"Why do you teach them Truth? David said in his haste, that all men were liars: and universal experience proves that the number is very great of those who think truth of little value. Preclude not your children from the chance of judging candidly on this important question?” "Why do you so sedulously teach them Kindness? Mark the vast multitude of those, who prove by their conduct, that they think this attribute a weak and contemptible characteristic of man. You are, therefore, prejudicing your children concerning a subject which is far from being settled, and of pre-eminent importance to their success in the world. All these things are as strenuously opposed, and disputed, in the world, as piety, faith, repentance, or evangelical good-will. There is, therefore, no justification of your conduct on this ground."

"Can you pretend, that Piety is not as rational, and as important to man, as either of the things which you enjoin upon your children? If love and reverence to God are not important, nothing is. All good comes from God. When He gives, we enjoy : when He withholds, we are destitute. But he cannot be expected to give; he certainly will not give; to those, who, finally, neither love nor reverence his character. If he is not believed, nor trusted; he cannot be reverenced, nor loved. Without faith, therefore, piety cannot exist. If sin be not hated, regretted, nor renounced; or, in other words, repented of; picty will in like manner be impossible."

"Besides, you teach your children, as you teach others, both with diligence, and ardour, to disbelieve, despise, and hate the Scriptures. The Scriptures, you know, profess themselves to be a Revelation from God. To the question, whether they are such a Revelation, Christians believe the positive, and you the negative, answer. You will not deny, that they have the same right to adopt their belief, and their consequent obedience, which you have to adopt your disbelief, and your consequent disobedience. Neither can you doubt, that he, who believes with the best evidence, is the wisest man. Their arguments you have utterly failed to answer. Your objections they claim to have refuted; and can plead this strong proof of the justice of their claim, furnished by yourselves, that for many years you have quitted the field of discussion. On good grounds, therefore, they regard you as vanquished. In this respect, at least, you must acknowledge, that they have an advantage over you, which is infinite. Should the Scriptures prove to be false, they will lose nothing by believing them. Should they prove to be true, you will gain nothing, and lose your all."

"The case of yourselves, and Christian parents, is the case of your children and theirs. By teaching your children to disbelieve the Scriptures, you expose them to infinite loss. Christians, by teaching their children to believe the Scriptures, do what is in their

power to secure to them infinite gain. You may, therefore, be challenged to show, that their conduct is not wiser, and more defensible, than yours."

"But it is enough for the present purpose, that you prove yourselves insincere in your scheme by pursuing the contrary conduct. You prove unanswerably, that, in your opinion, children ought diligently to be taught that system of moral principles, which you think good and useful. The conduct, to which you object in Christians, is exactly the same. All, that they teach, they think good; eminently good, and infinitely useful."

4. As Virtue is nothing but Obedience to Truth; so Truth must be taught, before Virtue can be practised.

If the former part of this position be admitted; the latter will be self-evident. As the former cannot be denied, with even a pretence of argument; I shall take it for granted, that truth must be taught to children, in order to render them virtuous. But the Religion of the Scriptures is the only system of Truth, which will make children virtuous. This I say with confidence; because no other system of doctrines has ever made men virtuous. Cicero testifies this of the western heathen philosophy. The Brahmans frankly acknowledge it of the eastern. Every man of common information, knows it to be true of Infidel Philosophy.

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If, then, children are to be rendered virtuous while they are children; that is, while there is the best reason to hope that they may become virtuous; they must be educated in the religious system of the Scriptures.

5. Virtue is a simple indivisible thing; and must therefore exist, and be taught, entire, or not at all.

There never was an instance, in which a man was possessed of half the character of virtue; or in which he exercised the affections, and voluntarily performed the duties, of virtue towards one class of objects, and not towards another, and towards all. A man may unquestionably be virtuous, and yet not perfectly virtuous: but it is impossible, that he should be the subject of piety, and not of benevolence; or of benevolence, and not of piety. It is impossible, that he should love God, whom he hath not seen, and hate, or not love his brother whom he hath seen. It is equally impossible to love our fellow-creatures, and not love Him, who made, preserves, and blesses, both us and them. Equally impossible is it, as was shown in the preceding discourse, to love either God or man, without governing our selfish passions. Thus it is plain, that virtue cannot exist in parcels, or by halves.

As virtue cannot exist in this manner; so it cannot to any purpose, be taught in this manner. The whole use of teaching is to effectuate the practical end of the instructions, which are given.

They declare, that in the present Youge all men are only sinful. See Asiat. Research. Maur. Ind. Antiq. and Bapt. Miss. Reports.

If these are limited in such a manner, as not to comprise the object in view; they will necessarily fail of their effect. Partial instructions on this subject fall utterly short of teaching what virtue is; and must therefore be fruitless. Virtue is love to God, love to mankind, and the subordination of all our passions to this great affection. If this be not taught; nothing is taught, to the purpose in view. The very doctrine, that a part of this is virtue, will, by leading him into a fundamental and fatal error, effectually prevent the child from becoming virtuous. Thus the Christian system alone teaches what virtue is; and leads alone to the attainment of this glorious attribute, and the practical obedience of its dictates. If children, then, are not religiously educated; they will be perfectly destitute of all human aid towards becoming virtuous. Should they die before they arrive at adult years; they must, if this scheme be pursued, die without a hope.

6. If children are not religiously educated; they will, instead of being candid, be strongly prejudiced against Christianity.

