rally makes a strong Impreffion on the Minds of those who furvive them; and it is as natural for those who are leaving this World, to make the Thing, which they esteem to be of the greatest Confequence and Importance to their Friends, who are to stay behind them, the Subject-matter of their laft Advice.

Confider now the Character of Mofes ; the many Years he spent in conducting the People of Ifrael from Egypt to the Land of Promife; the high Office he bore, by being appointed by God a Prophet and Lawgiver to his People: confider him, after a long Course of Teaching and Exhortation, giving his laft Advice before he died; and you must needs think the Happiness of the People to be extremely concerned in the Matter recommended to them, by fo great a Friend, by one of such Authority, and under fuch Circumstances.

The Advice is no lefs interefting than is to be expected: it aims at laying a folid Foundation of Happiness for that and all fucceeding Generations; by inftructing the People how to perpetuate to their Posterity the Knowledge of God and his Law, and to make him their conftant Friend and Pro

tector;

tector; namely, by inftilling into the Minds of their Children, a Senfe of the great Things which God had done for them and their Forefathers, and by forming them early to Obedience to the divine Law under which they lived :-Ye shall command your Children to obferve and do all the Words of

this Law.

The Jews had ftill a greater Reafon to be careful and conftant in discharging this Duty towards their Children; they had not only the last Command of their great Lawgiver for it, but they well knew that they were distinguished from the Reft of the World by Providence for the Sake of this Duty. Their great Ancestor Abraham was chofen to be the Head of a great Nation, that he might, and because God knew he would, be diligent to tranfmit to his Pofterity the Knowledge of God's Laws, and to breed them up in Obedience to them. In the eighteenth Chapter of the Book of Genefis, God declares his Purpose of making Abraham a great and mighty Nation; and that all the Nations of the Earth should be bleffed in him. At the 19th Verfe, the Reafon of this peculiar Regard to Abraham is given; For I know him, that he will com

mand

mand bis Children and his Houshold after bim, and they fhall keep the Way of the Lord, to do Juftice and Judgment.

That the Command of Mofes lays an Obligation on Parents, to make Ufe of their Authority with their Children to bring them into Subjection to the Law of God, is put out of all Doubt by the Language of the Text. They were to command their Children to obferve and do all the Words of the Law. But this Precept had a larger and more extenfive View, being given not merely as the Advice of a Preacher, but as the Injunction of a great Lawgiver prescribing a proper Method to eftablish and fecure the Profperity of a Nation. The Education therefore of the Children of a Country may, and ought, in all wife Governments, to be confidered as a national Concern.

This Conclufion may appear, perhaps, with greater Force, as fupported by the Declaration of God concerning Abraham, just before mentioned. God faw that Abrabam would command his Children and Houfhold after him, to keep the Way of the Lord, and to do Justice and Judgment; and therefore he determined to make him a great and mighty Nation. Now if this Difpofition,

pofition, seen and approved in Abraham, has no Relation to the Office of a public Magiftrate, the Reason given for making Abraham Head of a great People, is a very strange one. For if the Magiftrate has, and ought to have, no Concern in feeing the Youth of the Country brought up in the Fear of God, Abraham's Difpofition to take this Care upon him could be no Reafon for making him the Head of a great Nation.

Re

To judge of the Methods which have been, or may be applied to propagate, or preserve Religion and the Fear of God in the World, we must confider the Nature, Capacities, and Circumftances of Men in general; the Influences under which they act; and which of them may be properly made Use of in the Cafe in Question. ligion being the Service of a free Agent, all external Force is excluded as abfolutely improper: Instruction is the proper Application to a reasonable Mind; and were Men under no Influence but that of Reason, Instruction would be the only proper Application: but Men are born with Paffions, as well as Reason, and the Paffions grow strong and turbulent, much sooner than

Reason

Reafon comes to fuch Maturity as to be able to correct and restrain them; and therefore Authority is wanted as well as Inftruction, to form the Mind of Men to Virtue and Religion.

I am fenfible there are fome, who have their Objections to this Method of propagating Religion, who think all Men fhould be left free to judge for themselves, without having the Prejudices of Education thrown into the Scale on either Side. They fee that in Chriftian Countries, all are, through the Power of Education, Chriftians; in Mahometan Countries, they are, for the fame Reason, Mahometans; and they think true Religion should reject the Ufe of those Means, which ferve indifferently to promote Truth and Falfehood.

It is no uncommon Thing for Men to pursue their Speculations till they lose.Sight of Nature; the Confequence of which is, that they fall into Notions contradictory to the Experience of Mankind, and abfolutely impoffible to be reduced to practice.

Look into the Hiftory of Ages past, there is no Inftance to be found of Children brought up free from the Impreffions of Custom