The disobedient boys.

Expostulation.

How to begin.

however, they all neglect their duty, and live in idleness, or occupy themselves solely with their amusements. A friend comes in, and remonstrates with them. He gives them a labored account of the radical defects in their hearts, the philosophical distinction between dutiful and undutiful sons, and the metaphysical steps of a change from one character to the other. His discourse is all perfectly true, and admirably philosophical, but it is sadly impotent, in regard to making any impression on human hearts.

Another man comes to address them in a different mode. He calls upon them at once to return to their duty.

"What shall we do first?" ask the boys.

"Do first? do any thing first; there is the garden to be weeded, and the library to be arranged, and your rooms to be put in order. No matter what you do first. Begin to obey your father; that is the point."

As he says this he goes around the premises, and, as he finds one after another, loitering in idleness or mischief, he calls upon them to return to duty. They are awakened; they see, more distinctly than they had done, their negligence and guilt; and as they come successively, to know what they shall do, he points out to their attention various tasks, according to the age and situation of each. His object is not merely external, but sincere and heartfelt obedience, but he cares little by what particular act, the new course of obedience begins. It is just so with the preaching of Jesus Christ. He explained the purity and beauty and perfection of God's holy law, and then called upon men every where to begin to live in conformity to it. It is no matter what they do first. No matter with what particular aspect the dawning light of Christianity first shines; let it enter where it will, it will rise and spread till it illuminates the whole.

Nor can any external action, if it comes from the

Giving cold water.

Holiness is submission.

right spirit, be too unimportant to constitute the first step in a christian course. Jesus Christ acted on this principle most fully. He even said that if a man would give a cup of cold water, to a disciple, in the name of Christ, i. e. from christian feeling, he should not lose his reward!

Nor is that remark a mere metaphor, striking and beautiful as it is. It is strictly true, that giving a cup of water to a follower of the Savior, may be the first act of a religious life. A man who has been neglecting or opposing religion all his days, may be asked by a christian, some trifling favor like that, and the opportunity of promoting, even in so slight a degree, the cause he had been opposing, might so bring to his view the happiness. of co-operating with God, in contrast with the misery and guilt of opposing him, that his heart might melt at once, and he might do that little deed of kindness, in the exercise of his very first feeling of submission to his Maker.

The course which our Savior pursued is the most perfectly philosophical. Holiness is submission to God's law; and though, in principle and spirit it is always the same, it assumes in the heart many different forms; or rather a holy heart, a heart willing to submit, will exist in many different states, according to the object presented to it. Hold up God's favors to it, and it feels grateful; present its past sins and it mourns: show God's goodness, and the leading principles of his government and character, and it rejoices. Thus holiness looking at sin, is penitence; at God, is joy; at duty, resolution; at self, humility; at human woes, compassion. In Abraham, it shone as obedience; in Job, as patience; in John, as love. And yet in all it is one. If it exist in one form, it will exist in each of the others, when the circumstances call for them. Job would have been obedient if God had commanded him to leave his country, and Abraham would have been patient under suffering, like Job. We hear nothing of Joseph's penitence, nor

Various forms of piety.

The conversion of a little child.

of Samuel's faith in Christ, nor of Daniel's brotherly love. But it was the same spirit, nevertheless, which reigned in all these hearts, appearing by different exhibitions, but in all its hundred forms remaining still the same. It was holiness, attachment to the cause of God, desire to keep his pure and perfect law, and submission to his will. This spirit shines in various hues, and with different degrees of lustre, according to the varying circumstances and conditions of the hearts in which it burns. But it is the same spirit, whether it guides Abraham across the desert, or inspires David's songs of praise; whether it leads Peter to penitence, fills Stephen's heart with peace and joy,— or brings thousands in the streets of Jerusalem, to believe in the Savior and forsake their sins. It is not enough, to say that these various christian graces are all of one family; they are all in essence one and the same thing: so that if one comes, the others will inevitably, as circumstances call them, all follow in their train.

come.

This view of the subject is of immense practical importance to all who are endeavoring, at the present day, to promote piety. It shows us how very various, and how entirely different, may be the first steps of the return to God. You have under your care, for instance, a little child. He is too young to know much about religious truth; the nature of forgiveness, the necessity of punishment, the love of the Savior,- or a judgment to You can tell him of God, however; his existence, his presence, his holy character; and then you can just ask him, some morning, to do right that day for the sake of pleasing him. Perhaps he will not. He may try to do right, for the purpose of receiving your praises or rewards, without feeling, however, any desire to please God. On the other hand, perhaps he will. If he does, it will indeed be through an influence exerted upon his tender affections, in answer to your prayers; but he may be, and

Spiritual darkness.

The way to remove it.

probably in many instances, children have been, under just such circumstances, turned to God, and led to begin a service, which they are still continuing in heaven. Many children have thus been reconciled to God, when they were too young to know any thing about the source of spiritual life within them, or even the existence of that Savior, through whose death alone, they were finally declared justified and forgiven.

There are many modes by which the human soul may be shut up in darkness, besides through the weakness and immaturity of infantile powers. There are the inveterate prejudices of an erroneous education, the influence of mistaken friends, the colored medium through which religious truth is seen, or distortions and interruptions of various kinds in the channels by which it is conveyed to them. If now, in any such case, means can be brought to bear upon the heart, so as by divine assistance to awaken any one christian grace,- any single truly christian feeling,- the danger is over. A stone is taken out of the firmly compacted arch of impenitence and sin, and the whole structure must crumble down. Listening to arguments for the truth will often confirm men in error, but doing their duty will inevitably burst its chains. "If any man will do his will," said Jesus, "he shall know of the doctrine;" and it would be well if speculating, doubting inquirers, all over the land, should learn from it, that practical obedience should come before speculations in theology;- that they had better begin to do God's will first, and discuss the principles of his government afterwards.

But we are wandering from our subject, which is the fact that Jesus Christ spent all his strength in inducing men to submit in heart to God, and to keep his holy law, and that if he found them in heart willing to do this, he was but little solicitous about the precise act by which the new life should begin. These acts were various

The various ways of turning to God.

Forms and ceremonies.

A young man, for ex

then, and they are various now. ample, having hesitated between the service of his Maker and the service of sin, walks out alone on a summer evening upon the sea shore, and there, while meditating upon his character and condition, he resolves that he will hesitate no longer, but that he will return to his Maker; and he utters with honest sincerity, and from his heart, the Lord's prayer,— language which he has often uttered, though without feeling, before. His first christian exercise is prayer. Another, is overwhelmed with conviction of sin; and suffers hour after hour, or day after day, under its oppressive load. At last his heart suddenly feels and appreciates and rejoices in the goodness and holiness against which he has been contending; he bursts forth in God's praise, and all nature seems to shine with his Maker's glory. His first christian feeling is joy. Another's heart melts into godly and heartfelt sorrow for its sins; the first renewed emotion in this case, is penitence. There is no end to the variety of forms which the movements of spiritual life assumes; and Jesus Christ, while he most vigorously insisted that it should be real, genuine, heartfelt obedience, to THE LAW, attached no importance to the particular act by which it should first be rendered.

There is one subject more, which must be considered here. I refer to the view our Savior took of the forms and ceremonies of religion. His principle was this. He devoted all his strength to secure spiritual principles; and in regard to all its ceremonial aspects, he left religion to accommodate itself to the varying tastes and habits of mankind, and to the changing customs and states of society, which the progress of time occasions. It is remarkable how little he specified as to forms. He did not even arrange any form of church government for his own times, nor give any specific directions in regard to any