way out of your troubles. If you come into this hop-garden much you will find the people here are only thinking about getting enough money to pay their debts.'

"Yes; but you know we must not forget who paid our debt upon the cross for us poor unworthy sinners.' “Ah!' he said, 'there you are again.'

"I believe you had a praying mother.' "What made you think that?'

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'Why, because you said I was like your mother, and I believe your mother used to pray for you.'

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"I said, 'See what a quantity of hops I have picked for you. I will come and see you another day, but don't forget, "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." " "

A PIONEER'S FAREWELL.

THERE are districts in London where a Bible-woman is exceedingly wanted, but where year after year no Lady Superintendent can possibly be found for her. During such years the district often goes on very prosperously under the care of a Pioneer-who visits with the Bible-woman once in the week, and presides over her Mothers' Meeting. At last, in the Providence of God, a lady offers; perhaps, a Christian Church is formed, and then arises a local Superintendent. Such has been the case at Millwall, and the "Pioneer," true to her name, is transferred to nurse in its infancy some fresh district, but the parting often costs a heartache, as the following letter shows:

"DEAR MADAM,

"Now, that as a Pioneer I have left Millwall, you will like to hear a little about what has been done there by the Bible Mission during the last six years. My two women have sold in that time 428 Bibles and Testaments, and though many times we worked with sad hearts, yet thank God we have not worked in vain. At our Mothers' Meeting we have had sometimes 100 in attendance, sometimes twenty-five, and here I can

give my six years' testimony to the Bible being the best Story Book.' The mothers never had a lesson from any other book during all that time. I never sought to amuse them, but to bring the Word of God to them as the best help in their often miserable lives; the tears that were shed at parting, and the regrets expressed at losing the plain teaching, did much to encourage me to go on elsewhere. The last seven mothers who came to the Meeting were asked why they came to us, as they had a Meeting close to their own homes, and ours was some distance from them; their answer was, 'Nothing but tales read there! and when we can get out we want to hear what will do us good.' I do thank God that so much of the good seed of the Word has been sown amongst them, and in many lives we have seen the fruit. I should think twenty have become members of churches, and many more are sitting at the feet of Jesus, of whom no one takes any notice but our blessed Master; no record being kept of how many have received the word at the eleventh hour, but the day will declare it.' We have left eighty mothers on the books, forty had money to come to them, so there will be no difficulty in keeping them together if they get right teaching.

“God grant His blessing on the lady, and the new Bible

woman.

"Many thanks for the coal tickets, the poor have to pay one shilling for half a hundred-weight of coals, and soon they will be dearer. The sad strikes this year have done the suffering class a great deal of harm, for there seems no sympathy as there has been in winters before.

"M.S."

The meaning of the word Pioneer in our Mission indicates a work preparatory to local and permanent work, but always Bible-work. It requires, perhaps, an extra measure of grace, which is in the gift of our Master, to fulfil truly the duties of this inner circle; for those who seek souls must needs do it with all their heart; and graciously to resign the souls so won into the care of others, and truly and affectionately help those others to take up the burden, is to have arrived at no small measure of usefulness and self-negation.

OUR BIBLE-WOMAN IN JERUSALEM.

DEAR MRS. R▬▬,

Jerusalem, Nov. 3, 1872.

It is now some time since I have written about the Bible work among the Jewesses in Jerusalem. It is still more a work of faith than of sight; yet I trust this fact will not make you lose your interest in it, for has not the Lord promised that Israel will yet return to Him, and Judah and Jerusalem look upon Him whom they have pierced? We who are engaged in the work of making known the Gospel to Israel in this place are made to feel our weakness, and that results belong to God.

Our plain duty seems to work on. "Speak my words unto them, saith the Lord, whether they will hear or whether they will forbear," and there are many to whom the word is spoken, many who knew nothing of the word of salvation before. There is at present an inquiring Jewess, a native of Poland, who appears very anxious to know the truth, and regularly comes to me for instruction. She cannot read, but listens attentively when I read or speak to her, and then asks me to listen while she repeats the sum of my teaching, that I may see whether she understands, and hopes that she may soon be baptized. She is also trying to learn to read German, that she may be able to read the Word of God for herself.

