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LECTURES.

LECTURE I.

INTRODUCTION.

IN

N all matters of importance, every one that wants informa tion, should firft feek for it, then attend to it: and the more our happiness depends upon judging and acting right in any cafe, the more care and pains we should take to qualify ourfelves for both. Now the happiness of all perfons depends beyond comparison chiefly on being truly religious. For true religion confifts in three things; reafonable government of ourfelves, good behaviour towards our fellow-creatures, and dutifulness to our Maker: the practice of which will give us, for the most part, health of body and ease of mind, a comfortable provision of neceffaries, and peace with all around us; but however, will always fecure to us, what is infinitely more valuable still, the favour and bleffing of God; who, on these terms, will both watch over us continually with a fatherly kindness in this life, and beftow on us eternal felicity in the

next.

Since, therefore, whoever is religious must be happy, the great concern of every one of us is to know and obferve the doctrines and rules which religion delivers. Now we all come into the world ignorant of these; and our faculties are so weak at first, and gain ftrength fo flowly; and the attention of our early years to ferious things is fo fmall, that even were our duty to comprehend no more than our own reafon could teach us, few, if any, would learn it fufficiently without assistance;

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and none so soon as they would need it. They would come out into a world full of dangers, every way unprepared for avoiding them; would go wrong in the very beginning of life, · perhaps fatally at least would hurt, if they did not ruin themfelves; and make their return into the right path certainly difficult, and probably late.

But we must confider yet further, that reason, were it improved to the utmost, cannot discover to us all that we are to believe and do: but a large and most important part of it is to be learnt from the revelation made to us in God's holy word. And this, though perfectly well fuited to purposes for which it was defigned, yet being originally delivered at very diftant times, to very different forts of perfons, on very different occafions; and the feveral articles of faith and precepts of conduct, which it prescribes, not being collected and laid down methodically in any one part of it, but difperfed with irregular beauty through the whole, as the riches of nature are through the creation; the informations of the more know ing must be in many respects needful, to prepare the more ignorant for receiving the benefits, of which they are capable from reading the fcripture. And particularly, giving them beforehand a fummary and orderly view of the principal points comprehended in it, will qualify them better than any other thing to difcern its true meaning, so far as is requifite, in each part.

Therefore, both in what reason of itself dictates, and what God hath added to it, inftruction is neceffary, especially for beginners. And indeed, as they are never left to find out by their own abilities any other fort of useful knowledge, but always helped, if poffible; it would be very strange, `if, in the most important kind, the fame care at least were not taken.

But befides enlightening the ignorance of perfons, inftruction doth equal, if not greater, fervice, by preventing or oppofing their prejudices and partialities. From our tenderest age we have our wrong inclinations, and are very prone to form wrong notions in fupport of them; both which we are extremely backward to acknowledge, and very apt to model our religion in fuch manner as to leave room for our faults. Now right explanations clearly delivered, and right admonitions preffed home, in early days, may preferve perfons from

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thus deceiving themfelves, and guard them against future, as well as prefent dangers. Nay, though flighted, and seemingly forgotten for a time, they may ftill keep fecretly fuch a hold upon the mind as will fooner or later bring those back, who would elfe never have seen, or never have owned, that they had lost their way.

But a ftill further advantage of inftruction is, that bringing frequently before perfons eyes those truths on which otherwife they would seldom reflect, though ever so much convinced of them, it keeps the thoughts of their duty continually at hand, to resist the temptations with which they are attacked. Thus their lives and their minds are infenfibly formed to be fuch as they ought; and being thus trained up in the way' wherein they should go, there is great hope, that they will not afterwards depart from it*.

Nor doth reafon only, but experience too, fhow the need of timely inftitution in piety and virtue. For is it not visible, that principally for want of it, multitudes of unhappy creatures, in all ranks of life, fet out from the first in fin, and follow it on as fecurely, as if it were the only way they had to take; do unfpeakable mischief in the world, and utterly undo themselves, body and foul: whilst others, of no better natural difpofitions, but only better taught, are harmless and useful, esteemed and honoured, go through life with comfort, and meet death with joyful hope? There are doubtlefs, in fuch numbers, exceptions on both fides; but this is undeniably the ordinary, the probable, the always to be expected course of things. Therefore seriously confider, will you despise religious knowledge, and be like the former miferable wretches? or will you embrace it, and be happy with the latter; here and to eternity.

