time. The beginning of the year was changed from the month Tizri to the opposite month Abib, and the beginning of the day from the morning to the evening; for whereas the fifteenth day of the month, on which they departed from Egypt, was reckoned to be the morrow after the evening on which they ate the passover; that is, on the fourteenth day, they were, for the time to come, to compute their days,-at least their Sabbaths, from evening to evening by this means the fifteenth day was changed into the fourteenth, and the seventh into the sixth; and the change of the Sabbath made a change likewise of the beginning of the week, it always beginning the next day after the Sabbath, which was still the seventh day of the week, or the seventh in respect of the preceding six of labour, though not the seventh from the beginning of time." It will, however, be perceived, that the force of this argument rests on the supposition, that, until this period, the morning, and not the evening, was the commencement of the Jewish day; which is completely contradicted by the history of the creation, where the evening is always mentioned first. It should also be remembered, that the word evening, as descriptive of the separation between two days, is as properly applied to that which is concluding, as to that which is about to commence. Thus the sacrifice offered at three o'clock in the afternoon, is constantly termed the "evening sacrifice." This being seen, it will become apparent, that no argument for the change of the day can be built on any thing that Dr. Jennings has adduced. Yet I would not, on this account, suppose that there is no foundation for the opinion that the day now kept by Christians as the Lord's day, corresponds to that on which the Almighty rested from all the works of his creation; and consequently, is that, the observance of which is enforced by the sacred command in the Decalogue. To prove that this is in fact the case, is the principal object of this inquiry. The progress of time, and the succession of hours and days, began from the period wherein the Almighty said, "Let there be light," and before the sun and moon were appointed to the office of measuring them. There is no reason to suppose that any interruption took place in the regularity of the succession of hours, days, and years, until the time of Joshua; when, on occasion of the battle near Bethhoron, the Hebrew commander exclaimed, "Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon;" and the sun stood still in the midst of heaven: and the measure, but not the lapse, of time was stayed for the space of a natural or solar day. The passage of the river Jordan was made by the Israelitish army in the spring, the time of harvest; and, according to the order in which events are narrated, at the time when this circumstance occurred, the day was nearly, if not quite, at its greatest length; and, consequently, was just fourteen hours long. So long, therefore, did the solar clock stand still; and it finally sunk below the horizon at the time when, if all things had gone on regularly, it would again have been four hours risen on the succeeding morning. A transaction similar to this, is recorded in the history of Hezekiah, king of Judah; to whom this great sign was given, that the shadow went back ten degrees on the dial by which its motion was measured. The effect this miracle must have had on the measure of time, was similar to that related in the history of Joshua; the receding of the sun in one case, amounting to the same as its standing still in the other; in the one it was not measured at all, in the other it was measured twice over. The succession of events still passed on; and as we may well suppose, that these ten degrees were the measure of the space of ten hours, (for that a day and night were divided into twenty-four parts, is acknowledged by all,) we have thus the full and complete space of a natural day made up, in which the lapse of time had passed away, while the planets, by whose motion it was measured, had ceased to record it. That the Almighty intended, by such a process as this, to make a change in the computation of time, will be plain from a little consideration. That he was not taken by surprise in the case of Joshua, and compelled to grant that to which he was not disposed, will scarcely be alleged; the words of Joshua were known to the Almighty long before they were uttered; and could have been stopped in the utterance, if such had been his pleasure,— or if their fulfilment had not corresponded with his calculations. Many other methods might have been adopted | divine conduct, it becomes us to venfor the effectual accomplishment of ture with reverence; yet a probable Joshua's wish-the complete defeat suggestion may be made, of some and dispersion of his enemies. No adequate reasons for this important more need be said, to render it pro- change. Without it, the Lord of glory bable, that, beside the end to be an- could not have offered his life as a swered by the immediate effect of the sacrifice at the time that the type of miracle, a further intention existed in him, the paschal lamb, was slain, and the divine mind, of making an altera- yet have glorified the Sabbath by rising tion in the day, with a prospective on this day from the grave. Thus, also, reference to another change, whereby a correct reckoning is preserved in the it should be again restored with addi- spiritual and true church; and