The Best Entail, Discourse · Chapter 9
CHAP. IX. An Exhortation to Parents, to have their Children within the bleſſed Covenant.
I Have diſpatched the three firſt Exhortations. 4. The laſt concerns all Parents to do their endeavour to the uttermoſt to bring their Children, and leave them under this Covenant. Alas! What ſignifies your leaving them great Eſtates, Hundreds a Year, or Thouſands of Gold and Silver, in compariſon of this? David was a King, and his many Sons Noble Princes, and Solomon one of the moſt glorious Monarchs that ever the Sun ſaw: ſo that it became a Proverb, Solomon in all his glory. Mat. 6.29. 2 Chro. 11.15. Laurence Saunder writ to his Wife, Riches I have none to endow you with, but that treaſure of taſting, How ſweet Chriſt is, which I feel, I bequeath to you. Fox Mon.And David left him in peaceable poſſeſſion of the Kingdom, and the Lord magnified him exceedingly: Yet all this did not cheer up dying Davids heart ſo much as this bleſſed Covenant. That's but a carnal heart that can brag of what treaſures of worldly riches he leaves his children. The gracious ſoul would rather bequeath a promiſe to them, than all the wealth of the Indies. Zenophon tells us, that one being asked, Where's your Treaſure? He anſwered him [foreign,] Where Cyrus my friend is: Much more may a Chriſtian ſay, Chriſt is my Friend, and my All. Oh that I could leave him in the boſom of my dear Child! That is the height of my Ambition, to have my Children gracious, and glorified. As an honeſt Miniſter ſaid, If I may but ſee the fear of God in my Children, [Satis habeo, ſatiſque mihi, uxori, filiis & filiabus perſpexi.] I have enough, and my ſelf, Wife, Sons, Daughters, are all well provided for; I need no more. Oh! that God would ſet Parents hearts towards the Covenant of God! I ſhall give ſome Motives and Directions. 1. For Motives, I beſeech you conſider:
Eph. 23.1. That your Children are Children of wrath, as well as others: You begot them as Men, not as Holy Men, for Grace was adventitious. Adam begot a Son in his own likeneſs,Gen. 5.3. after his own Image, not Gods, which he had loſt. For Grace comes by ſpiritual regeneration, not by natural generation: You gave them a ſinful and miſerable being! O ſtudy to give them an holy and happy being. They are born in ſin; Travel over them till Chriſt be formed in them. Gal. 4.19.If you cannot make them good, yet lament that they are ſo bad: You have done them a diſ-kindneſs: Labour to do them this kindneſs, to plant Grace in them.
2. Your Children are more inclined to Vice than Vertue; they are born like the wild Aſſes Colt, Job 11.12.with a byas Hell-wards, and an antipathy in their nature to what is good: For the carnal mind is enmity againſt good: Rom. 8.7.Aelian tells of a Whore, that boaſted ſhe could eaſily get Scholars away from Socrates, but Socrates could get no Schollars from her. Wrong is always before right; naturally, the left hand before the right. Children need not be taught what is bad, they learn that faſt enough: but you'll find much ado to beat into them what is good.
3 Yet they muſt learn Divine Truths, and their Duty, or never be happy. One thing is needfull; If they die as they are born,Luke 10.4. with their backs on God, they are undone for ever; they are become like the beaſts that periſh. But it's better be a beaſt,Eccl. 3.2. than to be a rational man like a beaſt; The one goeth upwards to be judged by God, and condemned to eternal torments; but the Senſitive ſpirit of a beaſt goeth downwards to the Earth: And however ſome think the Beaſt ſhall not loſe its individuation, yet it is not capable of Moral Evil, and ſo of the Puniſhment of Hell, as a rational, but a graceleſs ſoul is. Would you not have them far worſe than Beaſts? Oh! take pains to work grace in them, elſe no ſalvation, Mat. 18.3.
4. They are capable of Inſtruction. For this end was the Book of Proverbs written,Prov. 14. To give ſubtilty to the ſimple, to the young man knowledg and diſcretion. Ariſtotle indeed ſaith, That a young man is not a fit hearer of Moral Philoſophy, or of Ethicks; but he ſpeaks of what is, [De facto, non de eo quod fieri debet,] what is uſually, not what ought to be. Children can learn Trades, Toys, why not Scriptures, Catichiſms? It's not enough to tell the capacity of many Children: were they Idiots, or Natural Fools, deſtitute of Common Reaſon, it were a lamentable judgment of God, and a ſore affliction to Parents. But they have members of Body, uſe of Reaſon. Oh! do what you can to add Grace. You are taken with their outward Feature, wit, Parts; theſe qualifie them not for Heaven, till Gods Image be ſuper-induced.
