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what will be the best way for you to spend that bit of life. It is pity that people fhould not propose to themselves a defign of living, and confider what is that design of life that will come to the best account at length. Sure if ye do, ye will find no defign fo reafónable and advantageous as this.

2. Then take him for your God in Chrift, that ye may live to his honour; and do not think that it is by your living to his honour, that he must become your God. Faith muft go before obedience, if ever the obedience be kindly. Faith firft embracing falvation in the free offer of the golpel, natively engages the heart to honour God, as a fon doth his father.

3. Labour to keep up the love of God in the heart, by believing his love; and that will be a ftrong band. Hence fays the Apostle, 2 Cor. v. 14. 15. The love of Chrift conftraineth us, because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: and that he died for all, that they which live, fhould not henceforth live unto themfelves, but unto him which died for them, and rofe again.

4. lafly, Firmly believe that there is a reward of grace for the righteous; and that not a good word or good work, fpoke or done for God, fhall want a reward. Hence is that exhortation of the Apostle's, 1 Cor. xv. ult. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye ftedfaft, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forafmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

DocT. II. It is the special business and privilege of life, to propagate religion, God's name and praife; the ftanding generation to the rifing generation, the fathers to the children, all along.

In difcourfing this doctrine, I fhall shew,
I. What it is to propagate religion, God's name
and praife, to the rifing generation.

II. Who are the standing and rifing generation,
the fathers and the children, among whom
this propagation of religion is to pass.

III. In what refpects it is the fpecial bufinefs of life.

IV. In what respect it is the special privilege of life.

V. lastly, Apply.

I. I fall fhew what it is to propagate religion, God's name and praife, to the rifing generation. It implies thefe four things.

1. The having of religion ourfelves. None can propagate what they have not. If men have not the knowledge and love of God themselves, how can they praife him to others? Men are fenfible, that if they gain not a competent portion of the world to themfelves, they can leave none to their children: fo if they be idle or wafters, they are unjust to their families, 1 Tim. v. 8. Even fo if ye are not religious, ye not only dishonour God, and destroy your own fouls, but ye are unjuft to the rifing generations, and destructive to their fouls too.

2. The profeffion of religion. Hence fays the Apoftle, Rom. x. 10. With the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confeffion is made into falvation. Men may have a profeffion without the practice of religion; but the - practice requires the profeffion of it. And no man will ever propagate religion that is not himfelf a profeffor of it. And the profession must be fuch as is not vifibly contradicted by the practice:

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for if example deftroy what precept builds up, there is no propagating religion to others by that means. So a credible profeffion of religion, is a debt owing to the rifing generation.

3. A defire to continue and fpread religion in the world. Without this none will propagate it: for what men have no defire of the continuance or fpreading of, they will be loth to propagate. And it is the want of concern for the continuance and fpreading of religion, that makes men fo careless about the propagating thereof. They have no due concern for their own fouls; therefore they have none either for God's honour, or the good of those that come after them.

4. laftly, Contributing our endeavours to bring others, and particularly the rifing generation, to the knowledge and practice of religion. Hence fays the Pfalmift, Pfal. Ixxviii. 2. 3. 4. I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark fayings of old: which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, fhewing to the generation to come, the praises of the Lord; and his ftrength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. Man is born like a wild afs's colt, wanting both knowledge and experience. We fee fuch as come into our world, come in naked among us; and we judge ourselves obliged to clothe them, feed them, and teach them how to do for themselves. But withal they have and can do as little for their fouls, as for their bodies; and fhall we leave them deftitute in that point? How will we anfwer that to God? Now, to contribute endeavours to bring them to religion, lies in endeavouring,

ift, To bring them to faith in Jefus Chrift, which

is the foundation of all religion: Pfal. Ixxviii. 7. That they might fet their hope in God, and not forget the works of God; but keep his commandments. They come into the world loft fons and daughters of Adam, under God's wrath and curfe. There is a Saviour provided; but they know it not, till the ftanding generation tell them of it. They are averse naturally to come to that Saviour, and are not aware of the danger of flighting him: it is juftice and charity then to deal with them, in order to convince and bring them in.

2dly, To bring them to holinefs of life; as did Abraham, Gen. xviii. 19. I know him, (fays the Lord), that he will command his children, and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judg ment. When they come into our world, they bring a corrupt nature with them, which begins early to fprout. Satan will begin his temptations with them as foon as they are capable, losing no time. The longer fin continues in them uncurbed, the stronger does it grow. It nearly concerns the ftanding generation then to contribute their endeavours to quench the hellish flame, and to turn the stream and courfe of their life from fin`to holinefs. And this,

(1.) By precept and counsel, Gen. xviii. 19. forecited. Thus we are to praise God to them, by word of mouth. We fhould fhew them what we have to fay in God's behalf, commend religion to them, difparage the way of fin and of the world. to them; bind duty on their confcience, by fhewing them the tie of the word, and oblige them thereto by any authority we have over them.

(2.) By example. Let us write out religion in

our

our own walk before them, that they may be brought to copy after us. Thofe precepts that are illuminated with example, are most ready to take. Beware of cafting an ill example before. their eyes; for the corruption of nature lies that way; and he that fins before a child, fins twice; for his fin lies fair to be repeated by the young fpectator.

(3.) By dependence on the Lord for a bleffing on the means used for their good. Hence fays the Apostle, 2 Cor. x. 4. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of Strong holds. Whoever he be

that plants, if God give not the increase there will be none, 1 Cor. iii. 6. That is a great truth in all cafes, in fpiritual as well as worldly things, 1 Sam. ii. 9.-By ftrength fhall no man prevail. If a man fhould ufe the beft arguments, the strongest motives, the most feasible measures, for bringing others into the way of religion; and upon the fuitableness of the means promise himself fuccefs, he takes the way moft likely to render them ineffectual. The word spoken needs to be mixed with faith in the fpeaker. And he is most likely to fucceed that ufes the means of God's appointment for doing good, with entire dependence on the Lord for fuccefs.

(4) laftly, By prayer for them. Thus it is promifed concerning Chrift, Pfal. lxxii. 15. that prayer fhall be made for him continually, viz. that his kingdom may come, by the daily coming in of new fubjects to him. Since the fuccefs of all that we can do for the good of the rifing generation depends on the Lord's bleffing, it is neceffary that we plead for them at the throne of grace, quickening ourselves

thereto,

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