APPLICATION - Against The Rulers of The Darkness of This World 1/6

 Use First. This speaks to you that are parents. See what need you have of instructing your children, and training them up betimes in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.  Till these chains of dark­ness be knocked off their minds, there is no possi­bility of getting them out of the devil's prison.  He hath no such tame slave as the ignorant soul.  Such a one goes before Satan—as the silly sheep before the butcher—and knows not who he is, nor whether he carries him.  And can you see the devil driving your children to the shambles, and not labour to rescue them out of his hands?  Bloody parents you are, that can thus harden your bowels against your own flesh.  now the more to provoke you to your duty, take these considerations.

           First. Your relation obligeth you to take care of their precious souls.  It is the soul [that] is the child, rather than the body; and therefore in Scripture put for the whole man.  Abraham and Lot went forth with all the souls they had gotten in Haran, Gen. 12; so, all the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, that is, all the persons.  The body is but the sheath; and if one should leave his sword with you to be kept safely for him, would you throw away the blade, and only pre­serve the scabbard?  And yet parents do commonly judge of their care and love to their children by their providing for the outward man, by their breeding, that teaching them how to live like men, as they say, when they are dead and gone, and [to] comport themselves to their civil place and rank in the world.  These things, indeed, are commendable; but is not the most weighty business of all forgotten in the meantime, while no endeavour is used that they may live as Christians, and know how to carry themselves in duty to God and man as such?  And can they do this without the knowledge of the holy rule they are to walk by?  I am sure David knew no means effectual without this, and therefore propounds the question, ‘Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?’ and he resolves it in the next words, ‘by taking heed thereto according to thy word,’ Ps. 119:9.  And how shall they compare their way and the Word together, if not instructed?  Our children are not born with Bibles in their heads or hearts.  And who ought to be the instructor, if not the parent, yea, who will do it with such natural affection?  As I have heard some­times a mother say in other respects, Who can take such pains with my child, and be so careful as myself, that  am its mother?  Bloody parents then they are who acquaint not their children with God or his Word.  What do they but put them under a necessity of perishing, if God stir not up some to show more mercy than themselves to them?  Is it any wonder to hear that ship to be sunk or dashed upon the rock, which was put to sea without card or compass?  No more is it, they should engulf themselves in sin and perdition, that are thrust forth into the world—which is a sea of temptation—without the knowledge of God or their duty to him.  In the fear of God think of it, parents.  your children have souls, and these God sets you to watch over.  It will be a poor account at the last day, if you can only say, Lord, here are my children, left them rich and wealthy. The rust of that silver you left them will witness your folly and sin, that you would do so much for that which rusts, and nothing for the enriching their minds with the knowl­edge of God, which would have endured for ever. Happy if you had left them less money and more knowledge.

           Second. Consider it hath ever been the saints’ practice to instruct and teach their children the way of God.  David we find dropping instruction into his son Solomon: ‘Know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind,’ I Chr. 28:9. Though a king, he did not put it off to his chaplains, but whetted it on him with his own lips.  Neither was his queen Bathsheba forgetful of her duty, her gracious counsel is upon record, Prov. 31; and that she may do it with the more seriousness and solemnity, we find her stirring up her motherly bowels, to let her son see she fetched her words deep, even from her heart: ‘What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? and what, the son of my vows?’ ver.2.  Indeed that counsel is most like to go to the heart which comes from thence.  Parents know not what impression such melting expressions of their love mingled with their instructions, leave with their children.  God bids draw forth our souls to the hungry, that is more than draw forth our purse, which may be done, and the heart hard and churlish.  Thus we should draw forth our souls with our instructions. What need I tell of Timothy’s mother and grand­mother, who acquainted him with the Scripture from his youth?  And truly, I think that man calls in ques­tion his own saintship, that takes no care to acquaint his child with God, and the way that leads to him.  I have known some that, though profane themselves, have been very solicitous their children should have a good education; but never knew I saint that was regardless whether his child knew God or not.

           Third. It is an act of great unrighteousness not to instruct our children.  We read of some who hold the truth in unrighteousness.  Among others, those parents do it that lock up the knowledge of these sav­ing truths from their children, which God hath im­parted to themselves.  There is a double unrigh­teousness in it.

1. They are unrighteous to their children,who may lay as much claim to their care of instructing them, as to their labour and industry in laying up a temporal estate for them.  If he should do unrigh­teously with his child, that should not endeavour to provide for his outward maintenance, or having gath­ered an estate, should lock it up, and deny his child necessaries, then much more he that lives in ignor­ance of God, whereby he renders himself incapable of providing for his child’s soul, but most of all, he that having gathered a stock of knowledge, yet hides it from his child.
2. They are unrighteous to God.

           (1.) In that they keep that talent in their own hands which was given to be paid out to their chil­dren.  When God revealed himself to Abraham, he had respect to Abraham’s children, and therefore we find God promising himself this at Abraham’s hands, upon which he imparts his mind to him concerning his purpose of destroying Sodom, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham,’ saith God, ‘that thing which I do?  I know him that he will command his children, and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord,’ Gen. 18:17, 19.  The church began at first in a family, and was preserved by the godly care of par­ents in instructing their children and household in the truths of God, whereby the knowledge of God was transmitted from generation to generation, and though the church is not confined to such strait limits, yet every private family is as a little nursery to the church.  If the nursery be not carefully planted, the orchard will soon decay.  O could you be willing, Christians, that your children, when you are laid in the dust, should be turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine, and prove a generation that do not know God?  Atheism needs not be planted; you do enough to make your children such, if you do not endeavour to plant religion in their minds.  The very neglect of the gardener to sow and dress his garden, gives advantage enough to the weeds to come up. This is the difference between religion and atheism, Religion doth not grow without planting, but will die even where it is planted, without watering; atheism, irreligion, and profaneness are weeds [that] will grow without setting, but they will not die without plucking up.  All care and means are little enough to stub them up.  And therefore you that are parents, and do not teach your children, deal the more unrighteously with God, because you neglect the best season in their whole life for planting in them the knowledge of God, and plucking up the contrary weeds of atheism and irreligion.  Young weeds come up with most ease. Simple ignorance in youth becomes wilful ignorance, yea, impudence in age; you will not instruct them when young, and they will scorn that their ministers should, when they are old.