and thus as it were to shut them up from exerting any influence;-such children enjoy very great advantages from this training, and if, in connection with checking evil, the principles of genuine truth are carefully stored in their memory and understanding, which instruction in truth will give quality to good; and thus form a ground of conscience which, when they come to the age of thinking and acting from their own minds, must be of the greatest use to lead them to choose the path of wisdom and

peace.

How different must be the state of those, thus happily situated, from the state of those who are left to gratify their worst propensities, and who are even encouraged to cultivate those lower propensities by the countenance and example of parents and others! At the sight of such things every good mind must be affected with horror; for such practices extinguish in the young bosoms of children all mutual love, and all innocence, and initiate them into hatred and revenge; and thus the parents of such children do the utmost to exclude them from heaven, where nothing but mutual love prevails. When we contemplate the great neglect of education and of moral training observable in our own country, we cannot much wonder at the amount of crime which exists amongst us.

Education, as we have already observed, has been too much considered as only, or chiefly, applicable to the intellect. This error is now beginning to be seen, and many are now opening their eyes to the influence of education in its widest sense, as applying to every thing that comes under the observation of a child, which is generally more acute than in adult age. We have already given an example of that acuteness in one case, and we have reason to believe it is so in all others. It becomes then of the greatest importance, that we most carefully attend to our own conduct, if we wish to improve the conduct and happiness of the young. America, perhaps of all countries, is turning most attention to the subject of education. In a Quebec newspaper for June, 1845. I observed the following excellent rule laid down, and urged upon the attention of readers; it was originally published by the Superintendent of Sabbath Schools for Canada West:

That the teachers must be exceedingly careful of their own conduct during the week, as children will at all times observe whether they act according to the instructions they impart to them; as the manifestation of one improper feeling, either in look, word, or action, would completely destroy all the influence of their instruction, however excellent."

And this is a rule which cannot be too much adhered to by every one of us; it has a tendency to advance our own regeneration, while it at the

same time removes hindrances out of the way of the improvement of the young, who have an opportunity of observing our conduct.

If mankind were influenced by such motives and feelings, would they, in their friendly meeting, gather round the intoxicating bowl? Certainly not; as they would never wish their children to imitate them in this particular. I mention this one case in illustration, simply because the evil which this practice produces is more devastating to every thing that is good than any other: nine-tenths of the misery and crime which we behold in the world being traceable to it as a producing cause.

Were we, then, as members of the Church, acting on this principle, and doing so with a view to promote our own regeneration and that of our children, and the young generally, undoubtedly the result of our conduct would tend to promote the increase of the Church, and few, if any, of the young under our influence would ultimately wander from its pale. And were they to follow our example, and transmit it to their children, with all the advantages to which the state of the Church had attained in their times, a progressive improvement would be carried on, which, aided by the milder and milder hereditary tendencies transmitted from one generation to another, would ultimately lead to the establishment of a paradisaical state among mankind in the Church on earth. We have said milder hereditary tendencies would be transmitted from one generation to another. This is an important consideration, and should be a great incitement to us to seek to follow the Lord in the regeneration. It is an extensively-perhaps I might say universally known and admitted truth, that insanity, and a great many bodily diseases, are hereditarily transmitted to children; and why should we doubt the fact, that tendencies in connection with the state of the mind, as well as tendencies in connection with the state of the body, are transmitted in the same way? Common sense and reason would at once admit, that what is true of the one kind of tendencies is true also of the other. This doctrine of the transmission of hereditary qualities or tendencies, is one which merits a careful consideration by every one who has the moral and spiritual advancement of the human family at heart; and can any of us be uninfluenced by such a feeling? Let it not be, if the influence has been weak within us; let us pray to our heavenly Father that it may be revived with new life from Himself, and that we may be led to exercise the greatest watchfulness over our own thoughts and feelings, that every wish and thought which has the slightest tendency to evil may be repressed in ourselves; and acting thus, we shall be the medium of transmitting to nor children milder hereditary dispositions, and by our precepts

and example operating on them, and on the young generally, we shall, under our Lord, be the means of promoting good in them, and of enabling them, by the blessing which cometh from above, to progress in the right way, so that they may, through the medium of their own progression in the regenerate life, communicate to their children still greater advantages.

