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'my attention and care may be useless; but fuch inftances are not frequent.

24. Seldom does it happen that he who interests himself in the education of his children with a truly enlightened, active and indefatigable zeal is put to fo painful a trial. The fruits of his labors may not often difcover themselves till late; if he do not live to reap the fruits himself, they may, nevertheless, one day come to maturity.

25. Befides, when I have given all my attention to the education of my children, I have nothing with which to reproach myself, even though it shall have been of no use. In this cafe I am not the author of their misery; I have not contributed to it. How great foever it may be, I ought not to confider it as a punishment on me, but as a disaster I could not poffibly prevent.

26. Preferve me, O my God, if it may be, from this greatest of all distress. Gracious God! Thou feeft my beating, trembling heart; hear the prayer of a parent! Protect the feeble creatures thou haft committed to my care! Suffer them not to become the deplorable victims of debauchery and vice.

27. Uphold and direct them, that they may never go aftray and be loft. Make their path straight before them. Support them in the way of life; and let innocence, truth, virtue and piety always accompany and preferve them. Let them be heirs of unfading glory; let them be fafe through eternity.

28. O that my children may be heirs of God, and joint heirs of Jefus Chrift! Should they be foon removed hence, may it be into Abraham's bofom; or fhould they longer be continued here, may they be gathered at last, as a shock of corn, into the celestial garner.

29. Give thy bleffing on all I have undertaken with this view, and on whatever I fhall hereafter undertake. If my feeble efforts are ill directed, they are at least fincere. Sup. ply my deficiencies, and grant me, Oh my God! more light and knowledge, that I may choose the best means, and not be difcouraged in the discharge of my important duty. 30. Happy, inexpreffibly happy, fhall I be, if at the hour of death, and in the day of judgment, I may be reunited to my children, never more to be separated; and be

able to fay, in the tranfports of joy, "Behold me, Lord, and the children thou haft given me.

31. They have, like me, happily finifhed their course; they have kept the faith, and perfevered in their obedience and now they humbly wait, with me, for the recompenfe which thou haft promised to those who have been faithful unto death."

32. With a view to all these bleffings would I bring them, in the arms of faith and love, to the divine footstool, and refign them to the difpofal of infinite goodness and mercy. To that kind and gracious God who gave them would I humbly commit them, to be guarded by thy prov idence, miniftered to by thine angels, influenced by thy Spirit, conducted fafely through the dangers and evils of this world, and preferved to thy everlasting kingdom in the

other.

A CHILD'S REFLECTIONS ON HIS DUTY.

1. IN what a state of weaknefs and dependence, O my God, are the children of men born! When they come into the world they are much more feeble, much more dependent, much more expofed to dangers than the most senseless animals. It is but flowly, and very late that they acquire fufficient ftrength to stand alone, without the affiftance of their parents.

2. But this arrangement is the effect of thy paternal bounty. Thou intendest we should be raised above the brute creation, and become intelligent and moral beings. But fuch we cannot become but by a conftant intercourfe, and the daily instructions of perfons better informed than ourfelves.

3. And it is in order that we may enjoy this fociety and inftruction, that thou haft fo closely united us to beings of the fame nature with ourselves, and placed us in such a state of dependence on one another.

4. I revere thy will, O my God; and I return thee

thanks for the ties which unite me to my parents, and all the advantages I derive from it.

5. Yes, I perceive how feeble and dependent I am, and defire to think and act accordingly. Happy fhall I think myself, if filled with love and gratitude to my parents, I fulfil my obligations to them with a tractable and joyful heart.

6. How great are my obligations to them! What should I do without them? Surrounded from my birth with ten thoufand dangers, I fhould probably not have efcaped any one of them, if the fupporting and watchful hand of a father or a mother, or of perfons who fupplied their place, had not protected and fnatched me from the dangers which threatened me.

7. Exposed to a thousand wants, without the power of fupplying them; a prey to hunger and thirft, to cold and heat, to forrow and disease, I fhould have fallen a victim to all thefe evils had it not been for the affiduous attention of those who were around me, and their care to fupply my want of knowledge and of ftrength.

