in heaven at the right hand of the Father, our Mediator and Advocate. His special delight is in His church; here He reigns as King. "This is My rest," He says; "here will I dwell, for I have delight therein." He manifests Himself in the sanctuary amongst His worshipping people, to hear their prayers, to accept their praises, and to render effectual His preached word. This is His own promise: " Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them." Especially does He condescend to fix His residence in the human heart. He enters on His own invitation, and that which He might claim as a right He wins by the sweet attractions of His grace. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock."

Yes, by the convictions of His law, by the promises of His gospel, by the bounties or by the trials of His providence, by the whispers of conscience, by the still small voice of His spirit, Jesus knocks. He stands and knocks. He "has waited long, is waiting still; we use no other friend so ill." How happy is the heart where Jesus enters, and how blessed the train of graces which accompanies Him: "Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance." How joyful the welcome with which the Divine Saviour is entertained.

We remember the narrative of the conversion of Zacchæus. By profession a tax-gatherer, in station richer than his fellows, in stature far less. But he desired to see Jesus. He climbed up into a sycamore tree that he might look down upon the approaching crowd, and feast his eyes with the sight of the wonderful Teacher. With what an abundant recompense was his feeble desire after Christ gratified. The Good Shepherd who came to seek and to save that which was lost arrived at the place, and thus addressed him: "" Zacchæus, make haste, and come down; for to-day I must abide at thy house."

The call was personal: "Zacchæus." Christ calls His own sheep by name. It was earnest : "Make haste." Time is short; death is near; judgment is strict and

searching. It was humbling; we must come down from our worldliness, ambition, and self-righteousness, if we would accept the Saviour. We must acknowledge ourselves lost by sin, if we would be saved by grace. The call was to a present salvation: "To-day I must abide at thy house." "To-day if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.” "Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation." Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. Look unto Him and live. There is life for a look. The moment of penitent faith is the moment of free and joyful acceptance. The call was to everlasting blessedness; I must abide at thy house. "For whom He loveth, He loveth unto the end." The Redeemer of His church does not waver in His purpose. His love is an everlasting love. He is "the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever." The sheep who hear His voice and follow Him shall never perish, neither shall man nor devil be able to pluck them out of the Father's hand.

We are not surprised when we read that Zacchæus made haste, came down, and received the Saviour joyfully, and by his deep repentance for the past, and by the promise of large and ample charity for the time to come, he approved himself a genuine disciple, a doer as well as a hearer of the word. That was a joyful day in Zacchæus' house. That will be a joyful day for you, reader, when you welcome Jesus to your heart, and when it is legible in your walk and conversation, that you are the dwelling-place of the meek and gentle Lamb of God.

If the Lord Jesus dwell in your heart, your happiness will be felt and known. You will have the witness in yourself. There will be no mistake about it. There is no mistake about a deliverance from shipwreck, no mistake in liberation from a dungeon, no mistake in returning health after severe and prolonged sickness. And there can be no mistake when the penitent believer enters into rest, the rest of faith; when he has a sweet assurance of sin forgiven, and iniquity covered; when in the blood of Jesus he can read his title

M

Secret.

ARTHA was what one hears called a quaint child., She had her own way of saying and doing things. But then she was a seriously-minded child, fulfilling, to her parents' joy, that statement of the Bible, "Train up a child in the way he shall go, and when he

is old he will not depart from it." Old, of course, she would not be for many long years, but now, at the age of ten only, she had quite as many years advanced towards that happy fulfilment which they had a right to expect.

Martha's great attention to the services in God's house proved that the inculcations of early childhood had not been wasted, whilst her quietly helpful ways in the household showed to all that she was not an idle listener to what she heard, but a doer of that word which says, "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might."1 Small "might," indeed, in only a child of ten! but the Lord does not despise the day of small things, and we may be quite sure that if Martha's quiet helpfulness arose from obedience to the Divine law, that, small as it was, the Lord did not despise it at her hands.

There was one little peculiarity in Martha which attracted the notice of her parents, and the curiosity of those about her. It was this; she seemed to lay a great stress on Monday morning. Was there anything more difficult to do than usual? "Oh, I will do it on Monday morning," was little Martha's thought, if not words. Had any task involving extra patience to be undertaken? Monday morning was certainly the best time for that task. Were there any special favours to be asked? Why, then leave them, by all means, till Monday morning. Was there any day in the week that more particularly than another (Sunday, of course, excepted) should have everything very bright about it? What day could that possibly be but Monday? This was what some folks might have called Martha's crotchet, but what we, who have been let into her secret, call Martha's happy solution of a great problem. In her childlike, simple faith she believed that Monday was to realise all Sunday's prayers, and that folks who had attended the means of grace on that sacred day were, as a matter of course, refreshed and ready to begin the week in all that reliance on the Divine aid they had sought, which brings strength 1 Eccles. ix. 10.

and cheerfulness for the performance of every duty, and every act of social kindness in daily life.

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Come, Martha, my child," said her father one day; come and tell me what this secret of yours is about Monday, and all its wonderful doings."

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Martha looked up in unfeigned surprise. 'Oh, papa dear, it's no secret! Only when we've been asking God to bless us so much, I think He must begin at once on Monday morning to show that He has heard us, by making us all more loving than usual, and us children more willing to be obedient and good."

"Then my little girl thinks that at any rate 'a Sabbath well spent' ought to bring a Monday of content, if it does not bring the whole weekful?”

“Oh, yes, papa, it is so close to Sunday that it drinks up all its blessing, and then lets it run down all through the week. If people are not kind on Monday I don't know when they will be.".

"Then is that why you always come to papa and mamma on Monday morning with some request ?" asked her father, trying to restrain a smile.

Martha searched into her father's face with a half-puzzled look, then ingenuously replied, as though there was scarcely need for such a question :

"Of course it is, dear papa! It isn't wrong, is it? Oh, I hope not!"

"Far from it, dear child. But don't you think we are always ready to give our dear little girl what she wants, if it is for her good?"

“Oh—pa—pa! Yes! Only if you are ready any day, you must be ever so much readier on Monday, when you've got all Sunday in you, that's all. You see, papa, we have not got all God's good out of Sunday if we are not better on Monday

"That's right, little one. Now run away and live 'Sunday' all through the week," was all her father then remarked, as he sent Martha off with a hearty kiss on her