earth, and that at first by the power of Satan, and lastly by the personal coming of Christ him

self.

THE FIFTH TRUMPET.

When the FIFTH ANGEL sounds, some mighty potentate is seen, likened to a star, once in heaven, but fallen from it. "A star fallen from heaven," to whom the key of the bottomless pit is given; i.e., the abyss where Satan will be imprisoned, not the lake of fire. He opened the bottomless pit; a dense smoke and darkness arose from the pit, and out of the smoke locusts upon earth, with the power of scorpions. Their mission is one of judicial bearing on men, and, perhaps, especially on the Jews, for they are commanded not to hurt the grass, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. They are not to kill, but to torment them five months. Infliction, and misery without death, characterize this judgment. That these locusts are figurative of Satanic power seems reasonable, from their issuing from the bottomless pit, their being likened to horses prepared to battle, wearing crowns on their heads, having faces like men, hair as women, and teeth of lions, breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings like the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. They have tails also like scorpions, and have a king over them-the angel of the bottomless pit. All these things mark them as mighty instruments for inflicting torture on men, and sufficiently prove that they are not mere locusts, but devils let loose to grievously torment man. We are told, "In those days shall men seek death and shall not find it, and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them." What language can more touchingly convey the exquisite suffering of men in those days. It may be much nearer, too, than any of us think! Happy they who are safely sheltered beneath the redeeming blood of the Lord Jesus Christ!

This may be truly called a woe; but terrible woes are yet to come. Accordingly, we are told, One woe is past, and behold there come two woes more after these things."

66

THE SIXTH TRUMPET.

99.66

brimstone which issued from their mouths. "By these three," that is, by the "fire, smoke, and brimstone,' was the third part of men killed." But, as we have seen before, all these judgments do not lead men to repentance. One might have thought that these solemn interventions of God might have caused those who were spared to turn to God. But we are told, "And the rest of the men which were not killed by those plagues, yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of

their thefts."

How sunken and incurable is the heart of

man! How every part of his history-past, present, or future-illustrates the Divine verdict, that "the carnal mind is enmity against God, that it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." Seeing such terrible things are coming upon the earth, and we know not how soon, how prayerful and earnest we should be in seeking to win souls to Christ. May our gracious God most mercifully work, by the power of His Holy Spirit, through the gospel of His grace, to the salvation of multitudes of sinners now so zealously posting their way towards "the wrath

to come.

6

The Blind Missionary. ORACE Bushnell, of Cincinnatti, who has H been labouring for twenty years, and is blind, states:-"Leaving the omnibus one day, and feeling for the side walk with my staff, a woman's voice inquired: Are you blind, sir?' Quite blind.'Well, here is the side walk; but can you guess where you are? Yes, at the corner streets.'Well, you are good at guessing; but can you tell why God has deprived you, a holy man, of sight, and left me, a drunken sinner, with my sight?'' Note the good man's answer.

of

and

"Even so, Father, because it seemed good in thy sight.' She answered, 'Yes, He may be your Father, but He is not mine.' Have we not all one Father? Hath

not one God created us all?' 'One God created aus, but I am now an enemy and not a child.' It may be so; yet, through the blood of Jesus, they who were sometimes alienated, and enemies by wicked works, have become reconciled to God.' The poor woman next said, 'It may be you would be offended, if I offered to lead you over this rough place!' The good missionary thought, "Now Simon the Pharisee said silently in his heart, If this man were of God, He would know what manner of woman this is that touches Him; for she is a sinner.'"

"The SIXTH ANGEL sounded, and I heard voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates." This is done, and they are prepared for a limited time, not to torment, but to slay the third part of men. Two hundred millions of wicked agents are employed in slaying men— "two hundred thousand thousand." It seems Satanic agency, because of the fire, smoke, and

And

Readings for the young.

The Little Blind Boy.
[EXTRACTS.]

opened to see the glories that awaited him. Yes, he now knows, in its blessed fulness, "what it is to be there." May you also know it, dear children. "Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation."

