that is before us, and we know nothing of what may be in store for us in the future; but God knows it all. We often desire what is not good for us, but He directs all things as seems best to His godly wisdom; and if we take our troubles in a right spirit—that is, in humble faith in His mercy-they will bring us good, both in this world and the next. "Trust," then, "in the Lord" in all your trials; "for with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is plenteous redemption."

I'

FAITH IN TIME OF TRIAL.

N the midst of the many trials which at times

beset us as long as we are in this world, we have one never-failing source of comfort—namely, faith in God; indeed, there are often occasions when it is our only comfort—when all seems dark and gloomy around us, when our health leaves us, and we can see nothing in our lives but care and trouble, and are inclined to say with the prophet Elijah: "It is enough, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers." It is just at such times that we most want, or at least feel our want of strength for our souls, and ought to have our ears most open to the blessed assurances which Holy Scripture contains of pardon and help from God Himself. It is indeed

no easy thing for most men to put away anxiety as to the things of this world, and whilst doing their daily work as far as they are able, to believe that God is working out and will work out all things for their good; yet it is quite certain that the more we study to attain such a frame of mind, the happier and better will our lives be. If we look back on the part of our lives already past, calling to our minds all we have done, whether right or wrong, and all the afflictions and enjoyments we have passed through, we must be blind indeed if we do not see many proofs of the care and love of God.

When we remember that from our births to this day He has given us food, and clothing, and friends, and many other good things, can we doubt that He will continue to give them so long as He shall think good to keep us alive? Surely we cannot, and yet an uneasy feeling will arise within us as to the future, which can only be put to flight by a sincere trust in God.

It is not for us to judge whether we might not have been made happier or better than we are, for we know not how far the afflictions we suffer in this world may be necessary to make us able fully to enjoy the next; but we may be quite sure that if there were nothing to trouble or vex us here, we should be tempted to think little of the debt of gratitude we owe to God, and perhaps even to wish never to be taken away

from so much that is dear to us all. It is no uncommon thing for persons who are suffering from sickness or any other trial, to compare their own cases with those of others around them, and to think that they are more hardly treated than their neighbours; but we have no right to indulge such thoughts, nor do we really know what the trials of others may be: rather than this we ought to look beyond, and see in all that befalls us the work of One who loves us far more than we can ever love Him, and who afflicts us only for our good. If we desire to be happy in any state of life in which we may be placed, we must cultivate in our hearts a true confidence in our heavenly Father's goodwill towards us;-I say, we must cultivate it, because it is not to be got at once, but may often take us years to get; but when we have got it-when we have learnt to go to Him in all our troubles, to make Him our friend, and to accept all He sends as the gifts of our best friend

-we shall find such a heavenly peace come over our hearts as nothing earthly can disturb; every day we shall find ourselves caring less for the things of this world and more for that which is to come, and so shall be gradually preparing ourselves for the time when we shall be called away to enjoy everlasting rest and peace in one of those many mansions which our Lord Jesus Christ is gone to prepare for those who truly love and serve Him.

FUTURE HAPPINESS A RECOMPENSE

A

FOR PRESENT TROUBLES.

LL of us in turn have our share of sorrow

and trouble: some suffer more, some less, some in one way, some in another; and there are few in the world, perhaps, who have not, at one time or another, thought their own troubles worse than those of anyone else, and almost too much for them to bear. Who has not sometimes said to himself, "How much longer can I bear this?" or, "Why should I suffer in this way?" or,

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Why should all my friends and neighbours be so much more fortunate than I?" Perhaps, if we were heathens, and knew nothing of true religion, we might never find an answer to these questions, and never find comfort under our trials but in the prospect of death. But, happily for us, there is comfort for us all, however great our sufferings may be, in the knowledge that God has appointed them for us, and will bring them to a good and useful end if we pray for His blessing. We know that all trouble comes upon men by God's permission; He who numbers the hairs of our heads, and without whom not even a sparrow falls to the ground, does not allow us to be vexed without reason-He loves us too much for that; but as He has decreed that all the evils

which befall human flesh should be the fruit of sin, so does He intend those evils to be turned into blessings to all who will bear them patiently and receive them as from His hands. At the moment when it comes we do not perhaps see the use of trouble-we do not think we deserve punishment, or need to be humbled, or are too fond of the world; but for one or other of these reasons all troubles come. There is really no luck or fortune: God's power and wisdom govern our lives and all that happens to us, and if we do not see how trials can bring us good, we must have patience and wait with a full trust in God's mercy, and then in time we shall find profit from them. Of this we may be well assured, that trouble should bring us good, and if it do not in the end, the reason must be, that our hearts have been hardened against God's lessons, that we would not have the good He sought to give us by them.

Ask yourself, then, is trouble doing you good? are you receiving it as a message from God, as a punishment no greater than you have deserved, or as a warning to you lest you fall into grievous sin? If not, you are in great danger of losing the blessing which it brings with it; if you are, thank God that He has not cast you off, but tries, even at the cost of giving you pain, to bring you nearer to Himself.

And remember that for God's true servants there will not always be pain and sorrow; here