with a perfect heart, and witli a willing mind.' Though a king, lie did not put it off to his chaplains, but whetted it on him with his own lips. Neither was his (picen Bathsheba forgetful of her duty : her gracious counsel is upon record, Prov. xxxi. ; and that she may do it with the more seriousness and solemnity, we find her stirring up her motherly bowels, to let her son see that she fetched her words deep, even from her heart : * What, my son ? and what, the son of ni)' womb ? and what, the son of my vows ? ' ver. 2. Indeed, that counsel is most like to go to the heart, which comes from thence. Parents know not what impression such melting expres- sions of their love, mingled with their instrxictions, leave on their children. God bids ' draw forth our souls to the hungry ; ' that is more than draAV oiu- purse, which may be done, and the heart hard and churlish. Thus we should draw forth oiu- souls with oiu- instructions. What need I tell of Timothy's mother and grandmother, who acquainted him with the Scripture from his youth ? And truly, 1 think, that man calls in question his own saintship, that takes no care to acquaint his child with God, and the way that leads to him. I have known some, that though profane themselves, have been very solicitous their children should have good education ; bvit never kneAV I a saint that was regardless whether his child knew God or not.
3. It is an act of great unrighteousness not to instruct our cliildren. We read of some ' that hold the truth in unrighteousness ;' among others, those parents do it, that lock up the knowledge of these saving truths from their children, which God hatli imparted to themselves. There is a double inn-ighteousness in it.
First, They ai-e unrighteous to their children, who may lay as much claim to their care of instructing them, as to their labour and industry in laying up a temporal estate for them. If he should do unrighteously with his child, that should not endeavour to provide for his outward maintenance ; or, having gathered an estate, shoidd lock it up, and deny his child necessaries ; then much more he that lives in ignorance of God, v/hereby he renders himself incapable of providing for his child's soul ; but most of all, he that having gathered a stock of knowledge, yet hides it from his child.
Secondly, They are unrighteous to God.
First, In that they keep that talent in their own hands which was given to be paid out to their children. V/hen God revealed himself to Abraham, he had respect to Abraham's children; and therefore we find God promising himself this at Abraham's hands, upon which he imparts his mind to him, concerning liis pvn-pose of destroying Sodom : ' Shall I hide from Abraham,' saith God, 'that thing which I do ? I know that he will command his children and his household after him ; and they shall keep the way of the Lord,' Gen. xviii. 17, 19. The church began at first in a family, and was preserved by the godly care of parents in instructing their children and household in the truths of God, whereby the knowledge of God vi'as transmitted from generation to generation; and though now the cluu-ch is not confined to such strait limits, yet every private family is as a little nursery to the church ; if the nursery be not care- fully planted, the orchard will soon decay. O, could you be willing. Christians, that your cluldren, when you are laid in the dust, should be turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine, and prove a generation that do not know God ? Atheism needs not be planted ; you do enough to make your children such, if you do not endeavour to plant religion in their minds. The very neglect of the gardener to sow and dress his garden, gives advantage enough to the weeds to come up. This is the difierence l)etween religion and atheism; religion doth not grov/ without planting, but will die even where it is planted, without watering: atheism, irreligion, and profaneness, are weeds will grow without setting; but they will not die without plucking up; all care and means little enough to stub them up. And, therefore, you that arc parents, and do not teach your children, deal the more imrighteously with God, because you neglect the best season in their whole life for planting in them the knowledge of God, and plucking up the contrary weeds of atheism and irreligion. Young weeds come up with most ease : sinful ignorance in youth becomes wilful ignorance ; vea, impudence in age : you will not instruct them when young, and they will scorn their ministers when thev are old.
]\Q AGAINST THE RULERS OF THE