day he would eject them. She said they could not pay it, neither had they as much as a heller to provide bread for the family, or medicine for her sick husband. "Alas!" cried she, bursting into tears again, "my husband will sink under his affliction, and my children and I shall die of hunger! Oh, that it was over! There is no relief for us but in the grave!" "The Lord still lives," said Gellert with earnestness, "who turns the hearts of men as streams of water are turned;" and the words powerfully seized the woman's soul. She grasped his hand convulsively, and exclaimed, "Do you believe He will help us?" "I do believe it !" replied Gellert, with greater energy. The power of the Lord was already operating on his heart. He had determined to aid her. True, it was necessary that he should give all the money that he possessed, but that was nothing to him. He thought not of consequences; all he cared about was how he might relieve this distressed family. "Come with me to my house," he said, "and you shall see that the Lord yet lives-the Lord who delivers from death and destruction."

"Oh

He turned towards home. sir," cried the poor woman, marvellously inspired with confidence, "just let me tell my children!" and she hastened to the place, where they had already filled their baskets with chips, and then returned, and in silent prayer and hope, followed her comforter.

Joyful in heart, Gellert, on entering the house, went into his room, opened his desk, took out his thirty thalers, put them into the woman's hand, and said, "There are thirty thalers, and no curse rests on them. Take them."

The woman, in the overflowing of her joy and gratitude, would have fallen down and clasped his knees; but he lifted her up, and said,

"Thank the Lord, who has heard your prayer, and sent me to help you; praise Him."

"But," said he, "do not go to old Neidhardt's until the clock strikes eleven. Then be at his office with the money. Mind, remember that!" The woman, now full of happiness, departed; continuing to express her thanks as she went on her way.

Gellert, after she had gone, clasped his hands and prayed-thanking the Lord who had honoured him to fulfil His sacred purpose, and entreating Him to bestow His blessing, that the object he yet had in view might be accomplished.

When he had finished praying, as it was near the hour of eleven, he hastened to the office of old Neidhardt. Never had Gellert walked through the streets of Leipsic feeling more inward happiness and buoyancy than he felt on this morning. He experienced the full truth of the Divine Word, "It is more blessed to give than to receive;" and a conscious blessedness elevated and supported him.

He knocked at old Neidhardt's door; and, upon hearing a sulky, angry "Come in!" entered his office.

The old usurer stood near a table, counting a heap of gold. It was easy to see that Gellert's visit was neither convenient nor welcome; he drew out the drawer of the table, and, sweeping the money into it, pushed it in again, and locked it; and was about to ask his visitor, in an angry manner, what he wanted, when Gellert politely greeted him, and as he did so, more than usual joy shone in the benevolent man's beaming eyes.

Gellert's look banished the old man's rage. He felt that he dared not be uncourteous to a man who was so universally esteemed and honoured, and who was so manifestly good. He therefore asked him

civily, why he came so early, and to what he owed the honour of this visit; and pressed him to be seated.

A

Glad that the wrinkles of illhumour on the stony face of the old man had become smooth, Gellert sat down; and, without any further preliminaries, said, "from you, most worthy Herr Neidhardt, one may learn many valuable lessons. man whom the Lord has blessed with such wealth as you possess, will surely not neglect to put his riches to the most beneficial use. Do you know the great art of doing good to others?"

Old Neidhardt, whose thoughts were still for the most part with his money, felt queer at this question; and an inward voice, which spake good German, seemed to say to him, "Now, old sinner! what wilt thou answer to that?"

The old fellow changed colour and grew pale. The answer he was going to give dried up his tongue, because it was a lie; and he could not just then frame another.

So, in his embarrassment, he muttered something in his beard, which sounded like, "Ah-yes! all right. Hem hem!"

Whether Gellert, whose heart was growing warmer, did not hear this, or would not understand, I cannot say; but without taking any notice of it, he began to speak, with his own fervour and joy and overflowing blessedness, of the methods and fruits of doing good. And, because he spake from his own rich experience, his words gushed forth with a transporting enthusiasm from his soul; and operated with such overpowering force on the old man that he trembled through all his being. Gradually he became interested in what he heard. The words warmed his cold affections; his heart seemed to turn round within him, and feelings were wakened in his breast,

such as he had never before harboured. The sight of this had a reflex influence on Gellert. He became more ardent; his words grew more impressive; and, made mighty through God, they stirred the soul of the usurer.