5. Parents have great advantage in beginning with their Children, whilſt young: Now they are young and tender, ſooneſt reduced. Like young twigs quickly bended, or a young Horſe eaſily broken, or a young Hawk ſooneſt brought to the lure. Take them betimes, before they be hardened in ſin, and you may moſt likely prevail; but if they be let alone awhile, they'll be paſt dealing with. Cuſtom in ſin makes them like the Aethiopian in his skin, Jer. 13.23.or the Leopard ſpots. Beſides, teach them betimes, and they will more likely retain it. It is an uſual ſaying, [Liquidae ſunt puerorum memoriae,Quo ſemel eſt imbuta recens ſervabit odoremteſta diu-] Childrens memories are ſoft, and ſooneſt take impreſſion, and clear or free from diſturbance, and ſo retain it longeſt. Seaſon a New Veſſel, and it will keep that favour long: Let Cloath be died in Wooll, and after in Cloath, the colour will be moſt lively and durable. The Application is eaſie.
6. Parents are betruſted with their Childrens Souls as well as Bodies:Ezek. 18.4. All Souls are mine, ſaith God, and he concredits them to the tuition of Parents as a precious Talent, or depoſitum, ſaying as Pharoah's Daughter to Moſes Mother,Exod. 2.9. take this child away, and nurſe it for me, and I will give thee thy Wages: ſo ſaith God (when the Child is Born and Baptized) to Parents, I devolve the charge of this child on thee, look to it,Ezek. 3.17. if it miſcarry through thy default, its blood will I require at thy hand: thou muſt give an account of its Soul: go then to God and ſay as Manoah concerning his Son Sampſon, Judges 13.12.how ſhall we order the Child? And how ſhall we do unto him? Fetch your inſtructions from God, and aſſiſtance alſo for your Childrens good, conſider of a reckoning day.
7. By this you will manifeſt your own ſincerity or ſiniſterity, your love to God and your Children, or your hatred; Remember, no man is really good that is not Relatively good: When thou art converted ſtrengthen thy Brethren, ſaith our Lord, i. e. Luk. 22.32.evidence the ſincerity of thy converſion, by endeavouring the good of others: Grace is like Fire that turns what it toucheth into its own nature: if you do not your endeavour to bring others, (eſpecially your ſeed) into covenant, it's a ſhrewd ſign you are not your ſelves in Covenant with God: then wo be to you, Oh curſed Parents of curſed Children! Are you ſo indifferent whether Chriſts Kingdom be reared and erected in your Family, that you'll ſcarce put up a prayer, or ſpeak a word to promote it? Where is your love to Chriſt that loved Souls ſo dearly? And where is your true love to your natural off-ſpring? if a Beaſt be fallen in a Pit, will you not help him out? Haſt thou more care of a Swine than the Soul of thy Child?
8. Satan lyes at the catch for your Children, that Fiend of Hell hunteth daily for the precious Soul of thy dear Child: he got poſſeſſion when thy Child came into the World, and he makes it his buſineſs to keep poſſeſſion, and will do till Chriſt that's ſtronger than he caſt him out:Luk. 11.22. and wilt thou ſee a Dog, a Bear, the Lion of Hell hurry away thy Child, Man, and not cry out to Heaven for aid? O heard-hearted miſcreant! doth not nature teach the Hen to fly at the glade that would take her Chickens; yea the Sheep to turn upon the Dog that would catch her Lamb? And art thou ſo far degenerated as to caſt of all pity to thine own bowels? Oh Monſter of Mankind! haſt thou laid aſide Humanity, as well as Chriſtianity?
9. The Church and Commonwealth require this office of love from you to your Children: and if you neglect their Education you take a courſe to corrupt both. It's worth obſerving, that the Heathen Romans ſued in their Courts of Judicature, ſuch perſons as were not careful in Educating their Children; Cicero laid this to the charge of Verres, that he had debauched his Son, by Intemperance, Riot, Wantonneſs; it ſeems it was actionable among Heathens, and it were well if it were puniſhed among pretended Chriſtians; Wo be to that Town where the Springs are poiſoned: ſad is the caſe of that Church and State where Academies and Inns of Court are corrupted, yea, corrupters; Iſa. 1.4. Hoſ. 5.7.where ſtrange Children are begot and brought up; no reformation can be expected till publick Schools be reformed. It's ſaid of Protagoras he lived 60 years, and ſpent 40 years in corrupting youth; if not only Old Trees in an Orchard be rotten but young alſo, what fruit can be expected? Its fit they be digged up, by this we may Divine what will become of a Church or Kingdom.
