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Common mistakes.

Immediate repentance.

confession is only a manifestation of penitence. Now I do not find that the Bible requires any thing previous to repentance. It does not say that we must be miserable first, either for a week or a day or an hour. I never heard any minister urge upon his hearers, the duty of suffering anguish of mind, and all the horrors of remorse, a single moment, in order to prepare the soul for Christ. It is doubtless true, that persons do often thus suffer, and are perhaps led by it in the end to fly to the refuge. But they ought to have fled to the refuge without this suffering, in the beginning. The truth is, that God commands "men everywhere to repent.' It is a notorious fact, that they will not comply. When the duty of humbly confessing their sins to God is clearly brought before them, there is often so great a desire to continue in sin, that a very painful struggle continues for some time. Now this struggle is all our own fault,—it is something that we add, altogether;-God does not require it. His command is, Come to me at once. Ministers in the pulpit do not urge this continued struggle, while sin is cherished in the heart; so far from desiring it are they, that they urge their hearers to come at once to the Savior and be happy ;—and when any of their hearers are suffering in consequence of their indecision, the pastor, so far from wishing them to continue in this state as a part of their duty, urges them with all his power to terminate it at once, by giving up their hearts to God and to happiness. And yet so reluctant are men to give up their hearts to God, and so exceedingly common is this guilty struggle, that by the young it is often considered as a painful part of duty. They think they can not become Christians without it. Some strive to awaken it and continue it, and are sad because they can not succeed. Others, who are serving their Maker, and endeavoring to grow in grace and to prepare for heaven, feel but little confidence in his sympathy or affection for

Salvation by Christ.

them, because just before they concluded to yield to God, sin did not make such violent and desperate efforts in their hearts, as in some others, to retain its hold.

No, my reader, there is no necessity of any prolonged struggle, or suffering. If this chapter has led you to be willing to confess your sins, you may confess them now, and from this moment be calm, and peaceful, and happy.

My readers will recollect that I mentioned in the early part of this chapter two points connected with confession, namely, reparation and punishment. In confessing sins to God, we have no reparation to him to make, and no punishment to suffer. We have a Savior, and we fly to him. He makes reparation, and he has already suffered for us. We must come trusting to him. I hope very many of my readers will see that both duty and happiness urge them to take the simple course I have endeavored to describe and illustrate, and that they will now take it, and follow me through the remaining chapters of this book with hearts bent on loving and serving God.

Story of the infant school.

The new scholar.

CHAPTER II.

THE FRIEND.

"To whom shall we go?"

THERE is a very excellent infant school in one of the chief towns of Switzerland, where many young children are collected, and placed under the care of a most kind and faithful superintendent and assistant, to receive moral and intellectual instruction. Whenever a new pupil is admitted, she looks with fear and trembling upon the strange scene before her. A large open room is filled with the children, who are seen standing in rows or collected in busy groups—while in the pleasant play-ground, verdant with grass and trees, many others are seen full of activity and happiness.

It is the custom whenever a new scholar enters the school, for the teacher to collect all the children in the great room, extending them in a line around it; then he walks into the midst of them, leading the little stranger by the hand, and something like the following conversation ensues.

Teacher. "Here is a little girl who has come to join our school. She is a stranger, and is afraid. Will you all prom

ise to treat her kindly?"

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"Yes, sir, we will."

will try to be a good

Pupils. (All answering together.) Teacher. She has told me that she girl and to do her duty; but sometimes she will forget, I am afraid, and sometimes she will yield to temptation and do wrong. Now which of the older children will be her little

The protector appointed.

Power and sympathy.

friend, to be with her for a few days till she becomes acquainted with the school, and tell her what she ought to do, and help her to watch herself, that she may avoid doing wrong?"

Several voices at once.

"I will, I will, sir."

The teacher then selects from those who thus volunteer, one of the best and oldest children, and constitutes her the friend and protector of the stranger. The protector and her charge become thenceforth constant companions. They are together wherever they go. A strong mutual attachment springs up between them. If the stranger is injured in any way, the protector feels aggrieved: kindness shown to one touches almost as effectually the other, and thus the trembling stranger is guided and encouraged, and led on to duty and to strength by the influence of her protector, though that protector is only another child.

We all need a protector, especially in our moral interests. The human heart seems to be formed to lean upon something stronger than itself for support. We are so surrounded with difficulties and temptations and dangers here, that we need a refuge in which we can trust. Children find such a protector and such a refuge in their parents. How much safer you feel in sickness if your father or your mother is by your bedside. How often, in a summer evening, when a dark heavy cloud is thundering in the sky, and the window glitters with the brightness of the lightning, do the children of a family sigh for their father's return, and feel relieved and almost safe when he comes among them. But when man is mature he can find no earthly protector. He must go alone

unless he has a friend above.

A protector and friend ought to possess two distinct qualifications, which it is very difficult to find united. He ought to be our superior both in knowledge and power, so that we can confide in his protection; and yet he ought to be in the

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A sure protector.

same circumstances with ourselves, that he may understand and appreciate our trials and difficulties.

Now my object in this chapter is to endeavor to show my readers that they need, and that they can have, just such a protector and friend as is above described,- -one that has power to save to the uttermost, and yet one that knows by his own experience all their trials and cares. It is certain that if any of you go now and confess your sins to God, and begin a life of piety, that you will, without aid from above, wander away into sin, forget your resolutions, displease God more than ever, and more than ever destroy your own peace of mind. I wish, therefore, to persuade all those who desire henceforth to do their duty, to come now and unite themselves in indissoluble bonds with the moral protector and friend, whose character I am about to describe.

In the Epistle to the Hebrews, 2d chapter and 16th verse, there occurs the following remarkable passage :- "For verily he," that is, Christ, "took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high-priest in things pertaining to God." Here you see how the two qualifications named above were united in our Savior. He might have come from heaven and died upon the cross to make atonement for our sins, without suffering, as he did, so long a pilgrimage below, as a 'man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." But he came and lived here thirty years, tasting of every bitter cup which we have to drink, in order that he might know by experience all our trials and troubles, and be able more effectually to sympathize with us and help us. He took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham, that is, the nature of man. I wish my readers would pause and reflect a moment upon these two elements in the character of a valuable protector,

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