What blessings does it illustrate?
What miseries?

What does history conduce to illustrate and improve? Every art and every science.

With what science, has history the most important connection? Theology.

What is theology? The science, that teaches the perfections of God, and the duties we owe to him.

What history is most important? Sacred history.

The

What is sacred history? history contained in the bible. How great a part of the bible is history? More than half.

Mention some books of the bible, that are principally historical.

Why is sacred history exceedingly important It is full of instruction itself, and sheds light and glory upon all other parts of the bible.

What is that history called,

which is not sacred? Profane history, or uninspired history.

What is ecclesiastical history? That which relates more particularly to the church of Christ.

What is civil history? That which felates to other subjects, more especially civil government and civil society.

Is sacred history ecclesiastical or civil? Both; but principally ecclesiastical.

CHAPTER II.

Importance of our own History.

What history is next in importance to sacred history? That of our own country.

Is our history civil or ecclesiastical? Both.

What part of it should be regarded as principally ecclesiastical ? The history of New-England.

Why? Because a regard for the welfare and extension of the church, was the grand principle, that actuated the fathers of NewEngland, and because the churches here have had a leading influence in making New-England what it is.

Were not the fathers of NewEngland equally stimulated by a

regard to freedom and literature? They regarded these principally as conducive to the welfare of the church.

+ NOTE A.

Importance of studying our own History.

This we should study, not merely, nor principally, because it is the history of our country, but because it is in itself superlatively important, and ought to be read by every eye, and live in every heart; because it is the history of the first civil government, that ever any people deliberately formed and adopted for themselves; the noblest political institution, that the world has ever seen; the first government, that was ever established upon the genuine basis of freedom. We should study our history, because it is the history of Christian enterprise of Christian

enter

prise, the most magnanimous and beneficent, that was ever devised and accomplished by human virtue; because it is the history of the wonderful works of God, in preparing for himself, a peculiar people, zealous of good works

in

trying, proving and refining them in the furnace of affliction-in bringing them forth from the land of oppression in preserving them from deaths oft-in sustaining, comforting, guiding, planting, multiplying, extending, strengthening and prospering them, when they were a poor, despised, persecuted people, regarded as the filth of the earth and the offscouring of all things. We should study the history of our country, because it is the history of faith, of patience, of meekness, of godliness, of brotherly kindness, of charity, of self denial, of fortitude, of perseverance, of every Christian grace, and of more than heroic virtue. We

Why is our history next in im portance, to sacred history? Because God has not dealt so with any other nation. Ps. 147. 20.

should study the history of our country, because it is the history of an empire, manifestly destined to be more extensive, more populous, more mighty, more intelligent, more industrious, more enterprising, more wealthy, more virtuous, and more happy, than the sun has yet beheld, or perhaps will ever behold, till time shall be no longer. We should study the history of our country, because it has already given a most glorious impulse to freedom in distant lands, and because it is destined to give to the nations, new lessons upon the science of civil government and social happiness, upon the arts, upon education, upon every thing, that exalts and adorns humanity. We should study the history of our country, because it is the land of revivals, a garden that the Lord delights to bless, and because we have reason to believe, it is destined to do more than any other, to send the gospel through the world; to enlighten, convert and save mankind; to hasten the glories of the millennial day; and that this country shall be unto the Lord for a name and an everlasting sign, that shall not be cut off.

For these and other reasons, the history of this most distinguished land, deserves attention from all the inhabitants of the world; and no doubt it excites the admiring gratitude of all the inhabitants of heaven, and perhaps diffuses joy through millions of worlds.

It must be confessed, however, that the highest claims of our history are upon ourselves. God forbid, that we should regard our fathers with the coldness of strangers- that we should think it a

What people first deliberately formed and adopted a constitution of government for themselves?

In what, were our forefathers tried and proved and refined? From whom, does our history deserve attention?

In whom, does it probably excite admiring gratitude

Upon whom, has our history the highest claims?

When should the children of our country begin to learn our history? As soon as they can be interested with its most affecting stories.

When should they begin to pursue it as a regular study? When they are about 7 or 8 or 10 years old, according to their capacities and attainments.

What is chronology?

Chronology is the science, that relates to dates, or the times when events took place.

In what connection, should chronology be studied? In connection with history.

Why? In order, that we may have a clear idea of the connection of events, and especially of the causes and consequences of such, as are most important.

Why do persons generally so soon forget the history, that they learn? From neglect of geography and chronology..

Why should young children study our history? To turn off their attention from vain and foolish things, and to impress upon

their minds the most useful senti. ments of religion, liberty and pat. riotism.

How long should we continue to study our own history? As long as we live.

Why do some think, they have already studied it enough? Probably because they never studied it, as they ought.

CHAPTER III.- p. 5.

First 14 years of Columbus.

Into how many periods, does Mr. Goodrich divide the history of the U.S.?

Which is the longest of these? By what, is the first period distinguished?

In what year, did it commence?
How long ago
?

Length of the first period?

To what countries did the discoverers of the principal parts of America chiefly belong? Spain, England and France.

Of what nation, were the leaders of these discoveries? The Italian.

To whose naval enterprises, had the attention of Europe been recently drawn? The Portuguese.

Object of the Portuguese in these enterprises? (See p. 10.)

What is meant by doubling the southern extremity of Africa?

dear on earth, and sealed our liberties with their blood. It is with peculiar and most impressive emphasis, that the voice of their toils and pains and sighs and tears and prayers and wounds and death, is crying to us, to learn their history, to embalm their memories in our hearts, to emulate their virtues, and as far as possible, to do for posterity, what our ancestors did for us.

enterprises? Columbus.

Where was Columbus born?

near Portugal? By swimming. How far did he swim? Above two leagues.

How many miles?

Where did he soon fix his resi dence? At Lisbon.

Of what country, is Lisbon the capital?

On what river? Which side ? Which way from Madrid? About how far? 300 miles. How does that appear from the map? According to the map, the distance is equal to about four and a half degrees of latitude.

How many English miles is a degree of latitude? Very nearly 70; more exactly 69 and one fifth.

Whose daughter did Columbus marry at Lisbon? Capt. Perestrello's.

Upon what subject, did Colum bus gain important instruction from Perestrello? Navigation.

In what direction, did Columbus expect to find a passage to India? What interesting discoveries had been made in the Atlantic?

To whom, did he first apply for patronage? The senate of Genoa.

Whom did Columbus consider ag having the second claim to his services? John II. king of Portugal.

How did John treat the application of Columbus? With the utmost attention.

Who induced John to treat Columbus in a most base and perfidious manner? The advisers of John, to whom he had referred the subject.

What was this treatment? A vessel was secretly despatched to make the proposed discovery.

Why did this vile expedition fail? The conductor had by no means the genius, skill or perse verance of Columbus.

What did Columbus do, when he discovered this treachery? He instantly quitted the kingdom. To what country, did Columbus next repair? To Spain.