SECTION 4. How shocking it is, to hear children quarrel with their parents; speak disrespectfully to them; or abuse them behind their backs! How comfortable must the poor man feel, when after a hard day's honest labour, he returns, in the evening, to a clean and well-ordered house, an affectionate wife, and dutiful children! How pleasant it is to live with persons, who are honest and industrious, cheerful and contented; who are willing to oblige; and who always speak the truth! What a comfort it is, to feel that we dearly love our parents, our brothers, and sisters, and all our relations and friends; and to know that they love us, and wish to serve us, and make us happy! that we When we lie down at night, how pleasant it is to reflect, that we are at peace with all persons; have earnestly endeavoured to perform all the duties of the day; and that the Almighty beholds and loves us! How can we spend our time foolishly, when we know that hereafter we must give an account of all our thoughts, and words, and actions? When once we have engaged in an evil course, how difficult it is to stop! Who can safely say, "So far will I go; but no further?" Why are we proud? There is nothing that we have to be proud of. Are we handsome, or healthy, or strong? God made us so. Are we scholars? he gave Are we Have we us the ability and the opportunity to learn. good? his grace enabled us to become so. kind friends and relations? he gave them to us.Every good gift cometh from our heavenly Father." We may have great reason to be thankful to him; but we can have none to glory in ourselves. 66 SECTION 5. REMEMBER thy Creator, in the days of thy youth. Enter not into the path of the wicked; and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it; pass not by it; turn from it, and pass away. Evil communications corrupt good manners. The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil, is understanding. There is no peace to the wicked. A wise son maketh a glad father; but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother. How good and how pleasant it is, for brethren to dwell together in unity! Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayst be wise. Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof, shall be honoured. Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him. A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches. Pride goeth before destruction; and a haughty spirit before a fall. A soft answer turneth away wrath; but grievous words stir up anger. Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness, than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich. Godliness, with contentment, is great gain. The lip of truth shall be established for ever: a lying tongue is but for a moment. Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are his delight. He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich. He that is slothful in his work, is brother to him that is a great waster. The drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags. He that tilleth his land, shall have plenty of bread: but he that followeth after vain persons, shall have poverty. The sluggard will not plough by reason of the cold: therefore, shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing. Go to the ant, thou sluggard! consider her ways, and be wise who having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. : I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; and lo! it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone-wall thereof was broken down. Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction.-Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep so shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man. SECTION 6. WHEN we are tempted to do a wrong action, we ought to think that, though men may be afar off, and not see or know what we do, the great God of heaven and earth, is always near us: he sees us wherever we are, by night as well as by day; and knows all our thoughts, words, and actions: he will punish us, if we do ill; and reward us, if we do well. We should say, as a good and wise man did, when he was tempted : "How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" When Joseph's brothers were leaving him, to return home, he kindly and wisely said to them: "See that ye fall not out by the way."-How comfortably, and pleasantly, would brothers and sisters, friends and neighbours, live together, if they would but remember, and follow, this excellent advice! mur. Job, in one sad day, lost all his children, and all his riches. He grieved very much; but he did not mur-He said, as every Christian should say, when he meets with great losses, and afflictions: "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord!" Many people, like Balaam, wish that "they may die the death of the righteous, and that their last end may be like his " but they should remember, that to die the death of the righteous, we must lead the life of the righteous. Whatever company, or situation, we are in; or whatever bad examples we see; we ought to resolve, as Joshua, the great prince and leader of the Jews, did: "As for me, and my house," (as far as we can prevail with them,) we will serve the Lord." 66 Children! when you are reproved, or punished, by your parents, or teachers, be not angry with them: but consider that it is their duty to reprove, and punish you, when you do wrong; and that if they do it not, God will be displeased with them. Eli, the high-priest of the Jews, was, in many respects, a very good man; but he offended the Almighty, and he was grievously punished, "because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not." King David, when he was at the point of death, sent for all the princes of Israel, and exhorted them "to keep the commandments of the Lord their God;" and to Solomon, his son, who was to be king after him, he said these solemn words: "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." Could we be angry, or sorely vexed, when any little thing is said or done, to offend, or trouble us, if we reflected, how much our blessed Saviour suffered, for our sakes; and how patiently? Wicked men did all they could, to provoke, and grieve, and hurt him: yet he was not angry with them; "he opened not his mouth." Even when they were putting him to a cruel and painful death, though no one could "find any fault in him," he prayed to his heavenly Father to forgive them. What a variety of sufferings did the apostle Paul undergo! He was beaten ; he was stoned; he was imprisoned; he was shipwrecked. He was frequently "in weariness and painfulness; in hunger and thirst; in cold and B |