and all that seems kind and considerate, when not according to this, is really in the end unkindness and cruelty. Now to be disciples of Christ, we and they must deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him. Oh may we ever have grace to bring up our dear children on these principles with united heart, that they may be a comfort to us, a blessing to the Church and to their country, and to families that may spring from them; so that our joy through eternity may be greatly enlarged by their Christian education! May we lead them early to Christ, lead them to cry earnestly to Him for His Spirit, and show them that there is now, in this day of grace, free, full, and complete deliverance, salvation, life, and glory for them. Oh may our God fulfil His promise: "I will pour My Spirit upon thy seed, and My blessing upon thy offspring," etc. May you and I, my love, plead those precious promises in prayer for our dear children. They are our jewels, if they be Christ's jewels. They will be our thorns, if it be not our constant aim to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. I know you agree with me in this, but we need to have our minds stirred up by way of remembrance.

In our household, may God ever give us Joshua's determination, -"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." I believe that this has been our aim, but it has been feebly executed. It includes our property, to be all laid out as we shall wish it had been in the day of Christ; and here I have been guilty of vain expense about books. It includes the religion of our servants; and here I think I have not duly attended to the males, nor you to the females, so as to be often speaking for their spiritual good. There has not been a neglect in the family religious duties, except as to their full improvement; but there has not been that private and personal application, which is the most efficient mode of making the public means really profitable.

Now in all these things, my dearest wife, I wish to act simply on the principles of the Gospel of Christ, and to give to each duty its due share of attention. You must help me in this, by sacrificing lesser desires and pleasures, that might interfere with primary duties, and by praying that I may have grace and strength, amidst all corruptions within, and all seductions from without, steadily to walk, by the strength of Christ, in that path which will bring peace at the last, and most promote our Father's glory and the good of all around us. Depend upon it, the more I am devoted to Christ, and the more you help me in this, the more I shall be d blessing to you and to our family; and all that troubles us at any time may be traced originally to a neglected Christ and a disobeyed Gospel.

The Lord bless you, my love, and enable us to walk more closely with Him. Love to all my dear tribe at home. Ever affectionately yours,

August, 1833.

E. BICKERSTETH.

THE AGED CHRISTIAN.

JHE spring and summer time of life have long since passed away,
And golden autumn, with its leaves of sadness and decay,

Has come and gone; and winter shrouds each lovely scene in gloom, And bids me mark across my path the shadows of the tomb.

Mine eye is growing dim with age, my step is feeble now,
And deeper lines of thought and care are graven on my brow;
But shall I murmur as I trace the rapid flight of hours,

Or grasp with trembling eagerness earth's fair yet fading flowers?
Oh no! a bright and happy home awaiteth me above,
And my ardent spirit longs to dwell where all is joy and love.
Does the wave-tossed mariner regret when he sees the haven near,
Where his shattered bark shall safely rest, nor storm nor danger fear?
Will the toil-worn labourer sigh because his weary task must close,
And evening's peaceful shades afford him calm and sweet repose?
Or does the child with sorrow mark each swift revolving mile,
Which bears him to his cherished home and loving father's smile?
And shall the Christian grieve because some gentle signs are given
That he is nearer to the bliss, the perfect bliss, of heaven;
That every moment closer brings that mansion fair and bright,
Prepared for him with tender love in realms of pure delight?
Oh! with such brilliant hopes as these how can my heart repine,
Although I feel my vigour fade, my wonted strength decline?
Rather with gladness would I hail these messages of love,
Which tell me I shall quickly join the white-robed throng above.
My pilgrimage will soon be o'er, my arduous race be run,
And the bright crown of victory triumphant faith have won.
No sorrow clouds the land of rest, hushed is the thought of pain:
Oh! if for me to live is Christ, to die indeed is gain!

INFANT DAYS AND TRAINING.

RECOLLECTIONS OF AN ONLY DAUGHTER.

