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And yet many, who can even affect to be singular in trifles and follies, have such a cowardly fear of being thought so in the case of seriously professing religion, where it would be truly honourable, and they would in fact be honoured for it, perhaps even by their present acquaintance, or at least by better whom they might chuse, and by the world in general; that, to avoid this imagined evil, they will incur the most real ones, a guilty conscience in this world, and the wrath of their Maker in the next. If this be not contemptible weakness, what is? And if it be, serving the Lord, let ever so few do it, is true wisdom.

But then it must be observed, that, though every degree of genuine regard to God will produce to us proportionable benefits, and preserve us in some degree from sufferings; yet the life and immortality, promised in the Gospel, can be attained, and, where it is faithfully preached, eternal punishments can be avoided, only by obedience to the terms proposed in the Gospel. The doctrines, therefore, which God hath revealed there, plain or mysterious, must be received with humble faith; the duties he hath enjoined there, moral or positive, must be observed with pious reverence; and our hope of future happiness must be placed, not in the merit, either of our own good works, for without the grace of the Holy Spirit we cannot do any; or of our own repentance, for being sorry that we have sinned is not being innocent; but solely in the divine mercy through our blessed Redeemer, who died for us that we might live to him. And, how much soever these rules may be overlooked or despised in the world, yet he hath repeatedly assured us, with uncommon strength of expression, that our not being ashamed of him and his words, of which these are part, is an indispensable

condition of his not being ashamed of us at the great day*.

But serving the Lord, as good Christians ourselves, is not sufficient, when we are intrusted with others also. Now, in some degree, we are intrusted with all who are placed under our influence, especially if they be under our authority too: and God, with justice, expects every one to do the good, which he hath given him abilities for doing: for, conferring them, is the highest honour he can bestow on his creatures ; and using them, is the noblest way of at once obeying and resembling our Creator. But, not to exceed the limits of domestic life, to which the text points our view: parents are, by nature and Scripture, intrusted with their children: bound in conscience to endeavour, that the being, which they have given them, prove not a miserable one: bound in prudence to provide, that, when they grow up, they may be a comfort and a credit to them, not a shame and a curse. And yet, how commonly is the ornamental and superficial part of their education the only one attended to? Perhaps a slight form of catechetical instruction, and a prayer or two are learnt by rote, as a task in their childhood, for mere form's sake, and perhaps not: but, after that, very little care taken in teaching them rules of common prudence; less still in giving them any consistent principles of morals; none at all in binding them down to both, by a serious inward sense of religion; of the purity of God's law; their depravity, and need of a Redeemer and Sanctifier; the importance of Christ's ordinances, without which, nothing will be inwardly, or often outwardly, such as it ought: and then, at last, either great surprize and anger is expressed, at their coming

Mark viii. 38.

out, what it must be expected they should: or else their ruin is stupidly acquiesced in, as unavoidable from the beginning: and men sit down contented, that they who are nearest, and ought to be dearest to them, shall be wicked, and wretched, and despicable; or, however they escape here, undone to eternity.

But, not only our children should be led to esteem and practise the obligations of piety, but our servants and dependants. We cannot indeed force them to it, and we need not, But we can give them opportunity, and advice and encouragement: we can remove the obstinately bad, to preserve the rest: we can put the instruction of good books in their way: we can call them to family devotions, from the lamentable omission of which duty, a very great part of our sins and follies proceeds; and we can likewise bring some of them at one time, and send the rest at another, to the house of God. It is very true, praying and reading at home, and going to church, are neither the whole nor the main of their duty; and they will be faithfully told so, when they come here. But these are parts of the first and great commandment, regard to him that made us; and they are such parts, as, if they neglect, they will too easily think they may as well neglect the rest. Most of them would be glad of this kind attention to them; all of them would respect us for it: and, were ever so many of them indifferent about it, or worse, ought it to be an affair indifferent to us? when poor, ignorant, thoughtless creatures come to live under our roof; is it Christian, is it human, to let them go on, just as they will, to their own destruction of body and soul? they contribute a great deal to our happiness: why should not we contribute, since we so easily may, in this important point, to theirs? But indeed is not our own, present as well as future, deeply concerned in it too?

Our ease, our characters, our fortunes, our lives, depend on the honesty, the veracity, the sobriety, the. diligence, of those about us. And what can secure

these qualities in them so well, as their being persuaded, that God requires them at their hands; and will treat them, as they treat us? Were this motive weaker than it is, no real one ought to be despised. Loud complaints of the ill behaviour of the lower part of the world, are made continually; but whom have the upper part to thank for it but themselves, if they take no care to prevent or mend it? with the best care it will happen too frequently; but, without it, what else can happen?

Upon the whole, it is astonishing, that any, who pretend to be good, can fail to endeavour, that their children and servants may be religious; when not a few, confessedly bad, take such precautions as they can to make them better than they are willing to be themselves. And undoubtedly this is very prudent, so far as it goes. But, as the prudence of such people is throughout essentially defective, so this instance of it, ordinarily speaking, can go but a very little way. For what likelihood is there, that a few right exhortations, or directions, from the head of a family, will make the members of it modest and sober, just and regular; while his example authorizes them to be lewd and intemperate, unjust and disorderly? or that sending them to church will teach them to reverence God; whilst, perhaps, the table-talk that they hear daily, teaches them to despise him? Our conduct therefore must be all of a piece; else we shall neither succeed, nor will it avail us to our own eternal happiness, if we do. But let us first resolve to serve God ourselves; and then we may insist, that they who belong to us shall, both with a good grace,

VOL. I.

and good hope of his blessing: to which we cannot acquire a stronger title, than by that method, which procured, as we read in Scripture, to the Father of the Faithful and his descendants, a benediction so distinguished, both temporal and spiritual: Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him. For I know him, that he will command his children and his houshold after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that, which he hath spoken of him*.

• Gen. xviii. 18, 19.

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