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Do you think now you are a fit person to take the chastisement of that boy upon yourself, when for every curse he uttered you will perhaps utter double, and so whilst you would deal blows on his body, you teach him a whole catalogue of blasphemies from your own mouth, and exhibit yourself before his eyes as an object of God's anger, laying up for yourself an even recompence on your own headstripe for stripe, and curse for cursebreaking the sacred charge of God, Not to render cursing for cursing.

He looked somewhat pacified, and selfcondemned. I therefore urged upon him the consideration, that every word we speak is of such consequence, that we shall be called upon to give an account even of idle words; and that for every blasphemy, we have the positive certainty of guilt before God. I do not offend you, I hope.

No, sir, no.-It hadn't need ; when my passion's off I can hear reason.

Well then, you encourage me to speak on, and to ask you, if you do not see, by these two consequences attached to one word, that it is very evident you have one, even God, keeping watch over us, and that there must be a register of the

and

offences of our lips, which, if not cancelled, will one day be opened brought against us? I waited, intending to induce an answer. Do you not know this?

Why, to be sure, its plain reasoning.

Well then, that boy's register may be produced against him, but that will not at all prevent the register of your sins appearing against you. You excuse yourself on the ground of being provoked, but this will not alter the sin that went out of your lips. There is a hand writing against you, and except the Lord Jesus in mercy take it out of the way, nailing it to his Cross, whereon the blood of atonement and cleansing was shed, it can never be blotted out.

I believe that's true.

Now then, thank God, that He has been pleased to set these things before your eyes; and whilst it is called to-day, seek grace to change your passionate heart, and to pardon your GUILTY TONGUE. Go back to your own son; remember what a sad example your have set him; confess the wickedness of it to the child, and endeavour to teach him, that all manner of blasphemy, cursing and swearing, are abominable to God, and that

they mark the soul that is guilty of them as in alliance with hell. Save your boy, if you can, from the evil of the evil communication he has this day received, lest the curses you heaped on the head of the other, fall on you, and through you, light on him. Let your revenge be turned against yourself in stern indignation for your own sin, and in working patience and carefulness in you for the future. Go, and see if you can wipe out the stain from his ear and mind, with which your tongue envenomed them. Love your own boy with a fathers's true love, and bless him.

The man's lip trembled, and his eyes. swam with the tear of parental affection; he drew the back of his hand across his eyes; I patted him persuasively on the shoulder, and pursued my way.

I heard his footsteps behind, and he soon passed before me with a quick step. He touched his hat as he passed, and before he had measured many steps, I heard him blow his nose with that kind of sound that indicates the suffusion of pungent feeling.

My prayers followed him, that he might henceforth "Swear not at all."

CHAPTER V.

As soon as I met my friend, he put out his hand to welcome my return, saying, I saw from my window the way you took when you went out, and conclude you have been to enquire after the waggoner, I fear you would find little hope; was he sensible?

I related briefly what had passed, whilst we were waiting the assembling of the household to family prayer. They all brought their Bibles in their hands, and when they were seated, my friend, as the master and father of the family, said, instead of reading our chapter in order, I desire this morning, that we should turn our minds to that command of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, in the 5th chap. of Matthew, at the 37th verse.

They all immediately turned to the passage, and he read, in a slow and impressive manner, "But let your conversation be, Yea yea, nay nay, for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil."

He then began to comment upon the

subject, by acquainting them with the impressions on his mind, respecting the general and wicked practice of swearing; of taking God's Name in vain; of blasphemy and cursing. The consequence of these impressions, he continued, is to turn my mind to consider the root of the offence, and I certainly find it to lay in an infidel heart, which either defies or mocks God; and I find further, that many who would be grieved to think they could formally set about breaking God's commandment, "Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain," are yet continually guilty of the offence, for want of a lively sense of the holiness of God; and also, for want of watchfulness over their own spirit, and their expressions, and thus they are under the sentence of "I will not hold

him guiltless that taketh my Name in vain.' To the remedy in our spirit we have to look unto the Lord, who can change our vile and unbelieving hearts, and teach us first to hallow his Name, and then in simplicity of purpose, to order our conversation, so as to prevent the recurrence of an offence, which, as it is abominable to God, the sanctified soul will also hate, and will loath that which

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