The clock struck eleven, and with the last stroke there was a knock at the door, and the poor woman stepped into the room, her countenance beaming with joy. She placed Gellert's money on the table, at the same time saying, "Here, I have brought you the money; and I wish you to give me back the note that my husband, who is not likely to recover, wrote you on his dying bed, intreating you not to turn us out of the house."

The old man changed colour again, and his hand, which instinctively he desired to stretch out towards the money, trembled. The presence of Gellert, whose glowing words had made such a deep impression on his mind, made the old man feel the request of the unfortunate woman a humilation and a humilation and a judgment, the weight of which, in his present mood, was doubly heavy. Shame, regret, vexation raged within him like a tempest. Never had he so felt their power.

At last he attained sufficient composure to be able to say in broken words, "Ah! I wish I had not hurried you. You must not talk so. I did not intend to fulfil my threat. It was only a threat, nothing more. However you had better go away now. You see I have a visitor." As he spake these words his bony fingers clutched the money, and in a moment it was in the side-pocket of his dressing-gown.

Gellert watched him, and knew, from his countenance, every emotion of his breast. Almost unconsciously, he said in a loud whisper, "There go thirty thalers, and no curse cleaves

"Yes! yes!" said the poor woman, now you say there was no hurry, because you are ashamed that this kind, good gentleman should know of your hardheartedness. But it was only yesterday, when I wished to entreat your indulgence, that you would not hear me. You drove me away, saying, 'All your whining is of no service. Money I want, and money I must have; else I will pitch you and all your lumber into the street, without any further delay!' Herr Neidhardt! I would have you know that I have not cursed you. God, who says, 'Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy,' saw my distress. For four and twenty hours we had had nothing to eat; and with a sick man to be thrown on the street! It was too much to bear. The Lord hath said, ' With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.' You cared You cared nothing what became of me and mine. When I returned home from your office, my good husband prayed for us; and he prayed for you, Herr Neidhardt, that God would change your heart that he would take away the stony heart out of your breast, and give you a tender and merciful heart. I went out with my children to gather some small pieces of wood, for we had no fire, though the weather is so cold; and then unutterable grief came upon me, and I was once more able to weep. Such was my state when this good gentleman found me, and gave me thirty thalers."

In vain Gellert made signs to the woman that she should be silent. "It is useless," she said, "to wish me to hold my tongue. I must speak out; else the fulness of my

heart will be more than I can endure."

At this moment, Neidhardt turned to Gellert, and looking inquiringly at him, seemed to say, "What does all this mean?" But Gellert, perplexed, cast his eyes to the ground.

"I know very well," said the woman, continuing her talk, "that the gentleman is not rich in money; but he is rich in compassion. May God's best blessing come upon him!"

At length the old man exclaimed with astonishment, "Herr Gellert! is this your doing?" The hand of the Lord had taken hold of him. The benediction of the woman on Gellert deeply moved his soul. His hard heart became soft, and he felt inward emotions to which heretofore he had been a stranger. He went to his desk, took out a paper, and, giving it to the woman, said, "This is the note your husband sent me, and here are the thirty thalers. Go, nurse your sick man with the money, and buy bread for your children. Your debt is paid." He took his book, turned to the page where the account was entered, and, with a swift and strong stroke of his pen, cancelled it.

Then, with deep feeling, he grasped Gellert's hand, and exclaimed, "Oh excellent man! you not only utter noble and pathetic words; what is better, you act nobly. May God recompense you! I desire to atone in some measure for my oppression of this poor family. Let me beg of you to go with me to see them. It will be an introduction for me; and afterwards I will go alone."

The woman stood like a lifeless statue. At last consciousness returned; and tears once more streamed from her eyes.

"Now," she cried out, "I know of a truth that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth

much.' Oh, Herr Neidhardt! forgive me for thinking so ill of you, the blessing of God be upon you?" Then, turning to Gellert, she said, "But you are our good angel, whom our God has sent for our deliverance. How can we sufficiently thank you?"

The three left the house, the woman leading the way. They walked quickly, and soon came to the dilapidated dwelling of the shoemaker; and, entering the apartment where he lay, an affecting picture of human distress appeared before their eyes.

The woman told her adventures to the sick man and the children, and the story was like a gleam of sunshine after a cloudy day. Filled with joy, they all stretched out their hands to their benefactors, and there was no end to their expressions of thankfulness. "Seest thou, dear wife," cried the sick man, "the Lord has heard us! Blessed be His name!" The gratitude of the poor family so affected old Neidhardt, that the tears ran down from his eyes like rivers. Gellert spake words of comfort to the afflicted one, which refreshed and enlivened him with new hope.

