Sister, brother, Christian friend, what a little thing it is to give a few printed pages, and yet, with prayer, and the divine blessing, how much good they may do. Oh, I wish we would all remember thus to scatter the seeds of truth and grace everywhere; thus to cast our bread upon the waters; thus to give the cup of cold water; thus to lend the Lord.-M. F. A.-Band of Hope Review.

The Shut Door.

NE cold winter's night, a poor, shivering, half-starved child was drawn to the steps of a large house by the frequent opening and shutting of the front door. Every time it opened, happy voices were heard and a flood of light streamed into the street. Every now and then people ran up the steps, the door flew open, and they entered to the beautiful light and

the happy voices within. The child looked wistfully up to the great house. "Might there not be room for her there!" she thought. She ventured up the steps, and sank wearily down on the cold stone, and listened to the soft music that stole upon her ear, and she blindly wondered if heaven were there.

Oh! would not that door open and let her in? She watched the door, and wished and waited, and waited and wondered, and wished and watched.

"Would the door open at her knock?"

At last she knocked. What answer? A rough voice said, "Be off!" Two people brushed past her, and as the

door opened wide to them, the sight of the beautiful light filled her with desire, and she strove to follow after.

"No room for you here," cried the voice, and a rough grasp shoved her back into the pitiless night, and she ran shivering and frightened down the dark, frozen street.

That night a policeman found a child by the roadside perishing with hunger and cold. Poor thing, was there no friendly door for her?

It says,

Yes, one, the best of all the world—better than the great house door, better than kitchen or parlour door, better than cottage or palace door, and whoever knocks will never knock in vain. It opens as quickly to the faint knock of the humblest child, as to a king from his throne. "Knock, and it shall be opened." Do not be afraid; you will not be rudely sent away; only knock. This door is Jesus Christ. He tells us, "I am the door." Through Him we enter into the beautiful light of our sins forgiven. Through Him we come to the happy voices of hope, love, and joy, and all good. Through Him we go to heaven.

There is no other door for us, my children, out from this cold, dark world of sin.

Jesus Christ came to save us. He has suffered for us; he has borne our punishment; he has pleaded in our behalf, and has opened a home for us in heaven. Go to him, pray to him, believe in him, and love him. This is the way to enter the open door of his great and blessed salvation.Child's Paper.

TRUE REPENTANCE.

TRUE repentance consists in the heart being broken for sin, and broken from sin. Some often repent, yet never reform : they resemble a man travelling a dangerous path, who frequently starts and stops, but never turns back.-Thornton.

struction.

Chinese Justice.

NE of our trials, in leaving China, was that we must leave one who had been in our employ for eight years, unconverted. Ingo, as we called him, was greatly attached to us, and we to him. He was ever faithful in his work. He, indeed, seemed very near to us. He had entered our mission when a mere boy, and had grown up in the midst of Christian inOur last mail brings us tidings of his conversion and baptism, and of a great and terrible trial that came to him immediately afterward. It is one phase of Chinese law that if a man dies in debt, any brother of his may be seized and thrown into prison, and tortured to make him his debts. If he has not the money, he may never leave the prison alive. Ingo was the youngest of a large family of boys. His eldest brother was a carpenter, at one time in very prosperous circumstances. Dr. Wentworth, when in China, sent to the United States, and bought carpenter's tools for him, and gave him some instruction as to the building of foreign houses. He became an excellent workman, and had all he could do, with two or three hundred men in his employ. He built many of the elegant residences of our American and English merchants,.and the houses of our mission. This poor man got into trouble. His partner cheated him out of a very large amount of money, making it impossible for him to pay his workmen. He was thrown into prison, where he lay many weary months, and died.

pay

But a few nights after his conversion, Ingo was torn from his bed, and carried off to prison for his brother's debts. While his arrest for his brother's debts would be

according to Chinese law, according to our treaty the authorities cannot arrest any one in our employ, except through our Consul. Our friends, when they found he was thrown into prison, at once set about devising means to deliver him. Our letter says,—“ Mr. Sites and Mr. Plumb went to see our Consul, Mr. De Lane. He said that by treaty our servants could not be arrested, even as criminals, excepting through the Consul. Mr. De Lane said he would send a a dispatch to the Chinese officials early the next morning, stating this fact, and asking for Ingo's release. On Saturday, we learned that he had been passed into the hands of the police or constables, who were to take him to a distant city (Tiong-loh). On Monday morning, the Consul sent in his card, desiring to know whether his despatch of Saturday was going to receive an answer. They replied that all of the Chinese officials would call upon the Consul the next day, and discuss the matter fully with him. On Monday evening, we learned that on Sunday, about dark, the order sending him away had been countermanded, and he had been brought out from the wet, muddy hole, reeking with filth, and given a better place, and a bed to lie down upon. Up to this time, he had been loaded with chains on his neck, wrists, and ankles, and tied up in a most torturing manner many times. This was done by the constables who had him in charge, for no other purpose than to extort money from him. Tuesday morning, a man came who had seen Ingo in the same place at ten o'clock that morning. It is well to remember this, and compare it with the statement of the high officials.

They called, as they proposed, in state. They acknowledged that they ought not to haye arrested him as they did. They assured the Consul that he was well-indeed, most kindly treated; that they had already sent him off to Tiongloh, and that when they had made him sign some papers there, disposing of his property, he would be returned to us. Perhaps it would require fifteen days to attend to the busi

ness.

Mr. Sites replied: "Mr. De Lane, he is not sent off at all. He is used and tortured in all respects as a criminal, and if he is used in the same way longer, he will never return to us alive."

Mr. De Lane looked astonished and angry, and exclaimed: "They have deceived me," After further talk, he said that he would make out another dispatch and send it immediately, and would press heavily upon their having deceived him. To make sure that there was no mistake about Ingo's still being in the city, we sent in a messenger, who found him still there. It was finally arranged that instead of sending a dispatch, which could be evaded, Mr. De Lane should go directly to the official's office in the cityMr. Doolittle, author of Social Life among the Chinese, going with him as interpreter.

Early on Wednesday morning, Mr. De Lane sent in, asking for an interview that day, and obtained it. Mr. De Lane, the Consul, said:

"You deceived me yesterday, so I have come in person to-day to get the man."

They answered:

"Oh! you cannot get him; he has passed out of our hands!"

Mr. De Lane replied:

“But I must have him, and if you cannot get him, I will go and get him myself.”

Here they all raised a loud laugh, but Mr. De Lane looked stern and determined.

66

Well," said one, 66 Iwe don't care for this man; all we want is the money. You get one of the other brothers for us, and you may have this one!"

Mr. De Lane replied:

"I have nothing to do with the other brothers; you may take them all as fast as you can get them."

Then they insisted that they must have Ingo's signature to some papers at Tiong-loh. Mr. De Lane said: