'366 . CAVEAT AGAINST INFIDELITT and strive, and fight and wrestle against all oppositions, and per- severe to the end. III. " Be solicitous to adorn the doctrine of God, your Sa- aiour, with a life of such piety and goodness, as may render your faith illustrious and amiable to the world, even to atheists and infidels." There is something in sublime virtue and pure reli- gion, that strikes the eyes of men with a sacred light, and com- mands the veneration of the soul, and that sometimes in opposi- tion to their own principles of sin and darkness, Disbelievers of the gospel, may first be won over to a good esteem of our re- ligion, by theholy and heavenly behaviour of those who believe ; and at last, they may be drawn to the knowledge and faith of what once they despised. The apostle Peter recommends this way of arguing to the pions women of his time ; 1 Pet. iii. 1. and some of them perhaps were not able to dispute much for the truth. And divine lifehas powerful argument in it ; it is a light that not only shines but burns. And on the other hand, set a severe guard on yourself, that by your unholy conduct and vicious indul- gencies, you never give occasion to, the deist to blaspheme, and to estrange his heart farther from the gospel. What a dreadful thingwould it be, if at the bar of Christ an infidel, a condemned infidel, in all the anguish and furyof despair should stand up and tell me, " It was your unchristian and unholy life tempted me first to think' there was nothing in christianity ; your crimes made me an aptstate from the faith, and it is by your sins that I perish for ever. " IV. If youhave any solicitude for the honour and preser- vationof the gospel in the world, ifyou haveany tender concern for the souls of posterity, and the eternal happiness of the rising age, " use your utmost endeavours to plant the seeds of chris- tianity in children, and to propagate the faith of Christ to the next generation." See that they learn to understand the prin- ciples of the Christian religion betimes, and that they be not con- tented withwords and syllables,and repeating terms and phrases. by heart. Terms and phrases without understanding, will he but a poor defence against infidelity. Teach them themeaning of every thing in the catechisms which they treasure up in their memory, and let them know what it is they are taught to speak . and believe. Lead them also into the reasons of their belief of the gospel : Give them some argument§ why they areChristians ;, furnish their minds with something to say in vindication of the re- ligion they profess, that they be not baffled and beat out of it by every witty jest, or every cunning cavil of the adversary. But I forbear to enlargehere, because I shall speak more on this bead in the next section. Ingeneral, remember that the gospel is,eu- trusted with you for the next generation, and if they lose it and perish throughyour neglect, the blood oftheir souls may be dread- fully required at your hands
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