raged from taking a stand which is
both duty and privilege by these remarks. All that God demands of those
who confess Christ--or, as it is popularly incorrectly called, "make a
profession of religion"--is _sincerity_ of heart and purpose; _sincere_
sorrow, no matter how slight, for past sin; _sincere_ faith in the
sacrifice of Christ, to atone for and forgive sin; _sincere_ purpose of
obeying God's commandments for the future, with _sincere_ consciousness
of weakness added to _sincere_ trust in the all-sufficient strength of
the Holy Ghost. Every boy or girl old enough to think is capable of this
sincerity; and thus every one is bound to obey the express command of
his Saviour and confess him before men.

But, of course, if the confession be not sincere, in a very short time,
when the novelty and excitement have worn away, the interest in sacred
things will wear away also, and very soon something will be said or done
that will be a dreadful disgrace to the confession thus carelessly or
wickedly made.

Still another mistake is often made by young people, and this is one
calculated to do great mischief, as it is often made by those who are
sincerely desirous of serving God. For weeks preceding the open step
they have devoted a great deal of time to meetings, prayer, and
Bible-reading, and their interest in these things has almost put secular
ones out of their heads. But when that long-anticipated day is over,
they feel somehow that the end is reached, instead of looking on this
end as only the first step in a newer and better life. Other duties and
interests resume their relative importance. There are not so many
meetings to go to, Bible-reading becomes more hurried, prayers are less
fervent, and all at once the young communicant falls into some open sin
and is filled with grief and remorse.

Oh, if every boy and girl, every man and woman, who has been brought
into outward and inward communion with Christ, would only realize that
he or she is to go _onward_, never ceasing to pray and strive against
evil; ever pressing on for more and more of the Holy Spirit; striving
each day to be more and more like Christ,--then would be realized what
is meant by the words of the wise king: "The path of the just is as the
shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day."

"Don't you think it would be nice to have a Harvest Home Festival for
the Sunday-school on Thanksgiving?" said Etta Mountjoy to her brother
and sist