CHAPTER XV.

ON my arrival at home I found a note from Mrs. Aston to the following effect :

"My dear Friend,—I have the pleasure to inform you that Anna's indulgent father is returned home, and I am exceedingly anxious that he should, if possible, be drawn to consider the subjects on which we have of late been engaged, with the serious attention they demand; for I am persuaded that, in order to acquire that ascendant influence over our dear child which is essential to her right instruction, it is quite necessary that both father and mother should be of one mind. He has brought the gold chain, and I have had some difficulty in dissuading him from showing it to Anna. Help us, my dear friend, with counsel, that we may, though late, learn, even yet, how to order the child.'

"Yours, gratefully,

A. A."

This note led me to reflect upon the method to be adopted for the evening; but after thinking how to change my plan, I at last considered it better that it should remain as was intended; and that perhaps it would be more likely to draw attention than one more formal.

My party was scarcely assembled when a message from Louisa called me out of the room. She was waiting to speak to me, and said

Dear uncle, they have all sent me to solicit you to be altogether with us this evening; we have informed them of the proposed subjects, and they seem exceedingly eager to have as many of them as possible within the time.

I promised to join them as soon as I could; and after a little indifferent conversation, and the introduction of Mr. Aston, I presented the petition of the juvenile guests.

Mr. Aston smiled, as if he thought himself introduced to an uncommon kind of entertainment, and appeared to feel it a kind of condescension: there were, however, too many seniors to keep him in countenance to allow him to think of excusing himself.

When we went into the room there was a universal

expression of pleasure, and they were in the act of greeting old Thomas. I was pleased to see such an apparent interest in our approaching engagement, and only begged to remind them, that though the subject might appear amusing, as little histories, these histories were of most serious import, for God himself had recorded them for our instruction. We will lose no time, and Louisa, as the eldest, shall make the first choice of the subject.

If you please, uncle, I would wish to name what old Thomas was proposing just as you entered, and which had not occurred to us. But he will tell you of it himself.

Oh! Miss, I'd rather you hadn't mentioned it; but, like an old man, it was very natural I should begin with the oldest story-the two first children in the world. Cain and Abel?

No, sir; Adam and Eve; they were both, you know, the children of God in a particular way, and they were created in perfect uprightness.

Yes, certainly, Thomas, and in perfect maturity, so that they needed not to be trained up, if we may so apply it, in the way they should go, for they were prepared to go right.

I have often thought, sir, of them in the way of children with God. What a state they were in ;—their father the Holy Father; and yet, when he had made man upright, they found out many inventions, and sinned against their Father and God. And so we know, very well, that God hath visited the sins of the fathers upon the children, from generation to generation.

Thank you, Thomas, for placing this before us; and let us apply the consideration a little to our purpose, to show to us the power of temptation to lead astray, even these, the first earthly son and daughter. Had they hearkened to the voice of their God and Father, and resisted the voice of the tempter and destroyer, they would have left the inheritance of the blessing of God upon the children of them that love him, instead of the curse of them that hated him. You may remember, my dear children, that one of the first lessons we had, ran upon the words of our Lord," If ye me, ye will keep my words." And it is a certain indication of an approaching fall when we suffer the word once committed to us to be taken away. Of the forbidden fruit, God said to these, "In the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die." They did not keep this word, but let Satan take it from them, by

love

saying, "Thou shalt not surely die." But how often do we find Satan taken in his own snares. God, their father, had a way prepared by which, notwithstanding the curse, they might still live. He banished them from the garden of Eden, where grew the tree of life, the type of Jesus the Life of men, lest they should take of the fruit: but he promised and gave a sacrifice for sin, that through reconciliation by blood, man might live. Life is the gift of God. It was first given to Adam. Adam forfeited life by sin, and then he could not take it again: his presumptuous hand could not redeem forfeited life;—a flaming sword, in the hand of an angel, kept the tree of life from his approach. Life must again be the gift of God in His own way; and Jesus is the life, as the gift of the Father, and as laying down his life to redeem ours. John xvi. 6.

Now then, said George, if you take my subject next, I think it will fall in best with our instructions. What is it, George?

The family of Adam and Eve. (Gen. iv.) He read the chapter to the 15th verse.

This is an affecting subject, my dear George, because it brings so immediately into notice the sin of the parent, and the sin of the child.