esteem, they would help their friends to as
well as themselves. Do not those men make light of Christ and
salvation that can take so much care to leave their children
portions in the world, and do so little to help them to heaven?
that provide outward necessaries so carefully for their families,
but do so little to the saving of their souls? Their neglected
children and friends will witness that either Christ, or their
children's souls, or both, were made light of.

8. That which men highly esteem, they will so diligently seek after
that you may see it in the success, if it be a matter within
their reach. You may see how many make light of Christ, by the
little knowledge they have of him, and the little communion with
him, and communication from him; and the little, yea, none of his
special grace in them. Alas! how many ministers can speak it to
the sorrow of their hearts, that many of their people know almost
nothing of Christ, though they hear of him daily! Nor know they
what they must do to be saved: if we ask them an account of these
things, they answer as if they understood not what we say to
them, and tell us they are no scholars, and therefore think they
are excusable for their ignorance. Oh if these men had not made
light of Christ and their salvation, but had bestowed but half as
much pains to know and enjoy him as they have done to understand
the matters of their trades and callings in the world, they would
not have been so ignorant as they are: they make light of these
things, and therefore will not be at the pains to study or learn
them. When men that can learn the hardest trade in a few years
have not learned a catechism, nor how to understand their creed,
under twenty or thirty years' preaching, nor can abide to be
questioned about such things, doth not this show that they have
slighted them in their hearts? How will these despisers of Christ
and salvation be able one day to look him in the face, and to
give an account of these neglects?

JAMES A. BAYARD (1767-1815)

During the first decade of the nineteenth century, a most important
formative period of American history, James A. Bayard was the
recognized leader of the Federalists in the Senate. They had lost
the presidential election of 1800, and their party had been so
completely disorganized by the defeat that they never recovered from
it, nor won, as a party, another victory. Defeat, however, did not
prevent them from making a stub