of such a character as to give his father much joy, but was such as to awaken the gravest fears concerning his conduct when he should become absolute master of the kingdom. We well know how these fears were justified by his conduct on his accession to the throne. The great crime of David's life had been committed before Solomon's birth, and had, therefore, had no bad influence upon him, but the sins of his own old age were a bad example to set before his son, and could not have been without their evil influence. From what we read of Rehoboam, we can but conclude that he had been a "foolish" son, and that Solomon's heart was heavy with sadness concerning him when he penned these words. These thoughts suggest a lesson which parents should deeply ponder, viz., _that whether parents shall have gladness or grief in their children depends not so much upon the excellence of their words as upon the godliness of their lives._ Solomon uttered thousands of moral precepts, but had he uttered as many more, they would not have had much effect upon Rehoboam. What his son needed more than wise sayings was the power of a godly life. This must ever accompany moral teaching: nay, it must go before it, for a child can receive impressions from a holy example before it is old enough to appreciate abstract teaching. A parent's wise _sayings_ will never do a child any good unless there are correspondent _doings_. A good example is the best education. Consider-- +II. How very much our joy and sorrow in this world depend upon our relationships.+ In proportion as the wise are related to the foolish or to the wise, will be their grief or their gladness. Distant relationships are not very effective in this way, but near relationships are powerful in proportion to their nearness. And the relation of parent to child is in some respects nearer than any other--nearer, perhaps, even than that of husband and wife. Our children are a part of ourselves, and what they are makes or mars our lives. How much does that little pronoun "my" carry with it! To hear that _any_ young man has disgraced his manhood and thrown away his opportunities is an occasion of sadness to us. This is increased if he is the son of anyone we have known and loved. But if good parents have to reflect that "my" son has become a reprobate, how bitter is their sorrow. But when the folly is not so great as this there may still be much "heaviness" in a parent's heart. "Wise" and "foolish" are relative terms. A good father's joy is proportionate to his son's goodness, for we understand wisdom and folly here to stand for the wisdom of goodness and the folly of sin, and a very little amount of wickedness will make a good mother's heart heavy. _Let children then learn from this text to reflect how much power to give joy or sorrow rests with them, and to act accordingly;_ and _let parents, considering how entirely their future happiness or misery will depend