sons, for the reproofs he gave them are record- | violent death of Eli; all these events are fully ed in the second chapter. Why do ye such known. things" said he to them, "for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people. Do not so my sons, for it is no good report that I hear." To perform a duty of such importance with so much indifference, was equal to an encouragement of the sin. Eli made use of petitions and exhortations, when he ought to have applied sharp reproofs, and alarming threatenings. He censured and rebuked, when he ought to have anathematized and thundered: accordingly, after the Holy Spirit had related the reproofs which Eli, in the words just now cited, addressed to his sons, he tells us in the text, by a seeming contradiction, but in words full of truth and good sense, that Eli "restrained them not."

Observe thirdly what terrible punishments this criminal indulgence drew down upon the guilty father, the profligate sons, and even the whole people under their direction. A prophet had before denounced these judgments against Eli, in order to engage him to prevent the repetition of the crimes, and the infliction of the punishments. "Wherefore honourest thou thy sons above me?" said the man of God. "I said, indeed, that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but behold the days come that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house. And thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation, in all the wealth which God shall give Israel. And the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from mine altar, shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart. And this shall be a sign unto thee, thy two sons, Hophni and Phinehas in one day shall both of them die," chap. ii. 29, &c.

I hasten to the chief design of this discourse. The extreme rigour which God used towards Eli, and the terrible judgments with which he punished the indulgence of this unhappy parent, seemed to offend some who have not attended to the great guilt of a parent, who neglects to devote his children to God by a holy education. I am going to endeavour to remove this offence, and, in order to do so, I shall not confine myself to my text, but shall treat of the subject at large, and show you, as our time will allow, first, the crimes and miseries of a parent, who neglects the education of his family; and secondly, the means of preventing them. We will direct our reflections so that they may instruct not only heads of families, but all our hearers, and so that what we shall say on the education of children, by calling to mind the faults committed in our own, may enable us to correct them.

To neglect the education of our children is to be ungrateful to God, whose wonderful power created and preserved them. With what marvellous care does a kind Providence watch over the formation of our infants, and adjust all the different parts of their bodies?

With what marvellous care does a kind Providence preserve them amidst a multitude of accidents which seem to conspire together to snatch them away in their tenderest infancy, and in all their succeeding years. Who but a Being almighty and all-merciful could preserve a machine so brittle, at a time when the least shock would be sufficient to destroy it.

With what marvellous care does a kind Providence provide for their first wants: for at first they are like those idols, of which the prophet speaks, "they have eyes and see not, they have ears and hear not, they have feet and cannot walk." Frail, infirm, and incapable of providing for their wants, they find a sufficient supply in those feelings of humanity and tenderness with which nature inspires all human kind. Who can help admiring that, at a time when infants have nothing that can please, God enables them to move the compassion of These threatenings were accomplished in all their parents, and to call them to their succour their rigour. The arm is in Scripture an em- by a language more eloquent and more pablem of strength, and when the prophet threat-thetic than the best studied discourses? ened Eli, that the Lord would cut off his arm, and the arm of his father's house, he meant to foretell that the family of this priest should fall into decay. Hophni and Phinehas perished in battle when the Philistines conquered the Israelites., Ahitub and Ichabod, the sons of Phinehas, lived only a few years after the death of their father. If we believe a tradition of the Jews, this threatening was accomplished many ages after it was uttered. We are told in the Talmud, that there was at Jerusalem a family, in which no one outlived the eighteenth year of his age; and that a famous Rabbi found by inquiring into the origin of that family, that it descended from Eli. A rival, Zadok, was made high priest instead of Abiathar, a descendant of Eli. We are able to prove by very exact registers that the high priesthood continued in the family of Zadok not only from the building of the temple to the destruction of it, that is to say for the space of four hundred years, but even to the time of Antiochus Epiphanes. The rest of the misfortunes of Eli, the victory obtained by the Philistines, the taking of the ark, the confusion which brought on the labour and the death of the wife of Phinehas, who expired, "saying, name the child Ichabod, for the glory is departed from Israel," chap. iv. 19, &c. the

!

With what astonishing care does a kind Providence provide for those wants, which old age incapacitates us to supply? Who can shut his eyes against all these wonders without sinking into the deepest stupidity, and withou exposing himself to the greatest misery?

