make one of that beloved group that sits around your home-table. Bid Him come in there. Throw open your house-door to Him, and make Him welcome. His presence makes heaven glad, and it will make your house glad, yea with a joy unspeakable and full of glory. As when the ark was received into the house of Obed-edom, the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all that pertained to him ; so will it be again, if you bid Christ welcome under your roof, and own Him at your table and in

all your household ways. · While it is right to make such applications of the verse, I think it

clear that the special reference is to the church door. To miss this would be to miss the principal thought. The Lord is speaking here, not to individuals simply, but to individuals composing a Christian society. Not directly to “ the world,” but to the members of a lukewarm church, whose emotions have cooled down to the point at which they are neither cold nor hot, and who are well pleased with themselves, and proud of their respectability. The words preceding this verse are at once incisive and loving, the faithful wounds of a friend. Suppose them to have taken effect in some heart, stirring to repentance and fresh earnestness. Suppose them to have kindled afresh the old love, of one heart, into an ardent flame. The man would at once feel himself out of harmony with his brethren, out of sympathy, out of place. You see him going up to the Laodicean assembly, none joining with him in the " gladness" with which he goes up to meet the Lord. Suppose it to be your own case. What then should you do? Bid the blessed Lord in at the church door. Open the door of your pew, and let Him in beside you. That is the best way. Man's spirit is to expose the condition of Laodicean churches; to denounce, to use strong, harsh language; and that often does much harm and no good, and defeats the very end in view. Far better is the thing counselled here, to open the door (say, the door of your pew), to the Lord himself. Let Him sit down beside you. At the supper, take the bread from His hand. There is the glorious privilege of every believing and loving heart, to have Christ Himself seated beside us, to have fellowship with Him. With such resource, no one need complain of meeting no sympathy. It is our own blame if it should be so." Nor would Laodiceanism live long, were such a remedy applied. Oh think of it, the first movement comes from Him! He has sought you out, He knocks at your door, He is standing there, with countenance so wistful, so majestic, 'so gracious; say to Him, Come in, o blessed Lord! and He will hear the faintest whisper of consent, and take His place where you would wish Him to be.

THE PILGRIMS. GLOWED the firelight, gloomed the | And that artless accent came and jumping shadows,

touched him, Met and mixed the flickering shine Like a voice from out his own young and shade;

life, To his sombre cheek a gold head Pleading sign that dove-like towards nestled,

him floated, Round his neck a little arm was laid. | Over wastes of darkness, waves of Sat these two together in the fire

strife. light,

Penitential sweetness overswept him, Man with weary heart, and smiling And of memory opened wide the door, child,

And he went within, and wandered He the much-experienced, she the

softly eager,

In the spring lanes of the past once Soiled time-traveller, and the unde more. filed.

Flowers regaled him, seas moved As in nature, so in life and feeling, thoughts immortal, Gay and grave their changeful Stars flung over him their early humours play;

spell, Shadows chase the sun-shafts o'er Saw he with a child's first serious the mountains,

wonder April's weather chequers mortalday All the mystic sights that then befell Morning mists from her fair world Visions of a time serene and tender. were lifting,

Dreams, hopes, pities, of earnest Leafing woodlands stirred with youth, pleasant sound;

Pressed upon his heart, and knocked To the silent shore his bark was and waited, drifting,

And looked in with wistful eyes of Chill it blew, and night was closing truth. round.

Witching evils, shapes of splendid He was stained with sin, and worn peril, with sorrow;

Waveringly withstood, and wooed at She was pure and fresh in her first length, glee:

Stifled truth, and quenched illumina. He was brooding o'er the unreturn. tions, ing;

Gathered to his view in gloomy She was reaching forth to what strength. might be.

