220 The Pathway of Life. have not only a guide-book to teach me, but a Guide provided for me, and this Guide is 'my Father! Father! what sweet thoughts does not the word suggest! My Father!' Ah! this comes home to my very heart. Here there is a heart glowing full and free with love to me, and power which shall never be wanting on my behalf, and for my deliverance. But this Father' is The Great Father- Our Father which art in heaven.' A Father to all who believe in Jesus Christ. A Father to me, if I believe. What more could He have done for my salvation? The Son of His love He sent into the world, 'to seek and to save that which was lost.' He has promised the Holy Spirit to guide into all truth.' May we not, therefore, say, 'He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?' Shall I, can I, ever doubt? Shall I ever want any good thing? 'The birds without barn And storehouse are fed; The little sailor-boy felt himself quite secure, even amid storm and tempest, when his earthly father was at the helm, to steer the ship; and shall not I feel as secure, in the pilgrim-pathway, when I know that my Father, my Heavenly Father-has promised to be-will be-my Guide? 6 Infinite love! omnipotent power! unerring wisdom! and unchanging truth! all unite, beneath the shadow of the Redeemer's cross, for the salvation and safe guidance of every pilgrim, through grace, to eternal glory! Why, then, should we not say-This God is our God, for ever and ever; He will be our guide even unto death?' (Ps. xlviii. 14). The Guide: how to be secured.-As you enter the grounds of some of our most popular places of resort, abounding with romantic scenery, you will find guides waiting, by the entrance to the pathway, ready to escort the visitor and tourist. The way or manner of securing these guides, the charge for securing them, and the length of time for which they may be secured, are all definitely fixed and determined, and with such regulations tourists must comply. Is it not even so, regarding the Pathway of Life? At the entrance waits the Heavenly Guide. He reveals and opens up to us, in and through the blessed Bible, the great truths that bear upon the salvation of the immortal soul. Not only does He there make known to us the way of life, by Jesus Christ, and give us the promise of the Holy Spirit, to be our Guide to the fold of grace below, but to make us meet, alike for the earthly service, and the heavenly rest—the glory to be revealed above. And all these He offers to us freely-all may be obtained 'without money and without price': all-all-if we will but ask. He even entreats, and pleads with us, in order that we may ask of Him, and seek after Him, for He says -Therefore will the Lord wait that He may be gracious unto you. He will be very gracious unto thee, at the voice of thy cry; when He shall hear it, He will answer thee' (Isa. xxx. 18, 19). The Guide: now to be secured.-Is it ever too late to do well? It may be! Can it ever be too soon? When the shadows of life are lengthening on the plain, and the dark clouds are gathering in the sky, where should the pilgrim be, where would he desire to be, but clinging closely to His Father-Guide, laying fast hold of the paternal hand, keeping near to the paternal heart,—that heart that ever glows with love, that hand and arm that are ever ready to deliver and protect, cleaving to Him who says now 'from this time'-' wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My Father, thou art the guide of my youth' (Jer. iii. 4). If God, in Christ Jesus, be your Father and Guide, can you ever want? If God be not your Father and Guide, who can? who will? what will become of you? Like the traveller, without a guide, your feet will 'stumble upon the dark mountains, till, while ye look for light, He turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness' (Jer. xiii. 16). Secure then, my young friends, the Heavenly Guide now; lest at last ye cry, despairingly, like the little boy in the snow-drift, 'Lost! lost! lost! for ever! for ever! WORDS FOR THE WAY. HASTE! awake, Pilgrim, Take thy staff, Pilgrim, Climb Life's steep mountain; Drink, weary Pilgrim, From Life's deep fountain! Dark tho' the clouds be That gather o'er thee, Gird thy loins, Pilgrim, Soon shall be over Life's chequered story- Fear not then, Pilgrim, Thy God will guide thee; Sin enters never,- DO NOT TATTLE. HILDREN, do not talk about each other. Do not call one of your schoolmates ugly, another stingy, another cross, behind their backs. It is the meanest sort of sin. Even if they are ugly, stingy, or cross, it does you no good to repeat it. It makes you love to tell of faults, That it makes you uncharitable, your soul grows smaller, your heart loses its generous blood; when you tattle about your friends. Tell all the good you know about them, and carry the sins to your own heart, or else tell them to God, and ask Him to pardon them. will be Christ-like. If anybody says to you, ‘Oh! that Mary Willis did such a naughty thing!' call to mind some virtue that Mary possesses, and hold it up to her praise. For your own sake, learn to make this a habit. LIFE AMONG THE FLOWERS. BY MONA B. BICKERSTAFFE, AUTHOR OF DOWN AMONG THE WATERWEEDS,' CHAPTER XI. E left Vespa the wasp on her way to her home in the paper city, which she duly reached, and was welcomed with much joy by her friends. Scarcely had she, bearing the body of the fly, passed the city gates, ere another of her tribe followed, bearing the still more luscious body of a honey bee. 'Well, I call that a shame,' exclaimed Mr Slug, as he saw the last wasp fly over his head. The idea of killing a honey beea useful busy bee! But it is just like those wasps. They have impudence enough for anything-idle, greedy things. They are nothing but thieves and robbers.' 'Softly, my friend,' said an old mouse that was sitting enjoying the sunshine. 'To say that wasps are thieves is nothing but the truth, but it is quite another thing to lay greediness and idleness to their charge. Indeed, as to their being idle, I have good reason to know the contrary.' 'How so?' asked Mr Slug. 'Well, I don't mind telling you,' answered Mr Mouse, 'but as I know your intellects are weak, I am not sure that you will be able to bear all I have to say. Now, put out your horns, and give me all your attention; but, have you been hurt, my slimy friend? for now I look at you, I see a great hole near your head.' |