penter, and it appears evident that Jesus wrought with him at the same occupation; for in after life, when "many hearing him. were astonished," they asked, "Whence hath this man these things? And what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? Is not this the carpenter?" Hence it is reasonably inferred, that it was in the daily exercise required by this useful and healthful occupation, that he grew in stature and increased in bodily strength.

Now it is immensely important that the following facts should be deeply impressed on the minds of the young. First, that in consequence of the fall, or the ruin occasioned by sin, mankind are universally prone to indolence; next, that indolence is one of the most powerful hindrances to the health of the body; again, that health of body is of such great value, that the possession and preservation of it is worth almost every effort and every sacrifice; and, further, that it cannot be possessed or preserved without active employment and regular exercise.

It will here be thought, perhaps, that the young in general have little need to be admo

nished to activity; that the full flow of animal life, which so constantly animates them, sufficiently provides against the danger spoken of. So far as respects activity put forth in sport and pastime, this is undoubtedly true of a large majority; and such activity is highly useful as well as agreeable, and with due care that it do not infringe on regular duties, always to be encouraged. But the love of such activity is no proof of freedom from indolence. The very same young persons who, in their games, delight to task to its utmost the strength of every muscle, will often be found to discover the greatest reluctance to employ themselves in the fixed and regular labours of business. But Christ, "the Lord from heaven," did not so; he devoted himself with all readiness to the toils of a very humble occupation. Do I not see a blush cover the cheek of that youth, the son of an upright and industrious parent, obliged to labour unremittedly for the provision of a rising family, who, when called on by his father to render his assistance, has objected and murmured, and at length either sullenly complied, or, in open disobedience, escaped to a troop of idle and disorderly companions? And can I not

perceive the sweet glow of conscious satisfaction smiling in the face of him who, from toil dutifully and willingly rendered, reaps the pleasant fruits of parental complacency, selfapproval, increasing bodily vigour, sound and refreshing repose, and a keen delightful relish of every short interval of relaxation?

What is life without health? It is rather existence than life. What are all riches, power, reputation, influence, to him who is deprived of health? They are as nothing; or, rather, they are worse, serving only to tantalize, and to increase the grief of their possessor. Without health, we may suffer the will of God, but we cannot do it; and it is the happiness and honour of a Christian to glorify his Divine Master by a life of holy activity. Such was his own life on earth; his youth was spent in humble, yet useful and exemplary occupation; his manhood in laborious benevolence-" He went about doing good." But this he could not have done without health. But for some good measure of health, how could the Apostles have endured such almost incredible privations and sufferings, or have performed such wonders of beneficence towards their fellow-men? Health is

the instrument by which good is wrought; he, therefore, that has not the instrument cannot do the work, but must remain a powerless, inefficient, useless being, a passive, melancholy spectator of the happy and beneficial activity of others.

Yet immensely valuable as the blessing is, how few that possess it justly appreciate it. A strange infatuation seems to blind the healthful; to-morrow, they think, will be as to-day, and still more abundant in vigour. They smile at admonitions to care, and at precautionary advice, as needless, and even whimsical. They even seem to take pleasure in shewing how totally they disregard them, by a display of presumptuous confidence, and by a yet bolder exposure of themselves to danger. This miserable folly, though not confined to them, is certainly most usually found among the young; and, at this hour, thousands, in the different stages of mature life, are suffering its bitter consequences in the loss of all, or nearly all, capacity of enjoyment, and in the inability either to improve their own condition, or to minister to the good of others.

There is a class that particularly need admonition on this subject the intelligent and

persons who are tempted to envy those who have rich and indulgent parents, to remember that such commonly pay a dear price for their pleasures, in the loss of vigorous health and of the power of bodily and mental labour, or in the want of self-denial and self-government; and that, wanting these, they have little capacity for the best and purest earthly enjoyments. How many are now occupying useful and honourable stations in society, who, under the wise and good providence of God, owe their healthfulness, their power of application to business, their habits of cheerful industry, and their capacity of enjoying with a lively zest the simple comforts of life, to the wholesome restraints and discipline to which they were subjected in early years; because either their parents had it not in their power to ruin them by indulgence, or, (which has sometimes happened,) having the power, they had too much wisdom and grace to abuse it! Christ, who "is Lord of all," and who was free to select the most elevated condition of human life, saw fit to choose the humblest, and to be born of one who was as remarkable for her poverty as for the sanctity of her character. Let the recollection of this, suppress those