estate, there is nothing that he looks back upon with greater satisfaction than the steps of their conduct, and the instances of his own submission. He often recounts these things with pleasure, as some of the chief favours of heaven, whereby he was guarded through all the dan. gers and follies of youth and childhood, and effectually kept, through Divine Grace operating by these happy means, from a thousand sorrows, and perhaps from everlasting ruin. Though he has been released some years from the strictness of paternal government, yet he still makes his. parents his chosen friends; and though they cease to practise authority upon him and absolute command, yet he pays the utmost deference to their counsels, and to the first notice of their inclinations. You shall never find him resisting and debating against their desires and propensities in little common things of life, which are indifferent in themselves; he thinks it carries in it too much contempt of those whom God and nature require him to honour. Whensoever he enters into any important action of life, he takes a filial pleasure to seek advice from his worthy parents; and it is uneasy to him 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 happen to laugh at him for being so much a boy still, and for showing such subjection to the old folks (as they call them.) With a scornful smile they bid him "Break off his leading-strings, and cast away his yokes of bondage." But for the most part he observes, that the same persons shake off all yokes at once, and at once break the bonds of nature, duty, and religion: they pay but 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 reproaches of those who make a jest of things sacred as well as civil, and treat their mother and their Maker with the same contempt." PHRONISSA, when her daughters were little chil dren, used to spend some hours daily in the nursery, and taught the young creatures to recite many a pretty passage out of the Bible, before they were capable of reading it themselves; yet at six years old they read the Scriptures with ease, and then they rejoiced to find the same stories in Genesis and in the Gospels which their mother had taught them before. As their years advaneed, they were admitted into the best conversation, and had such books put into their hands as might acquaint them with the rules of prudence and piety in an easy and familiar way: the reading the lives of eminent persons who were examples of this kind, was one of the daily methods she used at once to instruct and entertain them. By such means, and others which she wisely adapted to their advancing age, they had all the knowledge bestowed upon them that could be supposed proper for women, and that might render their character honourable and useful in the world. Long has Phronissa known, that domestic virtues are the business and the honour of her sex. Nature and history agree to assure her, that the conduct of the household is committed to the women, and the precepts and examples of Scripture confirm it. She educated her daughters therefore in constant acquaintance with all family-affairs, and they knew betimes what belonged to the provisions of the table, and the furniture of every room. Though her circumstances were considerable in the world, yet, by her own example, she made her children know, that a frequent visit to the kitchen was not beneath their state, nor the common menial affairs too mean for their notice, that they might be able hereafter to manage their own house, and not be directed, imposed upon, and perhaps ridiculed by their own ser vants. They were initiated early in the science of the needle, and were bred up skilful in all the plain and flowery arts of it; but it was never made a task nor a toil to them, nor did they waste their hours in those nice and tedious works, which cost our female ancestors seven years of their life, and stitches without number. To render this exercise pleasant, one of them always entertained the company with some useful author while the rest were at work; every one had freedom and encouragement to. start what question she pleased, and to make any remarks on the present subject, that reading, working, and conversation might fill up the hour with variety and" delight. Thus, while their hands were making garments for themselves or for the poor, their minds were enriched with treasures of human and divine knowledge.. At proper seasor's the young ladies were instructed in the gayer accomplishments of the age: but they were taught to esteem the song and the dance some of their meanest talents, because they often are forgotten in advanced years, and add but little to the virtue, the honour, or the happiness of life. Phronissa herself was sprightly and active, and she abhorred a slothful and lazy hun.our; therefore she constantly found out some inviting and agreeable employment for her daughters, that they might hate idleness as a mischievous vice, and be trained up to an active and useful life. Yet she perpetually insinuated the su perior delights of the closet, and tempted them by all inviting methods to the love of devout retirement. Whensoever she seemed to distinguish them by any peculiar favours, it was generally upon some new indica tion of early piety, or some young practice of a self-denying virtue. They were taught to receive visits in forms agreeable. to the age; and though they knew the modes of dress sufficient to secure them from any thing aukward or unfashionable, yet their minds were so well furnished with richer variety, that they had no need to run to those poor and trivial topics, to exclude silence and dulness from the drawing-room. Here, I must publish it to their honour, to provoka the sex to imitation, that though they comported with the fashion in all their ornaments, so far as the fashion was modest, and could approve itself to reason or religion, yet Phronissa would not suffer their young judg ments so far to be imposed on by custom, as that the mode should be entirely the measure of all decency to` them. She knew there is such a thing as natural harmony and agreeableness; in the beauties of colour and figure her delicacy of taste was exquisite; and where, K VOL. I. : the mode run counter to nature, though she indulged her daughters to follow it in some innocent instances, because she loved not to be remarkably singular in things of indifference, yet she took care always to teach them to distinguish gay folly and affected extravagance from natural decencies, both in furniture and in dress their rank in the world was eminent: but they never appeared the first, nor the highest in any newfangled forms of attire. By her wise example and instructions she had so formed their minds, as to be able to see garments more gaudy, and even more modish than their own, without envy or wishes. They could bear to find a trimming set on a little awry, or the plait of a garment ill-disposed, without making the whole house and the day uneasy, and the sun and heavens smile upon them in vain. Phronissa taught them the happy art of managing a visit with some useful improvement of the hour, and without offence. If a word of scandal occurred in company, it was soon diverted or suppressed. The children were charged to speak well of their neighbours as far as truth would admit, and to be silent as to any thing besides: but when the poor or the deformed were mentioned in discourse, the aged, the lame, or the blind, those objects were handled with the utmost tenderness: nothing could displease Phronissa more than to hear a jest thrown upon natural infirmities: she thought there was something sacred in misery, and it was not to be touched with a rude band. All reproach and satire of this kind was for ever banished where she came; and if ever raillery was indulged, vice and wilful folly were the constant subjects of it. Persons of distinguished characters she always distinguished in her respect, and trained up her family to pay the same civilities. Whensoever she named her own parents, it was with high veneration and love, and thereby she naturally led her children to give due honour to all their superior relatives. Though it is the fashion of the age to laugh at the priesthood in all forms, and to teach every boy to scoff at a minister, Phronissa paid double honours to them who laboured in the word and doctrine, when their per sonal behaviour upheld the dignity of their office; for she was persuaded St. Paul was a better director than the gay gentleman of the mode. Besides, she wisely considered that a contempt of their persons would necessarily bring with it a contempt of all their ministrations and then she might carry her daughters to the church as much as she pleased; but preaching and praying, and all sacred things, would grow despicable and useless, when they had first learned to make a jest of the preacher. : Their But are these young ladies always confined at home? Are they never suffered to see the world? Yes, and sometimes without the guard of a mother too; though Phronissa is so well beloved by her children, that they would very seldom choose to go without her. souls were inlaid betimes with the principles of virtue and prudence; these are their constant guard; nor do they ever wish to make a visit where their mother has reason to suspect their safety. They have freedom given them in all the common affairs of life to choose for themselves; but they take pleasure, for the most part, in referring the choice back again to their seniors. Phronissa has managed the restraint of their younger years with so much reason and love, that they have seemed all their lives to know nothing but liberty; an admonition of their parents meets with cheerful compliance, and is never debated. A wish or desire has the same power over them now, as a command had in their infancy and childhood; for the command was ever dressed in the softest language of authority, and this made every act of obedience a delight, till it became an habitual pleasure. In short, they have been educated with such discretion, tenderness, and picty, as have laid a foundation to make them happy and useful in the rising age: their parents with pleasure view the growing prospect, and return daily thanks to Almighty God, whose blessing has attended their watchful cares, and has thus far answered their most fervent devotions. |