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ye are: and when I see the blood,

will pass over you.

and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.' Again, when Jericho fell before the children of Israel there was one refuge." 2

"Rahab's house."

"Yes; and the mark by which it was distinguished was the scarlet line-type of the precious blood of Christ. All in that house were safe, safe as though no enemy were in the land, no sound of battle without; but for all the rest there was no mercy. Death was the doom pronounced by God against every living being in Jericho, except those who were found in Rahab's house. Here again only one

distinction-in or out of that one refuge.

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"If we go on to the end we shall still find the condition of all men is determined by our two words, short as they are, but of most momentous import. Open your Bible at Matthew xxv. and read the parable of the Ten Virgins. Look at verse 10: The bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.' In or out again expresses the awful, the eternal difference. In the one, life and light, joy and triumph, the presence of the Bridegroom, 'The King in His beauty?' for all the rest outer darkness,' Everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His power.' "And past and future all point to a present In or Out, on which everything depends.

"As in the time of the Flood, and of the other judgments of which we have been speaking, the one question for every man was, whether he was in the appointed refuge or not; so now for you, for me, for every one, the question is, Am I in Christ and safe, or out of Christ and lost? As in former times, so now, there is no third state, no other refuge. I cannot repeat it too earnestly, too plainly; every living soul now, as we speak, is either in Christ and saved, with an everlasting salvation, or out of Christ and lost."

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There was a pause, when the father added, "Thank God, my boy, you have been kept from open sin, you have been a comfort and a help in our home, yet surely you know you are a sinner.'

66 Oh yes, father, indeed I do.”

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3

"Then if a sinner, and still out of Christ, you are lost; and the greatest sinner on earth cannot be more than lost. For you and for him there is the one Refuge, the one Saviour. The word is not the great sinner, nor the lesser sinner, but whosoever; and if you were not lost, my child, He could not be your Saviour, for, as He Himself says, 'The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.'1 His promise is, "Him that cometh unto Me I will in no wise cast out;' and 'God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.' One Refuge, to which all are invited-nay, commanded, nay, entreated to come: but one only; for again it is written, 'He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." His voice still cries, 'Come unto Me.' The door is still wide open; then come, come at once, without one hour's delay, and, coming, you shall find pardon, peace, holiness, everlasting salvation, eternal life, and all that God in His love, and power, and wisdom has prepared for them that love Him. Come, and you will find Him not only a complete Saviour, but a tender, ever-present Friend, a wise Counsellor, an ever-ready Helper, a Light in darkness, a Joy in sorrow. All that even here in this life, and what He will be to those in the world to come, words cannot tell nor heart conceive."

1 Luke xix. 10.

2 John vi. 37.

4 John iii. 36.

3 John iii. 16.

K.

God be thy Guard.

"The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth and even for evermore."-Ps. cxxi. 8.

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God be thy Guard!

God be thy Guard in soul and life,

Keep far from thee woe, want, and strife
Thy father's eye, thy mother's hand,
They reach not in the stranger's land:
God be thy Guard!

God be thy Guard in life and soul,
From sin and shame, from trespass foul;
Thy childlike heart, pure and upright,
Oh, keep it as the diamond bright:
God be thy Guard!

God be thy Guard! thy heart is weak,
Keep God before thee, pray and seek;
On His good Spirit call thou still,
He'll lead thee safe from every ill:
God be thy Guard!

God be thy Guard! a refuge strong,
His sceptre reaches all along,
His eye beholds, His arm hath sway,
Wide as the wide blue arch of day:

God be thy Guard!

God be thy Guard! and now at last

From lip to lip the kiss is past;

From heart to heart the last word given,

Until we meet here or in heaven:

God be thy Guard!

;

Translated from KARL JEROK.

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The Treasure-Seekers; or, I've Found it.

PART I.

T was a sunny day in spring. The trees were in full leaf of almost transparent green. The sky was blue, with only here and there a cloud basking in the sunshine. Flowers were fast filling the hedge-rows and the air with their odours. Birds on every

tree were carolling their praise to Him who made them and everything about them so happy and free.

A day so charming enticed out for a ride into the country a gentleman who loved to look upon nature when clad in her spring attire, because then everything was brimful of life, strong and vigorous, replete with beauty and with praise to Him whose power, goodness, and wisdom had made everything so joyous and beautiful.

He ap

Near to a small hamlet fringed with woods, and resting quietly in its secluded valley, stood a wayside cottage. Mr. Thompson, being thirsty with a long ride, thought of asking for a glass of water at the cottage; but as he drew nearer to it he heard sounds of discord within. proached it, however, alighted from his horse, and, the door being open, he knocked and entered. He found there a party of friends, men and women, who had evidently met together to enjoy each other's company for a few hours, but who had got rather beyond the bounds of moderation in their conviviality, and then into noisy discord. Mr. Thompson's grave and venerable aspect checked both their growing temper and strong language. The wife, Mrs. Harvey, who was in an adjoining room, saw the stranger enter, heard his polite request, and at once handed him a glass of water. Mr. Thompson thanked her, and drank the water slowly, standing the while silently in the middle of the cottage floor.

The boisterous party was hushed. Mr. Thompson's eye scanned every corner of the room in which he stood. The manner of the stranger, so calm and dignified, arrested the attention of the whole company. They wondered at his composure in a place where he must have heard so much noise and passion a moment before. Mr. Thompson saw the effect of his presence. For another minute he still stood silent, calmly looked once more round the room, then, placing his glass upon the table before the wife, gravely said to her. "My good woman, you have a treasure in this house-seek and find." With this remark he turned away and left the cottage.

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