WHAT LITTLE CHRISTIANS CAN DO FOR JESUS. Price Twopence Illustrated. LONDON: JOHN F. SHAW & Co., 48, Paternoster Row, E C. The Bag in the Steel Trap. BY REV. E. PAYSON HAMMOND. M Y DEAR LITTLE FRIEND,—I want to tell you a nice story which I think will interest you. Several days ago, while taking my morning horseback-ride in Perth, a little girl came running to me, as I was riding across a field, weeping bitterly. Her first words were, "Oh! sir, there is a dog cautched in a traup, and he's been greetin a' mornin sin nine o'clock. Will ye no gang awa' an' tak him out?" I said to her, "But what are you greeting about. Your eyes look as if you too had been crying all the morning." "Oh! sir, he's been greeting sair. A coudna help it." "But why did you not take him out?" "A daurna, for the gamekeeper waud be angry." So I turned my horse round the edge of the woods, and there I found a nice-looking shepherd's dog, away up among a ledge of rocks with his fore-foot fast in a strong steel trap. His foot was bleeding, and he was whining and howling and yelling in a most fearful manner. I found it very difficult to get to him, for the rocks were so steep and high. But I climbed up at last, and as I came nearer to him he stopped howling for a little, and as I had never seen a dog in a trap before, I thought he would be glad enough to have me open the trap and let his bleeding foot out. But as I stooped down to open the trap, HE FLEW AT ME AND BIT MY HAND TILL IT BLED FEARFULLY. It would have been natural for me to have pelted him with stones and left him, but I pitied the poor fellow so that I could not leave him. At last I managed to cut the rope that held him: but what do you think he did? The moment the rope was GRATITUDE ON BEING LIBERATED. cut, though his foot, all bleeding, was still in the biting trap, yet with the trap clinging to his foot, he sprang at me, and before I could turn round, he seized me by the arm and gave me another hard bite. I pushed him off, and he went tumbling down the hill-side making an awful noise, as if he were mad. I was afraid that if the poor fellow was left in the woods he would die, and so I spent an hour or two in finding his master. And when at last I got him to his master, he quietly lay down and let him open the trap and take out his cut and bleeding foot. When once his foot was out of the trap he seemed quite thankful to me. He was not mad at all. He could not do enough to express his gratitude to his master and me. It was only then that he came to his right mind, and seemed to find out who his true friends were. You will wonder why I have told you this story. Do not, my dear little friends, lay down this book till have read the full answer. you It taught me three most important lessons. First, the little girl's tears for the poor dog caught in the trap led me to think of how Jesus weeps over sinners in the devil's trap. When we were in the Holy Land a year ago, we stood upon the spot between Bethany and Jerusalem, where "HE BEHELD THE CITY, AND WEPT OVER IT." I then wished that I was more like Jesus, that my tears might oftener flow at the sight of poor lost sinners in the devil's trap; and in danger of being dragged down to hell. That little girl who was at work in the field near where the dog was caught wept for nearly two hours; so great was her sorrow for the dog. But, my dear child, if you are not a Christian, you are in a worse trap than that dog was. All sinners are in the devil's trap. I for one feel sorry for you. I was once in just such a trap as you are in now. I remember how my dear mother used to weep over me when I was a boy. She knew my danger better than I did. She knew that Jesus alone could save me from Satan's power, and fit me for heaven. My dear young friend, that is true of you. Your soul is in danger. It was because the dear Saviour knew |