544 Special 'DireRiops far t/Je Education of Childrm. --------------------- ~----------- to them ) mull be one of the chiefcfi: means to bring them to the Love of all that g11od which yo 11 cornR"Iend to them: and fo to form their rri.UJ fincen ly to the will _of God, and mJke rhem holy. For if you are too fira~ge to them and too terrible~ thty will fear you only, and not much love you: And th~n they_wtll lo~e no Books, no praClict_s~ that you ..:ornmend to them.~ But like hypo.. crites thty wtll fctk to plca{c }'DU to your face, and care not whJt they are in fecn:rand bthind your backs: Nay· it will tempt r~cm .to ~l_?ath you\ go,vernrntnt, and all that gnod which you per.. fwadc them.to~ and make. them. hke buds m a ~age; Jflat watch for an opporrt~nity ro get away and get theu hbcrty. Tney wtll be the more m the compo~ny of fervants and idle Children, be.. cau{c: your terrour and fhangemfs makcth rh_em ra.~e n,o c;Jtlight in yo~ry. Andftar will make them tyars, as oft as a lye fcemcrh necdfJr' tO' theu efc::rpe. Parmts that fhew much love to their Chil– dren, tn<~y fafdy fh\w f.. verity when they commit a faulr. Fo~ then they will fee that it is their faulr only that difplc:~feth you, and t'IOt their perfons; and your Love reconcile1h them to you when they are con cCh d : Whenhfi con·cllion from PJrents that are allvoy Orange or angry, and Alew no tendu love to their Children, will alienate them, and do no good. Too much boldmfs of Children leaderh thtm betore you arc aware, to Conttmpt 0f Pirdtas and all difobcdiem:e: And too much f rar a,nd )fr., grncfi depriveth them of mofl:of the benefits of your care aud government: But ten– der hvt, with i..vlrhy only when they do amifS, ~nd thh at a reverend -cOnvenienf'difiance, is the only w.av10 do them gooo. · ·• .;·. Direll· 5· 9· ?· Di•<cr. 5· Lab.ur "'"'" t~ prffcji ,-tbtir bearit >rilll'tbe Ftar rif Gcd, and a revmnct cf tht bo!y 1Jt·t1pt1trCJ : ur.d •hen n·h.:11{ocve.r dHt) ) 1'U command them, qr wh~rttver fin you· f orbid tbem,jhew thfm J me pl.li11 and urgrnt 1 rxts of Script~~e for i't' : a~d c~ufe tbim lo lear~t the"! and oft rtpt.Jt them; that fu tbcy m"y ji11d reajon and Dnnne attthorzty tn Y""" comrnand_s: Tlil thetr obLdtence be– gin to be R.,;tionai .>nd Divini, it will ·b:.: but form.t.l ana hypocritical : ·Jr is Confcience that muft watch them in priv..ttc, v. hen you f~:e thtm nor: And Confcienct: is GodJ njji'cer and not yours ; and will fay nothinv, to thtm, till it (peak in the namt of God. This is the w1y to bring the Heart it fclf into fubjdtion; and alfo ro n:concde them to all your commands, when they fee that they are firll: the commands of God: ( o[ which rnnre anon ). - Dird/. 6. ~· 6. Dincr-:6·, In allY'"" !faeh cf God and nf Jtfus Cbrift, and of the Holy Scripture, or the lift to come, or of any holy dui,.Y. JPr.ak., alrv~its with g~a~ity, fe r_io.tjnc{s and revercnc~, .as oftbt mojl grr:tJi and dreadful and mojt fMrrd tbtHgs: tor bctore Ch1ldren come to have any d!{ltnCl undtrfiand ing of p.arricul.lrs, it is :a hopetul beginning to ban thdr hearts poJfefi with a general n vtn.nce and high efietnl ~f holy maner.s: For .t.lia_r;will continually awe their Cjlqfciences, and hdp ~heir judge– ments, and itttle [hem ~g:tml\ prtJUdlce and proph ne contemprf'"and be as a feed of hoJinefs in thtm. For tbe fta,.fGod ii the beginning of ...ijd,m,' Pfal. Ill· 10• Prov. ~· ro. & r. 7· And the very manner of the P.tu:nts Jpee•h and carr1age, t:xprcffing great reverence tQ the thing's of God, hath a vny great power to leave the like irnprdlion on a Child: Mofi Childun of GOdly P.1u nts that cvc:r came to good, I am p~:rfwaded can tdl you this by experience, (if their Parer~t~ did rhcir duty in this point; ) that rh·e tirfl: good that tvt'r they felt upou their hearts, W3S a reverence to holy rhings, which the fpeech 3nd cJniage of thc:ir Parents uught them. Dire<1· 1· 9· 7• Diflct. 