and left Him, except St. John and St. Peter, and how St. Peter denied Him at last. Think of Judas, the thief, who had lived with Him so long, selling Him for thirty miserable pieces of silver. Think of the hiding of His Father's face from Him in

those hours of darkness, and how our Blessed Lord must have been broken down by all this sorrow of heart-far worse than any bodily pain.

How near our Saviour seems to us in these terrible days! Though He was God, yet He was man too, and felt as we do, only more deeply. And you know even now He does not forget all He suffered for us; He has stili His human body, though it is a glorified one; still He has those 'wounds in His hands (Zech. xiii. 6); still He is the 'Lamb as it had been slain' (Rev. v. 6).

And now what does all this teach us?

1. Watching with Jesus.-As our Lord asked His disciples to watch with Him, so He asks you to do the same. I do not mean that you should try and stay awake all Thursday night, but that you should try and remember your Lord more in your daily life; not thinking of Him as far off, but as a real aving person, who not only loves you, but wants you to love Him and remember Him.

2. Our Lord's bodily sufferings.-Some people seem to think that the pain they suffer is a great evil, something to be resisted and almost resented. But if we think of our pain as if we were bearing it with Jesus, as if He gave it to us with His own hand, making us in some humble way like Himself, then we shall learn to do more than bear it ; we shall learn even to love it for His sake.

So, too, with the smaller troubles. Perhaps you are tempted to grumble at your food, or at the want of it, or at some bodily discomfort in your work; try now, and say instead of complaining, 'Lord, help me to

bear this for Thee.'

3. Peter's denial.-Peter fell because he trusted in himself. Only holding by Jesus' hand and looking up to Him can you re

sist any temptation. Oh, ask Him, day by day to strengthen you never to be ashamed of Him, never to be laughed out of prayer or going to Holy Communion, never to be afraid of anything but doing wrong! Then, think what a lesson is here not to laugh at others, or hinder them in their faith. It was a weak woman, a maid-servant, who made St. Peter deny our Lord. Have you never made anyone deny Him in act, if not in word? Have you never led your companions into sin, or stood by and not helped them when they were laughed at for trying to serve God?

4. Jesus betrayed and forsaken.-Let this help you to bear unkindness from others. When friends forget or turn against you, think how He understands it all. He will not be angry with you for feeling it, because He felt it Himself. Though He had all His Father's love to comfort Him, yet He was troubled' when He was betrayed by Judas (St. John, xiii. 21). But then, think too what a return he made! The gentle words to the traitor (St. Matt. xxvi. 50); the look of loving reproach to Peter (St. Luke, xxii. 61); the prayer for His murderers (St. Luke, xxiii. 34). Remember too that His love will make up for all, for it is an unchanging love,-'true and steadfast, strong as death?'

EASTER EVE: SATURDAY.

Keep your heart as still as you can to-day. The Lord is resting in His grave. See His goodness to His two timid followers, Joseph and Nicodemus (St. John, xix. 38, 39); they had come to Him by night, and He lets them bury Him in the stillness of the night; but now it is a service of danger (St. Mark, xv. 43), and henceforth, won by His patient love, they will be brave for Him. Do not let us laugh at timid people if they are trying to do