A soldier is one who gives himself wholly to military service. Warfare is his one business. Now, you are to be soldiers of Jesus Christ; your one business in life, therefore, is to fight the good fight of faith. But how can fighting be your one business? Have you not lessons to learn and school to attend? When you are older, will you not have to work for your livelihood? The soldiers of our Queen do not require to work, because they are kept at the expense of the country; but Christ's soldiers have to be diligent in business while serving the Lord.

To be a soldier of Jesus Christ, you need not leave the work which God has

given you. You are to fight as well as work where He has placed you. Sometimes the battle-field will be in your own heart. You will have to fight against many a temptation-it may be to steal or tell a lie, to disobey your parents, to speak evil of another, or to be unkind to one younger than yourself; and in fighting that temptation you show yourself to be a soldier of Jesus Christ. At another time the battle-field will be in the world around you-among your companions when they entice you to do evil, and then, when you do not consent, laugh at you for being tied to your mother's apron-strings. But dare to do right, dare to be true; and in doing so you will show yourself to be a soldier of Jesus Christ.

(2.) The Christian has to aim at being a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

1. A good soldier is one who loves the service. Men join the army for various reasons; but the best soldiers are those who enlist

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because they have a passion for the prefession of arms.

2. He is loyal to his leader.

The very name of Cæsar was like a spell to the Roman soldier. The presence of Napoleon was enough to revive the sinking courage or failing strength of his men; for there was almost nothing they would not have dared to please him.

And what shall I say of your leader, and the loyalty which you owe to Him? or of your cause and the issues which depend upon it? Who of us, that remembers His life of sacrifice and suffering or studies His example, can refuse to be loyal to Him? Who, that knows the cause in which the soldiers of the Cross are engaged, can fail to be in love with the service? Up, then, ye soldiers of the Cross! March to the rescue! Grasp the sword of the Lord, and, Forward! Let no man despise your youth. Let the world see that, though you are young, you can fight as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

(3.) The Christian has to endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

Familiar as most of us are with the pageantry of arms, we little know its privations. We see the medals which adorn the hero's breast; but the hardships through which they were won are known only to himself. During a time of war, a soldier has to endure hardship. He has to endure the weariness of the inarch, often over the roughest roads and under a burning sun. At the end of a long day he may find that, instead of having his well earned rest, he must renew the march. At night he may have to sleep on the cold, damp ground, or stand to arms on a moment's notice. Often his miseries are increased by thirst and hunger; but the good soldier endures all these trials-nay, is ambitious of the post of danger, and loveth hardship.

So is it with the good soldier of Jesus Christ. He is no coward, no grumbler, no idler, but one who glories in tribulation, and takes cheerfully even the spoiling of his goods.

Need I remind you, however, that before you can be a good soldier of Jesus Christ

you must enlist into His service. Have you enlisted? Are you a soldier of the Cross? If so, then you will wear the uniform; you will be clothed with righteousness and with humility; you will be adorned with the nine graces of the Spirit-love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.

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You

will also put on the whole armour of God' the breast-plate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. You will be sober and vigilant, for your adversary the Devil is crafty and strong. But strong though he be, if you are on Christ's side you are on the winning side. The banner under which you fight has led millions on to victory. It has been often rolled in blood, and held aloft by only a bleeding remnant; but it has gone on from age to age, victorious; and its triumphs will never cease till the world has been won for Jesus.

BOY DON.

G. D.

HREE years old, and no more-three years old in the summer time; his hair a cloud of curls, as if it had been matched with the sunshine; his eyes the colour of his hairyellow or brown or hazel-just as the sunbeams shone in them; his lips the daintiest rosebuds; his cheeks a pair of ripe peaches. It was a Sabbath morning in the early autumn time; Boy Don's mother sat by the window where the breath of the roses

came.

'Mamma, I'm is tired,' said Boy Don in his own pretty form of speech.

'Come on my knee, little one,' said the mother, laying down her book.

