ble for its cruelty, and detestable for its fraud. Children should never injure animals without reproof solemnly administered, nor, as the case may be, without punishment. All their unkindness to each other, and all the unkindness of others which falls within their knowledge, should be strongly and unconditionally reprobated. At the same time, every instance of their spontaneous tenderness, and beneficence, should be strongly commended; and, as prudence may direct, followed by suitable rewards; while every instance of cruelty should be treated with efficacious discountenance, and strenuous opposition; and should be seen to awaken in the mind of the parent detestation and horror. Among the exercises of kindness, which are of prime importance, one of the most difficult to learn is the forgiveness of injuries. On this account it should be taught early, unceasingly, and strenuously, with powerful persuasion, and distinguishing rewards. An unfor giving and revengeful spirit, on the contrary, should, however difficult and discouraging the task, be at all events broken down; and no attempt should be omitted, until this work is effectually accomplished.

3. Self-Government.

Children should, from the beginning, be taught to be industrious. The value of time should be ea, kained to them, as the means of all usefulness and enjoyinent, of duty and salvation. To enable them to employ it in the best manner, they should be early accustomed to methodize it by useful divisions; allotting regularly one period to devotion, another to business, and another to recreation. Their business, also, should be methodized by subordinate divisions: one period being regularly destined to one employment, and another to another. In this manner they will soon see, that far more can be accomplished, than by loose and desultory efforts. Industry, naturally disagreeable, may be rendered pleasing by address and habituation, advice and example. As this is the fountain, under God, of all human attainments, and enjoyments; no exertions should be left untried to establish it, at a very early date, in the minds of children.

Upon Industry, in his child, every parent should graft Economy. To economy, the human mind is more reluctant, than even to in. dustry. In order to relish it, two great difficulties must be overcome. One is the powerful relish for the gratifications, which oc casion our expense. The other is the constant, laborious attention, so necessary to the practice of that branch of economy which is employed in preserving the various kinds of property. The latter of these is usually the greater difficulty; but may, as well as the other, be overcome by long-continued, prudent, and unremitted exertion.

The children of the honest and industrious poor, and of persons in moderate circumstances, are usually taught economy from nenessity; in most instances, however, not so thoroughly, and hap

pily, as ought to be wished. The children of opulent parents, and of the idle poor, are, to a great extent, sadly neglected, as to this necessary part of their education. The consequence is, that the children of the one are kept poor, and the children of the other frequently reduced to poverty. Economy is at least as necessary to prosperity, even in a moderate degree, as Industry itself. Equally necessary is it to furnish us the power of doing justice to others; safely from temptations to fraud, falsehood, and innumerable other evils; support in sickness, and old age; the education, and comfortable settlement, of our families; and a host of other blessings. It is, therefore, an indispensable duty; and is made such by the example, and precept, of our Saviour. When he had fed a multitude by a creative act of his own, he directed his disciples to gather up the fragments, that nothing might be lost. What was their duty, in such a case, is certainly the duty of all men, in all cases: and, however it may be despised by the proud, and the prodigal, or however forgotten by the thoughtless, will be found of incalculable importance to their children.

At the same time, they should be carefully guarded against all tendencies to covetousness, and to every other exercise of a mean and narrow mind. Economy furnishes us with the ability to perform generous acts. Meanness prevents their existence; and destroys the spirit, from which they spring. Meanness, also, roots up, in whatever form it may exist, all the tendencies to virtue; every stem, on which it may be hopefully grafted.

Another, thing, which ought to be cultivated with great care in the early minds of children, and which may be properly ranged under this head, is the exercise of the Gentle affections. Violent affections seem to be the chief preventives of virtue, and its chief enemies. Gentle affections are the best preparation for it; and the best friends to it, which are furnished by human nature. All the affections of virtue are ordinarily gentle; the most amiable ones always. This is probably one powerful reason, why so many more Christians are usually found in the female sex, than in ours; viz. that the softness and sweetness of their affections naturally coincide with religious impressions; while the violence of ours naturally resist them. Children should regularly be checked, and subdued, in every ebullition of passion; particularly of pride and anger. Nor should they be less carefully opposed in the more unobserved progress of avarice and ambition. The mischiefs of these, and of all other inordinate passions, are known, and acknowledged, by all men. It will be only necessary to remark concerning them here, that, while they continue in full strength, they absolutely forbid all access of Religion, and fix the mind in immoveable hostility to the divine pleasure. He, who wishes his children to become the subjects of piety, should make it a prime object in their education, to check all their inordinate passions with an efficacy of resistance, proportioned to the demands of each case; and should, with equal VOL. III.

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anxiety, teach them to check, restrain, and subdue, themselves. Usually, this work may in early childhood be easily done; but unhappily is too often neglected. The passions in the mind, like weeds in a garden, sufficiently tender and feeble at first, soon strengthen themselves to such a degree by rankness of growth, that to subdue them becon.es difficult, if not impossible. Few persons have, then, sufficient resolution to undertake the task: fewer have sufficient perseverance to execute it. When begun in season, it is ordinarily attended with little difficulty.

Gentle affections should be encouraged in children by all the mcans in our power. They should constantly witness them in us. The exercise of them, in themselves, should from time to time be commended; the amiableness of them explained, and enforced. Companions, possessed of such affections, should be selected for them and books, containing persuasive examples, and illustrations. of this character, should be put into their hands.

