LII.

Xenophon tells us, that the Perfians inftead of SER M. making their children learned taught them to be virtuous; and instead of filling their heads with fine fpeculations, taught them honefty, and fincerity, and refolution; and endeavoured to make them wife and valiant, juft and temperate. Lycurgus allo in the inftitution of the Lacedemonian commonwealth took no care about learning, but only about the lives and manners of their children: though I fhould think that the care of both is beft, and that learning would very much help to form the manners of children, and to make them both wifer and better men: and therefore with the leave of fo great and wife a lawgiver, I cannot but think that this was a defect in his inftitution: because learning, if it be under the conduct of true wisdom and goodness, is not only an ornament but a great advantage to the better government of any kingdom or commonwealth.

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Sixthly, there must be great care and diligence used in this whole business of education, and more particularly in the inftruction of children. There must be line upon line, and precept upon pre-Ifa.xxviii. eept, here a little and there a little," as the pro- 10. phet expreffeth it. The principles of religion and virtue must be inftilled and dropt into them by fuch degrees and in fuch a measure as they are capable of receiving them: for children are narrowmouth'd veffels, and a great deal cannot be poured into them at once.

And they must also be accustomed to the practice and exercise of religion and goodness by degrees, till holiness and virtue have taken root, and

they

SERM. they be well fettled and confirmed in a good LII. course. Now this requires conftant attendance and

even the patience of the husbandman to wait for the fruit of our labours.

In fome children the feeds that are fown fall into a greater depth of earth, and therefore are of a flow disclosure, and it may be a confiderable time before they appear above-ground; it is long before they fhoot and grow up to any height, and yet they may afterwards be very confiderable : Sir H. W." which, as an ingenious author obferves, fhould "excite the care and prevent the defpair of pa"rents for if their children be not fuch speedy fpreaders and branchers as the vine, they may perhaps prove

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-proles tardè crefcentis oliva."

It is a work of great pains and difficulty to rectify a perverse difpofition. It is more easy to palliate the corruption of nature, but the cure of it requires time and careful looking to. An evil temper and inclination may be covered and concealed, but it is a great work to conquer and fubdue it. It must first be check'd and stopp'd in its course, and then weaken'd and the force of it be broken by degrees, and at last, if it be poffible, deftroyed and rooted

out.

Seventhly and laftly, to all these means we must add our conftant and earnest prayers to God for our children, that his grace may take an early poffeffion of them; that he would give them virtuous inclinations and towardly difpofitions for goodness and that he would be pleased to accompany all our

endea

LII.

endeavours to that end with his powerful affiftance S ER M. and bleffing; without which, all that we can do will prove ineffectual. Parents may plant, and minifters may water, but it is GOD that must give the in

crease.

Be often then upon your knees for your children. Do not only teach them to pray for themselves, but do you likewife with great fervour and earneftnefs" commend them to GoD and to the power "of his grace," which alone is able to fanctify them. Apply yourselves to "the father of lights; "from whom comes every good and perfect gift:" beg his HOLY SPIRIT, and ask divine knowledge and wisdom for them of him, "who giveth to all "liberally and upbraideth no man :" befeech him to season their tender years with his fear, which is the beginning of wisdom: pray for them as Abraham did for Ifhmael, "O that Ifhmael may live in thy fight."

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Many parents, having found all their endeavours for a long time together ineffectual, have at length betook themselves to prayer, earnest and importu nate prayer to GOD, as their laft refuge. Monica, the mother of St. Austin, by the conftancy and importunity of her prayers obtained of GOD the conversion of her son, who proved afterwards so great and glorious an inftrument of good to the church of GOD: according to what St. Ambrose bishop of Milan, to encourage her to persevere in her fervent prayers for her son, had said to her, Fieri non poteft ut filius tot lachrymarum pereat : "It cannot be, fays he, that a fon of fo many prayers and tears should "miscarry." God's grace is free, but it is not unVOL. IV. 6 Ꭰ likely

pray

likely but that GOD will at last give in this bleffing to our earnest prayers and faithful endeavours. Therefore for them" without ceafing, pray "and faint not." Great importunity in prayer feldom fails of a gracious answer: our blessed SAVIOUR fpake two parables on purpose to encourage us herein: not because GOD is moved, much less because he is tired out with our importunity; but because it is an argument of our firm belief and confidence in his great goodness: " and "to them that believe all things are poffible, fays "our bleffed LORD: " To whom, &c.

SERMON

LII.

Of the education of children.

SERM.

LIII.

PROV. xxii. 6.

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

I

Proceed to the next general head which I propofed, namely,

III. To difover fome of the more remarkable and common miscarriages in the management of this work. I do not hereby mean grofs neglects for want of care, but mistakes and miscarriages for want of prudence and skill, even when there is no want of care and diligence in parents and instructors. And

I fhall for method's fake reduce the more confiderable SER M.

and common miscarriages to these three heads.

First, in matter of instruction.

Secondly, in matter of example.

Thirdly, in matter of reproof and correction.

I. In matter of inftruction. Parents do very often mainly miscarry in not teaching their children the true difference between good and evil, and the degrees of them; as when we teach them any thing is a fin that really is not, or that any thing is not a fin which in truth is fo: or when we teach them to lay more stress and weight upon things than they will bear; making that which perhaps is only convenient to be in the highest degree neceffary, or that which it may be is only inconvenient, or may be an occafion of scandal to fome weak chriftians, to be a fin in its own nature damnable.

Parents do likewife lay too great a weight upon things, when they are as diligent to inftruct them in leffer things, and as strict in injoining them, and as fevere in punishing the commiffion or neglect of them, according as they esteem them good or evil, as if they were the weightier things of the law, and matters of the greatest moment in religion.

Thus I have known very careful and well-meaning parents that have with great feverity reftrained their children in the wearing of their hair: nay I can remember fince the wearing of it below their ears was looked upon as a fin of the firft magnitude; and when minifters generally, whatever their text was, did in every fermon either find or make an occafion with great feverity to reprove the great fin of long hair; and if they faw any one in the 5 D 2

congre

LIII.