Brother, He has made his own. All holy men and women, from the beginning of time, patriarchs, priests, and apostles, seem to be round about me as I pray. Truly I am but a little one in the family in which David sings the Father's praise, and Paul kneels to offer prayer, and martyrs look upward from the burning stake to heaven, their home; a family in which Martha and Mary are among the sisters, and John, who leaned on Jesus' bosom, is a brother. And yet, if I love Christ, I am in that glorious household." God is the Father of all. Jesus "is not ashamed to call them breth`ren," and He suffers "the little ones to come unto Him." Dear children, this is what many Christians mean when they repeat together at church, "I believe in the communion of saints; and to all Christians, everywhere, both old and young, it is an encouragement and a joy greater than I can tell, that when they pray they may say, "OUR Father which art in heaven."

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Then is there not a third encouragement in the word heaven? Our Father is there; and Jesus Christ reminds us of this, that we may think of God as over all, and as having all things at command. You know that our parents who are upon earth cannot always do what they would for us. They would like us to be happy, but

they are sometimes obliged to see us in sorrow without being able to help us. There are gifts which the best and wisest of earthly fathers cannot give; there are tears which the kindest and most loving mother cannot wipe away. But God is in heaven; all things are his; He can give us whatever He wills, and do with us always what pleases Him. We may pray, then, boldly; for He is able to supply all our need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Yes, He gave from heaven the richest gift which even He could send his own well-beloved Son; and " He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"

God is "in heaven ; then that is our Father's home, and there shall the children be at last. He wills that we should all be gathered there in his own glorious presence forever. Let this encourage us to speak to him trustfully and humbly now; for the prayers of earth are the forerunners of the praises of heaven. This, then, be the prayer of every dear child who reads these lines: "O God, who art in heaven; mighty and most loving Father! I own that I am not fit to see thee as thou art, or to come to thy own bright home on high. My sin has made me unfit for a

world so pure and fair; and yet I long to enter in. Thou art in heaven, and I would fain hope to be there. Jesus is in heaven, and I trust I may one day be with Him. For his sake I pray thee to forgive my sins. Make me holy like Him. Give me a happy place in thine own great family. Thou hast often heard the prayers of children before; O, hear mine; give me on earth all good things I need, and may heaven be my home forever. Amen."

XVII.

THE PRODIGAL SON.

LUKE XV. 11-32.1

A Beautiful Story. - The Unhappy Lad. - His Thoughts of Home. - His Resolve. - Six Things to notice in it. He came to himself. What it is to awake from Sin. - News of Pardon. - He longed for Something he had lost. - Sad Recollections. - A True Picture. -Words of a Good and Great Man.

- No Excuse. The Little Boy and his Father.

- He owned his Sin.

Two Ways of Thinking of all Wrong-doing. — He was truly Humble. How we should feel before God. He had some Trust and Hope. His Reasons. Why we may think that God will pity us. — The Gift of Jesus Christ. He returned to his Home. The Welcome. Our Father in Heaven.

THIS story is surely so beautiful, so tender,

so easy to understand, that the very youngest reader must love it. Let us try to gather up one or two of its plainest and most useful lessons.

Think of the unhappy lad in the fields among the swine. They are satisfied with food, but he is hungry and miserable. He has been trying

1 Spoken in Peræa (east of Jordan). Compare the next two sketches.

to eat some of those "husks" which lie strewn around him on the ground, but it is of no use; they cannot nourish or satisfy him. See, the unsuitable food has fallen untasted from his hands, and he is thinking. His eyes seem fixed on the distance. He is in a day-dream. What is it that he seems to see?

A noble house, very far away. How well he knows every step in the path that leads to it, every tree that grows near it! He tries to fancy what the family within are doing. Perhaps it is evening. The father is resting after the day's work. By his side is the elder son, who never wandered, rich, happy, and at home. And hark to that sound of music from the part of the house where the servants dwell. They have finished the labors of the day, and their merry song shows how cheerful and happy their master makes them. But then the poor youth recollects himself: the day-dream is gone; there he is, wretched, forlorn, and forgotten.

Forgotten! No, perhaps not. Would it not be better if he were? What can the father, the brother, the servants, think of him? If his name is mentioned among them, must it not be. to say, "Ah! the wicked, miserable lad, who selfishly took his share of the property, and left