T 1 Tim.6.1. Let as many fervants as are under the yoke, count their own Masters worthy of all honour, that the Name of God and his Doctrine be not blafphemed. V.2. And they that have believing Masters, let them not defpife them because they are brethren, but rather do them fervice, because they are believing and beloved, partakers of the benefit: Thefe things teach and exhort. Tit.2.9. Exhort Servants to be obedient to their own Mafters, and to please them well in all things, not answering again, V.10. Not purleyniug, but fhewing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the Doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. 1 Pet.2.18. Servants, be fubject to your Masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. V. 19. For this is thank-worthy, if a man for Confcience toward God endure grief fuffering wrongfully: V.20. For what Glory is it, if when ye be buffeted for your faults, je fhall take it patiently? but if when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. Mat.8.9. For I am a man under authority, having Souldiers under me, and I fay to this man, go, and he gaeth, and to another, come, and he cometh, and to my fervant, do this, and he doethit. Luke 16. 2.-Give an account of thy Stere ship, &c. Prov.30.21. For three things the earthis in ted, &c. V.32. For a Servant when he reigneth, & ft on Of the Duties belonging to A which are thefe Nine. W H if pr is I Co th 1. To dedicate their children to Chath infancy, and by the Sacrament of Baptif ter them into his Family. This is a Deyle ought not to delay: It being most redus that they who have been inftruments cof The flair and pollution of fin to their pour les fhould be careful early to bring them t and give them up to him, to be mafed blood, and to be fanctified by his boly Spir. Infants fland in greed of Chrift for their Sas They are capable of Grace, and the principle aw life, as well as of original fins They are ble of the Spirit of Chrift, of being united to i of being bleffed by him They are capable of 15 ving a Sacrament (viz, fron made without hands, Baptifm), she Cirem al T th T C ) as the Infants of the Jewes, who were Circumcifed, and thereby admitted vifible members of that Church, and feal'd and marked (as it were) for God. And 'cis plain, the Covenant of Grace ftands now in force to the Children of Believers under the Gospel, A&t.2.39. The promife is to you and to your Children. Were it not fo, the converted Fewes should have loffe by believing in Christ, if their children fhould be excluded from the promise, who stood in it two thousand years before, under the other administration, And how then could the bleffing of Abraham come on the Gentiles? According to Galat. 3. 14. Which bleffing was, I will be a God to thee and to thy Seed, Gen. 17.7. How could Believers be Heirs according to the promife, as 'cis, Gal.3.29. if their Children fhould be excluded from the promife? For the Childrens right to the promife, is part of the Fathers inheritance. The promife is, I will be a God to thee and to thy feed. Further confider how the Covenant of Grace (for fubftance though not for manner of administration) hath alwaies been one and the fame: And in the old Teftament it took in Children, And can we think, it leaves them out now under the Gospel? Therefore seeing the Children of Believing and Christian Parents are within the Covenant, they ought to partake of the Seal of the Covenant, and to be admitted vifible Church-members by Baptifme the only way under the Gospel of adFf 4 mitting 4 mitting members into the Church. Gods i to be put upon them in their Infancy; and they come to riper years, they are tora confirm their engagement. If they wil that Mafter and faithfully ferve him, inton Family they were lifted when young; they enjoy many happy priviledges thereby; they fhall be fure to smart for their falling of Apoftacy. Therefore Chriftian Parents hold ly bring their Children to Chrift, and by ze enter them, and enroll them into his F humbly befeeching him to receive them Favour and Love, into his Care and Pr to unite them to himself by his holy Spirit, nerate them, to destroy the old Adam, t nature in them, and to renew them fr Image, in knowledge, bolinese and right and lastly, to strengthen them by his Grat. they may refift and prevail against the waris flesh, and the Devil, and may ferve the t newnes of life all their dates. And if this duty of Believers and Chriftian Parents und Gofpel, it will thence follow, that thofe tha fully neglect it (as much as in them lies) da hold their Children from Chrift, debar thes the blood of Sprinkling, keep them from the fing, leave them under the curfe, caft them is Gods Family, and dangerously expose them is Adverfary both of God and man. II. The Second Duty of Parents is to tra inftruct their children, to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, Eph.6.4. Having given them up to Chrift by Baptifm, let them imagine they hear our bleẞed Saviour faying to them, as Pharoahs Daughter faid to Mofes's Mo ther, Exod.2.19. Bring up this child for me, &c. They mult as Solomon speaks, Prov. 22.6. Train up their Children in the way they should go. They must have a special care to provide that they may be rightly inftructed and educated. As foon therefore as they come to the use of reafon, they are to be inftructed in thofe things that concern their everlafting welfare. They are by little and little to be taught all those things which God hath commanded them as their duty to perform, As also what abundance of joy and comfort they will find in the practife of them; and what glorious rewards God hath provided for them, if they do them, and what grievous punishments if they do them not. These things ought to be early inftilled into their minds, which like new veffels do ufually keep the favour of that which is firft put into them. The feeds and principles of Re ligion and vertue, are to be fown in them betimes, and their minds poffefs'd with a love of goodneffe, and an abhorrence and deteftation of evil and wic kedneffe, as that which is fhamefull and abomina ble. If they be not thus early acquainted with the waies of God, the devil (that arch enemy of fouls) will be ready and forward enough to inftill |