taken away unprepared, would there be no remorse waked up in your bosom? Are you quite sure that there would be no occasion for any thing like self-reproach? In a meeting for serious inquirers, held in a certain place, there was one under most pungent conviction. He was overwhelmed; he was almost convulsed with agony! He was a father, who had just come from the grave of his son, a young man, who had died, it seems, without hope. The unhappy old man then remembered his fault, his dreadful guilt, in neglecting parental duty. He had neither by precept nor example been a blessing to his son-and now that son was gone for ever! O ye parents, who have not been faithful to your trust, could you have seen this unhappy father weeping bitterly over his neglect of parental duty, methinks it would have had the power of a thousand arguments to rouse you to the importance of attending, with all diligence and fidelity, to those immortal ones whom Heaven has committed to your charge!

3. One remark more, and I have done. Parents, your own happiness is concerned in this matter! "A wise son," says Solomon, "maketh a glad father; but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother." It is a remarkble fact, that children who are properly controlled in early life, retain a respect and affec

tion for their parents as long as they live; but those who have been foolishly indulged, and permitted in every thing to have their own way; those, in other words, whose training has been. neglected, and who have not in early life been brought under proper control; those, I have noticed, are wont to be very deficient both in respect and affection. I have seen cases of this kind, so marked, that it seemed as if the judgments of heaven had commenced falling upon unfaithful parents, even in this life; and the words of our text seemed to tingle upon the ear: "I have told him that I will judge his house for ever, for the iniquity which he knoweth, because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not." Parents, do your duty in the fear of God, and your children will be a comfort to you. O how happy the parent whose children turn out well! The mother's heart thrills with joy whilst, like the mother of the Gracchii, she pronounces them her jewels; and the fond father, too, with a glad heart, delights to call them his, whilst he realizes the blessedness of that man, whose "wife is as a fruitful vine by the side of his house, and his children like olive plants round about his table." God bless every parent here! and may none have the weakness, nor share the sorrows of the unhappy Eli!

SERMON VII.

PROVE YOUR OWN WORK.

But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.-GALATIANS vi. 4.

IN these words we have an important precept, enforced by a very powerful consideration. The precept is expressed in these words: "Let every man prove his own work." By a man's own work, we are to understand, not merely his actions, and general conduct, but his thoughts, his motives, his sentiments, and every thing, indeed, which has an influence on the forming of his moral and religious character. These things he is to prove: that is, to test; to see if they are of the right stamp; to see if they will answer in a dying hour; to see if they will stand the scrutiny of the last great day.

At first view, we see that the precept is an important one. But this is not enough. It is exceedingly important. To prove this, permit me to remark-First: Self-deception is very common, and this arises from several sources. In the first place, the springs of action lie very deep. A man may suppose himself to be influenced by one set of motives, when, really, he is influenced by another set of motives, altogether! This rich

man, for example, gives himself great credit for his numerous and splendid charities. He really thinks they flow from motives of pure benevolence, when, perchance, if traced to their source, it will be found that these acts of charity originate in secret vanity, or a love of human applause. See that youthful soldier! At the call of his country, he buckles on his armour, faces the wintry blast, and rushes through clouds of dust, and seas of blood! He firmly believes that he is a patriot, when, really, true patriotism, it may be, has very little to do in this matter. Ambition is the ruling passion in his bosom! He pants for distinction! He longs to twine the laurels of fame around his brow! "Come and see my zeal for the Lord of Hosts," said Jehu, when he was cutting down the enemies of the Lord. What made him so zealous on this occasion? It so happened, that in cutting down the enemies of the Lord, he was establishing his own dynasty! Ah! my brethren, the heart is deceitful above all things; and the springs of action lie very deep. This is one great source of self-deception. Another is this-the power of self-love. Charity, or love, the Scriptures tell us, covereth a multitude of sins: that is, hides them from the view. See that over-fond and doating mother!--(Mistake me not-if there is a class of persons upon earth for whom

I have a peculiarly profound respect, it is for mothers; and I can with all my heart say, Heaven bless mothers, all the world over! but I have reference now to a certain description of mothers, concerning whom it may be said, alas! that there are such!)-See that doating mother, I say--she has one only child -one darling boy. She thinks that he is the perfection of all excellence-the best child in all the land-and she is telling its smart sayings, and speaking its praises to every neighbour that steps in. She thinks, she really believes this child to be the best in all the land. Every body else sees plainly that it is a spoiled piece!-Why? It will disobey its mother; it is peevish, and fretful; is rude even in the presence of company. It is positively a bad child; and yet the mother thinks that it is wonderfully smart and good-none like it in all the town! How are we to account for this? Charity covers a multitude of sins. The mother's overweening fondness for her child hides from her view all its faults, and therefore she comes to a wrong conclusion concerning the true chraacter of that child. Just so in the case before us. Loving ourselves, as we are too apt to do, with an inordinate love, we are wont to look more frequently upon the bright, than the dark side of our character. This being the case, what are we to expect, but that we shall