them, or, at all events, none which David and Elijah were not at liberty to dispense with. But Naomi had no right what- ever to discourage the pious purposes of her daughters : if she had chosen to dispense 'svith their attendance on her, she had no authority to dissuade them from devoting themselves to God. Remember, then, the true limits of your authority : it may be, and should be, energetically used for God : but it must not, even in advice, be used against him. Your influence is great ; and on it may depend the salvation of yoiu' offspring. Oh, what a grief must it have been to Naomi, in after life, that she had given such fatal counsel to her apostate daughter ! And who can tell what cause you may have to bewail the dis- coui'aging of pious emotions in your children, even in one single instance ? And think not that even piety renders this caution unnecessary. Rebekah was pious ; yet when she feared that her beloved Jacob would lose the birthright, what a device did she suggest, and with what horrid impiety did she urge him to adopt it^! Beware, I say, of following Naomi in this respect ; and rather use your influence, like Lois and Eunice, for the training of your Timothy to the highest attain- ments of piety and virtue i.]
2. To young people —
[Cultivate, to the utmost, an affectionate and obediential spirit towards your parents. This is a frame of mind pecu- liarly pleasing to God. When he enjoined it in the Decalogue, he wrote it with his own finger on a tablet of stone : and it is distinguished above all the other commandments by this, that it was " the first commandment with promise'^," The exercise of this spirit pre-eminently characterized our blessed Lord in his early days : " He went down with his parents to Nazareth, and was subject unto them^" This is the best return that you can make to your parents for all the care which they take of you, and all their labours for your good. Especially, if, like Naomi, they be brought into affliction and penury, forsake them not then ; but rather redouble your attentions to them ; and ac- count no sacrifice too great to make, if by any means you may be a comfort to them in their declining years.
At the same time be attentive to the concerns of your souls. Embrace the God of Israel as your God ; and worship him, and serve him, and " cleave unto him with full purpose of heart*." And let no hopes of improving your temporal condition, either in marriage or in any other way, draw you aside from him. ' Renounce all for God ; and " count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus your Lord." If
P Gen. xxvii. 12, 13. <J 2 Tim. i. 5. ^ Eph. vi. 2.
s Luke ii. 51. ' Acts xi. 23.