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mily imitated his example. He joined the Christian church; two brothers older than himself, and two other relatives, connected with them by marriage, soon followed him. He has finished his course in hope, and his friends, it is trusted, are now walking in the way of peace.

The child may win the parent. I know a young disciple of the Saviour, who, when she set out in religion, had parents who were both of them strangers to the gospel of salvation. But to see her child embrace religion while she knew it not, impressed the mother's heart, and under God was a means of leading her to inquire for the grace of life. She soon became a member of the church to which her daughter had been previously united.

The wife may win the husband; the husband the wife. Were it necessary, cases of this description might be mentioned, for they are many. In the same way a pious master may produce incalculable good among those he employs. If he considers himself, as he should do, lying under a solemn responsibility with respect to his servants, and if he labour and pray for their conversion, his servants may have reason to eternity to bless the hour which brought them under his pious care.

Even the servant may win the employer. The effect of piety in persons in humble life may be great on those in cir

The child may win the parent. The following proof of this occurred not long since in the United States of America. "Two daughters of an irreligious father, while away from home, embraced religion. The father alarmed, immediately sent for them home; but before the messenger reached them, they had made their lasting choice, and found the peace the world cannot give. They returned to their father's-not overwhelmed (as he expected) with gloom and despondency; but with countenances beaming with a heavenly serenity and celestial hope.

They told their father what the Lord had done for their souls-that they were pilgrims here-they kept in view the bright fields of promise as they traversed this desert of sin, and were looking for that city which hath foundations.

"Soon after their return home they were anxious to establish family worship. They affectionately requested their father to commence that duty. He replied, that he saw no use in it. He had lived very well more than fifty years without prayer, and he could not be burthened with it now. They then asked permission to pray with the family themselves. Not thinking they would have confidence to do it, he assented to the proposition.

"The duties of the day being ended, and the hour for retiring to rest having arrived, the sisters drew forward the stand, placed on it the Bible-one read a chapter-they both kneeled-the other engaged in prayer. The father stoodand while the humble fervent prayer of his daughter was ascending on devotion's wing to heaven, his knees began to tremble, his nerves, which had been gathering strength for half a century, could no longer support him-he also kneeled, and then became prostrate on the floor. God heard their prayer, and directed their father's weeping eyes (which had never shed tears of penitence before) to the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world."

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cumstances far above theirs. A pleasing instance of this kind has already been mentioned in chapter vii. § 6. note.

Where the piety of servants has no other effect, yet it will recommend them to the esteem and confidence of discerning employers. It is true, such is the hatred of vital religion in some persons, that religion in their servants is the object of contempt and opposition; but many others know how to discern and value a servant rendered faithful by religion.*

§ 8. Besides all that has been urged, there are many other considerations, which should impress on your heart the importance of showing piety in your own home. If you would not be stained with the hateful crime of hypocrisy, you must act this part. For surely no hypocrisy is more hateful, and none more mischievous, than theirs, who abroad seem pious, but at home manifest little or nothing of the influence of religion.

If

If you would not eternally undo your nearest friends and dearest relatives, you must show piety at home. Are you the child of parents who are strangers to religion? and do you profess it? they will form their idea of religion from you. they see you gentle and humble, affectionate and kind, patient of injury, and prompt to good, and shining in all the graces of the gospel, it will recommend religion to them; and perhaps lead them to the Saviour and to heaven. But if they see you proud, passionate, quarrelsome, unkind, and disobedient, what will they think of your religion? what will your conduct do, but seal them up under darkness and impenitence to the judgment of the great day? And at that day they may charge you as a wicked murderer, with having kept them in darkness, and contributed to damn them to eternity.

It is an awful fact, that where persons profess religion, and *The following is a pleasing instance of this nature: A few years back, there lived near Gamston a Mr. Jefferey. He had been in youth footman to the earl of Clare, a nobleman of liberal sentiments. In this situation he continued many years; and his steadiness, integrity, and civility, gave great satisfaction to his employer, and procured himself great respect. One circumstance, indeed, for a time, grieved the tender conscience of this pious youth. He was frequently employed by his master in carrying messages to a distance on the Lord's day. This he felt was inconsistent with his duty to his heavenly Master; and he resolved at all events to decline it. When therefore he was again called into the parlour, on the Lord's-day morning, and ordered to go on business to a neighbouring town, he replied, in a manly, though respectful tone," My Lord, I stand ready to obey your orders six days in the week; but this day I have a greater Master than you to serve.' Instead of being irritated at the freedom of his servant, this nobleman mildly replied, "Have you? Why then go and serve him :" and treated him afterwards with increased confidence.

PIETY IN THE FAMILY CIRCLE.

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yet honour it not by their conduct, they contribute in a dreadful degree to harden their own children or nearest relatives against the truth. Few are so hardened, as well as so careless, as the children of those professors of religion that display not piety at home. It is far better to be the child of a profligate, than the child of an inconsistent professor of the gospel. The child of a profligate, however nursed up in vice, is not hardened against the gospel, by seeing his parents profess it with their lips, but disregard it in their life; and thus, by being continually taught at home, to believe all religion hypocrisy. Hence there is more hope of the conversion of a profligate's child, than of the child of unholy professors of the gospel.

