dent, careful, honest, and industrious husbandman. Being, at a certain time, at the house of his son-in-law, one of the boys of the family wished to go home with his grandfather; but it not being convenient at that time, the grandfather declined taking him, but added, "Next time grandpapa comes, he'll carry you home with him." The boy was pacified. The old gentleman, not thinking any more, (as, alas! many careless and faulty parents do,) of what he had said to the boy, was several times at the house without fulfilling his engagement; and, perhaps, without even thinking of it. But the boy was not so forgetful. He recollected well the promise of his grandfather. In process of time, the grandfather took the boy behind him on his horse, and was conveying him to his own. home. On the way the boy began to remonstrate with his grandfather on the subject, by saying, "When grandpapa was at our house one time, he said the next time he came, he would carry me home-and grandpapa did not." "Why," says the old gentleman, "you don't think your grandpapa would lie, do you?" "I don't know," says the boy, "What does grandpapa call it?" This confounded the old gentleman so much, that he knew not what reply to make.

This anecdote has served to increase my conviction of the importance of regarding, strictly and conscientiously what we say to children. Especially, it has shown me the evil of trifling with children, and making them unmeaning promises or declarations. And it is my deliberate opinion, that oftentimes parents, by disregarding, forgetting, and neglecting to fulfil what they declare to children in promises and threatnings, are chargeable with the pernicious evil of teaching their children to lie; and then, perhaps, they inflict punishment upon them for the crime. This is hard-this is cruel-this is an evil of serious magnitude, prevalent to an alarming degree, and which ought speedily and effectually to be corrected. Watch then, and remember to make good what you say to children. Do not threaten them with what you have no business to execute. By such threatnings you weaken your own hands; render the truth doubtful, and train up your children for falsehood and crime. Whatever else

you neglect, by no means neglect to teach them by exam ple as well as precept, an inviolable regard for the truth.

Can't we go somewhere?

A COMPANY of young men was gathered at one of the corners of our streets, on Sabbath afternoon; to spend as was usual with them, that holy time, in idleness and dissipation. How often are the dwellers in great cities doomed to see such sights! And how often are the hearts of the pious and benevolent pained by such exhibitions! And how many a widowed mother would be stricken to the earth, did she know that the son for whom she is praying, in her lonely cottage, and over whom she shed the parting tear, as she sent him to the city, is thus profaning the Lord's Sabbath-thus treading the path to ruin! Nay! how many a hoary head has been bowed to the grave by such intelligence.

As I passed these young men, on my way to the sanctuary, I heard the question asked by one of them: "Can't we go somewhere?" For a moment I stopped involuntarily, and felt impelled to say: "Come with me, and I will show you where to go." But alas! it was but a moment; and I went on my way. Had I not been deterred by some foolish unchristian fear of man, how much good might I then, by the grace of God, have done! I know not how the question was answered; but several times since, it has presented itself to my mind, and I have found it a theme for serious thought..

"Can't we go somewhere?" asked the young men, because the time hung heavily upon them. It was the Lord's day; and the ordinance of man, in conformity with that of God, declared that there should be rest from labor. And these young men thought they had nothing to do.

Ah! how many think they have nothing to do on the Sabbath? It is indeed a day of rest; a sweet, a precious day; rest from the cares, the pleasures, the bustle, the distraction of the world. And yet it is a day for work; for pleasing, holy work; for laborious, solemn work. On this day are we more particularly to praise God in his holy temple, in the assemblies of his people; to work out our

own salvation with fear and trembling; to labor in the pulpit, the Sabbath school, the domestic circle-to bring souls to Christ-to examine our hearts, to guard them well. Oh! who can be idle on such a day? Who can say he has nothing to do?

"Can't we go somewhere?" Yes, young men, you can go to the sanctuary of God, and listen to the gospel of salvation. You can go where the Holy Spirit delights to come down on the hearts of the children of men, and work in them " to do and to will of his own good pleasure." You can go where the embassador of Christ tells men of Him who died for sinners, and reads from the book of life, the offers of pardon to the penitent. You can go where are to be found the bread of life, and the water of life; where can be procured for mere asking-if the request be made with contrition and humility, joys that shall never pass away. You can go where the faithful of the Lord unite in songs of praise and gratitude to Him, who bought them with his own precious blood, and send up to the mercy-seat, the fervent prayer, that you, and all who, like you, are out of the kingdom, may become of their number, be of the fold of Christ. And will you not go there? Go, do go. The church may be to you the gate of heaven. Oh, do go. You will not regret going: you may, bless God for it through eternity.

