attended to. Parents are to see that every child is in his place, and giving his attention, at the hour of family devotions. A family reared up under the well regulated devotions of pious parents will not be likely to speak lightly of the cause of Christ, or the duties and responsibilities of such as profess the gospel. Much do the family devotions of pious parents have to do in forming the right moral and religious education of the deathless minds of their offspring. These duties, injudiciously discharged or neglected, will beget in the minds of children lax views of religion; but judiciously and faithfully performed, will inspire in their minds a right esteem for Christians, the Bible, and religion, if indeed this be not the instrumentality which God shall employ to make them early pious.

4. It is a parental duty to be observed in the moral education of the young, that children be taught properly to observe the Christian Sabbath. God has consecrated the day as holy time; a seventh part of life, to be specially devoted to the worship of God and religious improvement of the immortal soul. There is much of Sabbath desecration and profanation in the community, and ought not every friend of virtue and of Christianity, to put forth a hand to stay the progress of the evil? Let parents particularly impress on the minds of their children, souls whom God has committed to their charge to educate for eternity, a high veneration for the Holy Sabbath, and the sanctuary of God on that day? Should they not be guarded with sleepless vigilance against doing aught that shall desecrate the Lord's day?

5. As all the efforts of the most pious and faithful parents are liable to be counteracted by the influence of the vicious and profane, all parents are bound in duty to be careful as to the company which their children are to keep, and the associations they form. Remember" one sinner destroyeth much good." That parent is false to his sacred charge and recreant to his precious trust, who, to gratify the child, secure the favor of oth

ers, or avoid the charge of singularity, shall allow his child to associate with such youths as he fears would "Men prove injurious to his principles or his morals. are known by the company they keep ;" and it is equally true that much of the future character of the young may be estimated by the character of those who are the associates of their childhood and youth. The virtue of your child, and those principles of a just moral education which you are sedulously engrafting upon his mind, may suffer irreparable loss, from even slight associations with the vicious. Let parents, then, perform every duty toward their children, which parental love can suggest to them; and they shall secure to their offspring that education which shall be to them of incomparably more worth than the proudest estate or abundance of gold and silver.

NOTE. Before closing this chapter, the author wishes to present a few Scripture precepts relative to the Duties of Children to their Parents.

"Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." Ex. 20:12. To this St. Paul refers, when he says, it is the first commandment with promise..

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My son, keep the instructions of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother. They shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck." Prov. 8:8, 9. 66 Keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother." Prov. 4:20. "A wise son heareth his father's instructions, but a scorner heareth not rebuke." 13:1. "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right." Eph. 6:1. Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing unto the Lord." Col. 3:20.

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Children are not only commanded to obey their parents, but to reverence them. "HONOR thy father and thy mother;" thats, render that course of conduct toward them, which is due from an inferior to a superior, from children to parents. And this respect and reverence should increase as the parents advance in age.

"Despise not thy mother when she is old." Proverbs 23:22.

As it is the duty of parents to support and educate their children, so in turn it is the duty of children to support their parents, if in their power, and the circumstances of parents demand it. That person is a monster of a man, who should refuse to administer to the support and comfort of his parents under the infirmities of old age. The Divine instruction bearing upon this point, is thus unequivocally expressed; "But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." 1 Tim. 5:8. Such are the rules by which God would have children govern themselves in their conduct toward their parents; and such should be the practice of every youth professing piety.

INDEX.

PART I.-EXPERIMENTAL RELIGION.

PAGE.

CHAPTER I.-The Evidences of Regeneration,

CHAPTER II-Superficial Religion,

CHAPTER III.-Of growth in grace,
CHAPTER IV.-Christian watchfulness,

CHAPTER VI.-Unbelief-faith in God,

CHAPTER V.-On Prayer,

CHAPTER VII-A call to the backslidden,

5

14

22

39

61

76

82

PART II-THE CHURCH-AND DUTIES OF MEMBERS
IN THE CHURCH.

CHAPTER I.-The church,

CHAPTER II.-Duty of church members to love
one another,

91

105

CHAPTER III.-On Promoting the Peace of the

church,

114

CHAPTER IV.-On church discipline,

121

CHAPTER V.-The more general Duties of church
members in the church,

137

CHAPTER VI.-Duties of church members to their

CHAPTER VII.-Duty of pastors to the church, 157

PART III.-THE DUTIES OF CHRISTIANS ARISING
FROM THEIR CHRISTIAN PROFESSIONS.

CHAPTER I.-Duties of Christians in their inter-
course with the world,

CHAPTER II.-Duty of Christians to co-operate
in the great work of Christian benevo-
lence.

CHAPTER III.—The duty of parents to their
children,