are liable to be scattered in all directions by the crowd of vehicles, and to turn every few rods down the cross streets, in a manner sorely trying to patience. Hence, when the butcher has purchased a number of sheep at the general market, it is no small matter, even with the help of a dog, to get them to his private yard for slaughter. Can any expedient lessen the trouble? A knowledge of the animal's instincts points out a method of relief. A sheep is taken and petted till it becomes wonted to the place, and attached to its owner. It is then used as a decoy, being led to the market-place, where the purchase is made of the little flock for the slaughter, and there placed at their head. The butcher then starts for home, the decoy sheep accompanies him, the others instinctively follow, according to sheep nature, and refuse to be separated, threading their way through streets and lanes, carts and carriages, pleased with following their leader, till they reach the place of death!

We said just now, that this was according to sheep-nature. Is there nothing like it in human nature? Alas! we see the same device in use on every hand by the great enemy of souls. How few he would entrap without a decoy! Fish do not bite the bare hook. Birds will not enter an empty trap-cage. Even sheep do not go wittingly to the slaughter, but must be enticed there. Sinners love sin but not death, and do not crowd the broad road with any idea that it leads to destruction. Satan has made a study of nature ever since he found our first parents in Paradise, and understands it well. He knows that men, like sheep, are gregarious, and prone to go in troops after leaders. He shapes his policy accordingly. He wastes little time or work on the common mass, but he takes great pains to train the leaders. One good decoy sheep will conduct a thousand flocks to the slaughter.

Here are young men in a great city, come in multitudes from virtuous homes in the country, to learn business and make a fortune. At first they are bewildered with the novelty and excitement, and scarcely know which way to turn. They are unaccustomed to city ways, and fearful of danger. But the cunning tempter has managed them for generations, and has his decoy sheep on hand, in some fine-looking, dashing companion, with whom they make speedy acquaintance. He has lived in the city for several years, and can tell them where to go and what to do. He makes little delay, indeed, in inviting them to accompany him after business hours to haunts of pleasure. They want some place in which to spend their evenings besides the dull lodging-house, and the only Christian young men they meet have nothing to propose but a young people's prayer-meeting once a week. So their friend suggests a game of billiards, as innocent, amusing, and affording good exercise, butgood men having provided no other place-takes them for the purpose

to where drinking and gambling are the invariable accompaniments. Then he leads the way to saloons, to the miscalled museum, to the regular theatre, to the opera, to the ball-room, to the Sunday excursion, to gambling hells, and finally to the brothel. They are startled at first, but, as he operates gradually, and assures them that all the young men frequent such places, and if they would cease to be country rustics and appear city bred, they must follow the customs of the city; and as he seems to be such a generous, wide-awake, enjoyable friend, they soon lay aside their scruples and follow in his path. Poor fellows! they imagine that they are making great progress in gentility, and are the admired of all beholders; but men of sense, who see them trooping after their leader, pity them as the Londoner does the flock racing through the streets after the decoy sheep.

And so it is with older men, in whom greed of gain, or other depraved passion, has taken the place of the intoxication of pleasure. They seldom go their ways singly. Satan leads them in a mass, by their gregarious impulses, and the powerful influence of their favourites. A few prominent merchants will set an evil example in business, which will corrupt the trade of the city, and against which few have sufficient character to protest. In politics, we see parties ignore the moral principle of measures, and follow blindly their respective leaders. It is this tendency which enables wickedness to lay its plans with so few elements of calculation. It is thought sufficient to decide upon the object desired and the readiest means of gaining it, trusting to the willingness of the mass to do as they are bidden. Prepare the decoy sheep and the whole flock will follow, through all manner of windings and dangers, and to the very door of death.

But the decoy sheep at last shares the fate of the rest. He grows old, and his place must be supplied with one younger and more active. So, fattened into prime condition, he one day goes to the knife, and his carcass hangs where, through his agency, so much mutton has hung before. And it is the same with his human parallel. The devil does not use his decoys for ever. They have their brief day, then wear out and drop swiftly into destruction, replaced by others with fresh attractions. It is so in the haunts of pleasure, in the walks of business, in the temples of ambition. The flocks and the decoys all belong to the butcher, and serve his profit only. The tempters and the tempted all belong to the devil, and are equally his victims in the end.

Men will follow some one. They have their choice, to follow Christ, their true friend and leader, who will conduct them to eternal life; or to rush on after the devil and his decoys, till they reach eternal death! Sent by E. NEALE.

BRUSH AWAY THE COBWEBS.

HAVING been blessed myself, while reading the following article from an American work; I forward it, hoping that the readers of the "Messenger" may also be blessed by its perusal :

"Some time ago, as a lady was walking in the garden early in the morning, she was led to notice the drops of dew as thep rested beautifully upon the flowers. She observed, however, one which had been unvisited. It was covered over with a cobweb, which prevented the contact of the refreshing dew. The sparkling, life-giving, heavenly influence was not upon that flower. Her pious mind was at once engaged in profitable meditation. She saw in this an illustration of the unhappy condition of many immortal souls-souls which should be blooming in Christ's garden in perpetual beauty. The dew of holiness does not rest upon them. Why? There is a covering upon them, which hinders the divine communication. They are not arrayed in glorious dress on this account. The hindrance may be apparently very trivial-as light in texture as the cobweb upon the flower, and yet effectually keeping back the flow of heavenly life.

