Motives for Holy .EdtJCation of [bildra11. have aCtual faith, rrpmtancr, lovr, or any Grace, than thfy have Reafon ir felf in alJ and cxcrcife. And the Pu:ac,hing of the Word by publick Minifiers is nm .the: firft ord~nary meant vf gr-ace, t() any but thoft that wue grace.lcfs till they come to hear fuch proaching: that iS,-•to thofe on -whom th~ firji appointed meam hath been neglected, or proved in vain ; th<tt is, ltliS- hue' t.t\eflcond~means, to do <hat which was uot done by tl!c lirll. Tl]e proof is undenyable ; Beblufe- -God appo1hltth Farems diligtntly to teach tbeir childtm rhe Dochi;1t ofhis holy Word,before theY'comdto ~he pul>li<k ·Minit!ry: Parents reaching is the firjf. ttacbiHg : And Parents reachin~ i; ~or thiS'. e~d, · r2s ...weU ~-p~Utl~ teach– ing, even to beget faith, and love, and bolinefs : And God app01nteth no n'lt!~bs tO tbc\.J.(~!d ~'U5, on which wc may not expect his bielliog. Then:foxdt is apparenr,ihat lh~ drdi~Mry >?Pointed iiie.•t!JI!r the .firlt aU.u:~l G"~ce, ii P11rent1 g'odiy inJtruUionnJ~d education.ofi' their c!J_ild~en;. ·r A~d lpu~h~k l_pr~d:hirfg .is appomtcd for the Conv'<rlion of thofe only. that have m1lt the bkilmg ol' tl(t.l fir!\ appomted•means. ThcrdOrc if you deny yout children reiigious education; you deny themftlfe'fltfi·aJ>p·oinledr4n~~ns 0f their adual faith and fand:1fication; and then the fecond.com'eth upon difad'v~iltage, ,1; !1£ b, V ·1 . §. S· Motive S· CQJijidcr aifo how many <r.td grw are your .advantagtJ :above.•P p<hcrt f;ryJu, chil- Motivt 5• drm.r good. As 1. Nothing doth take fo much with any.one, as that W-hicR!~~-~liewn-.to E:G_tne from L~ve: The greater Lov'e is difcerncd in yout infi:rud:jon, the grt:atcr fticctf!ilrnay you eip~ct. · Now your children are more confident of their Parent I Love, than· of ·any- of.het~ ~'JWMdier Mfnifiers and Strangers fpeak to them in Love, they cannot tell : But of their Pirent-s 'tl;dve 1l\ey . rrtake:no•doubt. 2· And their Love to you is as great a preparative to your fucct:fs. We a~l ~Hdlrken t? tlieth that we dearly Love, with greater attention and willingnefs than to others. 'FHey·Ll>ve not the Minifier as they do theit P•rcnrs. 3· You havethem in hand betime, before tkey 1\ave r~ctlved any falfe opinions, or bad impreffions: before they have any fin but that Whith was bbrn wirh them._ You are to make the fid\ jmpreflions upon them: You have ethem while they zre mM t<achable, and flexible, and tender, and make leafi refiltance againft infbuction: They rife not up at tirfi againlt your teaching with {elf·conceitt:dnefs and proud objections. But when they co,rne to the-Minifier, they a-rc as Paper that is written on or pril}ted before; unapt to ~receive another- impreffion : The·y have much to be untaught, before they can·be taught : And CGtm'c with proud and Hilf refi{lance, to {hive agaiflfi inihuction, rather than readily to receive it. 4· Your children do wholly depend on you f.o~ their prefeuc maintenance, and much for their future livelrhood and·pdrtions : And therefore they know that it is thc:ir intercfl tl) obey and plcafe you.: And as intertft ~s the common bYafs .of the world, fo i~ it with your children: You..rnay eafilier rule them that havo thi~ handle to h0ld. them by, than any other can do that have not this advantage. They know tHey ferve you not for nought. 5• Your auth"ority over your children is mof\: unqueftibnable. They will dif'pute the authot~ry of Minifiers,· yea, and of . MagiHratcs, and ask them who gave them the power to teach th~tn, and to cOmmand them ? But the Parents authority is beyond all difpute. They will not call you i'yra~iJ or Vjitrpm, nor bid you prove the validity of your Ordination, or the uninterruptednefs11of~ yoat1 [uc~dfion. Therefore Father and Nlother as thefirft Natural Power, are mentioned rather th.th Kings or ~eens in the fifth Corn· mandmenr. 6. You have the power of the Ru~ to force them.· Prov. 22. 15• F()()/ijhnefs iJ bound in the heart of a child, but tht rod of corre{iion jhall drivt it {'flr fi•om /Jim. And your aor.rMtion will be better underfiood to come from Love, than that of the MagiHrate or any other. 7• YoH have btfl opportunity to know borh thl! difeafts and temperature'of y0ltr' children': which is a g-reat ad~amage for the choofing and applying of the btfl remedy. 8. You have opportunity 0 f wdtch.ingover them, and difcerning all their faults in time: But if a Minifkr fpeak to them; he ca:n know no Ji'lore what fault to reprehend, than others tell him, or the party will £onfefs. You may alfo difcern what fuc~ ce[s your former exhorcations had, and whether they amend or fii\1 go- on 'in fin, and:Whcther you fhould proceed to more fevere remedies. 9· You have opportunity ot fp!!a.king to them ih the mofi: familiar manner; which is better underfiood, than the fc:t fpecch of a Minilttr in theJ?ulpit, which few of them mark or underftand. You can quicken their attemion by quc:fiions whi·d;pput ·them upon anfwcring you, and fo awaken them to a fcrious: regard of what you fay. 10. You are fo frequently with them, that you can repeat your infirud:ions, and drive them home, t.h'at What is not done at one time, may be done at another: Whereas other men can fddom fpeak>to them, and what is fofeldomc fpuken iseafily negle8:ed or forgotten. 1 I· You h~ve powe.r to place them under the befi means, and to remove mJny impedimerits out of their way whith ufually fruflrate-other mens endeavours. 12. Your example is near them and continually in their fight, which js a conti- ~ual and powerful Sermon. By all thefe advantages God hath enabled; you above all others, to be mfi:ruments ?f your Ch1ldrens geod, and the firfi and greatcfi promottrS of t•heir falV'atiOh. 9· 6. Mouve 6. Confider how great a Comfort it wtmld bt to ~ou, to b.zve • yDHr cbildr-en (Hc!J a1 you Motive 6. may confidentry IJope are the children of God, being brougbt to ~now hinz, dnd lvve, and.. {erve him, through your own cnde•vour.r in a pious education of them• . I· You may love your children upon an higher. accou~t .than a.s t_hcy ~re yours: e_ven as they are/i;od,, adomed ·~irh his Image, and quick.. ned Wlth a dJ_vmc: cclclha1 hfc : _And thts is is to love them with a higher kind of Love, than mec:r Natural affeCbon ts. It would rCJoyce you to fee your children advanced to be LOrd~· or Princes: B~t. ~ ho~_much greater caufe of 'oy is it, to fee them made the mombers of Chri·fi, and quickncd by Ius Spmt, and f<aled up for hfe eternal? •· When once your children are made · the children of God, by the Regeneration of the Spirit, you may be much more free frorri Care and trOuble for them than before. Now you may boldly trufl them on the care of their heaverriy .father, who is able to do more for them than you are able to defire : He loveth them bctterthan you can love thetn: He is bound by
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