He, moreover, promised to send him a properly-qualified and skilful physician, and Neidhardt confirmed the promise.

Neidhardt's kindness to the shoemaker and his family did not terminate here. This first act of charity was followed by many others. He apprenticed the son to a shopkeeper, cheerfully paying the necessary premium; he sent the other children to school at his own expense; he repaired the house, and exempted the poor people from all payment of rent for the future. The father re covered his former health; and Neidhardt assisted him with requisite funds, so that he soon secured a flourishing trade.

From that time the old man remained the friend of Gellert also, and his most ardent admirer, to the end of his days.

Such were the events of the first day; and so it happened to Gellert and his thirty thalers. He was poor in purse, but inwardly he was greatly enriched; and in his quiet chamber he thanked that God who had blessed both his word and deed.

A GOOD minister, now in heaven, once preached to his congregation a powerful sermon, founded upon the words of Christ, "Why stand ye here all the day idle?"-Math. xx. 6. The sermon did good to many, among whom was a lady who went to the minister the next day, and said, "Doctor, I want a spade." Dear reader, are you looking for a "spade?" Do, you need advice as to how you shall work for Christ, and the good of souls? Such advice we will try to give you.

Giving money to the cause of

Christ is a good spade with which to work. Dr. Coke, an eminent missionary, used to say that every guinea which was given to carry the Gospel to the black population in the West Indies, had been the means of converting, at least, one soul to Christ. What a privilege for rich Christians to give of their gold for the producing this sublime result,the eternal salvation of human souls! But the poor Christian can also work with this "spade." The "two mites" which the "poor widow" cast into the treasury, were accepted

and praised by the "Lord of the Temple;" so now while it is an act of condescension in the Great Being to employ in his cause the "gold and silver" of the rich, he accepts with pleasure the offerings of the poor for the carrying out of the plan of salvation, for the eternal benefit of lost souls. "Where are you going so fast?" said one youth to another, as they met on Westminster Bridge. The reply was, "I am going with my father's dinner, for we are building the House of Parliament." The boy's part in the erection of the great building was not much, but he could say, "we are building" the House, for it was something to feed those who were actually engaged in the work; and so every pecuniary contribution to the cause of Christ, however small, will do something toward the erection of that spiritual temple, the Church, which is to be the joy of angels, the reward of the Redeemer, and the glory of God for ever!

The pious instruction of the young is another "spade" with which it is good to work. What a noble labour Robert Raikes commenced, when he gathered together his first class of Sabbath scholars in the city of Gloucester! He is the benefactor not of Britain only, but of Europe and the world. Haydn, the great musician, said that he was never so conscious of the meaning of the word sublime as when he heard the school children of London sing the Old Hundredth Psalm, under the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral. Montalembert, a great French writer, tells us that he truly envied Britain her privileges and prospects, when he heard the Sabbath scholars of Birmingham sing, in the presence of our Queen

"Now pray we for our country,
That England long may be
The holy and the happy,
The gloriously free."

What a noble fact it is that more than two millions of children are found in our Sabbath schools, gratuitously taught by more than two hundred thousand male and female instructors. Readers, why cannot you engage in this good work? If you feel the love of Christ glowing in your hearts, go to the Sabbath school, and tell of Him who said, "Suffer the little children to come to me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven."

Visiting the sick is another "spade" with which to work in the Lord's Vineyard. One does not need great intellect or eloquence, in order to use this "spade." You can surely call upon a sick person, and if he is poor, carry with you a little tea, or nourishing soup, or a nice white loaf, and tell him of the sympathy of Christ and the Infinite Mercy of God. You are guilty of a great neglect of duty if you do not sometimes, visit the afflicted. What does the Apostle James say?"Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this, to visit the widow and fatherless in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." Oh, ponder well the words of Christ,-"A cup of cold water, given to a disciple, in the name of a disciple, shall in no-wise lose its reward." "I was sick, and ye visited me." "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

Distributing Religious Tracts is another useful "spade" for us to work with. A pious servant once resolved to become a Tract Distributor. She did so, and persevered in her work. One day her mistress came into the kitchen, saw the tracts, and began to converse concerning them, and the people among whom they were lent; the result of the conversation was that she became deeply interested