Pg. 299

¶ 1 Leave a comment on paragraph 1 0 299] THE SPOILED CHILD. 11

¶ 2 Leave a comment on paragraph 2 1 the fear of the great God, Creator, Preserver, Redeemer, and Judge, to distil, as it were, drop by drop, on his mind and heart; and by teaching him to pray to God as soon as reason dawned, and as soon as he could lisp a word. The first word I should have taught him, the first sentence I should have made him breathe out, should have been ‘THOU GOD SEEST ME!’ And then, again, I fear I did not take sufficient care to sooth his spirit when ruffled, and subdue by reason and kindness his little fits of violence and brawlings, and woo him over by love, and firmness. I have known a mother do this by singing softly a melting hymn on the ear of her little child; and by teaching it also to sing a sweet and plaintive hymn, as well as to pray with infant lisp, to him the great God who always sees us! Awe and Submission to God, I am fully persuaded, is the only true basis of genuine and unaffected submission and reverence to parents. It must be so, if it be a moral virtue, and not mere instinct. And there are no genuine morals without a principle of religion. Hence the pagan is described as ‘without natural affection:’ the parent sacrifices his child, and the child his parent; and we have painful evidence, that a profligate child is likewise without natural affection! O! it was here I failed: I see my error: I should never have given up: I should have daily renewed my efforts: I should have labored and wrestled in prayer; until, by the grace of God, I saw the fruits of my exertions showing themselves in filial reverence and submission, based on the fear and the love of God.’

¶ 3 Leave a comment on paragraph 3 0 She paused, and wiped her flowing tears. “These are not tears of sorrow and despair, dear Pastor,” she added, after she had composed herself, “neither are these the conjectures of a theorist. I saw my error with my boy; God, I trust, was my guide in training that dear child, my daughter, who is advancing to us: she is not only a sweet child to comfort us in our sorrows—I have reason to believe that God has changed her heart; and I know not that she has ever needed a reproof from her dear father these three years past. But I am interrupting you: you were about to say something”——

¶ 4 Leave a comment on paragraph 4 0 At this moment the daughter came up; a beautiful girl of fourteen or fifteen years; who cast a look of tender anx-