children, when the reading or conversation is on religious subjects! Let them endeavour to make it a holy exercise to both parties. Let them endeavour to exclude a curious, or a cavilling, or a controvers sial, no less than a formal spirit, in the little beings to whom they are opening the heavenly path. Let them be quite in earnest in making their lessons, lessons of humility, reverence, modesty, devotedness to God, and trust in him, and love of him, as well as lessons of religious truth. Then with the divine blessing, will a beautiful harmony exist between the head and the heart. Then will parents have the highest gratification which they can enjoy as parents; that of seeing their charge make sensible progress towards perfect men and women in Christ, and grow in favour both with God and man. But among the books to which these remarks may apply, the holy Scriptures are beyond comparison pre-eminent. They never should be approached but with deep reverence for the divine Author, and a deep sense of their inestimable value. When employed in reading them, the parent should set an example sometimes of short aspirations to God, (short, simple, and modest, but from the heart,) for his blessing, and always of a devout spirit; and the very book should be used and preserved with more than ordinary care. Somewhat of the temper of mind inculcated on Moses, "Put off thy shoes from off thy "feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy "ground," should be sought and cherished on such occasions. In order the better to instil and preserve a proper reverence for the Bible, I would recommend the not beginning to read either the Old or the New Testament with children before their general respect for religion, and their progress in self-command, afford reasonable security that they will conduct themselves rightly while so engaged. They should also have attained some facility in reading, that the difficulties they find in a sentence may not so far occupy their attention as not to leave it sufficiently disengaged for the attaining of the spiritual advantages which ought to be the great object in view. When they do begin to read the Scriptures, let those parts be carefully selected which they can best understand, and which are most likely to interest them; and let the readings always be short, and be held out rather as a favour than as a task, and always as a religious duty. Perhaps there is no religious book with which it is better to begin than Watts's Hymns for Children. They are very simple and attractive, and contain (if I may so say) a body of sound nursery divinity; and this is presented in such a dress as to gratify the im agination, and affect the heart while it informs the understanding. Some of these hymns may with great advantage be gradually taught to children from the mouth of the parent before they can be read. This work may commence even before a child knows his letters. It cannot, however, be conducted too tenderly, and scarcely too gradually. Very great care should be taken not to disgust the little one with that occupation. He should never have religion brought before him but with a smiling though a serious aspect;~ such an aspect as may invite to a further acquaintance. These hymns should be carefully explained, as they are learned, and in a tone, and with little illustrations, and with gentle but lively application to the experience and conscience of the scholar, all congenial with the spirit of Watts's poetry: and they should continue a standing book until all of them have been learned and repeated (and never without appropriate observations from the parent) two or three times over. Some short and easy Bible History (as Mrs. Trimmer's) is very useful as soon as the child can read with tolerable ease. It will convey some genéral idea of the longer narratives; and while it will furnish useful lessons at the time, and give the parent a wider range in his illustrations, and in his appeals to the conduct of others either in the way of example or of warning in his incidental conversations with the child, it will prepare the way for reading the Bible itself at a rather later period with more advantage. The different parts of a long historical narration, interrupted often by digressions in the sacred volume, will thus be more easily kept in the memory so as to form a whole in the child's mind as he proceeds. There is another history of the Bible of a higher class, which has great merit, and will be found extremely useful in its proper season. Its title is, "The history of the Bible, in familiar Dialogues, "by a Lady," 4 vols. 12mo. printed for and sold by Gardiner, 19, Prince's Street, Cavendish Square. This is a work which combines solid instruction and sound views of religion with that share of dialogue, and that ease of manner and style, which are pleasant to children. Parents are much indebted to the authoress. As to catechims, it is best to begin with Watts's, which are far better calculated for very young children than the admirable one of the Church of England. They should be learnt, like his hymns, very gradually, and with explanations and illustrations. His first is adapted to a child just beginning to put letters together; and his second to one two or three years older. To the second will succeed our church catechism. It appears to me a sad mistake to make children say this by heart, without suitable explanations and remarks from the teacher. When this course is followed (and it is too common,) the child generally understands very imperfectly what he is repeating; the repetition, it is to be feared, is accompanied by no devotional feelings or self-application; and as far as the child does attend to the sense of what he is saying, there is reason to apprehend that the evils will accrue which have been already noticed as flowing from religious truths passing through the mind without making religious impressions on the heart. To avoid such evils, and to derive from the catechism the good it was intended to convey, it is advisable, I think, to divide it into four or five parts and to let one part be said every Sunday (or oftener,) and made a groundwork for considerable explanations and illustrations. Questions will be put to the children, to try how far they understand what they have been saying, and are acquainted with those parts of Scripture which have a close connexion with it. Their answers should be kindly elicited, and kindly treated. They will often be erroneous, and generally crude and imperfect; but instead of being forward to find fault, the teacher should give what encourage. ment he properly can, and gently, and often indirectly, correct errors and supply deficiencies by his amplification and illustration of an answer, and by his further questions on the subject. He should not only be willing to answer questions himself, but should rather invite them; taking care, however, not to be materially drawn away from his object, or led into desultory conversation. The whole, on his part, should be marked by christian seriousness, attempered by parental love and condescension. should be -"Much impressed "Himself, as conscious of his awful charge, He But care must be taken that the conversation or lecture (whichever it may be called) shall not harass or agitate, but wear a soft and smiling dress, and rather slide gently into the heart than seize and appal it. The new situations and circumstances which his children respectively have before them, with their attendant temptations, wants, advantages, |