C!Jildrens duty to Parmts. that love not thewor~ and way of God, arid love not to be taught or refiraincd from their own li– centious comfes. 9· 7· DirtCl· 7• Patiently fobmit to the corrraion wfrzch your Partntsl.2y upon you. Confider, that Direll. 1~ God harh commmded (hem to do it, and that eo fave your fouls from Hell; and rhat theyhate you if rhey correCt you not when there is ca.ufe, and that they mufi not fpare for your crying, Prov.I3·24· 6... 22· 15· & 29. 1 5· & 23· 13, I4· & 19. r~L It is not their delight i but for your own nccdli.cy. Avoid the fault, and you may c:fcape the correCtion. How much rather had your Parents fee you obedknr) than hear you cry. It is not Ior.g of them, bur cf your fdves that you are correth:d. B:: angry with your ftlves, and not with thtm. lr is a wicked child that infiead of IS'eing better by cornCtion, will hate his Parents for it, and fo grow worfe. CorrLd:ion is a means of Gods own ap 4 · poin~mcnr) and therefore go to God on your knees in prayer, and intreat him to blcfs aud fanCbfie it to you, that i1 mJ.y do you good. §. 8. Dil(C.'t. 8. Choofe 1111t y,•ftr own comp.my, but ufe [uch company as byyour Parents it appointed Dire{i. 8. you. B..1d comp1ny is rhe tirfi undoing ot a Child. When for the love of fport you choofefuch .,play-fellows, as are idle, and licemio_us, and difobedient, and will ~ca~h you to ~urfe,_and fwear, and lie, ~nd talk filthily, and draw you from your Book or duty, this ts the Devils H1gh~way to Hell. Your Pa"rems art tiudt to choofe your company. ~ 9· Dircd-. 9· Choofe not your own CaUing or Trade oflife without the choice or con{ent 4" your P.f~ DjrelJ, 9• rcnt1o You nuy tell them what you are mofi inclined to, but i~ belongeth more to them than to you to make tl.c choice : And it is your plit tobring your wills to theirs. Unlefs your Parents choofe a.Calling for you th.r is ~.lawful: and then you may (with humble fubmillivenefs) rcfufe it. But ·if it be: only inconvenimt, you have lib!rty afterward to change it for a beaer, if you C4n, when you are from under their difpofe and govcrnrnc:nt. §. 10. DirLC!. 10· Marry not wi:l~otttyomP.:renrsccnfont: Nay, if it may be, let'their choice de. DireQ. 10. tcrmine fid\ ot the perfon, and not your own; Unexperienced youth doth choofe by fancy and pafli. on, who1 your cxpnienced Parents will choofe by judgemenr. But if thty would force you w joyn your fi:lvcs ro [uch as are ungodly, and like to make your lives cirher finful or miferablc, you may humbly rLfu[c thc:m. But you muf\ remain unmarried, while by rhe ufe of right means you can live in chaltiry, 1ill your Parents are in a better mind. -Butifinde.ed yc:>u have; a fiJ.t nccdlityofmnrying, and your Pdftnrs wdl confcnt to none but One of a falfe Religion, or one that is utterly unfit for you, in fucha cJ.ti:: they forfeit th..ir authority in t~at point, which is given them for your edification, and not tor your dcHrudion; And then you Chould advife, with other friends that are more wife and faithtul : But if you fuffer your fond alfeC'tions to contradi6t your P.uents wills, and pretend a necdlity ( that you cannot change your affed-ions ) as if your folly were uncurable, this is but to enter finfully irlto that £\ate of !if<, which lhould hove been f•nctified to God,.tha~ he might have bleU it to you. ' · · . ~· u. Dirc::Ct. II· If your Parents he inw~nt, itil your dutyto ielitve them according to y~u·r abili~ Dirttl. 11• ry: yea, and whoUy to maintain 1hem if there be need. t"or it is not pofflble by all that you can do, that ever you can be on even terms with them; or even requite them for what you have r_eceived of. t~cm. lt is bafe inhuman icy when Parents come to poverty ; for children tQ put them offwith fome fhort; allowance; and to make them Jive almoft like their fervants, when' you have riches and plenty for your felves. Your Parents lhould ftill be maintained by you as your fuperiours, and not as your infc~ riours. Sec that they fare as well as your felvcs; yea,_ though you go,t not your riches by the..ir means, yet evc::n for your being you are their debwrs for more than that. ~· 12· DiteCt:. 12· Imitate your Parentr in all that Hgood, both whm they are Jiv~ng, and when they DirtlJ• 12• al't dead. If they were lovers ofGod, and of his word and fervice, and of thofe that fear him, let their example provoke y0u , and let the 1ovc tbar you have to them engage you in this imitation. A wicked child of gediy Partnts i1 one nf tbt mcfl miferab/e wretches in the world. With wAat horror d() I l0ok on fuch a p~r(On ~ How near is fuch a wretch to H:!ll? When FJ.ther or Mother were eminent for Godlinefs, and daily inliruChd them in the matters of their falvation, and prayed with them, 3nd warned them, an~d prayed for them, and after all this the children {hall prove covetous, or drunkards, or whoremongers, or prophane, and enemies to the fcrvants ofGod, and deride or negkd- the way of their rdigious Parents, it would make one tremble to look fuch wretches in the face. For though yet there is fomc: hope of them, alas, it is fo little, that t~cy are next to defpera·te; when they are hardne"d under the mpf\excellent means, and the lii>h' hath blindc.:d them, and their acqltaintanct. wirh the wayt:s ofGod hath but turned their hearts more agair.fi thc:m,what means is left to do good ro fuch refillers of the grace of God as th<fe > The likdidl is fame heavy dreadful judgement: 0 what a woful day \\ill ir be ro them, when all the prayers) and tears, and teachings, and gqod examples of their religious PJnnrs01.,11 witncfs again!\ them? How will they be Confounded before the Lord·! And how fad a thought is it to the heart of holy diligent Pnencs, to think that a11 their prayers and pains muft witmfs ag.linl\ 1htir gracelefs children, and fink them deeper into Hell? And y!tt alas, >how many Tuch wotul fp~Cbclts are there before: our eyes? and how deeply doth the Chllrc)l of God fuff;;;r _by the malice: and wicktdnt'fs of the children of thofe Parents that caught them better,; alld walked brforc them in a holy c:x~rnplary life? Buc if Parents be ignorant, fuperfiitious, idolatrous J><lpifh or prophane, their children are ti.1rward enough tO imitate. them. T hc:n they can fJ.y, Op~ frrre [111hcrs n·err of this mind; and we h pe they are faved, 41td we will rather imitate tbcm, tban Jucb imwvatinCrtfr,.mcrJ aJyou: As they raid t.lJeremy, ( ChaP·44· t6, I7,I8.) Asfor the word tb.Jt t4. u haft [pA:..w tum in the Jlame of tht Lord, wt wiU not hear~n ta thee : But we wiU--burn in· Bbbb cen(<
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