58

ANSWER BY RETURN, PLEASE!

the letters and post-cards, and send about our monthly copies of LIVING WATERS-how many do you think we trusted to the pillars and the offices last year? More than a thousand million letters, nearly one hundred and twenty-three thousand post-cards, and two hundred and fifty thousand book-packets!

This is all very marvellous; but I know of something more marvellous still. What do you think of the Post of Prayer? Many and many a petition is being posted each day. Dear friends, do you expect answers to them as certainly as you expect an answer to-morrow to the letter you posted yesterday?

Every letter which is put into the post is not delivered, sometimes because the address was forgotten, and sometimes because it was sent to a wrong house. Was that the fault of the post office? They take no end of trouble to get the poorest person's letter rightly delivered; and bad writing very seldom hinders, because they have men who are clever at reading the most difficult writing, on purpose to help the senders. Every possible trouble is taken by the post office, and if I do not get an answer to my letter, I may be pretty certain it was not their fault.

Now apply this to the Heavenly Post. God wants letters from us. Over and over again He says "Ask," both in Old and New Testament, and He has made wonderful arrangements to make it easy for you and me to write them. He has even given us the ink, which is His Holy Spirit (2 Cor. iii. 3), and He even teaches us what to say (Rom. viii. 26), and He often gives us the very words to write (Hos. xiv. 2), (Do look out all the references), and His Book is full of letters that other people have written, and the answers to them, so that we may know the kind of things He likes to hear about from us. Some are very long, like the King's in 1 Kings viii., and Nehemiah's in Neh. ix., and some are very short, like that one of three words in Matt. xv. 25. He has also given us the stamp, the Royal mark, which frees every letter, the Name of His own Son. He is so anxious that our letters should reach Him, that He has spared no pains to make it easy. His Post is open day and night, and it is not only at some corners we find one, but everywhere. Paul and Silas found one in the prison, and they dropped their letters in, and the answer came in an earthquake (Acts xvi. 25, 26). Jonah, too, was able to post his prayer from a very strange place (Jonah ii. 1).

But about the answers that some say they don't get. Perhaps your letter was not rightly addressed. It must be directed to God, through Christ. Then take care that it is directed. (Ps. v. 3.) Some pray in many fine words, and put no address, and their letter never

A CALL TO THE DROPS!

59

reaches God. But we do get answers to every single letter, whether short or long, which is rightly directed, and which is about some real need. It may be a long time coming, and it may come surprisingly quickly. Daniel had his answer before he had finished his letter. See in Daniel ix. 20, 21. And Moses asked that he might enter the "good land," and he only got the consent 1,500 years after (Matt. xvii. 3). I don't think he was sorry then for his long waiting, do you? I am sure he would say, "It is better to stand here with Jesus, than to have entered alone." Some answers are refusals. I am afraid we do not always take them as answers, but pretend to think that there has been no reply. But when you ask a friend to come and see you, and he writes back, "So sorry I cannot," you do not say you have had no answer, do you?

Now we suppose the letter is written, directed, and stamped. What next? Why, put it in, and leave it! You have to trust it now. Will your letter be delivered any sooner because you worry over it? If you did all right about it, don't you quietly rest, and when the time comes when the answer could come, don't you watch for the post-knock? And if you trust your friend, you will watch! Be like a little child, and enjoy dropping it in, quite content to let your letter out of sight. But don't forget you wrote it! Some do that, so of course they do not recognize the answer. Never mind how badly written it is, God can read the worst writing. It is. simple trust He wants. He wants letters from strangers, saying, "God be merciful to me a sinner." (The man who wrote that had an answer by return, Luke xviii. 13.) And He is longing for letters from His own children. "Ask what I shall give thee."

Dear friends, let us keep this post busy. Many letters, many answers, you know. "Before they call, I will answer; while they are yet speaking, I will hear " (Isa. lxv. 24).

A CALL TO THE DROPS!

WHAT is a broad shining river bearing ships on its swelling bosom? Many streams joined. What is a stream whirling round the valley mill-wheel ? Many brooks joined. What is a brook gliding along its channel lace-edged with blue forget-me-nots ? Many brooklets joined. What is a brooklet singing, as its goes, its little song? Many rills joined. And what is a rill with its strip of dainty verdure down the hill side? Many drops joined. What is a drop then? Let rill, brooklet, brook, river, ocean tell. So I blow my trumpet to the drops and if they answer the rest will.Rev. Stenton Eardley.

