THE GOSPEL TRUMPET. "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature." A WELL-KNOWN and much be- show you the place where, 'I obtained loved minister was preaching to a large congregation of working men near Bristol, when he said, "Perhaps some of you could tell me where and when God bestowed His mercy upon you." A working man instantly arose from his seat, and said, "I can, Sir. I can tell you when, and I can No. 313.-JANUARY, 1883.] mercy.' I was a swearer, a bad husband, a drunkard, and all that was vile. I lived a wicked life for many years. At last I was persuaded to go and hear Richard Weaver, in the Broadmead Rooms, Bristol; and I came away from his meeting convinced of my sinful and miserable [MONTHLY, ONE HALFPENNY 2 "The Lord is merciful and gracious" (PSALM CIII. 8). nail into the floor; and there, I believe, it remains, as the memorial of the place where, and the hour when, he could sing: "Once a sinner near despair, Sought Thy mercy-seat by prayer; Lord, that mercy came to me!" Now, dear reader, are your sins forgiven? There is mercy for you. There is Heaven for you. Put your whole trust in Jesus, and YOU SHALL BE SAVED JUST NOW. Yes, you shall have to get a brass nail too, and use it as the Ebenezer of your soul. You may be saved where you are; saved as you are; saved for ever and ever, through faith in Jesus, whose blood cleanseth from all sin. condition. I began to think about days afterwards, he drove a brass my past life; I went to religious meetings; I read my Bible and tried to pray, but I became more and more wretched. I could find no rest either day or night. At length, I resolved to murder my wife and seven children, and then kill myself; and so bring, as I thought, my awful misery to an end. I formed my plan, fixed the night when I would commit the murderous deed; and when it came, having prepared my razor, the lucifers, and the candle, I went to bed intending to rise at a certain hour, and slay my poor wife and children. When they were asleep, I got up, lighted the candle, took the razor into my hand, and went towards the bed where my wife lay. Then a voice seemed to speak to me and say, 'Do not kill them. There is mercy for you.' I stayed my hand, shut the razor, put out the candle, and then went into the garden, and there I wept and prayed. When I was composed I returned to my bed. Not long after that night, I came into this room to attend a prayer-meeting; and it pleased God to forgive me all my sins through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ." He then turned round, and, pointing to a certain spot, he exclaimed, "Sir, it was there -it was there God had mercy upon me!" During his affecting story, men who heard it wept aloud; and, a few G. W. M. At Close of Day. F you sit down at set of sun, One self-denying act, one word That fell like sunshine where it went,- But if through all the livelong day You've nothing done that you can trace, No act most small, That helped some soul, and nothing cost,— "Hear, and your soul shall live" (ISAiah Lv. 3). God is Calling. "Unto you, O men, I call."-PROVERBS Viii. 4. HAT the ear of the Lord should be open to our cry is wonder enough; but here is matter for amazement indeed, that the Lord should condescend to call unto us. Among men, when one has offended another, it is thought right that he should make the first advances towards reconciliation, more especially if he be inferior in position to the other. But here we have the offended Majesty on high, not waiting for His rebellious creatures to seek His mercy, but being Himself the first to speak, and to offer reconciliation. Not only has He made a complete atonement, and provided a full salvation, but He condescends to call unto His enemies, and beseech them to accept the priceless boon. There is no standing upon His dignity. He stands, but it is at the door of the sinner's heart, knocking for admittance. As lowly in heart now as he was in the days of His humiliation, He stoops to entreat the sinner. Oh, marvel of grace! the Lord of glory pleads with the abjects; the King of Heaven beseeches the rebels. He so loves the world, that even now He takes the lowliest place, waiting if any man will hear His voice and will open unto Him. Kings are wont to command the loyal services of their subjects, but the King of kings and Lord of lords condescends in His mighty love to pray the rebellious, "Be reconciled to God." ye And if the Master calleth thee, poor sinner, wilt thou say Him nay? Are the pleasures of sin so sweet, are the world's husks so satisfying, that thou wilt turn thy back upon Christ, and all the blessedness He brings? 3 What is it He offers you? The blessedness of peace with God, of sin covered, transgression forgiven. The blessedness of a pure heart, of a conscience "void of offence." The joy of a spirit let free; for "if the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." The blessedness of a Thee." mind at rest; for "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Yea, these are but the beginnings of the good things He offers you. Even in and full of glory," and in the life to come this life you may have "joy unspeakable eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him." Nay, He offers you HIMSELF,—all that He has, and all that He is ; His power, His wealth, His glory, His infinite perfections, His everlasting life! Alas! will refuse so inestimably precious a gift? you Listen! "If ANY MAN hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me." "IF ANY MAN thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink." "I am the door: by Me if ANY MAN enter in, he shall be saved." Why, poor sinner, if thou wouldest be saved, and all the rest of the Bible seemed against thee, yea, if Heaven, earth, and hell seemed to bar thy way to Christ, thou couldest come with but this one word, and He could not say thee nay.