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One by one we are being gathered to our eternal home, reminding us that time is short, and that we must work while it is called to-day: 'the night cometh when no man can work.' "With kind regards, believe me, yours very sincerely,

"M. J. W."

FROM A SUPERINTENDENT LONG LAID ASIDE. "MY DEAR FRIEND,—

"You ask on your card of invitation for Thursday next, for a few particulars of the work in our districts. As you are aware, I have been absent from mine for so long until quite recently, that I asked my Bible-woman to write a little sketch of her mission during the last twelve months. She has done so. I do not know whether you will think it has enough of interest for your Magazine, and I should not have asked the question, but several of the kind friends who help in the support of the Mission, have remarked to me, 'It is a very long time since anything relating to Lisson-grove has appeared in the MISSING LINK.' Mrs. has really had much-blessing in her work in my absence. I feel on resuming my superintendence increasingly thankful that God has given me such an earnest, faithful, and self-denying fellow-labourer. Very many of the poor people have remarked to me, during the last few weeks, 'What a blessing that dear woman is to us all. She is so feeling and so faithful like.'

"DEAR MADAM,

66

"Yours affectionately,

"E. S. S."

12, Bell-street, Lisson-grove, Feb. 16th, 1872.

"It affords me great pleasure to write a few lines respecting our Mission work in Lisson-grove. First, I should like to say a few words concerning my BIBLE-WORK. At the beginning of last year you expressed the wish that each Bible-woman should try and get a new subscriber every week. I am happy to say, through the help and blessing of God, I obtained two over the number, and thirty out of the fifty-four subscribers were for 138. Bibles. In this year also blessing has not been

withheld. I have got twenty-two depositors, and twenty out of the number for 138. Bibles. It is a great joy to see one poor family after another setting up a family altar, and then wishing to possess themselves of a family Bible.

"Our Mothers' Meeting continues to be well attended. We have generally from 90 to 100 poor women present, and though there are many changes from various causes, the vacant places are filled, week by week, with fresh comers. My heart is cheered with the sight of so large a gathering, and the manifest improvement in the appearance of many since their first coming is very pleasant to look upon. (This district was cared for by our Pioneers during the illness of its superintendent.) The fixed and earnest attention they give when listening to the Gospel explained, and the love of Christ set earnestly before them, gives gratifying proof that the good seed is being sown in many hearts, which we are assured will hereafter yield an abundant harvest to the praise of our God and Saviour. Many have gone home to Jesus during the past year. I witnessed the death of three persons; one was that of a young woman, a flower maker; she was taken away by rapid consumption. She sent for me, and said

"I have always been a good girl to my mother, and I don't know that I have ever offended any one, and I have worked hard since I was a little child.'

"I told her that that would not save her soul. I brought the Pharisee and the Publican before her, and she said, 'Oh, please pray for me.' I did so, and then showed her she must pray for herself, and pointed to the blood that Christ shed for her, and set before her her need, and that she must, as a poor sinner, be washed in that blood, which alone cleanses from all sin. I visited her daily for a week, and just three hours before her death she gave me, what I trust and believe, was a true assurance that she had found peace with God.

"The next case I wish to mention is a woman of the name of CShe never would admit the Christian visitor; she never went to church from the day she was married, and now her only child was ten years old. She was in good circumstances as far as earthly comforts were concerned. After a week's illness she sent for me and told me she was afraid to die, and she thought she should die, and would I tell her how she could find peace. I opened my Bible and read a portion of God's Word to her, and then prayed with her. In speaking to her about her soul, I found she was very dark concerning God's Word. This first visit made me feel I was leaving her as I found her, very self-righteous.

"I visited her from time to time for weeks, and whenever she felt worse she sent for me to go and pray with her, thinking, as she one day told me, my prayers would save her. I tried to be very faithful to her, in setting forth the justice of God, as well as the love of God; that He would by no means clear the guilty, though willing and ready to pardon and receive the vilest of sinners. I was afraid the end was draw

ing nigh. I sat up with her the night she died, praying and watching for some token that the Lord had changed her heart. After two hours' silence, and her sister and I in prayer, she cried out, 'Pardon in the eleventh hour.' This was just one hour before she died. I believe through God's great mercy she found peace, and is now for ever with the Lord.

"The third case was that of a poor widow, very ill with dropsy, who sent for me to pray with her. I found her very ignorant on the truths of the Gospel; she could neither read nor write. I called very frequently and read and prayed with her, and God was pleased graciously to own and bless my visits. She thanked me very much for sending Nurse, and said, 'She is very kind and good. God bless you both, I shall meet you in heaven. Thank the dear ladies that have been so kind in relieving my wants.' She died rejoicing in the Lord. I could mention many more cases where the Mothers' Meeting has been greatly blessed, both to those now living and to many who are gone home.

