Christian Instruction. GROW IN GRACE. GETTING to heaven is rowing up stream. For some souls the stream is wider and deeper than for others, and the downward current stronger. There are various reasons for this. Some children inherit from their parents and grandparents physical and mental qualities and temperaments which answer to steep declivities, chasms, and whirlpools; while others are heirs to the characteristics of the unrippled river, winding through peaceful meadows. Doubtless, streams of life running through the deep shades of mammoth caves can be turned to good account, though not so readily or obviously to common apprehension, for common uses, as those running elsewhere. But whatever and wherever may be the stream of natural life upon which man finds himself, he has got to row against it with such force as he can gain; and of his progress God knoweth; but most observers know as little as the landsman knows of a ship's progress up the Gulf Stream. Peter addressed Christians everywhere, as "elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus iChrist." He only is a Christian who loves the invisible Christ. How little love of Christ will save him I don't know, any better than I know how much a man may relax his exertion while rowing in the rapids of Niagara and not go over the Falls. But the stream of each man's natural life is a more dangerous stream than Niagara; and the prudent man will never experiment as to how little upward progress will ensure that the downward tide shall not destroy him. And yet what better than this are most men doing, who yet call themselves Christ's? To the extent that each man loves Christ, his love constrains him; holding him back from that which is wrong-setting him forward in that which is right. Now, in all business, the law of progress is well understood. Men work under it. But in the church of the living God progress is not generally recognized, not consistently recognized, as our law-and only rarely witnessed, in any high degree, as a fact. As a general rule, we do not grow in grace, at least not vigorously. We do not grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The truth of this assertion is easily tested. All knowledge, and especially all such knowledge, is in its very nature communicable. If it is allowable for a child who stammers and hesitates over his recitation to say, "I know but can't tell," is it not high time for those long in the church of God to be admonished to put away this plea with other childish things, and acknowledge that he possesses no real knowledge of Jesus Christ which he cannot under proper circumstances share with his brethren? The child, with unformed mental habits, with imperfect command of language, has, or seems to himself to have, more and better notions of his subject than he can clothe with words. But the Christian who accepts the exhortation, "Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ," ought to doubt a growth which does not secure to itself a form of sound words, fully expressive of his progress. As one should say, by this I know that I am growing in grace, and in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ, because 1. I have a conscious growing love to Christ. I love His word; I love every word that proceedeth from Him. I love His law. I rejoice in the way of His testimonies more than in all riches; I meditate in His precepts; I always have respect unto His ways and His approbation, in all I do. I delight in His statutes; His testimonies are my delight and my counsellors; His statutes are my songs in the house of my pilgrimage. The law of His mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver; His words are sweet to my taste-yea, sweeter than honey and the honey-comb; and in keeping of them I constantly find great reward. His testimonies are wonderful to me; the entrance of His word gives me light and understanding. 2. I love Christ's government and administration of affairs, even when it goes contrary to my natural desires. I love everything that He orders, whether it goes with or across my plans. I do not mean to assert that the old nature is dead in me, but that the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, dwells with me and in me, enabling me to rejoice in tribulation. In the midst of mingled experiences of pleasure and of pain, I constantly find more and more of Christ's love, and wisdom, and holiness, in all. 3. I love Christ's creatures-inanimate and animate; but, above all, His saints. I accept with unspeakable thankfulness any and every opportunity to do them good; to augment their happiness. I feel their growth in grace to be immeasurably more important than my temporal prosperity. I esteem it a great privilege to be permitted to use any opening that may lead to an alleviation of the griefs of Christ's people. 4. I love Christ's work. To do the will of God is my meat; to finish the work which He has given me to do, is my exceeding great delight. Of all the things I ever do in this world there is nothing comparable in interest with the interest and delight I experience in feeding Christ's sheep and lambs. These are a few of the evidences that I am growing in grace, and in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ. J. W. K. WAIT. ART thou plunged deep into troubles from which the hand of man will not or cannot save thee? or does thy soul lie in the deep waters, from which no strength of man can draw thee forth?"Wait on the Lord, and He shall save thee;" and cry to Him, "Thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day." thy good evil spoken of among men; and thy name cast forth as evil among those who once delighted in thee, but now who seek to lay thine honour in the dust? Fear not. All will be right anon. Thy Vindicator lives, and will ere long bring thee forth in white robes, free from the stains that men strive to cast upon thee. Remember that thy God suffered all this, and much more, for thee. Remember "The Lord is a God of judgment. Blessed are all they that wait for Him." There are two bitter enemies of a man's true life-the world without him, and the world within him-the world in his heart. The conflict is sometimes