(Can you give the substance of God's reply?) "Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." These words teach us two very important lessons.

The first of these is, that God does not choose men because of any advantage in appearance, circumstance or age. A fine appearance does not commend a person to God. We know some deformed people who are among the happiest of His children; and on the other hand, we have known some very fine-looking people who have been very wicked, and have therefore been displeasing to God. Of course there are many such who love God, and are loved by Him, but it is not their personal appearance which makes them acceptable to Him. Neither do fine clothes make us attractive to God. He loves you just as much in a print frock or a fustian jacket, as He would in a silk gown or a black coat. Many children who have very little and very poor clothing, love God, and are loved by Him. Try to remember this, and do not crave after fine clothes. They have been an evil and a snare to many young people, and they will never make you more acceptable to God. Neither do His choice and love depend upon age. In this case He chose the youngest. Do not think that because you are not yet men and women, God will not choose you and save you. You remember how the Saviour called the children to Him, and said, "Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God." He blessed both young and old. You are not too young to come to Him, to consecrate yourselves in heart and life to Him:

"A flower when offer'd in the bud

Is no vain sacrifice."

We have heard of a little boy who, before he was seven years of age, not only gave himself to God, but also worked for Him. Having learned to read, he took his little Bible, and read

to older people in the village where he lived. Samuel was very young when the Lord called him. So the fact that you are young need not prevent you from being good and doing good. We learn, then, that God does not choose any because of any outward advantages they may possess.

The other lesson we learn is, that God chooses only those whose hearts are right. He looks through all external forms and appearances and judges of us according to our inward dispositions. If He see, for instance, that you do not love Him, or that you have wicked thoughts and evil desires, or that you cultivate wrong tempers, these things will prove that your heart is not right, and therefore He will not choose you. But if He see that you love Him, and are striving to banish evil thoughts and desires, and prevent and overcome evil tempers, He will be pleased. Now, it should be your great and first concern to have the heart thus right with God. To cultivate holy dispositions should be your constant endeavour. In order to this, you will need much of that grace which Jesus Christ alone can give. You will remember that He says, “Without Me ye can do nothing." Until we seek and obtain His help, all our striving is in vain. To obtain this you will need much prayer. For instance, when you feel the rising of any temper contrary to God's will, pray to Him for grace to overcome it; and when you feel tempted to do any wrong thing, ask Him to help you to avoid it. As you do so, you will find how strong He is to help those who trust in Him. That which is impossible when you are alone, will be very easy when Christ is with you.

Then try to remember that God knows all that is passing in your mind. He knows not only what you do, but what you think and feel. He also knows all your motives, the reasons why you act in this or the other manner. The proper and constant remembrance of this fact will deepen your concern to be inwardly as well as outwardly right.

God has a great work for you all to do. It may not be to be the head of a

people, like David; but to act rightly you will need the same grace and the same rectitude of heart. Your station may be humble, and your work unseen and unapplauded by men, but the mission of your life will still be noble in the sight of God; and if you accomplish it thoroughly and well, your reward will be great. But God may call you to high and noble service, as he did David. However this may be, strive so to cultivate your hearts, that it shall be true to say of you as it was of David, he, or she, is after God's " own heart."

The Lambs of the Flock.
AN ADDRESS TO THE LITTLE ONES.
BY THE REV. JOHN DWYER.

(Continued from page 111.)

LET me now speak to you about the "lambs." Just what lambs are to the flock, children are to the family and the Church. Many of my young readers have seen these pretty, merry little things this spring, skipping about in the green fields. I am sure you thought how nice they looked, and perhaps you thought it a pity that they should ever grow old and big and quiet. But this is God's plan. Lambs become sheep, and children become men and women. It would not do for lambs to be always lambs; nor would it do for children to be always children. Now, just as the shepherd takes care of the lambs with the view of their becoming fine, full-grown sheep after a while, we would try to take care of the children that they may become wise and good men and women in years to come.*

*To my mind, each family and each school, whether large or small, seems to be a place for taking care of the Saviour's lambs. What a pleasant and holy feeling this thought gives both to the family and the school! In one family there may be but one dear child, (not a spoiled one, I hope,) in another two or three, and so on until in some you find ten or twelve, like "olive-plants round about the table." And so of schools,-Sunday-schools and Dayschools. Some are very small, with twelve or twenty scholars; and others are very large, containing several hundreds. But all belong to Christ; all have been bought with His precious blood.

