of a Fool; and therefore they should never grow fullen, nor let the Sun go down upon their Wrath.

THE Occasions of Childissh Resentment and the rifings of Anger are ready to return often, and therefore they should often have such Warnings given them and such Instructions repeated. Tell them how lovely a Thing it is to be meek and free from Pafsion, and how much such Children are beloved of all: Instruct them how much it tends to their own Peace to fuffer nothing to ruffle and discompose them: And when their little Hearts are ready to swell again and grow big within them, and their Wrath takes sudden Fire, put in some pretty foft Word to cure the Return of this inward Swelling, to quench the new Flame that is kindling in their Bosom, and to asswage the rising Storm. Teach them by Degrees to get an habitual Conquest over this Diforder of Nature in Youth, and you will lay a Foundation for their Deliverance from a thousand Mischiefs in the following Years and Events of Life.

THIS shall fuffice for the third Head of Inftruction, which relates to Self-Govern ment: I have dwelt the longer upon it be, cause it is of so great and evident Importance towards the Ease and Happiness of Life, as well as so confiderable a Part of Re

ligion; and Men can hardly ever get so suc

cefsful

:

cessful a Victory over themselves unless they begin when they are Children.

SECT. IV.

The common Arts of Reading and Writing.

THE

HE next Thing that I shall mention as a Matter of Instruction for Children, is the common Arts of Reading, Spelling and Writing.

WRITING is almost a divine Art, whereby Thoughts may be communicated without a Voice, and understood without Hearing: To these I would add some small Knowledge of Arithmetick or Accounts, as the Practice of it is in a Manner so univerfal in our Age, that it does almost necefsarily belong to a tolerable Education.

THE Knowledge of Letters is one of the greatest Bleffings, that ever God bestowed on the Children of Men: By this Means Mankind are enabled to preserve the Memory of Things done in their own Times, and to lay up a rich Treasure of Knowledge for all succeeding Generations.

By the Art of Reading we learn a thousand Things which our Eyes can never fee, and which our own Thoughts would never have reached to: We are instructed by Books in the Wisdom of antient Ages; we learn what our Ancestors have said and done, and enjoy the Benefit of the wife and judicious Remarks which they have made through their whole Course of Life, without the Fatigue of their long and painful Experiments. By this Means Children may be led, in a great Measure, into the Wisdom of old Age. It is by the Art of Reading that we can fit at Home, and acquaint ourselves what has been done in the distant Parts of the World. The Hiftories and the Customs of all Ages and all Nations are brought, as it were, to our Doors. By this Art we are let into the Knowledge of the Affairs of the Jews, the Greeks, and the Romans, their Wars, their Laws, and their Religion; and we can tell what they did in the Nations of Europe, Afia and Africa above a thousand Years ago.

BUT the greatest Bleffing that we derive from Reading, is the Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, wherein God has conveyed down to us the Discoveries of his Wisdom, Power and Grace through many past Ages, and whereby we attain the Knowledge of Chrift and of the way of Salvation by a Mediator.

It must be confessed that in former Ages, before Printing was invented, the Art of Reading was not so common even in polite Nations, because Books were much more coftly, fince they must be all written with a Pen,

a Pen, and were therefore hardly to be obtained by the Bulk of Mankind: But fince the Providence of God has brought Printing into the World, and Knowledge is fo plentifully diffused through our Nation at so cheap a Rate, it is a Pity that any Children should be born and brought up in Great Britain without the Skill of Reading; and especially fince by this Means every one may see with his own Eyes what God requires of him in order to eternal Happiness.

THE Art of Writing also is so exceeding ufeful, and is now grown so very common, that the greatest Part of Children may attain it at an easy Rate: By this Means we communicate our Thoughts and all our Affairs to our Friends at never so great a Distance: We tell them our Wants, our Sorrows, and our Joys, and interest them in our Concerns as though they were near us. We maintain Correspondence and Traffick with Persons in distant Nations, and the Wealth and Grandeur of Great Britain is maintained by this Means. By the Art of Writing we treasure up all Things that concern us in a safe Repository; and as often as we please, by consulting our Paper Records, we renew our Remembrance of Things that relate to this Life or the Life to come: And why should any of the Children of Men be debarred from this Privilege, if it may be attained at a cheap and easy Rate, without intrenching upon upon other Duties of Life, and without omitting any more necessary Business that may belong to their Station.

I MIGHT add here also, true Spelling is. such a Part of Knowledge as Children ought to be acquainted with, since it is a Matter of Shame and Ridicule in so polite an Age as ours, when Persons who have learned to handle the Pen cannot write three Words together without a Mistake or Blunder, and when they put Letters together in such an aukward and ignorant Manner that it is hard to make Sense of them or to tell what they

mean.

ARITHMETICK or the Art of Numbers is, as was observed before, to be reckoned also a necessary Part of a good Education. Without some Degrees of this Knowledge there is indeed no Traffick among Men. And especially it is more needful at present, since the World deals much more upon Trust and Credit than it did in former Times; and therefore the Art of keeping Accounts is made, in some Measure, neceffary to Persons even in meaner Stations of Life, below the Rank of Merchants or great Traders. A little Knowledge of the Art of Accounts is also needful, in fome measure, in order to take a true Survey and make a just Judgment of the common Expences of a Person or a Family: But this part of Learning, in the various Degrees of it, is