Parents are the only persons who love children sufficiently well to be anxious about their education in any thing. Nor would any others support them, while obtaining their education. No others would teach them those indispensable things which they learn at home. By whom are schools built? By a collection of families. By whom are the instructors supported? By a collection of families assembled in a neighbourhood. By whom are colleges erected, instructors sustained, libraries furnished, and other means of superior education supplied? By large collections of families; such collections as have actually raised these buildings, stocked them with all their furniture, and sent hither the youths who are now before me, for education.

Education occupies a great part of childhood and youth; and is a long-continued, laborious, expensive, and often a discouraging concern. Ordinary feelings would supply neither the labour, nor the expense. Parents only experience the necessary affection. Families only could sustain the necessary expense.

Much of the education of children is furnished by example, and is dependent on the propensity to imitation. This principle operates powerfully upon children in the early periods of life, because it is stronger at that than at any future age; and because they are continually in the midst of those whose example they are most disposed to follow, both from peculiar affection, and from the fact, that it is always before them.

But the efficacy of this principle operates powerfully also in another way. Parents love to be like other parents, and to have their children like other children. When, therefore, the children of one family are furnished with the advantages of education, the parents of other children in the neighbourhood are prompted to educate them also; not only by ambition, but by the general disposition which we have to be like others.

At the same time, and under the same authority of parents, civility and softness of manners are begun and established in fumilies. Here only arise the affections out of which this ornamental part of the human character springs. In no othet place, among no other persons, and in no other circumstances, can these affections find their proper objects, or their proper motives. Of course, in no other place can they begin to exist. Much less can they elsewhere find room for that continual exercise, that delightful interchange, which is absolutely necessary to their strength and permanency. From families only, therefore, can the world derive the innumerable blessings flowing from these sources.

7. This institution is the source of all subordination and government; and, consequently, of all order, peace, and safety in the world.

In a family children are taught, as soon as they are taught any thing, to obey; and to obey those who, loving them tenderly, are the fit, and the only fit, persons to govern them, or to teach them submission and obedience. Others would rule them only with the rod of power; with a despotism, from which they would think it a privilege to escape; a dominion, from which, as soon as possible, they would revolt; an authority, which they would hate; and submission to which would be such an evil, as naturally to make them hate all other authority.

But parents rule with tenderness and love; and usually engage the strong affection of children to the authority which they exercise, and to themselves while exercising it. The children learn to obey from choice, and are pleased with the very employment of obeying.

Obedience is also taught here in that early period of life, at which it is impressed so deeply as never to be effaced. Impressions of every kind made at this period are, it is well known, indelible, and survive all others; especially, when made by those in whom tenderness and authority are united, and to whom reverence and affection are rendered in the highest degree. This, however, is not all. These impressions are daily and hourly repeated; and by this repetition are gradually wrought into an immoveable habit. In this manner they become the only visible nature of the child, and constitute his chief, and often his only character.

In this manner, and only in this manner, are children effectually prepared to submit to all other lawful authority. In this manner they become peaceful and orderly through life, imbibe a spirit of respect and kindness towards others, are formed into good members of society, and fitted to sustain the character of good neighbours and good friends. Equally necessary is this discipline to make them good subjects, and good magistrates. Few persons are good subjects of civil government, who have not been trained to this character by a wise domestic administration and not one of these would sustain this character, but for the example of those who have been thus trained. It is proverbially true also, that none are qualified to govern, except those who have early learned to obey.

In hardly any thing is the institution of marriage, and the consequent formation of families, exhibited as more necessary, or more wise, than in this origination and establishment of good order in the world. "Order," as Mr. Pope has justly observed, " is heaven's first law." The great task of establishing it among such beings as we are-selfish, revolting, and refractory-God has assigned to an innumerable multitude of hands; a multitude sufficiently great to receive it in portions, so small and so circumstanced, as to insure both the ability and the inclination to accomplish it effectually. These portions are so small, as to involve only the children of a single family. To this little flock are given regularly two rulers, better disposed and better qualified, in almost all instances, than any other persons found in the world. The circumstances in which those are placed who are to be governed, are more favourable to the accomplishment of this great end, than any others can be. Their infancy, childhood, and youth, in succession; their ignorance, feebleness, dependence; the affection, superiority, care, and kindness of the parents; and the instinctive love and reverence of the children; together with their necessary and long-continued residence in the parental mansion; present to the contemplative eye a combination of things evidencing, by their supremeand singular adaptation to this important purpose, a glorious work of the wisdom of God. Fewer hands could not possibly accomplish this mighty task. All the wisdom of legislation, all the energy of despotism, would be spent upon it in vain. Millions of minds, and tongues, and hands are indispensable to it, even in a single country. It is, beyond calculation, a greater and more arduous work than all the labours of all rulers, legislative, executive, and judicial, united. Nor could those to whom it is entrusted accomplish it in any other circumstances. Children, grown up to manhood without government, could never be governed. A generation of such children would set at defiance all the laws and magistrates in the universe; and would never yield to any control, but that of the sword. Were parents to intermit their labours during a single generation, no government could thenceforth exist in that country, until terrible necessity should force upon it a military despotism. Anarchy, until that period, would rear its wild misrule, ravage every human interest, and rase every human dwelling. In this very land, flourishing and wantoning in all the blessings of liberty, the musquet, the dungeon, and the gibbet would be the only means of public peace, order, and safety.

8. Marriage is the source of all the religion which exists in the world.

This important truth is completely evident from the following particulars :

(1.) Persons living in promiscuous concubinage are never themselves religious.

There never was a single instance of this nature since the world began. The very first step towards religion, whenever they have ultimately become religious, has invariably been repentance, and reformation of this enormous sin. Such persons can therefore never teach their children religion, either by precept or example. Therefore,

Of

(2.) Their children grow up, of course, in irreligion. There are two primary means of grace: the preaching of the Gospel, and the religious education of children. these, Baxter supposes religious education to be probably the principle, as to its efficacy, wherever the Gospel is regularly established. But, whatever be their comparative importance, it is sufficient to say, what cannot be denied, that children who are not educated religiously, rarely become religious, even in the midst of those who are thus educated; and that a generation of such children would of course, be a generation of profligates. But married persons only ever educate their children religiously; or present to them that example, without which their instructions would be given to no purpose.

(3.) None but married parents build churches, support ministers, or frequent the worship of God.

That the irreligion of persons living in promiscuous concubinage would never give birth to these things, nor to any of them, needs no proof. But without all these things, religion, as the world is constituted, cannot exist. The loss of the Sabbath alone soon becomes, everywhere, the loss of religion. The preaching of the Gospel, united with the ordinances of public worship, is the only effectual mean of keeping religious education alive in the world, Religious education, in its turn, gives existence and life to public worship; and both united are the great and efficacious means of continuing the kingdom of God, and producing the salvation of

man.

Such, in a summary view, are the origin, the nature, and the benefits of marriage. No man of common sobriety can hesitate to acknowledge that these benefits are inestimable and immense. Of course, the institution whence they were derived, and without which they would not exist, is of incomprehensible importance to mankind. How worthy of the wisdom of the Infinite Mind is the erection of so vast and so glorious a fabric, upon a foundation so simple, apparently so inadequate, and yet proved by all the experience of man to be sufficiently extensive, solid, and enduring! How small a cause to the human eye is here seen to produce effects, innumerable in their multitude, and supreme in their importance! What serious mind can hesitate to acknowledge, that such a work is wrought by the counsel of God !