"Without Natural Affection,"


ONE of Paul's latter-day tokens was that a

certain class would be "without natural  

affection." Natural affection is that proceeding

from the relations of nature, as of parents and

children, brothers and sisters, wives and

husbands. That Paul's token is applicable

now, must be apparent to him who views the

breaking up of the family relation, disobedience

of children, and the general feeling of

disregard for the interests of others, even the

needy, and that even among those of near kin

to each other.

A little circumstance happening among my

fowls made quite an impression on my mind

and I will mention it. A hen, who had been

caring for a month for a small brood of little

chickens began to sicken and droop; another

hen who had been setting some days without

any eggs came to the rescue. After a few 

preliminaries of hen talk between them, she 

started off with all the little brood with her; and

 cared for them as tenderly as though they were

her own. Once or twice a day they all came

round to the sick hen, looked wistfully at her,

and passed off again. As I saw this, Solomon's

words, "Go to the ant, thou sluggard," came

to mind, and I thought, here, in the case of

this hen might be learned a lesson of the "natural

affection " of animals, to be carried out

on a grander scale by those who recognize the

relations existing between man and his

 fellowman. By reading 2 Timothy 3:1-5, you will

 see that self-love is the root of all the sins there

 mentioned.

May it be eradicated from our hearts,

and "natural affection" leading to acts of

pure, disinterested benevolence, take its place.





J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH.

California.