To neglect the education of our children is to refuse to retrench that depravity which we communicated to them. Suppose the Scriptures had not spoken expressly on the subject of original depravity, yet it would argue great stupidity to question it. As soon as infants discover any signs of reason, they discover signs of depravity, and their malice appears as their ideas unfold themselves. Sin in them is a fire at first concealed, next emitting a few sparks, and at last bursting into a great blaze, unless it be prevented in time. Whence do they derive so great an infection? Can we doubt it, my brethren? They derive it from us, and by communicating our nature we communicate our

depravity. It is impossible, being our children, that they should not be depraved, as we are; for, to use the language of scripture, their "fathers are Amorites and their mothers are Hittites," Ezek. xvi. 13. Here I wish I could give you some notion of this mortifying mystery; I wish I could remove the difficulties which prevent your seeing it; I wish I could show you what a union there is between the brain of an infant and that of its mother, in order to convince you that sin passes from the parent to the child.

consummation of that great sacrifice, which he was about to offer to the justice of his Father. The soul of our divine Saviour was affected with the dangers to which his dear disciples were going to be exposed. Against these gloomy thoughts he opposed two noble reflections. First, he remembered the care which he had taken of them, and the great principles which he had formed in their minds: and secondly, he observed that "shadow of the Almighty, under which he had taught them to abide," Ps. xci. 1. "I have manifested thy

What! can we in cool blood behold our chil-name unto the men which thou gavest me. dren in an abyss, into which we have plunged While I was with them in the world, I kept them; can we be sensible that we have done this them in thy name, and none of them is lost but evil, and not endeavour to relieve them? Not the son of perdition. They are not of the world, being able to make them innocent, shall we not even as I am not of the world," John xvii. 6, endeavour to render them penitent? Ah! vic- 12, 16. This is the first reflection. "Now I tims of my depravity, unhappy heirs of the am no more in the world, but these are in the crimes of your parents, innocent creatures, born world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep only to suffer, I think I ought to reproach my- through thine own name those whom thou hast self for all the pains you feel, all the tears you given me, that they may be one, as we are. I shed, and all the sighs you utter. Methinks, pray not that thou shouldst take them out of every time you cry, you reprove me for my in- the world, but that thou shouldst keep them sensibility and injustice. At least, it is right, from the evil. Sanctify them through thy truth, that, as I acknowledge myself the cause of the thy word is truth. Father, I will that they evil, I should employ myself in repairing it, and also, whom thou hast given me, be with me endeavour to renew your nature by endeavour-where I am," ver. 11, 15, 17. This is the seing to renew my own. cond reflection.

This reflection leads us to a third point. To neglect the education of our children is to be wanting in that tenderness, which is so much their due. What can we do for them? What inheritance can we transmit to them? Titles? They are often nothing but empty sounds without meaning and reality. Riches? They often "make themselves wings and fly away," Prov. xxiii. 5. Honours? They are often mixed with disagreeable circumstances, which poison all the pleasure. It is a religious education, piety, and the fear of God, that makes the fairest inheritance, the noblest succession, that we can leave our families.

These two reflections are impenetrable shields, and a parent should never separate them. Would you be in a condition to oppose the second of these shields against such attacks as the gloomy thoughts just now mentioned will make upon your hearts on that day in which you quit the world and leave your children in it? endeavour now to arm yourself with the first. Would you have them "abide under the shadow of the Almighty?" Inculcate his fear and his love in their hearts. Would you be able to say as Jesus Christ did, "Holy Father, I will that they whom thou hast given me be with me, that they may behold my glory; keep them through thy name?" Put yourself now into a condition to enable you then to say to God as Christ did, "I have given them to thy word, they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world."

If any worldly care may lawfully occupy the mind of a dying parent, when in his last moments the soul seems to be called to detach itself from every worldly concern, and to think of nothing but eternity, it is that which has our children for its object. A Christian in such cir- To neglect the education of our children is cumstances finds his heart divided between the to let loose madmen against the state, instead family, which he is leaving in the world, and of furnishing it with good rulers or good subthe holy relations, which he is going to meet in jects. That child intended for the church, heaven. He feels himself pressed by turns be- what will he become, if he be not animated tween a desire to die, which is most advan- with such a spirit as ought to enliven a minister tageous for him, and a wish to live, which seems of religion? He will turn out a trader in sacred most beneficial to his family. He says, "I am things, and prove himself a spy in our families, in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to de-a fomenter of faction in the state, who, under part, and to be with Christ, which is far better; pretence of glorifying God, will set the world nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more need-on fire. That other child intended for the bar, ful for you," Phil. i. 23, 24. We are terrified at that crowd of dangers, in which we leave these dear parts of ourselves. The perils seem to magnify as we retire from the sight of them. One while we fear for their health, another while we tremble for their salvation. My brethren, can you think of any thing more proper to prevent or to pacify such emotions, than the practice of that duty which we are now pressing as absolutely necessary? A good father on his death-bed puts on the same dispositions to his children as Jesus Christ adorned himself with in regard to his disciples immediately before the

what will he become, unless as much pains be taken to engage him to love justice as to make him know it, or to make him not disguise it as well as understand it? He will prove himself an incendiary, who will sow seeds of division in families, render law suits eternal, and reduce to indigence and beggary even those clients, whose causes he shall have art enough to gain. And that child, whom you have rashly determined to push into the highest offices of state without forming in him such dispositions as are necessary in eminent posts, what will he become? A foolish or a partial judge, who will

