252 RUIN AND tECOVERY, &C. How little knowledge or thought of God, their Creator'and Governor, is found among children even when they begin to dis- tinguish between -good and evil, right and wrong ? What an utter disregardof him that made them, and of the duties they owe to him ? How hard is it to teach them to know their Maker, and to obey him ? And no wonder it is so in children, since men and women are just the same. Yet, farther, how little prevail- ing sense or practice of what is morally right and good is seen among them, when they begin to act agreeably to their own childish and youthful age ? How contrary is their conduct to the laws of reason, which are the laws of their Maker ? How do theevil passions of nature, and irregular appetites and vices of the will prevail in them, and over them betimes ? Even from their first capacity of acting as moral creatures in the world ; how are they led away to practise falsehood and injury to their play-fellows, and that sometimes with insolence, cruelty and re- venge ? How often are they engaged in bold instances of dis- obedience to parents or teachers, sud in acts of shameful intem- perance ? They do evil with greediness both to themselves and to their fellow-creatures Nor do I think there is one youth in the world who has not, on particular occasions, manifested some early inclinations to one vice or another. Would this have been the case, if mankind had been just such creatures as they came from their Maker's hand? Nor can these vicious propensities be imputed to any ill influences of custom, or education, or example ; for many of these things appear in children before they can takeany notice of any such examples set before them, or are capable of such imitation. And it might be added, that even in the best of fami- lies, where good examples stand round them, where children from their youngest years are instructed in their duty, andencou- raged and excited to practise virtue and religion, and persuaded to it by all the motives of authority and love, and led by many examples as well as byprecepts, yet their hearts naturally run astrayfromGod. The greatest part of them in their childhood visibly follow the corrupt influences of sense, appetite and pas- sion, and in very early years they manifest the inward evil prin- ciples of pride, obstinacy and disobedience : And multitudes, even in such families, grow up to practise many vices, and. to I grant also, that young children in general are really meek and innocent, in comparison with persons grown up, who have increased in pride and malice; and this is enough for such representations in scripture. But after all, I ask, are rtbt the§e sad descriptions which I have given of the vicious tempers of many children, just and true ? Does not dailyobservation discover them ? And if so, whence does this evil temper arise, which at any time discovers itself in any of these little creatures ? What is the root that brings forth such early bitter fruit ? j say, whencecan it proceed, or what is it, but some innate evil disposition that they bring into the world with them ? This will appear more evidently in the following pages, wherein ether pretended pauses are excludedand refuted.
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