dog ON THE EDUCATION OT YOUTH. from their duty. When they should employ their eyes on their book or their work, they will be gazing at every thing besides their task ; they must rise often to the window to see what passes abroad, when their business lies within. This volatile humour, if not gently altered and wisely cor- rected in early years, will have an unhappy influence to hinder them for ever from attaining any great excellence in whatsoever business they undertake. Children should he taught therefore to call in their wandering thoughts, and bind them to the work in hand, till they have gone through it and finished it. Yet this sort of wandering folly should not be chastised severely in young children, nor should it be subdued with violence, by too close and rigorous a confinement to many long hours oflabour or study in that early and tender part of life ; such a conduct might break or overwhelm an active and - sprightly genius, and destroy all those seeds of curiosity which promise well for matnrer years ; but proper and agreeable methods should be used to persuade and incline the young learner to attend to his present employment. it is far better to fix the thoughts to duty by allurement than by severity ; but sonic way or other it ought to be endeavoured, at least in a good degree. This fixedness of the mind and active powers, is not only of great service to attain useful knowledge, or to learn any busi- ness in common life, but it is of considerable advantage in reli- gion, in attendance on divine worship, either prayer, preaching or meditation ; where the mind is subject to a thousand distrac- tions, for want of being taught to fix the attention in younger years. Persons who bave well learned the art of governing their thoughts, can pursue a train of thinking while they walk through the streets of London, nor will the noise and hurry of that busy place, break the thread of their meditations. A. happy attainment this, and a felicity which but few ar- rive at ! 2. Children should be also instructed to govern their inclina- tions and wishes, and to determine their wills and their choice of things, not by humour and wild fancy, but by the dictates of reason. Some persons, even in their mature years, can give no other account why they choose and determine to do this or that, but because they have a fancy for it, and they will do it. I will because I will, serves instead of all other reasons. And in tbó same manner they manage their refusal or dislike of any thing. I hate to do this thing ; I will not go to this place, nor do that work ; I am resolved against it ; and all from mere humour. This is a conduct very unbecoming a reasonable creature ; and this folly should be corrected betimes, in our early parts of life, since God has given us understanding and reason to be the guide of our resolutions, and to direct our choice and all our actions.
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