"That the Lord called Samuel, and he answered, Here am I." The Lord called him a second, third, and fourth time, "then Samuel answered, Speak, for thy servant heareth." Samuel was now no older than some of you Sunday-school boys, yet the Lord told him more than he told Eli the priest. You cannot begin religion too young; but alas! you may begin it too late.

2. Abijah was but a child when he died, and yet we read, (1 Kings, xiv. 13,) "that in him there was found some good thing toward the Lord God of Israel." There must be some good thing found in your hearts, or you cannot go to heaven when you die. Such good thing you cannot have without "the grace of God preventing you, that you may have a good will" to seek it, as a free gift from the Lord, who will give his Holy Spirit to them that ask him.

3. Josiah is presented to us as an example of early piety. In 2 Chronicles

xxxiv. 3, we read, "For in the eighth year of his reign, when he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his Father." You may begin to be truly religious, at an earlier age than that in which Josiah sought after the Lord.

4. The example of Timothy serves to show how profitably religion may be cultivated in early life. St. Paul in his second epistle to Timothy chap. iii. 15, says, "And that from a child, thou hast known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus." The knowledge which Timothy so early acquired, rendered him, by the blessing of the Lord, an eminent minister of the gospel, while he was a young man. Hence St. Paul says to him, "Let no man despise thy youth." Let your youthful days be seasoned with religion; "for it is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth."

5. Look at John the Baptist, who was

a good child, even from his birth: for it is said, "And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit." He was sanctified from his birth; and at that early period, he needed to be "washed, to be sanctified, to be justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God." We need the same, my dear children; may God make us in earnest to obtain these mercies, for Jesus' sake. Amen.

III. Let us now notice some means which you should use to promote repentance and faith.

1. Learn the need you have to repent of your sins, and to pray to Jesus Christ. If you were to die as young as the Sunday-school boy died, or as the little girl* died, could you die happily without repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ? You could not; you would be afraid to die. You would

* These were two children who died in the parish, 1833, and who belonged to the Sunday-school.

be full of trouble. Do not hide this from yourselves, that you have sinned, and that you must repent--that you have no just reason to hope that it shall be well with you in death, and at the judgment seat of Christ, except you believe in Jesus who died for your sins, and who rose again for your justification.

2. Learn to pray to God the Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you his Holy Spirit, that he may make in you a new heart.

you

"You must be born again must have your hearts renewed by the Lord, before you can love Christ, and his salvation. When God gives you his Holy Spirit, you will love to pray to him, and to read the Bible: you will love to come to church, and to join in the prayers, and the singing: you will hear sermons with profit and pleasure.

My dear children, when you say your prayers, think of God-" Our Father who is in heaven," to whom you pray.

When you say the Lord's Prayer, think of Jesus Christ who made it, and who now prays for you at the right hand of God: think of the Holy Ghost, without whose help you cannot truly repent of your sins, or obtain the salvation of your souls.

3. Shut

evil.

your eyes and your ears against

Bad children often say bad words; turn away your ears from them, and get away from their company; for, "evil communications corrupt good manners." Bad children do things which are evil, and sinful, and hurtful to themselves; and which are very injurious to those who see them done. Much of that which we call virtue, in children as well as in grown up persons, consists in ignorance of vice. You must not therefore look at wicked children when they do sinful things, lest you learn to do the same. You may easily get bad habits, but you cannot easily break them off when they are once formed.