And his soul sank humbled, awed, "Wil the guiding angels come to and melted, meet us

And he inly vowed in grief benign, As we struggle through that stormy “I will turn me to the heavenly stream?

kingdom, Will those wondrous chimes peal Give me, Lord, the new child-heart forth our welcome,

for mine.” And the eyes of Jesus kindly beamp”

And he bent him to the gentle She was reading in that grand old preacher, dreamer,

Who had charmed him to such holier Where the heavenly bells make mood, silver din,

And he said, “This night we'll start And a festal anthem shakes the city, together As the saved and shining enter in. For the golden city of the good.”

“For a space together, then you'll | “And perchance, that raiment white pass me,

and glistering, And you'll understand my march is | Which they brought for those brave done;

pilgrims twain, They will let you in a little later, They will bring for us, with songs When the ripening years shall all be and harpings,

And the bells of Heaven will ring

again." *

run.

FOOTPRINTS. A SWEET, affectionate child, finding that her father had gone to his daily business without a farewell kiss from her, caught up her little hood and cloak to follow him. But she was told that he was already far out of sight, that she could not find him, and would be lost in the great city. Looking out of the window, her face brightened, as she said, “ O mamma, but I couldn't get lost, for I see all his footsteps in the new snow. I'll put my foot first in one, and then in another, and another, and every one, till I find my dear papa.”

“ But, my child,” said the mother, “ the street is full of footprints ; after you leave your own door-steps you would soon lose your father's, and might follow some naughty or unkind person for whom you do not care."

"O mamma, dear!” exclaimed the child, in a reproving tone,“ don't you think I know my father's footsteps from any other man's? To be sure I do!”

How sweet and touching this lesson to our reluctant hearts ! This little one could not be happy without seeing her father, and was will. ing to brave the keen air and to meet strange faces in her search for him. So strong was her love that she felt sure that she could divine the path he had chosen, and distinguish his footprints from those of any other.

How often do those who profess to follow Jesus wheresoever He goeth, fail to even miss Him when He leaves them for a season; far less do they seek for His footprints, sure that they can distinguish them from those of any false leader.

Many who are quite willing to put their feet in the prints of His as He entered glory, cannot begin where He did on earth. They are willing to accept a place in His kingdom; but they care not to enter it through the valley of humiliation and the thorny road of repentance. They glory in the footprints which ceased at His exaltation, but not in those that led to it through Gethsemane.

How often do we hear church members talk of “ following Jesus," when we well know He has left no footprints on the sunny heights and Doisy plains where they have been. Those blessed feet in their weary

*From a small book of Poems, entitled, “Sunday Versos," by Joseph Truman. (London: W. Macintosh.)

journeys never entered the scene of gay and mad frivolity, nor yet joined in the wild, deluding chase after gold or earthly fame. In going these ways, those who bear His name have mistaken His footprints for that of one who will surely lead them astray.

Sad will it be for us, if, as we descend into the dark valley, we cannot discern the footprints of Him who is "the way, the truth, and the life.” Bunyan tells us that when Mr. Standfast had gone down into the river, he said to his companions who had followed him thither, “ This river hath been a terror to many; yea, the thoughts of it, also, have often frightened me. Now, methinks I stand easy; my foot is fixed upon that on which the feet of the priests that bore the ark of the covenant stood, while Israel passed over Jordan. ..I see myself now at the end of my journey ; my toilsome days are ended. I am going to see that head that was crowned with thorns, and that face that was spit upon for me. . . . I have loved to hear my Lord spoken of, and wherever I have seen the print of His shoe in the earth, there I have coveted to set my foot, too."

Reader, can you use such words as these ?

