"And He Brought Him to Jesus."

John i. 42.

Wand pray Thee grant Thy blessing: let it fall

E bring them, Lord, to Thee—our loved ones bring,

In plenteous showers upon the hearts of all.
For saints of Thine, to whom our spirits cling
In warm affection, now for these we pray;
Thou lovest them, and wilt not say us nay.

For those who love Thee not-to us most dear,
But far from Thee-O, by the love that wept
O'er others' woes; O, by the vigil kept
In dark Gethsemane, Thou Saviour dear,

Hear Thou and save! Our hearts all bleeding lie
Till Thou shalt bend on these Thy pitying eye..

Sweet Saviour, bless the erring. Some there be
Who, Peter-like, have followed Thee afar,

And missed their footing. Now a stain doth mar
Their life's profession. These we bring to Thee!
Great Shepherd, now Thy wand'ring sheep restore,
And keep them that they leave the fold no more.

We bring the tempted, Lord. O, Thou hast known
In Thine own self the ills that press them now.
In all points like unto Thy brethren Thou
Wast made, yet free from sin. Be near Thine own→→
Thy blood-bought. In temptation's dreary hour
Make them victorious through the Victor's power.

And some, O Lord, have sorrow; some are torn,
Footsore, and weary. Thou our grief didst bear,
O "Man of Sorrows;" let them feel Thy care,
Nor seek themselves to bear what Thou hast borne
Long since. To all the weary and opprest
Thy heart is open, Jesus; bid them rest.

We bring them all to Thee, for we are weak;
But mighty Thou, O Lord-"mighty to save"
Thou knowest all the cares that, wave by wave,
Deluge our hearts; the grief we cannot speak
Is open to Thine ear; and Thou dost care,
And Thou wilt bend attentive to our prayer.

Y. E. T.

A

The Folded Lambs.

SHADOW gather'd o'er the happpy home;

One of the band was smitten; in the night

The Shepherd for His little lamb had come,

To fold it into light.

Then rose a wail from the fond mother's heart,

"Oh, spare my babe, lest death my soul should bow!" The Shepherd smiled, and said, "Fear not to part; I love her more than thou."

And so the fair one passed from earthly sight,
And took the glory from the summer hours;
Folded by seraphs in her upward flight

To the celestial bowers.

Then thought those bleeding hearts in grief to rest;
But three more cherished buds were gathered too:
Till deep despair had shrouded every breast,
And hope was shut from view.

Then came the tender Shepherd once again.
The lambs were taken, but the sheep were left;
And He who hath a heart for human pain

Would comfort those berest.

He spake. And who besides can speak as He,
Whose deep compassion mortal may not tell?
"Weep ye no more, beloved ones; trust in Me;
For with the lambs 'tis well.

*As pioneers to point the heavenward way
The little children have gone on before;

Soon shall the morning chase the shadows grey,
And ye shall meet once more."

S. A S.

ES, there was an engine right off the line, at the bottom of a steep embankment, and I should imagine that it would require no small trouble and

toil to bring it back again to its right position. It set me thinking how it came about, and whether there had been an accident; and if so, what injury had been done, and what lives might have been sacrificed. But I had no time to ascertain this. The train in which I was travelling kept speeding along; and very soon I was forty or fifty miles from the spot where I had seen the engine. Then my thoughts turned in another direction. The engine on the bank seemed to me a kind of parable. It brought to

1 May be had as a Tract, Is. per 100.

my mind the case of those who seem in some respects in a similar position.

Off the line!

Here is one who has left the truth of God, to keep the traditions of men. He is forsaking the plain path of salvation as revealed by Christ and His apostles. He is turning back to old superstitions. He is busied in the performance of divers ceremonies. He makes much of private confession and the necessity of priestly absolution. He relies upon sacraments and ordinances as the means of obtaining pardon and justification. The teaching of men has more weight with him than the inspired word. He follows human traditions, and believes in doctrines nowhere taught in the Scriptures. A supernatural presence in the elements, the sacrifice of the mass, the adoration of the sacrament, the invocation of saints-these have become some of the most prominent articles of his creed.

Another, too, "is off the line." He has turned aside from faith in the word of God. He has rejected many of the doctrines plainly taught in it. He cannot believe in the depravity of man or the atonement of Christ. Or perhaps he goes further still. He disbelieves the Scriptures altogether. He has heard objections raised against many portions of the Bible, and he sees here and there difficulties which he cannot surmount. So he casts the book aside. He will not inquire what answer can be found to these objections, nor will he carefully study the word itself. He is blind to the lofty standard of purity and holiness which the Scriptures enforce; he is unconscious of the mighty power of the word to give peace to the guilty conscience, to renew the sinful, and to comfort the sorrowful; he fails to discern the transparent honesty of every portion of the record; he cannot see the marvellous beauty of our Lord's character, or the grandeur and glory of His death, so far beyond the thought of man to conceive. So he rejects

that word of life and salvation given for our everlasting comfort.

Such a one is "off the line." He has made a great mistake. He is in imminent peril. He is forfeiting his present peace and his hope of an inheritance in future glory.

Or take one other case. A man has departed from the strait path of obedience to God's commandments. Temptation has become too strong for him, and he has yielded to the power of evil. Companions have influenced him against his better judgment, and he has not had the courage to withstand them. The Lord's day has been profaned, he has fallen into habits of sin, the impressions for good which he may have had in days gone by have faded away, the fear of God has been thrown aside, and he is living an utterly careless or ungodly life. Such a one likewise is "off the line;" and, unless the grace of God come in to prevent it, his course must end in ruin and destruction.

It is impossible to say the amount of harm that may ensue to others as well as to himself, when in any of these ways a man forsakes the right path.

In many a railway accident, the result of the engine going "off the line" has been death or serious bodily injury to not a few of those in the train.

So is it in life. Every man exerts great influence for good or evil. Men follow in each other's footsteps. The unbelief, the error, the ungodly conduct of one man is reproduced in the hearts and lives of those connected with him. Hence, we ought to be doubly cautious. It is a fearful thing to be the cause of another's fall. And Christ has told us that it were better for such that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend or put a hindrance in the way of one of the least of His disciples.

There is but one safe path. If you have gone astray, return at once. Come back from every devious way. Take the word of God as the lamp to your feet. Hide within your heart its precious promises, and search daily into the treasures of wisdom which it affords. Make Christ Himself