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ridiculed his old-fashioned ways. Then came another step in the downward course.

James joined his new friends in a Sunday excursion. Oh! how unhappy he felt. Beneath that merry exterior he carried an aching heart. What would his father and mother say if they knew how their son was spending the Lord's day? Perhaps they were at that moment praying for him, and hoping and believing that he was joining in the same prayers. After dinner a row was proposed. The young

men were full of frolic and fun. A slight breeze arose. "Well, this is jolly!" exclaimed John S., the companion who had persuaded James to go; "I pity those poor wretches who are stewing away in church. How we are enjoying ourselves!" Scarcely were the words uttered when the boat gave a lurch, and the whole party were struggling in the water. Some could swim, some clung to the boat till help was obtained; but James's friend sunk, and rose, and sunk again to rise no more. He had won his pound (of pleasure), but had lost the prize.

Oh! if those poor dead lips could speak now, what would they say? There is a prize which all who seek may find. It is peace here, and heaven hereafter. Unlike the prize spoken of in which "all run, but one receiveth it," here all may gain the prize-the pearl of great price.

Young man, the prize is for you, and it is a prize worth striving for. Life at the longest is but as a dream-a shadow -a vapour. Day by day thousands pursue that phantom, only to find out their mistake when too late. Day by day thousands of hearts are being broken-thousands of characters are being ruined-thousands of souls are being destroyed. Will you add to their number? Oh! be warned

in time.

Take this message as addressed to yourself only. You must die alone. You must be judged alone. Turn now, while there is time. To-morrow with you, as with John S., may be too late.

Some do succeed in winning pounds as they journey on,

but how many lose the prize! Oh! let the resolve of your heart to-day be-Henceforth let others do as they will, I will serve the Lord. I press toward the mark for the prize. O God! for Christ's sake give me Thy Holy Spirit, that I may secure the prize here, and for ever!

Go Work To-day in My Vineyard."

MATT. XXI. 28.

Go work in My vineyard to-day;

Why stand ye so idle around?

The day is far gone,

And the night cometh on-
Why not with the labourers found?

Go work in My vineyard to-day;
Be earnest, be active, be strong;
Go forth in His might,

Who will honour the right,
And give thee thy wages ere long.

Go work in My vineyard to-day;
Time beareth thee rapidly on;
'Twill soon waft thee o'er
To eternity's shore,

All thy blest opportunities gone.

Go work in My vineyard to-day;
Precious souls may be brought by thy love
From the darkness of night

To His marvellous light,

To a home with the ransomed above.

Go work in My vineyard to-day;

Go honour thy Master and Lord;
All thy talents improve

By thy labours of love,

And heaven shall be thy reward.

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NE bright summer morning the bell of a little village church had just begun to ring for the service, as the minister's wife, wishing to call on her way to inquire after an absent scholar, started before her husband, choosing, as being nearer, the path by the canal which ran through the valley in which lay the

village of Adlington. She had nearly reached the gate through which she must turn on to the high-road again, when she saw a coal-barge coming quietly along on the water, drawn by a shaggy-looking horse, which seemed to hold his head down wearily as he walked along the towingpath, with his master beside him. Mrs. Preston had often met the bargemen, and they usually passed, her without making any remark, or else with a civil "Good-day." So that now, as this man came up to her close, she was surprised to see him stop short right in her path. She looked up into his face, and was not prepossessed, for it was grim with the coal-dust and smoke, and besides this, it had not at all a pleasant expression.

Her heart gave one little bound, but she did not feel any fear, as she said, cheerfully, and with a smile,

"Good-morning; it is very sunny and pleasant.”

"Yes, very," the man answered; and then, glancing down at the books in the lady's hand, he said, with a nod in the direction of the church which showed just below, "Going there?"

"Yes," she said; "I am the wife of the minister who preaches there: why ?"

"Just pray for me while you are there then, will you?" the man asked, in a light mocking tone, a sneer curling the corner of his lip.

"Oh yes; I will pray for you gladly," Mrs. Preston said, earnestly; and then she added, "Don't you pray for yourself?"

"Me! Not I. I wonder what time or chance we bargemen have for such work. I've lived on this canal since I was thirteen years old, week-day and Sunday alike (except double wage of a Sunday), and I've never been in one of yon places," he nodded again towards the church; "and I don't care about it either. I get on as well without that sort of thing as those folks do I see dressing themselves up and going. The sun shines on them no more than on me, and I don't see as rain wets me more than them. I didn't know

that you'd take in earnest what I said, or I wouldn't have said it. I thought you'd only jump and hurry on, frightened like."

"But I am taking in earnest what you said," the lady answered; "and I have promised to do what you asked me to do, and I mean to keep my promise; but in return I want you to promise me something too."

"Me ?-whatever is it ?"

"Will you do it?"

"I must know first what it is, before I say yes to that. I never make no rash promises." And the man's tone of voice was still a mocking one.

"Well, you have asked me to pray for you; and though you did not mean it seriously, yet I have promised that I will. But God likes us to pray for ourselves, as well as to have others praying for us; so I want you to promise that you will pray for yourself, not only asking me. Give me your word for it, and then I believe that you will do it." And Mrs. Preston looked frankly into his face, and put out her hand.

"Well, I never heard a better than that!" the man said, in astonishment. "I haven't done such a thing since I was a little one, and only did it then because my mother made me. Why, I shouldn't know what to say, and I shouldn't mean what I did say if any one taught me something. I don't believe in them things."

"Oh yes; I think you do," Mrs. Preston said, firmly. "I think that, in your heart, you believe in them, though you profess not to believe. You know, too, that God will hear the prayer that I shall pray for you; that He would hear what you pray for yourself. Now, I will tell you something to say; promise me that you will say it-it is very easy and simple."

Undecidedly the man stood still. He had met with more than he had bargained for; but he could not withstand that young earnest face, looking at him so pityingly. He could not reject the hand held out to him. He saw how truly in

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