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that utterly astonished us all, 'Doctor, Doctor, there is a difference between a life of amusement and a life of prayer. Oh, it is hard to die without an interest in Christ.' She closed her eyes, her hand fell, and all was silent. And, my soul, what a silence was that! Soon the earthly anguish of the sufferer was ended, she spoke not again."

Varieties.

COMMITTING THE SOUL TO CHRIST.. . Mr. H. was for many years co-pastor with the celebrated Matthew Wilks, of the congregations at the Tabernacle and Tottenham-Court Chapel, London. His venerable colleague, who called upon him a few hours before his death, in a characteristic conversation, said, "Is all right for another world ?" "I am very happy," said Mr. H. "Have you made your will ?" Mistaking the question "The will of the Lord be done," said the dying christian. "Shall I pray with you ?" "Yes, if you can;" alluding to Mr. Wilks's feelings, at that moment considerably excited. After prayer, "Well, my brother, if you had a hundred souls, could you commit them all to Christ now ?" alluding to an expression Mr. H. frequently used in the pulpit. With a mighty and convulsive effort he replied, "A million!" Reader, millions

upon millions have in the past committed their souls to Christ: will not you commit yours to Him?

"THIS IS WHAT I WANT."-A certain man, on the Malabar coast, had enquired of various devotees and priests, how he might make atonement for his sins; and he was directed to drive iron spikes, sufficiently blunted, through his sandals; and on these spikes, he was directed to place his naked feet, and to walk about four hundred and eighty miles. If through loss of blood, or weakness of body, he was obliged to halt, he might wait for healing and strength. He undertook the journey, and while he halted under a large shady tree, where the gospel was sometimes preached, one of the missionaries came and preached in his hearing these words, "The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin." While he was preaching, the man rose up, threw off his torturing sandals, and cried out aloud, "This is what I want;" and he became a lively witness, that the blood of Jesus Christ does cleanse from all sin indeed.

THE SCHOLAR'S COMFORT."I have taken much pains," says the learned Selden, "to know everything that was esteemed worth knowing amongst men; but with all my disquisitions and reading, nothing now remains with me to comfort me, at the close of life, but this passage of St. Paul, 'It is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners:' to this I cleave, and herein I find rest."

A Page for the Young.

THE WILLOW, POPPY, AND VIOLET.

A child held in his hand a slight leafless bough. It was like a supple green wand. But it had been newly cut from the parent stock, and life stirred in its little heart.

He sought out a sheltered spot, and planted it in the moist earth. Often did he visit it, and when the rains of summer were withheld, he watered it, at the cool sunset.

The sap, which is the blood of plants, began to flow freely through its tender vessels. Seasons passed over it, and it became a tree. Its slender branches drooped downward to the earth. The cheering sun smiled upon them; the happy birds sang to them; but they drooped still.

"Tree, why art thou always so sad and drooping? Am not I kind unto thee?" But it answered not; only, as it grew on, it drooped lower and lower; for it was a Weeping Willow.

The boy cast seed into the soft garden mould. When the time of flowers came, a strong budding stalk stood there, with coarse serrated leaves. Soon a full red poppy came forth, glorying in its gaudy dress. At its feet grew a purple violet, which no hand had planted or cherished. It lived lovingly with the mosses, and with the frail flowers of the grass, not counting itself more excellent than they.

"Large poppy, why dost thou spread out thy scarlet robe so widely, and drink up all the sunbeams from my lowly violet?" But the flaunting flower replied not to him who planted it. It even seemed to open its rich mantle still more broadly, as though it would have stifled its humble neighbour's. Yet nothing hindered the fragrance of the meek violet.

The little child was troubled, and, at the hour of sleep, he spake to his mother of the tree that continually wept, and of the plant that overshadowed its neighbour. So she took him on her knee, and spoke so tenderly in his ear, that he remembered her words when he became a man.

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"There are some who, like the willow, are weepers all their lives long, though they dwell in pleasant places, and the fair skies shine upon them in love. And there are others, who, like the poppy that thou reprovest, are proud at heart, and despise the humble, whom God regardeth.

"Be not thou like them, my gentle child; but keep ever in thy breast the sweet spirit of the lowly violet, that thou mayest come at last to that blessed place which pride cannot enter, and where the sound of weeping is unknown."-Mrs. Sigourney.

PREPARATION FOR DEATH.

"Thou fool! this night thy soul shall be required of thee; then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided ?"

Nothing is so terrible as death, to those who are strongly attached to this life. It is strange that we do not form a more just judgment of the present and of the future. We are as infatuated with this world as if it were never to come to an end. The names of those who now play the most distinguished parts in life will perish with them. It is the will of God, that all living things shall be swallowed in a profound oblivion, man more especially. The pyramids of Egypt still stand, while the names of those who erected them are unknown.

