!

SERM. beyond their power or capacity: it will XV. furely be much fafer to rely upon their judgments, to whofe care the courfe of his Providence has properly committed them; than to be moved about with every wind of doctrine, and hearken to the pretences of those bold deceivers, who run without being fent, and thrust themselves into the harvest, without any commiffion from the Lord of it. Once more,

6. Sixthly, For the more effectual security of future generations, we should be par ticularly careful in the education of youth, to instruct them in the principles of true religion, and acquaint them with the grounds and reasons of their faith. The fureft way to prevent their being children, when they grow to be men, is, to make them men whilft they are children; to fee that they have fuch a competent understanding of those points which they are concerned to know, as may the better fecure them against the wiles of impofture and delufion, that they may henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with e every wind of doctrine, by the fleight of men, and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive. To this purpose it will be greatly useful, that they be acquainted early with the terms and conditions of that chriftian covenant, to which they were admitted at their baptifm; that they learn the doctrines of the christian

chriftian faith, and precepts of chriftian SERM. duty; the neceffity of forfaking fin, and XV. the method of obtaining pardon, as they are all excellently fummed up in the publick catechifm of the church; that they be taught not only to repeat but understand them, by fuch inftruction, fuited to their tender age, as may fix itself deeply in their memory, and be eafily recollected as they grow up, to their farther confirmation and improvement: that they be laftly made to attend the ordinances of Religion, and daily excited to the exercife of chriftian virtues, that being thus prepared to grow in grace as they grow in years, they may not, by a wilful disobedience, quench the secret influences, and obftruct the enlightening ef ficacy of the Holy Ghoft. I am fenfible, that fuch cautious education has been objected against by Libertines and Scepticks, as laying an unreasonable prejudice upon the mind, and preventing that freedom of opinion, with which young perfons should be left, as they grow up, to judge for themfelves. But they who confider, on the other hand, the vehement bias and reftraint of natural corruption, which will be fure to ftrengthen and increase, if not checked. in time and kept down by the fuccours of reafon and religion, will fee the reasonable nefs (fhall I fay? or the neceffity) of prepoffeffing youth with principles of truth

and

SERM. and righteousness, and throwing in all the XV. advantage in our power on the fide of virtue. Whilft this helps to fet them free from the flavery of corrupt and inordinate affections, it cannot furely deftroy but preferve their liberty of judgment, and enable them to difcern what to believe and do with greater clearness and propriety. From hence we may collect the excellent defign of those schools which are yet among us, for educating the children of the poor, whose parents have neither leifure nor ca pacity to inftruct them themselves, nor are in circumftance to pay for their fchooling or inftruction by other hands. To omit the other parts of useful knowledge in which they are brought up, the care that is taken to acquaint them with the important doctrines of the chriftian religion, as they are taught and profeffed in the church of England, to instruct them in the excellency of our worship, and teach them to hold faft the words of truth and fobernefs: All this must have a tendency, in the nature of things, to fortify and fecure them against any future attempts of false teachers, and open their understandings by the help and affiftance of Divine grace, to perceive the vaft advantage of the way that they are in, and how it leads to their eternal falvation. Their inadvertency is great, or else their malice, who can be influenced

to

to fpeak ill of fo useful a defign, immedi- SER M. ately falutary to the poor and indigent, and XV. (by making them good citizens and faithful fubjects) redounding, in its confequences, to the publick benefit. Let us rather be helpful to promote and forward it, and, as well by our counfels as our contributions, labour to increase the propagation of fuch found learning, that they who are poor in this world may be rich in faith, and the whole earth may be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the fea.

Now to God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, be all Honour, Glory, and Praife, world without end. Amen.

SERMON XVI.

Christian UNITY explained and enforced.

SERM.
XVI.

EPHES. iv. 3.

Endeavouring to keep the unity of the
Spirit in the bond of peace.

ST

T. Paul not thinking it enough, whilst Prisoner at Rome, to propagate the Gofpel by his preaching there, wrote to other churches, as he faw occafion; to confirm and direct them by his Letters, whom his prefent confinement hinder'd him from vifiting in perfon. Among the reft, having heard of the ftedfaftnefs of the Ephefians in the faith, and particularly of their ftrict adherence to the doctrine he had so ftrenuoufly taught, of liberty and freedom from the law, he writes this Epiftle to them in a rapturous and fublime ftyle; both to exprefs his thankfulness to God, and to encourage them to perfeverance. Which having done in the three firft chapters, he Mi proceeds