enter Heaven do not keep your children from going there; if you are resolved to rush headlong down to hell, do not drag your children; take heed, pray for grace to persevere in the instruction of your children; for, let parents remember, that they of all others, ought to discover the utmost concern for their present and eternal happiness: if you neglect this duty, their reproaches will only increase your torments, and make the wrath of God fall with tenfold greater weight upon your own souls. Too many parents do not think of their responsibility till they become parents, and then their affection and want of serious consideration of their duty, lead them to neglect it, till they see their error when it is too late.

"With deep concern may parents think,
How rich immortal spirits are;

Tremble to see them on the brink,
Of endless ruin, void of care.

"For should your children's souls be wreck'd,
And you not warn them of the sands,
What double wrath must you expect

From God, the great avenger's hands."

III. Attend to the duty here commandedfeed, nourish, or instruct my lambs.

1. I will show what they ought to be fed with. Like new born babes, with the sincere milk of the word of life: with plain and simple instructions, such as are generally contained in catechisms, hymns, tickets and small books.

The first principles of the christian religion must be taught them, again and again; they must have line upon line and precept upon precept, here a little and there a little : The instructions they receive must be such as their age and capacity require, and such as they can fully understand. If you wish them to love and fear God, you must tell them who he is and what he is; that he is their Maker, that he made them, and the world and all things; before they will love, they must first be taught how good and kind he is to them, and what he has done for them, and what he has promised in the Bible to do for them. Teach them the evil of sin, that God hates it, because he is holy. This is the design of catechisms, to teach children what they are to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of them. We are to remember, that children are not born with Bibles in their heads, nor yet in their hearts; and if they are not taught these truths, how should they know them? children should be taught to speak the truth, the duty and necessity of prayer, that they must die, and if they die in sin, must be miserable. But children are taught by parents as well as ministers, and by teachers as well as parents; schools may be compared to nurseries; and many schools are often nurseries of vice; but it should be the duty of teachers to hinder this all in their pow er, by warning the children under their care, of the dreadful evil, and consequences of sin.

Let all the truths which are contained in the Bible be taught them; as soon as they are able to understand them, tell them stories and remarkable passages from the Bible; thus water the olive plants around your table.

Let us now attend to the second thing, which is to explain the manner, how they are to be fed.

1. It requires great care and attention: children learn, while young, those principles which are to be their guide and support through life, their comfort at death, and their happiness and joy in eternity: unless you pay them some de gree of attention, their lessons will be full of blunders and their catechisms and hymns repeated in a careless manner. Let them learn as much as their memories and the time allowed for teaching will admit, but remember, that the truths they learn ought to be well repeated. Be careful to explain to them the meaning of what they read and learn; because, if this is not done, they will only commit to memory a set of words, and to those words they will put their own meaning; a parrot that is taught could answer as well; and the children will not be any wiser than they were before.

2. It requires great tenderness and affection. Let your hearts as well as your hands be engag ed in the work. It should be the study of a teacher by kindness and love to gain the affections of the children: In order to do this, there must not be too much severity, especially at first; you ought to teach the children to mind

what you say, and at the same time avoid all unnecessary reproof; when they do well they ought to be encouraged; caress them, and hold them up as examples to others: when they do ill, you must privately and tenderly tell them of their faults, and caution them against them: when these faults are repeated, notwithstanding your frequent admonitions, the child should be publicly reproved, that others may take warning thereby.

3. It requires great forbearance and love; because the tempers and dispositions of children are so various, and their capacities so different from each other, that you will be often much tried by both some will do as you bid, them, and make great progress, these will give you pleasure; others will do the same for a time, and others will obstinately refuse to obey, and all the arguments and persuasions that you can possibly make use of, will not bring them to comply with your wishes. Here you will find the caution of the apostle extremely necessary, "Be ye angry and sin not," you will find it necessary to forbear, forget and forgive; try to overcome them with kindness, and make them sensible that you seek their best welfare. Let the same mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus.

4. It will require much patience and perseverance. It is your duty to go on amidst every trial and opposition you may meet with, either

from the world, the work, or the children: Be not dismayed at small difficulties, nor yet make mountains of mole-hills; the children will weary your attention, their tempers will try your patience to the utmost; the fatigue of a constant attendance, winter and summer, will be great; the confinement will be disagreeable; but, after all, if you consider the work in which you are engaged, you will find that it demands your constant attention and most active exertions. You must not expect to see the corn in the ear as soon as you have sown the seed, but patiently wait till the time of harvest, at the last day, when you will have many precious souls, who will appear like so many jewels to adorn your crown. The harvest may not be near, nor the effects of your instructions immediately seen; but though slow, they will be sure and certain, and will be delightful beyond expression; therefore, "be not weary in well doing, for in due season you shall reap, if you faint not.'

But to conclude, it requires a sincere love to their souls without this, the work will prove a burden or a task; with it, a pleasure and delight. Remember, that the soul is infinitely valuable endeavour to impress the minds of the children with the evil of sin-holiness of God-depravity of their hearts-the shortness of time-the certainty of death-the danger of dying in sin-the need of Jesus as a Saviournecessity of a new heart-the final judgment, and the duration of an eternity of happiness or