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pletely filled his soul, that the burden fell from him. He was not seeking to be rid of it when he lost sight of it; no, he was coming up to the cross and the sepulchre, his attention was occupied with Christ, his sufferings, his death, his atoning sacrifice for sinners, and as he ran and gazed, and saw these things more clearly, and came at length quite to the foot of the cross, then his burden fell from him while he was gazing, admiring and loving, and rolled quite into the mouth of the sepulchre, so that he saw it no more. And very much surprised was he that the sight of the cross should thus ease him of his burden. It made him glad and lightsome, and he exclaimed with a merry heart, He hath given me rest by his sorrow, and life by his death. And so, as he stood and wondered, he wept and wept again for gratitude, sorrow and joy. And now came to him the Three Shining Ones, as he stood looking and weeping, and they all together saluted him, Peace be to thee. The first said to him, Thy sins be forgiven thee. The second stripped him of his rags, and clothed him with change of raiment. The third also set a mark on his forehead and gave him a roll with a seal upon it, which he bid him look to as he ran, and that he should give it in at the Celestial Gate; so they went their way. Then Christian gave three leaps for joy, and went on singing.

BRITISH

[graphic][subsumed][subsumed]

CHRISTIAN

ON THE

HILL DIFFICULTY.

Happiness of Christian with his roll.-His efforts to save others.-Simple, Sloth and Presumption.-Christian's knowledge of character.-Formalist and Hypocrisy.Christian climbing the Hill.-The sleep in the arbor, and the loss of his roll.Christian weeping and searching for it. His thankfulness at finding it.

We left Christian light of heart, and singing for joy of his deliverance from his burden. How lightly did he now step forward, with what pleasant thoughts in his soul, with what precious views of the cross and of the way of salvation! Now it seemed to him that he should never tire. He thought of that sweet Psalm, When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Sometimes he could scarcely persuade himself that it was a reality; he was almost afraid it was a dream. But then, there was his roll that had been given him, and the new dress in which the Shining Ones had arrayed him, and his heart was full of gratitude and love. He thought "he could have spoken to the very crows that sat upon the ploughed land by the way-side," to have told them of his joy, and of the preciousness of his Saviour, if they could have understood

it. His heart was like the blind man's restored to sight, and just as simple and unaffected.

Now methinks I hear him praising,

Publishing to all around,
Friends, is not my case amazing?

What a Saviour I have found!

Yes, and now Christian desires to save others. The joy in his soul was no transitory sympathy or selfish hope, that would subside into indolence. It led him to set himself at work at once to win others to Christ. This is very striking. Now he would neglect no opportunity of doing good, and he did not say, when he saw some ready to perish, I am but a young Christian, but just now converted, and must wait till I have more experience, before I try to persuade others. Not at all. But the very first opportunity Christian had after his release from his burden, he faithfully employed it. As he went on, singing and making melody in his heart unto the Lord, he came to a wide level place, where he saw, a little out of the way, three men fast asleep, with fetters on their heels. Their names were Simple, Sloth, and Presumption. The first thing Christian did was to go to them and endeavor to awake them, which he thought certainly he might easily do, for their danger was clear to him, though they themselves did not seem to see it. So he cried out to them to awake, telling them that they might as well sleep on the top of a mast, for that the Dead Sea was under them, a gulf without a bottom. Awake, said he, and come away, or you will perish forever. He furthermore told them that if they were but willing, he would

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