of their lives. It is true that while the minds of children are undeveloped, they will "think" as children," speak" as children, and "understand" as children; and much firmness will be required to suppress their burning desires to see every thing of which they hear; but the difficulty is no greater in this than in many other questions in which the matured judgment of parents differs from the unwise opinions of children. The capricious smile of an indulged and spoiled child is not to be compared as a source of consolation to the intelligent Christian parent, with the approbation which well-trained sons or daughters will give when in after years they rise up and call their parents blessed." And in endeavoring to avoid undue strictness, it is no more necessary to become unduly indulgent than it is to commit suicide by gluttony to avoid death by starvation.

CHAPTER XXIII.

A HEALTHY AND HAPPY RELIGIOUS LIFE.

WO extreme views have been held of the sub

Two

ject of religion, and the tendency of mankind has been to oscillate between them, never remaining long at the center, where reposes the truth in its symmetry and beauty, awaiting the embrace of all who will tarry long enough to perceive its attractions. By some in all ages, and by most in particular periods, all conversation and reading not of a directly devotional or religious character has been considered sinful; business has been regarded as a necessary evil; every form of recreation dangerous and useless; the ardent love of nature a suspicious indication; society a hot-bed of temptation. Religion, in their view, consisted chiefly in self-denial, solitude, and the preservation of a solemn and even awful sense of eternal things, which covered life with a funereal gloom. The love of art, music, and beauty is vanity; and fasting, vigils, and directly spiritual

employments "the whole duty of man." This view of religion has flourished chiefly in the Church of Rome among the monkish orders and brother and sisterhoods. But it has also affected Protestantism, sometimes giving character to entire sects; and whenever the Church in general has become worldly, a reaction has set in which has tended to this extreme, its progress thitherward having been accelerated by the persecution and opposition which good men have encountered.

The irrationality, however, of this view, in its most pronounced form, is clear. It is a disparagement of the universe which God has made, and it is injurious to health, shortening and often destroying life. It is essentially morbid, and distorts the mind. and heart, unbalancing the entire nature. It is modeled on the practice of John the Baptist, and not on the teachings or practice of Christ.

In our time, however, there is but little need of protesting against this extreme, for we live in "a time of transition." Many would reduce the religious life to a few public services, and these must be made interesting by outward and sensuous things;

as music, flowers, and variety. So that, in many services, the elements least regarded are the word of God and spirit of devotion. Self-denial is ignored, and self-gratification substituted. Solemn thinking is an intolerable burden, anxiety for the spiritual condition of others is not promoted, and vigorous efforts to induce them to enter the service of Christ are seldom or never made. Material gratification-accumulation of wealth-is the ruling principle with most adults, while the real pleasure of most youth is found in display, worldliness, and questionable or positively harmful amusements: these, all the while, fancying that Jesus is the Saviour of the world, and that they will at last "get to heaven," of which, however, their ideas are vaguesome depicting it to themselves as a place of rest, others as a family re-union, and most as a kind of "Central Park" in the universe, where the inhabitants will never be sick, or poor, or disappointed, and will listen to music, and have every thing that they want. Of the root ideas of the heaven promised in the New Testament-spiritual purity, the love, and knowledge, and presence of God, and the

fellowship of Christ-they never think, for "where the treasure is there will the heart be also."

Whoever will read the New Testament will see that this view of the life of piety is even more irrational than the other. That was serious, this is frivolous; that considered sin a deadly foe and fought against it; this, as a pleasant companion to be watched but toyed with, and, perhaps, embraced; that did good very often by its terribly earnest labors for the salvation of men, this does nothing but carelessly sow dead seed; that kept alive a sense of the reality of religion, this turns it into a melo-drama. This is the extreme prevalent in this age; and we have apostles of license instead of liberty, who are applauded by admiring friends in proportion to the skill and boldness with which they reduce religion to sentimentality, and put the conscience to sleep while the life is one of worldliness and frivolity. Into such a religion as this Theater-going, Sabbath excursions, wine and card parties, fit very easily. There is a correspondence between the inward state and the outward life; but when the heart is filled with love