*r fH 
 
■■r. LIBRARY 
 D! ' N. C. 
 
 A FRIEND INDEED. 
 
 THERE is an old saying, 
 indeed" A hungry man thinks so wlien be gets a loaf of 
 bread, and the thirsty man, when some one gives him a cup 
 of water. The traveler thin] s so, when he has lost his way, 
 and some one tells him which is the right road. Tbe Biok 
 man feels the truth of this saying, when he receives a certain 
 cure for bis sickness, and the drowning man feels it, when a 
 strong arm draws him out of the water. * 
 
 This little printed paper comes to yon in your need as a 
 friend indeed. Will you welcome its call, and hear what it 
 has to say ? 
 
 You have two things to 
 soul. The body needs to I 
 
 health, and whatever we do to defile it, or injure it, is sinful. 
 But with all our care it will not last a great while. Most 
 of the trees and houses that we pass every day, will be where 
 they are now, long after our bodies are under ground. 
 
 But it is not so with tbe sold. That will live always. It 
 will live when the trees are all dead, and the bouses are all 
 fallen. It will live when the earth and the seas, the moon 
 and the stars, yes, and the sun itself, shall have all passed 
 away ! 
 
 The soul will never oease to live ! 
 
 Will you think of this, my friend ? Your soul is to live 
 always ! 
 
 God made both our bodies and our souls. You know that 
 everything that is made must have had a maker, and he 
 "who built all things is God." (Acts xvii. 24 : Heb. iii. 4.) 
 
 God takes care of u§ every moment. It is in him we live, 
 and move and have our being. (Aqts xvii. 28. He gives 
 
2 , A FRIEND INDEED. 
 
 us health and food, clothes and friends. la it not right that 
 we should do what he tells us to do, and try to please him 
 in all things ? 
 
 In the Holy Scriptures we h-we his law plainly set before 
 us ; and besides that, we have within us a law, written on 
 the heart, which is also the law of God, and which approves 
 of what is right and condemns "what is wrong. (Romans 
 ii. 15.) 
 
 This holy law requires us to love God with the whole heart, 
 and our neighbor as ourselves. (Mark xii. 29-33.) Is not 
 this a very just and good law ? If all men should obey it, 
 would not ali men be happy ? Just think of it. 
 
 But all men have done many things which this good law 
 forbids, and have left undone many things which it requires. 
 So that the Bible truly says, "All have sinned, and come 
 short of the glory of God." (Romans iii. 23.) 
 
 Now we cannot ask to have this good law set aside and 
 made of no account, because it condemns us for our sins. 
 Nor can we ask or expect that our obedience in time to 
 come, will make up for our past sins. A murderer is not 
 pardoned, even among men, just because he promises not to 
 commit murder again. <3od is just ami holy, as well as kind 
 and good, and if we break his law, we must expect he will 
 punish us as he says he will ; and we can all see, that "it 
 is a fearful thing to fall into, the hauds of the living God." 
 (Hebrews x. 31.) We need not fear them that kill the 
 body, and after that have no more that they can do ; but we 
 ought to fear him who, after he hath killed, hath power to 
 destroy both soul and body in hell. (Luke xii. 4, 5 ; Mat- 
 thew x. 28.) 
 
 Do you not feel in your own heart, that you are not what 
 you ought to be ? And do you think, if you should die just 
 as you are, you could be happy with the holy beings that 
 dwell in heaven ? And yet you want to be happy. You have 
 a soul that might be happy. If you were holy you would 
 be happy — happy now and happy for ever. 
 
 But what can a wicked man do to make himself holy ? 
 This is the very thing I have come # to tell you. The Son 
 of God came into the world, and having taken upon himself 
 the form of a man, perfectly obeyed God's law, and suffered 
 
A FRIEFD IN T DF:i>D. 
 
 the penalty which we deserve for having broken it ; and 
 ,now God is pleased to say, that whosoever repents of his 
 sins, and forsakes them, and believes in Jesus Christ, shall 
 not be punished for his sins, but shall have everlasting life. 
 For Christ's sake, God can aid will pardon the most wicked 
 sinner who repents and believes in him. (John iii. 16.) The 
 Holy Spirit is also sent to cleanse us from sin, and make 
 our hearts holv like Christ. (1 Corinthians vi. 11 ; Titus iii. 
 5,6.) 
 
 Perhaps you think he will not bestow so great a gift on 
 such an one as you are ; but to encourage you to come to 
 him, he likens himself to a father, and tells you that he is 
 more .willing to give his Holy Spirit, to them that ask him, 
 than- earthly parents are to give good things to their child 
 ren. (Luke xi. 9-13.) 
 
 Were you even the chief of sinners, there is a word of 
 encouragement in the sacred Scriptures which is meant for 
 you. The apostle Paul says, "It is a faithful sayiog, and 
 worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ Came into the 
 world to save sinners, of „waoM I am chief." (I Timothy 
 i. 15.) J 
 
 Now, my friend, you must either cast away your Bible as 
 a book of fables, and be in darkness as much as the heathen 
 are, or you must allow that God is very gracious and merci- 
 ful, and could not have done more for you thau he has done. 
 I beg you then to answer to yourself these four plain ques- 
 tions : — 
 *1. Are 3^11 now ready to forsake all your sins, aud4o do 
 k ^ji^^atYx^<^mlD71s}g4i to do? * - t . fSt< 
 9 * * 2.JDo yon feS^om* neeUlf stWgth fron>GoJ foliiSWj 
 yo^ito keep his commandments ? * \ 
 
 *1 t&^&y !^* 1 *! t0 talrethe XordtJetu^hrilKfor your \^V> 
 >ur. and to ctfva nrWery hope of mercy which does 
 
 t *V* 
 
 pe.iishlng" creature, ^^ 
 
 '' Gob ipijviArSiful to m!?% IkifejW - ^ 
 
 hea^s^hW prayer, and % ft',it cdrnis from the 
 he swill, Foi^OTHst sake, bloro^t^t^ 4rJ^a^jJ J 
 * 5 $"J|^c<^k> serve and enjoy him for ever. 
 
 •> 
 
 fonl^^fbur^and to give u 
 nol rest^n him ? 
 
 T 1 ' X • \ 
 
 * z i [ \ A l ^y° u .^i^ t( > fall/Iowh >on your Unties* amVerv o 
 
 
 »-*«iA 
 
 
 ■\ 
 
 VV 
 
 \ 
 
I&nc 
 
 CHRIST THE FRIEND OF SINNERS, 
 
 One there is, above ill others, 
 
 Well deserves the name of Friend ; 
 His is love beyond a brother's, 
 
 Costly, free, and kjnows no end. 
 
 Wbicb of all our friends, to save us, 
 
 Could or would hfcve shed his blood ? 
 But this Saviour died to have us 
 
 Reconciled in him to God. 
 _ « 
 
 When he lived on earth abased, 
 
 Friend of sinners was Ids name ; 
 Now above all glory raised, 
 
 lie rejoices in the same. 
 
 ! for grace our hearts to soften ; 
 
 Teach us, Lord, at length to love ; 
 We, alas ! forget too often, 
 
 What a friend we have above. 
 
 .•»*• 
 
 ac^At**^ 
 
Hollinger Corp. 
 pH 8.5