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“ What Is The Next Station ?” about the future life. Do you not mak-e to this question ?
Family Circle. ’
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In the*
know that Jesus Christ rose again hurrying train of life you are mov
from the dead ‘and hath brought ing swiftly on. Ever and anon
life
iminortAlity to JighT ’ "tf i e r e i s”a pa u se,' an so inepassen^
ger steps off and disappears. The
through the Gospel ’ ?”
“ Who are you,” Hifie old man next stopping place may be yours.
asked abruptly. “ I thought you Where will it land you ?
were a doctor, who had come out to
“ To depart 'and be noth Christ,”
visit the old lady. I guess I am is one answer to the question—with
.thfi.LQj’.d.inJ’uiadise.. ...There
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“ Yes,” I answered : “ you are not multitudes who are just as certain /
quite correct. I am a minister of of that destination, when their
the Gospel, and my calling is very time comes, as they ye of the truth
much like yours. I am trying to of God’s word, and they are ready
help men on their journey through -atnny moment for the change.
life, and especially to persuade
“ Forever with the Lord !” The
them to believe on the Son of God, cry, “ Béhohl, the Bridegroom com- .
that they may have eternal life, and eth,” and then, "caught up to meet
land at last in glory.”
the Lord in the air”—this is the
sure
and certain hope of thousands
- “ Well there may be a better
world beyond the grave, and there who are waiting for their King.
There are others to whom death
may not be. We don’t know,” he
is only a step in the dark, and the
continued.
"Don’t know !” I said, pressing coming of the Lord only a strange,
the point with all earnestness on misterious terror. Young man, to
This was the question I asked
thfj s taXion., masfcx,,,as l.sat. waiting..
for the train. 1 had gone some
•‘ I thought I had learned it quite I”
miles into the country, to visit an
But the gentle teaoher shook her head,
aged lady who was very sick, and
With a grave, yet loving light
In the eye that fell on the upturned face, whose house was close by the rail
As she gave the book
way station ; and having finished
With the mark still set in the self saifle
my call, I was sitting in the wait
place.
ing-room until~the- returning train
“ I thought I knew it ! ’ she said ;
should arrive.
And a heavy tear fell down
I found myself alone with the
As she turned away with bending head ;
Yet not for proof or frown,
depot-master—an aged man with
And pot for the lesson to learn again,
white hair, ahd a face which told of
Or the play-hour lost t
care and the stern usage of time and
It was something else that gave the pain.
hard work.
She could not have put it in woids,
“ What is the next station ?” I in
Bat her teacher understood,
_
quired, being unacquainted with
As God understands the chirp of the
the road, which was a branch line
birds
running
into the country.
In the depth of an Autumn wood :
And a quiet touch on the reddening
“ The next station is the last,” he
cheek
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answered. "It is the terminus of
Was quite enough ;
the line. You passed a good many
No need to question, no need to speak.
stopping places coming out, sir, fruk
Then the gentle voice was heard,
there is only one more as you go .
“ Now I will try agaioT”- ---------
his heart. " We do know. How
And the lesson was mastered, every on. ”
There wras a pause for a moment could I preach the Gospel, and urge
word ;
in conversation; then, evidently, men to seek for glory, and honor,
Was it not worth the pain ?
Was it not kinder the task to turn
understanding my errand, he asked : and immortality, unless I knew cer-
Than to let it pass
tainly that there is a world of life
“ Flow is the old lady, sir ?”
As a lost, lost leaf that she did not learn ?
" She is fast nearing the last sta*-- and blessedfiess’ hereafter for such
Is it not often so,
tion,” I replied. "She is very as will inherit it ? Why, sir, Avhat
That we only learn in part,
sick ; and besides, she is seventy will people think of you if, in reply
And the Master’s testing-time may show,
years old, and has reached the. ter to their question, ‘ What is the next
That it was not qaite “ by heart?”
Then he gives, in his wise and patient minus of life laid down in the Book; station ?’ you should say, ‘ I don’t
grace,
for you know the Bible says that know; nobody knows.’ And so I
v The lesson again,
‘ the days of our years are three could not preach the Gospel, and
With tjie mark still set in the se.’f same .jeore years and ten’—seventy urge men to seek for heaven and
place.
eternal blessedness, unless I was
years ; that is seventy stations.”
