tions which cause most exquisite joy, yet in the end, if we are faithful, we shall have happiness without mixture, measure or end. What must be the emotions, the extacy, the beatitude of faithful pastors, when called to shew with the chief Shepherd in that moment of Mediatorial exultation, when he will say, "Here am I, and the children whom thou hast given me?" Compared with the felicity of that hour, what are the joys of momentary marriage? what the triumphs of temporary victory? what the splendours of fading crowns? what the glory of a dissolving world?!!

PART VII.

AN ADDRESS TO THE UNDETERMINED.

THESE may be arranged into three classes. 1st. Such as have descended from Anabaptist parents, and of course, as far as education extends its influence, are prepossessed in favour of that system, though yet undetermined.

2d. Such as have been brought up to no religion at all, and perhaps are skeptical about all.

3d. Such as have been baptized in infancy, and yet are, by Anabaptist arguments, induced to

waver.

With you of the first class, I feel myself bound to treat upon the subject with the greatest sympathy and tenderness, because, however incorrect the system of our fathers may be, it deserves, on their account, some considerable support. Children are naturally disposed to credit what their parents say and believe. All their early views of religious things are derived through the channel of their instructions, and it really seems to me that in the precept, "Children obey your parents" is implied, that we should be of their religion un less upon very mature reflection and conscientious

investigation of the scriptures, we discover a better. To an age of so much revolutionary enterprize as the present, and to the descendants of a people of so much missionary exertion and proselyting zeal as your ancestors have always cher-ished we need hardly state that the religion even of our fathers should be examined by the supreme standard; and if in this balance it be found wanting, should be abandoned. If this principle be denied, how are we to justify the spirit and practice of the Reformers of the ever memorable 16th century, who shook, in the con-tinent of Europe, the old establishments of papaldomination, superstition and idolatry? In what darkness had we been greping, in what distress involved, had they revered the religion of their fathers above the religion of God's word? Nay, how could we justify the practice of Christ's own Apostles, who reasoned and testified against the sayings and traditions of old times, who displayed the banner of truth and sounded loud and: long the trump of war against all the systems of religion which were then formidable by the multitude of their advocates, and venerable by the. sages of antiquity who had been active in their establishment. Of all youth, it may also be remarked, you have the strongest inducements to be candid and disinterested in your investigations of this description. The system of your fathers has taught them to cast you, in religious matters, at the door of public pity. Though the children of those whom they consider almost exclusively

christian, they have excluded you from the church and pronounced you no more worthy of a place in the house of God, than the cattle of the hovel or the hogs of the sty. Still we would not have you forgetful of the kindness of your parents in the exercise of care over, and kindness to, your bodies. Give the system they defend a candid and careful examination, and if you find that they were authorized by the head of the Church to exclude you from his kingdom, let them have credit and do likewise. But if, on the contrary, you find that Christ allows parents to bring their children to him for a blessing and a public recog nition as members of the kingdom of heaven, we would, for the sake of your offspring and for the honour of the Redeemer's clemenoy and conde-scension and mercy, entreat you to lay aside the ignorant zeal which has deprived you of the honor and advantage of early adoption into the number and privileges of the family of God. Pre serve the same course in this case as you would, without any advice, in a political concern of a similar kind. Suppose your parents had been in: the lot of the patriotic heroes who, under the pro-tection and auspices of the Almighty, achieved the liberty of this much favoured land, and by their gallant exploits with their compatriots in arms, obtained the franchise of citizens in this commonwealth; yet not understanding the generous principles of the constitution in this respect, through mistake, had excluded you from the inheritance of soklier's lands and freemen's rights,.

saying you had no more right to these possessions and this freedom than the children of red Indians or sable Hottentots, What in this case

Would you

would you do? Would you not say, certainly our parents designed us no harm, but they reasoned incorrectly. The question relative to us was not, whether we had any personal merit, or desert of gallant deed, according to their own tenure of these privileges, but whether the consti tutional charterfallows us, as their children, calculating charitably that we would be worthy of such ancestors, to inherit their possessions and libersies, until we forfeit them by actual misdemeanor. Having discovered this mistake, would you not give in the names of your children, have them enrolled as citizens, and so endowed with all the privileges competent to their age? not teach them to say to those who tion their rights, as Paul said, "Yes, but I was free-born"? Should you act otherwise, you would not only injure your children, but also prolong the evil accruing from the ignorance of your parents. By their mistake their children were denied of a privilege, but by your continuance in their system you would make them to blame for the disfranchisement of their grandchildren. Should you say the cases are not similar; Christ's kingdom is not of this world, we would so far admit that its genius is, in many respects different: It is not established by intrigue nor perpetuated by force and cruelty; but are you really prepared to say that the covenant of grace,

would ques