of  other  men?  Inconsistency.  Inconsistency  is  more
injurious  than  neglect.  The  one  may  be. resolved
into  a  forKftfulncss  of  prim-iph';  the  other  shows  a
ronU-inpt  of  it.  Yon  little  imagine  how  early  and  how
eflV'ctively  childrin  rcm.irk  things.  Tlu-y  notice  them
when  they  seem  incapablcof  any  distinct  observation;
and  while  yon  would  suppose  uo  impression  could  he
/(//  on  such  soft  materials,  a  fixed  turn  is  given  to
many  a  part  of  the  future  character.  You  must
therefore  reverence  them,  and  he  circum.spect  even  in
yotir  most  free  and  rela.xing  moments.  You  must  do,
as  well  as  teach;  and  while  you  are  humble  before
God,  you  must  be  able  to  say  to  thorn,  '  Be  ye
followers  of  me,  even  as  I  also  am  of  Christ. '

'■  It  is  commonly  observed  that  example  does  more
than  jirccept.  But  the  young  are  peculiarly  alive  to
example;  and  when  example  has  the  advantage  of
nearness  and  constant  exhibition,  and  unites  both
authority  and  endearment, it  must  prove  the  most  pow-
erful audi  n.sensible  transformer;  andrequires  in  those
who  furnish  it,  and  who  will  nece.ssarily  be  imitated,
that  tli<y  '  abstain  from  all  appearance  of  evil.'  We
only  add  here,  that  they  who  constitute  your  moral
charge,  are  not  so  much  atl'ected  and  swayed  by  any
direct  and  positive  urgings  as  by  the  presence  and
exemplification  and  sight  of  '  whatsoever  things  are
lovely  and  of  good  report. '  The  force  of  the  hot-
house is  not  to  be  compared  with  the  genial  influence
of  the  Si)ring,  by  which,  without  violence  and  with-
out noise,  everything  is  drawn  into  bud  and  bloom.
