Memoirs of William Miller - Sylvester Bliss

children, you have lost your mother, and but a little
while, and your father must follow; perhaps, before
you receive this, he will be no more; prepare, then,
my children, to meet the frowns of fortune, and
learn, in your youth, to repel the shafts of
adversity. Your present time ought to be devoted to
your studies. Remember the lives of your parents
were short, and you know not the hour you will be
called for. Life is uncertain, and you ought so to
live as, when you come to die, that not one
reflection will pass your mind but that you have so
lived as to merit the good will of all good men.
Your first study ought to lead you to look up to the
Supreme Being as the Author of all things. When
you learn his attributes, or as much as man is to
know, you will ever keep in mind that he sees
every action of your life, knows every thought, and
hears every word. If you follow this rule, you
cannot go far astray. You may be led, for a
moment, into vices that human nature is subject to;
but you cannot materially err, for, in your cooler
moments, conscience will point to you the road you
ought to follow. You must never give way to
adversity, nor be raised up in prosperity; for pride
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