down his life for us." What an evidence he has given of the same truth in the privileges he has conferred on the believer in his gift of the Holy Spirit, to keep him from sin, and purify him from the taint of evil, in conferring on him all the blessings of the covenant, and in adopting him into the fellowship of the divine family and household. "Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God." The Apostle seems to break out, as it were, into a rapturous exclamation, expressive of the feelings which animated him, and which filled his whole soul with joy and holy love, when he reflects on the unexampled condescension of his holy Father; he calls upon all to come and contemplate with him, with holy gratitude, the love of his Saviour and his God. "Behold," he says, "what manner of love the Father hath bestowed on us, that we should be called the Sons of God."

And why is this; but that it is his will, that not "one of these little ones should perish?" Not for any beauty of their own which should call out his love towards them; not because they were exempt in their birth from the taint of corruption and death; not because they differed from their brethren, and like their elder Brother, the Incarnate Son of God, "did no sin, neither was guile found in their mouth." No; "herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us ;" we love him, because he first loved us." It is nothing but his free will that saves his little ones from the dangers which encompass them. Their deliverance is not bought of man; no, brethren, it cost more to redeem their souls, it cost more to redeem the soul of each one of you who hear me: your souls are not bought of man; they are the gift, the free, the gratuitous gift of God. Their safety is obtained without money and without price, it is the recompense of their Saviour's sufferings here, won by the travail of his soul, and sealed even unto the end, by his precious blood-shedding; "with his own right hand, and with his mighty arm, he hath gotten to himself the victory : “it is his sovereign will, that none of them should be lost whom he calls his "little ones:" his language is, "Father, I will that they also whom thou has given me, be with me where I am."

And this leads me to the third observation, to consider THE MEANS WHICH GOD HAS PROVIDED FOR THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF HIS GRACIOUS WILL, IN THE SALVATION OF THE LITTLE ONES. God is no hard task master; he does not require bricks without straw; and he does not command the people to go up and possess the good land, without furnishing them with arms for the battle, and a Captain to lead them on to the victory. When he says, "It is not his will that one of these little ones shall perish," he does not leave them to struggle single-handed, in a hopeless and unavailing contest, against the enemies which assail them; but he puts into their hands the sword of the Spirit and the shield of faith; he puts underneath them his own everlasting arms; and he keeps them as his own, by his own power. He himself has provided a lamb for the sacrifice, as a peace-offering in their behalf: Christ Jesus is made unto them wisdom and righteousness, sanctification and redemption. But the great bar to the fulfilment of these gracious designs of God for mankind, is ignorance. Why is it that so many destroy themselves, by living without God in the world; and act as reckless of their souls, as if they had had unfolded to them not a single page of revelation-had sent no Sun of Righteousness to

lighten their darkness and cheer their moral gloom-no Holy Spirit to help their infirmities, and lead them into all truth? The Bible answers this question; "My people is destroyed for lack of knowledge." And why is it that so many entertain false views of themselves and of God; of their own nature and of the divine decrees-and thus numbers perish in their own corruptions, for whom Christ died? Again, the Scripture answers; "Where there is no vision, the people perish." And why is it, that so many walk in the vanity of their own minds, and according to their former lusts? For no other cause than because they are ignorant, having the understanding darkened; being alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in them. Remove their ignorance, and give them knowledge, and you open to them all the magnificent prospects of the Gospel.

