the miracle. He made haste to do honour to the gods, as he supposed. He proceeded to present sacrifices of oxen to Paul and Barnabas. But these holy men prevented them. They showed them the vanity of false gods and dumb idols. They made known to them the TRUE GOD. They preached to them Jesus, through whose power alone the lame man was healed. Let us earnestly pray, that the promised day may soon arrive, when the knowledge of Jesus 'shall cover the earth, as the waters cover the sea;' and when idolatry shall pass away, and be known no more for ever.' A. F.

SERMON VII.

THE YOUNG CHRISTIAN PILGRIM.

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"They were Pilgrims."-Heb. xi. 13.

WHO is a Pilgrim ?—A traveller may be called a pilgrim. Those who travel on a religious account are called pilgrims. Many Mahomedans go thousands of miles to Mecca, the place where the false prophet Mahomet was born. And many travel thousands of miles to see Medina, the place where he was buried. Those persons are called pilgrims.

Multitudes travel very great distances every year to see Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. And great numbers come from the most distant parts of the earth to see Jerusalem, where Jesus died, and to see Mount Olivet, whence Jesus ascended to heaven. These are called pilgrims. And they travel for a religious

purpose.

Abraham was a pilgrim, both literally and spiritually. At the command of God he left Mesopotamia, his native land, and travelled from place to place, all his life, without a settled home. On this account he was literally a pilgrim. And he was spiritually a pilgrim. He travelled through the wilderness of this world on his way to a heavenly home. When he died, he finished his pilgrimage, and he reached his home. There he

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has lived in happiness and glory ever since; and there he shall live for ever.

As Abraham was a spiritual pilgrim, so is every pious praying child. The best, the happiest, and the most useful of all pilgrims are those who are made spiritual pilgrims when they are young. My young friends, may God make you young pilgrims!

Every child is on a journey to an eternal world. There is a world of eternal joy. And there is a world of eternal misery. There are, therefore, two roads leading through this world. The one is narrow and

straight. The other is broad and crooked. The first leads to heaven. The second leads to hell. Each child is walking on one or the other of these roads. Believe it, my young friends, you are walking either on the one or on the other. It is my earnest prayer that you may enter upon the first, and forsake the second. Oh, may the Holy Spirit make you young pilgrims to heaven! Blessed pilgrimage! Hear Christ's own words. He has provided a heaven for young pilgrims. Oh, hear what he says. And in the strength of Divine grace do what he requires. What does he say? Matt. vii. 13, 14. "Enter ye in at the strait gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that` leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life; and few there be which find it."

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As there are two roads, there are two companies. Very much they differ from each other here; but they shall differ far more in the world to come. Each com

pany of travellers has a leader. Jesus is the Leader of the one company; Satan is the leader of the other. The first Leader leads the company of young pilgrims to heaven. The second leader leads the company of young travellers to hell.

Pray fervently, my young friends, that this sermon may be blessed. While you are reading it, may you wish to be made young pilgrims. Before you finish it,

may you become, by divine grace, young pilgrims! Amen!

By the assistance of the Holy Spirit, I will endeavour to describe the YOUNG PILGRIM.

I. His heart.

By the heart we are to understand the soul. The Prophet Jeremiah tells us that "the heart is deceitful above all things," Jer. xvii. 9. That is, "the soul is deceitful above all things." Solomon says, (Prov. iv. 23,) "Keep thine heart with all diligence." That is, "keep thy soul with all diligence."

In attempting to describe the young pilgrim's heart, I must endeavour to show you what his heart once was, and what it now is.

It was bad, very Whenever we look

1st. Consider what it once was. bad. It was evil, wholly evil. upon his heart before he became a young pilgrim, we see that every part was corrupted by sin. We see that it was wicked. Yes, 'desperately wicked.' Do we look on the understanding? It was blinded with ignorance and folly. Do we look upon the will? It was obstinate and rebellious. Do we look upon the memory? We see that it quickly remembered what was evil, and quickly forgot what was good. Do we look upon the conscience? We see that it was slumbering and unfaithful. Do we look upon the affections? We see that they were set on things earthly and sinful, and not on things spiritual and heavenly. Dear young friends, was not this a sad state of things? And this is the true picture of the young pilgrim's heart, before he became a young pilgrim; before he gave his heart to Jesus; before he began his pilgrimage to the heavenly Canaan.