terrible, and thou dost sometimes feel as one left without strength, and thy hands fail, and thy heart grows faint. What is this but to teach thee where thy true strength lies, and to cast thee off from every other? "Wait on the Lord be of good courage; and He shall strengthen thine heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord.” Sometimes the discouragement is deeper yet. We live under the hidings of our Master's face. He seems to have covered himself with a thick cloud, which our sight cannot pierce, and which our prayers cannot pass through-they fall consciously short of their aim, and come back to the dull earth, flat and unprofitable. But be of good cheer. This cannot last for ever, nor last long. Only "rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;" and be assured that the Lord is good to them that wait for Him; and although it may be that now, for a little while, thou liest void of strength, and almost lifeless upon the ground, yet amid this chilliness still wait; though wounded, wait, holding fast the conviction which His promise gives. "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." To have waited for the Lord, He allows to constitute a claim to His tender consideration for us. "Be gracious to us; we have waited for thee." And no one ever yet could truly say, "I waited patiently for the Lord," without being enabled rejoicingly to add-"and He heard my cry." And in that day of full fruition of all we have waited for, shall we not, out of the fulness of our replenished hearts, cry with exulting shouts to all that pass by, "Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us; this is the Lord; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation!"-J. K. TRY CHRIST. IN a ward of the hospital of Scutari, a conversation arose on the subject of religion. A convalescent had crawled with his crutch to the bedside of a comrade, anxious to know how it fared with one who had stood shoulder to shoulder with him in more than one affray. "Well, Barry, how are you today?" asked the visitor in a cheerful tone. "I cannot say, ' All's well,' indeed, Stanton, either outwardly or inwardly; but you are the man I was so wishing to see." "And what can I do for you,my good fellow?" "Well, the chaplain was here yesterday, and I told him that I was miserable. I told him I had tried pleasure, drink, everything; and that now my wretched mind was harder to bear than my wounds. What do you think he said? In the most solemn and earnest manner he said, Try Christ, try Christ.' All night long those two words have been in my ears-Try Christ.' But what can they mean?" เ "A glorious meaning they have, Barry. The Son of God is willing to save you, if you are willing to believe on Him and be saved. Be in earnest: He will save you from sin and hell. Trust in Him, and He will not let you perish. Ask Him to forgive your sins. Come to Him, and you shall not be cast out." "But, Stanton, are you certain all this is true? You know the life I led; too bad almost to be forgiven.” "As true as God Himself," answered the pious soldier reverently; and taking a Bible, he read the words, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." This good news was eagerly listened to by Barry, and the words were as cold water to a thirsty soul. He was induced to seek with earnestness and perseverance an interest in that salvation which Christ purchased by the shedding of His own precious blood, and which He so freely bestows on all those who believe on Him. And he did not seek in vain. By the teaching of the Holy Spirit he found, to the peace and joy of his soul, that Christ "is able to save them to the uttermost who come unto God by Him." SAVING FOR OLD AGE. No one denies that it is wise to make a provision for old age, but we are not all agreed as to the kind of provision it is best to lay in. Certainly, we shall want a little money, for a destitute old man is indeed a sorry sight, and suggests to every one the suspicion that his life has been foolishly, if not wickedly spent. Yes, save money, by all means. But an old man needs just that particular kind of strength which young men are most apt to waste. Many a foolish young fellow will throw away on a holiday a certain amount of nervous energy, which he will never feel the want of until he is seventy; and then, how much he will want it! It is curious, but true, that a bottle of champagne at twenty may intensify the rheumatism of threescore. It is a fact, that overtasking the eyes at fourteen may necessitate the aid of spectacles at forty, instead of eighty. We advise our young readers to saving of health for their old age, for the maxim holds good with regard to health as to money-waste not, want not. It is the greatest mistake to suppose that any violation of the laws of health can escape its penalty. Nature forgives no sin, no error. She lets off the offender for fifty years, sometimes; but she catches him at last, and inflicts the punishment just when, just where, just how he feels it most. Save up for old age, but save more than money; save health, save honour, save knowledge, save the recollection of good deeds and innocent pleasures, save pure thoughts, save friends, save love. Save rich stores of that kind of wealth which time cannot diminish, nor death take away. THE HOLY SPIRIT A COM- CHRISTIANS need to have intelligent The Lord's people need a comforter; for, oh, how much have they to render them unhappy! What with sin within them, the world without them, and Satan constantly trying to distress and cast them down, they have enough to dishearten them. Then, there are the cares of business, the trials of the family, the oppression of the great,' the sufferings of the poor, and the state of the church, all combining to fill them with grief and sorrow. Under these circumstances, human comforters are feeble and inefficient. God alone can impart the consolation' needed. In order to meet the case, the Holy Spirit has condescended to assume the office of Comforter. He is intrusted with all the fulness of Jesus; He knows all the thoughts of the Father; He has examined all the stores of grace, and is perfectly acquainted with all the riches of |