4. You must seek to be with them that fear the Lord, especially with good fathers, and mothers, and teachers, and ministers of religion. Solomon tells you this truth: "He that walketh with wise men shall be wise; but a companion of fools shall be destroyed." (Prov. xiii. 20.)

The company of good children will not hurt you, if it does not lead you to neglect your present duty; and you are careful to learn good from them. Much play and sport will not, however, increase your happiness, or prepare you for a life of real enjoyment. You desire to be raised above the lowest state of want, but the wisest of men tells us, in Prov. xxi. 17, "He that loveth pleasure, shall be a poor man; he that loveth wine and oil, shall not be rich." If you love play, you are in danger of forgetting religion, which is to you as well as all other persons," the one thing needful." You have the example of our blessed Saviour in this matter. He began, in early life, to ask questions

of those who were much older than himself, as well as to give wise answers to those who questioned him; hence St. Luke, ii. 47, adds, "And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers."

5. You must read your Bible, and other good books as much as you can. These will furnish you with the knowledge of God and of his Son Jesus Christ, -these will nourish up your minds in faith and in good doctrine. When children have once had their minds stored with the holy Scriptures, and they have been trained up in habits of daily prayer to God, they seldom sin as the wicked do, so as to take any lasting pleasure in its pursuit.

APPLICATION.

We have endeavoured to show to children the necessity they are under to repent of their sins before God. We have seen that children may be so wicked, as

to be cut off for their crimes, as those who were torn in pieces by wild beasts for mocking God's prophet. We have given some examples of early religion, in the persons of Samuel and others. We have pointed out some means of working repentance and faith in children; but, after all, we must pray to God to make our instructions useful to you, "without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy." May God, therefore, for the sake of Jesus Christ, make this sermon a blessing to you, and may this application still further promote your piety, while we offer a few words,

1. To children. Hear us once more, my dear children. You must die. This event may happen to you while you are only children. What will become of you, if you go astray as soon as you are born, speaking lies? Unless you repent and turn to God, according to your capacity to exercise faith and repentance, you must, after death, have your place and

punishment with the devil and his angels. Flee then, I pray you, from the wrath to come. Begin this day to pray to Jesus Christ to give you a new heart, and to fit you for his heavenly kingdom. Then it will be well with you at all times, in childhood, and in youth, and in growing years, if God is pleased to extend your lives-then "all things will work together for good to you who love God." Nothing shall harm you, seeing you are followers of that which is good.

2. To parents. O ye fathers and mothers, you have much duty laid upon you in regard to your children. If you set them an example of wickedness, how can you be freed from the charge of cruelty towards them ?" They ask of you bread, and you give them a stone." You hurt their souls, while you feed and clothe their bodies. Beware that you be not partakers of their sins. See that you

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behave yourselves wisely towards them -see that you preserve good temper with

them, and that they learn no evil ways

from you.

Teach them the knowledge of God at home; talk to them of the importance and necessity of religion, both to yourselves and to them. Explain to them the uses of learning, both human and divine. Teach them the benefits of obedience and submission to the powers that be, to the king and to all that are put in authority under him. Remember, that if your children do not learn good from you, they will learn evil. Children are peculiarly creatures of imitation, the sentiments which they utter are frequently an echo of those which they have repeatedly heard from their parents.

Pray for your children, that God would give them his Holy Spirit-yea, pray with them. It is the duty of parents to pray for their children: what then shall we say to you who do not pray for yourselves? How can you be heard when you pray for your children? The godly