Page:The Life and Works of Christopher Dock.djvu/127

Rh we cannot blame them for bringing the use of such wicked words with them. O, no! the words they hear they learn to speak, they do not understand them, and do not know whether the word is good or evil. And as this country has been divinely protected from war thus far, and many of the first settlers were people who walked in the presence of God, little of this was heard among us. But a greater number of people coming to this country bring a greater quantity of this ware with them, and while it is not recognized as merchant's ware, it is still distributed and more generally used, to the great disadvantage of youth.

Secondly, the deep-seated wickedness of youth is exhibited in this way. When they have done a wrong, and are questioned regarding it, they usually try to cover it by a lie. Which, if it is not seriously punished and earnest effort made to eradicate such snake poison, leads to their destruction in time and eternity. Therefore parents and schoolmasters, in so far as they seek to promote the welfare and salvation of the poor children, must act betimes to prevent lying. To be sure, this wicked habit is very old. It exhibited itself directly after the fall, in Adam's first-born son, Cain, when he was asked to account for his great sin against Abel, his pious brother. God asked him, “Where is thy brother, Abel?” and he answered contrary to his knowledge and conscience: “I know not, am I my brother's keeper?” (I Moses iv, 9.) From this we see that this snake poison was manifest soon after the fall, and still bears fruit of death and destruction, which will