that some children are, and that all children may be, members of his kingdom, do you think you have a right to refuse? to say that you will not enter his kingdom for many, many years to come. Have you a right to indulge those sinful feelings, to follow those sinful ways, which prevent you from entering it now?

Think you, that you have a right to slight the person of the blessed Jesus? He is altogether lovely; saints and angels will for ever admire and adore him. Have you a right to refuse to adore him,

despise his beauty, and since your eyes might perceive his beauty, and out of your mouths, the sweetest, highest, praise might be perfected?

Have you a righ to refuse to serve him? You can do but lit le-but have you a right to refuse to do that little? You can do but little; and yet, you cannot tell to how great account He may turn your labours. He made use of Samuel, and Josiah, and Daniel, in spheres of great public usefulness, and he has often made use of children, little known and noticed, in promoting his glory. You cannot

tell how useful he may make your humble efforts. Have you a right to refuse to labour for him?

Have you a right to reject Him as your Saviour? He came to die for sinners, and, sinner as you are, have you a right to reject his salvation, as if you had no sins to be forgiven? You have read the story of the serpent of brass, which God ordered to be raised up, that those who had been bitten by the fiery serpent might look upon this serpent of brass, and live. Think you they had a right to fix their eyes upon the ground and die? Have you a right to refuse to look on your suffering and dying, on your risen and ascended Redeemer? Every day that you do not come to Christ, you are guilty of very great sin. You despise his excellence, you refuse to serve him, and vainly act as if you needed him not. You may perhaps read his word, but how carelessly? you may perhaps sometimes pray in his name, but how little do you care whether he hears you or not? as if a child, like you, might innocently slight so much grace and glory;—as if a child, dependant upon Christ and needing his forgiveness, were not bound

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to love and serve Him; and to seek an entrance into his blessed kingdom.

Yes, it is as much your duty as your interest to come to Christ; I shall, therefore, only add

IV. If you do come, he will kindly receive you into his blessed kingdom. I have told you already, how pious children enjoy the presence and blessing of Christ, even in their childhood; and how, if they die, they enter immediately into heaven :-how God listens to their prayers, and how their joy is full while they hold fellowship with the Father and the Son: how the distressed and groaning deathbed of a pious child, is yet the place of sweetest comfort to his soul;--how he is the daily care of angels, who watching his last groan, and having seen the ruin of his short-lived body, will bear him away to be with Jesus, where he is, and to behold his glory. Oh blessed change! what if his parents were rich, and he were about to enjoy a great fortune ;what if he were blessed with the best and kindest friends ;-blessed change! to go away from earth and riches, and friends, to be with angels, and with Christ in heaven!

Blessed change, perhaps you say, for a pious child; but I am not a pious child. Will the Lord Jesus even receive a child like me, who has refused to love and serve him?

Yes, the Lord Jesus came to die for sinners; his grace is so great that he is ready to receive either men or children, the first moment they are ready to return to Him. Now is the accepted time, and now is the day of salvation. You have only to forsake your sins, and return in sorrow unto the Lord, and he will abundantly pardon. The dying thief was received without delay; Saul, the persecutor, was at once received. All sinners are received by the blessed Jesus, the moment they will come to him, and they obtain the treasures of his kingdom, without money, and without price. A child is rich enough to buy his favour, if he feels poor enough to ask it. A child needs no better recommendation to the favour of Jesus, than to say with the first efforts of his tongue, "Lord Jesus remember me." A child is as near to Christ, a child's interest is as great with Christ, a child's hope may be as strong in Christ, as his whose years are many, and whose knowledge great. The child if he

comes will be received; the reluctant, unbelieving sinner, if he is an hundred years old, will be accursed.

The time, I hope, will come, not many years hence, when it will most gloriously appear, that little children may be admitted into the kingdom of heaven. Then, like Moses, and Samuel, and David, and Josiah, and Timothy, will the children of all families, and all nations, come to Christ. Then will the noise of quarrelsome children, be heard no more ;—swearing, lying, sabbathbreaking, disobedient children, will no more be found. Every family will be a little company of Christian children, every school will be a garden of the plants of the Lord. Then will all children sing, hosanna to the Son of David, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings, praise will be perfected. Having seen the glory of God in the wonders of the starry world, and heard it confirmed from the lips of little children, the mouth of the enemies will be stopped. Children's praise will sweetly mingle with the music of the spheres, and the songs of angels; and the highest in heaven, and the feeblest on the earth, will swell in holy unison their praise to God.