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I sometimes think myself inclined
To love thee if I could;
But often feel another mind,
Averse to all that's good."

My best desires are faint and few;
fain would strive for more:

But when I say, "My strength renew,"
Seem weaker than before.

Thy saints are comforted, I know,
And love thy house of prayer:
I therefore go where others go,
But find no comfort there.

O make this heart rejoice or ache·
Decide this doubt for me:
And, if it be not broken, break;
And heal it, if it be.

STORY ON THE COMMANDMENTS.

THE next morning, at the time fixed by Mr. Fairchild, the children went into the study; and Mr. Fairchild showed them more places on the globe, and taught them many things which they did not know before. I shall put down what he taught them in this place, as you may perhaps like to read it.

"After Adam and Eve were turned out of Paradise," said Mr. Fairchild, "on account of their disobedience to God, they had many children born; and these children had children, and children's children, till, at the end of two thousand years, they had multiplied exceedingly; but these people were very wicked; so very wicked, that it repented God that he had made them; and he sent a flood of water to destroy all the people that were upon the face of the earth, excepting only one person and his famly."

Henry. And that was Noah, who was saved in the ark.

"The account of Noah's preservation is given us in Heb. xi. 7," said Mr. Fairchild; "By faith, Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house: by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith." Mr. Fairchild then

showed to his children, upon the globe, a mountain in Asia, which he said was Ararat, where Noah's ark rested after the flood. And he showed them also a place not very far distant, to which Noah's children travelled after they began to multiply upon the face of the earth, called the Plain of Shinar.

"Oh!" said Emily, “and I know what the children of Noah did in the Plain of Shinar."

"Let us hear, then," said Mr. Fairchild, "if you can repeat the account from the Bible."

Emily. Yes, papa. "And the whole earth was of one language and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly and they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar. And they said, Go to, let us build a city, and a tower whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded; and the Lord said, Behold, the people are one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their lan guage, that they may not understand one another's speech. So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of the whole earth, and they left off to build the city: therefore is the name of it called Babel ; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon all the earth." Gen. xi. 1-9.

Very well, my dear," said Mr. Fairchild. "From this place, which is called Babel, or Babylon, to this day, the families of the children of Noah spread themselves all over the face of the earth; some going one way, and some another, and settling themselves in different countries: some going towards the north, where it is extremely cold, and the fields are covered with frost and snow; and others towards the south, where the sun has immense power, and the earth is in ome seasons scorched with burning heat.

"But wherever the families of the children of Noa settled themselves," added Mr. Fairchild, "they have rom

the time of Noah, even till now, filled the earth with vio lence and wickedness. How many nations have for ages past, forgotten the name of the true God, and have made to themselves vile gods of wood and of stone! 'changing the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like unto corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things."" Rom. i. 23.

"Papa," said Emily, "is not this verse made about these people? The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men's hands: they have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not; they have ears, but they hear not: neither is there any breath in their mouths: they that made them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them."" Psalm cxxxv. 15-18.

"But, papa," said Lucy, "surely there are not many people in the world who now worship gods of wood, and of silver, and gold: I thought people in these days knew better than that."

"The people who worship these gods," said Mr. Fairchild," are called idolaters; and it is a great mistake, my dear, to suppose that there are no idolaters left in the world: more than one-third of the inhabitauts of the globe are supposed to be idolaters: there are numbers in Africa, in Asia, and in America, and the Roman Catholics in Europe, and other parts of the world, who address their prayers to images of saints, and of the Virgin Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, may also be called idolaters. Many people in England are very wicked; but the people in those countries which serve idols, are more horribly wicked than you can imagine; their ways and manners of life are so bad, that they are not fit even to be spoken of. St. Paul speaks of the wickedness of the heathen in these words: And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient; being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful; who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only

To the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”” Rom. i. 28-32.

Mr. Fairchild then stated to his children this awful truth, which few understand, or duly consider: that vile and abominable as the heathen are, there is another order of people to be found too commonly in countries calling themselves Christian, whose condemnation in the world to come, it is to be feared, will be greater than even that of the heathen themselves: "And these," he said, "are those persons, who having the opportu nity of reading their Bible, and hearing the gospel preached, yet live in utter neglect of the great salvation prepared for them; people who think of little or nothing but enjoying what they call pleasure, gathering together riches, or making themselves great in the world. Even England," added Mr. Fairchild, "this happy country, in which there are many who preach the pure gospel, in which there are numbers of holy books daily within our reach, in which the Bible is found in almost every house, is full of those persons who neglect and despise religion; and though it would be thought very shameful in this country for a man plainly to say, I do not love my Saviour-I do not believe in the Holy Spirit!' yet there are thousands who show as much by their careless lives and vain conversation."

"Papa," said Lucy, "I fear from what you say, that there are very few real Christians in the world, and that a very great part of the human race will be finally lost."

"My dear child," replied Mr. Fairchild, "it is not the will of God that one should be lost; neither is it our business to decide upon this matter; this we know, that a way of salvation has been pointed out to us, and that it will be our own fault if we do not accept this great salvation; the great sins of mankind are pride and unbelief; this is the natural state of man's heart, and it is the work of the Holy Spirit of God, to convince us of this unbelief, and to bring us to a knowledge of our unhappy state by nature, and of that which the blessed Saviour has done for us. From the beginning of the world, until this present day, there always have been some who have been thus convinced of sin and brought to the knowledge of God. These are the blessed par sons who are called in Scripture the children of God;

and these are they who are described in the Revelations. chap. xiv. verses 1-5. And I looked, and lo, a Lamb stood on mount Sion, and with him an hundred and forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder; and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps. And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts and the elders and no nian could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.' The first of these, among the children of Adam,” proceeded Mr. Fairchild, “was Abel, 'By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and by it he, being dead, yet speaketh. By faith Enoch was translated, that he should not see death: and was not found, because God had translated him; for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.-And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Sampson, and of Jephtha; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms,wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women re. ceived their dead raised to life again; and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might ob tain a better resurrection: and others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings; yea, moreover, of bonds and imprisonments: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheep-skins and goat-skins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented (of whom the world was

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