Page:Vindication Women's Rights (Wollstonecraft).djvu/276

270 From the clear tream of argument, indeed, the upporters of precription, of every denomination, fly; and, taking refuge in the darknes, which, in the language of ublime poetry, has been uppoed to urround the throne of Omnipotence, they dare to demand that implicit repect which is only due to His unearchable ways. But, let me not be thought preumptuous, the darknes which hides our God from us, only repects peculative truths—it never obcures moral ones, they hine clearly, for God is light, and never, by the contitution of our nature, requires the dicharge of a duty, the reaonablenes of which does not beam on us when we open our eyes.

The indolent parent of high rank may, it is true, extort a hew of repect from his child, and females on the continent are particularly ubject to the views of their families, who never think of conulting their inclination, or providing for the comfort of the poor victims of their pride. The conequence is notorious; thee dutiful daughters become adulterees, and neglect the education of their children, from whom they, in their turn, exact the ame kind of obedience.

Females, it is true, in all countries, are too much under the dominion of their parents; and few parents think of addreing their children in the following manner, though it is in this reaonable way that Heaven eems to command the whole human race, it is your interet to obey me till you can judge for yourelf; and the Almighty Father of all has implanted an affection in me to erve as a guard to you whilt your on&ensp;