garments are? If you do not, I will tell you. They are the graces of the Spirit. Humility and love are two of these garments. Faith and hope are two others of these garments. Zeal and patience are two others of these garments. Meekness and gentleness are two others of these garments. This dress, in which the young pilgrim appears, is not of earthly manufacture. Neither angels nor men could make it. It is manufactured in heaven. It is made by the Holy Spirit. When the young pilgrim begins his journey to the heavenly city, this dress is taken from Christ's royal wardrobe, and put upon him. Oh, how well he looks in this royal heavenly dress! and Oh, how happy! The young pilgrim sings the following song (Isa. lxi. 10), "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God: for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness."

"How far the heavenly robe exceeds,

What earthly princes wear!

These ornaments, how bright they shine!
How white the garments are !
Strangely, my soul, art thou array'd

By the great sacred Three :

In sweetest harmony of praise

Let all thy powers agree."

My dear young children, may the robe, the raiment, the happiness, and the blessedness of the young pilgrim be yours!

V. The young pilgrim's armour.

St. Paul gives a very striking description of this armour, in which the young pilgrim appears, and by which he defends himself from his enemies; and by which he wounds them, and by which he conquers them. The account is in Eph. vi. 14-17. The apostle mentions six things of which this armour consists. Come and see the young pilgrim in armour, ready for the fight.

See upon his head the Helmet of Salvation. See upon his bosom the Breastplate of Righteousness. See

around his loins the sash, or Girdle of Truth. See upon his feet his spiritual shoes, the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace. See in his right hand the Sword of the Spirit. See upon his left arm the Shield of Faith.

The helmet is provided for the defence of the soldier's head. Salvation is the defence of the young pilgrim's soul. The breastplate is provided for the defence of the soldier's bosom. The righteousness of Christ defends the young pilgrim's heart from the flaming sword of offended justice. Divine truth is the young pilgrim's girdle, by which he is fitted to fight with activity, and run with swiftness, his Christian race. He is fortified and protected by Gospel doctrines, and prepared for walking over paths the most rugged, thorny, and difficult. The Bible is his sharp and twoedged sword, by which he makes even Satan stagger and fall. Faith is his shield of defence, which even the fiery darts of the wicked one cannot pierce.

Now, in conclusion, what do you think of the young pilgrim arrayed in armour? Does he not look lovely, and noble, and invincible? He does. Oh, pray that you may belong to the company of young pilgrims! Then, at last, you will reach a glorious heaven, the pilgrim's home! Amen. A. F.

(To be continued in our next.)

SACRED ZOOLOGY.

THE EAGLE.

"Thy youth is renewed as the Eagle's.-Psalm ciii. 5.

THE Eagle is a bird of prey, often mentioned in Scripture. As the lion is the king of beasts, the eagle is the king of birds. I shall first give you a short description of the eagle, and then show the spiritual use which is made of this bird in the Word of God. I. I will endeavour to give you a short description of the eagle. There are many kinds of eagles, differing in size and plumage. They all belong to that genus of

birds of prey called the Falcon genus. All eagles have a strong beak, considerably long, straight at the base or root, and bent towards the point. The legs are strong and covered with feathers even to the toes, and these are armed with very powerful claws.

The Great Eagle is a name which includes the six following the common eagle, the royal eagle, the golden eagle, the ring-tailed eagle, the white-tailed eagle, and the black eagle. The male eagle is about three feet long, and the female about three feet and a half. The wings at their full stretch, extend between six and eight feet. The female is larger, and is even more courageous and cunning than the male. In clear weather, the eagle rises to an astonishing height, and at times, notwithstanding its great size, becomes invisible to the human eye. Even then its cry is heard, resembling the barking of a small dog. So amazing is the sharpness of its sight, that when it is too high to be visible to man, it can see a hare, or even a smaller animal, upon the ground; when it darts upon it with certain and unerring aim. The eagle very seldom leaves the mountains. When he visits the plains, it is generally in the winter season. He is so strong that he can cut through the air in opposition to the most furious winds. Ramond, a celebrated writer, and observer of nature, says, that when he stood upon mount Perdu, the loftiest mountain of the Pyrenees, he saw no living creature but an eagle. It was flying over his head with immense rapidity, in direct opposition to a furious south-west wind.

The female lays two, and very seldom three eggs annually. She sits upon them thirty days. The nest is called an 66 eyrie," and is usually placed in the hollow or fissure of some very high and abrupt rock. It is formed with long sticks, twined together with small twigs, and covered over with layers of rushes, heath, or moss. It is not hollow like other nests; but it is level, and may be properly called a raised platform. Some of the nests which have been measured, have

been two yards square. Eagles are found in the mountainous regions of all the quarters of the globe. They likewise appear in the mountains of Great Britain and Ireland.

II. We will now consider the spiritual use which is made of this remarkable bird in the Word of God

In Exod. xix. 4., God says to Israel; "Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings." Moses said to Israel, a short time before his death, speaking of God's watchful care over them; Deut. xxxii. 11, 12, "As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings, so the Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him." It is said, Psalm. ciii. 5, "Thy youth is renewed like the eagle's." We are told, that periodically the eagle renews its youth and vigour. In allusion to this fact, there is a promise made to the people of God, that their bodily health and strength, but more especially, that their spiritual health and strength would be renewed, increased, and continued.

The flight of time, and the rapid course of human life, are illustrated by the eagle's rapid flight. Job. ix. 25, 26, "My days are passed away as the eagle that hasteth for his prey." The very quick removal of riches from their possessors is compared to the eagle flying to the heavens, which can neither be taken nor reached. Prov. xxiii. 5, " Wilt thou set thine eyes on that which is not? for riches make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven."

Believers, in the liveliness of their hope and in the vigour of their faith, are compared to the eagle ascending to the sky. Isa. xl. 31, "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles." These words are beautifully rendered by Watts:

"The saints shall mount on eagles' wings,

And taste the promised bliss,

Till their unwearied feet arrive

Where perfect pleasure is."-Book I. H. xxxii. ver. 5.