Christional glory. If this change in the tians are enabled to assemble and wormeasure, without a suspension of the ship God, according to the succession lapse of time, were such as might, if of time, on the very day that corresome further purpose besides the de- sponds to the original Sabbath on feat of enemies were not to have been which God rested from the works that answered, have been otherwise ordered he had made. J. C. in the case of Joshua, much more may this be said of that related of Hezekiah. Some, indeed, to give the Allpowerful an easier labour, have supposed that all which was effected, was wrought | in the room in which the dial was placed; that the shadow indeed went back, but that the sun held on its orderly way. This, however, appears to be mere trifling. The Babylonish ambassadors thought otherwise, or they would not have taken so long a journey to inquire concerning the particulars of the case; which, if it had been nothing beyond an optical deception, or a phenomenon seen only by one or two individuals, and consisting only of a change in the position of the shadow, would not have attracted such respectful and inquisitive notice from a distant and learned nation. As their philosophy could give no explanation, and the account given referred it to a divine interposition for the sake of a particular individual, the journey of the Babylonians to Jerusalem, to see this wonderful man, and to hear the truth from his lips, seems exceedingly natural. That any other sign, evidently divine, would have satisfied the mind of the king, we cannot doubt; the selection of such a singular phenomenon seems, therefore, to have been calculated for some especial purpose, beyond that arising immediately out of the present circumstances. From this time forward, the day observed by the Jews as the Sabbath, though the seventh in the order of succession, was such no longer, according to the measure of time. When we presume to speak of what may be supposed the motives of the HINTS ON THE FAMILY OR FIRESIDE THE mode of common school educa- Pa From the many and too well founded complaints of the still prevailing profligacy of the young; it may be feared that family education, on which so much depends, remains in many instances in a very imperfect state. Nor may thoughtless profligate parents alone be guilty of burdening society with a race of evil-doers; some may be found not wanting in endeavours at teaching children their duty, but who go about it in so ignorant, unskilful a way, as entirely to defeat the end in view. In the training of the young, no less than in other matters, the saying of the son of Sirach may be too often verified, There is that laboureth and taketh pains, and is only the more behind." The children of well principled, but inconsiderately rigid parents, become, in not a few instances, wholly the reverse of the example set before them; to account for which, without farther inquiry, recourse may be had to an untractableness of temper, or, it may be, inherent depravity of nature, that sets at defiance all attempts at improvement. The natural dispositions of children, like the natural soil of the earth, are doubtless very different, and the culture bestowed, to be effectual, should as much as possible be adapted to individual peculiarities. When cases of failure in the training of the young come to be closely investigated, the teacher may be found no less in fault than the scholar. well-being and happiness, with which the general good of society must always be intimately connected, the first step towards it, constituted as our nature is, must evidently be a due control of the appetites and passions, which, while predominant, would ever prove stumbling-blocks in the way of this important end. The animal and rational principles, the flesh and the spirit, are naturally in opposition to one another; the first craving for gratification, without regard to consequences, while the sccond having in view duty, or good upon the whole, will have often to call for a sacrifice of the pleasures presently soliciting attention. Children, acting from the impulse of the blind propensities of their nature, must for a time be wholly in subjection to the flesh; while surely every considerate parent will allow, that it ought to be his assiduous, constant endeavour, to prevent this natural temporary subjection from being converted into a bondage that might last for life. If a habit of self-control and selfdenial be the only way of escaping from a slavery that would prove fatal to well-being, it should be the study of parents to make the acquisition and practice of a point so essential, as easy as possible to their young ones. When, however, the sort of training, numbers of children meet with, is closely looked at, we may be forced to think, that the arduous duty of selfdenial is made still more difficult than necessary, even by those whose peculiar business it was to pave and make the road to well-being as easy as possible. The mastery of the appetites and passions being as difficult as im From the order in which the principles of our nature unfold themselves, parents may lay their account in meeting with difficulties, while pursuing the mode of training deemed proper for their young ones. Well does Solomon say, that "folly is bound up in the heart of a child," nor can it be otherwise, while the animal feelings alone are in action. A child with little more of intellect or discernment