Only stay by his side
There was quite a pause in the perfectly sure of this reality. Paul,
Till the page is really known ;
conversation again, during which the great preacher of the Gospel,
It may be we failed because we tried
the old man seemed to be thinking. knew what the next station was:
To learn it all alone.
‘ We know that if our earthly house
Then he said :
And now that he would not let us lose
One lesson of love,
" According to that, I suppose I of this tabernacle were dissolved,
(I or he knows the loss,) can we refuse? may be pretty near the end of my we have a building of God, a house
But oh ! how could we dreafn
route, since I am just turning seven not made with hands eternal in the
That we knew it all so well.
; ty. Well, 1 am not sony,_ I have heavens/ This is his answer to the
Beading so fluently, as wo deem,
worked hard, and seen a good deal great question, ‘What shall be
What we coaid not even spell ?
hereafter ?’ And if you will believe
And oh ! how could we grieve once more of trouble, and I shall not feel badly
in Jesus < 'hrist, and take his Gospel
to get through.”
That patient one
as
your guide-book, you can know
" What is the next station ?” I
Who has turned so many a task before?
asked abruptly. “ You say you are just as well as Paul what the next
That waiting one, who now
la letting ua try again ;
nearing the end of your journey of station beyond the tomb shall be for
Watching us with the patient brow
life, and that you have "passed, you.
That bore the wreath of pain ;
.fust then the whistle of the ap
seventy stations already. What is
Thoroughly teaching what he would
proaching train sounded, and the
the next station ?”
teach
" Ah ! nobody knows about that,” old man hastened about his work.
Line upon line,
he answered. " We know about As I stepped upon the platform of
Thoroughly doing his work in each.
the past, but what is going to be the car he stood at the crossing,
Then let our hearts be still,
hereafter, no one can tell. I only waving his signal flag, his white
Though our task be turned to-day,
Oh ! let him teach us what he will,
hope that I shall be better off in hair floating in the wind, and I
In his own most gracious way,
the next world than I have been in said, as the train moved out:
Till, sitting only at Jesus’ feet,
“ Be sure you find out what the
this; but I can not say certainly,
As we learn each line,
next station is before you reach the
The hardest is found all clear and sweet. for no-one has ever come back from
end.
”
that world to tell us anything about
-r-Good JPord».
And I heard the reply rather
“ Before marriage she was dear it.’
“ Ah ! but you are mistaken hesitatingly on my ear:
and he was her treasure; after
« T
“ I will try, sir.”
wards she became dearer and he there,” I interrupted. “ There is
Beader, what answer have you to I
one who has come back, and told us
treasurer.”
The Turned Lesson.
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“Wtffifrrth'g'irhrnmons may come very
suddenly and unexpectedly to dis
embark, are you sure where you-*
will be tyhen life is ended ? Old
niàn, to . whom the end "nfOst_Cer------
tainly be very near, are you certain
what shall be your destiny beyond
the grave? Put to yourselves these
serious questions, and let conscience
answer, if you are without God and
without hope in the world. If you
have a true faith in Jesus Christ,
then let Scripture answer, with a .
hope sure and steadfast. Be care
ful that you know what the next
station is.— The Watchword.
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Trifles.
The best fidelity to Christ is
shown in a daily vigilant service to
him in trifle«, in efforts to honor
him in humble, inconspicious ser
vice, such as in good temper in fam
ilies, sympathy with man and beast,
honesty in business, liberality to
servants, fidelity to employers.
These things make up the best dis
cipleship. The same truth applies
to many things. The best paint
ings are those where such details as
the blades of grass, the leaves of the
tree«, the lines upon the water, and
similar minute points, are most ] er-
fectly delineated. Astistic excel
lency consists chiefly in the com
plete accuracy which the slothful
or the ignorant worker cannot or
will not accomplish. The great
Italian sculptor, Michael Angelo,
was once visited by an acquaint
ance, who remarked, on entering his
studio, “ Why, you have done noth
ing to that figure since I was here
last,” “ Yes,” was the reply; " X
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