New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1848-03-04

N'Hnafl atrd % me lfl'ltf
IYrrESIl ST. PETERSBURG, sept. 1911.
NYpxlR son: In your letter Of the 18th Jan
asry IL ycar mother you mentioned that you read
o. y,ur aunt chapter in the Bible. or a section Of
Dcddridse's Annotstous every evening. This ID
k,rmStion gave me real pleasure for so great is
nav venerstion for the Bible and so strong my be
lief that. when duly read and meditated on, it is OF
a. books in the world, that which contributes most
t. make men good. wise and happy-that the
earlier my children begin to read it. tue more
steadily they pursue the practice of reading 1t
,hroashoat their lives, the more lively and con
sden, will be my hopes that they will prove useful
citizens to their country. respectable members OF
society and real blessing TO their parents But
hope You have now arrived at an age to under.
stand that reading even in the Bible is thing in
itself neither good nor bad. but that all the good
which can be drawn from it is by the use and i'm
provemen; of what you have read, with the help
Of your own reflection. Young people sometimes
boast Of how many books and how much they have
read; when. instead Of boasting they ought to be
ashamed ofhaving wasted SO much time to 50 little
profit. | sdvise you, my son, in whatever You read
and most OF all 10 reading the Bible, TO remember
that il is for the purpose of making you wiser and
more virtuous. i have yself for many years made
practice to read through the Bible once every
year. have always endesvored TO read 1t with
the same spin, and temper Of mind which | now
recommend to you that is, with the intention and
desire that i. may contribute to my advancement
in wisdom and virtue My desire is indeed very
imperfsc,ly successful; for, like you, and like
the Apostle Paul, 81 find law in my members
wsrring against the laws Of my mind But as !
know that it is my nature 10 be imperfect, so
know that it is my duty to aim at perfection and
feeling and deploring my own iraties, can only
pray Almighty God for the aid of his Spirit to
strengthen my good desires, and to subdue my
propensities 10 evil for it is from Him that every
good and every perfect gift descends. My custom
is 70 read four or five chapters every morning I'm
msdiately after rising from my bed. 1t employs
about al hour Of nay time, and seems to me the
most suitable manner Of beginning the day. But
as other cares, duties and occupations engage the
remainder of it, | have perhaps never a sufficient
portion Of my time in meditation upon what have
read Even meditation itself is often fruitless,
less it has some special object in view useful
thoughts often arise in the mind, aud pass away
without being remembered or applied to any
good purpose-like the seed scattered upon the sur
face Of the ground which the birds devour, or the
wind blows away, or which rot without taking root
however good the soil may be upon which they are
cast We are all, my dear George unwilling to con-
fess our own faults to ourselves; and when our
own conscences too honest to conceal them from
Us cur self love is always busy, eherin attempting
10 disguise them to Us under false and delusive col
or,, or in seeking out excuses and apologies to
reconcile them to our minds Thus, although ]
am sensible that have not derived from my asst
duoss perasal of the Bible land might apply the
same remark TO almost everything else that do
all the benefit that might and ought, am as con-
constantly endeavoring to persuade myself that 1t
10 not my own fault. Sometimes say to myself, do
not understand what have read cannot help it =
did not make my own understanding; there are
many things in the Bible "hard to understand
as 81. Peter expressly says Of Paul's Epistes -
some are hard in the II ebrew, and some in the
Greek-the original Languages in which the Scrip
lures were written some are harder still IN the
TRANSACTIONS. | have been obliged to lead wan
dering life about the world, and scarcely ever have
at hand the book which might help me to sur
mount these difficulties. Conscience sometimes
puts the Observation-Disclosures my nos understanding
many passages is not owing to my want OF atten-
ton in reading them. l must admit that it is
full proof of which u.s. that every time | read the
Book through understand some passages which
never understood before, and which should have
DONE at former reading, had it been effected with
a sufficient degree of attention. Then in answer
10 myself, say--It is true; but | cannot always
command my attention, and never to the
degree that wish. My mind is oft-times full
of other things absorbed in bodily pain, or en-.
crossed by passion or distracted by pleasure, or
exhausted by dissipation, that | cannot give to
proper daily employment the attention which
gladly would, aud which is absolutely necessary to
make il" fruitful Of good works" This acknowl
edgement Of my weakness is just; but for how
much oft am still accountable TO God, hardly
dare acknowledge to myself Is 1t bodily pain
How often was that brought upon me by my own
impradence or folly Was it passion Heaven
has given to every human being the power OF con
trolling his passions, and If he negects or loses IT,
the fault is his own, and he must be answerabe for
1t. Was IL pleasurel Why did ! indulge it : Was
il dissipation This is the most inexcusable OF
all Tor il must have been occasioned by my own
tboughtesspess irresolution. IL is of no use to
discover our own faults and infirmites unless the
discovery prompts US to amendment l have
thought if In addition to the hour which j daily
give to the reading of the Bible, should also from
time to time land especially on the Sabbath apply
another hour occasionally to communicate 70 you
the reflections that arise in my mind upon its peru
cal i, might not only tend to fix and promote my
own attention 10 the excellent instructions Of that
sacred Book, but perhaps also assist your sd'
vsncement in its knowledge and wisdom At your
age, itis probable that sou have still greater dill
fculties to understand all that you read Ia the
Bible than have at mine and II you have so
much scfobservstion as your letters indicate, you
will be sensible OF as much want OF attention both
voluntary and involuntary, as here acknowledge
In myself l intend, therefore for the purpose OF
contributing to your improvement and my own, TO
write you several letters, in due time to follow