"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 those who love Thee not-to us most dear, Hear Thou and save! Our hearts all bleeding lie Sweet Saviour, bless the erring. Some there be And missed their footing. Now a stain doth mar We bring the tempted, Lord. O, Thou hast known And some, O Lord, have sorrow; some are torn, We bring them all to Thee, for we are weak; 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, To the celestial bowers. Then thought those bleeding hearts in grief to rest; Then came the tender Shepherd once again. Would comfort those berest. He spake. And who besides can speak as He, *As pioneers to point the heavenward way Soon shall the morning chase the shadows grey, 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 |