NEXT to this, love your neighbour, which is all mankind, with fuch tenderness and affection, as you love your felf. Think how God loves all mankind, how merciful he is to them, how tender he is of them, how carefully he preferves them, and then strive to love the world as God loves it. GOD would have all men to be happy, therefore do you will, and defire the fame. All men are great inftances of divine love, therefore let all men be instances of your love. Bur above all, my fon, mark this, never do any thing through ftrife, or envy, or emulation, or vainglory. Never do any thing in order to excell other people, but in order to please God, and because it is his will, that you should do every thing in the best manner that you can. FOR if it is once a pleasure to you to excell other people, it will by degrees be a pleafure to you, to fee other people not fo good as your felf. BANISH therefore every thought of felf-pride and felf-diftinction, and accuftom your felf to rejoice in all the excellencies and perfections of your fellow-creatures, and be as glad to fee any of their good actions, as your own. FOR as God is as well pleas'd with their well doings, as with yours; fo you ought to defire, that every thing that is wife, and holy, and good, may be perform'd in as high a manner by other people, as by your felf. LET this therefore be your only motive and fpur to all good actions, honeft induftry, and bufinefs, to do every thing in as perfect and excellent a manner as you can, for this only reafon, because it is pleafing to God, who defires your perfection, and writes all your actions in a book. When I am dead, my son, you will be master of all my estate, which will be a great deal more than the neceffities of one family require. Therefore, as you are to be charitable to the fouls of men, and wish them the fame happiness with you in heaven, Y 2 heaven, fo be charitable to their bodies, and endeavour to make them as happy as you upon earth. As God has created all things for the common good of all men, fo let that part of them, which is fallen to your fhare, be employ'd, as God would have all employ'd, for the common good of all. Do good, my fon, firft of all to thofe that most deferve it, but remember to do good to all. The greateft finners receive daily inftances of God's goodness towards them, he nourishes and preferves them, that they may repent, and return to him; do you therefore imitate God, and think no one too bad to receive your relief and kindness, when you fee that he wants it. I AM teaching you Latin and Greek, not that you hould defire to be a great Critick, a fine Poet, or an eloquent Orator; I would not have your heart feel any of these defires, for the defire of these accomplishments is a vanity of the mind, and the masters of them are generally vain men. For the defire of any thing that is not a real good, leffens the application of the mind after that which is fo. BUT I teach you thefe languages, that at proper times you may look into the hiftory of paft ages, and learn the methods of God's providence over the world. That reading the writings of the ancient Sages, you may fee how wisdom and virtue have been the praise of great men of all ages, and fortify your mind by their wife fayings. LET truth and plainnefs therefore be the only or nament of your language, and study nothing but how to think of all things as they deserve, to chufe every thing that is beft, to live according to reafon and order, and to act in every part of your life in conformi ty 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 fcholar, no finer a gentleman, than these tempers will make you. As true Religion is nothing else but fimple nature govern'd by right reafon, reafon, fo it loves and requires great plainnefs and fimplicity of live. Therefore avoid all fuperfluous fhews of finery and equipage, and let your houfe be plainly furnish'd with moderate conveniencies. Don't confider what your estate can afford, but what right reason requires. LET your dress be fober, clean, and modeft, not to fet out the beauty of your perfon, but to declare the fobriety of your mind, that your outward garb may refemble the inward plainnefs and fimplicity of your heart. For it is highly reasonable, that you should be one man, all of a piece, and appear outwardly such as you are inwardly. As to your meat and drink, in them obferve the highest rules of Christian temperance and fobriety; confider your body only as the fervant and minifter of your foul; and only fo nourish it, as it may best perform an humble and obedient fervice to it. BUT, my fon, observe this as a most principal thing, which I shall remember you of as long as I live with you. HATE and defpife all human glory, for it is nothing elfe but human folly. It is the greatest fnare, and the greatest betrayer that you can poffibly admit into your heart. LOVE humility in all its inftances, practise it in all its parts, for it is the nobleft ftate of the foul of man; it will fet your heart and affections right towards God, and fill you with every temper that is tender and affectionate towards men. LET every day therefore be a day of humility, condefcend to all the weakness, and infirmities of your fellow-creatures, cover their frailties, love their excellencies, encourage their virtues, relieve their wants, rejoice in their profperities, compaffionate their diftrefs, receive their friendship, overlook their unkindness, forgive their malice, be a fervant of fervants, and condefcend to do the loweft offices to the lowest of mankind. ASPIRE Y 3 ASPIRE after nothing but your own purity and perfection, and have no ambition but to do every thing in fo reasonable and religious a manner, that you may be glad that God is every where present, and fees and obferves all your actions. The greatest trial of humility, is an humble behaviour towards your equals in age, efate, and condition of life. Therefore be careful of all the motions of your heart towards thefe people. Let all your behaviour towards them be govern'd by unfeigned love. Have no defire to put any of your equals below you, nor any anger at thofe that would put themfelves above you. If they are proud, they are ill of a very bad diftemper, let them therefore have your tender pity, and perhaps your meekness may prove an occafion of their cure. But if your humility should do them no good, it will however be the greatest good that you can do to your felf. REMEMBER that there is but one man in the world, with whom you are to have perpetual contention, and be always ftriving to exceed him, and that is yourself. THE time of practifing thefe precepts, my child, will foon be over with you, the world will foon ilip thro your hands, or rather you will foon flip thro' it; it seems but the other day fince I receiv'd these fame inftructions 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 faid unto me, will, I hope, give you grace to love and follow the fame inftructi ons. THUS did Paternus educate his fon. CAN any one now think that fuch an education as this would weaken and deject the minds of young people, and deprive the world of any worthy and reafonable labours? IT is fo far from that, that there is nothing fo likely to ennoble, and exalt the mind, and prepare it for the most heroical exercife of all virtues. FOR who will fay, that a love of God, a defire of pleafing him, a love of our neighbour, a love of truth, truth, of reason, and virtue, a 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, and reduces it to meanness and flavery, nothing that makes it lefs mafter of its own actions, or lefs capable of following reason, than a love of praise and honour. FOR as praife and honour are often given to things and perfons, where they are not due; as that is generally most prais'd. and honour'd, that moft gratifies the bumours, fashions, and vicious tempers of the world: fo he that acts upon the defire of praise and applause, muft part with every other principle; he muft fay black is white, put bitter for fweet, and fweet for bitter, and do the meanest, bafeft things, in order to be applauded. FOR in a corrupt world, as this is, worthy actions are only to be fupported by their own worth, where, inftead of being prais'd and honour'd, they are moft often reproach'd and perfecuted. So that to educate children upon a motive of emulation, or a defire of glory, in a world where glory itself is falfe, and moit commonly given wrong, is to deftroy the natural integrity and fortitude of their minds, and give them a bias which will oftner carry them to bafe and mean, than great and worthy actions. r CHAP. XIX: Shewing how the method of educating daughters, makes it difficult for them to enter into the spirit of Chriftian humility. How miferably they are injur'd and abus'd by fuch an education. The spirit of a better education reprefented in the character of Eufebia. HAT turn of mind which is taught and en- TH it |