together on the first Sunday of the next year, I know not. How long we shall live together in this world, I know not. No one knows. Children die, and men die; and we cannot tell who will be called to their last account in the present year. But if we walk daily in truth, we have the sure promise of God, that we shall walk together in the heavenly city, in light and glory, and live through the heavenly year, which is immortal and eternal.

SERMON X.

FAULTS OF CHILDREN.

EVEN A CHILD IS KNOWN BY HIS DOINGS, WHETHER HIS WORK
BE PURE, AND WHETHER IT BE RIGHT.

THIS is a wise saying which concerns children; and it may be found in the Book of Proverbs, 20th chapter, 11th verse. The meaning of it is, that a child, as well as a man, is to be known, or distinguished, by his character, his habits, his behaviour, his talk; so that you can tell, young as he is, and brief as his residence has been in this world, whether his work, or the amount of what he does, is pure and right, or whether it is impure and

wrong.

Some children are obedient to those whom they ought to obey, and some are disobedient; some are

disposed to be calm and quiet, and some to be peevish and fretful; some are gentle, and some are rude and passionate; some speak the truth always, and some speak a great deal of falsehood. Now by all these doings a child is known. He is not so widely known as a man is, because he does not act on so wide a stage as a man does; but still he is known. He is known by his playmates and schoolmates, and he is known by many grown up people, the friends and acquaintances of his family, the neighbors, and others. He cannot help being known. There are many eyes upon him, which must see what he is doing, how he conducts himself; and therefore there are many minds which form an opinion concerning his work and his conduct.

It is important that you should be aware of this, my children, and that you should govern yourselves accordingly. It is important that you should be aware, that even at your early time of life, people observe you, and have their thoughts and feelings about you. You are sometimes too apt to imagine that people are taking notice of your clothes, when in fact they are not; but you may depend upon it, that many persons, who do not care the least whether you are dressed in one way or another, cannot fail to mark your behaviour, and are pleased to see you

behave well, and displeased to see you behave ill. Surely you desire to give pleasure rather than pain. Surely you prefer to be thought agreeable rather than disagreeable, and good rather than bad. You must esteem it more pleasant to go about with an excellent character among friends, than with a poor character among those who dislike you. I take it for granted, that you would all of you rather be loved than not be loved. But in order to be loved, you must attract and deserve love; and in order to deserve love you must be virtuous and amiable; and in order to be virtuous and amiable, you must avoid those faults to which you are liable, and amend those faults which you may have already contracted. It is therefore a friendly act to warn you kindly of your faults; and this is what I pose to do in the present sermon.

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I am not one of those who think that children have no faults. I love children. I love the freshness, the simplicity, the openness of heart, the tenderness of heart, the comparative innocence, and other fair qualities which are so generally the characteristics of childhood. But I remember what children were when I was a child, and I see what they are now; and I know that they have faults. Indeed it would be a wonder if they had not. And

if I should tell you, my children, that you had no faults, your own consciences and recollections would contradict me, and tell you that I was mistaken. If I should say to you, my children, you are altogether without spot or stain; your thoughts and feelings are all exactly right; in order to do what you ought, you have only to do what you please, and woe to those who check you and your sweet impulses ; you have no sins, no selfishness, and never would have, if your elders would only let you alone; you are, in short, angels upon earth;—if I should hold this language to you, you might for a moment, perhaps, be pleased with the flattery, but the next moment you would blush and hang your heads with uneasy consciousness, and wonder how I could be either so ignorant, or so regardless of fact as to address you in so strange a manner. It is not improbable that some of you might call to mind something which you had done wrong this very day, which would itself prove my lofty praises to be empty and worthless. I think so well of I think so well of you, that I believe you would prefer honest words from my mouth to flattery; and it is only because I love you, and wish you to become better by amending your faults, that I speak to you concerning them.

I shall speak of a few of the faults which appear