121 THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE MIND. yet treasures up but little knowledge, there must be the labour and thediligence ofclose attention to particularsubjects, of thought and enquiry, which only can impress what we read or think of upon the remembering faculty in man. 2. Clear and distinct apprehension of the things which we commit to memory, is necessary, in order to make them stick and dwell there. If we would remember words, or learn the names of persons or things, we should have them recommended to our memory by clear anddistinct pronunciation, spelling or writing. If we would treasure up the ideas of things, notions, propositions, arguments and sciences, these should be recommended also to our memory by a clear and distinct perception of them. Faint 'glimmering and confused ideas will vanish like images seen in twilight. Every thingwhich we learn, should beconveyed to the understanding in the plainest expressions without any ambiguity, that we maynot mistake what we desire to remember. This is a general rule whether we would employ the memory about words or things ; though it must be contest, that mere sounds and words , are much harder to get by heart than the knowledge of things and real images. For this reason take heed (as I have often before warned) that you do not take up with words instead of things, nor mere sounds instead of real sentiments and ideas. Many a lad forgets what has been taught him, merely because he never well under- stood it ; lie never clearly and distinctly took in the meaning of those sounds and syllables which he was required to get by heart. This is one true reason why boys make so poor a proficiency in learning the Latin tongue, under masters who teach them by 'grammars and rules written in Latin, of which I have spoken before. And this is a common case with children when they learn their catechisms in their early days. The language and the sentiments conveyed in those catechisms are far above the understanding of creatures of that age, and they have no toler- able ideas under the words. This makes the answers much harder to be remembered, and in truth they learn nothing but words without ideas; and if they are ever so perfect in repeating the words, yet they know nothing of divinity. And for this reason it is a necessary rule in teaching children 'the principles of religion, that they shouldbe expressed in very -plain, easy, and familiar words, brought as low as possible down to their understandings, according to their different ages and capacities, and thereby they will obtain some useful knowledge when the words are treasured up in their memory, 'because at the same time they will treasure' up those divine ideas too. 3. Methodand regularity in the things we commit to memory, is necessary, in order to make them take more effectual posses-
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