his will! I go as willing about it as you, but with many discouraging thoughts for the event; but, however, I'll do all my part according to your direction.

Notes on the Third Dialogue.

What a great deal of work have those people behind hand, who do not begin to instruct and restrain their chil dren till they are too big for correction! "Folly that is bound up in the heart of a child,” says Solomon, "is driven thence by the rod of correction." But when it remains in the child, and neither the rod of correction, nor the voice of instruction is made use of to drive it out, till the child grows up to be a man, it is very hard, nay impossible, unless by supernatural assistance, to drive it out. What this folly is, needs no description here, other than an allowed custom in doing evil: a natural propensity we all have to evil. With this we are all born into the world. The soul is originally bent to folly: this bent or inclination must be rectified, or driven out either by instruction, or if that proves insufficient, by correction. And it is to be done while the person is young, while he is a child, and then it may be done. The child may be wrought upon. Nature, like some vegetables, is malleable when taken green and early; but hard and brittle when condensed by time and age. At first it bows and bends to instruction and reproof, but afterwards obstinately refuses both.

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The temper of a child, misled by vice or mistake, like a dislocated bone, is easy to be reduced into its place, if taken in time; but, if suffered to remain in its dislocated position, a callous substance fills up the empty space, and, by neglect, grows equally hard with the bones, and resisting the power of the surgeon's skill, renders the reduction of the joint impossible.

The heart of the tender youth, by forbearance of in

struction, grows opinionated, and obstinately embraces the follies he has been indulged in, not being easily convinced of the criminal quality of what he has been so long allowed the practice of by his negligent parents; and this renders late instruction fruitless. Then as to correction, the heart being hardened, as before, by opinion and practice, and especially in a belief that he ought not to be corrected, the rod of correction has a different effect; for, as the blow of a stripe makes an impression on the heart of a child, as stamping a seal does upon the soft wax, the reproof even of words, on the same heart, when grown up and made hard, is like striking upon steel, which, instead of making an im pression on the metal, darts sparks of fire in your face.

As this whole work is chiefly designed to convince parents of the necessity of beginning early the great work of instructing and managing their children, so two things will run more visibly through every part of it.

1. For their encouragement, the examples of the easiness and advances of early instruction will be seen. How soft! how pliable the minds of little children are! how like wax they lie, ready to be moulded into any form, and receive any impression, that the diligent application of parents thinks fit to make upon them! From whence, also, parents are warned to be very careful, that, by their example or negligence, those first softened circumstances of their children's minds are not passed over, without suitable applications to forming them aright, filling them with learning and knowledge, and with just principles, both religious and moral: above all, that they receive no bad impressions from the practice of their parents, whose example, especially in evil, takes such deep root in their children, that nothing is more difficult to remove.

2. For warning and serious caution, by letting them see the dreadful effects of the neglecting their children when young,-what work it makes for repentance in both,-what breaches it makes in families, when necessity drives them to begin that work late,-what treatment they are like to

[Part I. meet with from their children,-how these will think it hard to be instructed when grown up, count it imposing upon them in their parents,--reject the arguments their parents shall use, despise and contemn their reproofs,-think themselves past correction,—and turn their backs not only upon the methods their parents shall take with them, but even upon the parents themselves, when they attempt by government and discipline to retrieve the error they have committed.

In this last dialogue, the husband and wife appear sensible of their mistake this way; and the difficulties they have before them in retrieving it, justly appear terrible, almost drive them to despair of the success, and to give over any thoughts of the attempt. In the subsequent part of this work, we find they were not mistaken in the prospect they had of the difficulty before them, or of the obstinacy and opposition which they should meet with from their children.

As to their being so discouraged as not to make the attempt, the husband argues wisely, that it is not less their duty for its having been delayed; that it must be set about, let the difficulty be what it will; and that therefore be is resolved to attempt it, and, if possible, to go through with it, leaving the success to God.

This is a wise and Christian resolution, and argues, that the convictions the parents were under were sanctified by the Spirit of God, and carried on to effectual conversion, for all convictions of sin that do not go on to reformation, and effectual application to our duty, are ineffectual con victions; like waking in a dream, while the heart is asleep, when slumbering on, we fall into the same dream again.

For the encouraging parents to pursue these convictions, and to hope for some success in their work, though begun late, and under some weighty discouragements, the following part of this work will show how far he met with success in his family reformation and instruction, as well as what

obstruction he met with from his eldest children, for all were not alike obstinate and refractory, as the two eldest were ; and the mother was but too true a prophetess of the consequence from their obstinacy.

From the discourse between the husband and wife, under their convictions, may be seen something of the duty of such relations.

1. To communicate to one another their griefs, and most inward afflictions of mind, as well as their common disasters and troubles in the world. This is one part of the duty of husband and wife to one another, though understood by few, meant and included in that phrase, an help-mate. And it is observable, when such near relations do affectionately communicate to one another, their souls' concerns in such a manner as I speak of now, God is often pleased so variously to act in the minds of such by his Spirit, that they shall in their turns be mutually able to assist, comfort, direct, and counsel one another. This, if it were well observed, would be very useful and encouraging to Christian relations, in their most serious and reserved reflections; where they might take notice how that party that is discouraged and dejected to-day, and receives support and encouragement, relief and direction, from the counsel and comforting assistance of the other, shall be restored and comforted, and perhaps enabled the next time to give the same encouragement, counsel, advice, and comfort to the other, who may in like manner be sunk under his own fears and temptations!

This I thought fit to recommend in the most earnest terms, and, from just experience, to the consideration of Christian relations, as an useful observation, in hope it may be improved by the experience of others, to the glory of God, and their own comfort.

2. The duty of parents may be seen here, as it respects the necessity of setting about the great work of family reformation, however late, and whatever the discouragement may be. The father here expresses this affectionately to

his wife" Our children," says he, " may be lost, notwithstanding our endeavour; but we are sure to be lost, if we continue to neglect it."

From these considerations, the father resolves to see about the work, and immediately gives his wife an account of the method he proposes to himself to go upon: in which method, like a prudent man, and a good Christian, he proposes a serious mutual humiliation to his wife, for their former neglect of their duty, and a fervent praying to God for his blessing upon their endeavours in their family reforma. tion.

Hence it is intimated, and seriously recommended to parents and heads of families, the great work which is so much neglected, or rather so little regarded, of a family joining in confession of those sins, I mean of husband and wife, which they have joined in the committing. Would husbands and wives join seriously in humbling themselves together before God, for those family sins which they joined in the guilt of, family reformation would be set about with much more earnestness and application, than we now see it is, and many obstructions to it, which happen by our willingness to excuse ourselves, would be removed.

From the manner of the busband and wife's discourse here, may be noted, that where thorough conviction works in the mind, both partics are, as it is here, forwardest to accuse themselves; whereas, in most family cases, the heads of families seem always forward to shift off the fault from themselves, though they acknowledge the error, and see plainly the, defect and consequences of it also in the ruin of their children; yet they are diligent, like Adam and Eve, in throwing the guilt of it off from themselves, either upon one another, or upon accidents and circumstances, which they think may serve to excuse themselves. But if they were thoroughly touched with the thing itself, with the guilt of it upon themselves, and the fatal consequences of it upon their children, they would mutually own the first, and deprecate the iast, as our two penitent parents do here.