If he is not a regenerate man, Augustinianism says this act is not truly virtuous, but is “sin, and only sin.” Common sense says, it is a virtuous act in every sense of the term as used among men. We have shown by quotations that Augustinian theologians teach that man’s nature is the only guide to the nature of God, and, as his work and image, is perfect in construction. At the same time they teach that man’s nature is so totally depraved that it never acts morally right, in a single instance, until it is regenerated by God, and that all sin is the natural result of this depravity of nature. In consequence of this contradictory starting‐point, they proceed to other contradictory instruction. For example, in the education of very young children most theologians, of whatever school, teach them that to speak the truth, to obey parents, to deny one’s self for the good of others, is right, good and virtuous. They teach that when little children act thus, before regeneration, they not only act virtuously, but that God approves and loves them for it. In doing this, they use the words _good_, _right_ and _virtuous_, in the ordinary sense in which men understand these terms. But at the same time, the same theologians are teaching from the pulpit and the press, that every voluntary act of every child is “sin, and only sin,” previous to regeneration; that there is no good, right and virtuous act in an unregenerated mind, and that God feels no approbation or complacency in such acts or the unregenerated as the above, which are called virtuous, but are really sin. It is manifest that the educational training of the young must be radically diverse just in proportion as one or the other of these two systems prevails. On the Augustinian theory, there is no hope of any right moral action, or truly virtuous conduct, until the depraved nature transmitted from Adam is regenerated. On the common‐sense theory, every attempt of a parent or educator, and every effort of a child to secure what is best and right with the intention thus to secure it, is truly virtuous, and every repetition is valuable as tending to secure virtuous habits and character. On the Augustinian theory, religious instruction is only an appointed mode by which God chooses to regenerate a depraved nature. It is a process for securing a new nature from God. On the common‐sense theory, religious training is a process for securing the development and right action of mind by the influences of knowledge, training and motives, and without any change of its nature. It is also clear that these two systems must be very diverse in reference to the interpretations of the Creator’s will as gained by reason or by revelations from God.