Inmately connected with this subject is Civility and Sweetness of manners. Lord Chesterfield justly observes, that such manners are hectly required by our Saviour's practical exposition of the secoreat Command of the moral law: That we should do to others whatsoever we would that they should do to us. All men loye to be treated with civility; and are bound, therefore, by the law of God, to exhibit such treatment to others. The Chinese proverbally, and justly, observe that a man without civility is a man without common sense. Such manners are the proper polish of that most beautiful of all diamonds, Virtue; and enable it to shine with its own peculiar lustre. They render the character lovely; increase exceedingly the power of those who possess them, to do good; and secure to them a thousand kind offices, to which coarse, rough, and brutal men are utterly strangers. Children, in order to be taught such manners, besides being particularly instructed in their nature, should, especially, be accustome to the company of those, from whom they may be successfully copied.

There is scarcely a fault, to which children are prone, which is more dificult to be prevented, than the Imprudence of the Tongue. Passion prompts them to expressions of rashness and violence; example, to profaneness; the love of being listened to, to the betraying of secrets, the telling of marvellous stories, the recitation of private history, and the utterance of slander. In these and other similar ways they often wound their own character, and the peace both of themselves and their connexions. Every attempt of every such kind ought to be repelled at once, and effectually crush. Neglect, here, is countenance; inattention, encouragement. What, then, shall be said of parents, who directly listen to their children, while thus employed; and in this manner solicit them to transgress? Few evils need to be more steadily watched, or more powerfully resisted, than this. A prudent and

well-governed tongue is an invaluable possession; whether we consider the peace of the possessor, the comfort of his family, or the quietness of his neighbourhood. A busy-body in other men's matters is classed by St. Peter with murderers, thieves, and malefactors.

Universally, children should be guarded, and taught to guard themselves, with the utmost care, against templations. They should be cautioned not to go, and restrained from going, to places of evil resort. They should be anxiously prevented from the company o wicked children; and, as much as may be, from that of all other persons, from whom they will hear dangerous sentiments, or who will set before them dangerous conduct. They should also be never brought, when it can be avoided, into contact with dangerous and fascinating objects. From such objects indeed, and from such company, they cannot be entirely secluded, in such a world as this. By watchful and faithful parents, however, much may be done it is impossible to say how much: but probably so much, as, in ordinary cases at least, perhaps in all, to secure the child from the evil, to which he is exposed. One important mean of security, never to be forgotten, is an early, strong, and habitual impression of their exposure to temptation, accompanied by explicit and thorough information of the evils, which will certainly result from yielding to its influence. This will prove a safeguard to the child, when the parent cannot be present, to warn him of his danger.

It will be remembered, that I originally proposed to mention a part only of those things, which are to be taught to children. Those, which have been mentioned, are, if I mistake not, possessed of distinguished importance; and will, I suppose, be acknowledged to claim a primary place in parental instruction. shall now proceed to consider the Manner, in which they should be taught.

1. The Instruction of Children should be begun in very Early life.

Very young children are capable of learning many things of incalculable importance to themselves. All parents appear to me to labour under serious mistakes with regard to this subject; and begin to teach their children many things, at least, at a later period than that in which they would advantageously begin to receive them. The infant mind opens faster, than we are apt to be aware. This is the true reason, why very young children are almost always thought peculiarly bright and promising. We customarily attribute this opinion to parental fondness; in some degree perhaps, justly; but it arises extensively from the fact, that the intel lect of little children outruns in its progress our utmost expecta tions: the goodness of God intending, I suppose, to provide by this constitution of things the means of receiving the instruction, so indispensable to children at that period. Of this advantage every

parent should carefully avail himself. At the same time he should remember, that this is the season for making lasting impressions. The infant mind lays strong hold of every thing, which it is taught. Both its understanding and affections are then unoccupied. The affections are then, also, remarkably susceptible, tender, and vigorous. Every person knows the peculiarly impressive power of novelty. On the infant mind every thing is powerfully impressed, because every thing is new. From these causes is derived that remarkable fact, so commonly observed, that early impressions influence the character and the life beyond all others; and remain strong and vivid, after most others are worn away.

From these remarks must be seen, with irresistible evidence, the immense importance of seizing this happy period, to make religious impressions on the minds of our offspring. He, who loses this season, is a husbandman, who wastes the spring in idleness, and sows in midsummer. How can such a man rationally expect a crop? To the efforts of the parent, at this period, the professed Instructer is bound to add his own. The Instructer, who in a school, a college, or an university, does not employ the opportunities, which he enjoys, of making religious impressions on the minds of his pupils, neglects a prime part of his duty; and so far wraps his talent in a napkin, and buries it in the earth.

2. Children should be Gradually instructed.

Knowledge plainly should be communicated in that progressive course, in which the mind is most capable of receiving it. The first things which children attain, are words, and facts. To these succeed, after no great interval, plain doctrines, and precepts. As they advance in years and understanding, they gradually comprehend, and therefore relish, doctrines of a more complicated and difficult nature. This order of things, being inwrought in the constitution of the human mind, should be exactly followed. When it is counteracted, or forgotten, the task of instruction will ever be difficult; and the progress of the pupil slow and discouraging. A loose and general attention to this great rule of instruction seems to have prevailed in most enlightened countries, but a far less accurate one, than its importance deserves.

Among the facts and doctrines, suited to the early mind, none are imbibed with more readiness, or fastened upon with more strength, than the existence, presence, perfection, and providence, of God: the Creation of all things by his power; its own accountableness to him; and the immense importance of his favour, and, therefore, of acting in such a manner as to obtain his approbation. These things, then, together with such as are inseparably connected with them, should, without fail, be always taught at the dawn of the understanding.

3. The impressions, which are useful to children, should be made Continually.