Brethren, I am not speaking now of that human knowledge of which we hear so much; I am speaking of that heavenly knowledge, which maketh wise unto salvation; give them this knowledge, and you open to them all the glorious prospects of the Scriptures; you shew the slave of sin how he may burst his prison doors, and shake off the disgraceful fetters which bind his soul: you point out to the child of wrath, the blessings of adoption into the holy family of heaven, the unutterable privilege of the sons of God; you breathe spirit into the dry bones, and quicken the dead soul into newness of life. He who was

lost and miserable, an outcast, a stranger, an alien, an enemy; aye, and not only an enemy to God and a stranger to him, but an enemy to the interest of his own soul, a stranger to its best enjoyments, and the glorious designs of God on their behalf. He comes forth under divine teaching a new creature, a new man, renewed in knowledge, after the image of him that created him, "Created in Christ Jesus unto good works." Brethren, what a blessed and heavenly transformation is this; what is the Bible to him, whose heart remains so hard and unaffected with its awakening convictions? That very Gospel of life and love is no Gospel to him; it brings no good tidings to his benighted soul; the Saviour, who came to seek and save that which was lost, becomes no Saviour to his cold and reluctant soul. It is no better to him than a sealed book and a dead letter. The revelation of the Lord of Life himself, is not a savour of life unto life, but of death unto death. He perishes in his ignorance and blindness of heart, though God himself has proclaimed aloud to sinners, that he wills not that "one of these little ones should perish."

I notice, lastly, THE ENCOURAGEMENT WHICH THE TEXT AFFORDS TO THOSE WHO ARE DESIROUS OF IMPARTING THAT KNOWLEDGE WHICH MAKETH WISE unto SalvatION. In promoting this object, we know, we are sure, that we are promoting God's will: he wills not, "that one of these little ones should perish." In removing the stumbling block of ignorance from our brother's path, we may be satisfied that we are engaged in a labour of love, agreeable to the divine purposes: we become in a measure fellow-workers with God; our occupation is congenial with that of Christ himself. He came to teach eternal life as a Prophet, as well as to give it as a King. And how much of hope and holy confidence does this thought infuse into the heart of the Christian parent? Brethren, I am addressing here many Christian parents; they will know something of the nature of those emotions and feelings to

which I allude. When they teach their children to lift up their hands to Jesus, and lay them at the foot of the cross from their earliest years, and form their infant tongues to cry betimes for that mercy, which is the want alike of our earliest and latest years, what a comfort is it to such Christian parents to remember, that in their own little ones, they see those whom God wills should not perish: what life does it add to their prayers in their behalf; what energy to their wrestling with their heavenly Father, that he would perfect praise out of the mouths of their own babes and sucklings. They know, that it is written, "The times of their ignorance God winked at, but now commandeth all men to repent:" here there is a motive for instilling into the troubled heart of their child the consoling doctrines of the Gospel; God cares for him; cares for the child of the Christian parent; God cares for that child, and wills not that he should perish. Is there a parent that could bear the reflection, that so far as in him lay, he was counteracting-aye, so far as his child's interests were concerned, dearer to him, perhaps, than himself—was counteracting the Divine will in his behalf? Christ has died for that little one; and he commanded that he should be brought to him: "Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not."

But, surely, I may take the opportunity of calling the attention of parents to the many instances, which even a limited experience furnishes, of the early susceptibility of children on religious subjects. Bear with me for a moment, brethren, on this subject; it is one of exceeding importance to all those to whom the care and the nurture of the young is entrusted. I am well aware that much care is needful to guard against the mere talk and profession of religion: but it surely belongs to the training of a child in the way in which he should go, that religion should bear a prominent part in education, even from the very first. We know not how the Spirit of God works upon the infant mind; neither can we understand his operations upon our own minds: the same divine power can effect the same blessed change on both. And our baptismal service, so firmly founded on Scripture, must be a delightful encouragement to a believing parent. If the blessings of redemption may extend "Far as the curse is known;" faith may confidently expect the sanctifying influences of the Spirit even from the earliest years. Why this is not always realized, is another question; and brings our responsibility before us, as parents, in a very affecting point of view. But on this subject I must not now touch; it is enough for us to know, that however great and extensive our responsibility may be, as parents, or as the friends and promoters of religious education, we have adequate resources: we are not straitened in our God; we cannot make too large a demand on him, either for ourselves, or for the little ones dear to us. It is our comfort under every anxious care for them, to hear his gracious voice, saying, "Fear not; only believe: be it unto thee according to thy faith." every Christian parent listen with gladness to the gracious words, call, and bring up their little ones, even from the very cradle-yea, from the very cradle; it may be done, it has been done, it will be done, by Christian parents to the end of time-in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Oh, may obey the

