It is plainly enough implied in the very question, that the way he takes lieth through the pollutions of the world in his youth, Pial cxix. 9. When you find a David praying that God would “not "remember the fins of his youth, Pfal. xxv. 7. and a Job bitterly complaining, that God "made him to poffefs the fins of his youth," Job xiii. 26. Sure you cannot but reflect with a very thankful heart upon thofe happy means by which the corruption of your nature was happily prevented or restrained in your youth.

(3.) And how great a mercy was it, that we had parents, who carefully inftilled the good knowledge of God into our fouls in our tender years? How careful was Abraham of this duty, Gen. xviii. 19. And David? 1 Chron. xxviii. 9. We have fome of us had parents, who might fay to us, as the apoftle, Gal. iv. 19. "My

little children, of whom I travail again in birth till Chrift be "formed in you." As they longed for us before they had us, and rejoiced in us when they had us; fo they could not endure to think, that when they could have us no more, the devil fhould. As they thought no pains, care, or coft too much for our bodies to feed them, cloath and heal them; fo did they think no prayers, counfels, or tears, too much for our fouls, that they might be faved. They knew a parting time would come betwixt them and us, and did strive to make it as eafy and comfortable to them as they could, by leaving us in Chrift, and within the blefied bond of his covenant.

They were not glad that we had health, and indifferent whether we had grace.

They as fenfibly felt the miferies of our fouls, as of our bodies; and nothing was more defirable to them, than that they might fay in the great day, "Lord, here am I, and the children whicht "thou bait given me."

(4.) And was it not a special favour to us, to have parents that went before us as a pattern of holinefs, and beat the path to heaven for us by their examples? Who could fay to us, as Phil. iv. 9. "What things ye have heard and feen in me, that do;" and as 1 Cor. xi. 1. "Be ye followers of us, as we are of Chrift." The parents' life is the child's copy. O it is no common mercy, to have a fair copy fet before us, efpecially in the moulding age! We faw what they did, as well as heard what they faid. It was Abraham's commendation, that he commanded his children, and his houfhold after him, to keep the way of the Lord. And fuch mercies fome of us have had alto.

Ah my friends! let me beg you, that you will fet fpecial remarks upon this providence, which fo graciously wrought for you: And that your hearts may be more thoroughly warmed in the tense of

it, compare your condition with others, and seriously bethink yourselves,

(1.) How many children there be amongst us, that are drawn headlong to hell by their cruel and ungodly parents, who teach them to curfe and fwear as foon as they can fpeak? Many families there are, wherein little other language is heard, but what is the dialect of hell. Thefe, like the old logs and small spray, are preparing for the fire of hell, where they must burn together. Of fuch children, that fcripture, Pfalm xlix. 19. will one day be verified, except they repent, "They fhall go to the generation of "their fathers, where they fhall not fee light."

(2.) And how many families are there, though not fo profane, who yet breed up their children vainly and fenfually, as Job xxi. II, &c, take no care what become of their fouls, fo they can provide for their bodies? If they can but teach them to carry their bodies, no matter if the devil act their fouls: If they can but leave them lands or moneys, they think they have very fully discharged their duties. O what will the language be wherewith fuch parents and children fhall greet each other at the judgment-seat, and in hell for ever!

(3.) And how many be there, who are more fober, and yet hate the leaft appearances of godlinefs in their children? Who instead of cherishing, do all they can to break bruifed reeds, and quench fmoaking flax, to ftifle and strangle the first appearances and offers they make towards Chrift? Who had rather accompany them to their graves, than to Chrift, doing all that in them lies, Herod like, to kill Chrift in the cradle? Ah firs! ye little know, what a mercy ye do, or have enjoyed in godly parents, and what a good lot providence caft for you in this concernment of your bodies and fouls!

Objection. If any fhall fay, This is not their cafe; they had little help heaven-ward from their parents: To fuch I fhall only reply three things.

Solution. (1.) If you had little furtherance, yet own it as a special providence, that you had no hinderance; or, if you had oppofition, yet,

(2.) Admire the grace of God, in plucking you out, by a wonderful diftinguifhing hand of mercy from among them, and keeping alive the languifhing fparks of grace amidit the floods of oppofition.

(3.) And learn from hence; If God give you à pofterity of your own, to be fo much the more ftrict and careful of relational duties, by how much you have fenfibly felt the want of it in yourfelves. But feeing fuch a train of bleffings, both as to this life, and that VOL. IV.

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to come, follows upon an holy education of children; I will not dif mifs the point till I have difcharged my duty, in exhorting parents and children to their duties.

And first for you that are parents, or to whom the education of children is committed; I befeech you to mind, how concerning a duty lies on you: And that I may effectually prefs it, confider,

(1.) How near the relation is betwixt you and your children, and therefore how much you are concerned in their happiness or mifery. Confider but the fcripture account of the dearness of fuch relations, expreffed, (1.) By longings for them, as Gen. xv. 2. Gen. xxx. I. And, (2.) By our joy when we have them, as Chrift expreffes it, John xvi. 21. (3.) The high value fet on them, Gen. xlii. 38. (4.) The fympathy with them in all their troubles, Mark ix. 22. And (5.) By our forrow at parting, Gen. xxxvii. 35. Now fhall all this be to no purpofe? For to what purpose do we defire them before we have them, rejoice in them when we have them, value them fo highly, fympathize with them fo tenderly, grieve for their death fo exceffively; if in the mean time no care be taken what fhall become of them to eternity?

