Christian Theology - Media Sabda Org

Mr. Clarke kept an English and classical school, and also held a small
farm. This was cultivated by his sons, Adam and Tracy, one of whom
attended to the farm, and the other at the school, alternately, during the
day; and thus they shared between them the instruction which one boy in
ordinary circumstances receives. They endeavoured to supply this defect
by each, on leaving school, rehearsing to the other whatever he had on
that day learned.
Adam was rather a dull boy, and was about eight years of age before
he was capable of "putting vowels and consonants together." Having on
one occasion failed again and again in his attempts to commit his task to
memory, he threw down the book in despair; when the threats of his
teacher, who told him he should be a beggar all his days, together with
the jeers of the other scholars, roused him as from a lethargy: he felt as
if something had broken within him;—his memory in a moment was all
light. "What!" said he to himself, "shall I ever be a dunce, and the butt of
these fellows' insults?" He resumed his book, conquered his task, speedily
went up, and repeated it without missing a word, and proceeded with an
ease he had never known before. He soon became passionately fond of
reading. Into a wood near the school he oft retired, and there read the
Eclogues and the Georgics of Virgil, with living illustrations of them
before his eyes. He also amused himself with making hymns, and
versifying the Psalms of David, and other portions of the sacred volume.
He soon conquered the whole of the heathen mythology and biography.
Of Littleton's Classical Dictionary he made himself complete master.
When but six years old, young Clarke was the subject of religious
impressions. One day, as he and another little boy, with whom he was
very intimate, sat upon a bank, they entered into conversation on the
dreadful nature of eternal punishment. They were so affected with the
thoughts that they wept bitterly; and prayed to God to forgive their sins,
making mutual promises of amendment. Adam made known his feelings
to his mother, and told her that he hoped in future to use no bad words,
and always to obey his parents. She was deeply affected, and encouraged
him and prayed for him. His parents were of different denominations; his