But the text has a word of exhortation, not only to parents in respect of their children, but also for Christians in general in behalf of their perishing brethren. Nay, it does more, it enjoins a duty, while at the same time it

encourages us in its performance. God will not have his people leave their ignorant brethren to perish in their ignorance. He pronounces a solemn denunciation against those who take away the key of knowledge. "Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye enter not in yourselves; and them that were entering in, ye hindered." Doubtless there are many here, who have acknowledged this duty; and who are aware, that their duty extends in this respect far beyond their own immediate family, and the sphere of their own domestic circle of intercourse, Love knows no bounds of time or place; it is large and liberal, as the divine source from whence it flows. Whoever, then, is in want of Christian teaching, he is our neighbour; wherever there is one perishing in his ignorance, he is our brother: wherever there is a soul to be found, who knows nothing of the strong consolations of the Gospel, there we have found one of those little ones which God would not have us leave to perish. Unhappily we need not look far for objects for our Chrisian care; we have only to take our course, as we are doubtless frequently obliged to do, through the streets of the busy metropolis, to see how many there are who as yet know not God, and know nothing of that Saviour who would call them to himself, that they should not perish. Brethren, it is one of the most painful parts of the duty of those who are endeavouring to advocate the cause of Christian education, that they are compelled in their progress to this church, and to that church, to witness the appalling scenes which are presented to their view throughout their journey. In coming hither this morning, I could not see the many little ones, evidently left to themselves, without one Christian friend to call them from their paths of sin, and knowing nothing of the joys and privileges, of the rest and instruction, and all the other blessings, of the Christian Sabbath, I could not see all these distressing instances of that ignorance which yet prevails, even in a Christian land, without reflecting, with gratitude and with joy, on the benefits to which the children of these schools are admitted, through the Christian care and kindness of those who contribute the means for their education. I trust they know their blessings; I trust the Holy Spirit has taught their hearts to lift up their infant tongues in prayer to God who has thus blessed them: I trust that there are many amongst them, who, like Lydia, have attended to the things which have been spoken to them of their Christian teachers: I trust there are among them, too, some like young Timothy who have learned from their earliest years to bow the knee to Jesus; aye, and not the knee only, but who have sought him in spirit and in truth, and have come before him with the offering of a heart which has learned of of his salvation.

Brethren, I trust there are many here, who are, according to their means, willing to contribute, it may be, to extend the means of this charity. I rejoice to see, that it is a material consideration with the managers of these schools, to train the children early to habits of piety, industry, and virtue. Let our young be brought up in these principles, and God assuredly will give the increase. You will not ask here, brethren, whether there are others nearer to them, who are willing to take their share in bearing their brethren's burden: Christ was manifested in the flesh, and died for you; when you were yet afar off. You will not put the taunting question, "Am I my brother's keeper?" The commandment is, "Do unto others as ye would they should do unto you." You

will not peril the never-dying souls of your brethren in your selfishness and want of Christian love; "It is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish." "Freely ye have received, freely give." Cast your bread upon the waters;" sow in faith. What though there be those who, notwithstanding all your care, and all the promises of the Gospel, yet remain ignorant of the things which concern their eternal peace; if you have thus cast your bread upon the waters, you must leave it to God to give the increase he will give it in his own time: he often gives it at times, and through means, most unexpected. Cast, then, your bread upon the waters; plant in the morning, plant in the evening, for ye know not which shall prosper. Lend unto him who careth for the souls of each one of the lowest and humblest of his creatures; and who has said, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least these little ones, ye have done it unto me.