Bible, and questioned or ridiculed its sacred doc. trines; nay, he had even gone so far as to make it his brag, that he never kept one in his house. This man, particularly strong in body, and no doubt in mind (though his principles had been early poisoned and perverted), I heard, for days together, groan with unutterable anguish and remorse, racked with bodily pain, and the more intolerable pangs of an awakened conscience. In the intervals of his pain he continually called for the Bible, and made those about him pray with him, and read frequently to him in that sacred volume which he had so often despised and ridiculed he kept it constantly near him, and his last request was, that a sermon might be preached on the Sunday after his funeral, in the parish church of the place where he resided, publicly to declare that he had died full of remorse and regret for his contempt of that sacred work, and the bad principles which he had, perhaps, instilled into others minds.---He died at seventy years of age, of a broken heart, in consequence of the undu-... tiful conduct of an only child, in marrying. against his will, but who had, perhaps, been poisoned in her principles by her imprudent father; and, lamentable to tell, she herself lived to be an object of pity, deprived of the use of her limbs, and filled with remorse for her undutiful behaviour to her parent, who would never see her again, not even on his death-bed.---This is a case

I can vouch for, and I attended him to his grave at his own request, young as I was!

From these facts you will learn three important truths :--

1. The fatal conséquences of a contempt of the word of God.

2. The melancholy influence of the bad example of an irreligious parent on his offspring.

3. The heavy judgments of Heaven generally ordained to fall upon undutiful children.

This, and many other similar instances that might be offered to your notice, will, I trust, go some way to convince you of the truths I aim at impressing upon your yet innocent mind.

Let the word of God, then, be the test or touchstone by which to try and judge of the value and solidity of the various opinions that may be presented to your doubting mind; for it is the oracle of Him who cannot err, is not deceived, and will not be mocked with impunity; far more to be depended upon for veracity than that of DELPHOS, and consulted with much less trouble; it contains every information and instruction necessary to your salvation, and to form a rule for your general conduct in this life.

Above all, reverently respect the SABBATH, and, according to God's express command, KEEP IT HOLY; without which, his blessing will assuredly never accompany your worldly undertakings--

as

as thousands, besides me, have, from sad experience, found to be the case. There are, in these days, men who advise that youth should not be talked to of religion, or made to frequent the church till a certain age, for fear of giving them early prejudices; but it is remarkable, that you never see these advisers go there at all themselves.

No matter what place of worship you frequent, what sect or form you attach yourself to, if it be the result of a sincere intention to honour your Creator: but the established Church is, perhaps, the least liable to objection, or to give you false prejudices concerning religion; and though, perhaps, a little intricate, and savouring of popery in a few of its doctrines and forms, which naturally result from its ancient connexion with that idolatrous and superstitious church, it is, nevertheless, the most generous and unprejudiced system of faith and worship that exists in this or any other country. The Form of Prayer of the Church of England is the most beautiful, impressive, comprehensive, and the best selected of any now in use. Her rubric is the united production of the most pious and learned men of the age in which it was drawn up.

You should, however, divest yourself of all prejudices about forms of worship, or sects; chuse for yourself as you grow up, after having exa

1

mined them all as well as your time and opportunities will permit: the sentiments, example, and influence of your parents and teachers, will, in this point, have much weight with you, because they are older, and, from experience, may be supposed to be wiser, and better able to judge for you than yourself; but, let their opinions have what importance they may in your eyes, by all means examine things for yourself, and form some decided and well-grounded opinion of your own; and having once satisfied your mind in that respect, adhere firmly to it, but never condemn others for their belief:---uniformity in opinions is not to be expected more than uniformity in the countenances of men, and certainly the opinantium unitas, et opinionum diversitas,* may very well consist together among good Christians.

I may further also observe to you, that if your mind be well seasoned with the mild and gentle. principles of humanity and goodness, urged in every one of the four gospels, it will contribute more to the public good of christian society than all the other knowledge in the world put together.

But there is yet one more leading circumstance necessary to be unalterably fixed in your mind, to be made an unchangeable object of your belief, and an immoveable pillar of consolation to you; and

* The unity of the thinkers, and the diversity of opinions.

that

that is, the REDEMPTION of SINNERS, through the merits of JESUS CHRIST, the Son, or most illustrious emanation of the DEITY that has ever been permitted to appear on earth for the good of mankind: other prophets and messengers have been sent, divinely commissioned by the beneficent CREATOR to warn, instruct, and reclaim his erring people; but Jesus excelled them all in rank and dignity, as well as in his office of High Priest of our salvation, and Mediator between God and man, offering himself up a LIVING SACRIFICE for our sins, that he might satisfy Divine justice, and, at the same time, give us an unquestionable and irrefragable proof of the love of the Father to us, by not withholding from us the only means that in Divine wisdom could be devised to reconcile mercy with justice.

How much, therefore, will not the unparalleled love and sufferings of Jesus add to our condemnation, if we neglect and despise this mighty effort of salvation to lost sinners !---Remember, ingenuous youth! that every sin you henceforth commit will open his wounds afresh, and cause his tears again to flow; those agonizing, painful wounds, which were inflicted on him for your sake, and those bitter tears which he shed, that you might never feel what mental misery was. Be assured, that, whatever you hear insinuated to the contrary, JESUS actually died on the Cross, put to death by

cruel