S it was our earnest desire to bring up our beloved daughter in the fear of God, as the only way to make her happy in herself and a comfort to us, we determined to spare no pains in her education, and to commence our work at the earliest opportunity. It appeared to us preposterous to suffer the sinful tendencies of nature to gain strength, and grow into habits, under the notion that, when the mind has acquired maturity, it will assert its dominion over the passions, and reduce everything into its proper place and order. We knew that reflection and reason come late into exercise; that they are slow in their progress; act only at intervals; are feeble in operation, and uncertain in result: whilst, on the contrary, passion is coeval with our existence; is incessant in action; rapid in decision; and impatient of control. We were aware also, that if we neglected to sow wheat upon the fresh soil, the enemy would not be equally remiss in scattering

tares; we were determined therefore, if possible, to pre-occupy the ground by the best seed. Nor were our early efforts disappointed. We had the satisfaction of seeing our beloved child growing up under the best promise, and every year affording us abundant reason to believe that our labour was not spent in vain. The only time, as far as I recollect, when I had to use anything like severity, was when she was in her second year; and I record the circumstances of it, exemplifying my views of an important preliminary step in the training of children. We had a family party. Her grandfather and grandmother, her uncles and aunts, were dining with us; and our little Hannah was permitted to be seated at the table. On something being presented to her by one of her relatives, she was desired to say "Thank you,"-a sentence which she had but recently learned to pronounce; but upon this occasion, she was too eager to enjoy the kindness to acknowledge her obligation to the hand from which she received it. I repeated the injunction, but without the desired effect. The affair then assumed another aspect, and an important principle was in agitation. Excuses were offered by her fond relatives, and the tears of the child appealed to my feelings; but I considered that a compromise in this case involved future consequences, and that the point between us must sooner or later be decided. I knew that the victory of the child would lead to fresh attempts upon her yielding parents; and thus I should hereafter, with a much greater expense of feeling, and to a greater disadvantage, have to renew the contest. I therefore took the child into another room, and desired her to say "Thank you," which she did immediately. I supposed from this that the conquest was complete; but to my surprise, on returning to the dining-room, she had lost the power of uttering this short sentence. I had again to retire with her, and administer a slight correction for the disobedience; and again, when alone with me, she repeated the difficult words; but being a second time placed at the table, the task became insuperable, and she said, "I tan't say so." Her relatives too, whose feeling overcame, on this occasion, their good sense, joined in thinking the child could not repeat the words; and some of them united their tears with the child's in urging me to proceed no further. The duty now became difficult. The yearnings of my own heart, the entreaties of those around me, and the sobs of the sweet child, were all on one side; and only a sense of duty on the other. I stifled, however, my feelings, and again retired. I had no doubt of the ability of the child to pronounce the words, because she had done so every time of my withdrawing with her, and I was determined to go through with my task. After four or five attempts, I at length succeeded, and with a throbbing heart and flowing tears, the little creature sobbed out, "Tank ---you." Everything now was properly settled. The victory was on the side of the parent, who knew how to make a suitable use of it, instead of the daughter,

who would have abused it; the tears were soon dried up; our friends were satisfied that all was right, and the dear child never made another attempt with papa for the mastery. I dwell on this little incident with some minuteness, because it was pregnant with important results. It was a contest with governing principles; it decided at once that the will of the child must submit to that of the parent, and that it is vain to expect happiness in the way of resistance to proper authority. It is true the child did not reason in this way; but she well understood the practical lesson; and she never after brought her will to the hazard of a contest with that of her papa. Parents little think to what extent they multiply difficulties in the way of educating their children, when they yield to the first attempts to gain the ascendency. Under the notion that a more favourable opportunity may occur of bringing the affair to an issue, they give way for the present, but in so doing, they have tenfold augmented their labour, for the business can never afterwards be settled at a single contest. The child will long retain the recollection that he has at least once obtained victory, and may do it again, if he only persevere; and thus, in a much longer time, and at a far greater expense of feeling on both sides, that is at length effected (if indeed it ever be effected, for the parent who has been weak enough to yield in the feebler contest is not very likely to become more successful when the stronger commences) which might have been achieved without any very great difficulty at the first. Locke relates a case, somewhat resembling that which I have just stated. He says that a lady of his acquaintance whipped her little daughter eight times successively before she could overcome her stubbornness and obtain her compliance in a very easy and indifferent matter; and he adds, "if she had left off sooner, and stopped at the seventh whipping, she had spoiled her child for ever; and by her unprevailing blows only confirmed her refractoriness, very hardly afterwards to be cured."

Every opportunity had been taken to instil the principles of Christian piety into her infant mind; and the first appearance of what was wrong was carefully watched and corrected. A constant vigilance was exercised over indications of character: serious things, at suitable times, were affectionately urged; truth was most inviolably attended to; and parental authority, though exercised with as light a hand as was practicable, was uniformly maintained. These means of forming the infant character of our beloved daughter were, at times, watered with our tears, and constantly seconded by our earnest prayers for a divine blessing. And I wish here to record my firm persuasion, founded not only on the connection between cause and effect, and the declarations contained in the Scriptures, but on a considerable experience in educating youth, and a long attention to what is passing in the religious world, that the future life and character of most persons