thought upon the subject of religion, instead of entertaining thofe enlarged fentiments of religious li berty, which will never be wholly extinct in the breafts of their parents, the flighteft inducement is often fufficient to make them abondon the diffenting intereft, the value of which they were never taught to underftand; and to make them conform to the established religion of this, and, for the fame reason to that of any other country in the world, attended with fufficient temporal encouragement.

With the difufe of family prayer, the regular reading of the fcriptures has alfo been laid afide; fo that in most of our opulent families, the youth have hardly an opportunity of making them felves acquainted with the contents of thofe books which are the fource of all religious knowledge. When the bible, if there be one in the family, is wholly neglected by the parent, what inducement can the fon have to look into it?

A falfe tafte, and a pretended reverence for the fcriptures, has, likewife, banished them from many of our schools; fo that, except their being read in detached amd unconnected portions, in places of public worship, many perfons, it is to be feared, would live and die in utter ignorance of the contents of their bibles.

With this neglect of family difcipline, the neglect of difcipline in our churches, which has been owing to fimilar caufes, has likewife concurred.

In many of our focieties the business of catechifing has, likewife, been laid afide, nor has any thing been fubftituted in its place, as better adapted to communicate religious knowledge; fo that, as the minifter is feldom feen but in the pulpit (I mean in a minifterial character) all the opportunity that the people have of being inftructed in the theory of religion, is their hearing mifcellaneous difcourfes, which are now almost every where confined to subjects which have an immediate relation to practice, while the theory of religion, and the evidences of it, are almost wholly neglected.

Because common fenfe is a fufficient guard against many errors in religion, it seems to have been taken for granted, that common sense is a fufficient inftruc➡ tor alfo; whereas, in fact, without pofitive inftruction, men would naturally have been mere favages with refpect to religion; as, without fimilar inftruction, they would be favages with refpect to the arts of life and the fciences. Common sense can only be compared to a judge; but what can a judge do without evidence, and proper materials from which to form a judgment.

Such is the evil, of which not myself only, but. every person who seriously confiders the present state of things among the Diffenters, and its manifest tendency in futurity, complain. Let us now confider what is the most proper and effectual remedy

for

for this evil, and how far the application of it may be eafy and practicable.

As the fource of the evil, as far it arifes from ourfelves, was obferved to be two fold, namely, the neglect of parental and ministerial instruction, it is easy to infer, that the most complete and effec tual remedy must be two-fold also, confifting in the revival of that discipline, both in churches and private families, by which we ourselves received that inftruction, the advantages of which we are apt to overlook, till we fee the dreadful effects of the want of it in others. If the difcipline of our forefathers, in either of these respects, has been too fevere for the gentlenefs of modern manners, let that severity be relaxed, but let nothing that is really ufeful be laid afide.

It is certainly defirable, that more attention be given both to the morals, and the religious inftruc tion of youth, by those who undertake the conduct of our focieties, as well as by their parents. But if it be impoffible, as I am apprehenfive it generally will be, to revive the antient forms of our church difcipline, (in confequence of which a number of the most intelligent, ferious, and prudent members of our churches might be appointed to fuperintend the inftruction of youth) let the minifter exert himself the more in this field, which alone can promife a reward for his labours. When a perfon's mode of thinking, and his habits of life are fixed, as they

generally

generally are before he arrives at thirty or forty years of age, and efpecially when they have been confirmed by having met with no oppofition or controul, from that time to a more advanced period of life, there can be but little prospect of making any good and lafting impreffions. In this cafe, a change of thinking, or acting,will be brought about, if at all with very great difficulty, and old notions, and habits will be apt to return upon the flighteft occafions, and get firmer hold of the mind than

ever.

If men have lived all their lives unacquainted with better principles, the propofal of them may ftrike and influence, but if they relate to fubjects which they have often heard canvaffed, and on which little can be faid that is abfolutely new to them ; it may be taken for granted, that the recital of arguments which they prefume have been fully confuted, will only confirm them in their former prejudices. It is beft, therefore, to bear with the aged, and, in many cafes, with those who are advanced to middle life, and not without fome very urgent reafon, arifing from very particular circumftances, attempt the arduous, and almost hopeless task, of rectifying their errors; though fomething more should be done towards reforming their con→ duct. But, in youth, the mind is flexible, opinions are unfixed, and habits not confirmed. At this time of life, therefore, arguments and expoftulations

may

may have real weight; good principles and maxims may be recommended with effect; and a little feafonable affiftance may be fufficient to mould them

to our wish.

The great object of a minister's chief attention being thus fixed, viz. upon the younger, and more teachable part of his congregation, it remains to be confidered, in what manner their inftruction may be best provided for. Now, it appears to me, that the only effectual provifion for this purpose, is a courfe of regular and fyftematical inftruction. Every branch of knowledge is built on certain facts and principles; and in order that these be fully and clearly understood, they must be delivered in a proper order, fo that one thing may moft naturally introduce another. In other words, no branch of knowledge, religion not excepted, can be taught to advantage but in the way of fyftem. Frightful as the word may found, it fignifies nothing, but an orderly and regular fet of principles, beginning with the eafieft, and ending with the most difficult, which, in this manner, are the most easily demonftrated. No perfon would ever think of teaching Law or Medicine, or any other branch of science, in the manner in which religion is now generally taught; and as no perfon ever acquired a competent knowledge of Law, Medicine, or any other fcience by hearing miscellaneous difcourfes upon the fubject; fo neither can we reasonably expect

that