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Now, I shall suppose myself in the midst of one of these groups, with some bright-faced boy on one knee, and a loving little girl on the other. If I were speaking to you, I should not speak very loud, but I should expect you to be so attentive as not to miss a word. And as I am writing about the little lambs, I want the very same attention to be given to what you read.

What do little lambs require ? Just think for a moment. They need first a wise and kind SHEPHERD to take care of them, as they have not sense enough to take care of themselves. They need next good PASTURE where they may feed; if they had not this they would die of hunger. They need also a FOLD in which they may find shelter from the storm, and safety from the beasts of prey. And these very things are provided for you who are the "little ones " of the Saviour's flock.

In the Bible God is often spoken of as a SHEPHERD. Thus in the twenty-third Psalm it is written, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want;" and in the eightieth Psalm, "Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock." Isaiah the prophet writes, (ch. xl. 11,) "He shall feed His flock like a shepherd." Our blessed Saviour gives Himself the same title, "I am the Good Shepherd; the Good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep." (John x. 11.) St. Paul (Heb. xiii. 20) calls Christ "that great Shepherd of the sheep." And St. Peter speaks of Him as "the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls," (1 Peter ii. 25;) and likewise as "the chief Shepherd." (1 Peter v. 4.)

It is right to love your parents, and your teachers, and your ministers; but above them all place Jesus. Think of Him, pray to Him, learn of Him, trust in Him, love Him, obey Him, follow Him. He has done for you what no one else ever can do. Just as the shepherd in charge of a flock of sheep might have to risk his life to save them from the beasts of prey or from robbers, so Christ says, "I lay down My life for the sheep." (John x. 15.) No one could do more than this, and very few would

be willing to give such a proof of love.
Let this thought rest in your minds,
dear "little ones;" and pray that God
may help you to give Him your hearts,
and all your life to love and serve Him
Who loved you to the death.
Let your
prayer be,-

"Saviour, like a shepherd, lead us;
Much we need Thy tend'rest care;
In Thy pleasant pastures feed us,
For our use Thy fold prepare.
"We are Thine, do Thou befriend us,
Be the Guardian of our way;
Keep Thy flock, from sin defend us,

Seek us when we go astray." Perhaps you already know that the shepherd in the East does not drive his flock before him as sheep are driven in this country, but leads them, calling to them to follow him. In "The Land and the Book," Dr. Thomson, who was for many years a missionary in Syria and Palestine, refers to this. He says in one place, "I notice that some of the flock keep near the shepherd, and follow whithersoever he goes without the least hesitation, while others stray about on either side or loiter far behind; and he often turns round and scolds them in a sharp, stern cry, or sends a stone after them." And in another, "They are so tame and so trained that they follow their keeper with the utmost docility. He leads them forth from the fold, or from their houses in the villages, just where he pleases. As there are many flocks in such a place as this, each one takes a different path, and it is his business to find pasture for them. It is necessary, therefore, that they should be taught to follow, and not to stray away into the unfenced fields of corn which lie so temptingly on either side. Any one that thus wanders is sure to get into trouble. The shepherd calls sharply from time to time, to remind them of his presence. They know his voice, and follow on; but, if a stranger calls, they stop short, lift up their heads in alarm, and, if it is repeated, they turn and flee, because they know not the voice of a stranger."

Now this is a picture of what Jesus has done for you. He has gone before

you, having suffered for your sins and ascended to glory. He now calls to you from the skies, and asks you to accept His salvation and to give Him your hearts. He has left an example, and He calls upon you to tread in His steps. Will you try to do so? He will help you to pray, and to love Him, and to keep very near to Him. Each dear boy and girl that reads these pages may be able to say,

"I know I'm but a little child,

My strength will not protect me;
But then I am the Saviour's lamb,

And He will not neglect me."

