rent may not always refift his partiality to a favourite child (which, however, should be both avoided and concealed, as oftentimes productive of lasting jealoufies and discontents); yet when he fits down to make his will, these tenderneffes must give place to more manly deliberations.

A father of a family is bound to adjust his œconomy with a view to these demands upon his fortune; and until a sufficiency for these ends is acquired, or in due time probably will be acquired (for in human affairs probability ought to content us), frugality and exertions of industry are duties. He is alfo juftified in declining expensive liberality; for to take from those who want, in order to give to those who want, adds nothing to the stock of public happiness. Thus far, therefore, and no farther, the plea of "children," of " large families,"

charity begins at home," &c. is an excuse for parfimony, and an answer to those who folicit our bounty. Beyond this point, as the use of riches becomes less, the defire of laying up should abate proportionably. The truth is, our children gain not fo much as we imagine, in the chance of this world's happiness, or even of its external profperity, by fetting out in it with large capitals. Of those who have died rich,

a great

a great part began with little. And, in refpect of enjoyment, there is no comparison between a fortune, which a man acquires himself by a fruitful induftry, or a feries of fucceffes in his bufinefs, and one found in his poffeffion, or res ceived from another.

A principal part of a parent's duty is still be hind, viz. the ufing of proper precautions and expedicnts, in order to form and preferve his children's virtue.

To us, who believe that in one ftage or other of our existence virtue will conduct to happinefs, and vice terminate in mifery; and who obferve withal, that men's virtues and vices are, to a certain degree, produced or affected by the management of their youth, and the fituations in which they are placed; to all who attend to these reasons, the obligation to confult a child's virtue will appear to differ in nothing from that, by which the parent is bound to provide for his maintenance or fortune. The child's intereft is concerned in the one means of happiness as well as in the other; and both means are equally, and almost exclusively, in the parent's power.

For this purpose the first point to be endeavoured after is to impress upon children the idea of accountableness, that is, to accuftom them to

look

look forward to the confequences of their actions in another world; which can only be brought about by the parents visibly acting with a view to these consequences themfelves. Parents, to do them juftice, are feldom fparing in leffons of virtue and religion; in admonitions which coft little, and which profit lefs whilft their example exhibits a continual contradiction of what they teach. A father, for inftance, will, with much folemnity and apparent earnestnefs, warn his fon against idleness, excess in drinking, debauchery, and extravagance, who himself loiters about all day without employment; comes home every night drunk; is made infamous in his neighbourhood by fome profligate connection; and wastes the fortune which should support or remain a provision for his family, in riot, or luxury, or oftentation. Or he will discourse gravely before his children of the obligation and importance of revealed religion, whilst they fee the most frivolous and oftentimes feigned excufes detain him from its reasonable and folemn ordinances. Or he will set before them, perhaps, the fupreme and tremendous authority of Almighty God; that fuch a being ought not to be named, or even thought upon, without fentiments of profound awe and veneration. This

may

may be the lecture he delivers to his family one hour; when the next, if an occafion arife to excite his anger, his mirth, or his surprise, they will hear him treat the name of the Deity with the most irreverent profanation, and fport with the terms and denunciations of the Chriftian religion, as if they were the language of some ridiculous and long exploded fuperftition. Now even a child is not to be impofed upon by fuch mockery. He fees through the grimace of this counterfeited concern for virtue. He difcovers that his parent is acting a part; and receives his admonitions, as he would hear the fame maxims from the mouth of a player. And when once this opinion has taken poffeffion of the child's mind, it has a fatal effect upon the parent's influence in all fubjects; even in those, in which he himself may be fincere and convinced. Whereas a filent, but obfervable regard to the duties of religion, in the parent's own behaviour, will take a fure and gradual hold of the child's difpofition, much beyond formal reproofs and chidings, which, being generally prompted by fome prefent provocation, difcover more of anger than of principle, and are always received with a temporary alienation and difguft.

A good parent's first care is to be virtuous

himfelf; his fecond, to make his virtues as easy. and engaging to those about him, as their nature will admit. Virtue itself offends, when coupled with forbidding manners. And fome virtues may be urged to fuch excefs, or brought forwards fo unfeasonably, as to difcourage and repel thofe, who obferve and who are acted upon by them, inftead of exciting an inclination to imitate and adopt them. Young minds are particularly liable to thefe unfortunate impreffions. For instance, if a father's economy degenerate into a minute and teasing parsimony, it is odds, but that the fon, who has fuffered under it, fet out a fworn enemy to all rules of order and frugality. If a father's piety be morofe, rigorous, and tinged with melancholy, perpetually breaking in upon the recreations of his family, and furfeiting them with the language of religion upon all occafions, there is danger, left the fon carry from home with him a fettled prejudice against seriousness and religion, as inconfiftent with every plan of a pleasurable life, and turn out, when he mixes with the world, a character of levity or diffolutenefs.

Something likewise may be done towards the correcting or improving of thofe early inclina

tions