nuscript had upon his own family, is his most anxious wish.

To those, also, of maturer years, it is trusted that it may be acceptable and useful, as, while it is hoped, they will find it sufficiently perspicuous, its conciseness will make it of easy perusal.

Before concluding, the writer of these pages is aware, that, in a man of business, it may be reckoned no small temerity, not only to intrude, as it were, within the province of literature, by becoming an author— but to publish on a subject so often and so ably handled by the gentlemen of another profession, to which it more properly belongs. But the apology for his doing so will be found in its circumstances-While there was nothing wrong in a lawyer treating of evidence, nor in a father instructing his children, he trusts that his intention, in the publication of those lucubrations, which arose in the course of his doing so, will plead his excuse.-Besides, if brevity is of consequence in what is addressed to the young and inexperienced, it will be conceded, that his book, has at least the humble merit of being the shortest that has yet been produced on the great and important subject to which it relates.

FATHER'S GIFT, &c.

I

MY DEAR CHILDREN,

AM now about to give you a present of a little book, which I know will be agreeable to you, from the subject of which it treats.

Of all topics which can engage mankind, the most important is the truth of that religion which they profess; and, at one time or and◄ ther of the life of every person of any thought, it must appear to him deserving of the most serious consideration. This was the case with me at an early period; and I studied the evidences of our religion at that time, with all the attention in my power. It has been often observed, that one of the best ways of making one's self master of a subject is to write upon it, as that leads to full investigation and accu◄

rate thinking. With this aim, therefore, I threw my reasonings into the form of an essay, in which I endeavoured to apply to the subject, the same rules of evidence to which I was accustomed in my profession of the law; and to support the truth of the Christian religion by the same kind of proof which we use in ordinary affairs. This happened almost twenty years ago-before any of you were born; and the manuscript has been by me ever since.

It occurred to me, however, that what I had thus found of advantage to myself in writing, might benefit you in the perusal; and, in imitation of Dr. Gregory, my first intention was to have handed down my Essay as a "legacy" to you: but, in conferring on you what might be useful, there seemed to be no good reason for delay; and by turning my intended future bequest into a present gift, an opportunity is given me of explaining to you personally any of those parts of the treatise which, in reading it, you might not fully understand.

I therefore now beg your accept

ance of it; and I am particularly led to do so at this time. Your best of mothers, who was so able to instruct us all, has recently gone before us to her eternal rest, and to the enjoyment of the reward of all her virtues. Her death has, of course, devolved more of your tuition on me-and an anxious duty it is to me, aided though I am by your excellent governess. You know, that she who has left us, committed you, on her death-bed, to her charge, in conjunction with your worthy aunts, and myself. It was an important-but a well placed trust, after ten years experience of her propriety and talents.

To those who are young, and not accustomed to extensive reading, discussions of much length lose great part of their value, by their seeming tediousness. While the mind, in such a case, becomes fatigued with the minuteness and number of the subordinate observations, it is apt, in some measure, to lose sight of the general reasoning, and finds itself often perplexed with the disquisition as a whole.

Those inconveniencies are avoided in a short treatise like this; and I trust that, with common attention, you will find no difficulty in understanding completely the scope of the argument which runs through this paper.

It is said by an eminent master of criticism, * that what is intended for the public eye should be allowed to lie by its author for no less than nine years. Though my writing this treatise was with no such aim, it has remained by me for more than double that time.. The alterations which I have now made upon it are very few. Their object has been to suit its reasonings, as much as possible to the understandings of the young; and they were adopted with a view to its being given to you. As most of you are females, where authorities from Latin writers have been resorted to, I have given them in the body of the essay, in English, referring in notes below, to the passages of the books from which

Horace.