was her interest excited, that, to use her own language, “she could have remained until midnight." Her future opportunities of attending the house of God were only few, but they were eagerly embraced. Two Sabbath mornings, when kept away by sickness, she addressed a note to the minister, desiring his prayers and the prayers of the congregation for herself, as one who was 66 earnestly seeking her soul's salvation." She came to the Saviour, and found a welcome. It was then her delight to peruse the word of God, to converse on the subject of religion, and to hold communion with Christ. Religion made her not only patient, but happy in the midst of tribulation. Her conversation may be traced to the truths she was taught in the Sabbath-school. For many days" the seed was hid from human view; but "after many days" the fruit was found.

I know not whether in such a case there is more of encouragement or of admonition. True, this woman's soul was saved; but her life was lost. More good was achieved than words can express, or figures contain; for who can tell the worth of a soul? The harvest that is not gathered until December will very likely not be gathered at all. Late results are fearfully uncertain. Every day that the conversion of children is delayed creates a disadvantage and a difficulty. Had the scholar we have mentioned been urged to decide for Christ at the age of twelve, it is highly probable that Christ would have been magnified by her life as well as by her death; evil would have been prevented; a life of usefulness would have been secured; and throughout eternity her crown would have shone with a brighter lustre. T. B.

PRAY WITHOUT CEASING.

A NUMBER of ministers were assembled for the discussion of difficult questions, and among others it was asked, how the command "to pray without ceasing" could be complied with. Various suppositions were started, and at length one of the number was appointed to write an essay upon it, to read at the next monthly meeting; which being overheard by a female servant, she exclaimed, "What! a whole month wanted to tell the meaning of that text! It is one of the easiest and best texts in the Bible." "Well, well," said an old minister, "Mary, what can you say about it? stand it; can you pray all the time?" you have so many things to do ?" the more I can pray."

'Indeed;

Let us know how you under"O yes, sir." "What? when Why, sir, the more I have to do well, Mary, do let us know how it

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is; for most people think otherwise." 'Well, sir," said the girl, "when I first open my eyes in the morning, I pray, Lord, open the eyes of my understanding; and while I am dressing, I pray, that I my be clothed with the robe of righteousness; and when I have washed myself, I ask for the washing of regeneration; and as I begin to work, I pray, that I may have strength equal to my day. When I begin to kindle the fire, I pray, that God's work may revive in my soul; and as I sweep out the house, I pray, that my heart may be cleansed from all its impurities; and while preparing and partaking of breakfast, I desire to be fed with the hidden manna, and the sincere milk of the word; and as I am busy with the little children, I look up to God as my Father, and pray for the Spirit of adoption, that I may be his child, and so on all day everything I do furnishes me with a thought for prayer." Enough, enough," cried the old divine, "these things are revealed to babes, and often hid from the wise and prudent. Go on Mary," said he, "pray without ceasing; and as for us, my brethren, let us bless the Lord for this exposition, and remember that He has said, 'The meek will He guide in judgment.'" The essay, as a matter of course, was not considered necessary after this little event occurred.

A BEAUTIFUL DREAM.

How very wrongly dreams are often regarded. Some think that they come only through the multifarious engagements of the previous day; and they regard all as superstitious who attribute any virtue or meaning to them. Others look at them in quite a different light, and to every wild-wandering of the mind-when reason appears to have laid down her sceptre-give some absurd and fantastic interpretation regarding them all, as precursors of certain events, which are of necessity to transpire. While we do not coincide with either of these views, we would adopt the medium opinion. That dreams sometimes have a meaning, and that in some the marks of a superintending Providence are clearly to b perceived. How remarkably interesting and predictive were the dreams of Joseph, the cause of his brethren's jealousy and animosity. How stimulating and encouraging at that important crisis, to Gideon-that man of Jewish patriotism and valour-was the dream he heard the Midianite relate and his fellow interpret, relative to their overthrow, and his success. How alarming were the dreams of that great Assyrian monarch, which his magicians could not elucidate, because of their divine character, and which doubtless must have remained a source of perplexity to Nebuchadnezzar had not Daniel, his great in

terpreter, been announced to his court. The dreams of these persons, recorded in sacred history, and of others found in the biographies of great personages of modern times-such as J. Wesley and L. Downtestify to us that they are not all futile and without design, but that in some, God appears to be instructing or admonishing us.