China.

own precious blood. I have no fear of dying, or going to hell; my fears are gone, and now I want to depart and to be with Jesus." In this state of mind he continued; and whatever he desired, it was, "Just ask the Lord." If in THOM HOMAS H— was born about eleven years violent pain, "Just ask the Lord to give me a ago. He was quite blind, and for some time little ease;" or, if he needed sleep, "Just ask was in the Asylum for the Blind at Bristol. At the Lord to give me a short sleep;" and soon that time he was utterly careless about the things after his friends would hear him say, "Bless His of God, and so he continued till March last, dear name, that prayer is answered." On Tueswhen he spent the day with some Christian day morning last he had convulsions, but was friends who were at a watering-place. They soon relieved, and became sweetly calm and saw that Thomas's health was failing, and sent composed-so much so that they thought he for his mother, who took him down to them; would linger some time. His mother was sitting but he became worse, and was taken home. by him, and heard him exclaim, "What!" She Now it was he began to feel he was a sinner, looked, and he was gone; his spirit had fled: and that he must shortly appear before a holy and she believes that his eyes, which had never God. These thoughts troubled him exceed-seen the light of day, were at that moment ingly; and many and bitter were the tears he shed. Satan, too, was very busy, telling him it was too late. Oh, it was a sad time for the little blind boy; but many prayers were offered for him, which were heard and answered. In spite of all Satan's whisperings, he had great confidence in prayer; and what should you think he wished his kind friends to pray for? It was this "Just ask the Lord to give me a little strength, that I may go to chapel in the morning." His wish was complied with, and he felt composed. The morning came, but he was so weak and ill that his mother thought it impossible; but Tom thought differently, and said, "Mother, I must go; it will do me good." He was dressed and carried there, being much too weak to walk. He had not walked for some time. Should you not like to have seen him, dear children? A poor blind boy, so weak and ill, and yet so thirsting for the living God, that he must be taken up out of his bed to be carried to a prayer meeting. . . . . . . Yes, even the angels must have admired it. Thomas was taken home refreshed both in mind and body. He said he felt it good to be there; but still he was not satisfied; he felt he was not clothed in that "best robe" in which the saved sinner appears before God; and once more he desired those around him to pray for him. This was about five o'clock in the evening. He had been in deep thought all day. After prayer, and reading the Word, he lay very quiet, and at a quarter past six Jesus himself drew nigh, and did for this poor child what was so beautifully set before you some time ago. First, He showed him that He had cleansed him; then, that He had clothed him; and then, that He was about to crown him. This was joy to the poor child, who said, "I have never felt anything like this before. I have but one wish now-to be for ever with the Lord, who has washed me in His

SOME of my young friends will remember that they were promised to be told about the Chinese. If you look at a map of the world, you will find that the empire of China is situated in the south-eastern part of Asia. The chief portion (called China Proper) is very full of people, of whom in the whole empire there are between 360,000,000 and 400,000,000. It is very difficult for us to understand how great this number is. If all these people were to stand in a row, with their arms stretched out on each side, so that they just touched each other with the tips of their fingers, they would form a line longer than the distance between the earth and the moon (about 240,000 miles). Shall we not then be interested to learn something about this people? Alas! dear children, there are two other words beginning with "p" besides "populous," which describe the state of China and the Chinese. They are "pagan" and "perishing." Very few, comparatively, of all the people in China are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. They have three different forms of religion. There are the followers of Confucius, or, as the Chinese call him, Kung Foo Tsz, who lived about the time of the prophet Ezekiel. He taught the people that men are by nature virtuous, and of good disposition, and become vicious by force of example, so that they require the good influence of the teaching of the sages (wise men) to restore them. Others follow the teaching of Laou Keun Tsz, who lived at the same time as Confucius. The leaders of this faith dwell solitarily on the mountains, and in uninhabited places,

