spread it upon the bed the children gathered around, and they said, 'Oh! mother, these are texts from the Bible,' and they began spelling them to her, as she was unable to read herself. She was quite delighted with the quilt; the texts she was most pleased with were 'Look unto Me and be ye saved,' and 'The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin.' She seemed to these words till her whole trust was in Jesus.

feed upon "One afternoon the Bible-woman was sitting with her, when two sisters of mercy entered, which quite took her by surprise. After staying a few minutes they left, telling the poor woman they would call again.

"The Bible-woman having told me about it I went to her in the evening, and the priest had been to visit her, but no sooner had he put his head in at the door, and seen the large texts upon the quilt, than he rushed out again, never stopping to speak to her. We asked her afterwards if she was a Roman Catholic. She said, 'No; but her mother was, also her relatives, but since she had known Jesus she felt they were in the wrong.'

"She loved her husband and children very much, and wished to get better for their sakes. One day when I was sitting with her she looked very earnestly in my face and said, 'Nurse, do you think I shall get better? '

"Upon my replying that I did not think she would, she laid very still for a while, then she looked at me with such a heavenly smile, and said, ' Then I can leave them all with Jesus.' She died not very long afterwards, leaving five little children; one a baby five weeks old."

GOOD WORK IN THE NEW CUT.

"MY DEAR MRS. R,

"I am very thankful to be able to tell you that my Bible-woman has been able to sell many more Bibles this year than during the same time in any previous year that she has been in the work. Many are unwilling to subscribe until, after several visits, they are persuaded to do so. We have to rejoice in the services which have been held by Messrs. Moody and Sankey, and have heard of several who have been brought to the Saviour through their instrumentality.

"One poor woman, whose child is now subscribing for a Bible, had some difficulty at first. She wished to listen to the Bible woman, and to become a subscriber, whilst her husband strongly opposed her. He told Mrs. W that he believed that all religious people were hypocrites, and that those who pretended to be doing good were only working for money. However, at length, he has consented to allow his little girl to become a subscriber, and we will pray that God's Holy Word may indeed prove a great blessing to that household.

"We have had special cause to rejoice lately. Last month two of our dear mothers became communicants at Surrey Chapel. For some time past we have felt sure that they had found peace in Jesus, and we rejoice very much that they have had the courage to come forward and declare what the Lord has done for their souls. One of these poor mothers is naturally very timid. They are now both living consistent Christian lives, and we rejoice in their testimony that it was at our weekly meetings that they first learned to love the Saviour. Mrs. M often speaks to her neighbours about Jesus, and tries to persuade them to attend the House of God, and to come to the Mothers' Meetings. Let me give you some of the Bible-woman's accounts in her own words :

"One day, during the month of February, after I had called on many of my subscribers, I went to the room of Mrs. R-, one of our poor mothers. I found her very ill from bronchitis, and her husband bad with rheumatism; they are both very old and very poor; it was a pitiful sight, as neither could help the other.

"Mrs. R- is a sincere Christian; she sent a message to my Lady thanking her for the good she had got at the Mothers' Meeting, and wished me to say how often she had come cast down and sad, and gone away rejoicing, feeling that she had renewed her strength.

"Her poor husband used to tell me he could not go anywhere to hear the truth on account of his cough; but after some time I succeeded in getting him to go to a week-night service, and then he began to go to the House of God sometimes on Sunday, and then to attend regularly. Now that he is very ill, he tells me he is not afraid to die, for the Lord has saved his soul. His wife rejoices so much in the change. She used to grieve, thinking they would not be together in Heaven, after having lived together here for forty-seven years.

"She has just passed away. Having visited her for nearly four years, I felt so sorry to part with her, she always gave me such a hearty welcome.

Her usual word was, 'Come in, I am so glad to see you, I have been longing to see you.'

"With her I believe the work of grace has been very gradual. I felt very discouraged about her once. She was resting entirely upon her own good works, being a very just and upright woman, and she believed that if we did all that was right here, Heaven would surely be our home hereafter; but by constantly reading God's Word with her, and explaining to her that all we like sheep have gone astray,' and that while we were yet sinners, God sent His only beloved Son to die for us, and then praying with her that God would bless His own Word, light at last broke into her soul, and she became truly happy, bearing her affliction patiently, and never complaining, although she suffered very much, and was exceedingly poor.

"She was taken much worse about four days before she died, but she was so happy. Seeing her daughter crying, she said, 'Don't cry, Emma, you will make me cry;' then looking up, No, I cannot cry, I am too happy.' The 23rd Psalm was her favourite. I was with her at the last, and truly it may be said, 'her end was peace.'

