Where Is Your Treasure?
DEAR YOUTH AND CHILDREN: Do you love
the Saviour, who died that you might live?
Are your affections set on him? or have the
vain and passing things of the present evil
world charms for you that you cannot give up
for Jesus' sake? It is well to try yourselves,
and know where your deepest interest and
strongest love are fixed.
Do not deceive yourselves, thinking that
you can give your love to this world, engage
in its sinful pleasures, and still be an heir
of the world to come. You cannot serve two
masters; you cannot choose both worlds. If
you love this world best, here you will have
your portion. .If you will have a part in the
world to come, it must be preferred to this
world. Do you prefer it? Are you willing
to give all for it? or do you wish to delay,
still serving your own sinful pleasures?
Sin is deceitful. It promises you pleasures;
but it has none that is real to give. If you
choose it, you will find that it biteth like a
serpent, and stingeth like an adder. You
will find yourself the loser every time you
turn from the path of right.
But if you choose the service of the Lord,
you will find that his yoke is easy, and his
burden light, and in the end, it will give you
life everlasting. There will be pleasures that
will be real and enduring. They will never
end. Will you make the wise choice? Will
you make it now? Today is the time you
have. Will you improve it? or will you let
it pass in vain? Shall the harvest be past,
and the summer ended, and you not saved?
Now is the time to prevent such a calamity.
R. F. COTTRELL.
Gleaners.
"GLEANERS in the world's great bosom!
Toilers! In the mine or mind,
Dig away! The hidden jewel
Ye shall yet most surely find."
There are many gleaners scattered all over
the land; gleaners for riches, fame, and honor.
And living merely for these, forgetting to
glean treasures of love and wisdom, their
hearts grow hard and cold.
We are all gleaners. We ought to gather
a rich harvest from the golden fields around
us. Glean lessons of love and duty from all
around you.
How should we glean? With hope that
the harvest will repay us for all toil; with
faith, with patience, with cheerfulness, gleaning
untiringly.
Does it sometimes seem that all your efforts
are useless because you cannot see the fruit?
"Be not weary in well-doing." "He that
goeth forth weeping, bearing precious seed,
shall doubtless come again bringing his
sheaves with him." It is a steady, continued
work. This life is a continual warfare, and
we cannot rest until Jesus comes, when we
can lay our armor down at his feet, and receive
a crown of life.
And may we all, at the close of life, be
ready to answer the question, "Where hast
thou gleaned today?" by pointing out to our
Master the fields where we have labored, and
showing our sheaves.
"Thus when hope, and faith, and patience,
Glean the pastures God has sown,
Softly angel-songs will welcome
Us, the reapers, as his own."
Battle Creek, Michigan
VIRGINIE MERRIAM.
Love of God,
To HAVE the love of God in the heart is
very essential in trying to live the Christian
life. It lightens our trials, and sweetens our
sorrows. It helps us to perform unpleasant
tasks, which it may be our duty to fulfill. It
prompts us to acts of benevolence. It makes
us kind and obliging to all around us, helping
us to look with love and pity on the failings
of others, instead of enlarging on them, and
making them appear worse than they really
are.
Without this love in the heart, we shall
never be able to enjoy that beautiful home
Jesus says he has gone to prepare for all those
that love him; never see that dear Saviour who
has done so much for us, who has suffered
and died that we might live with him, and
enjoy the company of the sinless angels, and
all the good and noble who have lived in past
ages.
This love, dear young friends, cannot dwell
in the heart where pride, selfishness, and the
love of the world, are. Then will we not
strive earnestly to put away every sin, that in
their place we may have a large share of the
love of God to help us in getting ready for
the soon coming of our Saviour?
M. SlSLEY
Battle Creek, Michigan