your bodies were when infants with respect to the things of earth. Your parents and your nurses carried you then in their arms, and tenderly supported you; they screened you from harm with anxious care, and daily provided for your wants: but your heavenly Father loves you better than they did; his arms of love are open to receive you; he is full of tender compassion towards you; make haste, and delay not to come to him. For then, and then only, shall you become poor in spirit; and then and then only, the kingdom of heaven will come into your hearts here, and become your inheritance also for ever and ever.

ADDRESS II.

"Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." Matt. v. 4.

I TRIED lately, my beloved children, to explain to you who are the poor in spirit; and I told you, that children who are poor in spirit, are those who have a humble and lively sense of their sinful and helpless state by nature.

Our Saviour, in the verse I have just read to you, proceeds to say, that they are blessed who mourn. I shall therefore, treading in his steps, try to explain to you how children who are poor in spirit, not only know their sins, but mourn for them; and then I shall shew you how those children who mourn for their sins are blessed.

First, I shall try to shew you how children who are poor in spirit mourn.

Those people who have never walked themselves in the strait, though pleasant, path

which leads to eternal life, will often tell you that it is a very dull thing to be religious: but it is a great mistake. Children without religion, and who think of nothing but pleas ing themselves with their horses, and their whips, and their coaches, and dolls, and fine clothes, and ornaments, or any other earthly thing, may often in company make a great deal of noise, and appear very happy. But follow them home, and see them in their private bed-chamber, or in the company of their own brothers and sisters, and you will often find them sulky and silent, or fierce and quarrelsome, dissatisfied with the pleasures they have, unthankful, fretful, wearied with themselves and every body about them, disobedient to their parents, and murmuring at every task and business which they are set to do while the holy child, though perhaps less noisy and more sober and moderate at his play, will take home with him a gentle, affectionate, and calm temper; wherever he is, you will find in him the same happy disposition; and every bee that buzzes in the sunshine before his window, the morning song of the lark, and the bleating of the lamb on

the thymy hill, every flower that grows on the green bank, is pleasant to him; he is always humble, grateful, and thankful; and he enjoys a thousand pleasures which the worldly child cannot taste, because his heart is filled with pride and selfishness. Do not then believe the wicked world. Do not believe any body that tells you it is dull to be religious: for though religion may tell you to mourn, it is in order that you may be comforted. But perhaps you do not know what is meant by that mourning which God requires of you. Mourning generally means a mild kind of sorrow, like the complaining of doves: there is nothing violent in it. If you are poor in spirit, my children, you know that you are sinners; "you have done those things which you ought not to have done, and you have left undone those things which you ought to have done, and there is no health in you." Now, it is not enough that you should know this you ought to feel some degree of sorrow for your sins; not because your sorrow can make any atonement for your sins, the blood of Jesus Christ can alone wash them away, but it is fitting, when children offend a very

dear and kind Father, that they should feel sorry and ashamed on account of it, and if we are not sorry for our sins, it is likely that we shall soon fall into them again.

This godly sorrow or mourning is not natural to us; the natural effect of sin is only to make us feel a dread of God; but godly sorrow teaches us to love him: therefore, as it is not natural to us, we must take pains to feel it. I will give you a few easy rules to help you in gaining this sorrow. The first of these directions is, that you should pray to God to give you a tender conscience, which may quickly let you know when you fall into sin; and this you should pray for every day. And next I advise you, once a day at least, to get by yourself for a few minutes: if you have no other time, you can certainly shut your eyes on the world as soon as you lie down in bed, instead of entering into vain and foolish discourse with your bedfellow; and before you close your eyes in sleep, call to mind all the naughty things you have done that day, whether in thought, word, or deed; begging God first to shew you, by the light of his Spirit, all the sin that is in your heart, and then hum