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that on which the Minifter preaches :) This will grow up in Time to a confiderable Treasure of Scriptural Knowledge, which will be of unspeakable Use to them in the Christian Life. I have known Children who from their early Years have been constantly trained up and taught to remember a few Sentences of a Sermon befides the Text, and by this Means have grown up by Degrees to know all the distinct Parts and Branches of a Discourse, and in Time to write down half the Sermon after they came Home, to their own Confolation and the Improvement of their Friends: Whereas those who have been never taught to use their Memories in their younger Parts of Life, lose every Thing from their Thoughts when it is past off from their Ears, and come home from noble and edifying Difcourses, pleased (it may be) with the tranfient Sound, and commending the Preacher, but uninstructed, unimproved, without any Growth in Knowledge or Piety.

3. THE Judgment is another natural Power of the Mind which should be exercised and improved in Children. They should be taught to pass no Judgment on Men or Things rafhly or fuddenly, but to withhold their Judgment till they fee fufficient Reafon to determine them. To this End thew them in little common Instances how often they are deceived when they judge on a

Sudden

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Sudden without due Confideration, and how often they are forced to change their Opinions. Put them in Mind how foon they have found themselves mistaken when they have given their Opinions too hastily. This will make them cautious and afraid of being so rash either in praising one thing or in condemning another.

TEACH them to judge not merely by outward Shew and Appearance, but by Searching Things to the Bottom. Convince them that every Man who hath fine Clothes is not rich; and that every Man who talks hard Words is not wife or learned; that every one who wears a red Coat is not a Soldier, nor is every Person good-humoured who speaks very complaisant Things in Company. Take frequent Occafion to shew them how much they will be mistaken if they judge immediately by outward Appearances of Things.

TELL them that they must not judge of Things by Custom, nor by the common Opinions of the Multitude, nor by the Practices of the Rich and the Great: For all these Things may deceive them: But that they must judge of Things merely by Reafon, except in Matters of Religion, and there they must judge rather by Scripture or the Word of God. Let them know that Customs change and alter, and the Customs of one age or of one nation differ greatly from those of another

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other; but that the Nature and the Reason of Things is still the fame, and that Scripture is the constant and unchangeable Rule of our Religion.

To confirm this let them be informed that it was the Custom of our Ancestors in England, and it is now the Custom in France and Spain to say their Prayers in Latin, and to worship Images: But it is a finful Custom though all the Multitudes of the common People agree in it, and though the Great and the Rich practise it also. Nor is our present Custom in Great-Britain of praying in English and worshipping no Images, to be esteemed the right way of Worship because it is the Custom of the Nation, but because it is agreeable to the Word of God, which forbids us to worship Images or to pray in an unknown Tongue.

TAKE every Occafion to guard them againft Prejudices and paffing a Judgment on Men or Things upon infufficient Grounds.

4. THE reasoning Powers of the Mind should be cultivated and improved in Children. This is very near a-kin to the former, and therefore I shall be very brief here.

WHENSOEVER Children give you their Opinion of any Thing, afk them to give you alio the Reason why they are of that opinion: Whenfoever they defire or wish for any Thing, or shew an Averfion to it, enquire what is the Reason of their Defire or

Averfion:

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Aversion: When they have done any Thing of their own Will, ask them the Reason why they did it. And when you do any Thing that is for their good, thew them the Reason why you do it, and convince them that it was fit and necessary to be done, though perhaps it was not so pleasing to them.

By calling their young Reason thus into Exercise you will teach them Wisdom betimes: You will awaken manly Thoughts within them, and foon lead them to a rational and manly Conduct in their Childish Years: By this Means also you will always have a Handle to take hold of in order to perswade them to their Duty, and to fave them from Mischief. But if their reasoning Powers be neglected, you will train them up like the Horse and the Mule who have no Understanding: They will grow like Brutes in the Shape of Men, and Reafon will have but little Power over them in the following Parts of Life.

5. CONSCIENCE is another natural Power of the Soul, wherein the Principles of Virtue and Rules of Duty to God and Man are to be laid up: It is something within us that calls us to account for our Faults, and by which we pass a Judgment concerning ourselves and all our Actions.

CHILDREN have a Confcience within them, and it should be awakened early to

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its Duty. They should be taught to reflect
and look back upon their own Behaviour,
to call themselves often to Account, to
compare their Deeds with these good Rules
and Principles laid up in their Minds, and to
see how far they have complied with them,
and how far they have neglected them. Pa-
rents should teach their Children to pay a
religious Respect to the inward Dictates of
Virtue within them, to examine their Ac-
tions continually by the light of their own
Confciences, and to rejoice when they can
approve themselves to their own Minds, that
they have acted well according to the best
of their knowledge: They ought also to at-
tend to the inward Reproofs of Confcience,
and mourn and be ashamed and repent when
they have finned against their light. It is
of admirable Use toward all the Practices
of Religion and every Virtue, to have Con-
science well stored with good Principles,
and to be always kept tender and watchful;
it is proper that Children should learn to re-
verence and obey this inward monitor be-
times, that every wilful Sin may give their
Confciences a fenfible Pain and Uneafiness,
and that they may be disposed to sacrifice e-
very Thing else to Confiderations of Con-
science, and to endure any Extremities ra-
ther than act contrary to it.

I proceed in the next Place to confider
the feveral Powers of the Body which ought

to

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