The importance of that increase which arises from within the New Church itself, will thus at once be seen from the considerations we have advanced in reference to the improved means operating on the children of the members of the Church, if they attend religiously and earnestly to the duties due to their heavenly Father, to their children, and to themselves; such youthful members arising in the Church, if properly trained in the principles, and led by a holy example into the love and practice of them, may be expected to have more interiorly developed in themselves those principles which constitute the Church in individuals, of which the Church, in the aggregate is composed; so that the importance of this increase is not only in respect to numbers, but also in respect to the development of those principles of our Holy City which are ever ready to descend into human minds as preparation is made for their admission. Alloa.

A. D.

MATERIALS FOR MORAL CULTURE.

[Continued from page 410.]

CCXXIV.

CAN any human being confer a greater benefit upon another, than by affording him an opportunity of doing good, that is, of exercising Christian love (or charity); seeing that this is an opportunity to open heaven, draw nearer to the Lord, and taste anew, in a renewed consociation with angels, the sweetness of his mercy and grace, then, and thus, communicated and appropriated?

CCXXV.

State (the state, that is, of being in conjunction with the Lord) is better than estate. The former is alone sought by angels, but the latter is alone sought by infernals (without, however, finding it), and also by evil men-who find it to their souls' ruin. Not to set our hearts upon riches, and to take no anxious thought for the morrow, is to prefer state to estate, which brings the near presence of angels;

while to take the contrary course, brings, invariably, the near presence of infernals!

CCXXVI.

Under the pressure of sad experience, we are willing to admit that outward things cannot, of themselves, confer happiness; but how loath are we to admit what is equally true, that outward things do not, of themselves, create misery! That they appear to do so, is but an appearance, the reality being that the sorrow we feel is owing to the defect of the mental state with which we meet calamity. This fact is confirmed to the devoutly trusting mind, when the Lord rewards its meekness and patience under affliction, with a blessed state of immovable peace. This could not be the case if outward things could, of themselves, create misery. Nevertheless, it is true that the appearance will long be the general rule; and the reality will be the rare exception, until a great improvement has taken place in human society.

CCXXVII.

It is ordained that "in the world, all shall have tribulation," for the peculiar use of this life is to afford, by means of states of suffering, and the detection and condemnation of the evils leading to those states, the opportunity of attaining to a heavenly state of self-government:-it is the use of the future life, on the contrary, to reap the happy results of the improvement of the present. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy."

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CCXXVIII.

The patient's pain is the physician's guide, in administering his healing art. If disease did not shew its existence by pain, and thus warn the sufferer of his need of a remedy, disease would infallibly produce death. Even so, the pains of mind which we suffer, should be allowed to guide us to the knowledge of our soul's diseases; for they who are strangers to these pains must fall a prey to their undetected spiritual disease, and perish in eternal death. It is said of the wicked, Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God." These changes of state are, consequently, the means of bringing about a true and spiritual fear of the Lord.

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CCXXIX.

A good disposition, formed by rectitude and benevolence, united with good sense, may charm all hearts in company, but, at home, the same qualities will prove less successful, unless accompanied with the subsidiary charms of a good-humoured placability.

CCXXX.

Obstinacy in opinion sometimes calls itself independence of mind; but a really independent mind is independent of its own inherent selfwill and prejudice, and is, therefore, both open to conviction and candid in acknowledging error.

CCXXXI.

Indecision of character is shewn in a constant recurrence to others for advice, which is either rejected without reason, or acted upon without conviction. Decision of character never seeks advice except when necessary, and when obtained, it is either followed up judiciously, or rejected on assignable and reasonable grounds.

CCXXXII.

To ask advice merely to cast about for sanctions to a firmly made-up opinion, with a determination to accept none but what agrees with it, is little less than an insult. It shews both a recklessness of giving trouble, and a want of decent respect for another's judgment. The insincere inquirer not only gives trouble unnecessarily, but also repays it most ungratefully, with neglect and contempt.

CCXXXIII.

Integrity of character is the only proper ground of mental independence. It is only under its influence that opinions can be independently formed; for neither will it allow any change of opinion to take place except on the best attainable evidence, and after due deliberation; nor will it allow any sinister influence to stop the progress of a change of sentiment in defiance of evidence.

CCXXXIV.

Anger adds to rebuke neither grace nor force, but love does both.

CCXXXV.

There are too many professing Christians who, while they are perfectly respectable in their conduct in the view of the world, are, in the Divine view, through pride, self glory, covetousness, or hardness of heart, as far from genuine religion as those who by their flagrant vices infringe common decency.

CCXXXVI.

Every moral truth we make our own in this world, by the practical appropriation of it, contains innumerable particular truths, to be developed in eternity; a development which it will take an eternity to ⚫ accomplish!