But it is not fufficient that you be willing to receive inftruction, unless they alfo, to whom that care belongs, are willing to give it. Now the care of giving it belongs to different perfons in different cafes. In the cafe of children, it ufually belongs, in a peculiar degree, to their parents; who, having been the means of bringing them into the world, are moft ftrongly bound to endeavour that their being may prove a benefit, not a cause of lamentation to them; and having been VOL. IV. endued

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* Prov. xxii. 6.

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endued by Heaven with tender affections towards them, will be doubly finners against them, if they are guilty of that worst of cruelty, not teaching them their duty: without which al fo, and it deferves a very ferious confideration, they can no more hope for comfort in them here, than for acceptance with God hereafter. And therefore, both the Old Teftament directed the Jews, to teach their children diligently the words which God had commanded them*; and the New enjoins Christians to bring up theirs in the nurture and admonition of the Lordt. Sometimes indeed want of leifure, fometimes of knowledge and ability, obliges parents to commit part, it may be a confiderable one, of the inftruction of their children to other perfons. But far from being ever difcharged of the whole burthen, they must always remember, that unless they affift and enforce what others endeavour, it will feldom produce any valuable effect; and much less, if fome of the things, which their children hear them fay, and fee them do almost every day, are directly contrary to thofe, which they pretend they would have them believe and learn.

The perfons on whom ufually this care is devolved by parents, are masters and miftreffes of schools, and afterwards tutors in colleges, who ought never to omit furnishing children, amongst other knowledge, plentifully with that which is the moft neceffary of all; but conftantly to employ the influence which they have on their minds, and the knowledge which they acquire of their tempers, in exciting them to good, and preferving them from evil, as much as they can: And parents ought firft abfolutely to require this of them, and then examine diligently from time to time whether it be done. But efpecially mafters and miftreffes of charity-fchools, which are founded purposely to give the children of the poor an early and deep tincture of religion and virtue, fhould look upon it as by far their principal bufinefs to teach them, not merely outward obfervances and forms of good words, but fuch an inward fenfe and love of their duty to God and man, as may fecure them, if poflible, from that lamentable depravity, into which the lower part of the world is falling; and which it is highly the intereft of their fuperiors, if they would but underftand their intereft, to reftrain and correct.

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*Deut. vi. 6, 7.

Eph. vi..4.

As the care of children belongs to their parents and teachers; fo doth that of fervants to the heads of the families in which they live. And therefore it is mentioned in scripture by God himself, as a diftinguishing part of the character of a good man, that he will command his household to keep the way of the Lord, to do juftice and judgment*. For indeed it is a strong and requifite proof of reverence to our Maker, as well as of kindness to them, and concern for our own intereft, to direct them in the way of their duty, or procure them the direction of good books and good advice; to exhort them to the more private exercises of religion; to contrive leifure for them to attend the appointed folemn ones, which is plainly one part of giving them, as the Apostle requires, what is just and equal †; and to fee that the leisure, allowed them for that purpose, be honeftly fo employed, and not abused.

For, after all, the most valuable inftruction for fervants, for children, for all perfons, is the public one of the church, which our Saviour himself hath promised to blefs with his prefence. And therefore it is a rule of inexpreffible moment: Gather the people together; men, women, and children, and thy franger that is within thy gates': that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the Lord your God; and obferve to do all the words of his law and that their children, which have not known' any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as je live §.

Whoever else may fail of doing their duty, we, the minifters of Chrift, must not fail to be inftant in feason and out of season ||; to feed the young with the fincere milk of the word¶, and preach the gospel to the poor*. It is the peculiar glory of Christianity, to have extended religious inftruction, of which but few partook at all before, and scarce any in purity, thro' all ranks and ages of men and even women. The first converts to it were immediately formed into regular focieties and affemblies; not only for the joint worship of God, but the further edifying of the body of Christ in which good work, fome of course were ftated teachers, or, to use the Apofile's own expreflion, catechizers in the word; others, taught or ca

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