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received the Defilement and Mifery of their Natures; and therefore you owe them all poffible Help for their Recovery. Confider, how near your Children are to you. They are Parts of yourselves. If they profper when you are dead, you take it as if you lived and profpered in them; and should you not be of the fame Mind for their everlafting Reft?-Otherwife you will be Witneffes against your own Souls. Your Care, and Pains, and Coft for their Bodies, will condemn you for your Neglect of their precious Souls.Yea, all the brute Creatures may condemn you. Which of them is not tender of their Young?- -Confider, God bath made your Children your Charge, and your Servants too. Every one will confefs they are the Minifter's Charge. And have not you a greater Charge of your own Families, than any Minifter can have of them? Doubtless at your Hands God will require the Blood of their Souls. It is the greatest Charge you were ever intrufted with, and woe to you, if you fuffer them to be ignorant or wicked for Want of your Inftruction or Correction.Confider, what Work there is for you in their Difpofitions and Lives. There is not one Sin, but thoufands. They are hereditary Difeafes, bred in their Natures. The Things you must teach them are contrary to the Interest and Defires of their Flesh. May the Lord make you fenfible what a Work and Charge lieth upon you!Con fider, what Sorrows you prepare for yourfelves by the Neglect of your Children. If they prove Thorns in your Eyes, they are of your own planting If you hould repent and be faved, is it nothing to think of their Damnation; and yourfelves the Occafions of it? But if you die in your Sin, how will they cry out against you in Hell!" All this was long of you; you fhould have taught us better, and did not; hould have reftrained us from Sin, and cor

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"rected us, but did not." What an Addition will fuch Out-cries be to your Mifery?- -On the other

Side, think what a Comfort you may have, if you be faithful in this Duty. If you fhould not fucceed, you have freed your own Souls, and have Peace in your own Confciences. If you do, the Comfort is inexpreffible, in their Love and Obedience, their fupplying your Wants, and delighting you in all your remaining Path to Glory. Yea, all your Family may fare the better for one pious Child or Servant. But the greatest Joy will be, when you fhall fay, Lord, here am I, and the Children thou hast given me; and fhall joyfully live with them for ever. -Confider, how much the Welfare of Church and State depends on this Duty. Good Laws will not reform us, if Reformation begin not at Home. This is the Cause of all our Miseries in Church and State, even the Want of a holy Education of Children.---I also intreat Parents to confider, what excelient Advantages they have for faving their Children. They are with you while they are tender and flexible. You have a Twig to bend, not an Oak. None in the World have fuch Interest in their Affections as you have. You have alfo the greateft Authority over them. Their whole Dependance is upon you for a Maintenance. You beft know their Temper and Inclinations. And you are ever with them, and can never want Opportunities: Efpecially you Mathers, remember this, who are more with your Children while young, than their Fathers. What Pains are you at for their Bodies? What do you fuffer to bring them into the World? And will you not be at as much Pains for the faving of their Souls? Your Affections are tender; and will it not move you to think of their perithing for ever? I befeech you, for the Sake of the Children of your Bowels, teach them, admonish them, watch over

them,

them, and give them no Reft till you have brought them to Chrift.

$20. I fhall conclude with this earnest Request to all Chriftian Parents that read thefe Lines; that they would have Compaffion on the Souls of their poor Children, and be faithful to the great Truft that God hath put on them. If you cannot do what you would for them, yet do what you can. Both Church, and State, City and Country, groan under the Neglect of this weighty Duty. Your Children know not God, nor his Laws, but take his Name in vain, and flight his Worship, and you neither inftruct, nor correct them; and therefore God corrects both them and you. You are fo tender of them, that God is the lefs tender both of them and you. Wonder not if God make you smart for your Children's Sins; for you are guilty of all they commit, by your Neglect of your Duty to reform them. Will you refolve therefore to fet upon this Duty, and neglect it no longer? Remember El. Your Children are like Majes in the Bulrufhes, ready to perish if they have not Help. As ever you would not be charged before God as Murderers of their Souls, nor have them cry out against you in everlafting Fire, fee that you teach them how to efcape it, and bring them up in Holinefs, and the Fear of God. I charge every one of you, upon your Allegiance to God, as you will very fhortly anfwer the contrary at your Peril, that you will neither refufe nor neglect this moft neceffary Duty. If you are not willing to do it, now you know it to be fo great a Duty, you are Rebels, and no true Subjects of Jefus Chrift. If you are willing, but know not how, I will add a few Words of Direction to help you. Lead them, by your own Examples, to Prayer, Reading, and other religious Duties. Inform their Underflandings. Store their Memories. Rectify their Wills. Quicken

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their Affections. Keep tender their Confciences. Restrain their Tongues, and teach them gracious Speech. Reform and watch over their outward Converfation. To thele Ends, get them Bibles and pious Books, and fee that they read them Examine them often what they learn: Efpecially spend the Lord's Day in this Work, and fuffer them not to spend it in Sports or Idleness. Shew them the Meaning of what they read or learn. Keep them out of evil Company, and acquaint them with the Godly. And fail not to make them learn.their Catechism. Efpecially fhew them the Neceffity, Excellency, and Pleasure of ferving God; and labour to fix all upon their Hearts.

CHAP.

CHAP. X.

The Saint's Reft is not to be expected on Earth.

1. In order to fhew the Sin and Folly of expecting Rest here, $2. (1) the Reasonableness of prefent Afflictions is confidered; § 3. (1) that they are the Way to Reft, $4. (2) keep us from mistaking our Reft, $5. (3) from losing our Way to it, § 6. (4) quicken our Pace towards it, § 7. (5) chiefly incommode our Flefh, 8, 9..and (6) under them the fweeteft Foretaftes of Reft are often enjoyed: § 10. (II) How unreasonable to rest in prefent Enjoyments; $11. (1) that 'tis Idolatry; $12. (2) that it contradicts God's End in giving them; § 13. (3) is the Way to have them refufed, withdrawn, or imbittered; § 14. (4) that to be fuffered to take up our Reft here is the greatest Curfe; $ 15. (5) that 'tis seeking Reft where it is not; $ 16. (6) that the Creatures, without God, would aggravate our Mifery; § 17 (7) and all this is confirmed by Experience. § 18. The Author laments that this is nevertheless a most common Sin $19-23. (III) How unreasonable our Unwillingness to die, and poffels the Saint's Reft, is largely confidered. $24. The Author apologizes for faying fo much on this laft Head.

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E are not yet come to our refting Place. Doth it remain? How great then is our Sin and Folly to feek and expect it here? Where fhall we find the Chriftian that deferves not this Re

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