own or their children's good. Many complain, not without cause, that their children are disobedient and undutiful to them; but the cause is chiefly in themselves. When they have neglected their duty to their children, how can they expect their children should perform their duty to them? They were never taught it, how can they do it! If, therefore, they prove stubborn and obstinate; if they give themselves up to all manner of vice and wickedness; if instead of comfort they be a grief and trouble to their parents, their parents must blame themselves for it: and when they come to reflect upon it, their sin in neglecting their duty to God and their children, in their education, will be a greater trouble to them, than any their children can give them. Whereas, when parents bring up their children in the "nurture and admonition of the Lord," if their children, notwithstanding, happen to miscarry afterwards, they have this to comfort them, that they did their duty, and have nothing to answer for upon that

account.

But what a mighty advantage would it be to the children themselves, to be thus continually put in mind of their baptismal vow, the articles of our faith, the duties of religion, and what else is contained in the catechism, from their childhood all along till they come to be men or women? Their minds would be then filled with such divine truths, and with so great a sense of their duty, that there would be no room left for heresy or sin to enter, at least, not so as to get possession, and exercise any dominion there. The first impressions that are made upon us, are not soon worn out, but usually remain

as long as we live. "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." When one hath been all along from his childhood brought up in the knowledge of God, and his holy will, it will stick by him so, as to be a constant check upon him, to keep him within the compass of his duty in all ordinary cases; and if any thing extraordinary happen to draw him aside, it will make him restless and uneasy, till he hath recovered himself, and got into the right way again; and so it will either keep him innocent, or make him penitent. In short, by the blessing of God attending, as it usually doth, this great duty when it is conscientiously performed, is the best means that parents can use, whereby to breed up their children for heaven, to make them fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, both in this world and for ever.

As the wise man observes,

Wherefore, if we have any regard either to our own or to our children's eternal welfare, let us set upon this duty in good earnest; let us bring up our children so long in the "nurture and admonition of the Lord," till they fully know him, and all that he would have them believe and do, that they may be saved. But we must be sure to teach them by our example as well as instructions; we must not tell them one thing, and do another ourselves; but show them how to keep the faith and laws of God, by keeping them ourselves before their eyes, all the while we live together upon earth; that when we are all got, one after another, out of this troublesome and naughty world, we and our children may at last meet together in heaven, and there praise and glo

rify almighty God, we for them, and they for us, and all for his grace and truth in Jesus Christ our Lord.

After this general instruction in the principles of our holy religion, it will be necessary, as soon as our young Christian is capable of it, to inform him more particularly in the nature of God, and the great mystery of the Trinity, unto which we are all baptized, which therefore shall be my next subject.

THOUGHTS UPON THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD.

THOUGH religion in general be a thing that all men naturally agree in, yet there is nothing, I think, that men differ so much about, as about the particular acts and exercise of it: for all nations in the world have some religion; but there are scarcely two amongst them all that have the same; yea, in one and the same nation too there are divers modes of religion professed and practised. No nation or country in the world, but will afford us instances of this; and our own, I think, as many as any other whatsoever. For could we but cast our eyes into the several corners of this land, at this very moment, what variety might we observe in those acts which the several parties amongst us account to be religious! Some we should see sitting silently for a while together, without either speaking, or hearing a word spoken, until at length up starts a man or a

woman, or some such thing, and entertains them with a discourse made up of censure and malice, blasphemy and nonsense; and this is all the religion they pretend to. Others we should find crowded together in several corners, sometimes praying, sometimes discoursing as it were, sometimes arguing the case with almighty God, and acquainting him with what happens in the world, and that with as much confidence and malapertness, as if he was their fellow-creature; and then very gravely walk home, and please themselves with a vain conceit that they are more religibus than their neighbours. Another sort of people there are amongst us, who are as superstitious as the former were slovenly and irreverent in their devotions; for these having been sprinkled with a little holy water, and performed their obeisance to a crucifix or picture, presently fall a pattering over Ave Marias and Pater Nosters to themselves, as fast as they can; whilst the priest in the mean while says something too, but the people generally do not know what it is, nor indeed what themselves say, it being all in an unknown tongue. But howsoever, though they know not what they say, they think that God doth, and therefore satisfy themselves that they have said something, though they know not what, and think that God is well pleased with what they have done, because themselves are so.

Others there are, and by the blessing of God, far more than all the rest, in this nation, who present themselves before the great Creator and possessor of the world, in that solemn and reverent manner as the constitutions of our church direct, humbly

confessing their manifold sins against God, begging mercy and pardon from him, imploring his favour, and praising his name for all the expressions of his undeserved love to mankind: and all this in our vulgar tongue, that we all understand, and so perform a reasonable service unto God.

And verily, if we consider the institution itself, of that religious worship which we thus perform, it is certainly the best that ever was prescribed by any church, as being most consonant to the general rules of devotion laid down in the Scriptures; as also most conformable to the discipline and practice of the primitive church. But we must not think that we serve God aright, because we be present with them that do so. I do not doubt but that there are many amongst us who sincerely endeavour to worship God, whensoever they present themselves before him in public; I wish that all of us would do so. But we must still remember, that we should serve the Lord elsewhere as well as at church, and on other days as well as upon the Lord's day. And that if we would be truly religious, our whole man must be devoted to the service of God, yea, and our whole time too. We must not think that it is enough to do something, but we must do all things that are required of us; which, notwithstanding, we can never do, unless we know both that God whom we ought to serve, and that service which we ought to perform unto him. And therefore David directs his son to the right and only way to true religion, saying, "And thou Solomon, my son, know thou the God of thy fathers, and serve him with a perfect heart and a willing mind:" which words, did we