A HERMIT was conducted by an angel into a wood, where he saw an old man cutting down boughs to make up a burden. When it was large enough he tied it up, and attempted to lift it on his shoulder to carry it away; but finding it very heavy he laid it down, cut more wood and heaped it on, and then tried again to carry it off. This he repeated several times, always adding something to his load, after trying in vain to raise it from the ground. In the meantime, the hermit, astonished at the old man’s folly, desired the angel to explain what this meant. “You behold,” said he, “in the foolish old man an exact representation of those who, being made sensible of their sins, resolve to repent, but soon grow weary, and instead of lessening their burden, increase it every day. At each trial they find the task more difficult than before, and so put it off a little longer, in vain hoping that they will by-and-by be more able to accomplish it. Thus they go on adding to the burden till it grows too heavy to be borne, and then in despair of God’s mercy, and with their sins unrepented of, they lie down and die. Turn again, my son, and behold the end of the old man whom thou sawest just now heaping up a load of boughs.” The hermit looked, and saw him in vain attempting to remove the pile, which was now accumulated far beyond his strength to raise. His feeble limbs tottered over his burden; the poor remains of his strength were fast ebbing away; the darkness of death was gathering around him; and after a convulsive and impotent attempt to lift the pile he fell down and expired. How many who will read this article are in the condition of this foolish old man? They have resolved wiser things again and again, but the load is growing heavier and harder to lift every day. The sooner it is lifted the better.—Exchange.