take delight and pleasure in the word of God-when you pray, not merely outwardly, but would gladly converse without ceasing with God in your hearts-are not envious, nor quarrelsome, nor self-willed with each other-possess heart-felt affection, even towards those who offend you, and pray earnestly for them are unwilling to hear your own praise, but gladly suffer yourselves to be reminded of your faults, and seek to amend them with all diligence-I say, when such is the case with you, and when in all your deportment you manifest yourself thus-you may take it as a sure sign, that you possess real love to God in your hearts. But do not on any account trust to your hearts, nor persuade yourselves that you love God as long as you do not exemplify the things I have now pointed out. And even if all of them were exhibited in you, yet know that you must never depend upon yourselves, nor think yourselves secure. For you may again lose the little spark, which God may have enkindled within you, more easily than you suppose, unless you watch and pray. I therefore exhort you, if the love of God has been awakened in you by his grace, that you also seek daily to grow and increase in it....

The great love of God, wherewith he has loved you in Christ Jesus, must be meditated upon by you more and more, and his unspeakable love be ever more inwardly and ardently apprehended by your hearts in constant prayer to God.... and the more you perceive that God has granted you his whole heart, (that is, his own Son,) the more will you wish and desire to present your whole heart to your dear and heavenly Father, and that you may never more offend him.

"But whenever you perceive, that your deceitful heart inclines to seek again an empty pleasure and gratification in this or that created object, you must very ardently sigh, like dear children, to your heavenly Father, and heartily entreat him for the assistance of his good and holy Spirit. The latter will then strengthen you to oppose the evil propensity, and to resist sin, so that it may not reign over you, but be subdued under you. For when you suffer it to rule in you, the love of God cannot remain with you. But if, when assailed by it, you overcome it by the power of the Holy Spirit, which you have entreated of God, it cannot hinder you from growing and increasing incessantly in the precious love of God....

"In conclusion, I address you in particular, who are the foremost in age and stature amongst our pupils. For you might possibly suppose, that because this exhortation is addressed to children, it has no reference to you, since you imagine, that you have put away childish things. Be it far from you to suppose such a thing, and that this address is put into your hands merely to weary you. Know you not what Christ says? Verily I say unto you, unless ye be converted and become as little children, ye cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whosoever shall humble himself as this little child, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.' (Matt. xviii. 3, 4.) Remember this, and examine yourselves, whether you are thus converted, and become, in humility and lowliness of heart, as little as the children. If this is not the case, (which I fear is but too true with respect to many of you,) delay it no longer. For the older you grow, the more unfit you will be for the kingdom of God, if you continue in your

sins; for by habit, sin obtains increasing power over you....

"And do not imagine that your learning will be of any avail to you, if you do not love God. For of what use is it, when you learn ever so much of outward languages and sciences, and yet neglect this best kind of wisdom-the love of God? On the contrary, when you have this dwelling in your hearts, all study will be sweet and lovely to you, you will then direct it to its proper aim, and it will eventually yield glorious fruit, over which the church of the living God will rejoice, and which will also cause you pleasure and delight, even in eternity.

"May Jesus Christ, the only begotten and beloved child of God, look with love and compassion on the hearts of all of you, the great as well as the small; purify them by faith, sanctify them by his Spirit, and render them truly chaste in obedience to the truth and in the love of God. This will be my joy, not only in this mortal tabernacle, but especially also in the great day of our Lord Jesus Christ. O that I might then be able to say to the Lord, concerning you all that are now present, as well as those that have been before you, and shall come after you, to partake in like manner of that pasture on which you have been fed, as the lambs of Christ,- Here am I, and the children thou hast given me!'

He is your

sacred and

Lord, and has redeemed you by his precious blood. I commend you to the arms of his love, and to his unutterable mercy."

Franké, being aware how much example operates, especially on the hearts of children, published in 1708, a remarkable little work, containing the life of a highly-favoured, but early-deceased child, Christi

lieb Leberecht Von Exter, of Zerbst, who died in his tenth year, together with a tract begun by him "On true religion" and his "letters and hymns, made public to the praise of God, and for general christian edification, but particularly of the young."

Franké was well aware that this little book would not please the world; he foresaw that his enemies would bitterly censure him for it, as proved to be the case; but he did not suffer this consideration to deter him from publishing the work. In the dedication, he observes, "this is not the life of a great man in the world, but of a child, and of one who is not celebrated on account of any worldly and external advantages which he possessed above others, but on account of his godliness. The meditations are likewise not those of a man, who by means of many years' application, labour, and experience has at length attained to a singular degree of learning, but of a child, who regarded the love of Christ as surpassing knowledge, who in his simplicity has written on true religion as his heart impelled him, who never learnt to write letters by the rules of art, and only wrote down in an occasional letter that which he recognized as needful and useful; and who, finally, had never studied poesy, but sometimes formed the good thoughts which God granted him, into a hymn in order to cheer his heart.

"These are certainly things which present no specious appearance to the eye of the world, and because they regard only a child, and proceed from a child, the world will probably regard them only as childish things, and consequently deserving of all contempt... But far be it from me to be ashamed of publishing this little work under the sanction of

...

my name!.... Be it known that I care not, whatever opinions may be passed upon it. All such opinions, which do not flow from the Spirit of Christ, I will. easily shake off from me, by the grace of God, as useless dust; but the blessing and edification, which may proceed from this little book which I now publish, I will take with me, with the help of God, to that world, whither little Exter has preceded me, and there it shall remain for ever and ever, to the praise and glory of God. Those, however, who will not seek their edification in it, but only a cause of dispute whether they praise or blame, is all one to me; I shall never be able to please them, as long as I seek to please the Lord Christ, whom I serve."

"When the example of this dear child is read by other children, many of them, as I hope, by divine grace, will come to reflection, and say within themselves, See, this child has turned to God with such earnestness; he has received such a living faith from God; he has loved the Saviour so dearly; he studied the word of God so diligently and willingly; he prayed so devoutly; God granted him such understanding, and extensive knowledge of his truth; he was so gentle, quiet, obedient, patient, humble, stedfast, and faithful even unto death, and had such a blessed and happy end! God will also not deny me his grace and gifts, if I pray to him for them,-gladly hear and learn his word, and obey good admonitions. I will take his life as a pattern for myself, and beseech the Lord Jesus to fill me also with his grace and love, as he did this child!' These good and divine emotions, which will be excited in many children by the perusal of this book, may God graciously bless, so that they may gain strength, and thus the