told, either that He could not, or would not bless them. Streams of healing, restoring, refreshing, saving grace, flowed from His heart of love, as from their native fountain. But what is to me, the most touching in all those scenes of blessing, is the mothers bringing their little children to Him, that He might lay His hands on them and bless them. And when His disciples would have hindered them, "He was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not,. . . And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them." (Mark x. 13-16.) Oh! what a touching scene this is. The Lord Jesus, the God of heaven and earth, stooping, in perfect grace, taking little children into His arms and blessing them. Oh how well fitted is such grace, to strengthen our faith, and to encourage our hearts, with regard to the spiritual blessing of our dear children. He is the same now as He was then, and we must just do what the mothers in Israel did, namely, bring our children to Him in the arms of our faith. Bring them all, every one; His grace is boundless; and let us come in the full assurance of faith, nothing doubting. The children that were brought to Him then were blessed. Let us believe that the children that are brought to Him now shall be blessed. Then, it was seen, because He was on the earth; now, it must be believed, because He is in Heaven. Is there an instance of one coming, or being brought to Him, either in faith or need, that was not blessed? Not one! What we want, is more faith in Him, and more waiting on Him.

And, now, oh my dear fellow sinners, what are your present thoughts of Jesus, now in heavenly glory? Are not your hearts drawn to Him, as with the cords of love? Rest assured that He sees the very first uplifting of the heart to Him, and though amidst the glory, He will meet you in the richest, fullest blessing, the moment your hearts are really turned to Him.

"A little while," and He who is now the glorified one will be the coming one, and the reigning one. Oh! embrace the heavenly Saviour now! He is saying to every one of you this evening, "Come unto me....I will give you rest.” Oh! believe the glad tidings of His love, delay not to flee to the arms of His mercy, flee to Himself as your refuge, and then you will be ready to greet Him at His coming, with a joyous welcome, and enter into the joy of your Lord, and share with Him His throne, and crown, and glory. Worlds without end. Amen.

THE TOUCH OF FAITH.

WHO is that, who, amid the throng,
So benignly walks along,

Love beaming in his face?

'Tis Christ the Lord who hastens by,
For one, in yonder house, doth lie,
Who needs His healing grace.

One, too, there is amid that crowd,
Beneath the weight of suffering bowed,
Unknown to all beside.

For twelve long years she bore her pain,
Gave all she had-could nothing gain.
Till Jesus she espied.

But when she sees Him drawing near,
How bounds her heart with hope and cheer,
Resolved the crowd to brave.

"If I but touch His garment's hem,"

She thinks, "I shall lack nothing then."
That touch of faith she gave.

Immediately her pains depart!
What joy, what comfort fills her heart!
She would not have it known.
She little dreamt that feeble touch

Had cheered her Saviour's heart as much
As it had healed her own.

He felt the virtue flowing o'er,
That He was trusted, which was more
Than aught she ere could do.
And could He let the healed one go,
Without a word, a look, to show
That He had loved her too?

He does not heed the callous press,
He longs to hear her lips confess
How He had made her whole.
And thus He gives her sweet release,
"Thy faith hath saved thee, go in peace."
He now has saved her soul.

And is not Jesus now the same
As when that lowly woman came
To have her pain removed?
Since He ascended to His throne
How many a touch unseen, unknown,
His healing power has proved!

Yes, still the streams of virtue flow,
To cleanse the sin, to cure the woe,
It needs not but to touch.

And now as then the sufferer feels
How truly, perfectly, it heals-

And Christ is cheered as much.

EPAPHRAS.

(Col. iv. 12.)

THERE is a very striking difference between the inspired records of the people of God, and all human biographies. The former may, truly, be said to be, "much in little;" while many of the latter may, as truly, be said to be, "little in much." The history of one of the Old Testament saintsa history stretching over a period of 365 years, is summed up in two short clauses. "Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him." (Gen. v. 24.) How brief! But yet how full! how comprehensive! How many volumes would man have filled with the records of such a life? And, yet, what more could he have said? To walk with God, comprehends all that could possibly be said of any one. A man may travel round the globe; he may preach the gospel in every clime; he may suffer in the cause of Christ; he may feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick; he may read, write, print and publish; in short, he may do all that man ever could or did do; and, yet, it may all be summed up in that brief clause, "he walked with God." And right well will it be for him, if it can be so summed up. One may do nearly all that has been enumerated, and yet never walk with God, one hour, yea, he may not even know the meaning of a walk with God. The thought of this is deeply solemnizing and practical. It should lead us to the earnest cultivation of the hidden life, without which the most showy services will prove to be but mere flash and smoke.

There is something peculiarly touching in the mode in which the name of Epaphras is introduced to our notice, in the New Testament. The allusions to him are very brief, but very pithy. He seems to have been the very stamp of man which is so much needed, at the present moment. His labours, so far as the inspired penman has recorded them, do not seem to have been very showy or attractive. They

were not calculated to meet the human eye or elicit human • praise. But oh! they were most precious labours—peerless-priceless labours. They were the labours of the closet, labours within the closed door, labours in the sanctuary, labours without which all beside must prove barren and worthless. He is not placed before us, by the sacred biographer, as a powerful preacher, a laborious writer, a great traveller, which he may have been, and which are all truly valuable, in their place. The Holy Ghost, however, has not told us that Epaphras was any one of the three; but, then, my reader, He has placed this singularly interesting character before us, in a manner calculated to stir the very depths of our moral and spiritual being. He has presented him to us as a man of prayer— earnest, fervent, agonizing prayer—prayer, not for himself, but for others. Let us hearken to the inspired testimony.

"Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently, (agonizing) for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea and them in Hierapolis." (Col. iv. 12, 13.) Such was Epaphras ! Would there were hundreds like him, in this our day! We are thankful for preachers, thankful for writers, thankful for travellers in the cause of Christ; but we want men of prayer, men of the closet, men like Epaphras. We are happy to see men on their feet, preaching Christ; happy to see them able to ply the pen of a ready writer, in the noble cause; happy to see them making their way, in the true evangelistic spirit, into "the regions beyond;" happy to see them, in the true pastoral spirit, going, again and again, to visit their brethren in every city. God forbid we should undervalue, or speak disparagingly of such honourable services; yea, we prize them more highly than words could convey. But, then, at the back of all, we want a spirit of prayer— fervent, agonizing, persevering prayer. Without this, nothing can prosper. A prayerless man is a sapless man.