SECTION XXIV. 503 desire, joy, fear, anger, and sorrow, like young trees, into a beautiful and regular form, and prune off all their luxuriant branches. Begin to bring them to obey the laws of reason betimes. Keep a constant and an early watch 'against thewanderings and the out-breakings of every affection. Let wisdomput a bridle on them before they are grown head-strong andunruly, that you may guide them usefully, like a'managed horse, through the various paths of human life, and they may bear you on to fluty and happiness. And I would earnestly recommend it toparents and teachers, to insinuate the advantage of ruling the passions to all the young people whom nature or providence hath put under their care. Let them be taught these lessons in the very morning of life. Otherwise you may expect, that a young humorist will grow up to an intolerable peevishness, and become a sour oldwretch: A wrathful child, untaught to bridle his rage, will grow to an in- curable fury. Spite and envy, uncurbed between ten and twenty years of age, will be in danger of making a devil at fifty. An Ethiopian may as well change his skin, or a leopard his spots, as those who have long practised evil can learn to do well; Jer. xiii. 23. 2. Suffer not your irregular passions to excuse themselves by taking false names upon them, and screen themselves from censure andmortification by any disguises of virtue. ,Vain ambi- tion and affectation of applause, will sometimes squander away money, appear magnificent and bountiful, far beyond the circumstances of the giver, and contrary to his duty, and the in- terest of his family. Then this ambitious and profuse humour puts on the name of liberality and generous beneficence, and hopes to excuse itself under this disguise, and to cover itself from just censure : But a wise observer will not be cheated by these falsetitles. Pride and wrath would sometimes call themselves a becom- inggreatness of spirit: But he hath a greater soul, who can treat inferiors with all gentleness ; and hath learned to neglect and forget supposed affronts and injuries, as mean and little things, which deserve no special notice. When some persons have abandoned themselves to excessive sorrow, they call it a debt of love to the deceased friend ; and underthis colour they go on to encourage and swell their grief, which had risen before to a dan- gerous height. Others again will vindicate their passionate resentments of injury done to their reputation, or any neglect ofduty and respect to themselves under the name of tenderness of spirit: They can- not bear the least slight or censure : You can hardly touch them, but you hurt them : Every admonition is a reproach, and every real affront immediately overwhelms them with a mix-
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