mie, without in any way wounding his
feelings, was prepared with an extract to read for him, till at length,
finding him softening down under the influence of truth and love, he, on
one morning of his turn for reading, put an extract into his hand, and
said kindly, Just go out for a little and read it over by yourself, and
that will prepare you for reading it nicely to the children. He did so,
and came in and read it as one who felt its power. Jamie saw that his
heart was full, he knew that _now_ is the time for doing good, and not
to-morrow, and therefore rising up and proposing that a Temperance
Society should be formed in the school, he put his own name to the usual
declaration, _We resolve to refrain from intoxicating drinks, and
promote temperance._

The next man who stepped forward was the self-same teacher who had so
long opposed. "Children," said he, "spirituous liquor is a bad thing; it
has done me harm; it is doing harm to every thing good, and to show that
I hate it and renounce it, I put down my name." The other teachers
followed; the elder children followed the noble example of their
teachers, and as a proof that they knew and felt what they did, when
after school-hours on next Candlemas-day, the master of a day-school
which some of them attended, brought forth whiskey to treat the scholars
according to custom, the noble little temperance heroes rose, as if by
concert, and marched out of the room.

While thus Jamie urged on the good work of reforming others, his own
soul knew the blessings of the promise, "He that watereth others, shall
be watered also himself." After renouncing whiskey, he felt a sweetness
and power in God's word which he had never known before. He almost
doubted whether it could be the same old Bible that he used to read. He
had been abusing God's mercy by indulging in sin in time past, as if in
expectation that sovereign grace would some moment descend in a miracle
and drag him to holiness and heaven; but now he saw clearly that God is
sincere in all his promises, and that the gracious invitations of the
Gospel mean just what they say.

His first duty, he saw clearly, was to give his own self to the Lord. To
that God of love who asked his heart, he gave it. He heard God in his
word saying, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be
saved;" and he took God at his word, and obeyed his command. From what
he knew to be sin, he ceased at once; and what God told him was duty, he
d