Each of

Dr. Thomson describes the variety which he noticed amongst the sheep, which is very like what we meet with amongst children. He says, "Some sheep always keep near the shepherd, and are his special favourites. them has a name, to which it answers joyfully; and the kind shepherd is ever distributing to such choice portions which he gathers for that purpose. These are the contented and happy ones. They are in no danger of getting lost or into mischief, nor do wild beasts or thieves come near them. Many, however, are mere worldlings, intent upon their own pleasures or selfish interests. They run from bush to bush, searching for variety or delicacies, and only now and then lift their heads to see where the shepherd is, or rather, where the general flock is, lest they get so far away as to occasion remark, or draw rebuke from their keeper. Others, again, are restless and discontented; jumping into everybody's field, climbing into bushes, and sometimes falling and breaking their limbs. These cost the good shepherd incessant trouble. Then there are others who are

incurably reckless. These stray far away, and are often utterly lost." Would it not be well for each of you to think which of these you are most like ? Is not the lamb or sheep that keeps nearest to its shepherd the happiest and the safest? Jesus wants you all to do this. May the Holy Spirit impress His truth on every young heart!

But the flock needs pasture. Even the little lambs soon learn to crop the

tender herbage; and if they were not fed, they would, before long, pine and die. To provide pasture is part of the shepherd's business. The writer mentioned before observes, "In ordinary circumstances the shepherd does not feed his flock, except by leading and guiding them where they may gather for themselves. But there are times when it is otherwise. Late in autumn, when the pastures are dried up, and in winter, in places covered with snow, he must furnish them food, or they die." And then he goes on to tell how the shepherd cuts down for his flock the leaves of the trees and the tender twigs to supply their wants. And this part of the shepherd's work is beautifully referred to in Scripture, in connection with the care and blessing of our loving, heavenly Shepherd. David, the royal Psalmist, says, "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters." (Ps. xxiii. 2.) · Again we read, "He shall feed His flock like a shepherd." (Isai. xl. 11.) And yet again, "I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed My flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God." (Ezek. xxxiv. 14, 15.)

Of course this does not mean that God will really give us green grass to eat, and pure water to drink, but it means that He will supply food for our souls, as suitable as the grass and water are to the flock. The spiritual food which we need is provided for us most richly. The food that we require for our bodies is employed as a figure to make this plain. Our blessed Saviour says, "I am the Bread of Life," (John vi. 35;) and again, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (Matt. iv. 4.) So you see you need not be hungry. You need not be a poor famished little lamb, wasted with want, bleating about to tell as well as you are able, your sad tale. You may be like the well-fed

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little lamb, plump and merry. God has provided an ample supply for you, and you have but to come to Him through Jesus to have your souls fed by His loving hand, and made truly happy in His ways. For this purpose you should very carefully read the Word of God, and you should do it often and regularly. I love to see little children having Bibles of their own, with their names written in them. I think there is no nicer birthday gift than this. And then I like my young friends to get to know what is in the Bible; not merely to value it because of its rich binding, or gilt edges, or bright clasps, but because it is the Book of God, and makes known to us His holy will.

And now I want to say a few words about the fold. I remember at one time to have seen an engraving of an Eastern sheepfold. First there was a large space surrounded by a high wall for protection; and beyond this was an inner place-a low flat building, which was still more secure. The use of the fold is to keep the sheep safe, and for this purpose

an enclosure is necessary. Now it seems to me that the sheepfold represents two things which are very necessary for the "little ones" of Christ's flock-the family and the church.

The family is a very happy fold for the little lambs, when it is ordered after God's will. When father and mother love the Saviour, and try to please Him; when family worship is engaged in every morning and every evening; and children learn while yet infants to respect the Scriptures, to love the hymn of praise, and to know something of the nature of prayer. In such a family the Sabbath is honoured as a day of rest and worship, and by its members the house of God is attended regularly. Everything that is good and holy is encouraged, and everything that is evil is checked; and by this means young people learn safe rules and form regular habits in early life. If you have such a home, it is a precious fold. Satan finds it hard to enter it. O what a pleasant thing it is when boys and girls love home, and when they have a home that they can love;