-From "Herein is Love," by H. D. Brown. IT is no great matter how dull the scholar be when Christ taketh upon Him to be the teacher; who, as He prescribeth what to understand, so giveth understanding itself even to the simplest. 4 "Seek the Lord, and ye shall live" (AMOS v. 6). A All-All For Thee! A CHRISTIAN'S NEW YEAR'S PRAYER. watchword Be Thine own key-note for my life this year: So sweetly harmonising thought and action, lost Jesus. Twelve years they could keep Him, but at a feast they lost Him. So LL-ALL FOR THEE! Dear Saviour, may this easily is Christ lost at a feast. And it is remarkable there, that in the Temple they found Him again. Jesus Christ is often lost at a banquet; but He is ever found in the temple. Let us be like the deer, who are even more fearful at their best feeding." That none who listen shall a discord hear! All-all for Thee! Oh, take me now entirely, To do or suffer as Thou shalt command. I give my heart: I long to love Thee better Lord Jesus, grant it may I love Thee more! I give my will: O Master, do receive it! It must rebel in any care but Thine; I cannot keep it, it is so self-pleasing; What rest to think it is no longer mine! All-all for Thee! Myself, in all my weakness, An instrument discordant, worn, and worthless, O Master by Thine own most Holy Spirit That those who hear it may learn more of Thee. Of Thee, their Saviour, who for them didst suffer: swell! How plainly the Scriptures teach us that a nearness to Christ and true Christians is not of itself sufficient to save us! A woman whose husband was a "just" man and a nephew of Abraham, the "friend of God," who witnessed a noted miracle, and whose hands were pressed in friendship by those of angels,-was "turned into a pillar of salt," as a monument of God's displeasure; and we are bidden "remember" her (Gen. xix. 24-26; Luke xvii. 26-29). Judas, who heard Christ Himself preach, saw His miracles, was chosen to be one of His intimate followers, and ate and drank with Him, was "a devil," betrayed his Master, committed suicide, and went "to his own place"-a place so bad that Jesus said, "it were good for him if he had never been born" (Mark xiv. 21; Acts i. 16-20). Those near the ark of Noah as surely perished when the flood came, as those who were many miles away. A green branch tied firmly to a living vine will still remain fruitless and wither. "Let us watch, and be sober" (1 THESSALONIANS V. 6). The Blue Ribbon and the Bit of Blue Sky. LATELY heard a remark worth remembering. A minister of Christ had been at a Gospel Temperance Meeting, and shortly afterwards noticed the blue sky coming out after a very gloomy day. So he put them both together. In one sense In one sense he thought the Blue Ribbon might bring the blue sky. The Total Abstinence pledge, if faithfully kept, may often lead to bright and happy days after many dark ones. Let me have a word about this. But, first of all, I must explain the origin of the Blue Ribbon, and why many wear it in the button-hole or on the dress. You find it in Numbers xv. 37-41. God gave Moses a command. The children of Israel were to put a fringe on the borders of their garments, and on this fringe a ribband of blue. It was to remind them of God. When they looked upon it, they were to remem ber that He was their God, who had redeemed them from Egypt. They must not seek after their own heart and eyes, following their own ways, but they must remember His commandments, to do them. They must often recall His goodness, and be holy unto the Lord their God. Men need the same lesson now. We should ever remember the redeeming love of Christ. We should often think upon His sayings, and keep them. We must cultivate that holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. Hence the first lesson of the Blue Ribbon is remember. Remember the Lord thy God. Remember 5 His goodness. Remember His precepts. Remember His promises. Remember the covenant He makes with His people. But what hinders this more than strong drink? what more than this blinds the conscience, shuts the conscience, shuts the eyes of the mind, and leads men utterly to forget everything that is good. What more than this prompts men to the indulgence of every evil pas sion? Therefore the Blue Ribbon may well be used as an emblem of Temperance, in close alliance with Christianity. It is an open declaration that a man puts away utterly that which causes so much sin. It is a bond of union amongst those who are at work in this good cause. In this way it may be a help to those who wish to live soberly, righteously, and Godly, in an evil world. With this is sure to come "a bit of blue sky." God is a good paymaster. Though we deserve nothing, and are forgiven and saved only for Christ's sake, yet the path of obedience is the path of peace. A humble trust in God's mercy, and a hearty desire to walk in His ways cannot fail to add greatly to a man's comfort and happiness, and to remove many a cause of sorrow from before his face. And renouncing the old habit, and becoming a Total Abstainer, often brings back into the home something of the brightness of early married life. In many cases during the first few months or years husband and wife have been like two doves, as happy with each other as |