st part.

By human strength man can not sail
O'er ocean's troubled breast:
God's hand alone can e'er prevail
And bring him into rest.

MORTALITY.

In plant, animal, and spiritual life mortality is greatest in infancy.
The plant in the first few days of its existence is very tender and
delicate. It will succumb to the winds if they be slightly too cool, or
to the sun's rays if they be too warm. The smallest insect feeding upon
one of its tiny roots will cause it to die. After it has formed more
roots and they have gone deeper into the earth and the plant becomes
stronger and coarser it is far less liable to destruction. The chilly
winds may blow or the sun's rays may pour upon it; it now has the power
of resistance, and so lives on.

The same is true of animal life. Mortality is far greatest among
children in the first few hours of life, and lessens as they grow older.
Only a slight current of cold air upon the newly born infant is likely
to cause its death. The new life is not yet able to resist opposing
elements, so it must be carefully guarded. As it grows stronger and
becomes capable of adapting itself to the elements of the outside world
it can with comparative safety be brought into contact with them.

What is true in the plant and the animal world is also true in the
spiritual world. You who have but recently been born of the Spirit are
not as able to resist the cold winds of persecution or the heat of fiery
trials as those who have been deepening and widening in the grace of
God. Guard carefully the new-born life of Christ in your soul. Seek an
establishing grace in sanctification, and you will be strong in the Lord
and fully able to cope with the dark powers of sin, Satan, and the
world, and triumph over all in Jesus' name. In the days of your infancy
we offer you our help in this little volume, and assure you a frequent
remembrance in fervent prayer.

FEEDING THE LAMBS.

Some years ago when attending to the work to which the Lord had called
me in one of the sunny Southern States it was my happy privilege to
enjoy for a few days the kind hospitality of a generous Christian
farmer. One balmy afternoon while walking over the pleasant fields of
his large farm, with my heart in sweet communion with God, I came upon
the most beautiful flock of sheep it had ever been my privilege to
behold. They were quietly grazing in a rich green pasture, near by which
silently flowed a deep, broad rive