THE FIRESIDE.

CHRIST KNOCKING AT THE DOOR.-To see a prince entreat a beggar to receive an alms, would be a strange sight; but to see a king entreat the traitor to accept of mercy, would be a stranger sight than that; but to see God entreat a sinner-to hear Christ say, "I stand at the door and knock," with a heart full and a heaven full of grace, to bestow upon him that opens-this is such a sight as dazzles the eyes of angels. Bunyan.

ON SAVING SOULS.-To reclaim one soul is better than to found an empire or to give temporal pardon to the population of a continent. A soul in heaven or hell, who can measure its value? The present scene will soon close. In this field of labour your last blow will soon be struck; your sun will soon go down. Meanwhile souls are at stake-souls that will soon be in heaven or hell. Try to save some.

The Fireside.

THE OBLIGING WIFE.

THERE lived at Basle an opulent citizen whose wife was a believer, but he himself feared not the Lord. His practise was to spend his evenings in a wine-house, where he would often tarry till eleven, twelve, or even one o'clock. On such occasions his wife always used to send her servants to bed, and sat up herself to await the return of her husband. When at last he came she used to receive him most kindly, never reproach him in the least, either at the time or afterwards, nor complam in the least on account of his late hours, by which she was kept from seasonable rest. Moreover if it should be needful to assist him in undressing himself when he had drunk to excess, she would also do this in a very kind and meet way. Thus it went on for a long time. One evening this gentleman was again as usual in the wine-house, and having tarried there with his merry companions till midnight, he said to them, "I bet that if we go to my house we shall find my wife sitting up and waiting for me, and she herself will come to the door and receive us very kindly; and if I ask her to prepare a supper she will do it at once, without the least murmur or unkind expression or look." His companions in sin did not believe this statement. At last, however, after some more conversation about this strange statement (as it appeared to them) it was agreed upon they would all go to see this kind wife. Accordingly they went, and after they had knocked, immediately found the door opened by the lady herself, who courteously and kindly received them. The party having entered, the master of the house asked his wife to prepare supper for them, which she at once, in the meekest way, agreed to do, and after awhile, supper was served by herself, without the least sign of dissatisfaction, murmur, or complaint. Having now prepared for all the party, she retired to her own room. When she had left

THE PENNY POST BOX.

the party, one of the gentleman said, "What a wicked and crue man you are thus to torment so kind a wife!" He then took his hat and stick, and without touching a morsel of the supper went his way. Another made a similar remark, and left without touching the supper. Thus one after another left without tasting the supper. The master of the house was now left alone, and the Spirit of God brought before him all his dreadful wickedness, and especially his great sins towards his wife, and the party had not left the house half an hour before he went to his wife's room, requested her to pray for him, told her that he felt himself a great sinner, and asked her forgiveness for all his behaviour towards her. From that time he became a disciple of the Lord Jesus.

The Penny Post Box.

LEATHER-STRINGS AND BRASS-KNOCKERS.

LOOKING Over an American religious newspaper the other day, I met with the following humorous incident, and as I thought it might be useful in some quarters in England, I send it for your "Penny Post Box." As for my signature, why call me, "A Preacher to the Poor," or, "A Poor Preacher"-which you please. "At the close of the last century, in the village of H- where there were many rich men, and not a few extremely poor, Mr. A- was the only settled minister of the gospel, charged with the care and instruction of all the people. But he proved to be a partial and unfaithful shepherd, flattering the rich and neglecting the poor. And as the anecdote runs, according to my best recollection, Mr. C a somewhat eccentric, though faithful brother, admonished him in the following manner. He went to him, and with great simplicity and apparent curiosity, asked, 'Brother A-, how many front doors in your parish are opened by a leather-string?' 'Not one; I believe not one,' was the ready answer. 'And how many front doors in your parish,' continued the inquiring brother, are furnished with brass-knockers ?' The prompt answer was, 'I should think a dozen or more.' 'True,' replied the admonishing brother, 'true, in the second case you are correct: but in the first you greatly err. I have taken pains for your benefit, to ascertain the facts in both cases, and I find that there are on the front doors of your parishioners thirteen brassknockers, and fourteen leather-strings. Good morning, brother!' Moral. A minister of the gospel should, and a good minister of Jesus Christ will, often open all the front-doors with leatherstrings in his parish, as well as those which are furnished with brass-knockers. While he neglects not to visit the rich, and admonish them to be rich in faith and in good works, he should not fail to visit the poor, and preach to them the gospel of Christ." Puritan Recorder.

FACTS, HINTS, AND GEMS.

Facts, Hints, and Gems.

The Table of the last five years desert, where he might be allowed is as follows:

FACTS, HINTS, AND GEMS.

THE CHILDREN'S CORNER.

The Children's Corner.

POETIC PIECES BY THE YOUNG.

[We have received several, and though not of much poetic value, we feel disposed, for the sake of encouraging the writers, to spare one corner for them. But we hope that our young friends will be more careful to cultivate piety than poetry; for they will not only succeed better, but it will do them more good.]

GOD IS LOVE.

The writer of the following lines says, "I am a poor boy of fourteen; my father is a pensioner of one shilling a day. I am now page to a gentleman, and I made these verses when on an errand. very little schooling, but am fond of reading."

I LOVE to walk along the fields

And look abroad on Nature's face,
And see the bounty that it yields,
In every field and every place.
I love to walk along the shore
And see the mighty ocean swell;
Or stand and listen to its roar-
But all its wonders, who can tell?
I love to lift my wondering eyes
And gaze on the bright worlds above;
For in all these my spirit tries

To learn a lesson of God's love.

But in my Bible clearer far

Than in his works below, above,
Or in the field, or sea, or star,

I read the lesson-GOD IS LOVE.

THE LONDON BEGGAR BOY,

IN London's great city, with houses o'erspread,
Are a great many children without any bread;
Of a poor little fellow this tale I begin-

I have had

G. A. R.

Oh! how wretched are such when the mother drinks gin.
One day in the street this boy I did spy;

He looked quite cold with a tear in his eye;

And then when I asked him why he looked so thin,

The answer I got was-my mother drinks gin.

My father is gone, and we know not where,

And I know no one who for me will care;

I have no relations, or any of kin,

And as for my mother, she always drinks gin.

And so I must beg for some bread in the street,
Of any kind friend I may happen to meet;
They tell me to steal is a terrible sin-

I would work if my mother would drink no more gin.

T. R. B.