"I am so happy. O! my dear father, if you did know how very happy, I am quite sure of this, you would rejoice with me; you would not hesitate a single moment, but would come as you are invited, and drink largely of those fountains of bliss, the streams whereof make glad the city of God. I feel that God loves me, and that I love Him. I feel that I am His child, and I have through grace a blissful assurance that, saved by my blessed Redeemer, I shall see Him and be happy in His presence to all eternity. And will you not come to heaven, too, my dearest father.

"Do not suppose that I am mistaken, or that I am deceiving myself. O, no! I am as sure that all my sins are forgiven through Christ Jesus, as I am of the being of God Himself. I could tell you the very minute when I first received this conviction, and was enabled to rejoice in God my Saviour. And if you, my dear papa, would in the same way test its reality, by possessing for yourself a knowledge of the love of God, it would alone be quite sufficient to convince you of the truth of the Christian religion. When under the influence of joy, no argument, however forcible or sophisticated, could convince you that sorrow filled your heart. The result of faith in Christ is peace and joy in believing; to this my experience bears testimony. What further proof can I wish that its origin is divine? I do not. I have this internal consciousness, and am as certain of it as of anything that affects my external senses.

"With great propriety we always attach importance to a remedy that has been tried, and more especially, too, if the individual recommending it has personally proved it to be

efficacious. I once was very unhappy.

Instead of submitting myself to the righteousness of God, I was going about to establish my own righteousness. At this time I was sunk in sin, and knew not where to look for one ray of comfort. My whole soul hungered for food my religion could not give; it groped in its deep night for some pillow on which to repose itself, and find the dawnings of heaven, but all was in vain till it found repose in the wounded side of Jesus; and here may I abide for ever! Allow me then, my dear father, in fullest filial affection to recommend to you this remedy. I know you are not happy; you cannot be happy as you are at present, and this is the only cure, and it is the never-failing cure for a weary, sin-sick soul.

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I need not tell you the train of circumstances which, in a gracious and benignant providence, God used to produce this sweet change of course you will understand me as meaning instrumentally; to God's Holy Spirit alone am I indebted for that illumination which enabled me to see His way of salvation. And O, it is so simple-only believe! 'Whosoever believeth on Him (that is Christ) shall be saved!' Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.'

"But the proofs that the Messiah has come, and that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, are numberless, unmistakeable, and positive. Shall I go on? I must hope that you will bear with me.

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The law, which was given by Jehovah to Moses upon Mount Sinai, was designed for that land which was given to our great ancestor Abraham, and for that land only, for it cannot be fulfilled in any other; therefore, through the dispersion of our nation, we are in the position of a

people who have a law given to them by God, which they cannot obey. From what we know of the Divine government, we are sure that it cannot consist with the wisdom and character of God, that this shall still be the law by which we are governed.

"But let us see why it is impracticable, although I scarcely need, for you know all this as well as I then I will only refer to our want of a sacrifice. It is commanded that our worship be presented to God by a priest of the tribe of Levi, and of the family of Aaron; but we cannot now tell our families or tribes, the genealogies being lost. And as we have no priest to offer sacrifice, we distinguish one of our number as a chief rabbi, a person not mentioned in the law as given to Moses.

"And is not our destitution of a sacrifice and a priesthood bewailed in our service as a great calamity? In one of the prayers that are offered on that day, which, when we had a priesthood, was the Great Day of Atonement, is this expression: Woe unto us, for we have no Mediator!' And to make up for this want of a sacrifice, we have transgressed the law by our invention of rites and observances; a course expressly forbidden.

"Before this I might have said that unquestionably the law of Moses is not perfect, inasmuch as it leaves some sins without an atonement; but this is to teach us to look forward beyond the type to the great Antitype even the Messiah.

“All our nation, and all Christians believe that the Old Testament writings give promise of a Redeemer, who will save His people from their sins. The prophecies in reference to this are most explicit, so that if we will diligently study

them, with a prayerful dependence upon Divine aid, I do not see that we can be easily mistaken as to His person. A history of the promised Deliverer's life is given: the manner of His death, His empire, the time and circumstances of His birth, and other particulars are clearly written. Let us see, my dear father, if Jesus of Nazareth be not the Messiah, and if we can prove it from the books of the Old Testament, will you not then believe? O! you must; I must be sure you will; and then you and your child will glorify God together. I pray that the Lord Jesus will grant me the aid of His Holy Spirit, and graciously answer my petitions for the salvation of my beloved father."

RAIN.

(Continued from page 142.)

Charles-I think the grass must often have been scorched up, when there was no rain for such a long time together.

Mamma.-The dew in some measure supplied the needed moisture, and the river Jordan overflowed its banks everywhere, causing the land around to be very rich and fruitful; but the Israelites were often obliged to have recourse to artificial watering. By various contrivances they raised water from brooks and streams into cisterns, built in the highest parts of their fields and gardens, and then let it out as it was required. They must have learnt many modes of watering, or irrigation, as it is called in Egypt.

Charles.-Yes, mamma, because there is no rain

in Egypt; there is a verse in the last chapter of Zechariah which says so.

Mamma.-There is, dear Charley; and the fact of rain falling in Judea and not in Egypt, is mentioned as one of the principal points of difference between the two countries. The land of Israel is said, in Deuteronomy xi. 11, to be a land of hills and valleys which drinketh water of the rain of heaven.

Charles.-Mamma, I have not many verses now, but will you tell me what this one means in Jeremiah xiv. 22nd verse? "Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? Art not thou He O Lord our God? therefore we will wait upon Thee: for Thou hast made all these things."

Mamma.-The word translated vanities, means idols. Are there any among the idols of the Gentiles that can cause rain? Among some of the tribes of Southern Africa there are persons who pretend that they are able to make rain. They are called rain-makers, and have unbounded influence over the poor deluded people, who will send for them from a great distance when there has been a long drought, and should a few drops of rain fall after the rain-maker's arrival, he is loaded with presents and praises. Alas! these poor heathen do not know that God has made all these things.

Charles.-Oh, mamma, I am glad missionaries have gone to tell them about God; it must be very sad for them not to know that He can bless them when they are in trouble.

Mamma.-It must indeed, my child, and we should pray that the Lord Jesus would come