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'Mothers' Meeting-room,' and, hearing singing, they thought they would go in. Mrs. F— thought she would go the next week; and there it was the Lord met with her, and drew her to Himself. A little while ago she saw the missionary under whose words she was at that time arrested, and brought to see herself a wretched sinner in the sight of God. 'Ah!' she cried out, 'that's my spiritual father, God bless him; he brought me to Jesus, and Jesus has washed me in His precious blood, and taken all my sins away.'

"Although she is now quite disabled and infirm, it is quite a delight to go and see her, and her gratitude is very great for the smallest benefit. I went one day just before Christmas to see her; but fancied, as I was going up the stairs, that I heard some one talking to her. On listening, however, outside the door, I found she was in prayer, so stood for a few minutes waiting, then knocked, and opened the door. She greeted me with a smile, and said, 'I'm just having my breakfast you see.' I replied, 'I thought you had some one with you, I fancied I heard you talking.' 'So I have,' she said, 'my Lord is always with me, I've just been thanking Him for all His mercies to me.' I said, 'Your heavenly Father has sent you something more to keep you warm this cold weather,' and opened before her one of our beautiful text quilts, and a nice warm blanket from the‘Mother Home.' She said, 'I never had so many comforts before, how good the Lord is to me!' I gave her a little tea, sugar, and coals, from another source, and 1s. 6d. from Mrs. * for a Christmas present, with a piece of calico for mending, which I knew she much wanted. The poor old creature lifted up her hands in astonishment and gratitude. This for me! all for me!! poor sinful me!!! The Lord knows I am thankful, but how to tell it to others I don't know.' She has been the means of bringing many to the Mothers' Meeting, and her character is so well known in the neighbourhood that many, when they are ill and dying, send for her to read and pray with them, and I believe her message has been blessed to many a poor soul."

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"I took the next case up," says Nurse P―, "on the 28th of August. The poor man was dangerously ill with erysipelas from his head to his hips; he was like one fearfully scalded; he had two doctors to see him—one of them did not object to my using a fomentation of Marsh Mallows, which, under God's blessing, and the use of the carbolic lotion and soap, in a short time brought about a wonderful change. It was through the Bible-woman I heard of this case, who has had much to do with the family for a long time. They kept a greengrocer's shop, next door to a public-house, in a neighbourhood notorious for drunkenness, and the man was formerly a great drinker. The Bible-woman had often spoken very faithfully to him, and tried to get him to shut his shop on Sunday; and now that he was so ill, both nurse and Bible-woman prayed with him frequently, and entreated him to 'flee from the wrath to come,' and often presented to him the Saviour's loving invitation, Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I

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will give you rest.' He seemed to be under deep conviction of sin, and his bodily sufferings were very great; but in the course of time he was mercifully raised up, and able to get about again.

"I yet had to dress his back, and went in one Sunday morning to do So. He had still kept his shop open, but he seemed conscious how wrong it was, and began talking to me about it immediately. He said 'he only

wished he could shut it' (and he seemed really sincere), 'but as soon as he did so he knew there would be a lot of barrows outside, and he should lose all his custom, for he often sold more on Sunday morning than all the week besides.'

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We still kept telling him that if he honoured God by trusting in Him, He would help him to provide for his family, but he could not feel this yet. He would not come to the meetings either on Sunday or week days, as he said he would either do one thing or the other—he would not be half and half. He kept on in this way for some weeks; but we felt sure this was a case that ought not to be given up, and often prayed that God would give him strength to follow the dictates of his conscience, and openly confess himself on the Lord's side. One Thursday evening I got him to the prayer meeting, and he enjoyed it much. He came a second time, and really seemed to find peace in believing.

"Then came the test of shutting shop on Sundays. We found he must be helped a little, and the Bible-woman got a little help to enable him to increase his stock; and he had a notice put up that his shop for the future would be closed on Sundays,' very much to the surprise of all the neighbours. This determination, which he had taken in dependence on a strength above his own, was carried out; and amid the jeerings and scoffs and cruel persecution of the wicked, he has for three months continued in this upright course, during which time he has honourably paid back the money lent him, and he and his family have all attended regularly the Sunday meetings and the Thursday evening prayer meetings.

"There was one other thing we wished him to do (as he had been a drinking man before his illness, although he had not indulged since)—to take the pledge; but this he did not see the necessity of, and trusted, perhaps, too much to his own resolution. But what poor creatures we are when left to ourselves, and how much need have we daily to offer the prayer, 'O Lord, hold Thou me up, and I shall be safe.' A few weeks ago there was a funeral of a poor woman, who was much respected in the neighbourhood, and all the little shops were shut up (his among the number) to show respect to her memory.

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"The publican, who lives next door to T——, like an emissary of Șatan, laid snares for this poor soul, and being vexed at losing him as a customer, said to him, 'Well, T- we have been but bad friends lately, let's make it up to-day; what will you have to drink?' Caught in the snare, he went in, and glass followed glass, and the whole of that day and the next he passed in the public-house. Satan seemed to have regained his prey

and to have conquered. Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy. When I fall, I shall arise; when I am in darkness the Lord shall be a light unto me.' When he came to himself, he was in such a distressed state of mind he could not hold up his head, or face any of his neighbours, and dreaded seeing the Bible-woman or nurse. We, however, heard of it, and immediately went to his house. Both he and his wife were so thankful to see us. The wife said she wanted us to come, but could not go to tell us of the sad occurrence. The poor man was indeed cast down, and seemed truly penitent. We prayed earnestly with him ; and afterwards entreated him to sign the pledge, telling him that he had found out his weak point, and he ought to use every means to prevent falling into such a snare again.

