heart be troubled as to the destiny of your infant child, in the event of the Lord's coming? Can you not fully trust that blessed One who, in the days of His flesh, said, with such touching tenderness," Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God"? Can your heart entertain, for a moment, the unworthy thought that your gracious Lord, when He comes for His people, could take the mother to be with Himself and leave her babe behind to perish? You ask if we 66 can tell you of any scripture which shews what becomes of the infant children of believers, when the Lord has taken His church to Himself!" We reply at once, Matthew xviii. 10-14. "Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish."

Now, dear friend, is not this a precious answer to your question? Is it not divinely calculated to hush all your anxiety in reference to your precious babe, in the event of the Lord's coming? Will the loving Saviour, think you, who uttered these words, ignore them, when He comes for His church? The very thought were blasphemy. Ah! no: beloved, our loving Lord will be fully glorified in receiving to His bosom and taking to his home the infant children of His people, as well as the parents. It is not His will, now, and it cannot be His

* In Luke xix. 10, where it is not a question of infants, we read. "The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."

will, then, that one of these little ones should perish. May your heart find settled rest as to this question, in the eternal truth of God and in the rich and precious grace which shines so brightly and blessedly in Matthew xviii. 10-14.

30. "W. A.," Faringdon. We cannot insert your article.

31. "J. S.," Herts. The cup in the Lord's Supper occupies a position far too elevated to be, in the very smallest degree, affected by the question of teetotalism.

32. "J. W.," London. To say that "I cannot help sinning," is to deny the very foundations of Christianity. To say that I cannot sin is a deceit and a delusion. To say that I need not sin, is to state a holy christian privilege. The rendering of Galatians v. 17, in our Authorised Version, is not very felicitous. It should be "That ye should not do those things which ye desire."

33. "W. W.," W. In the painful case which you name, we do not believe it to be the right thing for a son to "try and manage a re-union" between the father and mother. If the husband wishes to come back, the wife should receive him. This, we think, is clearly involved in 1 Corinthians vii. 13. "The woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.' If he wishes to come back, it is tantamount to "being pleased to dwell with her;" and if she be told "not to leave him," it is tantamount to being told to receive him. At least, so we judge. It may be the Lord is about to bring the husband to Himself; and if so, it would be very sad if a christian wife should prove a stumbling-block, by failing in grace. No doubt, he has signally failed in his duty as a husband, in the act of leaving his wife, even were there nothing more serious; but if he really desires-apart from any management or any influence brought to bear upon him-to come back, we cannot but judge it to be the duty of a Christian wife to receive him, and to seek, "by her chaste conversation coupled with fear," to win him for Christ. Should she refuse,

and that he should then be driven away into sin or hardness of heart, she could never forgive herself.

34. "E. D.," Lymington. 1 Corinthians xiv. 34 has no reference whatever to a woman's singing in the assembly. The apostle does not say, "It is not permitted unto them to sing," but "to speak.' To apply the passage to singing is simply absurd.

35. "R. C.," Plymouth. The marginal reading of Ephesians vi. 19, is rather more correct than the text. Our conflict is with the spiritual power of wickedness in the heavenlies. Israel's conflict was with flesh and blood in earthly places; ours is with spiritual powers in heavenly places. The expression "high places" has no such reference as you suggest.

36. "E. J.," Ventnor. Would you like the Lord to come and find you in a skating rink? Can you ask God's blessing on your going to such a place? Can you go to the glory of God? Do you think your Lord would be found in such a place? The next time your "fellow believer" asks you to go, just ask him or her the foregoing questions.

37. "R. W.," Heckmondwike. We could not think of forming, much less of giving, a judgment in any case without having all the facts fully and clearly before us. Ignorance of a single fact might render the judg ment not only worthless, but false, inasmuch as that one fact might so materially affect all the other facts as to alter their bearing completely and so reverse the judgment.

38. "E. B.," Brighton. We beg to tender you our hearty thanks for your very kind and encouraging letter. Accept 1 Peter v. 10.

Your narrative has

39. "B. L.," Lower Norwood. come to hand. We can only say, "What hath God wrought!" His Name be praised!

40. "E. P. B.," London. Scripture is totally silent on the point. We should never think of raising such a question.

CONVERSION: WHAT IS IT?

PART VI.

Do we really

It is a won

THE more we dwell on 1 Thessalonians i. 9, the more we are struck with its marvellous depth, fulness, and power. It seems like sinking a shaft into an inexhaustible mine. We have dwelt a little on that very fruitful and suggestive clause, "Turned to God from idols." How much is wrapped up in it! understand the force and fulness of it? derful thing for the soul to be brought to God-to know Him now as our resource in all our weakness and need-the spring of all our joys-our strength and shield-our Guide and Counsellor-our all in all-to be absolutely and completely shut up to Him, wholly dependent upon Him.

Reader, do you know the deep blessedness of all this in your own soul? If you are a child of God, a truly converted soul, then it is your happy privilege to know it, and you ought not to be satisfied without it. If we are "turned to God," what is it for, but to find in Him all we can possibly want for time and eternity? Nothing can ever satisfy the human soul but God Himself. It is not within the compass of earth to meet the cravings of the heart. If we had the wealth of the universe, and all that that wealth could procure, the heart would still want more; there would still be an aching void which nothing under the sun could fill. Look at the history of Solomon. Hear him recording his own experience. "I, the preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem; and I gave my heart to seek

and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven; this sore travail hath God given to the sons of men to be exercised therewith. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. That which is crooked cannot be made straight, and that which is wanting cannot be numbered. I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem; yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit. For in much wisdom is much grief, and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure; and behold this also is vanity. I said of laughter, it is mad; and of mirth, what doeth it? I sought in mine heart to give myself to wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom, and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life. I made me great works: I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards; I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits; I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees. I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle, above all that were in Jerusalem before me. I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces; I gat me