their parents. Amongst many fuch advantages the few following ones are remarkable. (1) Hereby fuch children are taken in within the covenant; for the promife, fays the apostle, Acts ii. 39, is to you and to your children,and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God Shall call. They are allowed hereby to have their names particularly mentioned in the promise. This is the advantage which church members have beyond others, who are not yet taken within the covenants, nor admitted to thefe ordinances which are a badge of their reception. The gofpel call fays in the general to all, If ye believe ye thall be faved but it, as it were, names every one that is baptized, and fays in particular to him, Oman, thou who art taken within the covenant, I fay to thee, as it were by name, Thou shalt be faved, if thou believe: and this is much more confirming than the other. (2) The children of real believers have this advantage, That they have their pa rents pleading for them at the throne of grace, which many times has availed much, in order to their falvation, though the Lord fees not meet al ways to hear parents in behalf of their children. If he did always fo, then poffibly it might iprove a fnare both to them and to their children, and might lead them into a dangerous miftake, as if God's grace were not fo free as it is; but that many times they are heard this way, is encouragement enough to engage all parents to pray for their children! (3.) The children of godly parents have their counsel and inftruction, which is of ufe to engage them to religion, and to bring them to acquaint ance with Chrift: and of how much influence this is, the wife man tells us, Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not

depart

depart from it, Prov. xxii. 6 that is, ordinarily he will not do fo. (4.) The children of believ ing parents, they have their parents good exam ple; and this many times has more influence than precept and inftruction: hence it is that we find the apoftle Peter exhorting wives to a holy walk, that their unbelieving husbands might be won by their converfation. Ye wives, fays he, be fubject to your own hufbands, that if any obey not the word, they all may, without the word, be won by the converfation of the wives, while they behold. your chäfte converfation coupled with fear, 1 Pet. iH. 1, 2. Faith made vifible in a holy walk, has a moft attracting and engaging appearance; it is beautiful to an high degree. (5.) Hereby children likewise have the advantage of the ordinances, which are the means of falvation. Godly parents will take care both to bring their children to the ordinances, and to bring the ordinances to them. (6.) To add no more to this purpose, the children of believers have this advantage as they are theirs, that God has a particular refpect to them; which we find him expreffing upon feveral occafions to the children of his fervants.

Since, as I faid before, I defign not to return a gain to this part of the ver. I cannot but apply this truth, That the children or houfe of a believer hás great advantages by his believing in order to their falvation. And this I fhall do in a few words to four forts of perfons, (1.) Believers. (3.) Their children. (3.) Unbelievers. (4.) Their children.

To the first fort I fay only a few words. O believers, is it fo that your children as well as ye yourselves have fo many advantages in order to their falvation? Then, (1.) Blefs the Lord who has given you faith, which not only is the spring

of

af innumerable advantages to yourselves, but al fo entails for many upon your very houses. (2.) Blefs the Lord, and be thankful for the extent of the covenant; that it is fo wide as to reach not on ly yourselves, but even your children. It had been much mercy had God given you your fouls for a prey, though he had never given you the leaft profpect of mercy to your offspring. (3.) Take care that your children lofe none of these advantages by your negligence: fome of them, as ye have heard, are of fuch a nature that depends not only upon the being of grace in the parents, but upon its exercife. If ye live not holily, and tenderly before them, ye may lay a ftumbling block in their way, which may coft you dear. The negligence of fome godly parents this way, hath been heavy to them, when they car je to die, and fometimes even before. (4.)Do not quarrel God, or repine, if after all your children fhall fall fhort of falvation. If ye have acquit yourfelves faithfully, then ye have and may have peace, though, they prove final mifimprovers of their own mercies. Chrift has no where promifed that they shall be all faved: the word of God gives a contrary account of the matter; Jacob have I loved, and Efau have I hated, Rom. ix. 13.

Secondly, Are there here, any who are the children, of believers? Then to fuchl fay, (1.) Ye have great advantages, and therefore have an eminent call to thankfulness. Blefs God that ye have religious parents. Many have found it not a little relieving to them in their traits and fears, that they could fay, that they were early devoted toGod by their parents, and that they had early accefs to know God, and had prayers early put up for them. (2.) Reft not upon thefe advantages; for your parents faith will

not

J

not fave you. Think not to fay within yourselves; We have a believer to our father, and therefore all will be well, Efau had fuch an one to his fa ther, and yet went to hell; and not a few others have gone the fame way Nay, (3.) Ifay to you, If ye fhall be damned, all thefe advantages will be witnelles against you. Your fathers devote ed you to God, but ye devoted yourselves to Satan; your fathers prayed for you, but ye prayed not for yourselves. Thefe and many fuch will come in against you, as aggravations of your fin, and will eternally aggravate your mifery. (4.) There fore ye are called to work out your falvation with fear and trembling. Since if ye be ruined, ye muft be fo with a witnefs; if ye go to hell, it must be hoter hell: therefore improve vigorously the advantages put in your hand. Refolve with Mofes, Exod. xv. 2. He is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; he is my fathers God, and £ will exalt him. (5.) Pay a double refpect to your believing parents. Ye owe them much as your parents, much as believers, much as in Chrift before you, and much as inftruments maderufe of by God in promoting your eternal well-being.

(6.).

Take care that ye turn not afide out of their way; fince this will prove prejudicial eminently, not only to yourselves, but to your pofterity In fine, I fay to you, if ye trace your parents steps, ye hall attain their bleffing, even the end of your faith, the falvation of your fouls.

Thirdly, I have a few words from this head to fay to unbelieving parents ye are miferable yourfelves; for he that believeth not is condemned al ready, and the wrath of God abideth on him. Ye entail as many difadvantages upon your pofterity as believers, tranfinit advantages to theins, ye de

prive them of many means which they might enjoy, ye ruin them by your example; ye provoke God against your families; in fine, ye do what in you lies to ruin them eternally: fo that, not on ly your own blood, but the blood of their fouls will God require at your hands. Therefore, as ye tender their eternal advantage, as ye tender your own, believe in the Lord Jefus Chrift.

Fourthly, I have a few words to fay to the children of irreligious parents, and then I fhall proceed. Ye are at a great lofs indeed by your parents infidelity and impiety: yet it is not an ir reparable one; for the door is open to you, and ye are called to enter in. The promife of falvation is not only to believers and to their children, but it is to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God fball call, Acts ii. 39. There fore lay hold upon the advantage that ye have of mercy offered to you upon the golpel terms. See that ye believe in the Lord Jefus. Be very thankful to God, and admire the riches of his undeferved kindness in having a regard to you, and calling you, notwithstanding your own iniquities, and the iniquity of your fathers. Take care that ye tranfinit not these inconveniencies, that ye your felves ly under, to your pofterity. And, if ever the Lord do you good, feek by all means the fal vation of your parents and if ye obtain not an anfwer of peace with respect to them, then I can affure you, your prayers fhall return into your own bofon, and fo ye shall be no lofers.

Thus far have we profecute the laft claufe of the ver. to which we design not to return again: we fhall now proceed to that which is our principal defign, the difcovery of Jefas Chrift, as the only relief of finners, as the only one that can effectu

ally