63 



talism that will refuse to exercise this office of 

 fatherhood in wisdom. 



We observe that the power that resides in the- 

 parents is principally for the safety and salvation 

 of the offspring. This, however, cannot invali- 

 date its force as pointing to a fundamental prin- 

 ciple, viz: that certain relations, even in this life, 

 insist that punishment is the just desert of dis- 

 obedience. 



That parents, in the greater number of cases, 

 do not cut off their children from all hope of 

 reconciliation is not expressive of any governing- 

 principle in the relations of parent and child, 

 except simple limitation in theline of the parent's 

 I towers. 



The relations of the earthly parent to the child 

 are too nearly like those relations of man to man,. 

 t<> admit of a final and endless breach in every 

 irremediable case. Were the one divine because 

 he is father, and the other human because he is 

 son, then we might expect and demand a. 

 more rigorous and absolute power on the part of 

 the parent. 



One thing, however, is worthy our attention, 

 viz: parents exercise to the full extent their 

 native and delegated power, and frequently this 

 power leads to the entire divorcement of the child 

 from ilc parent. 



Furthermore, it m iy ba noted, that the •future: 