OUR MISSIONS :-THE MORANT BAY MISSION. This mission, as our readers will re- ! than to any share they had had member,sprang out of the lamentable in its evangelization. In point of events which took place in Jamaica, at fact it was proved that the Baptist the close of the year 1865. For the mission had never been able to estime public opinion was led to be tablish itself in St. Thomas in the lieve, that the disturbances, which is East, that its efforts, many years ago, sued in the slaughter of some twenty had been suppressed, by the imEnglishmen by the native popula prisonment of one missionary and tion, were the result of the teach- | the hostility displayed to another. ing of Baptist missionaries. The | The religious instruction of the Jamaica legislature was induced people had been left mainly in the by Governor Eyre to pass mea hands of the Church of England, the sures of the most tyrannical and labours of other sects being either oppressive nature, by which not unsuccessful or of a very feeble only religious liberty, but the very

kind. existence of Baptist churches was The Royal Commission had not threatened. The dreadful retribu completed its labours, when the Baption which followed the suppression tist missionaries were earnestly enof the disturbances, happily also led treated by Sir Henry Storks to ento an investigation, by which the deavour to establish a new mission calumnies floating about against the in the district, an entreaty the Baptist missionaries were refuted, Governor afterwards renewed pertheir uprightness was vindicated,

sonally in his interviews with the and it was made apparent that the

officers of our Society at home. state of things in the district of As soon as practicable, the mission Morant Bay was owing rather to was commenced, in October, 1800, the absence of the religious instruc-| by the Rev. W. Teall, when he retion, afforded by the Baptist mission. I moved from Lucea, on the north aries in those parts of the island

those parts of the island side of the island, to St. Thomas in where order and quiet prevailed, I the East. The first four months

were spent in visiting the numerous | lands Baptist Church.” Monklands villages, and holding religious ser- was the district in which the severivices on Sundays at Morant Bay and ties of the suppression were most at Arcadia. In these visits com- shocking and atrocious. Let us munications were freely opened with hope that the triumphs of the Cross the native Baptists, who are nu will efface the memories of that fearmerous in this section of the island, I ful time. and who, for the most part, have For the proper working of the misexpressed their desire to place them sion, the two churches are divided selves under the guidance and in in ten districts, and these again into struction of the Society.

twenty-eight classes, under thirtyEarly in 1867, sufficient progress nine leaders and nine deacons. The had been made to justify the forma total number of members is 305. tion of a church. This was done on These churches are formed on the the 10th July, and a hundred per principle of self-support, and already sons, gathered from the whole dis one of the Calabar students has gone trict, are brought into fellowship at to the assistance of Mr. Teall, who Morant Bay. In September, Mr. Teall will be supported by the contribuwelcomed the arrival of the Revs. W. tions of the people. Last year they Dendy and J. E. Henderson on a tour raised £75 for these purposes. of inspection. Their visit was most A commencement has also been grateful and encouraging, and will be made with day and Sunday-schools long remembered as a time of refresh- at Arcadia, but this department of ing from the Lord. On the 15th Sep operations is at present in a very tember, the ordinance of baptism incipient stage. was for the first time observed, During the present year the erecsince the commencement of the tion of chapels will be proceeded mission. Seventy-seven persons put with. This has been delayed till on Christ, at the mouth of the experience had been gained as to Bamboo River, Morant Bay, the the best localities in which to place deputation taking part in the service, them. Three have been decided and Mr. Teall officiating as baptizer. upon, and operations will immedi. Twenty persons more were baptized ately commence. on the last day of the year in the “I have much satisfaction," says Great Negro River, near a spot of Mr. Teall, “ in my work. The people land just purchased for the mission. have been docile and affectionate to A very large number of persons wit- a degree which has endeared them to nessed the impressive rite on both me very greatly. I feel that the occasions. A portion of the mem- | mission has begun hopefully; but it bers have been formed into a second is only begun. We shall see greater church, and is called “The Monk- | things yet.”

NEWS OF THE CHURCHES, THE Annual Meetings of our | Some very interesting statements Farious Societies have been held have been handed to us of the actual during the past month. At the work done by the various agencies time we write it is impossible for in connection with the Baptist us to give any account of them, Church in Myrtle Street, Liverpool, but we hope to give the results of which the Rev. Hugh Stowell

Brown is the pastor. Briefly stated

next month.