negative state of not being pleased, to pofitive ill-humour, is but too eafy. Fretfulness and peevishness arise, as nettles vegetate, spontaneously, where no falutary plants are cultivated. One unkind expreffion infallibly generates many others. Trifles light as air are able to kindle the blaze of contention. By frequent conflicts and unreferved familiarity, all that mutual respect which is neceffary to preferve love, even in the most intimate connections, is entirely loft, and the faint affection which remains is too feeble to be felt amidst the furious operation of the hateful paffions. Farewell peace and tranquillity, and cheerful converse, and all the boafted comforts of the family circle!

But it is not neceffary to expatiate on the misery of family diffenfion. I mean more particularly to fuggeft, that family diffenfion, befides all its own immediate evils, is the fruitful parent of immoral conduct.

When the several parts which compose a family find themselves uneasy in that home which is naturally the feat of mutual enjoyment, they are tempted from the ftraight road of common prudence, to pursue their happiness through a devious wild of paffion and imagination. The fon, arrived at years of maturity, who is treated harshly at home, will feldom spend his evenings at the domeftic fire-fide. If he live in the metropolis, he will fly for refuge to the places of public diverfion. There, it is very probable, fome unhappy connection will be formed, which cannot be continued without a plentiful fupply of money. Perhaps money cannot be procured honeftly but from the parent; but money must at all events be procured. What then remains, but to pursue those methods which unprincipled ingenuity has invented, and which, fooner or later, lead to their condign punishments, pain, shame, and death!

But though the confequences are not always fuch as the operation of human laws produces, yet they are always terrible, and deftructive of happiness and virtue. Mifery is indeed the neceffary refult of all, deviation from rectitude; but early debauchery, early disease,

early

early profligacy of all kinds, are peculiarly fruitful of wretchedness; as they fow the feeds of mifery in the fpring of life, when all that is fown ftrikes deep root, and buds and bloffoms, and brings forth fruit in profuse abundance.

In the difagreements between children and parents, it is certain that the children are usually most culpable. Their violent paffions and defective experience render them disobedient and undutiful. Their love of pleafure operates fo violently, as often to deftroy the force of filial affection. A parent is ftung to the heart by the ingratitude of a child. He checks his precipitancy, and perhaps with too little command of temper; for who can always hold the reins? Afperity produces afperity. But the child was the aggreffor, and therefore deferves a great part of the mifery which enfues. It is however certain, that the parent is often imprudent, as well as the child undutiful. He fhould endeavour to render home agreeable by gentleness and reasonable indulgence: For man at every age feeks to be pleased, but more particularly at the juvenile age. He fhould indeed maintain his authority; but it should be like the mild dominion of a limited monarch, and not the iron rule of an auftere tyrant. If home be rendered pleafing, it will not long be deferted. The prodigal will foon return, when his father's houfe is always ready to receive him with joy.

What is faid of the confequences of domestic disunion to fons, is equally to be applied to daughters. Indeed, as the mifconduct of daughters is more fatal to family peace, though perhaps not more heinous in a moral view, particular care fhould be taken to render them attached to the comforts of the family circle. When their home is difagreeable, they will be ready to make any exchange; and will often lofe their cha racters, virtue, and happiness, in the pursuit of it. Indeed the female character and happiness are so easily injured, that no folicitude can be too great in their fervation. But prudence is neceffary in every good

pre

caufe,

caufe, as well as zeal; and it is found by experience, that the gentleft method of government, if it be limited and directed by good fenfe, is the best. It ought indeed to be fteady, but not rigid; and every pleasure which is innocent in itself and in its confequences, ought to be admitted, with a view to render lefs difagreeable that unwinking vigilance which a delicate and fenfible father will judge neceffary in the care of a daughter.

To what wickednefs, as well as wretchedness, matrimonial disagreements lead, every day's hiftory will clearly inform us! When the husband is driven from his home by a termagant, he will seek enjoyment, which is denied him at his own home, in the haunts of vice, and in the riots of intemperance: Nor can female corruption be wondered at, though it must be greatly pitied and regretted, when in the heart of a husband, which love and friendship fhould warm, hatred is found to rankle. Conjugal infelicity not only renders life most uncomfortable, but leads to that defperate diffoluteness and carelessnefs in manners, which terminate in the ruin of health, peace, and fortune. If we may form a judgment from the divorces and feparations which happen in the gay world, we may conclude, that the prefent manners are highly unfavourable to conjugal felicity. And we fee, confiftently with my theory, that the confequence of thefe domeftic difagreements is the prevalence of vice in a very predominant degree, as well as of mifery.

But it avails little to point out evils without recommending a remedy. One of the first rules which suggefts itself is, that families fhould endeavour, by often and feriously reflecting on the fubject, to convince themselves, that not only the enjoyment, but the virtue, of every individual, greatly depends on a cordial union. When they are convinced of this, they will endeavour to promote it; and it fortunately happens, that the very wifh and attempt of every individual must infallibly fecure fuccefs. It may indeed be difficult to reftrain the occafional fallies of temper; but where there

is, in the more difpaffionate moments, a fettled defire to preferve domeftic union, the tranfient violence of paffion will not often produce a permanent rupture,

It is another moft excellent rule, to avoid a grofs familiarity, even where the connection is moft intimate. The human heart is fo conftituted, as to love refpect. It would indeed be unnatural in very intimate friends to behave to each other with ftiffnefs; but there is a delicacy of manner, and a flattering deference, which tends to preserve that degree of efteem which is neceffary to fupport affection, and which is loft in contempt when it deviates into exceffive familiarity. An habitual politeness of manners will prevent even indifference from degenerating to hatred. It will refine, exalt, and perpetuate affection.

But the beft and moft efficacious rule is, that we fhould not think our moral and religious duties are only to be practifed in public, and in the fight of thofe from whofe applause we expect the gratification of our vanity, ambition, or avarice; but that we fhould be equally attentive to our behaviour among those who can only repay us by reciprocal love. We muft fhew the fincerity of our principles and profeffions by acting confiftently with them, not only in the fenate, in the field, in the pulpit, at the bar, or in any public affembly, but at the fire-fide.

'L'

The Voyage of Life; an Allegory.

IFE,' fays Seneca, is a voyage, in the progress of which we are perpetually changing our scenes: We firft leave childhood behind us, then youth, then the years of ripened manhood, then the better or more pleafing part of old-age.'-The perufal of this paffage having excited in me a train of reflections on the state of man, the inceffant fluctuation of his wishes, the gradual change of his difpofition to all external objects, and the thoughtleffnefs with which he floats along the stream of time, I funk into a flumber amidst my meditations, and, on a fudden, found my ears filled with the tumults of labour, the shouts of alacrity, the shrieks of alarm, the whistle of winds, and the dash of waters.

My astonishment for a time repreffed my curiofity; but foon recovering myself so far as to inquire whither we were going, and what was the cause of such clamour and confufion? I was told that we were launching out into the ocean of Life; that we had already paffed the ftraits of Infancy, in which multitudes had perished, fome by the weakness and fragility of their veffels, and more by the folly, perverseness, or negligence of those who undertook to steer them; and that we were now on the main fea, abandoned to the winds and billows, without any other means of fecurity than the care of the pilot, whom it was always in our power to chufe, among great numbers that offered their direction and affiftance.

I then looked round with anxious eagernefs; and first turning my eyes behind me, faw a ftream flowing through flowery islands, which every one that failed along feemed to behold with pleasure; but no fooner touched, than the current, which, though not noify_or turbulent, was yet irrefiftible, bore him away. Be yond these islands all was darkness, nor could an

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