of prejudice, the violence of paffion, the power of perfuafion, the example of multitudes, co-operating with a wrong caft of political or religious inftitutions, may no doubt occafion numberless undesigned, and unconscious deviations from the rule of right yet the rule remains, and, when not concealed, obfcured, or overlooked from fuch caufes, will in matters of importance be recognized by most, however it may be tranfgreffed by

many.

The advantages fometimes obtained by villainy, the boldness with which it is fometimes acted, and the capacity which it fometimes displays, may for a while turn off the unwary eye from its natural turpitude; but at laft, when viewed in itself as divefted of that false luftre, it will generally, in a greater or less degree, difguft every mind that is not deeply depraved.

There is, there is in the centre of the foul, a facred instinct, a celestial impulse, ordained to be the guide of men under Him who made them; by which "they are "a law to themselves;" by which they are prompted, without the instructions of art, and abstract from the motives of intereft, to approve and respect “what"foever things are venerable," even when they do not practise them: and wherever the heart is most tender, there will these things, in confequence of this beautiful and fublime fenfation, command the highest regard, and secure the happiest empire.

Thus, Gentlemen, I am led on to show

you the particular neceffity of cultivating, in the days of youth, fo important and fo honourable a principle in your nature. For when, I beseech you, is the heart most likely to be tender, if not in those blessed days?

It is often pleasant to mark the first appearances of moral fentiment in the minds of boys. Some of them, it must be owned, betray very early a crookednefs of difpofition that feems to be interwoven with their frame, and that is feldom afterwards fet right by whatever fkill or care. It affords, indeed, but little if any handle for the inftruments of culture. Such unhappy creatures are the worse for praise, when they chance to merit it, and not the better for reproof, however severe, or however tender. They feel perhaps, now and then, fome touches of fhame; but thefe are imbittered by vexation, instead of being tempered with ingenuity. Their blushes are the reddenings partly of consciousness, and partly of refentment: their original obliquity remains. We heartily fympathife with their parents and friends: but we, I fear, can do nothing for their reformation. We must leave them to the rough discipline of adverfity, and to the myste

rious operation of that Omnipotent Hand which can 66 create them anew in Chrift

"Jefus unto good works;" of that hand which, in the emphatical language of our Saviour, "can out of the very stones raise “up children unto Abraham."-Let us turn to more hopeful characters.

Let us fuppofe an ingenuous youth, like many whom we have feen, endowed with a lively sense of commendation and blame, with a strong abhorrence of cruelty and injuftice, with a contempt of every thing base and mean, with a promptnefs to protect the weak, to patronise the injured, to pity diftrefs, to fly to its relief, to melt at a tale of generofity, to impart to affociates, to raise up a fallen antagonift, to be reconciled to an yielding adversary, to behave after victory with mildnefs and modefty. When we obferve fuch dispositions in a boy, our hearts burn within us, our thoughts dart forward into future years, and we are ready to cry out

with a kind of prophetic rapture, "He “will one day make a brave man!” Ah, that the prophecy were always fulfilled! Shall I fay, how often it fails? Let us confider, in what manner the fatal reverfe most usually happens.

Figure to yourselves a very common cafe, that of fuch a youth, as we have now described, fallying from school into life, without a watchful father to guard, or a wife friend to admonish him, or yet any fixed principle in relation to the duty, and the glory, of preserving his innocence. He falls into loose company. Where do they not abound? Intending no evil, he fufpects none. Amusement is his object: but that is generally dreffed out with so many alluring circumftances, that his paffions now ardent are inftantly on fire. Appetite, vivacity, follicitation, example, hurry him into fcenes of diforder. He ventures forward with trembling steps. He yet reveres the vicegerent of God