like to work on the Sabbath.

He said he could

never go to meeting, and he did not love to live in this way. But he said that as the owners of the stages would have them run on the Sabbath, he might as well drive as any body else, for he must earn a living by working.

Mrs. M. I remember the man, and what he said. I pitied him, and I should not wish for the money which he earns for himself on the Sabbath, or for that which he earns for the stage-owner who hires him. It is the price of blood—not the blood of the body, but the blood of the soul. The man's excuse, however, was not a good one. He had better starve than live by violating one of the ten commandments every week. God can take care of the man if he puts his trust in him. God says in his word, "Trust in the Lord and do good, so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed." And the excuse is good for nothing, that he might as well break the Sabbath as any one, since the Sabbath would be broken. He might as well man, who is alone

say that he would kill the rich in the stage, and get his money; for if he does not kill the man and get the money, somebody else will. If somebody else will break the Sabbath, and make God angry, or commit murder and be hung for it, this is no reason why we should be so foolish and wicked.

Charles. But, mother, the government order the

stages to run, to carry the mail, on the Sabbath, and uncle John says they have a right to do this, if they please.

Mrs. M. Have the government a right to repeal the second commandment, and say men may be idolaters; or the third commandment, and say men may blaspheme the name of their Maker; or the sixth commandment, and say men may kill every body they meet?

Charles. O no, mother, that would be wicked enough. I think government would have no right to tell men they may do such things; and it would not be right for men to do so, if government told them they might.

Mrs. M. Where, then, did government get the right to repeal the fourth commandment, which says, "Thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy

cattle ?"

Charles. I do not know, mother, and I do not think that uncle John could tell me.

Mrs. M. Government have no right to authorize men to violate the Sabbath, and men will find it no excuse hereafter, that government said they might trample upon the divine law. Governments are only men, and they will have enough sins of their own to answer for without bearing the sins of those they have encouraged to rebel against God.

Before closing our conversation, I will mention

a principle which learned men have taught, respect ing works proper to be done on the Sabbath. It agrees with what I have told you this evening. I hope you will commit it to memory. "We may, on the Sabbath, do those works of charity and mercy which we could not do before the Sabbath, and which cannot be put off till the end of the Sabbath without showing a want of mercy and benevolence."

EVENING XIII.

MOTIVES FOR KEEPING THE SABBATH.

Mrs. M. We will converse to-night, my children, about the MOTIVES which should lead us to keep the Sabbath.

And, George, what is the best reason you can think of for doing any thing?

George. Why, mother, I can think of no better reason for doing any thing than the command of Gol. I suppose there can be no better reason for doing any thing, than that God commands it; or for not doing any thing, than that he forbids it.

Mrs. M. Then we have the best of all reasons for keeping the Sabbath holy; for we have seen, in these conversations, again and again, that God commands all men, wherever the Bible comes, to remember the Sabbath-day, and to rest from all their labor.

Can you think of any other reason, George, for keeping the Sabbath?

George. I do not think any other reason is necessary if men felt as they ought; but I suppose, if they can see that what God commands them is for their good, they may obey, sometimes, more cheerfully.

Mrs. M. It ought to be enough to make us do what God commands, that he commands it. We must believe it is right and proper, and for our good, whether we can see that it is so or not. But God is very kind and gracious, and many of his commands, he lets us see, are fitted to our nature and condition. This I have shown you is true of the fourth commandment. If God had not told us we must keep one day in seven, we ought to keep it for our own good. Here, then, is another reason for keeping the Sabbath.

When I tell you to go on an errand for me, Charles, do you think you ought to go because I command you?

Charles. Certainly I do think I ought to go, mother, because you love me so well, and because you do so much for me.

Mrs. M. And if I should tell you, Charles, that as you had been studying your geography and your Latin all the afternoon, the exercise would do you good, would this, too, be a reason why you should be willing to go on the errand for me?

Charles. Yes, mother.

Mrs. M. Now, Charles, if I were to promise

you, that if you did the errand faithfully I would read to you an hour in the evening from some interesting book in your father's library, would that make you do your errand more quickly and faithfully?

Charles. I do not know that it ought, mother; but I should think you very kind in promising to reward me for doing what you had a right to make me do without any reward. And I love so well to sit down in the evening and hear you read history, that I should run all the way to the place to which you sent me, and back again.

Mrs. M. Then we have another reason for keeping the Sabbath, for God promises to bless those who keep it as they ought. "Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold of it; that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it." "If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable, and shall honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking