fant, closed the lid, and in faith on the God of Israel, laid it in the flags by the river's brink, whether for life, or death.* Say, ye tender mothers! what were your feelings, when on the loss of an infant by death, it was laid in the coffin, and before the lid was closed, you gave with your lips, the last token of affection! Ye best can tell the feeling of the mother of Moses, when in tears she closed the lid of the ark, and left him in the waters of danger.

On this very day, the providence of God directed the feet of Pharoah's daughter, in company with her maidens, to go down to the river and wash. Whether this was for the purpose of pleasure, for health, or as an act of idolatrous worship, is not so material for us to determine. As she walked by the river, she saw a something among the flags; curiosity prompted an order to her maidens to fetch it; the lid was opened; she saw the child; and behold! the babe wept. Had we been present, we should have perceived her surprize; the tears of Moses in distress awakened her sympathy; her generous bosom glowed; she had compassion on him, and instantly exclaimed, This is one of the Hebrew's children! A nurse was immediately provided, and the princess honoured her own feelings by thus addressing her: Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. This was accepted, And the woman took the child and nursed it. Those who have read the sequel of this history, need not be told, that from this most striking occurrence, Pharoah's daughter adopted this rescued child as her

* Hebrews xi. 23.

own son; she caused him to be instructed in all the learning of Egypt; and, that he afterwards became one of the most distinguished and honoured characters which adorn the pages of the Old Testament.

As we are this morning assembled in this new building, to offer our prayer to the Almighty for his gracious benediction upon this benevolent Institution: perhaps I may not better perform the duty assigned me, than by drawing a few lines of comparison between the forlorn exposure, and the relief of little Moses, and those young unfortunates' whom this Society rescues from misery, granting them protection in this House of Refuge.

I. Let us recollect the danger to which the infant Moses was exposed.-He was laid among the flags which grew on the brink of the Nile, and in danger of being carried away by the stream, and seen no more. And who does not know, that iniquity has too long run down our streets like water; and that the floods of the ungodly, like the rising of the waters of the Nile, have frequently overflowed the safety and peace of our city? The rising generation, for successive years, have been exposed to this polluting current, and many of them have been carried away and destroyed. Often have we seen the children of the lower orders of society, for the want of education and restraint, plunging into this iniquitous stream; and such is the force of example, and the fascinations of vice, that we are not without some instances of other young persons of respectable connections being unhappily carried away

from the paths of virtue, lodged in houses of criminal confinement, lost to all expectation by their parents of retrieving their characters, and becoming useful members of society. But now, the pitying eye, like that of Pharoah's daughter, is directed to such young offenders; and, the hand of kindness is extended, at once to rescue them from destruction, and safely conduct them to this House of Refuge.

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Let us not forget that little Moses was also in dan

of being devoured by the crocodile. This amphibious animal is a native inhabitant of the Nile, living both on land and water; it frequently grows to an enormous size, is of great strength, and extremely voracious. It has the largest mouth of all monsters, opens both his jaws at once, which, being furnished with a great number of sharp teeth, can snap a man asunder in a moment, and gorge the body. To this dreadful monster the infant Moses was exposed; and we cannot but shudder at the apprehension of his exposure. Perhaps you may inquire, Have we any such dangerous animals in our city, or in its rivers? We have only seen them exhibited in show, and so confined, as to admit of no danger to the visiters. Where then can be the correctness of this comparison between little Moses, and the miserable young beings who wander in our streets? I venture to affirm, that among us, we have crocodiles in human shape; persons whose conduct is as dangerous to the interest of civil society, as are the ravages of the monsters in the Nile. They may well be denominated amphibious, for they are capable of committing their ravages upon the land, or

on the water. Indeed, it is well known that by various methods, such unhappy characters form their criminal practices into a system. They first learn the rudiments of their art in secret; perhaps in some obscure cellar, and there form combinations. Occasionally, a party sally forth to try their skill in lesser crimes; till eventually, some of them are detected, and sentenced to the penitentiary. There, for the want of room to make the necessary classification, they horde too much in mass, and soon find those who are more proficient in criminal practices than themselves; from whom they receive greater aid to carry on the course of bad instruction. So true is it, that evil communications, not only corrupt good manners, but certainly make bad manners much worse. Here too, they formerly met with the juvenile offender; perhaps sentenced for his first offense. As with the false tears of the crocodile, they pretended to commisserate his misfortunes, ingratiate themselves into his tender feelings, and by such insinuations, he gradually listens to the story of their own vicious conduct; and, finally imbibes those depraved principles, which soon make him to resemble their own likeness. Thus advanced in their vicious education, no wonder they should resolve to form a new gang on their liberation; so that, on the expiration, it may be said of some of them, they are competent to take their first degree of BACHELOR in the Art of crime.

Now, a new scene appears. Instead of cultivating repentance for past offenses, such is the strength of sinful habits, they improve their criminal system, and

form stronger combinations to execute their purposes. Their rapacity, like that of the crocodile, increases ; and, with extended jaws they lay in wait to catch the young offender that he may aid in their dark designs. This becomes indispensably necessary, in order to perform those operations of which a grown person is incompetent. The little boy must watch the opening door; climb the fence; or, urge his way through the cellar bars. Having gained admission, the urchin conceals himself, perhaps beneath the bed; within the vacant closet; or, in the garret's corner, until all is hushed in silent sleep; when, behold! he descends the stairs, unlocks the door, and admits the gang to accomplish their plunder. This is no false representation; facts like these have too frequently occurred; and I personally know a youth, of about fifteen years of age, now in one of our prisons, who, by such early instruction and practices, has been pronounced competent to take the lead of a gang. What generous soul but shudders on beholding scenes like these, and ardently wishes to rescue such young delinquents from the jaws of total destruction! Such public depredations, however, seldom go long without detection; and, the perpetrators are deservedly conveyed to the State Prison. Here, likewise, for the want of adequate means to classify the criminals, their intercourse with each other, especially in the shades of night, is favourable for that conversation, which, can only produce a stronger growth of vicious principles, and which outbraves the watch of their keepers, and the moral lessons which they constantly receive. And here too, the old offenders seldom fail to ensnare the young, and