When a great bridge was being built over the East River at New York, the engineer came upon an old derelict ship lying embedded in the river mud, just where one of the central piers of the bridge was to go down to its bedrock foundation. No tug boat could be found that was able to start the derelict from its ancient bed in the river. With a sudden inspiration, one of the workers hit upon the following scheme. He took a large, flat boat, which had been used to bring stone down the river, and joined it to the old sunken ship when the tide was low. Slowly the rising tide, with all the forces of the ocean behind it, came up under the flat boat, raising it inch by inch; and as it came up, the derelict came up with it, until it was entirely out of the mud that held it. It had felt the pull of the tide.

A man on one occasion came on a boy flying a kite and asked him what he was doing. "Flying my kite," was the reply. The man looked up, searching the sky in vain, and said, "I can see no kite." "Well," answered the boy. "I am sure it is there—first, because I saw it go, and next, because I can feel it pull." His questioner had not seen the kite go, but when he took in hand the end of the string which the boy was holding, he too, felt the pull, and knew.

The migratory bird, when spring arrives, feels the pull of the northern shores. The tiniest asteroid of our system feels the pull of the mighty sun. The flake of vegetation which we call a seed, in its dark and narrow bed feels the pull of the spring, bidding it awake and arise. And are there not special hours in the experience of each one of us when we consciously feel the pull of the unseen? In John 12:32, we read: "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me."

We are constantly being reminded that "the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Cor. 4:18). That being so, it is of the utmost consequence that we should be prepared to listen and respond to the voice of the Holy Spirit Who is calling to us. Indeed, how much may depend on the response that we are prepared to give! There is the pull of conviction of sin. Have we not all felt it at one time or another? We read in Romans 3:23, that "all have sinned." Saul of Tarsus felt it—the woman of Samaria felt it—the Philippian jailor felt it. Happy the person who, feeling it, obeys the call in early life, having the past put away and forgiven; and thrice happy when, having felt it, and obeyed, he follows it by a life of service. There are some, however, who put off listening and obeying to a future date, and how often with disastrous results!

Sin is a terrible power, for we read, "Be sure your sin will find you out." To play with it spells disaster!

Has the pull of God been felt as you have been reading this article? If so, why not yield to Christ now, taking Him as your personal Saviour.

"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (1 Tim. 1:15).

"The Spirit and the Bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst, come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" (Rev. 22:17).

—A.M.