7• Speak. aL'rr" )" bcf re thrm o>i:b g•W hcnour atf(J praife of H•ly Minijlers and lfJ.. }· 7• R,9, people, and with difpraife and. loazh;~tg of £Vrry fin and cf Ul1f.t:dly men. FQr this alfi.> is a thing that Nal. H. 4~ '· Children will quickly and_ eauly recllve frot~ tbd~ Parents ; Bl.'fore th~y ~1n undcrfi~nd put~cular PI:~'. iol. dcCb incs, they can learn m g;cneral what k1n 1 ot pe,fcms Jre moll happy or mnft mifenble ; and P!~.to.:t,j:)4· thty are very apt to receive fuch a likirg or d .fl king from their P ..~renrs , judg~ tr.ent, whiCh h.trh a grtar ham~ in all the following good 01·Lvi! of thdr liv1..s. It Y')U polf~tS th;;-m with good and ho– nourable thdughts, of them that fLar God, tht y will c.ver aftc:r be rnc\imd to think WL·Il of rhc:m, and to diflikc thofe that fpcak cv;l of thtm, and to hcJ.rfuch Pre-achers, and to wi(h themfdve~ fuch Chrifiians: fo that in 1hi1 and the fore;.ui,·g pJim, ic is that th~ rirlt Hirrings o( btlfC in Chil· dren are ordinanly felt. A1d thertfore on the 1;t1:er lide, it is a moll: pernicious 1hirlg 10 Cilil9ren, when they hear their P.1rcnts fp..:ak conHmptum·fly or lightly of holy thinlo)Sand pn!ons, and irre– verently talk of God and Scripture. aud the hte to comt:, or fp~•k d!!prnli'lgly or fC1)111fully of Godly Mi.uiflcrs, or people, or make a jcail of the pHcicu!ar dudes of ·a r ligi.)us life : Thtf.: Chil~ drtn ar.. like to r,.-cdve rhac prejudice or prophane contempt inw their heart' b..rimes, whi.:!t 1my bolt the doorsagaiRfi tht love of God and holint:h, and m.~ke tht:tr fJlvarinn a work of much greater difficulty, and much fmaller hope. And therefore fiill I fay, that wicked Parents arc the: moll no-– table fcrvants of the D1.vil in o~.ll the world, and the bloodicfi emmirs eo their Childrens f)uls: More fouls are damned by ungodly Partnts ( .1nd ncx1 them byungodly Minittr.rs and M·giHrates) than by any inf\n1mtnts in the:: world bdidts. And hence ir is alfo that whole Narivns :lfe fo gene– rally carrycd away with c:nmity <~g~infi the: waycs of God : Tht: 1-l!:athr.:n NHions againH the crue God, and the lnhdtl NJcions agJ.inll Chrilt, and the Papifi NJtions againfi RefOrmation and fpiritu3.l \.Yorlhipptrs: B:.caufe the Parems fpeak evil ro the Children of all that they themfelvcs d!ll1rit; and fo poffefs thtm w)rh the fame diJ}ke from generation to gmcration. 1:Yue to them that eaU evil gt1od, aild good evil, that put d.,,~<_ncji for light and light for darlzne}J, tbat put bitter for frvctt, and frmt fi r ~ltff;l~.5·20· . . . Diretl. S. ~· 8. Diretl:. 8. Let it be thr principal pari (}f your care ~nd labour in aU thetr ~ducJtzo;r to n;z_.zk.! H11li 11 c{s appear to them themnjl NcccjJ.Jry, Honourable, gainful, pletJ[,mt dtlightful amtiJble jf..Jte of life ; pnd lo k,_up tbem from apprehending it eitbtr ar netdlefs, difoonllurablt, bm·tf«l 'Or ~ncom(ortable. Elpecially draw them to the Laveof it, by reprcf,ntiog it as lovely. And therefore begm w11h that wh.ich
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