III.

must be converted, and become as little DISC, children, without pride, without wrath, without luft, without avarice, without ambition, without prejudice, without guile, open and teachable, all innocence, fimplicity, fincerity. These tempers of little children. constitute the ornaments of religion; and charming it is to behold them difplayed in the life of a child of God! "The wisdom "that is from above," fays St. James, as if this very subject had been then in his eye, "is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and

eafy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and with"out hypocrify." View the furious Saul, breathing out threatnings and flaughters, exceedingly mad against the disciples of Jefus, and perfecuting them even to strange cities; till fuddenly humbled to the dust, by a light and a voice from heaven, you hear him, with all the meeknefs of an infant, exclaiming, Lord, what wouldeft thou

"have me to do?" Many are the changes of this kind that have been wrought, and every age will be wrought, through

many in every age

the

the

DISC. power of the Gospel. By it, in various

III.

ways, men are conformed to it's temper and fpirit: for a due and proper notion of that temper and fpirit, Chrift refers us to the ftate of childhood; a state through which, to fanctify it for all, himself did not disdain to pass; and in that, as in every other state, glorified the Father who sent him. Why, therefore, fhould it be thought a thing incredible, that "out of the mouth of babes "and fucklings God fhould ordain strength, " and perfect praise ?"

Laftly, God is honoured, wherever children are taught to confess and to praise his holy name, because it appears, that his religion is there known and propagated. The circumstance is a proof that the country where it has taken place is a Chriftian country; and a pledge, that it will continue to be fuch.

Under all the divine difpenfations from the beginning, no duty is fet higher, or more infifted on, than that of inftructing children in the knowlege of religion. "Abra

"ham

"ham fhall furely become a great and Disc.

mighty nation, and all the nations of the "earth fhall be bleffed in him." What

more, or greater, can be faid of any mere man? Attend to the reason, which immediately follows. "For I know him, that he " will command his children after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do

juftice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.”

Thus again, under the law: "Thefe "words, which I command thee this day, "shall be in thine heart:" for what purpose, or for whofe fake? Of themselves alone? By no means: "And thou shalt teach "them diligently to thy children, and shalt "talk of them when thou fitteft in thine "house, and when thou walkeft by the way, "and when thou lieft down, and when "thou risest up b " Children, on their part, are fuppofed to be often afking quefupon these subjects, and fo to put their

tions

III.

parents,

DISC. parents, teachers, or friends, upon converfation of this kind. "And it fhall come to

III.

66

pafs, when your children fhall fay unto

you, What mean you by this service? "that you shall fay, It is the facrifice of "the Lord's paffover, who paffed over the " houses of the children of Ifrael in Egypt, "when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houfes ".'

Refpecting Chriftian parents, they are most expressly enjoined to "bring their "children up in the nurture and admonition "of the Lord;" and to the praise of young Timothy, as well as of thofe relations who had been his inftructors, it is faid, "that "from a child he had known the holy

Scriptures, able to make him wise unto "falvation, through faith which is in Christ Jefus,"

Confidering thefe precepts and examples, who could believe he was travelling through

a Christian country, when he found the

Exod. xii. 26.

children

111.

children in it fpeaking and acting like hea- DISC. thens; or, perhaps, in a manner that would difgrace heathens ?

But fuppofe no fuch precepts or examples had been recorded. Religion is not only truth; it is truth the most interesting, the moft dear, and valuable. It is that on which a man depends for his comfort and joy; for his fafe conduct through this life, and his eternal happiness in the next. Would he deprive his children of this comfort, this joy, this fafe conduct, this eternal happiness? Would he fuffer them to live and die in error and vice, if it were in his power to prevent it? Can he bear the thought of seeing them at the last great day, ftanding, with the reprobates of all ages, at the left hand, and departing into never-ending mifery? The wretched ignorant idolater, who in old time made his children pafs through the fire to Moloch, is lefs to be blamed than fuch a parent as this.

Should there, however, be a Christian

country