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    was fruitful ; and Caleb , who was one of those who had seen it , would have ha <} them to go up immediately and take possession of it . But ten out of the twelve spies endeavoured to discourage their countrymen by telling them , that the people who dwelt there were strong , and that they lived in cities

    with high walls , and that some of them were giants , — and they were sure that they could not overcome them . In short , they gave such a bad account of the land , that the people murmured against Moses and Aaron , and said that they wished that they had died in Egypt , instead of comiug up into that miserable desert . Joshua aud Caleb tried to make them

    believe that the laud was a good aud fruitful land , where it would be pleasant to live , and that they had no need to fear those who dwelt there , for that the Lord would give them the victory ; but they would not listen to these good advisers , and took up stones , that they might stone them to death .

    " Upon this God was so much displeased , that he declared that none of those who had provoked him so much should ever enter into that beautiful country which he had promised to give to the children of Israel . He declared , that all those who were grown up into

    men at the time when they came out of Egypt , should die in the wilderness , because they had murmured against him , and had not hearkened to his voice , and that only their children should enter into Canaan . Yet Joshua and Caleb , he said , should enter , because they had behaved well , and had given a good

    report . " And it came to pass as God had spoken . Not one of those who were men when they quitted Kgypt , entered into the land of Canaan , save only Jouhua and Caleb . Moses himself was not allowed to enter ; for , though he had been in general a good man , yet he had

    once or twice offended against God , aud had not given to him the glory and the praise which he ought to have done . Yet God permitted him to view the laud from the top of Mount Pisgah before he died ; and he saw how rich and beautiful a country it was , aud how happy and prosperous his brethren would be when they had such a place as that to dwell

    in . ' * God promised to the children of Israel a rich land to live in—a land which should be flowing with milk and honey . And so has he also revealed tousy through Jesus Christ , a atill better and happier land , which will be ours , if we do his

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    will . In that country there will be no hunger , or thirst , or pain ; there will be no languor or weariness ; and all tears will be wiped away from our eyes . There God will be manifested , and Christ will talk with those who have been his true disciples ; and all will be love , and peace , and joy . *• Let us labour then to enter into thafc blessed land . Let us not think that this

    earth is better , or that our Heavenly Father will fail of his promise . Let us not murmur and rebel against him , as the children of Israel did ; but let us trust in his great goodness , and strive always to do as he has . commanded us . Thus shall we have peace at our death , and God will receive us into heaven , where we shall be happy for ever . "

    But a good reading-book is not the only desideratum in our schools . We want a set of short sermons or addresses , plain , simple , and familiar , — with no metaphysical terms or farfetched allusions , but accommodated as much as possible to the spiritual wants and the limited capacities of children . If I understand what children need , and what they will comprehend , they must not be told in so many words to " correct their feelings and their habits : "the man , who speaks thus to children , might as will say abracadabera to them , for there is not one in a hundred , uuder ten years of age , who knows what feelings and habits mean . If we wish to instruct the young , we must be plain , * and not presume that they understand things which even grown up persons comprehend but imperfectly . The task ,

    • There is , however , a limit in this respect ; and I am by no means disposed to imitate the style of the following passage , taken from a Bible-Story Book , published by Westley and Davis . " Story xix . More about Jonah , or what he did in the fish's belly . " More about Jonah ! This is very surprising . One should have thought that , wheu the fish had swallowed him up , there would have been an end of him . But no , this was Dot the case . He was alive , though he was in the fish ' s belly . " It will be observed that I have not placed Jonah in the list of my subjects for stories ; I have , in fact , great doubts an to Che propriety of introducing him to the acquaintance of children , until some better explanation , or some better version of the passage , be found than what we yet have .

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    202 Miscellaricous Correspondence

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), March 2, 1831, page 202, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2595/page/58/