life, or hinder them from unions which would complete their happiness. They may not know how to approach their minds most successfully by instruction; to fix them if volatile; to give them confidence if timid.-By checking, they may chill, and by indulgence, they may not only encourage but dissipate.-All these disadvantages necessarily arise from our defective knowledge.

But our Heavenly Father is the only wise God. His understanding is infinite; and it is our happiness that he knows what we really need; knows when to refuse, and when to yield; and so arranges our circumstances in life, as to make all things work together for our good.

The second instance of superiority is derived from correction. It is thus that the apostle distinguishes between fathers of our flesh, and the father of spirits. They verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure, often from whim and caprice, from fretfulness and passion, to relieve their feelings rather than to comply with their convictions. Hence if they did not rebuke us at the very moment of provocation they could not do it at all; whereas if they had been concerned for our welfare the reason for correction would have remained when the irritation had subsided.—But he for our profit that we might be partakers of his holiness. There is no tyranny in God; there are no uneasy sensations in him. If he afflicts, it is not from passion but principle, and this principle looks only to the advantage of his children.

We may also err on the other side: we may be too soft to the faults of our offspring, and our tenderness may degenerate into foolish fondness. Eli is an awful example of this. His sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not. It is said also of Adonijah that his father David had not displeased him at any time in saying why hast thou done so ?-A fine father truly!But it is cruel to connive where we should punish; he that spareth the rod hateth his son. And God regards the soul, and will not sacrifice our profit to our feelings. If our welfare requires it, he will frown, or withhold the

tokens of his love, or shut us up for a time, or smite us, and severely too: nor let us think hardly of his dealings with us since it is written blessed is the man whom thou chasteneth O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law.

Behold a third instance in which God surpasses every earthly parent. They cannot be always with their children so as to attend to their circumstances. They sleep, and are unable to watch over them. They are employed, and business draws them off, and occupies all their thoughts. They journey, and leave their little ones behind them with many an anxious feeling. There is an age when their children go from them. School or trade calls them away from home, and they are no longer under the eye of their natural guardians. It was well for the little Shunamite when seized in the field that he had a father by-he said unto his father, my head, my head! Joseph would have been preserved from the rage of his brethren, in the plain of Dothan, had his venerable father been there-but in vain he looked-and calledno father was nigh.

But here it is otherwise. If we are the children of God we are never out of his sight-He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous. He who keepeth them never slumbers nor sleeps. Though he governs worlds, he attends as much to each individual as if nothing else engrossed his care. And wherever we go there is he. Jeremiah found him in the dungeon: Daniel in the lion's den; John in the isle of Patmos; and Jonah and Paul in the deep: yea, says David, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Fourthly. Parents may be unable to relieve their children if with them. I pity the mother whose ears are assailed with the cries of half fed babes, when alas she has no more to give them. I feel the situation of poor Hagar; her bread consumed, and the bottle of water spent-what could she do-she cast the child der one of the shrubs-and she went and sat her down over against him, a good way off, as it were a bow-shot:

un

for she said—let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lifted up her voice and wept. By faith Moses when he was born was hid three months of his parents because they saw he was a proper childand what could they do more? They make him a little ark of bulrushes, and daub it with slime and with pitchand lay it in the flags by the river's brink one thing more is possible-his sister stood afar off to wit what will be done to him. And here providence took up the business or what had become of the poor helpless infant? We read in the gospel of a certain nobleman whose son was at the point to die-and what in this case could titles and riches do for him? Nothing; he therefore goes abroad in search of aid. O, I sympathize with the father who hears from the physician the sad hint-Sir I can do nothing more for the child-entering the room we behold him standing by the side of his expiring Isaac-but unavailing are all his tears-life quivers upon the lip and the eye is closed-for ever.

The children of God are never in a condition in which he cannot effectually aid them: they are the sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty. O blessed thought! our Father is Lord of heaven and earth. The silver and the gold are his; his are the cattle upon a thousand hills; the world is his and the fulness thereof. There is no enemy which he cannot vanquish: no disease which he cannot cure: no want which he cannot supply.

Fifthly. Other parents are not suffered to continue by reason of death: and thus their children become orphans. It matters not how heavy the affliction may be -they are left-left perhaps uneducated, unprovided for. Incapable at present of appreciating their loss, they are to learn it by bitter experience. Behold them passing through an unfeeling world, on which they are turned adrift, to be overreached by artifice, oppressed by injustice, injured by violence. In vain do they visit a father's tomb with the voice of joy or of grief; his sons come to honor and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them

But hear David-" When my father and my mother "forsake me then the Lord will take me up.' Hear the church-" Doubtless thou art our father though "Abraham be ignorant of us and Israel acknowledge us not." With him the relation continues foreverhe is the everlasting Father: and hence his children can never be orphans. In every loss they have this to comfort them-the Lord liveth and blessed be my rock, and let the God of my Salvation be exalted.

Again. The love of parents is far exceeded by the love of God. There is no affection perhaps more ardent and forcible than parental; Hence God assumes it; like as a father pitieth his children so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. But this means a likeness of resemblance, not of equality; for the one is no more to the other than a drop to the ocean.-Though the love of a father be great, it is generally and it is justly supposed that the love of a mother is more so. We see in this the wisdom and kindness of providence which thus makes duty a privilege, and reconciles the woman to numberless privations, and cares, and toils in rearing the human race from which the man is exempted. Well God avails himself therefore of this also; as one whom his mother comforteth so will I comfort you.

Can the fond mother from herself depart,
Can she forget the darling of her heart?
The little darling whom she bore and bred,
Nursed on her knee and at her bosom fed?

To whom she seemed her every thought to give
And in whose life alone she seemed to live.

Be

"Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she “would not have compassion on the son of her womb? "yea, they may forget, yet will not I forget thee. "hold I have engraven thee upon the palms of my "hands; thy walls are continually before me. For "this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be "wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. For the moun

"tains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my "kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the แ covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord, "that hath mercy on thee."

Finally. Parents give good things to their offspring however imperfectly they make known their wants and desires. Behold a family of several children. Here is one who is able to come and ask for his supplies in proper language-a second begs in broken phrasesbut here is a third that cannot speak at all-but he can point, he can cry. Sweet babe! thou too art a childthou too shalt succeed-every thing pleads for theethy dimpled cheeks, thy little hand, thy big shining tears-And if we who are evil do this, what think we of him whose tender mercies are over all his works? Let us therefore go to him-let us go and ask as we are able. Let us remember that words are not necessary to inform him who knows all things, or to move him who is already more willing to give than we are to receive. He hears the voice of thy weeping. Thy desire is before him and thy groaning is not hid from him.

He calls himself your father, to teach you with what dispositions you should enter his sacred presence. You are encouraged to approach him with holy confidence and humble boldness.

Admire him love him: hope in him: repair to him-pray without ceasing; pray and not faint.-He who hears the young ravens that cry will not refuse the importunity of children. He hears prayer.

Thou

sands, millions have sought him—and none ever sought him in vain. These successful suppliants returning from his throne encourage us to go forward, all saying, I sought the Lord and he heard me and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him and were lightened and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man that trusteth in him.