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and nobody near, and knelt down by the bed-side, and prayed that it would please, God to make his dear mother well: but that if that was not his blessed will, he would support and comfort her, and take her soul to heaven when she died. The mother was quite overcome by her dear child's conduct. Through God's mercy she got better; and stated to me with much delight, that her boy was going forward in his holy course ; and that she hoped, if his life was spared, he would indeed become a minister of Jesus Christ.

SONE AŞCOUNT O. JOHN AND ELIZABETH. By their father, in a letter to the Editor of the

Children's Friend. SIR,-As I am persuaded you are in truth, the “Children's Friend ;" and as that is

what I also wish to be, I take the liberty of sending this to you, hoping it may be useful to your readers. I have been employed some years in the pleasing work of teaching chil. dren; and have found by experience, that when children look to their parents, to teachers as their friends, the work goes on with pleasure, and profit: but where a child is kept at too great a distance, he is pres vented from opening his mind, and from inquiring into the things which his parents wish him to know. Elizabeth was two years older than John; but John was beyond her in understanding and learning; and she always looked up to him for advice and help in her lessons. When any thing she met with, which she did not understand, she would say, “ I will ask John; he perhaps can tell me." She had so high an opinion of him, that he was consulted in almost every thing she had to do. She looked up to him as her friend whom she loved dearly; and John loved his sister, and was always ready to assist her. I have never met with a child 80 young, who took learning so fast as John; nor one that had so good a memory. Bew fore he was five years old, he had such a knowledge of the history of the Bible, that it was scarcely possible to question him respecting any circumstance recorded in it but he would have related it. It may be

asked, how he acquired all this, at so early an age ? At that time I laboured under a severe bodily affliction, which obliged me to lie a great deal in bed. Deuteronomy i. 7. was deeply impressed upon my mind : "thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children; and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up."! . In the mornings after their mother got up; the children used to come, on each side, and say;“ now, father, tell us some stories : and ask us some quéstions.” My method was to relate something out of the Bible, and then to question them upon it. John, who was mostly the chief speaker (and that before he was able to speak plain) used to relate what had been told them, in his own words. We had a fresh cha. racter, or some striking passage every morning; and then we used to go over what had been related before, in way of question and

time, until the history of the Bible was fa. miliar to them. Lhad often to read to supply matter for our morning's conversation. John was a child who was not soon satisfied; but wanted to know the particulars' of every thing that was told him: he said one morning, “ father, I want to know who told you all these things, which you tell us ?” “I read them in the Bible.” “Well, but how do you know they are true ?” “The Bible is the word of God: therefore it must be true.” “ How came we by the Bible ?" “ It was given by God. Holy men of old wrote it as they were inspired by the Holy Ghost.” He said, God was very good in thus giving us the Bible. He began to read it before he was five years old; and was so delighted 'with it, that he said, he would get it all off ; and then he should have it always ready; for he said he intended to be a preacher, “a preacher (said Betsy,) what will you preach, John ?” “The Gospel to be sure, Betsy.” Indeed we had formed great hopes of him ; and thought the Lord intended him to fill some important station in his church below. I am aware it is pos. sible for a child, as well as an adult, to have a great knowledge of Scripture, and not be wise unto salvation ; but this knowledge seemed in him to be blest by the Holy Spirit, and to produce a love to, and a fear of, God. He delighted in public worship; and never wished to be absent, unless prevented by sickness. His practice was to take his Bible, as well as Prayer-Book, that he might follow the reading of the lessons, as well as the other parts of the service. He paid great at. tention to the sermon; and sometimes would give a good account of it. One time, not

being able to go, he asked his sister, what sort of a sermon she had heard ? was it a good one? She said, she did not know. "Don't you know whether it was a good one or not! what was it about ?. was it about Jesus Christ ?” “Yes it was.” “Well then, it was a good one to be sure." He loved Jesus Christ, because he said, “suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Neither did he neglect private prayer. The sabbath was his delight; it was mostly begun with his favourite hymn: as soon as he awoke he would call out; “Betsy,

• This day belongs to God alone,
He chooses Sunday for his own;
And we must neither work nor play,

Because it is the sabbath day.”” I have been much grieved to see the sabbath so awfully profaned by children playing. I have been at a loss to account for professors of religion, who suffer their children to do so: and I have spoke to them on the subject, and have been answered; "we did so when we were like them; they will leave it off when they know better.” And others : "I am glad to get them out of the house, to have a little quiet; if we always had the children about us, we eould never read, nor think, nor do any thing, to profit., But I am sure that this need

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