"Sin, like a venomous disease,

Infects our vital blood;

The only balm is sovereign grace,

And the Physician, God."

2d. Consider what his heart, or soul, now is.

Oh, what a change has taken place! The change is as great and wonderful as if you saw a serpent changed

into a dove, or a ruin changed into a marble palace ; or an old man with wrinkled face, stooping down to meet the dust, changed into a lovely youth. His heart is actually called a new heart. Ezek. xxxvi. 26. "A

new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and will give you an heart of flesh.” Divine wisdom and knowledge shine in his understanding, as the sun shines in the firmament. Blessed change! His will is obedient to the will of God. His conscience speaks for God. Blessed change! His memory is the rich treasury of divine truth; and his affections and love are placed on Jesus the loving Saviour. Blessed change!-blessed youth!-blessed child, who has this new heart! He is a young pilgrim. Heaven is his home. Jesus is his guide, and he shall at last reach in safety the celestial city.

II. Consider the young pilgrim's eye.

The young pilgrim has a lovely eye. It is bright and strong. He can see with this eye what no man can see with the bodily eye. The name given to it in the Bible is, the "eye of the understanding." Eph. i. 18. "The eyes of your understanding being enlightened." That eye, before he became a young pilgrim, was a shut eye; and, what is worse, a blind eye. But the moment he began to enter upon his blessed journey to heaven, Jesus, his Leader, opened his eye, enlightened his eye. Then that beautiful promise was fulfilled, (Isa. xlii. 6, 7.) "I will give thee for a light of the Gentiles to open the blind eyes." What does he see with this eye? He sees God. Wonderful! Yes, he sees God the Father, as his loving Father. He sees God the Son, as his loving Saviour. He sees God the Spirit, as his loving Sanctifier. What a blessed eye! What a blessed sight! He can see heaven with this eye. He can see heaven, as his home. And he can see Jesus, the Lamb of God, in the midst of heaven's loftiest throne. Oh, may God the Holy Ghost give to

III. The young pilgrim's hand.

What is the name of his hand? It is the hand of faith. Believing in Jesus as our Saviour, is faith. And what the hand does for the body, faith, or believing in Christ, does for the soul. Come and see what the young pilgrim does with the hand of faith. He makes good use of it, great use of it, constant use of it.

What use does he make of it? He leans with it, on the great arm of Christ's almighty power. Thus he is helped on in his pilgrimage. What more does the young pilgrim with his hand of faith? He grasps the promises. And he takes so firm a hold, that the most powerful enemy cannot take them out of his hand. What else does he do with this hand? He wrestles. Yes, with his corruptions, and with his spiritual enemies. Paul wrestled with this hand of faith. Eph. vi. 12. "We wrestle against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world." Beloved young friends, may God by his Spirit make you spiritual wrestlers? And what beside does he do with this hand? He fights and conquers. The moment the young pilgrim begins his journey to heaven, he begins to fight the good fight of faith. He takes into the hand of faith the sword of the Spirit. And with such a sword, in such a hand, no spiritual enemy can stand before him. Pray fervently, my young friends, for the hand of faith. Then you shall not only be young pilgrims, but young warriors.

IV. The young pilgrim's garments.

1st. Though he is a pilgrim, he wears a robe. It is the robe of the Redeemer's righteousness. This righteousness consists of what Jesus became, did, and suffered for our salvation. The instant a little child receives Christ as his Saviour, this righteousness becomes his. And he wears it as his robe. How beautiful the young pilgrim looks in this robe !

2d. The young pilgrim is clothed with the garments of salvation. Young friends, do you know what these