than a kitten, or puppy, may feel inclined to be as froward and perverse as its fourlegged companions. The rational principles being not only long dormant, but, unlike the animal, requiring care and culture for their development, may, if neglected, continue almost wholly inert during life; and the attention engrossed with animal feelings and objects, or any glimmerings of intellect made subservient to the pur-portant to be obtained, care might be poses of appetite and passion, man may degenerate into something more than the brute. The culture as well as stamina of the mental powers, being infinitely diversified, so must likewise be the degrees of improvement or per-factitious wants and desires, from the fection attained. While some of the human race may seem to sink below the level of the brutes that perish, others will arrive at an excellence approaching to what is conceived as belonging to beings of a superior order; though in the greater proportion, wisdom and folly, virtue and vice, may be so blended, as to make it hard to say which upon the whole predominates. taken, that at least, new, needless impediments should not be added to the natural. But is this always done? Is it done, when thousands of poor innocents are enslaved to a crowd of thoughtlesss treatment they meet with ? Before being well out of the nurses' arms, how often are they initiated in all the tastes of the confectioner's shop, and even of the publican's vaults. Itmay be no rare sight, that of a lisping infant, stretching its little hands towards the pot or glass, for a sip of the contents, while possibly not only indulged but cheered on sucking The great object of a wise education in that which may one day prove poibeing the advancement of individual | son both to soul and body. If the corps of guzzlers and wine-bibbers | master or miss is taught to survey with has always more than enow of recruits, the cause may not lie deep-look at the training of the young pet. Not a few parents, it may be, forgetting the lessons their young ones received at a time when incapable of distinguishing good from evil, may wonder at, as well as lament their turning out, when grown up, so much the reverse of what had been wished or expected; that the young man, regardless of expostulation, and spurning all restraint, should persist in following courses that hurry him on to ruin. But if, in early years, a habit of self-command is not begun to be formed, it may never afterwards be sufficiently acquired for the proper conduct of life. Should parental authority be too laxly exercised, when the young mind is flexible and yielding, it may, with advancing years, be more and more disregarded, till at last wholly thrown off. Children naturally wish to have the freedom of their own will, and even to make all around subservient to its caprices: in the struggle for the mastery, should childish igno- | rauce or folly prevail, the consequence may easily be foreseen. Nor will the authority of parents, when judiciously exercised, often fail of accomplishing its purposes. If children find that they have no choice but obedience, while nothing severe or rigid is imposed upon them, they most likely will give up the contest, and conform to what has only their good for its object. And due submission to parental authority, will best prepare the young for hearkening to the voice of reason in mature years. an admiring eye its new coat or gown, till the poor thing fancies itself an object of admiration to every one that sees it-can there be a more effectual way of inspiring the infant mind with the love of finery, and the vanity that never fails to accompany it? But this may be only part of the evil; to the above acquirements, a slight and contempt of those less gaudily attired than themselves, may be added, by odious comparisons made to their disadvantage. Is it a wonder that the young should have an inordinate taste for frivolous accomplishments, when their exhibitions on the floor are more attended to and applauded by papa, mamma, and flattering friends, than any other subject of education? Hence, it may happen that so many of our little dancing dolls continue children through life, as to any acquisitions that would make them useful, respectable members of society. Approbation or praise is doubtless the best reward that can be bestowed on children for their labours or proper behaviour, but, profusely lavished or thrown away on trifles, it is made too cheap to produce good effects. Without experience or discernment enough to judge for themselves of the real value of things, the young will naturally form their estimate by the way in which they are spoken of by those about them. Should they be in the habit of hearing what is trifling or insignificant magnified and extolled, while subjects of importance are slightly spoken of, or treated with indifference, may not such false impressions of things be stamped on their No parents can wish to see their tender minds, as never afterwards to children, when grown up, slaves to be eradicated? It is true, a child gluttony or drunkenness, though they must speak and act as a child, and may have been unwittingly fostering in be dealt with as a child; but should them habits that have such a tenden- childish ideas and feelings be allowed cy. Neither can they desire that those to grow with his youth, they may acwith whose character and conduct their quire too strong a hold to be easily own respectability and estimation in got rid of in mature years. When trithe world are so intimately connected, fles are overrated and long indulged should by their frivolity, vanity, self-in, a trifling character through all conceit, or arrogance, render themselves a laughing-stock or nuisance to all about them. Such a cast of spirit and manners, however, may inadvertently be too frequently produced or nourished by those who have the rearing of the young. When every article of dress is made a subject for display and much speechification, and little 85.