"I should like to add a few words about our faithful Nurse. Every person she has attended on my district speaks very gratefully of her. I must mention one instance, that of an old woman over 80 years of age. The Bible-woman of the next district put the name in the book kept for that purpose in our Mission-room. Nurse went to the room and found the poor old woman all covered up, so that her face was not to be seen. She would not answer any questions or take the rag from off her head. Nurse fearing she was out of her mind, thought before touching her she would ask me to be with her. She came for me in my dinner hour, I went with her, and we found upon removing the cloth thrown over her head, this poor old woman to be in a most deplorable state of dirt and vermin. She told us she had not been washed for seven weeks. I and Nurse came back to my room and got hot water, soap, and towel, and returned and washed her all over. She had no clothing of any kind to wear in bed, but I found the garments she required, and an old sheet, for she had not After washing her and cleaning the bed in the best way we could, her delight and surprise at the change more than repaid us for our trouble. She said, 'The Lord sent you to me; the Lord bless you both, you are dear angels.' She is very deaf, so that it is impossible to read to her or converse much with her, but she appears to be very happy, and often speaks of 'that blessed hour when it shall please God to call her home.' She had been for many years a servant in Lady M's family, from whom she still receives kind help when the family are in London, and so far as we can gather from what she has told us, we think her present miserable condition has arisen from illness and inability to wait upon herself, and not having very honest and sober or kind neighbours in the house to do anything for her. After two weeks' cleansing daily, she is now clean, but is much in need of changes of underclothing and sheets.

one.

"I should like now to say a few words about our Fathers' class. Two

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months after coming to Lisson-grove, I called upon the husband of one of our mothers, Mrs. B to invite him to the Bible-class. He said, 'There is no use in your coming after me so late in the evening, I won't come to the Bible-class.' After paying him two or three visits, I said, 'Come once.' He came, and told me he should not come any more. I asked my dear Lady Superintendent to call upon him about an hour before the class, which she did. After that evening God seemed to bless the Word read and spoken, and in the course of a few months he said to me, 'I thank God you ever sent Miss S- to me, would to God my brother felt as I do. Will you try and get him to come to our class? Do with him as you have done with me, you levelled the ground, Miss Ssowed the seed, and you watered it. Oh, I will pray for you that God may help you, and bless the word you may say to him.' This man is hardly ever absent from the class and Sunday morning Prayer Meeting, and is, with his wife, a member of a Christian Church.

"There was another man, who I heard was a great drunkard, and treated his wife in a very unkind manner. I went to his house, and after a long conversation with him about his soul, and the things that would make for his peace, I asked him to the class. He promised to come. He came regularly for a month, and seemed very attentive to the Bible lesson; but being absent for two weeks, I went to see him. On my way I met the missionary of the district. He said, 'So you have got that man G-to your meeting, I hear; but he won't stay; he is a good for nothing fellow. I have tried every way with him, but I could never get him to my meetings.' I feel thankful to say he has continued at the class and Sunday morning Prayer Meeting, and attends regularly; he also goes to church, and has become a sober man. I thank God for the blessed change, the work is His! I will give you his wife's testimony. She was confined last week, and she told me, 'She thanked God that ever he came to the meetings, he is quite a different man.'

"I cannot omit to allude, ere I close, to the long and severe illness of dear Miss S--. It was just twelve months on Ash Wednesday since she was taken ill. God saw fit to lay her aside for more than nine months. She was brought very low, very near to death. Our mothers and fathers met from week to week, and for more than a week every evening, for prayer on her behalf, and the Lord heard and answered our earnest pleadings, proving Himself to be the hearer and answerer of prayer.' We know the precious seed she has sought to sow in faith will not have been scattered in vain among so many hundreds of souls; her ' labour will not have been in vain in the Lord.' God has graciously raised her up and brought her again amongst us, and we trust she may be spared long to labour here. There are many sheaves yet to be gathered from the great harvest field.

"I am, dear Madam, yours respectfully,

"S. J. T."

"DEAR MADAM,

PIONEER'S REPORTS.

"A long time ago you received Pioneer's reports at different times, respecting the following case:-A very interesting looking young woman was found by the Bible-woman in Walworth, living with a man not her husband. The word entered her heart and rankled there; she determined again and again to give up her sinful life, but she really loved the man, course and rough as he was, and as often as she vowed, so often did she break her vow. Still, conviction deepened, until she appeared to be on the verge of insanity, and the man really threatened to send her to an asylum; her calmness was remarkable as she said, 'Well, God would be there!' She took the decisive step, left him, found peace, and they were afterwards married. They have one boy about four and a-half years old. She has continued through mercy in the right way, with her face Zionwards, trusting in her faithful Redeemer to answer prayer on her husband's behalf.

"The last time I was there the husband was in, he would not kneel during prayer, though Mrs. T. begged him to do so. "No, I'll not kneel; but I'll take my hat off."

"The wife came to the determination to pray, but not talk to him. She was wise; for I have often seen the work hindered by the wife trying to talk the husband into religion. A short time since he desired her to get his boots mended, as he should want them; she wondered why, but what was her astonishment on Sunday morning to see him dress to go out, and when he told her he was going to chapel, she could only thank God. He took the little boy with him, and on their return the little fellow looking up in his father's face, said, in his short-tongued way,

"This better 'n getting drunk, daddy,' and so the father acknowledged."

THE BIBLE CLUB.

"I think you will be interested to know where thirty-four of the 1s. 11d. Bibles have been sent to, in addition to those col

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