"It is not always the greatness of the thing itself which closes the channel of grace; there may be great guilt involved in what seems to be a trifle. The Lord searcheth the heart, and trieth the reins. He desires truth in the inward parts.' It is not the greatness of the object, but the principle or motive involved, which gives it its moral character. So comprehensive is the divine requirement, that we are to abstain from all appearance of evil.' It is sad to think how multitudes are held from the enjoyment of holiness by little things-little in themselves, and yet vast in import-having an outreach to eternity itself. A sceptical thought, a careless word, a wrong feeling, an idol so small as to require a microscope to see it, may be invested with fearfully destructive power. A golden ornament, too insignificant to claim a moment's consideration; a puff of smoke vanishing into thin air, may close the gate of life against an immortal spirit.

"Sin is of such exceeding sinfulness, that a world of it may be in a fugitive thought. Well might an inspired worthy say, 'I hate vain thoughts.' Oh! when we think of those eyes of flame-the eyes of Omniscience-looking into the soul's deep recesses, and penetrating its profoundest secrets, what need of entire purity.

"And shall the lovely tints fail to be brought out? Shall the vigour and freshness of the true life be wanting? Shall the flower be ready to wither and die? Shall it open its bosom in vain to receive the pearly

drop? Shall a flimsy cobweb rob it of its life and beauty? Is it better to have the soul covered with earth's gossamer than heaven's splendid habiliments? O, let us brush away the cobwebs! No surrender can be too great to be clothed with salvation.

"What a contrast before the eye of that Christian lady walking in the garden! The flowers all around were sparkling with heavenly dew, drinking in the precious nourishment, and opening new beauties under the morning rays of the sun. But that solitary flower, dry, without lustre-how unhappy its situation! O, my soul, be not thou such a flower in the Lord's garden! Rather let some friendly hand brush away the cobweb, so thou mayest open thy bosom fully to the descending sustenance. If every flower were thus nourished and beautified, how would the world be impressed by Zion's incomparable excellences. Men, walking amid the pervading loveliness of the scene, would confess the majesty of grace, and consent to come under the life-imparting influences of Christianity.

"Then brush away the cobwebs! Let no gauzy texture of earth interfere with the saving processes, and check the flow of eternal life and eternal beauty upon the soul! Such a forfeiture of the wealth of the kingdom infinitely outweighs every temporal advantage. If need be, invoke the aid of a stern hand to remove the obstructions. Welcome calamity, adversity, affliction, if even by these the avenues of life may be cleared, and the bright, sparkling, glorious dew of grace each morning rest upon us, and be absorbed by the soul, so that it may put on its wonted attractions. And then, after blooming in ever-increasing beauty here, we may look for transplantation to the fairer garden of immortal life, to flourish in perennial attractiveness under the broad beams of the eternal sun."

Culled by HENRY PORTNALL.

"AND HE SAID, TO-MORROW."

"In human hearts what bolder thought can rise
Than man's presumption on to-morrow's dawn?
Where is to-morrow? In another world.

To numbers this is certain: the reverse

Is sure to none."

YET how common is this presumption! Men everywhere are presuming on to-morrow, and saying in their hearts: "To-morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant."-Isa. lvi. 12.

But now is the accepted time. They who will not be saved to-day may perish to-morrow! The Gospel, in its offers of salvation, knows nothing of to-morrow. It says, "To-day, if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts." It offers to save to-day. But if you will not accept its present offer-if you will not be saved to-day-to-morrow you may be where mercy cannot reach you, where the Gospel will make no kind offers, the Saviour give no sweet invitations, the Spirit tender no wooing influences; but where the law will utter its thunders, and a rejected Gospel its anathemas. Yes, you who will not be saved to-day, beware lest to-morrow you perish!

Those who go down to perdition from Gospel lands have almost all been ruined by to-morrow. They did not intend to make their bed in hell; they intended to embrace the Saviour and prepare for heaven; but they were never quite able to attend to this matter; they were always going to do it to-morrow, or at some not very distant future day. So they deferred, till death came. Ob, fatal to-morrow! Oh, cruel murderer of souls! How many by thee have been robbed of heaven, and pierced through with many sorrows!

And the devil is in all this! He never cares about our resolving to put off religion for ever. Such a resolution would alarm the most careless, and defeat the plans and purposes of the enemy of all good. No: he only wants us to delay for a little while-only just for the present. If we will put off till to-morrow, and then again till tomorrow, he is satisfied, and we are lost! It is thus that multitudes are cheated out of their souls. It is thus that to-morrow slays its thousands and its tens of thousands.

Reader! shall to-morrow be your ruin? Oh, be wise to-day! Repent! Believe in Jesus Christ! And be saved!

Sent by E. NEALE,