was impoffible that that Doctrine should have been propagated in the World by Simplicity or Folly, by Fraud or Falfhood; and accordingly refigned his Soul up to the Gofpel of the Bleffed Jefus.

I FEAR there have been Multitudes of fuch Unbelievers as Volatilis; and he himfelf has confeffed to me, that even his moft rational Friends would be conftrained to yield to the Evidence of the Chriftian Doctrine, if they would honeftly try the fame Method.

A

DISCOURSE

ON THE

EDUCATION

O F

CHILDREN and YOUTH.

INTRODUCTION.

Of the Importance of Education, and the Defign of this Difcourfe, with a Plan of it.

TH

HE Children of the prefent Age are the Hope of the Age to come. We who are now acting our feveral Parts in the bufy Scenes of Life are hafting off the Stage apace: Months and Days

I

are

are sweeping us away from the Business and the Surface of this Earth, and continually laying fome of us to Sleep under Ground. The Circle of thirty Years will plant another Generation in our room: Another Set of Mortals will be the chief Actors in all the greater and leffer Affairs of this Life, and will fill the World with Bleffings or with Mischiefs when our Heads lie low in the Dust.

SHALL we not then confider with ourfelves, What can we do now to prevent those Mischiefs, and to entail Bleffings on our Succeffors? What shall we do to fecure Wisdom, Goodness and Religion among the next Generation of Men? Have we any Concern for the Glory of God in the rifing Age? Any Sollicitude for the Propagation of Virtue and Happiness to those who shall stand up in our Stead? Let us then hearken to the Voice of GOD and Solomon, and we fhall learn how this may be done: The all-wife God and the wifeft of Men join to give us this Advice; Train up a Child in the Way that he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. The Sense of it may be expreffed more at large in this Propofition, (viz.) Let Children have a good Education given them in the younger Parts of Life, and this is the most likely Way to establish them in Virtue and Piety in their elder Years.

IN this Difcourfe I fhall not enter into any Enquiries about the Management of Children in the two or three first Years of their Life: I leave that tender Age entirely to the Care of the Mother and the Nurse; yet not without a Wifh that fome wifer and happier Pen would give Advice or friendly Notice to Nurfes and Mothers of what they ought to avoid, and what they ought to do in thofe early feafons: And indeed they may do much towards the future Welfare of those young Buds and Bloffoms, thofe leffer pieces of human Nature which are their proper Charge. Some of the Seeds of Virtue and Goodness may be conveyed almoft into their very Constitution betimes by the pious Prudence of those who have the Conduct of them: And fome forward Vices may be nipped in the very Bud, which in three Years Time might gain too firm a Root in their Heart and Practice, and might not eafily be plucked up by all the following Care of their Teachers.

BUT I begin with Children when they can walk and talk, when they have learned their Mother Tongue, when they begin to give fome more evident Difcoveries of their intellectual Powers, and are more manifeftly capable of having their Minds formed and moulded into Knowledge, Virtue and Piety.

Now the first and most univerfal Ingredient which enters into the Education of Children,

2

Children, is an Inftruction of them in thofe Things which are necessary and useful for them in their Rank and Station, and that with Regard to this World and the World

to come.

I LIMIT these Instructions (especially such as relate to this World) by the Station and Rank of Life in which Children are born and placed by the Providence of God. Perfons of better Circumftances in the World fhould give their Sons and their Daughters a much larger Share of Knowledge and a richer Variety of Inftruction than meaner Perfons can or ought. But fince every Child that is born into this World hath a Body and a Soul, fince its Happiness or Mifery in this World and the next depends very much its Inftructions and Knowledge, it hath a Right to be taught by its Parents, according to their beft Ability, fo much as is neceffary for its well-being both in Soul and Body here and hereafter.

upon

IT is true that the great God our Creator hath made us reasonable Creatures: We are by Nature capable of learning a Million of Objects: But as the Soul comes into the World it is unfurnished with Knowledge; We are born ignorant of every good and ufeful Thing: We know not God, we know not ourselves, we know not what is our Duty and our Intereft, nor where lies our Danger; And, if left entirely to ourH 4 felves,