Pliable fell into the Slough with Christian, but Pliable had had enough of a Christian life!

'Let me but get out again with my life," says he, "and you shall possess the brave Country alone for me!" He struggled out,—but it was on the wrong side; he got out on that side nearest the Destruction." He dropped the life of a Christian! saw him no more!"

Not so with a Christian Youth! despondency as good Christian did;

City of

"And Christian

He struggles with his always endeavouring

To struggle to that side of the Slough that was nearest the Wicket Gate, the which he did, but could not get out because of the Burden (his past sins) which was upon his back." A good man named Help, however, came up, and asks,

Help." But why did you not look for the Steps?"

(The great, and precious Promises of the Faithful God, sure, and steadfast, through Jesus Christ to every young Christian.)

Christian." Fear, and despondency, followed me so very hard, that I did not think of the Steps, I did not see them, and so fell in !"

(We must do our part, by prayer, and the use of the means of Grace, we must give God, and the precious Saviour, in this way, “our hand.")

So he gave him his hand, and he drew him out, and set him on sound ground (Belief, and trust in Jesus) and bid him go on his way!" "Then I stepped up to him that plucked him out,"-continues Bunvan's Dream,-and said, Sir, since over this place is the way to yonder Wicket Gate, why is it that this place is not mended that poor travellers might reach it with more security?" And he said to me, This miry Slough is such a place as cannot be mended! The scum and filth that attend conviction of sin do so continually run into it! When the sinner is awakened, there arise in his soul so many fears, doubts, discouraging apprehensions, and these all settle in this place.

It is not the pleasure of the King that this place should remain so bad. His labourers for hundreds of years have been employed about it: there have been swallowed up millions of wholesome instructions, but it is the Slough of Despond still, and ever will be. There are, however, STEPPING STONES placed through it, but men hardly heed them, and fall in."

YOUNG READER.-Give me a few of stones,"-God's promises,-to help me out

ency!

Well!

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these
these "stepping
of my despond-

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me ; and I give unto them Eternal life; and they shall never perish,-neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand!"—John x. 27-28.

You, young Believer, have heard that Voice,-that priceless call" of God! Unless you desert Him, He will never again desert you!

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SOME MORE

"STEPPING STONES."

For I am persuaded that neither death; nor life, nor angels, nor powers; nor things present, nor things to come; nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us," (Paul of course, is addressing Christian Believers)," from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."-Romans viii. 39.

"For Sin shall not have dominion over you; for ye are not under the law, but under grace."—Romans vi. 14.

"Let not your heart be troubled; in my Father's house are many Mansions; I go to prepare a place for you, that where I am, there ye may be also."-John xiv. 1-3.

"If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him."John xiv. 23.

Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it you, for the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved Me, and have believed that I came out from God."-John xvi. 23-27.

Note. The YOUNG READER will note that all these Promises are to "Believers" in our Lord. If you were not yourself a young Believer, and near the entrance of the "Wicket Gate," you would not be asking for "Stepping Stones," nor would you be concerned at all about Religion!

"

Neither pray I for these alone" (the immediate followers of our blessed Lord), "but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am; that they may behold My glory, which thou hast given Me; for thou lovedst Me before the foundation of the world." -John xvii. 20-24.

"

'I love them that love Me, and they that seek Me early shall find Me."-Proverbs viii. 17.

"

I do remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals."-Jer. ii. 2.

Good "Stepping Stones" these, dear Young Reader!

Are you honouring either the eternal God, or our blessed Lord, by doubting either His power,-or His willingness,— to be true to His promises in your case, as in all others, when sincere applications are made in His own appointed way?

THE FEEBLY BURNING LAMP.

"Ah!" says the Young Believer, " brave words! Precious promises these truly! But I fear not for me! I have such a very indifferent character naturally, I fear that I shall never get through,-never become a real, true, self-denying

Christian."

How faintly my lamp burns.—if it burn at all! It seems as if my faith in God was gone! I am tempted at times, do you know, to give up prayer, altogether!" Well! dear Reader, the flame of grace, our "Lamp,"-does seem to flicker at some period of the Christian's" Progress,"-usually at the beginning of the Christian course, our example, it may be, seems such a poor one before others.-our sins so

PUSH IN AT THE WICKET GATE.

