Peter,' say the disciples within themselves. And Peter, says poor Peter himself to the women, 'Are you sure you heard my name.' 'Yes, sure,' say the women. 'Bless Him,' says Peter, it's just like Him, I thought I should never see His face again after that time He looked me through and through when I had denied Him; and yet even that look was kind, but it was its very kindness that seemed to pierce me so and make me rush out into the dark night to weep bitterly, anywhere out of His sight. But I want to see that face once more, and have one look, if it be only one, and just tell Him how I grieve. I want to confess all to Him-yes, even if He never forgives me.' But there, Peter knew the Master too well to suppose that He could do anything else than forgive when the poor sinner confesses his sins."

"And he hadn't to wait until his Lord would meet him on a mountain in Galilee," added John. "No, the sinner hasn't to go very far to find his risen Saviour. Next in order of time to the women Jesus appeared to Simon. Thus He appeared first to those who needed Him most -Mary Magdalene and Peter. What took place in that first interview with Peter-his confessions and the Lord's answer-we don't know, Shadrach. That was too sacred even for evangelists to tell. When the good Lord meets the sinner for the first time after his sin, He meets him alone, when there is no one else to hear the confession of a broken heart."

"Bless Him," said Shadrach, "as Mr. Morris Jones, 'the old prophet,' used to say when the Lord chastens us for our sins it's not in the open streets that He does it, where all can see, but in the jail-court out of sight."

"And very often He doesn't punish us as we deserve even there," said John. "The other evening my second boy had done something wrong, and his mother sent him

to bed early. He went to the bedroom obediently enough; but his mother followed him with the rod. When he saw

it he looked up tenderly to his mother's face, and said, 'Mother, let me say my prayers first,' and down he went on his knees, his mother standing over him with the rod. He got up at last, but do you think she could touch him? No, her hand was paralyzed by that boy's prayer; she couldn't move the rod, so she gave him a few words of warning, and kissed him and put him to bed. She wouldn't have told me a word about it if I hadn't asked how it was she hadn't punished the boy after all. She smiled, while tears filled her eyes, told me all, and then said, 'Do you think I could wait for him to get up from his knees and beat him? No, John, he had the best of me.' Now do you think the good Lord can be more unkind than our Kitty? No."

"No, never!" exclaimed Shadrach.

"No," continued John, "He sometimes takes us aside to chasten us, but if we fall on our knees His arm is too weak to strike us hard. But even when God does punish us for our sins it is generally done out of sight."

"Yes," rejoined Hugh Roberts, "and as I heard Mr. Ishmael Jones once say, when speaking about the scapegoat, over which the high priest confessed the sins of the people. It's to the wilderness that He sends our sins, not to the city, so that no one who may bear us a grudge can say, 'I saw thy black sins pass my house yesterday on the head of the poor scape-goat.' No, not into the city, but into the wilderness, out of the sight of men, He sends forgiven sins."

"That was a powerful sermon," said John Vaughan, "which Mr. Thomas,* of Cardiff, preached last night upon

* Rev. N. Thomas, Baptist Minister, Cardiff.

confessing sins, when he spoke from those words, 'I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.' He said a great many striking things, but there was one thing that particularly struck me. He told us that the emphasis was on the words acknowledged' — not hid'—' will confess and went on to say:-The natural tendency of us all is not to confess, but to throw the blame upon another. Adam of old blamed Eve, and Eve the Tempter. God gave an opportunity to Adam and Eve to confess, though they neglected it-Hast thou eaten of the tree ?' 'What is this thou hast done?'-but He gave no such opportunity to the Tempter. He asked him no question which would encourage a confession, but pronounced his doom'Because thou hast done this thou art cursed above all cattle.'' Then the preacher said— My dear friends, what a privilege it is to be permitted to confess our sins. I find no record of a fallen angel being permitted to do so. It is a privilege, however, extended to fallen man. The great God would not have given us the opportunity to confess if He did not mean to pardon; but now if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.' Who of you will confess anew to-day?""

"And that appeal wasn't in vain," said Sha drach, "for a large number stayed for the society at the close."

It was now half-past nine, and Mary's familiar voice calling Shadrach and Jenkin to supper brought the aftermeeting at the smithy to a close. The fire subsided, the friends parted, the smithy door was closed, and darkness. settled where a few minutes before all was aglow with the light of the blazing forge.

CHAPTER VII.

A Talk about Olden Times.

FORTNIGHT

speedily passed

during which no

thing specially

interesting trans

pired at the smithy. One evening Shadrach and Jenkin were busy at work, when the familiar form of Hugh Roberts, of Pentre-mawr, appeared at the smithy door. His face beamed with kindliness in the ruddy glow of the

smithy fire. His presence was always welcome. From his early days he had been a most intimate friend of Shadrach's father, and since the death of the latter had been specially attached to Shadrach for his father's sake. When in the mood he would repeat the reminiscences of their early life, the tricks of their boyhood, and the friendship of their manhood. Those days were gone now, and one of

the prominent actors had withdrawn for ever from the scene; Hugh, who had been left behind, often felt he had outlived his age, and almost wished he had gone too, yet he loved to tell about bygone days, and he had no more willing listener in the world than Shadrach, who used to tell him that the good Lord well knew what He was doing in keeping him here. Hugh's presence, he affirmed, was as necessary for the village, and especially for the smithy, as the presence of the aged John was for the little church at Ephesus, therefore Hugh must not be impatient about going to heaven. There were plenty of good people there, and the Lord knew full well there were not too many here; it was a pity if the earth couldn't now and then keep a little longer than usual a choice spirit of its own. Then Shadrach would repeat the saying of the Rev. Daniel Rowland, of Llangeitho, "Oh, heaven, heaven, heaven, thy mansions would be empty enough had not Zion been nursing children for thee on earth."

Hugh had no sooner arrived at the smithy than the sound of Samson Lloyd's crutch, as it struck the ground outside, announced his approach. He was no sooner heard than he hoisted himself into the smithy, and in his usual self-assertive manner accosted the

company.

Samson Lloyd was the village tailor. His parents were pious people. When he was born his father took the Bible to choose a name for him, and at last selected 66 'Samson." It was evident to all who knew Samson Lloyd that his father had fondly chosen that name before he knew what manner of man the child would be, for besides being of anything but a "sunny" disposition and cheerful countenance, Samson was lame and exceedingly diminutive in size. Taking all things together it would have required a very extraordinary imagination to picture