“May 8th, 1872.—It is now about three months since he fell by drink, and he is still holding on his way, and maintaining a good profession in the sight of all men. He has not taken the pledge, as he said he wished to be firm without restraint. His wife will not taste a drop of any intoxicating liquor, in order that there may be no temptation for him at home. They both attend our prayer-meetings, and he takes part in them, very often praying very earnestly for his wife, and children, and neighbours, and is most anxious to bring his neighbours with him. His children attend the Sunday-school regularly, and come with their parents to the meetings. He is still repaying by small instalments, but very regularly and honestly, the money that was lent him; and we all look upon him and really believe he is a thoroughly converted man. His health is so much better since he has left off the drink, and his home so much happier and more respectable, that he sometimes says he hardly knows where he is.

"The funeral which occasioned this fall in T, was that of a poor woman, who had been formerly a great drunkard, but had become converted a long time before her death, and a decided abstainer. While on her deathbed, she gathered all her former drunken companions, at different times, around her bed, and spoke most faithfully to them on their sin, beseeching them to flee from the wrath to come. She died rejoicing in Christ; and the neighbours respected her so much, having witnessed her reformed life, that they showed her every mark of respect at her funeral, and are always speaking of her change, and happy death."

It is now a great and continual joy to us to see this mixed agency of BIBLE-WOMAN and BIBLE-WOMAN NURSE (and we like them to bear witness one of another) replant itself in other soils, circumstances, and countries. It is an especially useful adjunct to all Missionary work, especially if it can flow from an unsectarian centre. We welcome our Christian sisters from afar to the practical business meetings at our Mother-house,

every Tuesday, to see with their own eyes the work and the supplies needed, and more especially the kind of women employed, whose faithfulness and self-denial make us continually say, truly the Lord alone could have given them to us, or could keep them working as they do in His sight.

Having lent one of our nurses for three months, at the application of Dr. Lyell's Medical Mission for Glasgow, we have had much pleasure in receiving the following testimonial on her return to her London work :

"DEAR MADAM,

"Glasgow, May.

"As Mrs M-- is to leave us at the end of this week, I write to tell you that the ladies who have been associated with her during her stay here are thoroughly pleased and satisfied with her work. During the last few weeks she has had a probationer to visit with her, to whom she has given many valuable hints in ministering both to the bodily and spiritual wants of the sick poor, and we hope that she will be able to undertake the work by herself after Mrs. M-- leaves. I shall not occupy your time by entering into any details, but will conclude by sending you our united thanks for your valuable assistance to our Mission by sending so efficient a nurse.

"With Christian regards, yours truly,

"J. R."

N.B.-To the kind friends accustomed to help us we may add that we are in need at the Nurse-house of men's underclothing, as well as gowns and jackets, men's shirts, every kind of old clothing, and especially linen rag.

WESTMINSTER.

HORSEFERRY-ROAD MISSION.

"MY DEAR MRS. R,

"I thought my last Report would exhaust the interest of our Mission for some time; but I have still to record fresh triumphs of the Cross in our district.

"I must first mention that seventy-four Bible subscribers have been obtained since January, about half of them are for the larger sized Bibles, and these represent a great many dark homes, now more or less illumined we hope with this Lamp of Life. We have over seventy clothing subscribers, half of whom have been added this year, and who attend the Mothers' Meetings.

"I re-opened the man's class the beginning of December, and gave my Bible-woman's husband some large cards, with a notice of the meeting, to hang up in the lodging-houses, where he goes every Sunday to address them. The men said, 'We're very glad of 'em, master, and will hang 'em up, as it will remind us of the meeting.'

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Through the kindness of a gentleman, we are enabled to give them something for the body; for if He who spake as never man spake,' had to say, 'ye seek me, because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled;' can we expect to be more successful in exercising a spiritual attraction over such? remembering, however, that by giving a bit of the 'bread that perisheth' we may, and I hope in some cases have, excited a hunger for that 'that endureth to everlasting life.' More than 200 men have attended the class in the last three years, who have been principally gathered out of these low lodging-houses, the inmates of which are constantly changing. Fifty have come this year, and have shown the greatest interest in the reading.

"Knowing that fair blossoms do not always set in fruit, you will be glad to hear that the work begun in some hearts is being carried on. Mrs. D- continues not only a MARVEL herself, but her husband is becoming a changed character. He was lately run over in the street by a cart, which stretched him for the first time in his life on a bed of sickness. After prayer with him one day, she said he couldn't rest all night, so strongly was he convinced of sin. And these people used to be always swearing at each other, one at the top, and the other at the basement of the house. The Bible-woman has seen her sometimes start off drunk, with her shawl under her arm, and her bonnet sent after her out of the top window by the husband, he himself bringing up the rear, and then both

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