Thef become fchools of Satan, where ignorance, brutishness, fenfuality and every vice prevail. Here envy, ftrife, contention, pride, covetoufnefs, revenge, with all the abominations, which have contaminated human nature, continually refide. From the wickedness of families, the wickedness of fociety both in church and itate proceeds. How important and neceffary a work is it, to cat falt into thefe corrupted fountains? If the fe fources of evil could be purified, and the viciousness of families cured, it would prevent many of the calamities of the earth. Multitudes of the judgments which fall upon the world are caufed by the ill-government of households. Of which we have an awful in tance in the melancholy story before us.

Eli feems upon the whole to have been a man of fome degree of piety, but was grofsly deficient and finful in one point, to wit, in the government of his family. And his evil condu& here, brought the judgement of God upon himself and his pofterity. Hence the Lord appears in vifion to young Samuel, and makes known to him the things that were quick. ly to come to pafs, refpecting Ifrael in general and the family of Eli in particular. "Behold, faith the Lord, I will do a "thingin Ifrael, at which both the ears of every one that "heareth it (hall tingle." This tremendous judgement we have upon record in the next chapter, when the army of Ifrael was defeated by the Philiftines, and the Ark of God taken. But all the remaining part of the vifion is against Eli and his houfe. From this our text is taken. "For I have told him, "that I will judge his houfe forever, for the iniquity which he

knoweth, because his fons made themselves vile, and he re"ftrained them not." This is the denunciation of heaven against this wicked and ungoverned family. The Lord had heretofore informed him by a prophet, and pre-admonished him of the privileges, favours and honors which he enjoyed, of the base conduct of his children, his indulgence and allowance

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of them in their iniquitous courses, and that the just punishmens of divine vengeance fhould be inflicted upon him and them. He was not punished without due warning, and he had time given for repentance and reformation. God had faid to him by the prophet. "Wherefore kick ye at my facrifice, and at my "offering, which I have commanded in my habitation, and "honoreft thy fons above me. Behold the day is come that "I will cut off thy arm and the arm of thy fathers house, and "there fhall not be an old man in thy house forever, and the "man of thine, whom I fhall not cut off from my altar, shall "be to confume thine eyes, and to grieve thy heart, and all "the encrease of thy house shall die in the flower of their age." Thus he was previoufly and fully acquainted with his fins for which he was to fuffer. He knew that he had not governed his family, according to reafon, nor according to the power in his hands, nor agreeably to the commandments of God. There fore it was determined, that he fhould be made a public example to all future generations, that rulers of families might fear and tremble, and avoid his unhappy conduct.

But here enquiry may arife, did not Eli govern his family? Did he not reprove his fons for their ill behaviour? And what more could be required? It is true he rebuked his fons, but it was in a manner altogether unbecoming a parent vested with his authority. He treated his wicked children, as many carelefs heads of families in our day treat theirs. Perhaps they fay to their children guilty of the blackest crime, "These things that ye do, my children are not right, they arenot of good report therefore be advised to refrain." What fort of reproofs did Eli adminifter, when his fons had been guilty of fuch attrocious abominations, that decency prohibits the repetition. He spoke in foft and timid language "Why do ye fuch things? For "I hear of your evil doings by all the people. Nay, my "sons, for it is no good report, that I hear; ye make the Lord's

"people to tranfgrefs." Obferve the tenderness and lenity of every word, as tho' he fe ared and reverenced his children, ra ther than they him. Some may be ready to fay, what could he have done more? They were arrived to the age of men, and past that correction which might be proper for children. The answer in this cafe fhall be a reference to God himself. He is an infinitely fit and wife judge, and his judgement was quite otherwise, It appears exceedingly probable, from Eli's temper and character, that when they were children, he was finfully careless and indulgent, and did not even then inftruct correct and govern them as he ought. But God is not dif pleafedt, because he reproved them, but because he did not rebuke them sharply, and exert his authority in reftraining or punishing them according to their deserts. "His fons made

