5á4 ON THE EDUÇ:YrÍON OF YOUTH. he accounts the mistaken judgment of some pious personswith whom be converses and worships. They are weak, perhaps in their austerities, but St. Paul has taught him, that the strong ought to bear with the infirmities of the weak, and not to please themselves to the offence of the church of God. This he observed to be the constant practice of Agathus and Eraste, and he main- tains a great regard to the examples of so much piety and good- ness, even though his reason does not lead him always to cut, brace their opinions. Whensoever he enters into an important action of life, he takes a.. filial pleasure to seek advice from his 'worthy parents, and it is uneasy to hint to attempt any thing of moment without it. He does not indeed universally practise all their sentiments, but he gains their consent, to follow his own reason and choice. Some of the wild young gentlemen of the age may hap- pen to laugh at him for being so much a boy still, and for show- ing such subjection to the old folks, (as they call them :) with a scornful smile they bid him break cf his leading - strings, and cast away his yokes cf bondage. But for the most part he ob, serves, that the same persons shake off all yokes at once, and at once break the bonds of nature, duty and religion : they pay hot little regard to their superior in heaven, any more than to those on earth, and have forgotten God and their parents together. " Nor will I ever be moved (says he) with the re- proaches of those who make a jest of things sacred as well as civil, and treat their mother, and their Maker with the seine contempt." SECT. XL Of the proper Degrees of Liberty and Restraint in the 'Education of Daughters, illustrated by Examples. IT is necessary that youth shou:d be laid under some re. tttrint. When our inclinations are violent, and our judgment weak, it was a wise provision of God our Creator, that we should he under the conduct of those who were born before us ; and that we should be bound to obey them who have an innate solicitude for our happiness, and are much fitter to judge for our advantage, when we ourselves can be in that early part of life. But it may be said, liberty is so glorious a blessing, that surely it ought not utterly to be taken away from the young, lest their spirits be cramped and enslaved, and the growth of their souls so stinted by a narrow and severe restraint, that they act all their lives like children under age. Or sometimes atoo rigid confinement will have the contrary effect, and make the impa- tience of youth break out beyond all bounds, as soon as ever they Set the first rchish of freedom. But O how exceedingly difficult it is to bit the middle way
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