might be for means for his own use, none but his heavenly Father heard from him about that; and although he would mention his charitable funds to friends, hoping to enlist their sympathies (since it was for others he pleaded, not for himself), yet even here he was looking to the Lord, who has all men's hearts in His keeping, and turneth them, like rivers of water, whithersoever He will.

Many times

has he said to his friend and deacon, Mr. Lenton, "How good the Lord is to me; He knows how low my funds have been, and how greatly I have stood in need of help. This morning, when I opened my letters, there was money from one friend and another, which just made up the sum I wanted: " and he always received these things as direct answers to his prayers. Though thus rich in good works, he was very free from ostentation, being humbly sensible of the defilement which attached to his best deeds. On one occasion he said to a friend, "I cannot drop a shilling into a poor man's hand, without feeling that it falls out of a sweep's hand, and is blackened as it goes."

We must now refer to the Little Gleaner, which is certainly not the least of the useful labours of the departed. Eternity alone can fully tell how many young lives have been benefited by the moral teaching conveyed through its pages; or, what is still better, how many dead souls have been awakened, and seeking souls encouraged, through the blessing of the Holy Spirit

resting on its contents. Previously to the starting of this magazine, there was, we believe, none that spoke directly to the young those truths which the people of God hold dear. In referring to the beginning of this work, we cannot do better than quote Mr. Sears's own words in the Gleaner for 1871 :"Your old friend cannot enter upon a fresh volume without exclaiming, 'What has God wrought!' Eighteen years ago next June, the first number of the Little Gleaner was printed. He entered upon the work with a trembling sense of his own weakness, and never thought himself more fitted for this work than other of God's dear servants. But he saw there was not, to his knowledge, a single juvenile magazine whose pages were unstained with the prevailing errors of the day, and thought that some lover of the truth who had the welfare of the young at heart ought to make an effort to furnish them with periodical reading suited to their capacity, and inculcating the pure truth of God. Since no abler hand was put forth to the work he ventured to commence, with his eyes up to the Lord for wisdom and grace; and truly, on the 1st of January, 1871, he must say, 'Hitherto the Lord hath helped me.' The Gleaner now counts twice as many thousands as its first number did hundreds, and many have been the testimonies received of its usefulness. In the early years of its existence, its small circulation would have annihilated it, had not the kind providence of God opened the way for its second year

of existence, by enabling its Editor to earn money for its support, and by stirring up friends to give pecuniary aid. To these kind friends we owe a debt of gratitude, and hope they will accept our warmest thanks."

When the Gleaner was once fairly started, its Editor felt it laid upon his mind to commence the publication of the Sower, so that truth in a cheap form might be scattered abroad. Then followed "Sacred Musings" (which was a collection of his own poetry), "Clifton Hymnal for the Young," "Things that Shall be Hereafter," with various other useful works; and, finally, the valuable hymn book, "The Clifton Selection," which cost him much labour and prayer; but all was given willingly, so that the Lord's cause might in any small measure be benefited thereby.

Mr. Sears not only wrote and published truth, but did his utmost to disseminate it. The following anecdote will fully illustrate this. He was one day in a train, and the carriage was principally occupied by men that looked like horse dealers. Mr. Sears desired to give them some publications that he had with him, but his courage was failing him, when these lines dropped into his mind :—

"If on my face for Thy dear name

Shame and reproaches be,

All hail reproach and welcome shame,

If Thou remember me."

:

This was enough: he at once distributed the

books. The men looked at them, and some began to make fun of them, declaring they had done them good already. Presently a gentleman said, "Do you know Mr. Sears?" to which he replied in the affirmative. "Well," said the stranger, "I have long wished to meet with him and give him something towards his funds." It was not long before Mr. Sears made himself known, and the stranger placed in his hands a kind donation. Thus in a measure the Lord immediately rewarded His servant for faithfulness in spreading His truth abroad.

We have thus, in a few pages, summarised the labours of thirty-six years. They are quickly recorded, and still more quickly read; but few of us can form a correct idea of the work done by this earnest servant of the Lord. We can quite understand the testimony of his beloved partner that he never seemed to rest; no sooner was one good work set on foot or accomplished, than he commenced another that was laid upon his mind, and all this with an afflicted body and in the midst of great opposition.

CHAPTER IV.

HIS LAST AFFLICTION AND DEATH.

IN recording a few incidents connected with the closing portion of Mr. Sears's earthly career, we wish as far as possible to avoid referring to the words and deeds of those who rose up against him, and who, by laying to his charge things which he knew not, greatly embittered his later days, and sorely grieved many of the true lovers of Zion. But as we are called upon to give some account of his exercises under these trials, and in his last affliction, we cannot help making slight allusions to circumstances which we have no wish to revive, and which have already borne sad and bitter fruit in some parts of the Church of Christ. Therefore we wish it to be understood that our aim in recording these things is not to clear Mr. Sears of accusations which were wrongly brought against him, for that would now be most superfluous; nor to blame those who did him wrong by seeking to make him an offender for a word, since their motives, spirit, and doings are before Him by whom "actions are weighed" (1 Sam. ii. 3), and who " searches the