Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

of the Lord. A more effential fervice cannot be rendered to fociety, than the training up children to fear God, and honour their earthly fuperiors; to lead a peaceable life, in godlinefs and honefty. Children themselves claim it, as the best and most comfortable courfe of life. Ignorance and violation of religion and morality, in the firft ftage of life, lays the foundation of infamy and wretchednefs. Furthermore, in the neglect of religious education, parents and heads of families cannot be fuppofed to take care of their own fouls.

The example of the wisest and best of men is a moft ufeful comment on the various inftructions of scripture, relating to early education in religion. The teftimonies God hath given of his approbation of parents who have carefully attended to this duty, and of his difpleasure against the parents who have neglected or been remifs in it, abundantly evince its importance.

But, in oppofition to the example of great and pious men, to the many exprefs commands of God, and to the undeniable teftimonies of his favour and anger, objections are made to religious education, that it fetters and fhackles young minds, is hoftile to all free enquiry, and upholds bigotry and fuperftition. Intending to appropriate a difcourfe to the diftinct confideration of this objection, it will not be attended to at prefent.

Before I conclude, fuffer me to turn your reflections upon the closing scene of a pious parent. How folicitous is he to imprefs a deep fenfe of religion upon his offspring? There was weight in his counfel, while he went in and out before them. He then appeared really to believe and to feel the good doctrine which he imparted. But his final charge has a peculiar energy No charge of a parent to his pofterity, when he is about to leave them behind in the world, can be more impreflive than that of David to his fon. Full of faith and hope as of days, his work finished, ripe for heav

en, his time to die being come; behold his parental concern for Solomon, then young and inexperienced, about to enter upon arduous duties, amidst many fnares and allurements. Behold him, with every circumftance of folemnity, charge his fon to adhere inviolably to the religion in which he had been educated; which the father had cordially embraced, and held fast in all trials-which had proved a fure fupport in all the viciffitudes of life; and in the hope of which he was prepared to die. "Thou, Solomon my fon, know "thou the God of thy Father; and ferve him with a "perfect heart, and with a willing mind." In making this choice, the fon was affured that he would find his temporal and eternal account: But apoftacy would bring fatal conviction of folly and prefumption. On the confines of the grave, every worldly intereft finks to nothing. Swallowed up in contemplations on the fcenes of eternity, the confequences of defpifing or deferring religion, or of duplicity in it, present themfelves in full force-as alfo the wisdom of an early, decided choice of it. Look to David, who made and was fixed in this choice. See him expecting his exit, his flesh and heart failing, but fearing no evil, because God was the ftrength of his heart-improving the laft moments of life, in imparting the beft farewel counsel to a fon endeared to him; committing him to a covenant God; and enjoining upon him, by the folemnities of death and eternity, to know and ferve the God of his father.

Parents; here is your pattern. Learn, what you will; on the verge of life, moft earnestly defire for your children-what character you will then wish them to poffefs. Have you made choice of the only living and true God? With unutterable groanings, you will pray, that they may also choose him for their God-that he would replenish them with his grace, guide them by his counfel, and make them bleffingsfriends to the Ifrael of God.

As contraries illustrate each other, let the character of David becontrafted to that of Chesterfield. The former, charging his fon, Know thou the God of thy father, pointed out to him the way to heaven. The latter led his in the way to hell. For he taught him thus: "Improve in all "the refinements of deception and falfehood. Walk "in the way of thine heart, and in the fight of thine "eyes; but take care to fhun the coarseness of vulgar "vice: Indulge thine appetites as becomes a perfon "of rank and breeding. Deny thyfelf no fashionable "gratification." This, inftead of the inftruction which became a father, was giving him deadly poison. A fon thus corrupted had reason to curfe the father that begat him. It had been better to have been educated among the Hottentots, or to have been an ideot.

Parents; in a little time you may leave your children in this world, and go to another, never to return. They call on you to guide them in right paths. Be inftant in season and out of season, teaching them the fear of the Lord. This is wisdom. Serve him yourfelves with all your heart. Spare no means or pains to imbue their minds with the best principles, that they may be wife to falvation. Committing yourselves and them to the divine direction and care, your labour in the Lord fhall not be in vain. Warn and teach them in all wisdom. Watch for their fouls, in the view of the account you must give of your charge. With exceeding joy will you appear in the prefence of your great Judge, if you may be able to fay, Here am I, and the children which thou gavest me. Happy the pious parents, whofe children walk in their ways! Happy the children who have pious parents! With fuch parents every other care for their children is fubfervient to this, that the good part may be chofen, which fhall never be taken away. "My fon, if thy heart be wife, 66 my heart fhall rejoice. The good man leaveth an "inheritance to his children" better than riches and honour. They have reafon to rife up, and call bin blessed.

SERMON II.

ANSWER TO THE OBJECTION, THAT EDU-
CATION IN RELIGION SHACKLES
THE MIND.

PROVERBS xxii. 6.

TRAIN UP A CHILD IN THE WAY HE SHOULD GO; AND WHEN HE IS OLD, HE WILL NOT DEPART FROM IT.

THE

“༢༠

HE duty of parents to inftruct their children in the principles of religion, and to incite them to the practice of it, is evident from many exprefs injunctions of the facred oracles; from the teftimonies of the favour of Almighty God to the faithful performance of this duty, and of his anger to the neglect of it. The example of the greatest and beft of men, in all times, fhews the fenfe they had of the high importance of this duty, and recommends it with a force irrefiftible, except by those whom neither precept nor example can perfuade. They object, "that the religious "education of children fetters and fhackles their "minds, is hoftile to free enquiry, and upholds bigotઃઃ ry and fuperftition." My prefent discourse will be devoted to the examination of this objection.

We shall not urge the authority of the text that has been read, or the many others of like import. Nor fhall we urge the example of the excellent of the earth. Neither of these have the smallest weight with objectors of the prefent description.

Let fuch as are inclined, plead the cause of bigotry and superstition; we have not fo learned Chrift. He

hath taught us to judge even of ourselves what is rightto prove all things-to be fully perfuaded in our own mind. Christianity is a reasonable service, and requires that we be ready always to give a reafon of our faith and hope: It never could have been received, had not men exercifed their reason, and attended to the principles of evidence, in oppofition to the authority of fuperftition and tradition-in oppofition to the wifdom by which the world knew not God.

The primitive Chriftians had a veneration for the wifdom of God in the fcriptures, and for his feal fet to them, which nothing could abate. Their efteem of them rofe, and their zeal to guard them was kindled, in proportion to what they fuffered for the truth as it is in Jefus. Amidft the corruptions of judaifm and popery, the facred books were preferved with fuch care, that, the substance of divine truth being retained, the refutation of thofe corruptions might always be found in the infpired writings. The reformation, fimilar to that from paganifm, opened men's eyes, and turned them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God. The bible only is the religion of Proteftants. The zeal of the firft Chriftians, and of the reformers, for the fcriptures fhould provoke to emulation those who are parents, that their children may know these writings-may learn to compare fpiritual things with fpiritual. It argues a noble mind, to recur to the fcriptures for the decision of every religious controversy, not receiving for doctrines the commandments of men.

However any may be educated in bigotry, it appears, from what we have now remarked, that true religion encourages free enquiry: It does not contract, it enlarges the mind. It is not grounded on education, but on the authority of the God of truth. He can teach man knowledge by revelation as well as by the light of nature. It behoves us to use all the means of knowledge which he affords—all helps to know his will-and all

« AnteriorContinuar »