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felves, fhould probably grow up like the Brutes of the Earth; we fhould trifle away the brighter Seasons of Life in a thousand Crimes and Follies, and endure the Fatigues and Burdens of it furrounded with a thoufand Miferies, and at laft we should perish and die without Knowledge or Hope if we have no Inftructors.

ALL our other Powers of Nature, fuch as the Will and the various Affections, the Senfes, the Appetites and the Limbs, would become wild Inftruments of Madness and Mischief if not governed by the Underftanding: And the Understanding itself would run into a thousand Errors, dreadful and pernicious, and would employ all the other Powers in Mischief and Madness, if it hath not the Happiness to be inftructed in the Things of God and Men. And who is there among all our FellowCreatures fo much obliged to bestow this Inftruction on us as the Perfons who, by Divine Providence, have been the Inftruments to bring us into Life and Being? It is their Duty to give their young Offspring this Benefit of Inftruction as far as they are able; or at least to provide fuch Inftructors for them, and to put the Children under their Care.

HERE let us therefore enquire, what are the feveral Things in which Children Should be inftructed? and upon a due Survey we

fhall

shall find the most important Things which Children ought to learn and know are these which follow.

R

SECT. I.

Of inftructing Children in Religion.

ELIGION in all the Parts of it, both what they are to believe and what they are to practife, is moft necessary to be taught. I mention this in the first Place, not only because it is a Matter of the highest Importance, and of moft univerfal Concern to all Mankind, but because it may be taught even in these very early Years of Life. As foon as Children begin to know almost any Thing, and to exercise their Reafon about Matters that lie within the Reách of their Knowledge, they may be brought to know so much of Religion as is neceffafor their Age and State. For Instance,

ry

I. YOUNG Children may be taught that there is a God, a great and Almighty God who made them, and who gives them every good Thing. That he fees them every where though they cannot fee him, and that he takes notice of all their Behaviour.

2. THEY must be told what they should do, and what they should avoid, in order to pleafe God. They should be taught in ge

neral

neral to know the Difference between Good and Evil. They may learn that it is their Duty to fear and love and worship God, to pray to him for what they want and to praise him for what they enjoy; to obey their Parents, to fpeak Truth, and to be honest and friendly to all Mankind; and to fet a Guard upon their own Appetites and Paffions. And that to neglect thefe Things, or to do any Thing contrary to them, is finful in the Sight

of God.

3. THEIR Confciences are capable of receiving Conviction when they have neglected thefe Duties, or broken the Commands of God or of their Parents; and they may be made fenfible that the great and holy God, who loves the righteous and beftows Blef fings upon them, is angry with those who have broken his Commands and finned against him, and therefore that they themselves are become Subject to his Difpleasure.

4. THEY may be told that there is another World after this; and that their Souls do not dye when their Bodies die: That they shall be taken up into Heaven which is a State of Pleasure and Happiness, if they have been good and holy in this World: But if they have been wicked Children they must go down to Hell, which is a State of Mifery and Torment.

5. You may alfo inform them that though their Bodies dye and are buried; yet God

God can and will raise them to Life again: And that their Body and Soul together muft be made happy or miferable, according to their Behaviour in this Life.

6. THEY may be taught that there is no Way for fuch finful Creatures as we are to be received into God's Favour, but for the Sake of Jefus Chrift the Son of God, who came down from Heaven into our World, and lived a Life of pure and perfect Holinefs, and fuffered Death to reconcile Sinners to the Great and Holy God, who is offended by the Sins of Men; and now he lives in Heaven to plead for Mercy for them: And that as this Jefus Chrift is the only Reconciler between God and Man, fo all their Hope must be placed in him.

7. THEY may be taught that their very Natures are finful: They may be convinced that they are inclined naturally to do Evil: And they should be informed that it is the holy Spirit of God, who muft cure the evil Temper of their own Spirits, and make them holy and fit to dwell with God in Heaven.

8. THEY fhould also be inftructed to pray to God, that for the Sake of Jefus Chrift the great Mediator or Reconciler, he would pardon their Sins paft, and help them by his Spirit to love and ferve him with Zeal and Faithfulnefs for Time to come: That he would bestow all neceffary Bleffings upon

them

them in this World, and bring them fafe at laft to his Heavenly Kingdom.

9. IN the laft Place they fhould be informed that our Bleffed Saviour has appointed two Ordinances to be obferved by all his Followers to the End of the World, which are usually called Sacraments.

THE one is Baptifm, wherein Persons are to be washed with Water in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, to fignify their being given up to Chrift as his Difciples or Profeffors of Christianity, and as an Emblem of that Purity of Heart and Life, which, as fuch, they inuft aim at and endeavour after.

THE other is the Lord's Supper, wherein Bread is broken and Wine is poured out, and diftributed to be eaten and drunk by Chriftians in Remembrance of the Body of Chrift which was put to a bloody Death, as a Sacrifice to obtain Pardon for the Sins of Men.

THE first of these, viz. Baptifm is but once to be adminiftred to any Perfon; but the last, viz. the Lords Supper is to be frequently performed, to keep us always in Mind of the Death of Chrift, till he comes again from Heaven to judge the World.

THIS is the Sum and Subftance of the Chriftian Religion, drawn out into a very few plain Articles: And I think a Child of common Cappacity who is arrived at three

or