D

Face.

FOR EVER WITH THE LORD.”

E have many fellow-members of our Union "with the Lord" Two more have passed in this last month. They loved the "Lamp" of His Word, now they live in the Light of His

now.

Both were young. The home of one was in a distant part of Ireland. She was not able for much, and from a child had suffered a great deal. But all she could do, she did for Jesus, and she "offered willingly" all she had. The one who knew her best, could call her the "angel in the house," and her sweet patience was a marvel. Her call was a very quiet one, and very unexpected. There was no warning of unusual illness, only greater tiredness. On January 27th her mother read that evening portion with her, which was 1 Thess. iv. She spoke sweetly about it, and before the doctor could come, she was "for ever with the Lord," only an hour or two after reading those words of blessed, certain hope. We know she is with Him now, whom not having seen she loved. Now has come the free, full service in His unveiled Presence.

Another who has been called home belonged to that class to whom we all owe so much in these travelling days-a railway porter. He was always known as a Christian, and the boys around used to call him "holy Joe." His parents say that he always obeyed them; whatever they wished him to do, he did. Lads and maidens! Could your parents say the same of you? Our friend, Joseph Lambourne, was at his work to the last; he was going to a lamp up the line, in a dense fog, when an express train came up, and life here became life for ever with Christ! What an exchange! Work on earth, amidst dangers and darkness, for service in Heaven in the presence of Him who is "the Light thereof!" This text was found on his desk immediately afterwards: "In the way of righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death." Prov. xii. 28. Who among us are travelling that blessed "pathway"?

CONNEMARA AND DUBLIN.-A few further gifts have to be most warmly thanked for. To Lady Lighton, £1 12s.; to S. M. N., Miss L. S, 5s.; Mrs. B., 6d. ; E. S. W. C., 2s. 6d. ; 45,214, 2s. 6d. Also "12 articles of Clothing for the Girls' Orphanage" have been received, and are thanked for gratefully. Miss Davies writes that God is giving much blessing in the Nest," so His temporal and spiritual gifts come together.

THE CHILDREN'S CORNER.

THE CHILDREN'S CORNER.

A TALK ABOUT PINS.

61

BY EVA TRAVERS POOLE.

DON'T care a pin what she says," cried Eustace Smith to his sister Gertrude, as they stood discussing some event of deep importance in the conservatory.

"Neither do I!" echoed Gertrude.

"What are you smiling at, Aunt Evelyn?" asked the boy, curiously, turning quickly round upon a pleasant-faced lady who was trimming the plants with a small pair of scissors and selecting from amongst their buds a pretty bouquet.

66

'Smiling at your expression, Eustace," replied his aunt; "it struck me as being funny."

"I've forgotten what it was," said Eustace, half resentfully; "but you can talk to me about it if you like; Gertie and I don't mind listening to you, Auntie, because you never bore us."

"Thank you," said Aunt Evelyn, smiling. "I am sure you children could not flatter me more highly. But if you are really willing to listen to me for a little while I think I could interest you;" and, laying down her scissors and flowers, she led the way to a garden-seat, and Eustace lounging in front of her, while Gertie sat close to her with an arm round her waist, Aunt Evelyn began:

"It is a common saying, Eustace, 'I don't care a pin!' but it is always connected in my mind with five points

"A pin always is connected with one point in mine," laughed Eustace. "Just so," good humouredly replied his aunt, passing over the interruption; "and these five points perhaps you can remember for the future. First, Eustace, remember that little things are often undervalued. It takes thirty people to make one pin; yet, perhaps because they are cheap and common, or perhaps because they are merely useful, and people prefer the ornamental rather than the useful as a rule, they are but little valued and spoken of contemptuonsly: Not worth a pin!' 'Wouldn't give a pin for it!''Don't care a pin!' and so on."

"Aunt, I'm marking off your points on my fingers," said Eustace with mock solemnity, "that's only the thumb-"

"Please go on," said Gertie, always the more thoughtful of the two children.

"Point number two, Eustace's forefinger," answered Aunt Evelyn, "that when we lose our blessings we think more of their value. In some