SCHOOLS.

ADVISED that school-mafters and miftreffes, who are faithful friends, and well qualified, be encouraged in all places where there may be need; and that care be taken, that poor friends' children may freely partake of fuch education, as may tend to their benefit and advantage, in order to apprenticeship. 1695. Quarterly and monthly-meetings are defired to take care, that in all places where fchools are fet up for teaching of friends' children, the mafters be diligent to improve and forward their fcholars in learning, and to keep them out of every thing that would corrupt good manners. 1697.

It is the renewed concern of this meeting, to recommend a care for the offspring of fuch parents, whofe earnings or income are fo fmall, as to render them incapable of giving their children a suitable and guarded education, and that especially from home, by which they may be prevented from mixing with others not of our religious perfuafion, which so often leads into hurtful habits, from which they are not afterwards eafily reclaimed; and as fome of our members may incautiously permit their offspring

to fuffer this great loss, rather than apply for affiftance from their monthly-meetings, it is recommended to friends in every monthly-meeting to feek out fuch of their members as may be thus ftraightened, and administer to their help; and it is defired that fuch will receive the falutary aid with a willing mind, and thankfulness to the great Author of all good. 1777.

It is advised that each monthly-meeting appoint a folid, judicious committee, whofe care fhould be to meet as often as occafion requires, and confult together, and affift friends in procuring friends to teach schools, and to advise and affift them in the regulation thereof, and encourage friends to fend their children to the fame.

And it is our advice, that no friends fend their children to any other schools but such as are kept by members of our fociety, and under the regulation of friends, without the particular circumstances attending are fuch as the schoolcommittees of the monthly-meetings may think it beft; and particularly the school-committees of friends every where, throughout the yearlymeeting, are defired to pay special attention to give the poor of fociety fuch an education as may fit them for business.

SCRIPTURES.

RECOMMENDED as an incumbent duty on friends, to cause their children to be frequent in reading the Holy Scriptures, and in observing to them the examples of fuch children, as in Scripture are recorded to have early learned the fear of the Lord, and hearkened to his counsel : Inftructing them in the fear and dread of the Lord; planting upon their spirits impressions of reverence towards God, from whom they have their daily fupport; fhewing them they ought not to offend him; but love, serve, and honour him, in whose hand all bleflings are. 1709.

It is also seriously advised, that no friends fuffer romances, play-books, or other vain and idle pamphlets, in their houses or families, which tend to corrupt the minds of youth; but, instead thereof, that they excite them to the reading the Holy Scriptures, and other religious books. -Let the Holy Scriptures be early taught our youth, diligently fearched, and seriously read by friends, with due regard to the Holy Spirit from whence they came, and by which they are truly opened For they contain excellent doctrine, rules and precepts, divine and moral. 1720.

And, dear friends, inafmuch as the Holy Scriptures are the external means of conveying and preferving to us, an account of the things most surely to be believed concerning the coming of our Lord Jefus Chrift in the flesh, and the fulfilling the prophecies relating thereto; we therefore recommend to all friends, especially elders in the church, and mafters of families, that they would, both by example and advice, imprefs on the minds of the younger a reverent esteem of those sacred writings, and advise them to a frequent reading and meditating therein; and that you would, at proper times and feafons, when you find your minds rightly difpofed thereunto, give the youth to understand, that the fame good experience of the work of fanctification, through the operations of the Spirit of God, which the Holy Scriptures plentifully bear teftimony to, is to be witneffed by believers in all generations, as well as by thofe in the firft ages of Christianity; in which cafe fome account of our own experience will be helpful to them; and this we recommend as the most effectual means of begetting and establishing in their minds, a firm belief of the Chriftian doctrine in general, as well as the neceffity of the aid and help of the operations of the Holy Spirit of God in the hearts of men in particular, contained in that moft excellent book the Bible; and for the preferving them from being defiled with the many pernicious notions and principles, contrary to fuch found doctrine, which are

at this time induftriously dispersed in this country, to the reproach of the Christian profession in general.

1728.

And in order to render these advices more effectual, we further tenderly recommend to all heads of families, that they do frequently call their children and fervants together; and, in a folemn way, audibly read, or caufe to be read, the Holy Scriptures; and in fo doing that they humbly wait upon God with their families, for inftruction and counsel to them respecting Chrif tian faith and practice, according to the former advices of this meeting.