The professed intention of those with whom I contend, is to establish candour in the minds of children, and prevent them from bias and prejudice. This, undoubtedly, wears a fair appearance; bt, like many other specious things, is false and hollow. Chil dren, by means of the evil propensities, which I have mentioned. are naturally prejudiced against every thing, which is morally good. They are unfriendly to the Scriptures, to God, and to their duty; and are prone to all unbelief, and to all sin. The sin, which they love, and practise, the Scriptures forbid; and threaten the commission of it with the most awful penalties. Still they choose to practise it; and therefore hate the Scriptures, by which it is thus forbidden and threatened. Thus their minds are spontaneously prejudiced against the religion of the Scriptures. If, then, they are not religiously educated; the very bias, the very want of candour, which the authors of this scheme professedly design to prevent, will exist, of course, in the highest degree. Thus the scheme defeats itself; and frustrates the only purpose, for which it is proposed.

These truths are obvious in fact; particularly in the conduct of the objectors themselves. Both they and their children are always prejudiced against Christianity. Among all the Infidels, whom I have known, I do not recollect an individual, who appeared to me to have examined thoroughly even the objections of Infidels against the Scriptures; much less the arguments, which have been adduced by Christians in support of their divine origin. I do not remember one, who appeared to have investigated, with serious attention, the truth, evidence, or excellence, of the doctrines, which they contain. So far as my knowledge extends, they have all rejected them both in the gross, and without a single earnest inquiry. Such cannot be the conduct either of candour, or com

mon sense.

7. Children, however religiously educated, cannot think too favourably of Christianity; and in this sense cannot be prejudiced.

The Christian system is the only system of moral truth; and Christianity is the only real virtue. All things, pertaining to life, and to godliness, are revealed in the Scriptures, either expressly, or by plain and necessary implication. Man has added nothing defensible to what they contain, on the subjects of duty and salvation, the character of God, or the moral character of himself. Obedience to the law, which they alone publish, is the only virtue; the only voluntary conformity to the will of God; the only foundation of praise and reward.

But truth and virtue cannot be loved too intensely: neither can be so highly regarded, as its worth demands. All men esteem, and love, these divine objects, incomparably less than they merit. In the estimation, and affection, of glorified beings, their excellence will rise higher and higher, and their lustre become more bright, beautiful, and lovely, throughout all eternity. It is impossible for a created being to regard them so highly, as their importance deserves. The martyr, who expired on the rack, or perished in the flames, for his attachment to these inestimable objects, gave to their worth the highest testimony in his power. But even his testimony was faint and languid, compared with their inherent glory and beauty. Should the truth of this assertion be questioned; let it be remembered, that the Son of God became incarnate, and died on the cross, to restore the love of truth, and the exercise of virtue, to the soul of man.

Thus the argument on which this scheme is built, is itself founded on a gross and miserable falsehood; and a proof of lamentable ignorance concerning the subject in question. Who can estimate truth too highly, when he remembers, that it is the basis, and the support, of the divine kingdom; or virtue, when he perceives, that it is the object of boundless complacency, and eternal reward; when he remembers, especially, that truth and virtue are the beauty and glory of Jehovah?

8. God has expressly commanded men thus to educate their children.

The foolishness of God is wiser than men. The objector here attributes foolishness to God; but it is easily seen, that his own arrogated wisdom terminates only in folly; that his scheme is idle and ruinous; and that the argument, on which it professedly rests, is a mere falsehood. Such, in the end, are, to the eye of sober investigation, all the devices of that vain, deceitful philosophy, which men so proudly exalt in opposition to divine wisdom.

But, were we unable to detect either the folly, or the mischief, of this scheme; or to evince, by arguments of our own, the wisdom of the divine command; still every Christian would find his doubts satisfied, and his duty clear, in the command itselt. Thus saith the Lord, is to him a polestar, and infallible guide, over the ocean of

doubt. To know, that any thing is the will of God, is enough. He obeys; and asks no reasons, to prove his obedience wise and safe. Would he even preserve the character of consistency, he cannot fail to perform this duty. Religion he esteems infinitely important to himself: can he fail to teach it to his children, that they also may share in so vast a blessing?

Were he to omit this duty, he would sacrifice his children: for he would lose the best opportunity of doing them the greatest good, which is ever to be in his power. But to omit it wholly would be impossible, unless he should cease to live like a religious man. All his religious conduct would teach with commanding efficacy the very truths, which his voice denied. They would unceasingly behold Religion and all the duties of his life: they would hear it every morning and every evening in his family de votions.

REMARKS.

From these observations it is evident,

1. That the scheme of education, against which I have contended, is false, vain, and mischievous.

It is false, because the argument, by which it is supported, is false; because the opinions, which accompany it, are erroneous; and because the views, with which it is professedly supported, are hypocritical. This is clear from the conduct of those, who defend it since that is directly contradictory to the scheme itself, and to the reasons, alleged in its defence. It is vain, because, instead of accomplishing the purpose intended, it would effectuate the contrary purpose. Instead of increasing candour, and ducing investigation, it would only prevent investigation, and advance prejudice. It is mischievous, because it would prevent children from knowing and embracing truth in the highest of all concerns; their duty and salvation; and would lead them only to ignorance, error, and iniquity.

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Indeed all this is so obvious, and so certain, that I hesitate not to pronounce those, who propose it, whenever they are men of understanding, wholly insincere in the proposal. It is, I think, impossible, that they should be so blind to such obvious truth, as for a a moment to imagine the education, which they urge, to be consistent with reason and common sense. On the contrary, it may, without any want of candour, be asserted, that their design is of a very different nature. Instead of aiming at the promotion of candour in children, they unquestionably intend to persuade men to educate their children in ignorance of the Scriptures, in an habitual disregard to them, and ultimately in a confirmed hatred of their precepts. They are sagacious enough to discern, that all persons are best fitted to receive religious impressions in childhood; and that, it they are suffered to grow up without them, they will either never receive them, or receive them with excessive difficulty. By pre