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