I have never seen any thing fo profane as the conduct of fuch children, the evident refult of low Prov. xxx. 20. gelical he is!" aid an apoftate with a well of a Mahometan thwarted by fome low Conventicle, -by fome Mormonite, or by fome indifcreet Plymouth Brother who at once takes in the offender, fo teaching him to fay with the adulterous woman in the Proverbs, as fhe eats and wipes her mouth, I have done no wickedness.' Thus is teaching! it that a bribe will lead aftray the parents of many a child of whom we had great hopes,-"How evanfor we are constrained to acknowledge that amongst the lower orders moft have their price, -and that low standard is only to be got of by ingrafting Chriftian Principle in its place. It is hardly to be conceived, except by those who have not noted it, how a lower grade of morals leads away many from the Church. It is thoroughly inftanced in the Mormonites, and to no small extent by those who call themselves Plymouth Brethren,—a fort of people, who, if they really carried out their own views, would be astonished to find where they would lead them." rid I ventured to hint here, "It is comforting to think that many who have been feduced from their mother Church, return to her again when excitement is over. I have often known those lines of Chamberlayne's literally borne out. filled bag of gold mohurs! See Pharonnida, Drayton's Polyolbion, Song the Nineteenth. 'Our days ended Unto the church we're folemnly attended Near to the Font that we were chriften'd in.'" But the Old Vicar fighed as he said, “Many return to us again, it is true, but many alfo, like the raven, return no more to the ark. And, as I faid, the unfettling of their principles, by a lower ftandard, has the worst effects. Indeed, nothing fo much tends to destroy foundations as Sectarianism, especially where minds are not strong. And it is curious on this head to observe how extremes meet, for weakness and obftinacy are quite as compatible as obftinacy and ftrength of purpose. I have a remarkable instance in view which it would be painful to dwell upon. But, "Gainft lunatics and fools, what wife folk spend their force? As fimple fowls in lime, or in the fowler's gin.'" And my old Friend added-" Though I did not quote the cafe in my mind, I will give a clue to the stupidity which exists amongst our uneducated boors-uneducated because they will not receive education,-from the account Livingstone gives of the Fish-hawk, and the Pelican, on the banks of the Zouga. 'Soaring overhead,' he fays, and feeing this Travels, p. 241. large, ftupid bird fishing beneath, it watches till a fine fish is fafe in the Pelican's pouch; then descending, not very quickly, but with confiderable noife of wing, the Pelican looks up to fee what is the matter, and, as the hawk comes near, he supposes that he is about to be killed and roars out "murder!" The opening of his mouth enables the hawk to whisk the fifh out of his pouch, upon which the Pelican does not fly away, but commences fishing again; the fright having probably made him forget he ever had any thing in his purse.' Such is ignorance and ftupidity combined! And who has not noted fuch things in everyday life?" At this moment my Old Friend was called off,-but, before he went he pointed out to me this paffage from Bishop Berkeley's Difcourse addreffed to "Magiftrates and those in Authority, occafioned by the enormous Licence and Irreligion of the Times." "Man is an animal, formidable both from Vol. iii. p. 88. his paffions and his reafon; his paffions often urging him to great evils, and his reafon furnishing means to achieve them. To tame this animal, and make him amenable to order, to inure him to a fenfe of juftice and virtue, to withhold him from ill courfes by fear, and encourage him in his duty by hopes; in fhort, to fashion and model him for fociety, hath been the aim of civil and religious inftitutions; and in all times the endeavour of good and wife men. THE APTEST METHOD FOR OBTAINING THIS END HATH ALWAY BEEN JUDGED A PROPER EDUCATION." "Undoubtedly, he is perfectly educated who is taught all the will of God concerning him, and enabled, through life, to execute it. And he is not well educated, who does not know the will of God, or knowing it, has received no help in his education towards being inclined and enabled to do it." "Nulla ætas ad perdifcendum fera eft. Erubefcat fenectus, quæ emendare fe non poteft. Non annorum canities eft laudata, fed morum : nullus pudor eft ad meliora tranfire." "No man can attayne perfect cunnyng But by long study and diligent learnyng." HE following curious paffage is Skelton, The Arnold's Sermon on Deut. xi. 19. Vol. iii. 178. S. Ambr. Epift. ii. ad Valent. Tom. i. 834. Hawes, Paftime and Pleasure. of the New World, "The Indians, See Vol. ii. like the Greenlanders, look down P. 311. |