rents for enforcing a discipline of knowledge, and of action, and, above all, of obedience upon the child, lest forsooth they should cramp the liberty of nature. What do they mean by that word, 'liberty of nature?' I know what liberty of will means; but of nature I have no notion, but as a bondage upon the natural liberty of the will: so that all they do by the sufferance and endurance of childhood and youth, is to permit time to rivet the bonds, and iniquity to confirm and deepen the darkness into which we are all by nature brought. Not, however, deeming these moping sentimentalists worthy the expenditure of good sense, I cannot enough admire, nor could have believed, did I not know it for certain, that many pious people are so far overseen in this matter, as to believe and act upon the faith, that because they cannot change the heart, nor lead the mind to Jesus, nor in any other way bear a part in the work of their children's salvation, it is of little avail to distress either them or themselves with laborious pains-takings; and it is wicked to think that they can, by all their efforts bring them a jot nearer to Christ. All this Antinomian speculation and practice, which goes to a great height with your Sandemanians and Bereans, cometh, dear brethren, of this capital defect in their theology; that they know not, or believe not, that there is a soil, as well as a Sower of seed, and a Waterer of seed, and a Husbandman;-which soil is in man, is in the heart of man ;-which soil is looked to by God, and because of its worthiness is honoured with his cultivation, and made fruitful of his harvest. To the formation of which soil, I say again, nothing

under heaven contributes so essentially as the right training and good breeding of a father's house, by cultivating in the child many excellent qualities of the mind and heart, whereof by far the best is faith, or a simple reliance upon the word of its parents, and an undoubting confidence in their affection. And next to this is a reverence of their authority, and an implicit obedience of their commands.

To believe, to revere, and to obey, are the three highest faculties and functions of man, and the three most necessary requisites towards the receiving and fructifying of the Divine seed, which must be believed, and revered, and obeyed, in order to bring forth any fruit. These are the three elements of an honest heart: the belief that other men are honest and true, the reverence of all men in their proper place, and the ready obedience of every obligation which they have over us. And, on the other hand, to doubt, and suspect, and be jealous of others, to believe nothing, or as little as possible, beyond what we see; and, which comes of such scepticism, to have no reverence of any man for his rank or authority; and to serve as little as possible, and escape whenever we can into the idleness and liberty of our own will;-these are the three scourges of man's soul, which utterly disqualify him from receiving any Divine seed. For they all come of Satan, who is a liar and a murderer: for what is scepticism and doubt, but the suspicion of a lie? and what is irreverence, but the murdering of another man's dignity? and disobedience, but rebellion against his word? Now, it may well be said, that if we believe not, revere not, and obey not our parents which are on earth, how shall we believe,

revere; or obey our Father which is in heaven? Wherefore, brethren, I do exhort you the more diligently to give heed unto your children, especially in these times, which are unbelieving to the very core, and irreverent to the last degree, that you may lay in them, from their infancy, the rudiments of these three excellent endowments. And, to that effect, never deal falsely with your children on any pretence; joke not with them, mock not with them, give in to no extravagance with them; but keep to the bare and naked truth; until your word, your look, your simplest sign becomes an equivalent to truth: and let truth be ever in their ears, and let truth be ever in their eyes. And yield not your august authority, a father to be come a play-mate, a mother to become an idlehour companion. These offices pertain to brothers and sisters, and companions of the like age, and are profitable to them. But once let the reverence for a father be lost, and reverence is for ever gone; and can hardly ever be reclaimed again. Be authority an ingredient of every thing you say, that obedience may become an ingredient of every thing they receive. Go not to simper and smile affection, to prattle and bandy baby-talk to your children: go not to level every thing down to their understanding. Put out of the house that swarm of infantine science, and infantine criticism, and infantine story, and infantine catechisms, and infantine hymns and spiritual songs, which keep children for ever children, which sacrifice faith at the shrine of understanding, and that the understanding of a child, which abolish reverence and obedience from the mind, where above all it ought to be seated. And, oh! ye foolish fathers and fond

mothers, who delight to hear your children asking reasons of you for every command before they will yield it faith or obedience, you are destroying their very capacity for Divine teaching; unfitting them for hearing God, and preparing them for that scepticism which rageth amongst us like a pestilence, sparing neither sex nor age. Suffer all questions which are expressive of their ignorance, and with reverence asked at your superior knowledge; and answer all such according to your best ability, directing them besides to the reverend sources of knowledge in the holy word of God, and the writings of the wise and faithful of his church. But questions which originate in disinclination to believe, and unwillingness to obey; in conceit of mind, and a desire of self-determination; suffer not in a child, and in a man discourage. It was wont to be the rule amongst our fathers, "Do my bidding, and ask no reasons. Obey!" And why should I obey?' "Because your father or your mother hath commanded you." I have seen a mother stand by while a father quelled with sore correction the obstinacy of a child, and turn away her face and weep, but never interfere with word or sign, because she knew it was wholesome discipline. I knew a widowed mother well, who was in the use of taking the offender away from the rest into a secret chamber alone; and then, after shewing him how it grieved her, and degraded him, chasten him with her own hand; and yield her rod neither to the declaration of repentance nor the promise of amendment. But our children now-a-days are become parents, and babes rule over us: men and women of the old school there are none; nor teachers, who must by no means dare to chastise our

children, but may scare them with dark chambers, and load them with petty penalties. The play of the world's addresses must be introduced into the school: knaves must be set to detect knaves; the pillory, the public disgrace, excommunication, and every other art must be introduced to supplement the schoolmaster's bereaved office. And trials by jury, and the mockery of every thing reverential among men, must be played off with the children. And no servant can now be entrusted with the good and salutary discipline of a child, but they must address them by the title of Master and Miss, and treat them as their superiors. Why, look ye, take it for all in all, and I will say, there never was such a system contrived in this foolish world for scourging the soil of the heart, as that which now prevails in the education and training of children; which prepares them for all intellectual scepticism, and self-willedness, and disqualifies them utterly for receiving or reproducing the precious seed of the word of God;-of all which I solemnly warn the parents of my flock, and do entreat them, if they ever believed any thing which I have spoken, to believe this word; and if ever they gave reverence to any thing I have spoken as a minister of Christ, to give reverence to this lesson of training their children to believe, to reverence, and to obey, in every thought, word, and action of their life, whatever is to be believed, revered, and obeyed; of which you, not they, are to be the judges.

And, on the other hand, I have to say to as many children as now hear me, that if this part of their education have been neglected; they should seek with all their might to recover the