To Miss L——

1. You want to know God, in order to enjoy him in time and in eternity.

2. All that you want to know of him is contained in one book, the Bible. Therefore your one point is to understand tlds. And all you learn is to be referred to this, as either directly or remotely conducive to it.

3. Might it not be well then to spend at least two hours every day in reading and meditating upon the Bible? reading every morning (if not every evening too) a portion of the Old and then of the New Testament? If you would save yourself the trouble of thinking, add Mr. Henry’s Comment; if you woidd only be assisted in thinking, add the *’ Explanatory Notes.**

4. But I find a difficulty already. Can you help me over it? Have you more candour than almost any one in the world? Will you not blame me for recommending, as they come in the way, tracts published by myself? I think you will not. So I will set down these (in their place) as freely as other books.

5. Your studying hours (if your constitution wdll bear it) might be five or six hours a day. Perhaps from nine to twelve in the morning, and from two to four or five in the afternoon. And whenever you begin to be tired with books that require a strong and deep attention, relax your mind by interposing history or poetry, or something of a Ughter nature.

6. The first thing you should understand a little of is grammar; in order to which it will suflSce to read first the Kingswood “English Grammar,” (which is exceedingly short,) and then Bishop Lowth’s “Introduction.”

7. Next it would be worth your while to acquire a little knowledge in arithmetic; and Dilworth’s Arithmetic would give you full as much as you want.

8. You might proceed to geography. But in this I would not advise you to encumber yourself with many books. You need only master one, Randal’s “Geographical Grammar,” and then betake yourself to the globes. I believe those of Mr. Adams are the best; to which you may add his little book of instructions.

9. Logic naturally follows; and I really think it is worth all the rest put together. But here I am at a full stop; for I know no good treatise on the subject in English, except Aldrich’s Logic, and that, I am afraid, you cannot understand without an instructer. I shall be glad to give you a little assistance in the short time we have together.

10. As to ethics, (or moral philosophy,) there is full as much of it as you want in Langbain’s “Compendium.”

1 1. In natural philosophy you have a larger field. You may begin with a “Survey of the Wisdom of God in the Creation.” This contains the substance of Ray, Derham, Niewentyt, “Nature Displayed,” and all the other celebrated books on the subject. You may add that fine book, Mr. Jones’s “Principles of Natural Philosophy.”

Thence you will easily pass to the Glasgow abridgment of Mr. Hutchinson’s Works. The abridgers give not only all his sense, but all his spirit. You may add to these the beautiful tracts of Lord Forbes; and if you would go a little farther, Mr. Baker’s ingenious “Treatise on the Microscope.”

12. With any or all of the foregoing studies you may intermix that of history. Geography and chronology are termed the two eyes of history. Geography has been mentioned before; and I think all you want of chronology may be learned from Marshal’s “Chronological Tables.”

13. You may begin with RoUin’s “Ancient History;’* and afterward read in order Piiffendorf ’s” Introduction to the History of Europe,” the “Concise Church History,’* Burnet’s “History of the Reformation,” the “Concise History of England,” Clarendon’s “History of the Great Rebellion,” Neal’s “History of the Puritans,” his “History of New-England,” and Solis’s “History of the Conquest of Mexico.”

14. Whitby’s “Compendium of Metaphysics” will introduce you to that science. You may go on with Locke’s “Essay on Human Understanding;” Bishop Browne on the “Nature, Procedure, and Limits of Human Understanding;” and Malebranche’s “Search after Tnith.”

15. For poetry you may read Spenser’s “Faery Queen;” Fairfax’s or Hoole’s “Godfrey of BuUoign;” select parts of Shakspeare; “Paradise Lost;” the “Night Thoughts;’* and “Moral and vSacred Poems.”

16. You are glad to begin and end with divinity. But I must not expatiate here. I will only recommend to your careful perusal Bishop Pearson upon the Creed, Mr, Nalson’s “Sermons,” and the “Christian Library.”

This course of study, if you have the resolution to go through it, will, I apprehend, take you up three, four, or five years, according to the degree of your health and of your application. And you will then have knowledge enough for any reasonable Christian. But remember,

WESLEY’S SELfiCT LETTERS. 107

before all, in all, and above all, your great point is to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent.