THE LORD SENT HIM.

NE Sabbath a poor drunken man walked into one of our wealthy and fashionable congregations, and seated himself near the pulpit. He came in at the close of the first hymn, and his shabby appearance and uncertain gait attracted general observation. The minister had scarcely commenced preaching when the stranger had sunk into a deep sleep; his loud snoring al

most drowned the voice of the speaker, and one of the officers of the church approached to lead him out of the building. "Let him remain," said the minister; "he does not disturb me. If he does you, try and bear with him. I hope he may hear some word before he leaves which will persuade him to lead a new life. The man is not in his senses; there is some influence which we do not perceive which has led him here. I believe the Lord sent him."

He continued to sleep on, but more quietly. The pealing of an organ and the singing of the choir at last aroused him. He started to his feet, and gazed in bewilderment around. It was the old hymn, "Rock of ages," which they were singing. He sat down and buried his face in his hands. What memories came thronging upon him, who shall say? That he was affected might be seen by his flowing tears. He listened to the prayer which followed,—a touching petition that all might repent and seek the Saviour, that each one might find pardon and peace.

and

The next Sabbath he was again in church. This time he was a punctual and attentive listener. Although still shabbily dressed, he had paid some regard to his attire. He continued to attend, and to improve in his appearance. In one of the prayer-meetings he arose and said he hoped he had become a Christian. He had a pious mother; her great desire was that he might become a Christian. Since her death he had become a victim of intemperance. For years his course had been downward. On the Sabbath when he first entered the church, he had heard the singing, and paused to listen. A voice seemed to bid him enter. He thought it might be the voice of God speaking to him for the last time. Half overcome with drink and almost in rags, he entered the church. He heard part of the hymn, "Rock of Ages," the hymn sung by his mother upon her death-bed. The prayer which followed seemed meant for him. He resolved to leave off his old habit, and by the grace of God he had kept his resolution.

He became a sincere and devoted Christian. became a member and subsequently a deacon. said his pastor," a man more earnest, or more good than he."

Of that church he "I do not know," successful in doing E. G.

OME, needle, we must not be lazy to-day :

The work must be done and the time wears away;
There still is an hour of daylight or more:

I'll work till I hear mother's step at the door.

I'll not stop one moment as long as 'tis light,
That mother may not have to sit up at night;
Then fly, my needle, in time to my song:
There's nothing like singing to help us along.

How pleasant it is, when I'm working so hard,
To know that my trouble will have its reward:
For mother will smile when she sees what I've done,
Quite pleased that I've worked for her when she was gone

HINTS FOR THE HOUSEHOLD.

INFANT NURSING.

AR from receiving the generally received opinion that crying is natural," it is, to any extent, very unnatural. When there is no apparent reason, such as a known hurt, hunger, etc., depend upon it there is a cause which ought to be discovered as soon as possible. People accustomed to children (that is, observing people) soon learn to distinguish the different sort of cry which indicates an infant's wants; and, although I do not think they should, in general, be left to make their wants known by such means, it is a provision of nature, and it is a voice and an appeal which none less than a barbarian would disregard. For instance, they have a hungry cry, a sleepy cry, and a cry of pain; the two first may be easily satisfied, but the third requires judgment to discover the precise nature of the pain. Thus, infants, after feeding, are often oppressed with wind, which, in such tender little beings, if not got rid of, causes a considerable amount of suffering. It may frequently be dispersed by placing the child in a sitting-up posture on the knee, the chest resting on the palm of one hand, and the back gently rubbed and soothed by the other; but all hard pats and thumps must be avoided; indeed, an infant, till twelve months old, at least, should receive the gentlest treatment in handling. You may often notice a babe, after a few gulps, refuse its food. An ignorant nurse will think it is not hungry, lay the boat or bottle aside, and begin jolting it to sleep. The cause of the child's disinclination to the food was, no doubt, an accumulation of wind at its chest, which prevented its swallowing; but the perverse nurse has decided that it is to go to sleep, and so the poor infant is jogged and jolted, and the crying increases with the pain, so that screaming convulsions have been induced through no other cause than such ignorance as described. The proper treatment, under such simple circumstances, would be to adopt the plan, as before recommended; viz., gently rubbing the back, which would, most probably, have the desired effect, and the infant would finish its meal in comfort; for, by the other course (if worse did not happen), the child would go to sleep hungry, and awake exhausted and fretful, instead of refreshed.