10. The conſequence is ſad of Parents neglect of their Childrens due education: a Child left to himſelf bringeth his Mother to ſhame, Pro. 29.15. throw the Reines on the Childs Neck, and whither will he not run? A fooliſh Son is the heavinéſs of his Mother, Prov. 10.1. Pro. 19.15. Pro. 17.21.the calamity of his Father: neither Father nor Mother have joy in a wicked Child, and uſually they may thank themſelves for it; the Switzers had a law, that if a Child was condemned to dye, the Parent ſhould execute him, becauſe it's neglect in Parents that is uſually the rack of their Children: it's true a godly Man may have a bad Son, but this is moſt ordinary. Oh what ſhame will cover the Face, and horrour fill the Conſcience of a bad Father, or a good Father conſcious of guilt, when he ſhall ſee his Child running hell-wards, or roaring in thoſe unquenchable Torments! I adviſe you therefore to a timely care to prevent theſe dreadful conſequences.
Queſt. What courſe ſhould Parents take to reſtrain ſin in Children, principle them with Grace, and bring them within the Covenant of God?
I anſwer this is a large and ordinary ſubject, that I cannot now inſiſt on: practical Divines lay four great duties before Parents, for the Education of their Children,
1. Proviſion.
2. Correction.
3. Inſtruction.
4. Prayer, Supplication.
1. Providing Food, Rayment, a Calling: This though a great duty, I paſs, as not pertinent to our caſe: only I find this remarkable paſſage, that the Athenians ordered in their laws, that if Parents had not brought up their Children in a lawful calling, they ſhould not be bound to keep their Parents: thus all were ſet to Trades.
2. For correction, I ſhall not inlarge on that, only obſerve it to be done ſeaſonably, Prov. 19.18, Chaſten thy Son while there is hope, ſome put it off till he become too ſtubborn, do it with ſelf-reflection, humiliation, moderation, prayer, inſtructing them in their fault, and the way to mend it. I paſs this alſo.
3. Inſtruction, this I chiefly aimed at, if I had leaſure, an hint of 1. The Matter. 2. The Manner of performing this duty.
1. For Matter, inſtruct your Children in the main fundamental principles of our Chriſtian Religion, as, that there is a God; concerning, his nature, properties, perſons of the God-head: the creation of the World; of Man, the Immortality of the Soul; the Nature of Sin; the fall of Adam; the ſad fruits thereof: the Remedy by Chriſt, his Humiliation Offices, Exaltation; the Duty of Man; the nature of a Church; priviledges, properties of Believers; the Ordinances, the ſtate of all men after death; Rewards and Puniſhments, &c.
You are likewiſe to inſtruct them in the Covenant of Grace; the nature, uſe, ends of it; the difference betwixt this and the old Covenant of Works; the Mediator of it; the terms, properties, and conditions thereof; the ſeals of it. Baptiſm and the Lords Supper; the priviledge and neceſſity of Souls being within it: preſs them with Arguments to enter into it, give directions about it.
2. For the Manner of your inſtructing your Children, you muſt do it. 1.Iſa. 28.9. Timouſly as ſoon as they are capable, but drawn from the breaſts, 2 Tim. 3.15.[ab incunabulis] that they may ſuck in knowledge with there mothers milk as Timothy. 2. Frequently, once is not enough but you muſt inculcate truths on them, whet them, as you go oft with the Knife upon the Whet-ſtone,Deut. 6.7. ſo the word ſignifies. 3. Experimentally not by rote, hear-ſay, work things on your hearts,Eph. 4.21. learn and ſpeak the truth as it is in Jeſus: ſpeak feelingly, from the Heart, as one that believes thy ſelf. 4. Wiſely,Jud. 22.23. Col. 3.21. obſerve the tempers of your Children, ſome muſt be drawn, others driven, provoke not tender-hearted to fretting, diſcontent. 5. Seaſonably, obſerve [candida tempora] proper melting ſeaſons,Eccl. 8.5. Pſa. 14.10. as a good humour, affliction, conviction, ſpeak to them words upon the Wheel, or in ſome nick of time, when they will be beſt taken. 6. Lovingly, winningly, meekly, not in paſſion, but draw with cords of love:Hoſ. 11.3. oil them with kindneſs, and they will go down glibly: even bitter Pills rolled in Sugar will be well taken. 7. Plainly, familiarly, not in high flown language, but uſe ſimilitudes, ſpeak as they are able to bear it,Iſa. 28.10, 11. come on gradually, [guttatim] by drops, here a little there a little, into theſe narrow mouth'd veſſels. 8. Faithfully, ſearch the wound, do not skin it over: a fair hand makes a foul wound:Luk. 19.22. a weak doſe rather ſtirs, than purgeth out bad humours, rebuke ſharply.Tit. 1.14. 9. Scripturally, bring your authority along with you ſhew them chapter and verſe,Act. 18.24, 28. Gods authority joined with yours may prevail much,… Cor. 10.…, 5. theſe are Spiritual Weapons. 10.Rom. 10.1. Prayingly, pray ſolemnly before an inſtruction, by Ejaculation, in ſpeaking: it's not your work but Gods to make it ſucceſsful: Be ſenſible that all is loſt if God give it not the ſetting on, and ſtrike with the great hammer.