thinking how awful would be the state of those boys, if they were cut
off by death in such wickedness. Alas! the agonies of one hour
hereafter, would be worse than all the tortures that could be inflicted
on God's creatures during their whole lives. But instead of an hour, it
is for ever and ever that all who go to that dreadful place of
punishment must remain. It made me very miserable to see the poor lambs
so cruelly hurt, and to think what judgment those boys were bringing on
themselves. I ran for Bronti's master, and we met the bruised, bleeding
little innocents limping along, and the inhuman boy, tired of his savage
sport, following them. We stopped him, and that gentleman spoke very
plainly to him of his sin, and God's anger. The boy looked alarmed, but
sulky; and I sadly fear he was hardening his young heart against the
Lord. Let us pray that we may be kept from hardness of heart, and made
tender to keep a conscience void of offence towards God and towards man.

It was a donkey-boy who had helped the other to throw stones at the
lambs; and this reminds me that I have something to say about the ass;
the most despised and the worst-used of all animals, and yet the one on
which the greatest honour has been put, being chosen for its humble,
gentle, patient character to assist in setting forth the wonderful
humiliation of the Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, who in the greatness
of his everlasting majesty and power condescended to stoop low for our
sakes. I think you will remember at once what I mean. In the ninth
chapter of the book of Zechariah, it is written, "Rejoice greatly, O
daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King
cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding
upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass."

And you know how this was fulfilled. When our Lord Jesus was about to
enter, for the last time, into the holy city of Jerusalem, before his