DANIEL IN THE DEN OF LIONS. DANIEL, the captive Hebrew boy, A youth both good and fair, Was by the King of Babylon Then let us walk in wisdom's way, Though troubles may afflict; Though wicked people dare to say We need not be so strict: FOR GOD, WHO KEEPS HIS SERVANTS THUS, WILL SURELY BE AS KIND TO US. He would not taste the monarch's wine, Of water only would he drink, And soon he grew more learnèd far, Now the great men of Babylon That none in prayer for thirty days That those who would not should be cast Into the lions' den; But Daniel still prayed to his God, Despite these wicked men. When to the lions he was flung, God closed their savage jaws, And rescued Daniel who had prayed, Fearless of cruel laws. Good Daniel would not cease to pray, With all his foes in view; He called on God three times a day, As he was used to do; Nor feared the power of wicked men, Who put him in the lions' den. Nor was he of those beasts afraid, Though ready to devour ; The Lord his God, to whom he prayed, The hungry lions did not dare And thus the Lord did once preserve THE GOLDEN TEXT. "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me."-Rev. iii. 20. KNOCK AGAIN! "I WOULD knock till the door opened," said a little boy of three years old, to his elder sister, who that morning returned from school, because, as she said, she had knocked and no one heard her. May not the seeker of salvation learn a lesson from this child's earnestness, and "knock till the door opens;" for God's Word says "They that seek Me early shall find Me," and "to him that knocketh," the door "shall be opened." J. F. S. SHUTTING DOORS. "DON'T look so cross, Edward, when I call you back to shut the door; grandfather feels the March wind: you have got to spend your life shutting doors, and might as well begin to learn now, Edward." "Do forgive me, grandfather; I ought to be ashamed. But what do you mean? I am going to college, and then I'm going to be a lawyer." "Well, admitting all that, I imagine 'Squire Edward Carter' will have a good many doors to shut, if ever he makes much of a man." "What kind of doors? Do tell me, grandfather." "Sit down a minute, and I'll give you a list. "In the first place, the door of your ears must be closed against the bad language and evil counsel of the boys and young men you will meet at school and college, or you will be undone. Let them once get possession of that door, and I would not give much for Edward Carter's future prospects. "The door of your eyes, too, must be shut against bad books, idle novels, and low wicked newspapers, or your studies will be neglected, and you will grow up a useless, ignorant man. You will have to close them sometimes against the fine things exposed for sale in the shop windows, or you will never learn to lay up money, or "The door of your lips will need especial care, for they guard an unruly member, which makes great use of the bad company let in at the doors of the eyes and ears. That door is very apt to blow open, and if not constantly watched, will let out angry, trifling, or vulgar words. It will backbite sometimes worse than a March wind, if it is left open too long. I would advise you to keep it shut much of the time till you have laid up a store of knowledge, or at least till you have something valuable to say. "The inner door of your heart must be well shut against temptation, for Conscience, the door-keeper, grows very indifferent if you disregard his call, and sometimes drops asleep at his post; and when you may think you are doing very well, you are fast going down to ruin. "If you carefully guard the outside doors of the eyes and ears and lips, you will keep out many cold blasts of sin-which get in before you think. "This 'shutting doors,' you see, Eddy, will be a serious business; one on which your well-doing in this life and the next depends." "How am I to be saved, mother?" said little Herbert. "By taking God at His word, and believing what He has said concerning His Son." "But have I nothing to do?" said the boy. "I thought I must do something; for I was once told I must be good, or else God would have nothing to do with me." "My child, Jesus has done what was needed and you are saved, by believing all is done." "But I am not good," said Herbert. "Will God have nothing to do with me unless I am good?" "My boy, Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. He receives the bad, not the good, else none would be saved. It is your badness, not your goodness, that you are to bring to Him." "Well, that is good news," said the little fellow. O HOW HE LOVES! Proverbs xviii. 24. ONE there is above all others O how He loves! His is love beyond a brother's- Earthly friends may fail or leave us, 'Tis eternal life to know Him O how He loves! Think, O think, how much we owe Him O how He loves! With His precious blood He bought us, O how He loves! We have found a friend in Jesus- 'Tis His great delight to bless us— How our hearts delight to hear Him Bid us dwell in safety near Him: Why should we distrust or fear Him ?- O how He loves! Through His name we are forgiven-O how He loves! Backward shall our foes be driven-O how He loves! DANIEL'S BAND. STANDING by a purpose true, Dare to stand alone, Many mighty men are lost, Daring not to stand, Who for God had been a host By joining Daniel's Band. Many giants, great and tall, Stalking through the land, Headlong to the earth would fall, If met by Daniel's Band. Hold the Gospel banner high ! On to vict'ry grand! Satan and his host defy,. And shout for Daniel's Band. Illustrated Songs and Hymns. Compiled by T. B. S. Numerous Engravings. Price 2s. 6d. Illustrated Anecdotes; and Pithy Pieces in Prose and Verse. Many Engravings. Price 2s. 6d. S. W. PARTRIDGE & Co., 9, Paternoster Row, E.C. door; 1 door; : 1 | t:-:--:-: d:d: d: d:ff:|m:m: s: s: | 1: 1: Knocking, knocking, d: d | 1: 1,: | m : m : t:t:d:a: : 1 | m :-: r md-d:-:t, d:-:-:-: ff: knocking, knocking, | f,: f, : d:-: |