profaneness have over-run all, and the world be ripe for its final ruin: juft as it was before the destruction of the old world, when the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and all flesh had corrupted their way, then the flood came, and fwept them all away.

2. The confequences of this neglect will likewife be very dismal to ourselves. We fhall first of all others feel the inconvenience, as we had the greatest fhare in the guilt of it. We can have no manner of fecurity of the duty and fidelity of those of our family to us, if they have no fenfe of religion, no fear of God before their eyes. If we have taken no care to inftruct them in their duty to God, it is no ways probable that they will make confcience of their duty to us.

It'

So that we shall have the first ill confequences of their mifcarriage, befides the shame and forrow of it: and not only fo, but all the evil they commit ever after, will be in a great measure chargeable upon us, and will be put upon our score in the judgment of the great day. ought to make us tremble, to think with what bitterness and rage our children and fervants will then fly in our faces, for having been the cause of their eternal ruin, for want of due care on our part to prevent it. In that day, next to God and our own confciences, our most terrible accufers will be thofe of our own house, nay those that come out of our own bowels, and were not only part of our family, but even of ourselves. this also I fhall have a proper occafion to profecute more fully in the following difcourfes concerning the education of children, to which I refer it.

But

Upon all thefe confiderations, and many more that might be urged upon us, we should take up the pious refolution of Jofhua here in the text, that we and OUR HOUSES will ferve the Lord; and that, through God's grace, we will do all that in us lies, by our future care and diligence, to repair our former neglects in this kind.

I fhall only add this one confideration more to all that I have already mentioned. If children were carefully educated, and families regularly and religiously ordered, what a happy and delightful place, what a paradife would this world be, in comparison of what now it is?

I

I befeech you therefore, brethren, that these things which I have with fo much plainness and faithfulness laid before you, may fink into your hearts before it be too late, and whilft the thing may be remedied; that you may not for ever lament this neglect, and repent of it, when the thing will be paft remedy, and there will be no place for repentance. But I hope better things of you, brethren, and things. that accompany Salvation, though I thus fpeak.

SERMON

LI.

Of the education of children.

PRO V. xxii. 6.

Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

I

The first fermon on this text.

Have on purpose chofen this text for the fubject of a preparatory difcourfe, in order to the reviving of that fo fhamefully neglected, and yet most useful and neceffary duty of catechizing children and young perfons: but I fhall extend it to the confideration of the education of children in general, as a matter of the greatest confequence, both to religion and the publick welfare.

For we who are the minifters of God, ought not only to inftruct those who are committed to our charge in the common duties of Christianity, fuch as belong to all Chriftians; but likewife in all the particular duties which the feveral relations in which they ftand to one another do refpectively require and call for from them.

And amongst all thefe, I know none that is of greater concernment to religion, and to the good order of the world, than the careful education of children. And there is hardly any thing that is more difficult, and which re

quires a more prudent, and diligent, and conftant application of our beft care and endeavour.

It is a known faying of Melancthon, that there are three things which are extremely difficult, parturire, docere, regere: "to bear and bring forth children, to "inftruct and bring them up to be men, and to go

vern them when they arrive at man's eftate." The inftruction and good education of children is none of the leaft difficult of thefe. For to do it to the best advantage, does not only require great fagacity to discern their particular difpofition and temper, but great difcretion to deal with them and manage them, and likewife continual care and diligent attendance to form them by degrees to religion and virtue.

It requires great wisdom and industry to advance a confiderable estate; much art, and contrivance, and pains, to raise a great and regular building: but the greatest and noblest work in the world, and an effect of the greateft prudence and care, is, to rear and build up a man, and to form and fashion him to piety and justice, and temperance, and all kind of honest and worthy actions. Now, the foundations of this great work are to be carefully laid in the tender years of children, that it may rife and grow up with them; according to the advice of the wife man here in the text, Train up a child in the way he fhould go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

In which words are contained these two things.

1. The duty of parents, and instructors of children: Train up a child, &c. By childhood here, I understand the age of perfons from their birth; but more efpecially from their firft capacity of inftruction, till they arrive at the state and age which next fucceeds.childhood, and which we call youth; and which is the proper season for confirmation. For when children have been well catechized and instructed in religion, then is the fittest time for them to take upon themfelves, and in their own perfons, to confirm that folemn vow, which by their fureties they made at their baptifm.

Train up a child in the way he should go; that is, in the courfe of life that he ought to lead; inftruct him carefully in the knowledge and practice of his whole duty

to

to God and men, which he ought to observe and perform all the days of his life.

2. Here is the confequent fruit and benefit of good education: And when he is old, he will not depart from it. This we are to understand according to the moral probability of things: not as if this happy effect did always and infallibly follow upon the good education of a child; but that this very frequently is, and may probably be prefumed and hoped to be the fruit and effect of a pious and prudent education. Solomon means, that from the very nature of the thing, this is the most hopeful and likely way to train up a child to be a good man. For, as Ariftotle truly obferves, moral fayings and proverbial speeches are to be understood only ì To To; that is, to be ufually and for the most part true. And though there may be feveral exceptions made, and inftances given to the contrary; yet this doth not infringe the general truth of them. But if in frequent and common experience they be found true, this is all the truth that is expected in them, because it is all that was intended by them.

And of this nature is this aphorifm or proverb of Solomon in the text; and fo likewife are most of the wife fayings of this book of the Proverbs, as alfo of Ecclefiaftes. And we do greatly mistake the defign and meaning of them, whenever we go about to exact them to a more strict and rigorous truth, and shall upon due confideration find it impoffible to bring them to it.

So that the true meaning of the text may be fully comprised in the following propofition :

That the careful, and prudent, and religious education of children hath for the most part a very good influence upon the whole course of their lives.

In the handling of this argument, I defign, by God's affiftance, to reduce my difcourfe to thefe five heads.

1. I fhall fhew more generally wherein the good education of children doth confift; and feverally confider the principal parts of it.

2. I fhall give fome more particular directions for the management of this work, in fuch a way as may be most effectual for its end.

3. I fhall take notice of fome of the common and more remarkable miscarriages in the performance of this duty.

4. I fhall endeavour to make out the truth of this propofition, by fhewing how the good education of children comes to be of fo great advantage, and to have fo powerful and lasting an influence upon their whole lives.

5. and lastly, I fhall, by the most powerful arguments I can offer, endeavour to ftir up and perfuade those whofe duty this is, to discharge it with great care and confcience.

First, I fhall fhew more generally wherein the good education of children doth confift; and feverally confider the principal parts of it. And under this head I fhall comprehend promifcuoufly the duty of parents; and, in cafe of their death, of guardians; and of godfathers and godmothers; though this for the most part fignifies very little more than a pious and charitable care and concernment for them; because the children for whom they are fureties, are feldom under their power and the duty likewife of those who are the teachers and inftructers of them: and the duty alfo of mafters of families towards fervants in their childhood and younger years and laftly the duty of ministers, under whofe parochial care and infpection children are, as members of the families committed to their charge: I fay, under this head I fhall comprehend the duties of all these refpectively, according to the feveral obligations which lie upon each of them in their feveral relations to them. And I fhall reduce them to these eight particulars, as the principal parts wherein the education of children doth confift.

I. In the tender and careful nurfing of them.

2. In bringing them to be baptized, and admitted members of Chrift's church, at the times appointed or accustomed in the national church of which the parents are members.

3. In a due care to inform and inftruct them in the whole compafs of their duty to God and to their neighbour.