The Addresse of some ministers of Christ in the Isle of Wight & County of Southampton to the people of their respective charges, by way of exhortation, to discharge their parts of those two great and necessary duties, private conference and catechising

2. In relation to your Children.

Though what we have said of Catechizing, as a duty to your whole family, we know you will con∣clude, doth concerne the fruit of your own bodies, the choicest part of it, yet we shall crave leave to presse it more particularly, and to beseech you againe to lay it to Heart.

1. How expressely God layes it upon you as a duty.

2. How many Engagements there be upon you, con∣scientiously to discharge it.

For the former, because what we are desiring of you, is a duty consisting of two branches. 1. To Cate∣chize them your selves. 2. To send them being thus prepared, to be further instructed and taught to understand the grounds of Religion, unto us; we are willing to let you see both parts of the duty.

1. For your Catechizing them at home, we shall adde to what hath been said already,

1. Those precepts of the Scripture, where this charge is laid upon parents in expresse Tearmes; we shall but name the places, and leave them to your meditation, and practice, Deut. 4. 9, 10. and Chap. 6. 6, 7. and Chap. 11. 19. Exod. 12. 24, 26, 27. Exod. 13. 8, 14, 15. Josh. 4. 6, 7, 21, 22. Psal. 78. 5, 6. Joel 1. 3. Eph. 6 4. Pro. 22. 6.

2. The Example of parents fearing God, whose practice of this duty is upon record; as Abraham, Gen. 18. 19. David, 1 Chron. 28. 9. which we hope you will beleeve, was written for your Instruction. And lest you that are Mothers should think your selvs excused, we beseech you to consider, that as a child must receive the instruction of his father, so he must not forsake the Law of his mother, Pro. 1. 8. She is de∣scribed to be a vertuous woman, that openeth her mouth with wisdome, Pro. 31. 26. that teacheth her children their duty both to God and man. Not only did Solomons father teach him, Pro. 4. 4. but we have the Prophesie also that his mother taught him, Pro. 31. 1. Timothy knew the holy Scripture from a child, 2 Tim. 3. 15. and you cannot doubt of the contri∣bution,

his mother, yea and his Grandmother afforded to this Timely acquaintance of his with the Things of God, when you reade the Character you have of them (Chap. 1. 5.) under the hand of an Apostle. And that John the Evangelist found of her children walking in Truth, had not so much redounded to the praise of that Elect Lady, to whom he writes his Se∣cond Epistle, if she had not instructed them in the way. Augustine writes of his mother Monica, that she planted precepts of life in his minde, by her words, wa∣tered them with her teares, and nourished them by her example. You will, we doubt not, look upon these holy women who Trusted in God, as very worthy to be imitated, in so great a duty.

2. For sending your children to us, we shall brief∣ly offer you the duty of it, in these particulars.

1. We are to feed the Lambs of Christ, as well as his sheep, they are part of our charge, who are to watch over their soules as well as yours.

2. That the Sabbath be sanctified by the children, is by an expresse Law of God charged as a duty up∣on the parent, of which already from Exod. 20. 10.

3. A great part of the sanctification of this day is in coming solemnly together to waite upon God in the duties of his worship, and particularly to heare his word, and to be instructed by it, What wee ought to beleeve concerning God, and what duties God requires of us. This your Christianity will not give you leave to doubt of.

4. This duty you cannot discharge as to your chil∣dren, but by causing them to beare a part in all the publique duties of that day which they are capable of, and particularly to be that way instructed, both

as to faith and manners, in which they are likeliest to receive most benefit, and we need not tell you again, that this is to be Catechized.

For the Second; How many Engagements there be upon you to perform this duty? have we any need to say a jot more then this, that they are our children; how many motives doth this deare and tender rela∣tion wrap up in it? we had no intention to leave a volumne with you, and so shall but consider,

1. The need they have to have this course taken with them; Do they not come into the world with soules, altogether as naked as their bodies? nothing but filth upon the one, nothing but sin upon the o∣ther; and the wages even of this sin, is eternall death, Rom. 6. 23. What should not we doe, that they may be borne againe?

2. As our children are borne in sin, so tis by our meanes, we are instruments of it; sin is conveyed to them thorow our Loines, being sinfull our selves, we beget them (as Adam did Seth) in our own like∣nesse, after our Image. How prevailingly should this move us to be instrumental in their cure, as we have been in their disease! to direct them to the righte∣ousnesse of the Second Adam, as we derived unto them the sin of the first; that having begotten them after our own, they may be begotten and borne a∣gaine, after the Image of God, and how great a part of that consisteth in knowledge! and without which Righteousness and True Holiness, the other parts of it, are hoped for in vaine, as long as it is life eternall to know God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent. Joh. 17. 3.