'I not little one; I is Boy Don.' And Boy Don climbed into his favourite place, making a violent attack of kisses on his mother's neck and lips and cheek and chin.

'I does love 'oo, mamma,' said Boy Don. 'Is I good?'

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Yes, my darling son.'

'And is Dog Don good too?'

Hearing its name, a great dog rose from the rug beside them, stretched itself, blinked its soft, sleepy eyes, and came to the little boy.

And Boy Don jumped from his place, and hugged and kissed the great dog with almost as demonstrative love as he had showered upon his mother.

"Oo is a good fellow, Dog Don; 'oo is a good fellow, Dog Don.'

And Dog Dou, by licking his little master's cheeks, and wagging his own tail, and looking up with meek, brown, grateful eyes, said as plainly as a dog could:

'And you, Boy Don, are a good fellow too; and you, Boy Don, are a good fellow too; and I love my little master very much.'

The dog was a great Newfoundland, the same age as the boy, and had been called by Donald's uncle, who was then its master, the same name as the baby. It was his uncle's present to Donald on his third birthday; and so they were always known through the house as Boy Don' and Dog Don.'

Great friends and playmates they were. Boy Don thought no flowers too rare to gather for Dog Don; no cake nor sweetmeat too nice to be put by his own small fingers into Dog Don's great mouth. And Boy Don's mother knew he was quite safe if Dog Don were with him, although he had no other guardian, wherever he happened to play.

He was sitting on the rug, with his rosy face leaning on Dog Don's neck, when his mother rose from her chair.

'Where is 'oo geing, mamma?' 'To church.'

"Then I is going too. 'Oo is not going away from me, mamma? O please!' 'But you are too little, Donald cannot take you with me.'

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I is a good boy, mamma,' said Donald, pleadingly. O please! O please!'

And Donald's brown eyes, with the sunshine in them, conquered his mother's will.

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them, and made them His own, and calls them with a tender voice, "Suffer little children to come to Me, and forbid them not." He has words of love for all who come and trustfully hear His voice; words for the little ones at their play-Do you hear, little children?" As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you; continue ye in My love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in My love." Little children, a still small voice within you tells you when you keep those commandments; it tells you when you do right; it tells you when you do wrong.'

Little Donald did not hear nor understand all this that you read. All the words only seemed to mean, 'Love, and be good.'

Then the great organ woke, and the music rolled back to heaven, and little Donald whispered wonderingly :

'Are the angels singing, mamma?' And his mother answered only with a smile and a pressure of the little hand.

Little Donald fell asleep at last-fell into a beautiful slumber that was filled with child-dreams of music and love and a lovely home; filled with beautiful, mysterious dreams that made him smile while he slept, and made his mother smile softly too, looking down at her bright-faced boy. Not till the service was over did she wake the little dreamer, and then it was with the gentlest touch, and he opened his sleepy eyes. 'I'm is going home, mamma.'

And they went out of church together, Boy Don with the wonder lingering still in his beautiful sunshiny eyes,

'I bring Dog Don to church one day,' said the little boy.

She

And his mother did not answer. was looking softly down at her little darling boy. Perhaps she was thinking forward of the days when she would not lead him thus to church, when he would be no longer a little tender child.

'I go with Dog Don one day to look for the angels, mamma.'

And the mother looked down silently, smiling and wondering continually over her child's sweet thoughts.

That evening, when his nurse came to

take him to bed, Boy Don was no where to be found.

'He is quite safe,' said his mother; 'Dog Don is with him.'

But they went out to look where the two friends had gone. They found them at the church door. Boy was holding Dog by his collar, and looking wistfully up, trying in vain to get in.

'I going with Dog Don to look for the angels,' he said. 'I want to find the angels that made the music in the sky.'

'Yes, my boy, my darling,' said the mother, folding him close in her arms, 'you will all your life try to find the angels that make the music in the sky.'

But when Boy Don grew bigger, he learned that the angels' names are Love and Truth and Peace; and that it was hidden in his own heart they made the music sweetest.

H. W. H. W.