The observations, which I shall make concerning this subject,

will respect,

The Nature,

The End, and,

The Importance, of this Government; and,

The Manner, in which it is to be administered.

Concerning the Nature of Parental Government, its End, and its Importance, my observations must be very summary.

The Nature of all government is justly defined to be the control of one being over the actions of another. This control in the hands of parents over their children is at once the most absolute, perhaps, and clearly the most gentle and indulgent, dominion, which is exercised by mankind. The parent's will is the only law to the child; yet, being steadily regulated by parental affection, is probably more moderate, equitable, and pleasing to him, than any other human government to any other subject. It resembles the divine government more in its nature, and, when wisely administered, in its efficacy, than any other. Correction, sometimes esteemed the whole of it, is usually the least part a part, indispensable indeed, and sometimes efficacious, when all others have failed. Beside correction it includes advice, commendation, blame, reproof, rebuke, admonition, expostulation, influence, restraint, confinement, rewards, the deprivation of enjoyments, the infliction of disgrace, the denial of favour, and various other things: each possessing peculiar efficacy; and all of them efficacious, not only in themselves, but also by the variety of administration, which they furnish, and the relative power, which they derive merely from the fact of succeeding

each other.

The End of parental government is undoubtedly the good of children. The end of all government is the good of the governed. Children are given to parents, not to be a convenience to them, but that they may become blessings to the children. In this way, and ordinarily in this alone, will the children become blessings to the parents. Every parent should fix in his mind a strong, habitual sense of this end. The good, to be accomplished for the child, should be the object of inquiry in every ad

ministration of this nature. The kind, the degree, and the continuance, of the punishment, and the reward, should be all determined by it. In a word, it should absolutely govern all the conduct of the parent towards the child.

The Importance of parental government will demand very few remarks; since no man will question it in earnest. Every parent ought to remember, that his child is committed to him; that all his interests are put into his hands; and that to train up his family for usefulness, and for heaven, is ordinarily the chief duty, which God requires him to perform; the chief good, which he can ever accomplish. If he neglects this duty; he ought to expect, that it will be left undone for no other person will usually undertake it. If he does not accomplish this good; he ought to believe, that it will never be accomplished. On the contrary, the child will be left to himself; to evil companions; to men, whose business it is to corrupt the young; to unbridled lusts; to unrestrained iniquity; to Satan, and to ruin. He ought also to remember, that childhood, is the seed-time for all good; the season, when every useful impression is most happily made; the time, when almost all that, which can be done for the child, is to be done. He should remember, that the encouragement is very great. Experience abundantly proves, that well governed children are almost always well behaved; and that almost all religious persons are of this number. What experience declares, the Scriptures ratify. The text, if not an absolute promise, is yet a glorious encouragement to this parental duty. In the mean time, the peace and pleasantness of his family; the filial piety, amiable conduct, and fair reputation, of his children; furnish a rich hope, that he will in the end assemble around him his little flock, and be able to say with exultation and transport, Behold, here am I, and the children whom thou hast given me.

The Manner, in which parental government ought to be administered, demands a more extensive consideration.

The observations, which I propose to make concerning it, I shall arrange under the following heads.

1. The Government of Children should begin with the dawn of their reason.

I have already applied this observation to parental Instruction :

it is still more forcibly applicable to parental government. The habit of submission can never be effectuated without difficulty, unless commenced at the beginning. The first direction of the infant mind has been often, and justly, compared to the first figure, assumed by a twig; which is ordinarily its figure during every subsequent period of its growth. If children are taught effectually to obey at first; they will easily be induced to obey ever afterwards. Almost all those, who are disobedient, are such, as have been neglected in the beginning. The twig was suffered to stiffen, before an attempt was made to bend it into the proper shape. Then it resumed, as soon as the pressure ceased, its former figure. If begun in season, the task of securing filial obedience will usually be easy, and the object effectually gained. If then neglected, it will be attended by a multitude of difficulties, and discouragements; and its efficacy will be doubtful, if not fruitless.

2. Parental Government should be administered with Constancy.

The views manifested by the parent concerning the conduct of the child, should ever be the same. His good conduct should be invariably approved; his bad conduct invariably disapproved. The measures of the parent, also, should be, universally, of the same tenour. All proper encouragement should be regularly holden out to obedience, and all rational opposition be steadily made to disobedience.