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frequent, our increasing consciousness of our own worthlessness, humbling, and depressing! But, this is the very sign of a child of God,-to be emptied of yourself, that dependence upon Christ may come in! Let there but be on our part, the Habit of Daily Prayer, steadily continued, and humble, but firm belief," faith, and reliance on God's faithfulness and promises only exercised, and He will see to the rest! Yes! the undoubtedly mysterious, but most sweet and blessed influences of God the Holy Spirit, shall blow upon the "smoking flax" in your flickering lamp of faith! Under His divine influence, and priceless, inestimable,-breath, the feeble flame of that expiring lamp of yours shall revive! Our blessed Lord will add fresh oil! And, when you are emptied of yourself, and leave all to Christ, then hope revives,-peace returns,and lo! your lamp,-thus placed under the Divine care,burns brighter than ever! It would be more gratifying to our pride, dear Young Reader, if we could do all ourselves apart from Christ, be in fact, our own Saviour! But we cannot ! Come to Christ we must!

"Without Me ye can do nothing."-John xv. 5.

Young Reader. "But such difficulties in my Path! Evil Companions, Derision,-Bad Example,-Sin,-all around me! And, do you know, my Parents and Relations do not like so much piety and religion! My own Sins too! I shall never weather it all out!" Well! Satan does make it very difficult to enter into the "strait" (difficult) Wicket Gate! Why? Because He knows that once a Youth gets in, the Christian life begun, he will probably continue in that "narrow way that leadeth unto life," and his reign will be

over!

DO NOT FEAR THE LIONS.

You will remember that as the worthy Porter was opening the Gate to good Christian, the Gate Keeper. "Goodwill," gave him a Pull!

"Strait

The Commencement of a Christian, pious, prayerful, life. (difficult) is the Gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."

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And with that he opened the Gate; but as Christian was stepping in, the other gave him a pull. Then said Christian, Goodwill, the Porter, told him,What means that? -"A little distance from this gate is erected a strong Castle, of which Beelzebub is the Captain; from thence they that are with him shoot arrows,"-(these may be taken to be Sceptics,-Unbelievers,-with their doubts and cavils, showered like arrows on the young Believer, or irreligious persons with their dislike, sneers, and scoffs)-" at them that come up to this Gate, if haply they may die," (viz., that their Faith, Belief, and Religious feeling may be destroyed)," before they enter in." "Then," said Christian, "I rejoice. and tremble."

Dear young Reader! You do the same! Jesus opens to you also the door, and draws you also! Good Ministers,pious friends,-good books, all give you also many a pull! Push in! Away with your fears and despondency! Away with Sceptics, and the scoffs of the ungodly,-heed them not! Push in!

You do well to distrust yourself, but never distrust God!

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But I am past the Wicket Gate," says the older Youth, or Young Man,-"I have prayed for years,-but, do you know, it goes terribly hard at times! Such opposition! My path seems stopped! There seem to be 'Lions in the Way!"" So Christian found! It was so in 1680,-for John Bunyan

spent 12 years in jail, and " Kirke and his Lambs," were then abroad! Fancy, dear Reader, giving this good and holy

a term of imprisonment,-(merely for preaching the Gospel)-three times as long as we bestow upon Burglars and even Murderers in 1907! The Lions in your Path are, at any rate, less severe now! Lions there certainly still are, but Christian forgot to have faith in God's faithfulness! did not know that the lions were chained!" He ought to have known it.

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He

"Now he had not gone far before he entered into a very narrow passage; and looking very narrowly before him as he went, he espied two lions in the way! Now, thought he, I see the danger that Mistrust and Timorous were driven back by! Then did Christian think also himself that he must needs go back after them. But the Porter of the Lodge, whose name was Watchful, perceiving that Christian made a halt, as if he would go back, cried unto him, "Fear not the Lions, for they are chained, and are placed there for trial of faith, and for the discovery of those that have none," (and we may add, do not ask for it) -"keep in the middle of the Path, and no hurt shall come unto Thee." He went on, therefore, trembling, for he heard their roar, but they did him no harm!"

THEY SHALL NOT BE MENTIONED UNTO HIM."

"Yes!" says the young Believer, "but it is not so much outward opposition which daunts me, it is my own sins which stop my Christian course! There they are! almost as bad as ever! Always coming up!" Well Christian's "burden" on his back was his sins, and you can get rid of them as Christian did. "Thou shalt call His name Jesus" (Saviour in the Hebrew)," for He shall save His people from their sins." That is our Lord's mission, and prerogative!

Our Sins fall before the Cross of Christ.

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The highway up which Christian was to go had, on either side, a Wall called Salvation." (The "strait and narrow way.) "Up this

M