INDIA.

CALCUTTA.

Baptism of a Mohammedan Student.

I MENTIONED Some time ago that we had some interesting cases of application for baptism. One of these young men was received into the church last Lord's-day. His name is Kurban Ali-the same as that of our zealous catechist among the Mohammedans. He is a young man of about twenty-one years of age; he is a student in the native department of the Medical College here, in connection with which he holds a scholarship. He is-I mean he was-a Mohammedan. All my intercourse with him leads me to form a very favourable opinion of his character. He has been coming to me for about six months; and he has known our catechist, Kurban Ali, and had pretty frequent intercourse with him, for nearly a year.

He has been subjected for months to no small persecution on the part of his fellowstudents. In fact, a medical student in his position, living as he does in the college, is subjected to almost as severe an ordeal as a soldier in a barrack is when he seeks to follow Christ. When even our catechist went to visit him at college, he too was subjected to much insult on the part of the young medical students, many of whom are Mohammedans; and every opprobrious epithet was heaped on the inquirer. Thus far he has stood firm; he has meekly borne the reproach of Christ; and now that he is actually baptized, I trust the persecution will flag, if not entirely cease.-Rev. Dr. Mitchell.

AFRICA.

BURNSHILL.

Death of the Rev. James Laing.

A STANDARD-BEARER in Africa has fallen. The Rev. James Laing, one of our oldest and most valued missionaries, died at Burnshill on the 28th January last. Dr. Stewart writes as follows:

He died here this morning. Mr. Laing was at his usual work last Sunday. The weather had been cold and wet. On the

following day he was feeling unwell, and during the night was attacked by severe pain in the right lung. This yielded to treatment, and about the middle of the week he was apparently improving. He had a relapse on Thursday night and Friday, and unfavourable symptoms began to show themselves with great rapidity. A greater degree of delirium existed than is usual in such cases. His mind was constantly wandering on his work; and he was frequently speaking in Kaffir to his people, whom he supposed to be about him, addressing them, and making arrangements for the coming Sabbath. For about twelve hours there was some abatement of the malady, and we began to hope for good results; but these hopes soon vanished, and on Sabbath morning our friend and father in the Lord's work departed to the land of peace.

Mr. Laing landed in South Africa in 1830. He has therefore been nearly fortytwo years a missionary. He pursued his work day by day with wonderful perseverance and patience. One of the most marked features of his life and work was the entire absence of ostentation. For the praise of man he seemed to care absolutely nothing, while ever ready to encourage others by approbation when it was deserved. He was one of the best and most gentle and genial of friends, patient with all, and beloved by all.

He died in the sixty-eighth year of his age, after a long day spent in his Master's service. The fruits of his labours and the example of his life will, we hope, appear abundantly in the district in which he laboured, and where he was so much esteemed, during many years in the future, and form part of his reward and crown in the future still more distant.

"THE CHILDREN ARE PRAYING FOR US."

MELANCTHON was once very much distressed and cast down about the cause of God; but one day, when taking a walk, he heard some children's voices, and listening, found they were engaged in prayer for the great work of God. He at once returned to his brethren, and, entering the room, exclaimed, "Brethren, take courage, for the children are praying for us.'

WHEN I was a very little boy, my mother got a pair of pretty gloves as a present for me, from a kind Christian lady. As I had never had gloves before, you may be sure I was delighted with my treasure. I put them on, when, of course, I had no need to do so, that I might see how nicely they looked; and I was disappointed if my brothers and sisters did not take notice both of me and them.

One beautiful evening I was very glad to learn that next day I was expected to go a message some miles distant. I was glad, because I knew I would be allowed to wear my gloves all the way. When the morning arrived, I was early in readiness for my journey, from which I expected to derive so much pleasure; and, you may be sure, whatever was forgot, the gloves were not. However, when I had set out, after a time other things began to attract my attention, and, as I thought, I laid the gloves aside safely in my pocket, and soon I forgot all about them. But, young reader, guess my surprise and disappointment when, on my returning home, I found I had lost one of them! I sought every place I could think of; but the truth became more and more evident,- -one of them was really lost!

Now, there were two things which vexed me at that moment: first, of course, there was the loss of the glove; but, over and above, I knew my mother was always displeased with, and often punished me when I was careless or naughty. And there was nothing which vexed me more than the thought that I had incurred my mother's displeasure. What was I to do? I could not find the glove, and the night was coming on. In my distress I remembered that my mother had taught me to pray to God when I was in difficulty of any kind, and that he would assuredly hear my prayer. Here,

then, so far as I at present remember, was the first occasion on which I honestly acted on my mother's instruction. I prayed to God most earnestly for two things: 1st, That I might find my lost glove; and 2nd, That my mother would not be displeased with me for my carelessness. I never for a moment thought that the great and good God could have any difficulty in hearing a poor little boy like myself. I therefore prayed most earnestly; but there was no answer. I did not find the glove, and I was still afraid of my mother's displeasure.