3. The Ardency and strength of our affections to∣ward

our children, and how many other wayes we are wont to expresse it, by our longing for them be∣fore we have them (Gen. 15. 2. Gen. 30. 1. 1 Sam 1. 10, 11.) our joy and contentment afterward (Joh. 16. 21.) the inestimable value we set upon them (2 Kings 4. 13, 14, 15, 16) our industrious care to keep them (Gen 42. 36, 38. 2 Kings 4. 22, 24, 27, 30. Luc. 8. 41, 42. Joh. 7. 47, 49. 1 Kings 14. 4.) our extreame griefe when we lose them (Gen. 37. 33, 34, 35. 2 Sam. 18. 33. and Chap. 19. 2, 4 Mat 2. 18.) our Sympathizing with them in all conditions, smarting under their paine, (Mark 9. 22. Mat. 15. 22.) and feeling the comfort of their welfare, (Gen. 45. 27, 28.) Look, Beloved, into your bowells, or if you cannot finde them there, look into the Scrip∣tures, we have here brought you, and see if these be not the affections of parents towards their chil∣dren, and if these expresse themselves at such a rate, so many other wayes, Can there be a stronger motive to lay them out the best way? upon their souls? by taking care that they may be instructed unto the Kingdom of God?

Let us pause a while, and argue the case with our selves a little, or if you will let us catechize our selves upon this point, and aske such Questions as these; Did we long to have children, and shall we now suf∣fer them to perish? Shall we contentedly see them in such a condition, that (if they continue in it) it had been good for them they had never been born? If their souls be not filled with good, is not an un∣timely birth better then they? If our children be not brought to the knowledge of God, and have no pro∣vision made them for eternity; will not Davids Im∣precations

concerning wicked men, serve us for wishes concerning them? As a snaile which melteth, oh that every one of them had passed away, or like the untimely birth of a woman, that they had never seen the Sun. Shall we provide our selves a Temptation, to curse our childrens day, as Job cursed his own, Job 3. Let the day perish wherein they were born, and the night in which it was said, they are conceived; Let dark∣nesse and the shadow of death staine it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blacknesse of the day terrifie it; why di∣ed they not from the womb? why did they not give up the ghost, when they came out of the belly? why did the knees prevent them? or why the brests that they should suck? To suffer them to perish for lack of knowledge, may it not put us upon all this?

Were we so joyfull when we had them, and shall we not tremble to think, that when we shall have them no more the Devil will? and can any thing else be their lot, if for want of instruction they dy in no better a condition than they were born? Did the Mother forget all the anguish of her travail for joy that they were borne into this world? and will she not endeavour to provide against the swallowing up of all this joy, by a just feare lest they should dy eternally in the next? And for what but a land of darknesse, can a condition of darknesse qualifie them?

Do we set so invaluable a rate upon them, and shall not their immortall part be considered in the account?

Are we so carefull to keep them, that we think no pain, trouble, cost, too much to save their lives? and shall we lay out none of all this to save their souls?

Do we grieve at such a rate when we lose them, and shall we not strive to make our losse as easie as we can? that when God doth take them from us, he may take them to himself? And have we any warrant to beleeve that God will take whom he doth not know? or know those that were never taught to know him?

Can we Lament over every misery of theirs else, and not be troubled at the misery of their Soules? weep, and pray, and advise, when they are sicke, and not afford them a teare, a prayer, an instructi∣on as they are sinfull? Do we well to feel the pain of their bodies, which they feel themselves, and to be insensible of the blindnesse of their souls, which they feel not?

Can we rejoyce at all other good that betides them, and endeavour the procurement of it, and have we no affections to bestow upon their best good? Are we glad that they have health, and in∣different whether they have Grace? glad they have an interest in the world, indifferent whether they have an interest in Christ? If we seriously Ca∣techize our selves at some such rate as this, and find how unable we are to answer that sin and folly which carries all our love to our children, only to their outward concernments, God might blesse it into a diversion of much of it towards their Souls, and if the flame once break out at any rate this way, we will not doubt, but 'twill sufficiently light and warm you in this great duty.

4. The promise you made when your children were baptized, was it not to instruct them in the knowledge of Christ to whom you dedicated them

in that ordinance? breach of promise, specially breach of promise, where the interest of Christ, and of pretious Souls is so much concerned, is not a sin of an ordinary magnitude. We hope we shall not find one amongst you all that is incorrigibly guilty, and so shall not upon the offer of any child to Bap∣tisme hereafter be necessitated to demurre whether it be not our duty to deny it you, or at least to de∣fer it.

Notes

• Mercer. & Jansen. in Pro. 31. 26.
• 2 Joh. 1. 4.
• Joh. 21. 15.
• Joh. 3. 6.
• Job 25. 4.
• Joh. 3. 3, 5.
• Gen. 5. 3.
• Coloss. 3. 10.
• Eph. 4. 24.
• Eccles. 6. 3.
• Psal. 58. 8.
• V. 3, 5, 11, 12.