The

What, then, can we accomplish here? To what purpose is the happiest life, if, by a wise and christian course, it does not conduct us to a happy death? great object of life is to prepare for death. We live in order that we may die. And before many years have passed, we shall all, without one exception, have given up the life we are now living, and have commenced that to which it is an introduction and a preparation. "Be ye

What, then, is the language of wisdom? also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of Man cometh." These words are addressed to each one of us, of whatever age, and in whatever rank, we may be placed. Why do we so cling to life? and whence comes it that we shrink so from death? It is, because we do not desire the kingdom of heaven, and the glories of a future world. How sad that men will not raise their thoughts above this world, where, by their own confession, they cannot find happiness. The way to enjoy the highest happiness the world can afford, as well as to be ready for the last hour, is to employ the present hour well, and ever to expect the final one.

THE APPEAL;

A Magazine for the People.

"I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say."

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TO READERS AND CORRESPONDENTS.-Cover, p. 2.

A PAGE FOR THE YOUNG. THE POOR BLIND BOY.-Cover, p. 3.

DEATH.-Cover, p. 4.

A Word to the Poor

48

48

PRICE ONE HALFPENNY.

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JOHN HEATON, 7, BRIGGATE;

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May be had by order of any Bookseller.

TO READERS AND CORRESPONDENTS.

"TO ONE IN PERPLEXITY."-Our correspondent need not have feared to give us his real name, peculiar as he deems his case to be. It is by no means our practice to reply to correspondents who do not confide to us thus far. When they have done so, we have often sent them a line by post. Confidence of this kind is never abused by respectable Editors, not even under prosecutions for libel, at least if the writer will bear the expenses. But to the question proposed. The essence of it, as we understand it, is this: "May a sinner, who has wronged a fellow-creature, so far that confessing his sin to man would ruin himself, and others perhaps with him, hope to be pardoned by God, without owning his sin to the person he has wronged? May such a one come to Christ ?" There can be no question that frank, ingenuous confession to those we have wronged is generally a first duty. No self-abasement involved in it, no fear of reproach from the offended party, ought to deter us for a moment. A real penitent will be so humbled before God that pride will not hinder him from owning the truth to man. We suppose, however, that, in the writer's case, the wronged party does not know of the wrong done him. Here there may be a doubt how to act. If restitution can be made as secretly and as effectually as the wrong, and if, at the same time, the injured party can gain no relief or advantage by knowing the truth, while the injurer, or what is still more important, those dependent on him, might suffer in mind, body, or estate,-in this case, mere kindness appears to dictate that restitution should be made secretly. Disclosure might put the innocent in peril, without advantage to the injured one. But what are we to say when the person injured cannot receive his due without the injurer's confession of guilt, while yet that confession "would plunge others into misery." We are quite unable to decide what should be done in particular cases. Their details must be before us to give a satisfactory opinion. One thing, however, we consider clear, that no perplexities on this point need repel any one from our gracious Redeemer; that is, provided he fully made up his mind to two things,-one, to use every means of knowing the will of God in the matter, the other, to a firm resolution, when he saw the will of God, to carry it out, whatever the consequences to himself. No doubt concerning what God would have us do in a perplexed case, should ever deter us from faith and hope in the Friend of Sinners, while, like Paul, we can with truth say, as he did, "Lord, what wouldst thou have me to do?" In due time the Lord will make the path of duty clear to every honest enquirer. The man viler than his fellow-creatures can conceive of,-so vile, that he hesitates to tell a fellow-creature his sin, not though through selfish fear, but through fear of injuring those dearest to him,-such a one is assuredly welcome to Christ's own confessional,-to Him he may confide his case. He may unbosom the depths of his iniquity, and his unmentionable transgression, and the answer of the merciful Highpriest is, " My blood cleanseth from all sin. I died just because all sin is fully as vile as you see yours to be. Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out." No exception is made. Not even of those whose sins are dangerous to mention. Come, then, fellow-sinner, sins and doubts, lay them all before the Saviour. Unbosom thyself to him, and thou shalt find rest for thy soul (Matt. xi. 28, 29, 30).

GRATUITOUS CIRCULATION OF “THE APPEAL.”

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To the Editors of The Appeal.”

Dear Sirs,-From the stirring nature of the articles appearing in your very cheap Magazine, I deem its gratuitous circulation among those unable to purchase a periodical at such a nominal price, most desirable. For this purpose, I enclose 5s., hoping nineteen others will do likewise; in which case, I shall be most happy to be one of another twenty.

I remain your much interested Reader,

H. W. N.

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