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NOW IS THE TIME 
 
 
 "Not yet/' said a little boy, as 
 he was busy with his trap and 
 ball ; " when I grow older, I will 
 think about my soul." The little 
 boy grew to be a young mau. 
 
 D 
 
2 NOW IS THE TIME. 
 
 "Kot yet/' said the young man, "1 
 am now about to enter into trade ; 
 when I see my business pros- 
 per, then I shall have more tune 
 than now." Business did pros- 
 per. "Kot yet," said the man 
 of business ; '' my children must 
 have my care ; when they are 
 eettled in life I shall be better 
 able to attend to religion." He 
 lived to be a grey-headed old 
 man. " Not yet," stilJ he cried ; 
 *^ I shall soon retire from trade, 
 and then I shall have nothing 
 else to do but to read and pray." 
 And so he died : he put off' to 
 another time what should have 
 been done when a child. He 
 lived without Grod, and died 
 wit]iout hope. 
 *^Kow is the time," says con- 
 
NOW IS THE TIME, 3 
 
 idence. " It is right you should 
 give to God the earliest and best 
 of your life. While your heart 
 is tender, and your life is before 
 you, you should begin to love 
 and serve him. If you had a 
 rose to give to a friend, v^^ould 
 you wait till it was faded and 
 dead before you offered it? 
 Would you not give it when it 
 was in its blossom and beauty ? 
 The little hymn says — 
 
 " A flower when offer'd in the bud 
 Is no vain sacrifice." 
 
 "Now is the time,*' says Pro- 
 vidence. You will never again 
 have so good a time. The word 
 of God is all written, and is in 
 your hands. You have teachers, 
 and ministers, and Sabbaths. 
 
4 NOW IS THE TIME. 
 
 The door of mercy is open. 
 "All things are ready.'* You 
 will gain nothing, and may lose 
 much, by delay. A man on a 
 journey came to the side of a 
 river, and there ©at down on a 
 green bank. A traveller, who 
 found him playing with some 
 W'ld plants wliich grew by his 
 side, asked him what he was 
 doing. He said he was waiting 
 till all the water ran past. But 
 soon night came on, the river 
 still flowed, and the man was left 
 in darkness in a strange land. 
 You sav, " He was a foolish 
 man.*' But when you sit down, 
 and do not go to Christ until 
 you think there is less to hinder, 
 you act just like that man. If 
 you do not yield yourself to him 
 
:row is the time. 5 
 
 noWj sin will harden your heart 
 as 3^ou grow older. 
 
 "Now is the time," says the 
 word of God. It is "the ac- 
 cepted time,'* Tour Saviour 
 says, "I love them that love 
 me, and those that seek me 
 early shall find me.*' "Remem- 
 ber now thy Creator in the days 
 of thy youth/' He speaks to 
 you, " Give me thine heart," 
 — not the body only, though 
 that must be given. He asks 
 not for the shell, but for the 
 kernel ; not for the casket only, 
 but for the jewel. Not only 
 your tongue, your hands, your 
 ears, but your heart. It is the 
 best thing you have to give ; and 
 Jesus is pleased to accept it 
 It is better in his esteem tban 
 
6 KOW IS THE TIME. 
 
 silver, and gold, and diamondB* 
 of you give him your young 
 heart, he will make it better. 
 By nature it is sinful: he will 
 renew it by his Holy Spirit. It 
 is naturally hard: he will soften 
 it with his love. It is barren 
 and unprofitable : he will make 
 it fruitful by his grace. He can 
 make it not only holy, but happy.. 
 He will make it a faithful heart. 
 Then your sins will be blotted 
 out by hia precious blood, and 
 you will be one of his redeemed 
 family. But do not forget, " Now 
 
 is THE TIME." 
 
 It is idched to delay to make 
 
 .this gift. It is true you are 
 
 young ; but you must not put oflf 
 
 faith and repentance. Young as 
 
 you are, you have sinned against 
 
NOW IS THE TIME. 7 
 
 God, and it is not too soon to 
 repent. You need a Saviour ; it 
 is not too soon to believe on 
 H-im. It is also dangerous to de- 
 lay. There was a fomous genera! 
 named Hannibal, wLo went witb 
 a great army to take tlie city 
 of Home. "When lie could have 
 taken it he did not, and when 
 he would have taken it he could 
 not. He lost all by delay. So 
 when many young persons may 
 come to Jesus they will not ; 
 they put it oiF till it is too late. 
 Consider, you may die soon, and 
 if you die in your sins you will 
 be lost for ever. It is related of 
 a little Syrian boy that lie asked 
 his teacher to instruct him in 
 the law of God, and was tola 
 that he was too young. " But. 
 
8 NOW IS THE TIME. 
 
 master/' said the boy, "I have 
 been in the burial ground, and 
 measured the graves, and find 
 some of them shorter than my- 
 self : now, if I should die before 
 I liave learned the word of God, 
 what will become of me?" 
 Now is the time. 
 
 '* (jive me thy heart," the Savioiir cries* 
 
 Ye children, hear his voice ; 
 Now in your early days be wise, 
 
 And make a heavenly choice. 
 
 Give me thy heart," nor linger more, 
 Too soon you cannot give ; 
 Nrw, on your knees, his grace implore, 
 Believe, obey, and live. 
 
 Come, children, supplicate his grace, 
 
 Let this your answer be — 
 " Behold, O Lord, we seek thy face, 
 
 And give our hearts to thee." 
 
 Pardon and Son, Printers, Paternoster row. 
 
 -WCTONHH 
 
7,U 
 

 
 
 
 Jesus laid his glory by 
 When for us ho stooped to die ; 
 How I wonder when I see 
 His unbounded love to me ! 
 
 He the sick to health restored, 
 To the poor he preached the word ; 
 Even children came to share 
 In his love and tender care. 
 
 Every bird can build its nest, 
 Foxes have their place of rest ; 
 He by whom the world was made 
 Had not w^here to lay his head. 
 
 He who is the Lord most high, 
 Then was poorer far than I, 
 That I might hereafter be 
 Rich to all eternity. 
 
 
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