NE night, the night before a terrible battle, two soldiers, united by the ties of friendship, were conversing earnestly together. One of them was an avowed Christian, a soldier of Christ; the other

had lived a sinful life, but had been for some time in great anxiety about the salvation of his soul. He had been trying to find peace in religion, but hitherto he had failed. He went to his friend to open all his heart to him.

"I do not see that there can be any mercy for me," he said.

"Why not mercy for you?" replied his friend.

"Because I cannot find it."

"What do you want to find?" he asked.

"Want to find! Why, I want to find relief; I want to find happiness."

"Ah, that is what you want to find, is it?" Yes, it is. What else should I want to find?"

"There is something else," replied the other; "something which surely leads to happiness; and you will never find happiness until you find that. You must find-" "Find what?"

"You must find Christ. You must seek to be reconciled to God through Him. You cannot be happy but as you are pardoned and cleansed from sin through faith in His blood, and washed with the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth;" and you may, nay, you must, find Christ here and now, for you have no time to lose.'

"But how shall I find Him?"

are.

"Believe on Him with all your heart. Go to Him as a guilty sinner, just as you Tell Him you renounce all your sins, and are sorry for them; and that you wish to take Him as your Saviour, and to consecrate all you have and are to Him, giving yourself and everything to Him, and taking Him to your heart instead of everything else."

"And shall I be saved then?"

"Yes; believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, you cannot be lost. You will be saved at

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once as soon as you trust wholly in Him and you will pass from death to life. Depend upon it, I tell you the truth. Hear His own words: 'God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.'1 And again: 'All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.'2 Now, can you believe that, and trust your soul unto Him?"

The young man then returned to his quarters; but just before daylight the friends found themselves together again. They were marching to the field of battle. "How do you feel now?" inquired the pious soldier of his friend.

Oh, I am happy now," he replied. "Happy! what makes you happy?"

Oh, I have found Christ! Last night, when I left you, I was so miserable I did not know what to do. After our conversation, I went away alone, and fell on my knees and prayed to Jesus. I just told Him what a poor sinner and miserable wretch I was, deserving nothing, nothing

1 John iii. 16.

2 John vi. 37.

but hell, and feeling that I must go there unless He reached down His hand to save me, I told Him I knew He could save me if He would, and that I believed He would. Thus I sought to cast my guilty soul on Him. And, oh, what a blessed change I felt! I was sure He had heard and would save me. I felt as sure of it as if He had said to me, 'No, you shall not be lost. No sinner can be lost who believes in Me. I will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be.' I wanted to see you, to tell you what a blessed change I had experienced. I want you to praise the Lord with me. All you told me last night I have found to be true-every word true; I never knew anything like it. It is almost more than I can bear. To think how He has had mercy upon me: and how much mercy has been shown to such a guilty sinner as I have been. I feel sorry and ashamed before God for what I have been, and I have told Him so; and the more I feel His love, the more grieved I am. And yet I am more happy than I can tell. But I will tell you one thing-I gave all up to Jesus. I felt it must be all or nothing; there must be no half-way work about it."