^^6 STUDIES OF NATURE. 



virtue, and afterwards to govern them ; what in- 

 fluence would they not have over our children in 

 the age of innocence ? Who could ever forget the 

 facred Laws of Morality, were they fet to mufic, 

 and in verfes as enchanting as thofe of the Devin 

 du Village P From fimiliar inflitutions, there might 

 be produced, among us, Poets as fublime as the 

 fage Thaïes, or as TyrtaiiSy who compofed the Hymn 

 of Cafior. 



Thefe arrangements being made for our chil- 

 dren, the firft branch of their education fhould be 

 Religion. I would begin with talking to them 

 about God, in the view of engaging them to fear 

 and love Him, but to fear Him, without making 

 Him an objeâ; of terror to them. Terrifying views 

 of God generate fuperftition, and infpire horrible 

 apprehenfions of priefts and of death. The firft 

 precept of Religion is to love God. Love, and do 

 zvhat you tvill, was the faying of a Saint. We are 

 enjoined by Religion to love Him above all things. 

 W^e are encouraged to addrefs onrfelves to Him as 

 to a Father. If we are commanded to fear Him, 

 k is only with a relation to the love which we owe 

 Him ; becaufe we ought to be afraid of offending 

 the perfon whom we are bound to love. Befides, 

 I am very far from thinking, that a child is inca- 

 pable of having any idea of God before fourteen 

 years of age, as has been advanced by a Writer 



whom, 



