serve it; but remember to do good to all. The greatest sinners receive daily instances of God's goodness toward them; he nourishes and preserves them, that they may repent and return to him; do you therefore imitate God, and think no one too bad to receive your kindness, when he wants it.

I am teaching you Latin and Greek, not that you should desire to be a great critic, a fine poet, or an eloquent orator; I would not have your heart feel any of those desires; for the desire of these accomplishments is a vanity of the mind, and the masters of them are generally vain men. The desire of any thing, that is not a real good, lessens the application of the mind after that, which is so. But I teach you these languages, that at proper times you may look into the history of past ages, and learn the methods of God's providence over the world. That, reading the writings of the ancient sages, you may see how wisdom and virtue have been the praise of great men of all ages, and fortify your mind by their wise sayings.

Let truth and plainness therefore be the only ornament of your language; and study nothing, but how to think of all things, as they deserve; to choose every thing, that is best; to live according to reason and order; and to act in every part of your life, in conformity to the will of God.

Study how to fill your heart full of the love of God, and the love of your neighbour; and then be content, to be no deeper a scholar, no finer a gentleman, than these tempers will make you. As true religion is nothing, but simple nature, governed by right reason; so it loves and requires great plainness and simplicity of life.

Therefore avoid all superfluous finery and equipage; and let your house be plainly furnished with moderate conveniencies. Do not consider, what your estate can afford; but what right reason requires.

Let your dress be sober, clean, and modest; not to set out the beauty of your person, but to declare the sobriety of your mind, that your outward garb may resemble the inward plainness and simplicity of your heart.

For it is reasonable, that you be one man, and appear outwardly such, as you are inwardly.

As to your meat and drink, in them observe the rules of Christian temperance and sobriety; consider your body, only as the servant of your soul; and so nourish it, as it may best perform a humble and obedient service to it.

But, my son, observe this as a principal thing, which I shall remind you of as long, as I live with you. Despise human glory, for it is nothing but human folly. It is the greatest snare and traitor, you can possibly admit into your heart.

Love humility in all its instances, practise it in all its parts; for it is the noblest state of man; it will set your heart and affections right toward God; and fill you with every temper, that is tender and affectionate toward

men..

Let every day be a day of humility; condescend to the weakness and infirmities of your fellow creatures; cover their frailties, love their excellencies, encourage their virtues, relieve their wants, rejoice in their prosperity, compassionate their distress, receive their friendship, overlook their unkindness, forgive their malice, be a servant of servants, and condescend to do the lowest offices to the lowest of mankind.

Aspire after nothing, but your own purity and perfection; and have no ambition, but to do every thing in so reasonable and religious a manner, that you may be glad that God is every where present, and sees and observes all your actions. The greatest trial of humility is a humble behaviour toward your equals in age, estate, and condition of life. Therefore be careful of all the motions of your heart toward these people; let your behaviour toward them be governed by love. Have no desire to put any of your equals below you; nor anger at those, that would put themselves above you. If they are proud; they are ill of a very bad distemper; let them therefore have your tender pity; and perhaps your meekness, may prove an occasion of their cure. But, if your humility do them no good; it will however be the greatest good, you can do to yourself.

Remember that there is but one man in the world, with whom you are to have perpetual contention, and be always striving to exceed him, and that is yourself.

The time of practising these precepts, my child, will soon be over with you; the world will soon slip through your hands, or rather you will soon slip through it; it seems but the other day, since I received these same instructions from my dear father, that I am now leaving with you; and the God that gave me ears to hear, and a heart to receive, what my father said unto me, will, I hope, give you grace to love and follow the same instructions.

Thus did Paternus educate his son.

Can any one think that such an education would deject the minds of young people, and deprive the world of any worthy labors? So far from that, there is nothing so likely to ennoble the mind and prepare it for the most heroical exercise of all virtues.

For who will say, that love of God, desire of pleasing him, love of our neighbor, love of truth, of reason, and virtue; contemplation of eternity and the rewards of piety; are not stronger motives to great and good actions, than a little uncertain popular praise?

On the other hand, there is nothing in reality, that more weakens the mind; that makes it less master of its own actions, or less capable of following reason, than love of praise and honor.

For, as praise and honor are often given to persons, where they are not due; so he, that acts upon the desire of applause, must part with every other principle; he must say black is white, put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter; and do the meanest, basest things, in order to be applauded.

For in a corrupt world worthy actions are to be supported only by their own worth; where instead of being praised and honored, they are often reproached and per. secuted.

So that to educate children upon a motive of emula tion, or desire of glory, is to destroy the natural integrity and fortitude of their minds; and give them a bias, which will often carry them to base and mean actions.

CHAP. XVIII.

Showing, how the method of educating daughters, makes it difficult for them to enter into the spirit of Christian humility. The spirit of a better education represented in the character of Eusebia.

THAT turn of mind, which is encouraged in the education of daughters, makes it difficult for them to enter into such a sense and practice of humility, as the spirit of Christianity requires.

The right education of this sex is of the utmost importance to human life. There is nothing, more desirable for the common good of the world. For though women do not carry on the business of the world; yet` as they are mothers, and mistresses of families, that have for some time the care of the education of their children of both sorts; they are entrusted with that, which is of the greatest consequence to human life. For this reason good or bad women are likely to do as much good or harm in the world, as good or bad men.

For, as the strength, or weakness of our bodies, is very much owing to their method of treating us, when we were young; so the soundness or folly of our minds is not less owing to those first tempers and ways of thinking, which we received from love, tenderness, and constant conversation of our mothers.

As we call our first language our mother tongue; so we may as justly call our first temper our mother temper; and perhaps it may be found more easy to forget

the language, than to part entirely with those tempers, which we learnt in the nursery.

It is therefore much to be lamented, that this sex, on whom so much depends, who have the first forming of our bodies and minds, are not only educated in pride, but in the silliest and most contemptible part of it.

They are not indeed suffered, to dispute with us the prizes of arts and sciences, of learning and eloquence, in which they would often prove our superiors; but we turn them over to the study of beauty and dress; and the whole world conspires, to make them think of nothing else. Fathers and mothers, friends and relations, seem to have no other wish toward the little girl, but that she may have a fair skin, a fine shape, dress well, and dance to admiration.

Now, if our fondness for our persons, desire of beauty, love of dress, be a part of pride (as surely it is a most contemptible part of it) the first step toward a woman's humility, seems to require repentance of her education.

For it must be owned, that, generally speaking, good parents are never more fond of their daughters, than when they see them too fond of themselves; and dressed in such a manner, as is a reproach to the gravity and sobriety of the Christian life.

What makes this matter still more to be lamented, is this; women are not only spoiled by this education, but we spoil that part of the world, which would otherwise furnish instances of an eminent and exalted piety.

For, I believe, it may be affirmed, that for the most part there is finer sense, a clearer mind, a readier apprehension, and gentler dispositions in that sex, than in the other. All which tempers, if they were truly improved by proper methods of education; would in all probability carry them to greater heights of piety, than are to be found among the generality of men.

For this reason I speak with so much plainness; because it is much to be lamented, that persons, naturally qualified to be great examples of piety, by an erroneous education become poor and gaudy spectacles of vanity.