8. For how long a time hath this ftate of weakness and dependence (in which I ftill in a great degree find myself) continued? A ftranger to every thing, the leaft thing fills me with fear and trouble. My mind, as feeble as my body, falters at every step, falls into a thoufand errors, and, daz. zled by a falfe luftre, fuffers itself to be easily led aftray by vain appearances.

9. I have not yet acquired fufficient experience to con fide entirely in myself. To-day I judge totally different of men and things from what I did yesterday. Knowing but little of the defign of my being, and the means of attaining it, I cannot yet tread with a firm and steady foot in the path of life.

10. How much do I need an enlightened and faithful guide? Without fuch a director I run the rifque of ftraying into a thousand obfcure bypaths, the victim of every impoftor who wishes to abuse my credulity, and the fport of eve ry accident.

11. But who amongst mankind will guide me with more kindness, prudence, and circumfpection than a father or a mother? My parents are the first and fureft guides I can

have in the journey of life, which is to me at present an unknown road. They will give me the benefit of their experience, light and ftrength.

12. They will warn me of the dangers I run, and remove the obstacles that lie in my way. They will teach me to distinguish reality from appearance, and to form a right judgment of mankind and the objects around me. They will raife me when I fall, and encourage my trembling fteps.

13. They will lead me infenfibly to wifdom and virtue, to the knowledge of God and religion, which they will teach me to ftudy and to follow, as the noblest and most friendly guides to man, the most faithful and the fureft conductors to happiness.

14. How great then are my obligations to my parents! How can I ever acquit myself to them, and fufficiently acknowledge my gratitude! How much have my maintenance, my early education, and the improvement of my mind already cost them; and how much anxiety, pain and labor have I not occafioned them!

15. How many conveniences and pleasures, and accommodations have they not given up on my account! How many tears have I made them fhed for me! How much dif appointment and diftrefs have they experienced for me! How much more have they watched, labored, and lived for me, than for themselves!

16. And have I never made a perverfe return for their love? Have I never repaid their kindness with ingratitude? Yet they have never ceased to give me new proofs of their tenderness, and never ceafed to labor for my happiness. 17. Alas! it is now I fee my faults. The idea of hav ing occafioned them anxiety and mortification, and of having grieved their hearts, afflicts and tears my own. fhamed that by obftinacy and disobedience I have hindered their good intentions in my behalf, and failed in my duty to them.

I am a

18. I will try in future to repair these faults, and to give them only fatisfaction. To this my beft endeavors fhall be directed. Filial piety fhall direct and animate all my conduct. I will fay and do nothing that fhall difpleafe them. 19. I will make it my greatest pleasure to obey them, to

afford them every service and affistance in my power, and to become their confolation and their joy. I will give myself fincerely to their direction, inftantly obey their commands, and, if poffible, even anticipate their wishes.

20. The end to which I will direct all my efforts fhall be to make a good ufe of all the means of instruction they procure me, that I may become more intelligent and wife, and hereby make the best return in my power for all their kindness.

21. Thus will I endeavor to lighten their burdens, relieve their cares, and rejoice their hearts with the pleafing hope that their labor has not been in vain.

22. Preferve me, O merciful God, from the levity and inconftancy of my age. Let the idea of thy prefence, and of thy will, confirm me in every good refolution I have formed, and do thou affist me to execute them with perfe verance and fidelity!

1

A YOUTH'S REFLECTIONS ON HIS DUTY.

1. HOW pleasant is the feafon of youth! Like the fine days in the fpring, it compofes the prime of life, and promifes in future a rich harveft. But, alas! it paffes away with the fame rapidity, and the hopes it raifes are often as deceitful. In the moral, as in the natural world, the fineft bloffoms do not always produce the fruit we had reason to expect:

2.

"Fair is the bud his vernal morn brings forth,
And foflering gales awhile the nurfling fan.

O fmile, ye heavens, ferene ! ye mildews wan,
Ye blighting whirlwinds, fpare its balmy prime."

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In vain are our wishes! Too often, blafted by the hoar froft, or torn by the tempeft, the fairest buds of hope, and the moft promifing plants perifh, with the precious feed which they enclose.

3. How muft it afli&t the perfon, arrived at the matu rity of manhood, when he cafts his eyes over the days of

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