PREFACE.

IN times like the prefent, it is important to seize upon every opportunity, and to use all lawful means to convey divine truth to the mind. Infidelity is using the press to pervert, degrade, and ruin the fouls of the young. Licentiousness is in league with infidelity, and together they are doing immenfe mifchief to the rifing generation. The church of Chrift has done much to counteract the influence of an infidel and licentious prefs; but much yet remains to be done. Under this impreffion, we rejoice to see works of a moral or spiritual character published in a cheap form, and circulated largely among the masses. But we especially rejoice, when works calculated to arreft the attention, intereft the mind, and

fanctify the heart, of young perfons, are published and circulated among us. With fuch feelings we wish to introduce to parents, teachers, and young perfons, this volume. It is fimple,—scriptural,-adapted to arrest the attention and imprefs the heart. It is an attempt to please, in order to profit; to interest, in order to inftruct; to impress, in order to improve. Here are flowers and food, fancy and fact, faith and feeling, doctrines and duties. It speaks to the eye, that it may improve the heart. It cautions the careless, counfels the perplexed, and comforts the cast-down. It advises in order to advance, wooes in order to win, and foothes in order to fanctify. The tendency of it is thoroughly good.

Parents, here is a book for your children. The pictures will please them, impress them, and, under God's bleffing, do them good. What they fee in the cut will lead them to read the remarks, and both together will lay hold on the memory; fo that the truths conveyed are never likely to be forgotten. Teachers, here is a prefent for your children. You

want reward-books for your industrious pupils. This is one of the right fort. It will fecond your own leffons, and apply your instructions. It will place before the eye what you fuggeft to the ear; and what is seen in youth is feldom forgotten. Friends, here is a book that you may fafely circulate among the junior branches of your families, and give on birth-days to your acquaintances and younger relatives. It is likely to do good to many. Young people, you may safely lay out your money in purchasing this volume for yourselves. You will not regret it. It would have made our hearts leap for joy to have poffeffed a copy of it when we were young, and would perhaps have preserved us from fome fnares into which we have fallen. Books for the young then were very scarce and most of them were trash; now they are plentiful: but all are not good. Get good books; read them carefully; ftore your memories with their contents; and pray to the Lord to give you grace to reduce them to practice.

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Reader, remember the best books are inefficient without God's bleffing. Therefore,

while we recommend this book to you, we would affectionately urge upon you to pray for the Holy Spirit, that he may apply the contents to your heart. Every thing is just what God makes it. God can make this book a Nathan to warn, reprove, and comfort you; or a Solomon to advise, counsel, and inftruct you. He can make it a fource of pleasure, a rod of correction, or a light to fhine upon fome difficult path. If you read it with prayer, if you ponder its contents with seriousness, you will not be likely to regret that you poffefs it. May the Lord in his great mercy, accompany the perufal of it with his special bleffing, and make it useful to thousands, is the heart's defire and prayer of,

Cheltenham.

Yours in Him,

JAMES SMITH.