302 DIRECTIONS FOR GETTING AND KEEPING give ourselves up to Christ. We seldom yield to the first convic- tion or persuasion. The flesh hath usually toa long time given it to plead its own cause, and to say to the soul, ' Wilt thou forsake all thy pleasure, and merry company, and courses? Wilt thou beggar thyself? or make thyself a scorn, or mocking-stock to the world ? Art thou ever able to hold out in so strict a course ? and to be undone ? and to forsake all, and lay down thy life for Christ? Is it not better to venture thyself in the same way as thou hast gone in, as well as others do, and so many of thy forefathers have done before thee ?' Under such sinful deliberations as these we usually continue long before we fully resolve,; and many demurs and delays we make before we conclude. to take Christ on the terms that he is offered tous. Now, I make no doubt but most or manyChristians can remember how and when God stirred their consciences, and wakened them from their security, and made them look about them, and roused them out of their natural leth- argy. Some can tell what sermon first did it; others can remem- ber by what degrees and. steps God was doing it long. The ordi- nary way appointed by God for, the doing of it first, is the instruc- tion of parents. And (as I have more fully manifested in my Book of Infant Baptism), if parents would do their duties, they would find that the word publicly preached was not appointed to be the first ordinary means of conversion and sanctification; but commonly, grace would be received in chilhood; I speak not of baptismal relative grace, consisting in the pardon of original sin, nor yet any infusion of habits before they have the use of reason, (because I suppose it is hid from us what God Both in that,) but I speak of actual conversion; and I prove that this should be the first ordinary way and time of conversion to the children of true Christians, because it is the first means that God hath appointed to be usedwith them ; Dem. vi. 6--8. Eph. vi.' 4. Parents are commanded to teach their children the law of God urgently at home, and as they walk abroad, lying,down and rising up; and to bring them up in the admonition and nurture of the Lord, and to ' train up achild in the way he should go, and when they are old they will not depart from it ; " Prov. xxii. 6. And children are commanded to " remember their Creator in the days of their youth ;" Eccles. xii. 1. And if this be God'sfirst great means, then doubtless he will ordinarilybless his'own means here, as well as in the preaching of theword. From all this Iwould have you learn this lesson,.That you ought not trouble yourself with fears and doubts, lest you are not truly regenerate, because you know not the sermon, or the very time and manner of your conversion ; butfind that you have grace, and then, though you know not just the time and manner of your re
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