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the soul is concerned; where time, precious time, is to be improved; where days, short days, hasty days, are to be num bered; where wisdom, divine wisdom, is the object of our search;

"Catch, then, O catch the fleeting hour;
Improve each moment as it flies:

Life's a short summer,-man a flow'r; "

He dies, alas! how soon he dies!Dr. Johnson.

Let us now, my dear young friends, turn the words of our text into a short prayer, and say with Moses, the man of God, "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom."

A HYMN ON PSALM xc. 12.

So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

Teach us, O Lord, to number well
The days which thou hast giv'n,
To shun the road that leads to hell,
And walk the path to heav'n.
Though young in years, O make us wise,
To choose the better part,

Improve our time, and seek thy grace
Sincerely with our heart.

While in the school of life we stay,
And various lessons learn,

O make us wise, to choose our way,
And good from ill discern.

Be thou our teacher, Lord, we pray,
And let thy spirit guide;

May we obedient scholars prove,

Let conscience check our pride.

PAUSE.

Thy mercies, Lord, how great the sum !
When we begin to count,

And add our privileges to these,

How large is the amount!

Much of our time has run to waste,

And little may remain ;

Our sins have greatly multiplied,

And we have liv'd in vain.

O help us to divide this year,
By wisdom from on high,
To practice all thy holy will,
As days and minutes fly.

O may we all apply the heart,
And heav'nly wisdom find;

And add to grace and knowledge pure
A meek and humble mind.

R. M.

LECTURE II.

DAVID'S CHARGE TO SOLOMON.

CHRON. i. 28, 29.-And thou Solomon, my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.

THIS is a very long text, perhaps one of the longest in the Bible: but it is also a very important one. I hope you will try to learn it. It is part of a farewell charge given by David to his son, a short time before his death, and is therefore the more solemn and important. It is the admonition of the best king, to the wisest and richest prince that ever lived in the world.

Better advice than this, my young friends, I cannot give you at any time. Though it was first given by the king of Israel to his son, it is equally suitable to you, and it is equally important that you should receive it. This is true religion, to "know God, and serve him with a perfect heart and a willing mind." True religion is the best ornament you can wear in the present world; and it is one which you can carry with you to heaven. Seek to be " adorned with the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.' "Godliness is profitable unto all things, having the promise of the life which now is, and of that which is

to come."

Remember that the tender buds of childhood should be devoted to the Lord, as well as the opening blossoms of youth, and the ripening fruits of greater age.

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Then shall you "flourish like the palm-tree, and grow like the cedar in Lebanon: satisfied early with the mercy of God, you shall rejoice and be glad all the days of your life."

David had assembled all the rulers, the captains and the princes of Israel, and in their presence he gave this impressive charge to Solomon his son-and where is the child that will not listen to it with attention?

It must have been very affecting and interesting to all who were present. David was drawing very near the close of his life; he was about to leave his people and his crown; this was his last public appearance and address, and was concluded by earnest prayer to the Lord, that he would bless the people, and Solomon his son; that he would give him a perfect heart to keep all the commandments, testimonies, and statutes, of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel.

"And thou, Solomon, my son:" What an earnest and affectionate introduction! What a pious and excellent parent did Solomon enjoy! Though this charge was given expressly to Solomon, yet, if the rest of David's children were present, they, no doubt, paid the greatest attention to these important words. Think upon them, and pray over them.

Suppose yourselves to be David's children, and these words to be addressed to each of you.

Hear, ye children, the instructions of your father. Listen to your inspired and dying teacher. Be attentive to your minister and your friend. Hear him saying, "Come ye children, hearken unto me, and I will teach you the fear of the Lord."

What an excellent thing it is to have pious parents! It was of the utmost importance to Solomon that he had such a father as David. Solomon received from his father an earthly kingdom and a fading crown; but if you are the sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty, you shall receive from his hands an eternal kingdom, and a crown of glory which can-not fade away.

Seek, my young friends, to "know God, and serve him with a perfect heart and a willing mind. If thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever."