"Can't we go somewhere?" Yes; you can go home to your closets, and on bended knees implore pardon for your sins, and grace to save and help in time to come. Do this and you shall live. Or you may go to ride in the country, or to sail upon the water, or to the tavern or pleasure garden, and quaff the intoxicating draught; or you may go up and down the streets, or about this or that corner, smoking your segars, and idling your time--nay, worse than idling-spending it in profane and obscene conversation, and making mockery of holy things. may do either, or all of these; but know young man, that for all these things God will bring you into judgment. These are the open doors of hell; the traps which Satan sets for the unwary. Go not therein; for they who are found walking therein, are in danger of destruction. Turn away; flee from them as from fiery ruin. Oh! go now where you may serve the Lord; then in the day of

You

his indignation, you shall be secure beneath the shield of redeeming love.

And, are there not many who would be ashamed to be seen standing at the corners of the streets, who pay a de gree of respect to the externals of religion, who visit the sanctuary in the forenoon of the holy day, and who often ask: "Can't we go somewhere?” "Where shall we ride, or walk, or visit, to spend the afternoon?" Ah! my friends, say not with the Pharisee, "We are better than yonder sinners:" for, verily, there is danger lest many vile and sinful go in before you to the heavenly feast, and ye be shut out. Examine your hearts; ponder your ways; and henceforth keep holy the Sabbath day.

Professing Christians, do you not sometimes ask, "Can't we go somewhere?" Somewhere to hear a better sermon, a more eloquent preacher, finer singing, &c. Beware, lest ye be of the number who say, "Lord, Lord,” but are far from the kingdom. They that have itching ears, often have hard hearts.

Finally, we all must go somewhere. We are constantly moving on towards eternity; and heaven or hell must be our abiding place. How important, then, that we make a right choice, that we go along the right road, that we go to Jesus, who is "the way, and the truth, and the life." Reader, if thou hast not yet accepted the offer of salvation; if thou hast not the witness of the Spirit that thou art the Lord's; let me beseech thee to go at once to the mercy-seat-to begin at once the great duty of repentance and faith towards God-to seek the Lord while he may be found, to call upon him while he is near-so that at the great day, you may be found accepted in the beloved, and receive a crown of glory everlasting.

Apologies for Traveling on the Sabbath.

SOME of those who who do the work of journeying on the Sabbath, do not condescend to make any apology for it. They care neither for the day, nor for Him who hallowed it. With these we have nothing to do. Our busi ness is with those who, admitting the general obligation of the Sabbath, and knowing or suspecting, Sunday

raveling to be a sin, offer apologies which they hope may justify the act in their case, or else go far towards extenuating the criminality of it. I propose to submit to the judgment of my readers some of the excuses for this sin, as I cannot help calling the breach of the fourth commandment, which from time to time I have heard alleged.

I would premise that I know of no sin, which men are so sorry for before it is done, and so ready to apologize for afterwards. 1 cannot tell how many persons, about to travel on the Sabbath, have answered me that they were very sorry to do it; and yet they have immediately gone and done it. They have repented and then sinned -just like Herod, who was very sorry to put John the Baptist to death, and then immediately sent an executioner to bring his head. It does not diminish the criminality of an act that it is perpetrated with some degree of regret and yet the presence of such a regret is considered by many as quite a tolerable excuse.

One gentleman who was sorry to travel on the Sabbath, added, I recollect, that it was against his principles to make such a use of the day. I wonder then that he should do it-that he should deliberately practice in opposition to his principles. But I was still more surprised that he should think to excuse his practice by alleging its contrariety to his principles. What are principles for but to regulate practice; and if they have not fixedness and force enough for this, of what use are they? A man's principles may as well be in favor of Sabbath breaking as his practice; and certainly it constitutes a better apology for a practice that is in conformity to one's principles, than that it is at variance with them.

He

Another gave pretty much the same reason for his conduct in different words: "it is not my habit," said he, "to travel on the Sabbath." It was only his act. did not uniformly do it. He only occasionally did it. A man must be at a loss for reasons, who alleges an apology for traveling one Sabbath, that he does not travel other Sabbaths. The habit of obedience form no excuse for the act of disobedience.

An intelligent lady, who was intending to travel on the Sabbath volunteered this exculpation of herself