therefore proceed to pronounce
upon you the sentence which your crimes deserve. You will be led from
this place to the deepest and strongest dungeon of the prison; there
to be confined till you are led to the gallows, and there to be hung
by the neck till you are dead; and may God have mercy upon your soul.

Now, who would not declare that this sentence is just? And who does
not see the absurdity of the excuses which the guilty man offered?

So it is with you, my young reader. It is your duty, at all times, to
be obedient to God. The charge which God brings against us, is, that
we have refused to obey him. For this we deserve that penalty which
God has threatened against rebellion. If we love our parents ever so
ardently, it will not save us, unless we also love God. If we are
ever so kind to those around us, it will not secure God's
approbation, unless we are also obedient to him. If our conduct is so
correct that no one can accuse us of what is called an immoral act,
it will be of no avail, unless we are also living with faith in the
promises of God, and with persevering efforts to do his will. And we
shall be as foolish as was the guilty mutineer, if we expect that any
such excuses will save us from the penalty of his law.

We cannot, by any fidelity in the discharge of the common duties of
life, atone for the neglect to love and serve our Maker. We have
broken away from his authority. We follow our own inclinations, and
are obedient to the directions of others, rather than to those of
our Maker. The fact is, that the duties we owe God and our fellow men
are not to be separated. God expects the child in the morning to
acknowledge his dependence upon his Maker, and to pray for assistance
to do that which is right, during all the hours of the day. And he
expects you, when the evening comes, to thank him for all his
goodness, and solemnly to promise, all your days, to be obedient to
his authority. You must not only love your parents, but you must also
love your God. You must try to have your words and your thoughts
pure, and all your conduct holy. Now, when you look back upon your
past lives, and when you examine your present feelings, do you not
see that you have not obeyed God in all your ways? Not only have you
had wicked thoughts, and at times been disobedient to your parents,
but you have not made it the great object of your life to serve your
Maker.

God now desires to have you obedient to him. He loves you, a