She

"I went to Lambeth Workhouse to see one of our poor mothers. kept out of the poor-house as long as she could. She suffered many privations for the last four years, she had such a dread of going into the house, but she does not regret it now. She is in the infirm ward, and does not have to do any work, being 77 years of age. I am thankful to tell you that I believe she has been born again in her old age. She told me that for many years she never read a line in the Bible, and now it is her delight to read it as often as her eyesight will permit. I have promised to take her a good type Bible when I go again, and she told me to thank my dear Lady for all the kind words she had heard from her, and she does so miss coming to the meeting; but she says 'she does ask the Lord to make her contented and happy till He sees fit to take her to Himself.'

"I met a poor woman whose husband I had visited four years ago when very ill. They were then living on my district. The woman told me that I had been the means of bringing him to a knowledge of the Saviour, and that he had continued in the right way ever since.

"Dear Mrs. R-, I have sent these few outlines to you, that you may know that some little good is being done on our district. "S. A. S."

FALSTAFF-YARD DISTRICT.

"DEAR MADAM,

"Sunshine and shadow, rejoicing and sadness, is my mixed portion in the Lord's work. I am sometimes full of joy

because souls are saved, at other times very sad because sin and depravity still make headway, but I will sing a note of praise for the Lord's goodness and condescension in that He uses me at all to carry this message of love to my fellow-creatures.

"I formerly gave you an account of Mr. and Mrs. K——, they had to remove to Bow in 1873 on account of his work. Away from friends, Mr. K—— again relapsed into indifference, until this year he had a ticket given him for one of Mr. Moody's meetings. Mr. Sankey sang "Nothing but leaves," the words struck home, he felt such was his life; he felt so deeply impressed that he attended thirty-two of Mr. Moody's meetings, and persuaded many of his workmates to attend also. Mrs. K—— now comes to our Tuesday meeting; her countenance beaming with joy, because her husband attends God's house again. They are living in my district once more, so I have frequent opportunities of seeing them. May the Lord keep Mr. K—— from again falling.

"James H-- had been a hard drinker, the public-house was his favourite dwelling place, he had no care for his wife or children. In the year 1868, he, his wife, and their two children, went hop-picking; Mrs. H- saved enough money to pay their train to Maidstone, thinking if they went altogether he would surely keep sober and save a pound for the winter, instead of that he spent all they earned, and they had to walk home, resting by the roadside when tired.

"On his return to London he worked at tin-can making, he earned good wages but only took home one shilling per day, and expected the whole of it spent on himself. Drink make men and women do such mean things.

"The last twelve months of his life he could not work, strong drink robbed him of all his strength, he became so weak he was obliged to lie in bed, Mrs. H—— asked him to see me.

"He said 'Yes; if I would promise not to ask him any questions.' When I first visited him he pretended to be asleep.

"I remember the first he really felt at home with me, it was two months before his death on a Tuesday afternoon. Just before my prayer-meeting Mrs. H-sent to ask an interest in our prayers, as soon as the meeting was closed I went to

see him, and on my way met the city missionary, who had just visited him, but he said he is sleeping as usual.

A

"I went on, to my great surprise I found him smoking. shade of displeasure come over his face, he laid his pipe on the table, I bade him take it again.

"What,' he said, 'do you like the smell of tobacco? 'No, I do not; but I should like you to go on smoking because you are in so much pain and perhaps you find it soothes you; I wouldn't rob you of anything that comforts you, because you have no hope for the bright world beyond this.'

"True,' he replied, 'I am a miserable man, I have no hope.' "I read the three chapters of St. John's Gospel, and prayed with him. After this visit he was always awake when I went. When the love of God was shed abroad in his heart he preferred being much alone, he said he could think better. When his old companions wanted to send for drink he said 'No; he would not encourage such ways, he wanted something different now,' told them that when he thought of his evil ways he was ashamed to speak to God. He told his wife to let him. see Christians only.

6

"I was reading Isaiah liii. to him, he said, 'What a shame that I did not believe sooner. I have heard it all before. I wonder I was not cut off suddenly.' I read Isaiah lv. 7-8. True,' he said, 'it would be bad for us if God's ways were at all like ours.' Towards the end of his life he very often said to his wife, 'Let us pray together.' It was a grief to him that he couldn't kneel to pray. He died in peace, resting in Jesus. Mrs. His a Christian woman; she told me she had been married twenty-one years, and the last six months was the happiest time they had had together. She takes in washing and would be so glad if some friend would buy her an ironing stove. She is very grateful for my dear superintendent's kindness, also to nurse who was a great favourite with Mr. H——, he was so delighted with the flowers she took him, and with all she did for him.

"In my last letter I sent you a sad account of Mrs. MI am glad to tell you prayer has been answered in her behalf; she came back to us a new creature in Christ Jesus. She came