SECTION II. 205 'Winn. The command of Moses the divine lawgiver, the pro- verbs of Solomon, the wisest of men, and the sacred epistlesof St. Paul, the greatest of the apostles, all concur, and repeat this advice, To teach the words of God to children diligently, tu train up children in the way they should go, and toeducate their in the nurture and admonition of the true religion. See Deut. vi. 6, 7. Prov. xxii. 6. Eph. vi. 4. And surely, if parents had but that just share of tenderness and affection for their young sons and their daughters, that nature requires, or that scripture enjoins, if they did but look upon them as little parts of them- selves, they could. not, forbear to acquaint themwith the things that belong to their everlasting welfare. I might add this also as a final consideration, That if parents take no care to inform their children of the duty they owe to God, they will quickly find that children will pay very little duty to their parents ; and they will read their own crime of shameful negli- gence toward Gòd, in the rebellion of their offspring against themselves. SECT. 1I. Of instructing "Children, partly by Reason, and partly by the Authority of the Parent. But I would suppose parents are convinced of their duty to their children in this respect, though some doubts may remain whether they should begin this work of instruction from their very infancy. Now I know no reason why thisblessing should be withheld from children when they are firstcapable of receiv- ing it. As soon as the young creatures begin to make it appear that they have understandings, and have learned the use of words, they may lay out the early exercises of reason in the things of religion: Children of ordinary capacity, at three years old, or a little more, may be taught to know that the heavens and the earth, and the birds, and the beasts, and the trees, and men and women, did not make themselves ; but that there is some AlmightyBeing that made them all, though they cannot see him with their eyes : And they may be instructed in a way of easy reasoning in some of the most evident and most necessary duties which they owe to the great God, whom they see not, almost as soon as they are taught the duties of love and obedi- ence to their parents whomthey see daily. By little and little they may be informed and made to see that theyare sinful crea- tures, that they have offended the great God that made them, that they cannot save themselves from his anger ; and thus they may be led to some acquaintance with Jesus Christ the only Saviour. It is certain that we ought to teach children and ignorant persons the knowledge of religion in a rational way, as far as they are capable of receiving it ; though I confess it is not au
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