(2.) How God hath charged you with their fouls as well as bodies: And this appears by two forts of precepts. (1.) Precepts directly laid upon you, Deut. vi. 6, 7. and Eph. vi. 4. (2.) By precepts laid on them to obey you, Eph. vi. 1. which plainly implies your duty, as well as expreffes theirs.

(5.) What shall comfort you at the parting time, if they die, through your neglect, in a chrifilefs condition? O! this is the cutting confideration, my child is in hell, and I did nothing to prevent it; I helped him thither! Duty difcharged, is the only root of comfort in that day.

(4.) If you neglect to inftruct them in the way of koliness, will the devil neglect to inftruct them in the way of wickedness? No; if you will not teach them to pray, he will to curfe, fwear, and lye; If ground be uncultivated, weeds will spring.

(5.) If the feafon of their youth be neglected, how little probability is there of any good fruit afterwards? That is the moulding age, Prov. xxii. 6. How few are converted in old age? A twig is brought to any form, but grown limbs will not bow.

(6.) You are inftrumental caufes of all their fpiritual mifery; and that, 1. By generation, 2. Imitation: they lie fpiritually dead of the plague which you brought home among them, Pfal. li. 5. "Behold, I was fhapen in iniquity, and in fin did my mother "conceive (or warm) me."

(7.) There is none in the world fo likely as you, to be inftru

ments of their eternal good. You have peculiar advantages, that none other hath: As, (1.) The intereft you have in their affections. (2.) Your opportunities to inftil the knowledge of Chrift into them, being daily with them, Deut. vi. 7. (3.) Your knowledge of their tempers. If therefore you neglect, who shall help them?

(8.) The confideration of the great day, fhould move your bowels of pity for them. O remember that text, Rev. xx. 12. &c. "I faw the dead fmall and great ftand before God." What a fad thing will it be, to fee your dear children at Chrift's left hand! O friends! do your utmost to prevent this mifery!" Knowing the "terrors of the Lord, we perfuade men."

2. And you children, especially you that fprang from religious parents, I beseech you obey their counfels; and tread in the steps of their pious examples. To prefs this, I offer thefe confider

ations:

(1.) Your difobedience to them, is a refifting of God's authority, Eph vi. 1. "Children obey your parents in the Lord:" There is the command. Your rebellion therefore runs higher than you think. It is not man, but God that you disobey; and for your difobedience God will punifh you. It may be, their tenderness will not fuffer them, or you are grown beyond their correction: All they can do is to complain to God; and if so, he will handle you more feverely than they could do.

(2.) Your fin is greater than the fin of young heathens and infidels; and fo will your account be alfo. O better (if a wicked child) that thou hadst been the off-fpring of favage Indians, nay, of beafts, than of fuch parents! So many counfels difobeyed, hopes and prayers fruftrated, will turn to fad aggravations.

(3.) It is ufual with God, to retaliate men's difobedience to their parents in kind: Commonly our own children fhall pay us home for it. I have read in a grave Author of a wicked wretch that dragged his father along the houfe: The father begged him not to draw him beyond fuch a place; for, faid he, I dragged my 'father no farther.' O the fad, but just retributions of God!

And for you, in whole hearts grace hath been planted by the bleffing of education, I beseech you to admire God's goodness to you in this providence. O what an happy lot hath God caft for you! How few children are partakers of your mercies!

See that you honour fuch parents; the tie is double upon you fo to do. Be you the joy of their hearts, and comfort of their lives, if living: If not, yet ftill remember the mercy while you live, and tread in their pious paths; that you and they may both rejoice together in the great day, and blefs God for each other to all eternity.

The fourth performance of providence.

IV. The next remarkable performance of providence for the people of God which I will inftance, fhall be with refpect to its ordering the occafions inftruments and means of their converfion.

In nothing doth providence thine forth more gloriously in this world than it doth in this performance for the people of God. How curiously foever its hand had moulded your bodies, how tenderly foever it had preserved them, and how bountifully foever it had provided for them; if it had not alfo ordered fome means or other for your converfion, all the former favours and benefits it had done for you, Kad fignified little. This, O this is the most excellent benefit you ever received from its hand. You are more beholden to it for this, than for all your other mercies. And in opening this performance of providence, I cannot but think your hearts must be deeply affected. This is a fubject which every gra cious heart loves to fteep its thoughts in. It is certainly the fweeteft hiftory that ever they repeated: they love to think and talk of it. The places where, and inftruments by whom this work was wrought, are exceedingly endeared to them for the word's fake: yea, endeared to that degree, that, for many years after, their hearts have melted, when they have but paffed occafionally by thofe places, or but feen the faces of those perfons that were used as inftruments in the hand of providence for their good. As no doubt, but *Jacob's Bethel was ever after that night fweet to his thoughts; fo other faints have had their Bethel's as well as he. O bleffed places, times, and inftruments! O, the deep, the fweet impreffions, never to be razed out of the memory or heart, that this providence hath made upon thofe on whom it wrought this bleffed effect at years of difcretion, and in a more fenfible way!

But left any poor foul fhould be difcouraged under the difplay of this providence, because he cannot remember the time, place, inftruments, and manner wherein, and by which converfion-work was wrought; I will therefore premife this neceffary diftinction, to prevent injury to fome, whilft I defign benefit to others.

Converfion, as to the fubjects of it, may be confidered two ways; either as it is more fenfibly wrought in perfons of riper years, in their youthful days were more profane and vile; or upon perfons in their tender years, into whofe hearts grace was more infenfibly and indifcernably inftilled, by God's bleffing upon pious education. In the former fort, the diftinct acts of the Spirit, as illuminating, convincing, bumbling, drawing them to Chrift, and

* Gen. xlvii. 3.