A few nights ago, when returning from a preaching appointment, I was overtaken by a hearer-a boy of about fifteen summers. He said with all the boldness of a man and a mature Christian, "I have an interest in the Cross of Christ, about which you have been preaching." "I am glad to hear that " I replied; "and how long have you had such an interest in that object?" "About four years," he said. I then inquired of him more searchingly, and asked him what interest he had in it, and what attached him to it. He answered "faith in Christ—not a dead one, but a living one." He continued "I was marvellously brought to see the importance of faith in Christ. One night, when I retired to rest, I had a very strange and impressive dream. I thought as I was lying down on my bed a long rope was let down from the ceiling by a person of amiable aspect. I looked attentively at him, and something told me it was my Saviour. Then, I thought, I heard him speak, and plainly say take hold of the rope and hold it fast.' I said, in reply to him, I have fast hold; pull me up.' The rope, as I thought, lifted me up and up, till I found myself in such a pleasant country, where I saw golden harps shining in the light of that region,wafting their indescribable melodies in my ears, and filling my soul with an untold rapture. Then I saw such beautiful persons, with smiling countenances, expressive of their happiness. O, I thought, what place can this be? And as I was gazing enchanted by the music, the beauty, and glory, filled with a silent but unbounded admiration, I awoke, and alas! to my great disappointment, found myself on earth, on my bed, and surrounded by the familiar objects in my room." I asked him "what he thought all this meant?" And he said "I thought the rope was faith in Christ, put within my reach by Him; and heaven, the country, to which it lifted me." He told me that soon after this dream he was greatly concerned about his spiritual condition; took hold of the rope of faith, and he felt then he was being lifted to heaven by it; and he said "I expect it eventually to lift me there, not to be filled with a transient admiration, but to enjoy heaven's scenery and joy for ever." I thought the dream very good; but the interpretation and grand result better. Let all our readers take fast hold of the rope; and at last may dreamer, writer, and reader be lifted to that pure and happy region by it.

P. MADDOCKS, JUNE.

SAY YOUR PRAYERS IN FAIR WEATHER.

A SEA captain of a profligate character, who commanded a vessel trading between Liverpool and America during the last war, once took on board a man as a common sailor, to serve during the voyage, just as he was leaving port. The new comer was soon found to be of a most quarrelsome, untractable disposition, a furious blasphemer and drunkard. Besides these disqualifications, he was wholly ignorant of nautical affairs, or counterfeited ignorance to escape duty: in short, he was the bane and plague of the vessel, and refused obstinately to give any account of himself, or his family, or past life..

At length a violent storm arose ; all hands were piped upon deck, and all, as the captain thought, seemed too few to save the ship. When the men were mustered to their quarters, the sturdy blasphemer was missing, and my friend went below to seek for him; great was his surprise at finding him on his knees, repeating the Lord's prayer with wonderful rapidity, over and over again, as if he had bound himself to countless reiterations. Vexed at what he deemed hypocrisy or cowardice, he shook him roughly by the collar, exclaiming, "Say your prayers in fair weather." The man rose up, observing in a low voice, "God grant I may ever see fair weather to say them."

In a few hours the storm happily abated, a week more brought them to harbour, and an incident so trivial passed quickly away from the memory of the captain; the more easily, as the man in question was paid off the day after landing, and appeared not again.

Four years more had elapsed, during which, though the captain had twice been shipwrecked and was greviously hurt by the falling of a spar, he pursued without amendment a life of profligacy and contempt of God. At the end of this period, he arrived in the port of New York, after a very tedious and dangerous voyage from England.

It was on a Sabbath morning, and the streets were thronged with persons proceeding to the several houses of worship, with which that eity abounds; but the captain was bent on far other occupation, designing to drown the recollection of perils and deliverances in a celebrated tavern which he had too long and often frequented.

As he walked leisurely towards this goal, he encountered a very dear friend, a quondam associate of many a thoughtless hour. Salutations over, the captain seized him by the arm, declaring that he should accompany him to the hotel. "I will do so," replied the other, with great calmness, "on condition that you come with me first for a single hour into this house (a church), and thank God for his mercies

you on the deep." The captain was ashamed to refuse, so the two friends entered the temple together. Already all the seats were occupied, and a dense crowd filled the aisle; but by dint of personal exertion, they succeeded in reaching a position right in front of the pulpit, at about five yards distant. The preacher, one of the most popular of the day, riveted the attention of the entire congregation, including the captain himself, to whom his features and voice, though he could not assign any time or place of previous meeting, seemed not wholly unknown, particularly when he spoke with animation. At length the preacher's eye fell upon the spot where the two friends stood. He suddenly paused-still gazing upon the captain, as if to make himself sure that he laboured under no optical delusion-and after a silence of more than a minute, pronounced with a voice that shook the building, "Say your prayers in fair weather.”

The hearers were lost in amazement, nor was it until a considerable time had elapsed that the preacher recovered sufficient self-possession to recount the incident with which the reader is already acquainted, adding, with deep emotion, that the word which his captain uttered in the storm, had clung to him by day and by night after his landing, as if an angel had been charged with the duty of repeating them in his ears—that he felt the holy call, as coming direct from above, to do the work of his crucified Master-that he had studied at college for the ministry, and was now, through grace, such as they saw and heard.

At the conclusion of this affecting address, he called on the audience to join in prayer with himself, that the same words might be blessed in turn to him who first had used them. But God had outrun their petitions; before the captain's former shipmate had ceased to tell his story, the power of the spirit had wrought effectually upon him, and subdued every lofty imagination; and when the people dispersed, he exchanged the hotel for the house of the preacher, with whom he tarried six weeks, and parted from him to pursue his profession, with a heart devoted to the service of his Saviour, and with holy and happy assurances, which advancing years hallowed, strengthened and

sanctified.

THE DECOY SHEEP.

READING in a magazine lately, we met with an account of a curious device of the London butchers. It is a difficult task, as might be supposed, to drive a flock of sheep through the streets of a large city, where the resemblance is so small to green pastures and country roads. They