children soon forgot their hunger in sleep; but not so the mother.  She saw no help for them but in God, and she spent the night-watches in spreading before him their necessities.  As the morning approached her confidence in God increased, and that passage from his word rested with peculiar sweetness upon her mind, ’Trust in the Lord and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.’

“Morning came.  The starving children managed by her direction to build them a little fire, and almost before they had commenced telling their mother of their hunger, a stranger came in.  She introduced herself as Mrs. J., saying she had known for some time that there was a new family in the neighborhood, and intended to call and make their acquaintance, but had been prevented. During the last night she had been so troubled and disturbed about it, that she thought she would run in early, lest she should again be prevented, and see if there was any way in which she could be of service to them.  The mother in bed, with her head bound to mitigate its pain, revealed the story of her sufferings, and the good lady soon learned their entire destitution.  They were immediately made comfortable; and all will be glad to know that it was the beginning of better days to that deserted wife and mother.”

THE NECESSITY OF ASKING GOD’S BLESSING EVERY DAY, UPON YOUR DAILY WORK.  EVERY WORK, HOWEVER GOOD, NEEDS SPECIAL, SPECIFIC, DAILY PRAYER FOR ITS PROSPERITY.

“A colporteur in the Wabash valley became quite discouraged and was almost ready to give up his work, on account of the smallness of his sales.  On every side, his ears were filled with complaints of ’hard times;’ the wheat crop had partially failed two years in succession—­the California emigration, and railroad and plank-road speculations had almost drained the country of money.  Frequently he would be told, that if he could come after harvest they would buy his books, but that it was impossible to do so then.  His sales were daily decreasing, and he became more and more disheartened, until one night, after a laborious day’s effort, he found that he had only sold twenty-five cents’ worth!  He felt that he could not go on in this way any longer.  He was wasting his strength and time, and the money of the Society.  On examination of the state of his heart, he found that it had, gradually and almost unconsciously, grown cold and departed far from Christ.  He felt that he had not prayed as he ought to have done, especially he had neglected each morning, and on his approach to each dwelling, to pray that then and there God would guide him, and own and bless his efforts to sell books. He saw that probably here was at least a part of the cause why his sales had become so small.  Early the next morning, before any of the family were up, he arose and retired to the adjoining woods, where he had a long and precious season of communion with God.  There he anew dedicated