.The 'Duties of Parmts for their Oildren. CHAP. X. The 'Duties of Partilts for their C!Jiidrm. OF how greatirnp~rtancc the wife and'boly Education of Children i!l, to the fJ.ving of thelf "' fouls, and the comfou ot rl~e P.uents, and the good of Chur~h and Stltc:, and the happinefs of the World, I have flar!ly told you before; but no man IS able fully to exprefs: And how great that calamity is which the World is fain into through the negltd: ef thll duty, no heart can coonceive; Bur they that think what a c~fe t~c .Heathen, ~nh_dcl, and ungodly N~~ tionsarc in,"afld how rare truepiery is grown, and how_many m1lhons mufi lte m Hdl for ever, wtll know fo much of this inhumane negligence, as to abhor 1t. 543 ~· I· Direct. r. Vnd<rj!Jnd ·•.td lammt the corrupted •ndmijiTJblejlate ofy>ur Children, w!Jich thty Dire[l. r. have dtrived from-you : and thanJt(ully accep1.•th_e offers of a Saviour for your felvt! and ~hem, a~d ~b~ ~~:~~1~3~:elt. foluttly rejign, aHd dedic:zte tbtmito GgJ in Chrijf rn tbe facrcd CovenaHt, and (olrmnrze thzs Dedzcauon B ·r tmd o,venant by tbdr Bapti{m: And to this eid underjl.zud tbe· conzmand o{Gadfor rntringyottr ChUdren ;tpn m. folcmnly into Covena'!t with him, and the Copenoznt-mercits btlonging to them tiJereupon. Ram. 5· J 2, I 6, l:Z.,A· Ephef.2·ld• Gen; l7•4,13, ·14· Deut. 2,9.ro, 11,12• Rom.!l•IJ,20. Joh·3·3·5· Mat. I9· I3 1 14. · . You c:mnot tinccrely dtdic.:~te your [tlves to God, but you mu(\: dedicate ro him all that is youu, and in your power: and thtrefore your Children as far as they arc in yo1:1r powh : And as N1rure h,ath uu~hc you your Power and'your duty to enter them i.n their infancy into any Coveoint wich nnn, which is certainlyfor their good (and jf they refufc the conditions when they come to age they forfeit the bCnttlc ) fo H.Jture teachrth you much more: to oblige them to God for their far grcarer good, in cafe he will admit them Into Covenant with him ': And .that ht witlt~dmit thtm into bi.t Covenant, (and du.r you ottght to enter , thtm into it) is pafl: doubt, in the .evidence which the Scriplure giveth us, that from Abr.ham1 time till Chrill it was fo with all the Children of his· p1'bplc: N•l' no man cm proye thu before ,&brabam1 Time or lincc God had eyer a Church on Eorrh, of which the Infa~rs of his fervants (if they had any) wore nor members dedicated in Co· venanr to God, rill of la-te times that a few began to fcruple the lawfulnefs of this. A~ !r: is a cam.. fort to you, jf lh<Killg would bdlowupon your Infant·Cbildrtn, (who were tainted by their fa. thers ueafon) nor only a full difc.harge fron'i the blot of that offence, but alfo the titles ahd efhres of Lords, though they unde"rll.md none of this till they come to age; fo is it much ·more matter of comfort to you, on thtir b'ehilf, that God.in Chtill will pardon their Original ftn, and rake them . is his Childrrn, and give du:rn tide to everhtliug lifl.':; which are the mercies of his Covenant. . . §. 2• Dinct. 2. At {oo/4 aJ they tJrt capable, teach them wiJ.Jt a Covtn.mt they art in, and wb.lt are Dirt[l. 2. the benefits a,.d wh..1ttbe conditicm, t!J.:t tbeir foul! m.1y gl;dly confcnt to it when tluy underji.md it; ~nd you ~.~y bring them fcrioujly to renew·thcir Covtnant witiJ God i.-1 thtir ob1n ptr[.H1I· Bur the whole order of 'teJcbin~ both Childrrn and Servanu, llhlll give you after by ir fclf; and therefore !hall here pafs by all that, cxc< pc that which is tq be done more by your familiar convCJfc, rhan by morr:: folLmn tcachifJg. §. 3· ·Din:Gt. 3; '1!~in them up in e."(:J{f obcditnct IIJ your {tl1.1u; t~nd bre.zl(_ tbtm of thtir own DittO. )• will!. To that e~d,~u~c:r them nor to carry thetf)fdves unrc:verently or conternptuoully towards you·\ but to keep lhetr dtfbnce. For too mucH F11mili.zrity breedeth conrempr, and t:mboldeneth to difO~ bcdicnce. The common courfc: of P.uents is to plea{t thdr Children fo long, by letting chern have what they crave, and what they wiV, till thc.ir rriU1 are fa ufcd eo be fulfiU(d, that thc:y cannot endure ro havr:: themdcn;·rd; and fo CJn_ c:ndure no G'o:>vcrnment, becJUfe they endure no crolliog of their ti·i/!1. .To beOb~d!ent is to renounce their own r':'iUr anO be ruled bf their Parents or Goven_1ours W>iUr: To ufe them therefore to have their own wiUt) is to teach them diiohediencr; and harden and ufe them to. a kind of- impoffibility of obeJ•ing. Ttll them oft f.miliarly and lovingly of the excd!Cricy of.obcdtence, a~d how It pleafc:th God, and what need they h1ve of Government, and how untie ' they arc ro goVern thcm'fdvcs; and how danguous iris to Children to have their own wi"lls: fpeak .of;cn wirh great difgracc of fdfwJl!edncfJ, and HubbornndS, and reil others in tlllir hearing what ha 1 h bcLin[cif- wi u, d Ch) Idrcn. ·' §. 4· Dm:d. 4· Mak.f tlmn .ncitkr to~ b.. /d witb yt~v., nor too flr:mge or fearful: and ;.overn them Vitrt1- .f• no ar f..r'l;':tnts, 1 but as Children, ma~ing tlum .pqcti1Jt th:Jt you di:Jrly love them, 4 nd th:zt aU y(}~r tornm.nd.J, reJ~-r.lints and corrtfriont art for their g11od, and not murly becau[e JI'U wiU have it fr. They_mull be ruled as Rati~naiCreaturc!~ thu Love themfdves, and thufe [hat Love them: If rhey perCLIVC that you_de~rly lo~e them; th(y Will ~bey you the more wiDingly, and the eafilier be brought. to ~t per.t of t.he1r difubed1cm:e, and .tbey will as wc}l ob_ey you in heart as in outward actions, aud beh~r.d )DUI back •• before your fa<e: And the Love of yo" .C which mutt be <-•ufed by yout Lovt A••• U
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