reach of the frowns, and crosses,
and vicissitudes of the world, so that no thought or care shall be
necessary for the means of their own livelihood, I fear they are
procuring a situation for them, which will be injurious even to their
temporal interests as men.

The matter then seems to me to be brought to this question, whether it
is better, I mean as a general proposition, to bring up children with
the expectation of such a moderate portion of wealth, that they shall
see the necessity of relying upon their own honest endeavours and the
Divine support, or to bring them up with such notions of independence,
that, in the pride and exultation of their hearts, they may be induced
to count themselves mighty, and to lose sight of the power and
providence of God?

If we were to look into the world for an answer to this question, we
should find no greater calamity than that of leaving to children an
affluent independence. Such persons, when grown up, instead of becoming
a blessing, are generally less useful than others. They are frequently
proud and haughty, fancying themselves omnipotent, they bid defiance to
the opinions of the virtuous part of the community. To the laws of
honour and fashion they pay a precise obedience, but trample under foot,
as of little consequence, the precepts of the Christian religion. Having
sensual gratifications in their power, they indulge to excess. By
degrees they ruin their health and fortunes, and get wisdom by
experience, when it is too late to use it. How many young persons have I
known, and I wish I could make a different statement, whose ruin
originated wholly in a sense of their own independence of the world!

Neither, if we look into the society of the Quakers, shall we find a
different account. It is undoubtedly true, though there are many amiable
exceptions, that the worst examples in it are generally among the
children of the rich. These presently take wings, and fly away, so that,
falling into the corruptive and destructive fashions of the times, their
parents have only been heaping up riches; not knowing who were to gather
them. And here it may be remarked, that the Quaker education, by means
of its prohibitions, greatly disqualifies its young members, who may
desert from the society, from acting prudently afterwards. They will be,
in general, but children, and novices in the world. Kept within bounds
till this period, what is more probable than that, when they break out
of th