and capacity, will be of much more ufe to them in religion, knowledge, and virtue,. than to distract their thoughts with curious enquiries into his infcrutable effence and be

ing. Spirits.

137. Having by gentle degrees, as you find him capable of it, fettled fuch an idea of God in his mind, and taught him to pray to him, and praise him as the author of his being, and of all the good he does or can enjoy ; forbear any difcourfe of other fpirits, till the mention of them coming in his way, upon occafion hereafter to be fet down, and his reading the fcripture-history, put him upon that enquiry.

$138. But even then and always Goblins. whilft he is young, be sure to preferve his tender mind from all im

preffions and notions of fpirits and goblins, or any fearful apprehenfions in the dark. This he will be in danger of from the indif cretion of fervants, whofe ufual method is to awe children, and keep them in subjection, by telling them of Raw-Head and Bloody-Bones, and fuch other names as carry with them the ideas of fomething terrible and hurtful, which they have reafon to be afraid of, when alone, efpecially in the dark. This muft be carefully prevented: for though by this foolish way, they may keep them from little faults,

yet

yet the remedy is much worfe than the dif eafe; and there is ftamped upon their imaginations ideas that follow them with terror and affrightment. Such bug-bear thoughts once get into the tender minds of children, and being fet on with a ftrong impreflion, from the dread that accompanies fuch apprehenfions, fink deep, and faften themselves fo, as not easily, if ever, to be got out again; and whilst they are there, frequently haunt them with ftrange vifions, making children daftards when alone, and afraid of their fhadows and darkness all their lives after. I have had those complain to me when men, who had been thus ufed when young; that though their reafon corrected the wrong ideas they had taken in, and they were fatisfied, that there was no caufe to fear invifible beings more in the dark than in the light, yet that thefe notions were apt ftill, upon any occafion, to ftart up firft in their prepoffeffed fancies, and not to be removed without fome pains. And to let you fee, how lafting and frightful images are, that take place in the mind early, I fhall here tell you a pretty remarkable, but true ftory. There was in a town in the weft, a man of a disturbed brain, whom the boys uled to teaze, when he came in their way: this fellow one day feeing in the street one of thofe lads, that used to vex him, ftepped into a cutler's hop he was near, and there

feizing

feizing on a naked fword, made after the boy; who feeing him coming fo armed, betook himfelf to his feet, and ran for his life, and by good luck, had ftrength and heels enough to reach his father's houfe before the mad

man could get up to him. The door was only latched; and when he had the latch in his hand, he turned about his head, to fee how near his purfuer was, who was at the en trance of the porch, with his fword up, ready to flrike, and he had just time to get in, and clap to the door to avoid the blow; which,. though his body escaped, his mind did not. This frightening idea made fo deep an impreffion there, that it lafted many years, if not all. his life after. For, telling this story when he was a man, he faid, that after that time till then, he never went in at that door (that. he could remember) at any time, without looking back, whatever bufinefs he had in his head, or how little foever, before he came thither he thought on this mad man

If children were let alone, they would be no more afraid in the dark, than in broad fun-fhine: they would in their turns as much welcome the one for fleep, as the other to play in. There should be no distinction made. to them, by any discourse of more danger or terrible things in the one than the other: but if the folly of any one about them should do them this harm, and make them think there

is any difference between being in the dark and winking, you must get it out of their minds as foon as you can; and let them know, that God, who made all things good for them, made the night that they might fleep the better, and the quieter; and that they be ing under his protection, there is nothing in the dark to hurt them. What is to be known more of God and good fpirits, is to be defered till the time we fhall hereafter mention; and of evil fpirits, 'twill be well if you can keep him from wrong fancies about them, till he is ripe for that fort of knowledge.

S 139. Having laid the founda

tions of virtue in a true notion of a Truth. God, fuch as the creed wifely teaches,

Good

Nature.

as far as his age is capable, and by accuftoming him to pray to him; the next thing to be taken care of, is to keep him exactly to speaking of truth, and by all the ways imaginable inclining him to be good. natured. Let him know that twenty faults are fooner to be forgiven, than the ftraining of truth, to cover any one by an excufe. And to teach him betimes to love, and be good-natured to others, is to lay early the true foundation of an honest man: all injuftice generally fpringing from too. great love of ourselves, and too little of o thers.

This is all I fhall fay of this matter in ge

neral,

neral, and is enough for laying the first foundations of virtue in a child: as he grows up, the tendency of his natural inclination must be obferved; which, as it inclines him, more than is convenient, on one or t'other fide, from the right path of virtue, ought to have proper remedies applied. For few of Adam's

children are fo happy, as not to be born with fome byafs in their natural temper; which it is the bufinefs of education either to take off, or counterbalance. But to enter into particulars of this, would be beyond the defigu of this short treatise of education. I intend not a difcourfe of all the virues and vices, how each virtue is to be attained, and every particular vice, by its peculiar remedies, cured: though I have mentioned fome of the most ordinary faults, and the ways to be used in correcting them.

§140. Wisdom, I take, in the poWisdom. pular acceptation, for a man's managing his bufinefs ably, and with forefight in this world. This is the product of a good natural temper, application of mind, and experience together, and fo above the reach of children. The greatest thing that in them can be done towards it, is to hinder them as much as may be, from being cunning; which, being the ape of wisdom, is the moft diftant from it that can be: and as an ape, for the likeness it has to a man, wanting what really