you ever again be overtaken in any of these, through any inadvertency, let the recollection of that saying, as a friendly monitor, come to your aid, that South Bridge my ruin.'

has been

"Disobedience to parents, David," turning to Doubtful," is perhaps a more serious crime than you imagine. You must know there is an express command to guard against it, with a promise of long life annexed to the keepers of it, which doubtless implies a threatening of death to its breakers; but, that you may be perfectly satisfied of the importance of this precept, the wise man says, 'the eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pluck it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.' But, as your coming here seemed to have been accidental, and as you have been your own accuser for disobedience to your parents, I shall not enlarge upon this head farther than by saying, that I hope, in your future conduct, you will abundantly atone for the errors of the past-bearing in mind, that in a short time you may be deprived of one or both of your parents, and be left, like Will Candid, without either to advise you ; and remember that disobedience to parents, and Sabbathbreaking, were mentioned among the causes of Sutherland's ruin.

"As for you, John," turning to their companion, “I found you Careless, and thought at one time I must have left you Careless still; but I am glad that my fears are disappointed, for, since the bean-stalk lecture, I have observed a wonderful alteration in you to the better; and I am in the greater hopes that the impression will not be allowed to wear off, as you resolve to put down your name for The CHEAP MAGAZINE; and have signified that if it

contain

contain any thing like what you heard from me, you do not think you will have cause to rue. Now, John, I must tell you that I am a warm admirer of the plan and intention of that work as mentioned in the Prospectus, which I have in my pocket, and not only mean to subscribe for it myself, and use my influence with my friends to do so likewise, but intend occasionally to contribute something to its pages, if my first attempt, which shall be an account of this conversation, finds a ready reception from the publishers. So, as you are resolved, Careless, to take care what sort of company you keep in future, if you have any relish for mine, you may again meet with me, as a friend and adviser, in the pages of that Magazine :-and in meeting me there, it will be in the way of duty-in complying with the wishes of a parent, whose over-fondness for you seems to be her greatest foible. And think, ah, think, if ever again assailed by the solicitations of evil companions to do any thing in opposition to the advice of your mother, that no less than twice the unfortunate Macdonald, in his letter to his brother, cautioned him against bad company, as one of the causes of his ruin; and Macintosh mentioned, when in the prison, that if he had taken his mother's advice, he would not have been there. But the twinkling stars beginning to appear warn me that it is time to begone; and the evening dews already make it unwholesome to stand on the damp ground. But, before I depart, I have one thing to beg of you, which is, that although I must caution you in future to shun Bragwell as a companion, if he continues in his evil courses, as you would do a serpent, yet feeling, as I do, for one in his situation, I would wish you all in a body, before you separate, and while my words

words are fresh in your mentory, to find him out, and tell him all you have heard and seen; and although he may congratulate himself for the present on making his escape by the use of his legs and good sea-room, as he termed it, yet a time may come, and that perhaps not far distant, when, immured within the dreary walls of a prison, he may be deprived of both, and brought to the pitiful condition (like one of these unhappy young men) of envying the state of a mouse creeping across the floor, and be made to say, in the words of poor Sutherland, 'Ah! could I as easily escape as that little creature will do.'

"Tell him that there is, in reality, some ill in taking beans on any day, and that the crime is aggravated by being done on a Sunday ;-that, in too many respects, his conduct resembles that of Sutherland, Macdonald, and Macintosh, and that he is far gone on the road that led them to ruin ;-that, even although for a time he may go on prospering in his way, by evading the vigilance of men, yet he must never think to escape the piercing Eye of that august Being, who frightened him with the thunder of his power:-that HE THAT FORMED THE EYE, CANNOT BUT ALWAYS SEE;that He sees him every where, at all times, and in all places, and was no less present when he ran off with the old woman's cloak in the dark, than when he hastened from the turnip-field at noon-day, that it is not only in the whirlwind and the storm that the great Creator manifests himself; for if he had staid here, in place of running away, he might have seen rays of Divinity diverging from a bean-stalk; and that if he would immediately break up his little predatory bands,

and

and occasionally betake himself to a solitary walk in the fields, for purposes of reflection, he might to his profit,

“Find tongues in trees, books in the running brooks;
Sermons in stones; and good in every thing."

That even in the smallest insect that buzzes in his ear, the most seemingly insignificant reptile that crawls at his feet, or the smallest blade of grass he treads upon, he would find, if attentively examined, matter of admiration, and reason to conclude, that no human creature could do the like, that the hand that made it is Divine.'

"He signified to you, that every body knew he had nothing else to do on the Sabbath-day; so said the unfortunate Macintosh- We were always worst too on the Sabbath evening, as then we had nothing else to do.' Yet this same young man, on the evening of his execution, said, he was sweer (loth) to be taken away so soon to leave these fine books,' meaning some copies of the Bible. What would he then have given, could he have recalled a few of these mis-spent Sabbath evenings! and Bragwell, alas! has yet much to learn. He said, ' He said, he could see nothing worth while in the Bible; neither could Sutherland while he went astray, but when bound with the bands of affliction and iron, he thought otherwise, and tells the reason of his former blindness: My mother sometimes used to make me read, but I felt a hatred of it, because when I read it, I found it condemned the way's I was going in, and I tried to get quit of it as much as possible.' So the cause was the same that afforded matter of complaint in the days of our Saviour Light is come into the world, but men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil.'

Bragwell said also, that he was young and strong,

C 3

and

and that it was time enough for him to think of dying yet. What a strange coincidence again! Macdonald said, he often felt a conviction that all was not right;' but, he added, "I was stout and young, and I always thought I should have time enough to repent before I came to die, and this helped to quiet my mind.' Too much reliance ought not, however, to be placed on a death-bed or late repentance, for, as the poet emphatically expresses the awful truth

"Heaven sav'd one thief, that none need despair;

But only one, that none might presume."

The time may be nearer than Bragwell expects, when youth and strength will not avail; and he may not be quite so happily situated as Macdonald was in his last moments; besides, he will have one very important talent to account for, which the other had not, the being early taught to read. He seemed offended at having his conduct compared to these unfortunate youths,' but, in atheistical thoughts and expressions, he seems far to have surpassed them; for although two of them had tried to persuade themselves, and each other, that there was no GOD,' it appears they did not succeed; for at the very time,' Sutherland observes, 'I was saying I thought there was no God, I felt something in my mind secretly revolting at the supposition'-So here Bragwell certainly loses nothing by the comparison.

"There can be no doubt, however, but that the untimely fate of these youths originated from some improper conception of this Great Being;-they must either have thought that he was such an one as themselves, and did not regard their sin, not recollecting that he is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity without

detestation