pronounce on the fortunes and lives of his fel-world a sinner? was it necessary to put me in low citizens just as chance or caprice may im- arms against Almighty God? Was it not enough pel him: a public blood-sucker, who will live to communicate to me natural depravity? must upon the blood and substance of those whom you add to that the venom of a pernicious eduhe ought to support: a tyrant, who will raze cation? Was it not enough to expose me to the and depopulate the very cities and provinces misfortunes inseparable from life? must you which he ought to defend. plunge me into those which follow death? Return me, cruel parent, return me to nothing, whence you took me. Take from me the fata! existence you gave me. Show me mountains and hills to fall on me, and hide me from the anger of my judge; or, if that divine vengeance which pursues thee, will not enable thee to do so, I myself will become thy tormentor; I will for ever present myself, a frightful spectacle before thine eyes, and by those eternal howlings, which I will incessantly pour into thine ears, I will reproach thee, through all eternity I will reproach thee, with my misery and despair."

The least indulgence of the bad inclinations of children sometimes produces the most fatal effects in society. This is exemplified in the life of David, whose memory may be truly reproached on this article, for he was one of the most weak of all parents. Observe his indulgence of Amnon. It produced incest. Remark his indulgence of Absalom, who besought him to allow his brethren to partake of a feast, which he had prepared. It produced an assassination. See his weak fondness of the same Absalom, who endeavoured to make his way to the throne by mean and clownish manners, affecting to shake hands with the Israelites, and to embrace and kiss them (these are the terms of Scripture,) and practising all such popular airs as generally precede and predict sedition. This produced a civil war. Remark how he indulged Adonijah, who made himself chariots, and set up a retinue of fifty men. The sacred historian tells us, that "his father had not displeased him at any time, in saying, why hast thou done so?" 1 Kings, i. 6. This produced a usurpation of the throne and the crown.

To neglect the education of your children is to furnish them with arms against yourselves. You complain that the children, whom you have brought up with so much tenderness, are the torment of your life, that they seem to reproach you for living so long, and that, though they have derived their being and support from you, yet they refuse to contribute the least part of their superfluities to assist and comfort you! You ought to find fault with yourselves, for their depravity is a natural consequence of such principles as you have taught them. Had you accustomed them to respect order, they would not now refuse to conform to order: but they would perform the greatest of all duties; they would be the strength of your weakness, the vigour of your reason, and the joy of your old

age.

Let us turn our eyes from these gloomy images, let us observe objects more worthy of the majesty of this place, and the holiness of our ministry. To refuse to dedicate our children to God by a religious education, is to refuse those everlasting pleasures, which as much surpass our thoughts as our expressions.

It is a famous question in the schools, whether we shall remember in heaven the connexions we had in this world? Whether glorified spirits shall know one another? Whether a father will recollect his son, or a son his father? And so on. I will venture to assert, that they who have taken the affirmative side, and they who have taken the negative on this question, have often done so without any reason.

On the one side, the first have pretended to establish their thesis on this principle, that something would be wanting to our happiness if we were not to know in a future state those persons, with whom we had been united by the tenderest connexions in this present world.

On the other hand, if we know, say the partisans of the opposite opinion, the condition of our friends in a future state, how will it be possible that a parent should be happy in the possession of a heaven, in which his children have no share; and how can he possibly relish pleasure at the right hand of God, while he revolves this dreadful thought in his mind, my children are now, and will for ever be tor

To neglect the education of children is to prepare torments for a future state, the bare ap-mented with the devil? prehension of which must give extreme pain to every heart capable of feeling. It is beyond a doubt, that remorse is one of the chief punishments of the damned, and who can question, whether the most excruciating remorse will be excited by this thought; I have plunged my children into this abyss, into which I have plunged myself?

Imagine a parent of a family discovering among the crowd of reprobates a son, whom he himself led thither, and who addresses to him this terrible language. "Barbarous father, what animal appetites, or what worldly views inclined you to give me existence? to what a desperate condition you have reduced me! See, wretch that you are, see these flames which burn and consume me. Observe this thick smoke which suffocates me. Behold the heavy chains with which I am loaded. These are the fatal consequences of the principles you gave me. Was it not enough to bring me into the VOL. II.-4

It should seem, the proof and the objection are equally groundless. The enjoyment of God is so sufficient to satiate a soul, that it cannot be considered as necessary to the happiness of it to renew such connexions as were formed during a momentary passage through this world. I oppose this against the argument for the first opinion: and I oppose the same against the objection, for the enjoyment of God is every way so sufficient to satiate a soul, that it can love nothing but in God, and that its felicity cannot be altered by the miseries of those with whom there will then be no connexion.

A consideration of another kind has always made me incline to the opinion of those who take the affirmative side of this question. The perfections of God are here concealed under innumerable veils. How often does he seem to countenance iniquity by granting a profusion of favours to the contrivers of the most infernal