him to attend to the great concern-"Sir," said he, "it is not worth while to speak to me on that subject, my father is not a Christian, and I don't care about being a better man than my father" Ah! me-those children whose parents are not pious are truly to be pitied, for their prospects for heaven are dark indeed. Some years since, the assertion having been made, that the children of the pious were no better than others, an investigation was made; and the families within a certain district having been divided into three classes-those in which both parents were professedly pious, those in which only one parent was a professor, and those in which neither parent made any pretensions to religion-it was ascertained that of the children over ten years of age, in the first class, two-thirds were hopefully pious, in the second class, about one-third, and in the third class, not more than one-twelfth. In comparing the first and third classes, it was found that, of one hundred and twenty-five children of the first class, where both parents professed religion, eighty-four were members of some church; whilst of one hundred and ninety-nine children of the third class, in which neither parent professed religion, only fourteen were connected with any church. This speaks volumes, and makes a most powerful appeal to parents on the score of their responsibility. O! if the venerated father who

has all along neglected the great salvation, should now, at last, make a move toward the cross of Christ-should come out, and take his stand openly upon the Lord's side, what a powerful, what a thrilling effect it would have upon all the members of the family! The beloved parent setting out for heaven, the children are not willing to be left behind. O! then, thou respected and most responsible head of the family, come into the ark! Yes, come, and come not alone; bring your wife along with you. What! are you willing to be separated from your bosom companion? and separated for ever? Surely you cannot bear the thought—then persuade her to come along with you; and will you not bring your sons also with you? are they not all dear to your heart? and which will you consent to leave out? the eldest or the youngest?-shall it be Reuben, the beginning of your strength, or Benjamin, the son of your old age? And your daughters, too, will you not prevail upon them also to come in? they love you much; cast your eye over their sweet faces, and say which one are you willing to see go down into the pit? Is it the one that is married, or the. one that is at home? is it Margaret, or is it Louisa? is it Mary, or your dear little Susan? O! leave none out-bring them all into the ark. Noah led all his household into the ark. Why should you not do the same? O! how happy to have

a family united on earth, and unbroken in heaven! I recollect seeing once the picture of a resurrection scene. The graves were opening-the dead arising; there was one lovely group-a family--a whole family! father, mother, sons and daughters, all radiant and happy, ascending to the skies together. Once more then, I say to thee, venerated parent, as the Lord said unto Noah, “Come thou, and all thy house, into the ark." Come, this day. O! should you now make a move, how would it rouse those around you, and especially your own sons and daughters. Young man, young maiden, am I wrong? Should that dear and venerated father of yours come out, and confess Christ before the world, would you be indifferent to your own soul's salvation? Here then, beloved parent, is a powerful appeal to the best feelings of your nature; here is a strong motive, a double motive, nay, a motive multiplied according to the number of your children. O! come then, "come thou, and all thy house, into the ark.”

But perhaps the parents are already in the ark, and the children are not, or at least some of them. O, ye children of pious parents—ye children of the covenant-you upon whom baptismal water has been poured-your parents are in the ark, why linger you without? Your parents are going to heaven-why should you not go along with them? Are you willing to

be separated in the great day? How can you bear the thought of seeing them on the right hand of the Judge, whilst you are placed on the left? Of seeing them rising and shining with angels in glory, whilst you are sinking down deeper and deeper in the dark realms of wo! O, it seems to me that if the children of the pious go down to hell, they will have no common damnation. Their peculiar advantages, and then that terrible separation will add much to their pangs, and the fearfulness of their doom.

Only think! suppose one of Noah's sons, when invited by his father, had refused to go with him into the ark-what would have been his feelings when the deluge came? Whilst filled with alarm, and crying out in terror, amid the dashing of the billows and the roaring of the storm, would he not have looked toward the ark in special agony, and exclaimed "Yonder is the ark, safe upon the bosom of the troubled deep! My father is there, my mother is there, my brothers are there-all, all in safety there—and I am lost! I too was invited, yea, urged to enter in with them; why did I not? O my folly! my madness! I have brought this evil upon myself! Why did I not enter in? Why did I not enter in? It is too late now! O, it is too late now!" My dear young friends-ye children of the covenant-ye who are so tenderly beloved, for whom so many prayers have been offered, and

over whom so many tears have been shed! O be persuaded to come into the ark! In the great and dreadful day of judgment you will need a Saviour; O embrace him now. Cast in your lot with your pious friends, and with them be safe and happy, now and for ever

more.

May the God of heaven touch your heart, and incline you to do that which you will wish you had done in that day which shall disclose

a God in grandeur and a world on fire."

SERMON VIII.

WAR IN HEAVEN.

REV. xii. 7, 8.-And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

THE visions of John in the Isle of Patmos, are in general, mysterious and sublime. But, although their mystical and prophetic import may not be fully understood, they may, nevertheless, suggest many useful and awakening thoughts. The passage at present under consideration is not entirely free from difficulty; and commentators have different views of the subject. Some suppose that by the dragon, we