The effects of professing religion without displaying piety at home, are thus awful and dreadful in the extreme. Some years ago an aged minister mentioned to me a painful fact. In early life he spent some years under the roof of a person who was a popular preacher of the gospel, and who was the instrument of awakening many from a state of carelessness and sin. But while thus successful abroad in turning many to righteousness, at home he displayed little of the influence of religion. Family prayer was seldom or never practised in his house. He gave way to harsh and violent tempers. He had six children; but alas! there was not reason to believe, that even one of them became a follower of the Saviour. They went on, driven as it were to perdition by their father's unholy conduct. On one occasion, when the writer had preached in a populous village, on displaying religion in the family, a respectable friend afterwards spoke of the importance of the subject, and uttered a sentiment to the following effect: That he could forfeit his life if he did not prove that the worst families, and the worst individuals, in the parish, were the children of persons that had professed religion. The writer mentioned this sentiment to a minister in another populous village in Derbyshire, and he asserted that in that village the same observation would hold good. Thus it is that persons, who profess religion, but do not honour it, in their own families, entail on their friends or their children hardness of heart, and profligacy or infidelity in this world, and eternal enmity to God and endless damnation in the world which is to come.

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§ 9. How will relatives meet the relatives their unholy conduct has ruined! how will unholy parents meet their injured children, at the tremendous bar of final judgment! A pious writer observes, " Who has so much to dread in the prospects of judgment, as the parent, whose child may rise up, and, addressing the Judge, may say, Lord! this father, this mother, of mine, never warned me of this day; or warned me with so little solicitude, that I thought the danger could not be great. Hence I followed the multitude to do evil, and neglected my everlasting interests till I find it now proves too late. But ah, Lord! are there no mitigating circumstances in my case? If I had been faithfully warned and entreated— if an anxiety similar to what was felt when my body was in danger, had been manifested towards my soul, surely I should not have been in these circumstances. O Lord! it is, in a great measure, chargeable upon my father, upon my mother, who conversed with me upon every subject except my soul, that I am now doomed to hear the sentence, Depart, thou cursed.'

Every motive that affection can urge, should lead you to labour and pray to promote the best interests of those with whom you are connected in the strongest ties of nature. Else, if you enjoy religion and they are strangers to it, how soon a day of dreadful and eternal separation will arrive! Ah, in that day friends, united here in nature's strongest, dearest ties, but not united in the ties of grace, must part asunder to meet no more for ever. Families that once met around the same hearth, sat around the same table, and passed the best and happiest years of life beneath the same roof, must separate to an infinite and eternal distance. One part rising high in glory in the blissful climes of heaven, the other sunk deep in eternal despair in the pit of fire and woe. The parents in heaven, and their once beloved children in hell; or, perhaps, the children welcomed by the Judge of all to life and bliss, and their unholy, unhappy parents doomed to all the horrors of eternal night. Brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, here much and mutually beloved, when they leave this world must frequently separate for ever. One crowned with glory will join the family of the first-born, the other sink beneath a load of unforgiven sin to misery and despair.

Ward's Sermon on the Design of the Death of Christ.

They

PIETY IN THE FAMILY CIRCLE.

239 who once were united in such fond attachment, now united no more. They part, and part for ever. They pursued their journey in union through the little span of time, but now, while some exult in all the light, and love, and joy of life eternal, their once beloved associates, swept into the gulf of perdition, feel nothing but guilt, remorse, despair, and wretchedness; and anticipate not one bright moment in the dreary ages of an eternal night. O, my friend, can you bear the thought of such a separation between yourself and those you hold most dear? Do you not tremble at the idea of so dismal a parting from the child you tenderly love? or the dear parent you revere? or the brothers or sisters, who have been the affectionate companions of your youthful hours? or the husband, or the wife, that is now the fond soother of your care? Yet, if you are devoted to Jesus, and they are not, it must come. How should the dreadful idea add fervour to your prayers, and life to your endeavours, to snatch them as brands from the burning! But perhaps they are consecrated to the Saviour, and you are not. O can you bear to be the wretched outcast? to see your child, or your parent, your brother, or your sister, your husband, or your wife, ascend to heaven, while you, with a broken heart, look after them in vain ? to see them rise to glory and eternal life, while you sink to darkness, misery, and despair? If the thought is dreadful, what will be the reality? Flee from the dreadful heart-breaking woe, and make their God and Father yours.*

Perhaps a brief but impressive narrative may add force to these remarks. "I have known," said a pious father, "the grace of God for nearly thirty years; but in spite of all my advice, my five sons and two daughters, all grown up, ran on in the broad way to destruction. This cost me many a prayer and tear; yet I saw no fruit of all my labours. In January last, I dreamed that the day of judgment was come. I saw the Judge on his great white throne, the holy angels sitting around him, and all nations gathered before him. I and my wife were on the right hand, but I could not see my children.

"I then thought that I must go and seek them; so I went to the left hand, and found them all standing together; tearing their hair, beating their breasts, and cursing the day that they were born. As soon as they saw me, they all caught hold of me, and said, O father! we will part no more!'-I said, My dear children, I am come to try, if possible, to get you out of this dismal situation.' So I took them all with me; but when we were come within a bowshot of the Judge, I thought he cast an angry look, and said, What do thy children with thee now-they would not take thy warning when upon earth: they shall not share the crown with thee. Depart, ye cursed!' At these words, I awoke, bathed in sweat and tears. A few days after this, as we were sitting altogether on a sabbath evening, I related my dream to them: no sooner did I begin, but first one, then another, yea, all of them, burst into tears; and God fastened conviction on their hearts. Five of them are now rejoicing in God their Saviour. I believe God is at work with the other two; so that I doubt not that he will give them also to my prayers.