BOOKS RECEIVED.

John Philips.-Illustrated Children's Treasury (Book Society).— The British Flag (Macintosh).-Are you fighting? By J. C. Ryle.Home Visitor (Hunt & Co.).-Tract Magazine.-Sunday at Home (Religious Tract Society).-Christian Miscellany (Conference Office).

CAPTAIN W. H., of the ship Providence, of Sunderland, was one of those who believe that God hears and answers the prayers of His children; and we shall see how wonderfully his Father in heaven "delivered" him when he "called upon "Him for help and guidance. The ship of which he was the master was overtaken in a storm on her voyage home from the White Sea. The crew were at the pumps when the deck was swept by a large wave. In reply to the captain's question, "Are you all there?" he was answered, "All here, but the ship is a mere wreck." The cabin being filled, all the provisions were spoiled, and the water on deck was gone,-all they had left being a cask in the forecastle and a few biscuits for a crew of seven or eight men. In this great trouble the master went below, and fell on his knees in the cabin, to ask the Lord to show him what he was to do. On rising from his knees he fell into a kind of trance, in which it was clearly shown him what kind of coast they would approach, and the creek into which they would find an entrance. He saw a high bold shore with a sugar-loaf cliff and a long low reef beyond, and three men in a boat coming towards the ship. He went on deck and ordered the foresail to be loosed and set, which after much difficulty was done. The mate asked him, [MARCH, 1871.

VOL. VIII. No. 3.].

what they were going to do; he replied, "We must get the ship before the wind, and make for some place where we may obtain water and provisions." They had made an observation that day, and found they were a hundred miles from the coast of Norway. The captain, after watching most of the night, lay down to rest, and after a time was awoke by the mate, saying, "Here is a high bold shore ahead, sir!" On going on deck, Captain H. knew it was the shore he had seen in his cabin the day before, and went aloft on the cross-trees, telling the mate to steer according to his orders. They passed two or three openings in the shore and felt inclined to put into one or other of them, but as neither of them was the place the captain had seen, they sailed on; but by-and-by, he told the mate he would soon see a sugar-loaf rock, and then a long low reef, and inside that a sloop's mast at the end of the reef, and a boat would come out with three men in it. All this soon came in view, greatly to the mate's astonishment. When they got to the end of the reef the boat came alongside the Providence, and the captain asked the men if they could take him to an anchorage. One of them came on board and asked the captain if he had not had a pilot, and when he was told he had not, he put his hands together and exclaimed, “Then how have you got in here? You must be a good man;-GOD has been your pilot!" They brought the ship to anchor by the fishing craft, and the men soon supplied the strangers with water, bread, and fish. The fisherman took the captain to his home, and when he told the wonderful facts to his wife, she also exclaimed, "You must be a good man; God has been your pilot!" In the morning the pilot took Captain H. to the top of a mountain, from which he could see several creeks, and asked him, pointing to some of them, if he came in by any of those? And when, after hearing it was none of those, he showed him the right one, and was told that was the one he had entered by, he told him it was the only one by which it was possible to gain an entrance to that coast, again exclaiming, "You must be a good man, for God has been your pilot !"

After a good deal of delay, during which time the Providence had been given up as lost at home, she was put into the best sea trim possible, and sailed for England, where she arrived in safety, to the joy and satisfaction of all connected with her heavenpreserved and now restored crew. Captain H. could indeed say, “This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles;" and if we too will take all our difficulties to our heavenly Father in prayer, confiding in His power and willingness to help us, we shall prove for ourselves that, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

There is a safe and secret place

Beneath the wings divine,
Reserved for all the heirs of grace;
Oh be that refuge mine!