Let us now consider,

I. The CHARGE itself.

II. The MOTIVES by which this charge is enforced.

III. The CONSEQUENCES of obeying or neglecting this charge.

I. Let us consider the CHARGE itself.

It consists of two parts: 1. To know God.

"And thou Solomon, my son, know thou the God of thy father."

Till you know God, you know nothing as you ought to know. Till you know him who is your Maker, you are no better, and perhaps not so good, as the birds of the air, the fishes of the sea, or the beasts of the field. So far as they are able, they know him, and obey his commands; which is very far, I fear, from being the case with yon. Till you know God in his real character, and the way of serving him through Jesus Christ, you have no religion, you are not worthy to be called Christian children; you are no better than the poor little Hindoo children; nay, you are worse than them, since you have had the means of knowledge, while they have not. How much then are you bound to know him, and to know him well! to be able to say

"His name just learnt, his name I love,
How sweet it is to know

That God, who made the worlds above,
Made me, and all below!"

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Come, ye children, hearken unto me.-Know him as the eternal God, who is a spirit, and remember, if you would serve him in a right manner, it must be "in spirit and in truth." Know him as the unchangeable God, the same yesterday, today, and for ever, who "liveth for ever and ever. Know him as the faithful God, one who cannot lie, nor deceive, nor repent; who will perform all the promises that he has made to good children, and execute all the threatenings which he has spoken against wicked children. Know him as a powerful God, able to do all things: he is great in power, and as able to punish you as he was those wicked children that dwelt in Sodom and Gomorrah, upon whom he rained fire and brimstone." Know him as the all-seeing God, who beholds you at all times, by night and by day, in the bright sunshine and in the pitchy darkness, "for the darkness and the light are both alike to him." He sees all your actions, knows all your thoughts, hears all your words, and, if you only whisper, hears what you say, and understands what you mean.

There is not a sin that you commit,
Nor wicked word you say,

But in his dreadful book 'tis writ,
Against the judgment day.”

Know him as the wise God, who is able to teach you all things by his Holy Spirit, and to impart pure, peaceable,

and heavenly wisdom to your minds. He will make all things work together for the good of those that love him.

"He can the wisest, wiser make,

And babes as wise as they."

Know him as a just and holy God, in whose sight the wicked shall not stand, who hates every sin, and who is angry with wicked children, and wicked persons of all ages, every day. Know him as a good, merciful, and gracious God. He can supply all your wants," he keeps you from harm by night and by day, and is always doing you good." He will forgive all your sins, through the precious and atoning blood of Christ," which cleanseth us from all sin." He sent Jesus Christ into the world to suffer and die, that you might be saved from eternal misery, and be made eternally happy. "God is good to all: he delighteth in mercy." Know him, therefore, as a God of love and compassion. "God is love: his mercies are new every morning," and they are often with great propriety called "tender mercies." Know him as your Creator: he made your curious and wonderful bodies: " in him you live, and move, and have your being: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves." Know him as your preserver, redeemer, and constant benefactor, from whom you receive all the blessings you enjoy below, and all the hopes you possess of greater happiness above. But, principally, know him as the God of your father! Oh! happy family, where both parents and children kneel at the same footstool of mercy, and mingle their prayers and their praises in the worship of one God and Father of all! Is there not rapture in the thought, that you know and love your father's God!! That the same God who has watched over them, who has led them and guided them all their life long, will be your God, and will do the same for you. He has been their helper and friend, and he will be your's also. When you are deprived of your parents by death, then your heavenly parent will take the charge of you. "When your father and mother forsake you, then the Lord will take you up.' He forgave their sins, and blotted out their transgressions, and he is equally able and willing to do the same for you.

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Happy the parents! and thrice happy the children, who know and serve the same eternal, almighty, and gracious God! But are there not some children, whose parents know not this great and merciful God? Who serve no other God but the God of this world? Are there not also many children who have pious parents, and yet themselves know not their father's God, but have followed after strange gods all their lives.

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