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 deep religious  convictions,  there  must  be something  grand  and  beautiful  in  this  faith; and then  is  the  poet  right  when  he  warns you, dear  reader,  in  the  following  lines:

Son, let  no  man  take  away The faith  that  is  thy  soul's  chief  stay; Count it  as  thy  dearest  treasure, Far beyond  earth's  wealth  or  pleasure.

"The kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  to  a  merchant seeking  good  pearls :  who,  when  he  had found  one  pearl  of  great  price,  went  his  way, and  sold  all  that  he  had,  and  bought  it." (Matt. xiii.  45,  46).

The one  pearl  without  price  is  the  true faith and  the  state  of  grace. Guard this treasure carefully. Sacrifice everything  to preserve  your  faith  and  the  grace  and  love of God.

Faith is  our  beacon -light  in  the  storms  of life. Faith is  our  strength  and  consolation in adversity. Faith is  certainly  a  supernatural treasure  of  such  value  that  no  earthly good whatever  can  compensate  for  its  loss. Purity of  heart  is  the  fairest  ornament  of a  young  man;  faith  is  his  most  precious treasure. It resembles  the  bright  light  of the  sun,  which  cheers  and  enlivens  the  face of nature,  and  without  which  the  earth would be  dark  and  dreary,  cold  and  unfruitful. Infinitely more  sad,  however,  would  be our  life  without  the  bright  rays  of  the  true faith.