Cbildrens duty towards God. --------------------------- I>irtt1· ,. Dire8. z, ~t11[t to ~b.e ~ttlt 9[ Hrave?---aswe h.zve done, we and our FtJthfrJ, our Kir.gs andour Princtt '"the CttteJ ofJudah, and tn the Struts "fJerufalem: for then 'IJit had plenty ofvi?Jual 1, and rrere welJ and Jaw no evil: But fi!f.Ct we lt[t '1f to hHrn i,zcen[t 'lo the fi(_Kttn of Heavtn,--we ha~e r.v.Jnttd aU thingJ, and bJvt 1Htn cRn[um_r,d by the [word and famjm. Thus thty walk._ after the ima 7 in:ttion of tluir hearu, emd lljttr Baahm (.the fall(: ~01ihip ~ A'hich their Fathers taught them. Jer. 9 . 14 • .And theyf~rgtt GodJ n~me as thur Fathers dui [or~et1t, Jer. 23· 27· They arzd thl'ir FatherI have tranj– grtjfrd to thu day, 'Euk. 2. 3· Yea, they harden •thezr ncckr and do rvorfc th.m their FatblrJ }tr. 7 . 2~ Thus ifl error a~d fin they.can .imitate their fore-fathers, when they thouId rather reme~bq, 1 Ftt: I· I 8, 19· that H cart Chnll: h1s blood to :cdecm men from their vain conver{:ltion rtceived by tr 4 dition from tbrir Fathrrs. . And they !h?uld penitently confefs, as Dm. 9· .8. 0 Lord taus belongtth confu~ firm of faa, t 1 our Kwg1, to or~r Prmcu, and to oJtr F.Jtlurs, becaufe we have finned. againjC thte. v. t6• . And as Pfal. tc6. 6. fVe bavc finned. witb our FPthcff, &c. S1ith God, Jer. 1(),. I I, 12, 13. BtboJd. yotcr FatbtrJ h.1ve f orfak,pt me--and b.tve mt k._ept my Law: and ye have done worfe than y11ur Fa– thers: tlurtf•rt I JviU cajl you out, &c. Jer. 43· 9· Have ye forgottm the wic~€dntfs of your Fathtrs and the wit:l<_ednr{s of the Kings of Judo~.h, cSnd yvur own wicJtedmfi ? they are not humbled evtn unto tbi; elay, v. 2 I. Ztch. I· 4· Bt not as yr1ur FatberJ, fo whom tbe former Propbets have crytd, faJ'ing, 1urn ye now from your evil .wayes,. but they did not hear. Mal. 3· 7· Even from the dayes (Jf yoztr .FathtrJye are gone .Jw.ty from mn.t OrdJ.nancu, and have not k,..tpt them : Return unto me, and I will return Hnt!l J"'· Ezck. zo. 18. Wal~ ye not in the Statntts ofyour Fathm. So v. 27. 30, 36. follow not your 1-'athers in their fin and error, but folio~ them where they follow Chrifi, 1 Cor. 11. I· CHAP. X!I. 'nefpecial .Duties of Children a11d Youtb towards God. 'TI'Iou~h I 1'ul your dutf to your Parents firll , becaufe it is firlllearned, yet your Vuty ri God immcdifiely is your greatdland moll neceffary duty : Learn thefe following Precepts ' well. · 9· f· Difed-. I· Learn to HHderftand the Covenant and VoJV wbicff in yuur B.1pti[m Yf'"' madt n;itb Gad tbt F<~ther,tiJe So11, cSltdthe Holy(Jhqft, JDUrCrtator, ReJeemerandRrgtntrattr: and wbl'nyoH R'tUundtrlf.1m/.. .it, renew tbed CoVt~tanl with God in JOUr own perfons , and ab{obmly deliver 1tp your folvu toGrul, as your' C~;t~ttor, Redeemer ~nd Sanaifier, your Owner, your Ruler, and J?ltr Father and ftliciry. B.tptifm is not an idle Ceremony, but the folemn entring into Covenant with God, in which you receive the greatcll: mercks, lnd bind your (elves to the grcatefi: duries : It iS hue the entring into that way which you mufl walk in all your live!, and a vowing that to God which you rnu(l: be llill performing. And though your Parents had authority to promife for you, it is you that mufi per~ form it; for it was you that thfy obliged: If you ask by what authority they obliged you in Cove– nant to God, I anfw~r, by the authOrity which GQd had given them ,in Nature and in Sctipture; as rhey Gblige you to ·bt: Subjects of the King, or as thc:y enter your names into any Covenant, by leate or Qthe.r contraCt which is for your benctit : And they do it for your good, that you may have part in the 'bldlings of the Owenant: And if you grudge at' it, and refufe your own confent when you.come to age, you lofc the: benefits. If you think thty did you wrong, you may be out of Covenant when you will, if yru will renounce the Kingdom of Heaven. But it is much wifer to be .thankful to God that your Parents were the means of fo gre:u a bleffing to you, and to do that agam more ex 6 pnOy by your f<lvcs which they did for you; and opeoly with thankfulntfi to own the Covenant in WhiCh you are engaged; and live in the perfurmance and in the comfort/ of it all your dayes. ~· 2· Direel: 2· Remtmber that yott are tntring into tht way to iverJ"jfing Jife~ an~ not into a pl.1ct of happintjJ or c9nJimtanct: Prtfently tberrfore {et yQurhtartJon Heavrn, and m~J,.e 11 the tlefign of a!l J<JHr livrs, , 0 liue in Heavtn with Cbrift f or ever. 0 happy you, if God becimcs will throughly teach you, to know what it is that mufi make you happy ; and if at your firtt fttting our, your End be right, and your faces be tleavenward! Remember t.hat as foon as you begin to Jive, you are hafting toward the end of your lives: Even as a Candle as foon as it beginneth to burn, and the Hour– gl:~fs as foon as it is turned, is wailing, and hailing to _its end: So as lOon as you begin to live, y~ur l~ves arc in a Confumption, and pofiiilg towards your final hour. Ai a runner ~s foon as .he begtn– ncth l1is race is hafiing to the end of it; fo are your lives even in your youngefi t1me. It JS anorha kind of life that you riiufi Jive for ever,than this trifling pitiful Adhly life : Prepare thertfore fpeedily for that which God fem you hither to pre'pare for. 0 happy you, if you begin berime, and goon wirh cheerful rcfolution to rhe end ! Jt i·s bldT.:d wifdom to be wife bctirnc, and to know the worth of Time in childhood, before any of it be wafted and lofi upon the fookries of the world. Then you may grow wife indeed, 2nd be treafuring up unde~flanding, and growing up in. fweet acquaintance 'with rhe Lord, when others are going backwards, and daily making work, for fad repentarv::e_or bn•l
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