When I returned home I was a very different person from what I had been when I set out in the morning. I entered the house in tears; but I was soon entirely relieved from my first anxiety, for my mother spoke kindly to me,-which she always did when she saw that we really were vexed for our faults. She had no pleasure in punishing us for its own sake.

But what of the "lost glove"? In a day or so after, I learned that a neighbour had picked it up, and I had only to call upon him to get it again. Now, when I had fared so much better than at one time I had expected, I could not help feeling within myself that it was actually God who had delivered me out of this difficulty. He wrought no miracle; but he answered my prayer as completely as though he had sent a bird of the air to pick up my glove and drop it in my hand.

Now, boys and girls, when you are in difficulty of any kind, pray earnestly to God; and God for Jesus' sake will in his own time and way hear your cry. I am now growing old, but whenever I find myself in difficulty (which not unfrequently happens), I remember the "lost glove," and I pray to God; and I find that as certainly as he heard me then, he hears me still.

NEVER say, when you are about to do something that is wrong, "It is only a trifle." "He that despiseth small things shall fall by little and little." Never say, "It is but a little sin." There are no little sins. Eve only ate a forbidden apple; but, because it was sin, it brought death into the world, and the world became the abode of sinners and mourners. God is a great God, and no sin can be a trifle, for it is done against him.

We would warn you against that great sin which young people so very often fall into,the sin of disobeying their parents. Children may disobey their parents in two ways: they may disobey them by doing what they bid them not to do; and they may disobey them by leaving undone what they have told them to do. It may be just to save themselves, as they think, a little trouble; but they do not know how much trouble they are making for themselves. forget that God has said, "Be sure your sin will find you out;" or, perhaps, like the wicked man whom the Bible calls a fool, they say in their hearts, "God hideth his face; he will never see it."

They

Read the following history, which will show you the great sin of what perhaps was thought but a little act of disobedience to a parent's will.

In those parts of America where the great forests are not cut down, and where only a few persons live, the woods sometimes take fire, or are set on fire when it is dry weather in the autumn. The fire leaps from tree to tree, burns and crackles, and rushes on like a fierce army in battle. Sometimes it goes almost a hundred miles before it is stopped. Now you shall bear

how, on one occasion, the woods were set on fire.

A little boy was playing one day just at the edge of the woods when his mother was not with him. Though he knew it was wrong, and his mother had often told him not to play with fire, yet he went into the house and brought out some burning wood. He felt that it was wrong, but thought that nobody would ever know it. "God was not in all his thoughts." He played with the fire for a time, and it did no harm. At last the wind blew a spark into the woods, and it caught the dry leaves; they blazed, the whole forest was set on fire! On the fire went, kindled into a great flame, raging, and burning all before it. For whole days, and even weeks, it roared and raged without hurting any one. one day when the wind blew hard, it burned faster and more fearfully, until it came to a small new house, which a poor man had just built, in the middle of the forest, on some land which he had bought.

But

The man had left home. When at a great distance he saw the fire, and hurried back as fast as he could. But oh, what a sight! The woods were all burned black. Not a leaf was left. His house and barn were burned up; but what was far worse, his dear wife and child were burned too. On the spot where he left them happy in the morning, nothing was found but a heap of smoking ashes!

All this great sorrow was caused by that little boy, who disobeyed his mother and played with fire. How much, how very much may depend on little things!-- Early Days.

"STAND fast in all right, and against all wrong!-that is the last word I have to say to you, my boy. Be ye strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might."

So spoke his father on parting with Johnnie Campbell, on his leaving home to be a little groom at Hilton Castle. Johnnie was to have charge of two ponies, and his master told him that he was to get from the head groom a certain weight of hay and measure of corn for their food. Johnnie soon found that the head groom was giving him too little, and cheating his master out of the rest. He said "he must have" the right quantity. The groom, in a rage, blustered and swore at him. Up to this

time all the men had been kind to him, and it made him cry bitterly when he found that, for "standing fast," they all turned against him.

The man dared him to tell; but Johnnie stood firm. He had much more trouble, but he kept to his point; and the end of it all was that the men, after some sulking and growling, became as kind and friendly as ever. One friend, Henry the coachman, wondered how he was strong enough to stand his ground. "I am not a bit strong in myself," Johnnie said, "only I am strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might."

Let stable boys, and shop boys, and all young servants, when they are tempted to