There is also another case of some interest; it is that of an old woman, a native of Russia, to whom I have long been in the habit of reading the Scriptures, and who always liked to listen. Some time ago she asked me to lend her a copy of the Bible which I had in Slavonic. When I complied with her wish she almost shed tears for joy, and since then she constantly reads it. One day she asked me to find and mark for her several passages which she wished to read for herself, which I did. She observed, "Although I have to use my spectacles, and am unable to read fluently, yet I find a never failing pleasure in this precious book. My friend S," she continued, " asked me to come to her oftener, as it would be pleasanter for me than being alone. S replied, I do not feel lonely now that I have a companion in this book ever present with me."

At other times this poor old woman takes the Bible and reads to two countrywomen, friends of hers who are not able to read, but beg her to do so and love to hear. May the Lord bless His word to these poor women and bring them near to Himself.

During the past year there has been an influx of several thousand Jews to Jerusalem of both sexes, and all ages. The causes for this are various. The greater number I understand have left their native countries in order to escape military service; others have come to fulfil vows which they made in sickness or trouble, that they would spend the rest of their days in Jerusalem; and the aged have come to die and be buried in the land of their fathers. Many of the abovementioned are of the poorer classes, and will soon help to swell the numbers of the already poverty-stricken.

The 57. you kindly sent me last year, and of which I enclose an account, were a great help to me among these poor people. Only a few days ago I came across a poor old man, lying in what could only be really called a kennel, and so dark that for a few moments I could discern nothing, only heard his groans. He was evidently in great pain, and there was nothing between him and the cold damp stone floor, but a thin old worn-out rag. He said that he had come to Jerusalem, a few months ago, to die, and was now ill, a stranger, friendless and hungry. He entreated a little relief. This sad picture does not stand alone. I trust that the lovers of Zion in distant lands will remember Jerusalem

in more ways than one, and pray more and more earnestly that the Lord may cause a rich blessing to descend on the work of His word here.

You

ours very truly,

E. F.

BIBLE-WOMEN IN INDIA AND BURMAH. MY DEAR MRS. R

When Philip said to Jesus, "Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us," he just expressed a world-wide feeling at the present time. This question is being asked, "Who is God? Where is He? What is He?" The Bible-woman goes with the Lamp of Divine Truth in her hand, and says, read here, "God VOL. IX.-NO. 2.

E

is love," "God is light." To the house of the bigoted Brahmin she goes, and tells that "all are one in Christ Jesus."

In the Mohammedan's garden she sits down, and, gathering a group of the followers of the false prophet around her, she tells them that Christ alone, the true Prophet, is "the way, the truth, and the life.”

To the Roman Catholic she takes the open Bible, and tells them "there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." No name but that of Jesus.

At the railway station she takes her seat amongst the female travellers who are waiting, perhaps for hours, for the train, and amongst them she scatters the incorruptible seed which may spring up hundreds of miles away.

The sick and suffering Heathen she tells of the good Physician, who has said, "Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Their weary pilgrimages, their vain repetitions cannot give them rest, but the Biblewomen in India may go where no missionary or even native evangelist would be admitted, and, through their instrumentality, hundreds of women now hear the Word of God who could not have heard it in any other way. Will not some of our friends help us to increase the number of such agents in India? We have already five there, and should like to have twice that number if the Lord will. Twelve pounds per annum is the cost of salary for each.

NOTE BY THE EDITOR.

We can fully endorse this request. We have delegated our correspondence with our interesting Indian women to Mrs. Porter, late of Cuddapah, whose heart is still devoted to her adopted country, and who, by her husband's side for thirtyfour years, herself sowed the good seed in missionary schools.

She was delighted the other day to arrange and pack the various gifts from Christian friends who had answered our appeal for our dear American widowed sister, Mrs. Ingolls, still at work with her preachers, and her books in the jungle villages of Burmah. Mrs. Porter practically understood what would be the right articles to send as rewards to her children, and remembrances to natives, and helps to preachers.