themselves vile, and he restrained them not." It is more than probable had they been ruled by a proper difcipline, when young, and not been allowed in an exceffive license or left to their own heads, when they became men, they would not have acted the flagitious part they did. Attend to the declarations of heaven, God will pour out his judgments, because they were not now reftrained, even in their state of manhood. Eli had it in his power as a father, as an ecclefiaftical and civil officer, if he could not reclaim them, to have depofed them from the priesthood, banished them from his family, or to have executed upon them the laws of the land; to have brought them before the elders of the city, and there accufed them of their crimes, difobedience and rebellion, and they would have been stoned to death, and thus he would have averted evil from his houfe, and the bleffing of God would ftill have attended him and his family, and it might have fufpended the awful judgments which fell on the nation. But he granted them all indulgence in their childhood, and reftrained them not when they grew up, therefore for this iniquity will the Lord "Judge his houfe for"ever." O! how dreadful a curfe is this, to be inflicted, not

only upon himself, but likewife upon his unhappy pofterity continually? Should not this alarm the attention of all heads of families, left being defective in point of government, we should procure the angry refentments of heaven, not merely to ourfelves, but also to our miferable offspring. This was evident ly Eli's unhappy cafe, that God was incenfed against him for not governing his house with that holy discipline which was his duty. This eafy man when his children offended, feems to have taken no notice thereof; when their heinous condu&t was fuch, that they ought to have been expelled from his family or put to death, all he said to these mifcreants, who were the vilest of the vile, was, "Nay, my fons, this is no good report "that I hear." And perhaps, he would not have said so much as this, only that the people kept dunning in his ears the enor mous wickedness of his fons. Wherefore, my brethren, let us all be folemnly exhorted from this melancholy example to govern our households according to reafon and the word of God.

In order to the well governing of any family, three things appear to be abfolutely neceffary; authority, wisdom and religion. Those who have entered into the office of governors of families, whether they have undertaken it from rational or pas fionate motives, their duty now, is to feek after and cultivate thofe qualifications, which may enable them to fill their office with propriety and usefulness.

First, those who are governors, let them maintain a just, tender and dignified authority in their houfes. This was Eli's fin, he had a family, but no authority therein. Where there is a deftitution of this, you will be lightly efteemed by thofe whom you ought to rule. When your authority is loft, you poffefs no longer the power of government. If you defire the fmiles and bleffings of heaven upon yourselves and families, endeavour to keep, maintain and fupport a proper authori

ty in them. Let your household knew your authority is mor" an affumed power, but that it arifes from the nature and rela tion of things, that it is an ordinance of God, and he is the God of order and not of confufion, and therefore it is ne ceffary, that order and decency fhould be preferved in the whole house, and that every one should know his place and cheerfully perform his duty. At fit seasons play and recreation is as necessary for children, as care, industry, fobriety and attention in more advanced life. The fuperintendence of the parent is only to fee that propriety be refpected in all thefe matters. When it is expedient to manifeft your authority to your children and o her domeftics, let them know as far as you are capable, that you are influenced by reafon, and from obedience to God. Nothing can better fupport your authority than a due obfervance of this rule. The more carefully you are governed by reason and the fear of God yourselves, the greater will be your influence over those entrusted to your inspection. Guard against that too general weakness of our nature, a bursting forth of intemperate paffions, and indifcreet words before your children. Nothing has a greater tendency to depreciate our authority than this. Children begin to reafon, fooner than we are often apt to imagine, and they be. holding us tranfgreffing reafon by foolish paffion, it not only teaches them to be paffionate and irrational, but too often brings upon ourselves a reduction of our power. And it is a humiliating circumstance to a parent, when he must ask par. don of his child. This does not appear to be the feeble fpirited Eli's crime; and he was not a man deftiute of paffions, for the last exertion of them has always been produced as the highest symptom of his religion, that when he heard of the capture of the Ark of God, his paffions of a pious complexion arofe fo high, that he fainted, fell backward from his feat, and the fall ended his days.-Wherefore watch over your paffions. They are like the waves of the fea, ufeful in the foul, but too