-VOL. VIII. life's stages may be the consequence. It is needless to say, how much excessive indulgence of the animal appetites and selfish feelings must stand in the way of the development of the social affections and higher principles of our nature-how much a listless unconcern, cold, and averting from our neighbour's good, will be lodged in the breast wholly occupied with selfish gratifications. But it may too often escape notice, how much an antisocial temper may be fostered in the young, by the lessons of suspicion, fear, malice, and deceit, unwittingly given by those who have them under their care. Thus, when hurt is received from any of the numerous little accidents children are liable too; for the purpose of soothing the child, or stopping its crying, its attention very possibly is directed towards some object at hand, on which to vent its angry feelings, be it man, woman, or child; when, but for such thoughtless pointing at, no evil would have been imputed by the child to any creature whatever, and neither spite nor suspicion planted in its tender breast. Many children too may be tricked, teased, and played upon, till they learn in turn to be tricky, and to take pleasure in teasing and vexing all around them. Children are not naturally crafty or deceitful, but by being often duped or cheated, they come to distrust those they associate with, and to cheat, lie, and play the knave in their own defence. Of the social affections, the filial being naturally the first brought into action, not a little of temper and character may depend on the mode in which they are cultivated. On this, indeed, may hinge the child's coming to be the staff and comfort of his parents' old age, or bringing their grey hairs with sorrow to the grave. The extremes of indulgence and rigidness may be equally pernicious. When children have too much of their own way, there is no end to their cravings; they are peevish and fretful on the least contradiction. On the other hand, should the parent's hand be like a rod of iron on their young back, they will be apt to become spiritless, timid, and dejected. It must be of the first importance for parents to command the ready, cheerful obedience of their young ones, nor will this be effected but when love and reverence soften and make grateful the injunctions of authority. But how can proper filial sentiments be expected to be cherished, when parents say and do things in the presence of their young ones, that tend to degrade themselves in their eyes? In such a case, will not instruction, admonition, or reproof, instead of being attended to, and followed with the desired effects, prove rather like a sounding brass, or tinkling cymbal? or what is still worse, injure that cause which it was intended to promote? But the importance of the careful cultivation of the filial affections will appear in a still stronger light, if it be considered, that it may be chiefly through their instrumentality, that the highest, noblest principles of our nature are called forth and kept alive in the young breast. If any sentiments of gratitude, esteem, love, confidence, and veneration, are felt by children for their Father in heaven, may they not be looked on as the expansion of those which had previously warmed their hearts for their parents on earth? St. John says, " How can he love God whom he hath not seen, if he love not his brother whom he hath seen?" Will not this maxim apply in a peculiar manner to the young mind? If the kindly filial affections lie dormant, or are not properly cultivated and kept alive, it may be difficult indeed to excite in it sentiments worthy of the Author of its being. If the second table of the law be not written on the heart, the first may never be found engraven there; while the difficulty will be augmented, should the God and governor of the universe be represented more in the light of a severe taskmaster, or stern judge, than of a benignant merciful parent, whose commands, threatenings, and chastisements, no less than his promises and encouragements, are designed to advance the best good of his rational offspring. The love of God and the love of man being the essential principles of welldoing and well-being, all will acknowledge the importance of their being early implanted and cherished in the mind; yet, how many intrusted with the training of the young, may, even with good intentions, be found, instead of advancing this one thing needful, throwing stumbling-blocks in its way. Were the instructions from the pulpit to be more frequently directed to the teaching of parents the art of training up a child in the way he should walk, pointing out errors to be avoided, and rules to be observed, much good might be the result. Should ever a radical reformation of mankind be effected, it will be by so imbuing the young mind with right principles, that the habit of acting under their influence shall be retained through life. |