that they may study deeply what their founder prayed earnestly and aloud that God would reveal taught in the books which he wrote. The third to the dying man his deep need of salvation, and religion, which is that of most of the common how the Lord Jesus Christ had for ever made an people, is the Buddhist, which was introduced end of sin by the sacrifice of himself. into China about sixty-six years before Christ. Its followers believe that there are three precious spirits of this name, and that the greatest of them, Amaida Buddha, may be worshipped acceptably by their often repeating his name in their prayers. There is one very strange way they have of doing this, which shows, even more plainly, perhaps, than anything we have told you, how very dark their souls are. Over the altars in their temples they place a representation of Buddha, and opposite to this they erect wooden cylinders, on which are painted the words of their prayer. These cylinders are made so as to turn round by means of pulling a string, which reaches down from them to where the poor worshipper of Buddha comes to pray; and the priests tell them, that as often as they make the cylinder turn round opposite the painted eyes of Buddha, so many times does the god accept the prayer, as if they had repeated it with their lips. How sad is their state, dear children, who know no better than this! May none of you at the last prove what even they cannot.

"I might as well kneel down
And worship gods of stone,
As offer to the living God
A prayer of words alone."

The day after this happened the missionary set out on his return to England, where, after he had been a little time, he received a letter which told him that the poor man died a day or two after he left; and that on the day after his visit some women came and asked for him, that they might be told about the Lord Jesus Christ. When they heard that he had left, they went some distance to see the American missionary, and told him about their leaving the room of the sick man, in agreement with the custom of the country, while the missionary prayed with him; and that, being desirous to hear what was said, they listened at the door of the room. The words of prayer which they overheard had created an anxiety in their hearts about their eternal interests. They listened with deep concern to the gospel from the lips of the American missionary, and the Lord blessed the word unto them. Since that time they have lived and walked very consistently as Christians.

Dear children who know the Lord, when we think of these poor perishing pagans, let us pity them, and pray to God to send those who shall preach to them that gospel which is His power to their salvation.

And, my dear young friends, whose hearts But we told you that these poor pagans are have not yet responded to the invitation of Jesus, perishing; and so you will see that they are, "Come unto me,"-shall it be said that these when I tell you that of their great number poor women received the truth when they for the 27,000 die every day. 'Tis true, they are very first time overheard it, and that you, who have industrious, and kind to their parents, whom so often listened and read, have gone on neglectthey not only obey while living, but offer sacri-ing so great salvation? The Lord himself reveal fices to them after they are dead. I have seen His love to you, and to thousands in China, for one of the wooden tablets, which they set up in Jesu's sake. Amen! their houses, with the name of the parent in whose memory it is made cut in with gilt letters. They believe that everybody has three spirits: and, that when a person dies, one of the spirits goes to the grave with the body; that another wanders about the country, and over the mountains, waiting to come into the world again—in the body, perhaps, of an animal; and that the third resides in the tablet.

A missionary to the Chinese was once sent for to see a poor man who was very ill. When he reached the house he found him very weak; but no sooner had he entered the room than the women, who were there waiting on the sick man, went away, for the Chinese believe that the presence of women on a solemn occasion is to be avoided; because, as they are taught, women have more association than men with the bad spirits. As the poor man was too weak to converse, the missionary knelt beside his bed, and

Fragments.

THE great business of the believer's life should

be to keep and cultivate fellowship with God. Unbelief and self-will are the greatest hindrances to our happiness.

If we unreservedly cast ourselves upon God, we shall have circumstances and creatures our

servants.

Prosperity is the blessing of the Old Testament, adversity of the New, though the latter carry the greater benediction and the clearer revelation of God's favour.-Bacon.

Three reasons why I, as a Christian, am left in the world:-1. To testify to the unconverted, by bearing witness to the truth, that I am passed from death unto life. (1 Peter ii. 9.) 2. Το bear fruit to God. (John xv.; Rom xii. 1.) 3. To minister to the Lord's people. (Gal. vi. 10; Heb. xiii. 16.)