God and of his ways. God is a God of order, and not of disorder. He has promised to bless his ordinances; and because He may please on some occasions to act otherwise than through the instrumentality of those ordinances, that is no reason for His creatures despising His ordinances, or expecting a blessing when acting contrary to them. The directions for the wife with the husband who "obeys not the word," are equally applicable for the child whose parents are disobedient to the word. The parents, like the husband, must be worked upon, not by usurping of authority, which teaching is, but, by example without the word. Satan often attacks children upon this point, and induces them by unsanctified zeal for the spiritual welfare of their parents, to violate those very ordinances, and that honour, deference, and respect, the showing of which would have been the most probable means of rescuing their parents from his clutches. This he knows, and therefore he works upon their love for their parents to fan the desire for their salvation; then he plays upon their vanity and pride of

conscious knowledge of something of which their parents are ignorant; and by all the avenues of the human heart, to which he possesses such abundant access, does he inflame what is bad, and over stimulate into disproportion what is good, that the praiseworthy object of the child may be frustrated, and great dishonour brought upon God's holy ordinances. If God vouchsafes to bestow upon any child in the midst of a family, which forgets Him, a saving knowledge of His salvation, let that child account it a double honour, and cast itself wholly upon the strength of the Lord for guidance, and lean not to its own understanding in any thing; and especially let it seek the Lord in fulfilling its appointed respect to its earthly parent. Let it not doubt but that it will be guided to do the Lord's will, though perhaps in an unknown manner. If in this situation it is called to suffer, let it count it all joy that it is appointed to be a witness for the Lord Jesus in the midst of those about whom its strongest affections are entwined.

"To the method proposed by some, of

up

in the

beginning with the children, it might be remarked that, were a constitution of things founded in nature by God himself, with such designs in view, and existing alike wherever human nature exists, not standing before us; and were education to be summed mechanical arts of reading, writing, and arithmetic, and the communication of knowledge only, instead of its embracing also the communication of wisdom and the formation of habits, then some such theory might be applied, and its effects watched. But it is in vain to contend with nature, and her physical impossibilities. While the child remains in the daily or even the nightly possession of the parent, how little can any such plan radically accomplish? And yet, whatever is done upon system, however kindly meant, which either at first, or ultimately weakens this connexion, is a proportional advance to the brink of ruin; and take the child away in a nation, and that nation is ruined. The entire fabric of society is affected; a CONSTITUTION of things is invaded and broken down; and the God of all the

families in the earth would rise up in judgment. No! human expedients, however specious and beautiful, and well intentioned they seem at first sight, often in the application prove hideous and cruel; and if they, I do not say run counter to a constitution of God's own creation, but if they pass by, or even slight it, they will prove vain and weak indeed. In modern times, it seems to be unknown to many, that whatever may be done for the children of a nation, they will ever go on, not merely to receive a tinge, but to take their character from those with whom they speak, and eat, and sleep. To fall in therefore with the allwise arrangement of the God of nature and revelation is our only wisdom." Anderson.

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To parents the directions are, ye fathers provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." The same is repeated in the Colossians, "Fathers provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged." Fathers are addressed here without mention of mothers, because, as we have seen already,

bodies are addressed in their head, who is responsible for the evil of the whole. The affections of a mother for her offspring are also stronger than those of a father, and therefore more likely to restrain any temptation to undue severity. But the apostle's injunction indicates that parents are tempted to irritate their children, and excite their anger; and there is little doubt but that much of the bad tempers which are exhibited by children, are the effects and reflections of those of the parents. No person, be they parent or other, can be a Christian, who wilfully and systematically gives way to ill-temper. But tempers are as various as every other disposition, and when bad, indicate unsubdued pride, and selfishness. Irritability is a concomitant of some bodily disorders, and doubly difficult to control. These things should be felt, and confessed by parents, in order to be combated, resisted, and prayed against. With reference to children, they should be also acknowledged, that parents may take care never to speak to them, still less to punish them, while under