Page images
PDF
EPUB

"O, holy Saviour, may that day,
Of future love and grace appear,
In which my parents both shall reap,
The harvest of their faithful care."

"Let children that would fear the Lord,
Hear what their teachers say;
With rev'rence meet their parents word,
And with delight obey.

"Have you not heard what dreadful plagues
Are threaten'd by the Lord,
To him that breaks his father's law,
Or mocks his mother's word?

"What heavy guilt upon him lies
How cursed is his name!
The ravens shall pick out his eyes,
And eagles eat the same.

"For those that worship God, and give

Their parents honor due,

Here on this earth they long shall live,
And live hereafter too."

LECT. X.-Duties of the School.

PROVERBS xx. II.-Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.

My dear young friends,

A GOOD education is one of the greatest advantages which the young can possess: It is better than a fortune. There are

many children who are destitute of this great blessing. Ignorance is the parent of many vices; for those who know not how to read, generally spend their leisure hours at a tavern, or at the gaming-table. Many improvements have been made in the methods of instruction, and many more may still be made. Teachers of youth, ought to be esteemed among the most valuable and useful members of society, especially if they are pious persons, for they will not only care for the morals, but the souls of those children committed to their care. Teachers of youth may be as useful as ministers of the gospel; their means are extensive. It is a delightful work, when little ones are taught to know their letters, and to love Jesus, at the same time. There are many schools of a charitable kind, supported by the benevolence of a generous hearts, or by the contributions of the liberal friends of the rising generation. A variety of remarkable circumstances have laid the foundations of some of these schools. There is, at

Bristol in England, a charitable institution called "Colston's School," from the name of its founder; the scholars wear on their breast the figure of a dolphin in brass, the reason of which is as follows-Mr. Colston, a rich West Indian merchant, was going to England, his native country, in a ship which contained all his treasure; she sprang a leak, and after having pumped for a long time, day and night, the people on board were expecting every moment that the ship would sink; all at once, to their great astonishment, the leak was stopped: on examination, it was found, that a dolphin had providentially squeezed itself unto the opening, and thus saved all from destruction. Mr. Colston therefore founded a school, and ordered the emblem of a dolphin to be worn as a mark both of his gratitude and his deliverance.

Hear the words of the text, "Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be upright."

I. I will make some general remarks. That Solomon was a wise man: the words of the text are his own words. The words of wise and good men, are very much regarded. Children are not wise, they know but little, they stand in need of instruction. A teacher should possess both piety and wisdom. Children go to school to obtain knowledge. A teacher's labour will be in vain, unless the parents unite their endeavours, with his exertions, for the in

struction of those children under his care. Sometimes when teachers and parents do their duty, the children seem to make no progress: when this is the case, there must be something wanting. Two things are necessary to make a good scholar: The first is, a capacity to learn; and the second is, a desire to excel in learning: Where these two are united, there is reason to hope that children will become good scholars. All children have not the same capacity, there is a great difference: We often expect more from them than we ought; we are apt to think they know much more than they really do; things are taken for granted, and the building often stands upon a very slender foundation; we may soon learn this, by examining the children, upon some of the most common and familiar terms, made use of in schools; some may know, others may have known, but cannot distinctly recollect; others are entirely ignorant, and at a loss what to answer. schools, there is generally a mixture of children, good, bad and indifferent; by indifferent children, I mean those who are sometimes good and sometimes bad, they are not always the same, but may be compared to weathercocks, turned by every fancy, continually changing, like the wind. In schools, there are a variety of examples, some good, and some bad; but such is the depraved state of all nature, that chil dren love evil more than good. In all schools there are certain rules and regulations, for the

In

[ocr errors]

government and order of the schools in general; these rules and regulations are made known to the scholars, when they enter the school; when they are made known, they should be carefully observed by the scholars. In many schools, there are rules which are common to all; these are, silence, order, docility, attention, diligence, good behaviour, obedience, respect, and still tongues at home, with regard to what is done at school; these will apply to every school, and they are what every good scholar should consider and observe.

II. Solomon speaks of the doings, or actions of a child. These are the actions and doings of wicked children-lying, swearing, cursing stealing, disobedience to parents, unkindness to brothers and sisters, idleness and mischief; cruelty to dumb animals, improper behaviour at home, at school, and in the house of God; disrespect to the aged, scoffing at holy men or holy things; they lead a wicked life, die an awful death, and are miserable forever.

These are the actions or doings of good children-they pray to God, read the scriptures, speak the truth, fear God, honour their parents, are kind to all, diligent and active in the school, are kind to animals, respectful to the aged, pity the mourner, relieve the distressed, attentive at school, quiet at home, serious and attentive in the house of God; they live happy, die joyful, and at death, enter into eternal glory.

« PreviousContinue »