"On the narrow ledges of the steep cliffs of the Yorkshire coast, multitudes of sea-fowl lay their eggs, by gathering which some persons obtain a perilous livelihood. It once happened that a man, having fixed in the ground his iron bar, and having lowered himself down by the rope which was fastened to it, found that, in consequence of the edge of the cliff bending over the part below, he could not reach the narrow ledge where the eggs were deposited without swinging himself backwards and forwards. By this means, he, at last, placed his foot upon the rock, but in so doing, he lost his hold of the rope! His situation was most dreadful!"
"The sea roared hundreds of feet below! It was impossible to climb either up or down; he must soon perish from want, or be dashed to pieces on the rocks! The rope was his only way of escape. It was still swinging to and fro, but when it settled it would be out of his reach! Every time it approached him it was farther off than before. Every moment that he waited his danger increased! He made up his mind. The next time the rope swung towards him he sprang forwards, seized it, and reached the top in safety!"
"Sinner! Your salvation is farther off every moment you wait! Death will soon cast you down, but Jesus is near to save you! He invites you to lay hold on Him. It is your only hope. Grasp Him by Faith; you cannot miss your hold. He will hold you, and draw you up to heaven. But the difficulty and danger are greater every moment that you delay. Come to Jesus now!"
[CHAPTER V.]
Amy's Tale.
THE LADY AND THE SERPENT.
"A LADY, named Miss Bird, on entering her bathroom one night during her residence in India, happened to place her foot on the head of a serpent. She did not yield to the natural impulse of fear, and start back, and so release the dangerous reptile. Firmly she pressed down her foot upon it. It coiled round her ankle, but she remained immovable! When the servants came with lights they found the heroic lady with a cobra capella lying dead at her feet!"
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"Oh! What firmness she showed!" exclaimed Jessy. "I am sure that I should have started back and screamed the moment that I felt the slimy creature under my foot!"
"Then if the lesson taught by the last story was decision, the lesson taught by this must be perseverance," said Mr. Presgrave. "There are many who act upon prompt and noble impulse, who trample, as it were, on the sin that besets them, but fail when their trial is lengthened and tedious, when their courage has time to cool and their hope to flag. And we all need the apostle's exhortation—'Be not weary in well-doing, for in due season ye shall reap if ye faint not.'"