When the ordinary Schools have gone as far with them as they can, then either take a Tutour into your House, or fend them to Travel, to be polifh't; but by no means fend them to the Univerfity, unless you intend them for Divines or Phyficians: For as it is great odds they will become debaucht, fo all that they get there is a deal of Pedantick Learning, which is of no use to the Publick, and yet by means of it they grow ftrange ly confident, and impertinent and troublesome in all places, and obftinately opinionative, though never fo much in the wrong.

Children are to be governed neither wholly by Love, nor altogether by Fear; for by a right temperature of both you may lead them which way you will. To be eafie and familiar with them, winns upon and confirms their affection and duty, and to treat them with too much awe, and at too great a distance, is to lose a great deal of the pleasure and fatisfaction that is to be had in Children; and yet care is to be taken, that before Company they may know their distance.

Give them liberty enough for Recreations, yet not fo as to neglect their Studies: For as too much Liberty will occafion them to mind nothing but Idlenefs, fo too great a restraint will only prepare them to exceed all manner of bounds when they are their own Masters.

Though it is Natural, as well as our Duty, to love our Children; yet it will behove you to be watchful over your felves, left by being overdoating or fond you forget to order and govern them as is meet. And it's not eafie to determine, whether fuch a doting fondness, or the want of Children is the greater unhappiness. If we could

believe

believe and remember, that we have no fafter a hold of all that we poffels, but as lent us for an uncertain time, we should use them more moderately, and confequently part with them more eafily, whenever it pleafes God to call for any thing we have.

Every Man that has feveral Children, loves one more than another; and if God fhall bless you with many, take good heed that they may not difcover the partiality of your affection, for the confequence of it will be fatal Both to you and them.

To provide convenient Matches for your Daughters if you can, is without doubt your Duty, as alfo to give them good Portions, but not fuch as will make your eldest Son uneafie, for that is to give them more than comes to their Share; and if you do it out of a profpect of advantage that may thereby accrue to your Family; yet if it be not certain, but only in probability, it is not advifeable to do it: For your Daughter may forget the Stock from whence fhe fprang, and keep all to her felf, or her Husband upon Tryal may not like her, and fo value her Family accordingly, or if he thinks you matcht her to him in hopes to make advantage by him, it will be natu ral for him to make it his bufinefs to disappoint you. Now whether it be for these or any other reafons, I know not; but I have obferved, that giving a Daughter an extraordinary Portion out of that defign, has hurt many more Families than it has advantaged.

In the matching of any of your Sons, but efpecially your eldeft, neither force, nor too much flatter him into the likeing of any, to whom his D

own

own Inclinations don't in fome measure prompt him; For an Errour in this is like one in the first concoction, which can never be repaired: For if there be any diflike in the Perfons, or their affections otherwife ingaged before they are married, though their difcretion may make them to carry fair to each other, yet it has been feldom feen that afterwards there was any warmth of affection between them.

A great Fortune is welcome to every Family; but he that only regards the plenty of Fortune, without confidering the Woman, it is odds, but he is out in his reckoning: For if the be not a Woman of competent difcretion, he will fall fhort in his account: In regard that if fhe be highly born, The will expect, and her Husband must have no quiet, unless the be maintained according to her Quality, and the Fortune fhe brought. If the is of mean Parentage, yet her Wealth will make her to forget what fhe was, and esteem her felf according to her Portion and the Quality of her Husband, and as fuch fhe will expect to live: For being once on Horfe-back, fhe will not know when it is time to alight, and fo by her expencefulnels leave her Husband no better than the found him, if not worse. And therefore a Woman of a middle birth, that is a Fortune is the most Eligible: For as her Birth will give no allay to your Blood, fo in probability fhe will more eafily be perfwaded to a competent way of living, and verifie the true old Adage, That you are not fo much to regard what a Wife brings, as what fhe will fave.

The best way of providing Annuities for your Younger Sons, is by letting of Tenements run out of Leafe, which will not only be an ease, but

ad

vantage to your Eldeft: For as by this you will not narrow his present Revenue, fo in fuch Tenements there will be but one Life; whereas there might probably have been two or three Lives. apiece in them, had you renewed them as you did other Tenements.

Thus, my dear Children, I have finished these my Instructions, which I have been able to write out of my own experience, and for that reafon ought not to be flighted by you. I hope you will live long enough, not only to practice, but alfo to improve them; yet not by my dear bought experience, who have been a Man of trouble from my Childhood. Now whether it fhall be by Gods Bleffing upon thefe or any other Advice, may you get through this troublefome World with Peace, and when you dye be received into. Abraham's Bofom, So prays

T

HE various kinds of Government in the World are no lefs an Argument of Gods Wisdom, than the many People and Languages that inhabit the Univerfe are an evidence of his Power, for had there been but one fort of Government in the World, the Wisdom of God had not therein been fo manifeft, fince he that knows every road to fuch a place, must be allowed to be so much more knowing in that particular, than he that is only acquainted with one of those ways.

Gods Government of the World is amazing when seriously confider'd: And the most admirable part of it, is to obferve, that the whole conduct of that Affair is guided not by exprefs Rules and Methods immediately by him delivered to the feveral People and Nations; but they are inftructed by the instinct of Nature to choose that which is moft conducible to fupport their feveral Conftitu'tions: Except in fuch Cafes when God in Judgment to a People hides from their eyes the things that belong to their peace:

Compare this Conftitution in its proper Lineaments with other Governments, and this conclu