The active superintendance of the child should be unremitted. He should feel, that he is ever an object of parental attention; ever secure, when his behaviour merits it, of parental favour; and ever conscious, that his faults will expose him to frowns and censures. This unremitted consciousness of the child can never be produced, but by the unremitted care, and watchfulness, of the parent. The Roman maxim, Obsta principiis, Resist the beginnings of evil; is in all cases replete with wisdom; but is applicable to no case, perhaps, with such force, as to those of children. All their tendencies should be watched. Every commencement of evil, every tendency towards it, should be observed, and resisted.

The efforts of parents in this employment should, also, be un

wearied. Discouragement and Sloth are two prime evils in the conduct of parental Government. The parent, seeing so many, and so unceasing, exertions necessary for the accomplishment of his purpose, usually feels, either earlier or later, as if it could never be accomplished; and hence, from mere discouragement, at first relaxes, and finally gives over, his endeavours. Frequently, also, he becomes, after a moderate number of trials, wearied of a duty, which he finds so burdensome; and through mere indolence desists from every strenuous attempt to discharge it. Such parents ought to remember, that they are labouring for the salvation of their children; that this mighty object is pre-eminently committed to them; and that these reasons for their negligence will be unhappily alleged at the final day.

I have elsewhere compared the mind of a child to a rude mass of silver, in the hand of the silversmith. A single stroke of the hammer, a hundred, or even a thousand, change its form in a very imperfect degree; and advance it but little towards the figure, and beauty, of the vessel which is intended. Were he to stop, nothing valuable would be accomplished. A patient continuance of these seemingly inefficacious efforts, however, will, in the end, produce the proposed vessel in its proper form, and with the highest elegance and perfection. With the same patience and perseverance should parental exertions be made, when employed in forming the minds of children. Thus made, they will usually find a similar issue.

3. The government of children should be uniformly Kind.

Parents not unfrequently administer discipline to their children, because they feel themselves obliged to it by conscience; or to gratify anger; or to retaliate some offence; or to compel their children to accomplish some pleasure of their own. Whenever they act under the proper influence of conscience, they are certainly so far to be commended. But whenever they intend merely to unburden their consciences, and feel, that this is done by merely punishing their children, whether the punishment be wise, just, and useful, or not; either their consciences must be very ill informed, or they must be very little inclined to satisfy their demands. In the other three cases the discipline is merely selfish; and partakes as little of the true nature of family goVOL. IV.

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vernment, as that of a den of thieves. There are parents, whe frankly, but foolishly, declare, that they cannot correct their children, unless when they are in a Passion. Such parents I should advise never to correct them at all. Children, even at an early age, easily understand the nature of such government, and indeed almost always discern more perfectly the nature of our improper conduct, than we either wish, or suspect. He, who thinks his child incapable of understanding his open infirmities, will almost of course be deceived. The government of Passion, children will always perceive to be causeless, variable, weak, and sinful. The parent, who administers it, will be dreaded by them, indeed; but he will only be dreaded in the same manner, as a wild beast. He will neither be reverenced, nor loved. His commands, so far as they cannot be avoided without danger, will be followed by obedience: so far as they can, they will be neglected. The obedience will be a mere eye-service; and never spring from the heart. When the parent is absent, therefore, the child will pursue his own inclinations; and will generally counteract his parent's pleasure, whenever his own safety will permit. Such a government prompts the wickedness of children ten times, where it restrains it once.

The government of Retaliation is the government of revenge; and, therefore, not the government of a parent, but that of an enemy. In this manner it will be regularly regarded by the child. Accordingly, he will, as far as possible, prevent its effects by concealing his faults in every way, which his ingenuity, or circumstances, can suggest. In pursuit of this object, he will practise every trick, and fetch, and fraud, which his cunning can devise; and ultimately utter every equivocation, and every direct falsehood, which the necessity of extricating himself may require. Nor will it be long, before he will consider his parent as one party, and himself as the other. He will then begin to retaliate in turn. In this manner, a controversy will be insituted, in which it will be the business of each to provoke, and injure, the other. The child will not, indeed, be able to meet his antagonist in the open field; but he will endeavour to supply this defect by watching every opportunity to do mischief secretly, and by making up in cunning what he wants in power. A