WHEN I was a little child about eight year of age, nothing ever gave me greater pleasure than a visit to the seaside. Well do I remember, even all these year after, my excitement and pleasure when one morning I saw my clothes being packed up, and heard orders given about engaging an inside place in the coach for me, which ran from my home to the seaside. However, I suppose the inside was fall, for I was put under the care of the conductor’s wife, just behind the coachman. As we drove along a feeling of pride and pleasure too, in being thus sent off without any of my own friends, filled my heart, and being so high up and seeing everything, pleased me well, We bad gone about three-quarters of the way, when we arrived at a pretty little village, and our driver smacking his whip, the four horses dashed along at a good pace, but suddenly a number of little boys rushed out of the hedge shouting, and this so frightened the horses that they dragged the coach into a ditch, tilting it completely on one side. Some of the passengers jumped off, my guardian was getting down, and I was forgotten! In my fright I jumped too; but oh! the terror I felt as I found myself nearing the ground, when, to my joy, I saw two strong arms stretched out to save me. It seems to me that I can feel those arms now. How safe I was! Then the gentleman put me down on the ground and said in a kind voice, “Why, my little girl, how came you to jump from such a height alone? Do you know, if I had not caught you, you would have been killed, or at any rate have been dreadfully hurt?” This sounded very serious to my childish ears, and I explained that I had been forgotten. Some years after this, I began to feel that I was falling again, but it was much more dreadful, and if some arm had not been put out to catch me where do you think I should have fallen? To hell. Yes, I was really on my way to bell! I saw that I was a sinner; my eyes were opened to danger just as they were when I jumped off the coach; but it was God who opened theca, and He showed me One who would save me if I would trust myself to Him. He showed me Jesus. I did trust Him, and He took me safely in His arms, and they are so strong that nothing can ever pluck me from them. Jesus says in John 10:28,28And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (John 10:28) “None shall pluck them out of My hand.”
My dear little friends, are you safe? if not, you are falling, falling into destruction. Would you like to see the arm that is stretched out to save you? or will you say, “No, I am quite safe; I can take care of myself?” What would you have said if I had called out to the gentleman not to catch me? If you only believe Him now, He will save you. He died for sinners, and He just bids you trust Him, and you shall be safe in His arms forever. M. T. R.