have layd the foundation of their own forrows their childrens ruine and the desolation of the Nation in the looseness and delicacy of their education and yet are not sensible of it to this day We have not corrected our children and therefore God is correcting us in our children We * God makes our children our rods because we have withheld the rod from them We gave them too much rest and therefore they give us none Pro. 29 17 Levit. 26 have not cross'd them in their wills and therefore God doth cross us in our wills We have walked even in this point exceedingly contrary to God and to his Discipline and therefore God is walking contrary to us and is punishing us seven times more for this iniquity And therefore Oh that Parents would at length awaken themselves to follow both the pattern and precept of their heavenly Father who as he correcteth whom he loveth so he commands them to correct Melius est perire in virga patris quam in blandimentis perire praedonis if they love their children Withhold not correction from the child for if thou correct him with the Rod he shall not dye If the Rod draw blood should need be it is ad salutem it is as the Physician deals with them to prevent a feaver a feaver of boyling passions here and of boyling fire and brimstone hereafter it is to cure not to kill yea thou killest if thou dost not wound and therfore again I say withhold it not Give the rod unto thy childe and he will one day give thee thanks for it Yea it is worth observation that the same word in the original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is translated withhold signifieth also to forbid meeting with another distemper in Parents who as they will not correct their children themselves so also they forbid others to correct them under whose tuition they put them As if they were afraid their children would not have sin enough here nor hell enough hereafter they lay in Caveats against the means which God hath sanctified for their reclaiming What tears of blood are sufficient to bewail this folly You that are godly-wise and wisely-loving take heed of it and when you commit your children to others hands do not in the mean while hold their hands if thou judgest them not wise why dost thou chuse them if thou chuse them why dost thou not trust them Well then if the rod be in thine own hand withhold it not if in thy friends hand forbid it not Certainly there is great need of this duty which the Spirit of God doth frequently inculcate all along the Proverbs I will conclude this branch of the Exhortation with inverting the Counsel of our Saviour In this sence be ye not merciful that you may be the children of your heavenly Father Mat. 5.44 45 for whom he loveth he correcteth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth Go thou and do likewise and this shall be your mercy and love to your children He that spareth the rod hateth his son Pro. 13.24 but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes Secondly 2 Exhort Add Instruction to Correction You that are Parents or in stead of Parents If you would have your children happy Add Instruction to correction imitate God in this part of patternal Discipline also let Chastisement and Instruction go together It is that which the Holy Ghost urgeth upon you Bring them up in the NURTURE and ADMONITION of the Lord Eph. 6.4 There be two words relating to both these Parental duties 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in * Qua Pater erudit filium Bez. castigatione in the Chastisement or Correction and it is added of the Lord that is either in the Chastisement wherewith the Lord exerciseth his children or in the Chastisement which the Lord commandeth earthly Parents to exercise towards their children this is the first duty of which already And then there is another word which holdeth forth the end and design of Parental Correction and that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Monitis ex verbo Dei petitis sive sanctis Deo acceptis Bez. in the Admonition and Instruction of the Lord i. e. in Counsels and Instructions taken out of the Word of God or such as are approved of by God The sum is this That while we chasten the flesh Proprie fignificat admonitionem non simpliciter sed talem qualem in mentem pueri ponas ingerasquae sunt illi ad salutem necessaria Zanch. in loc we should labor to inform and form the minde and spirit by infusing right principles pressing and urging upon their tender hearts counsel reproof and instruction as the matter requireth This is the duty of Parents to imitate God to let Instruction expound Correction and with a rod in the hand and a word in the mouth to train up their children to life eternal A dumb rod is but a brutish Discipline and will leave the child as brutish as it found him Chastisement without teaching may sooner break the bones then the heart it may mortifie the flesh but not corruption extinguish nature but never beget grace But the Rod and REPROOF give wisdom Pro. 29.15 Instruction added to Correction as it makes excellent Christians so it makes good Children There be Parents that are severe and curst enough to their children they spare for no blows in stead of breaking them of their wills by a wise and moderate correction they are ready to break their bones and their necks too sometimes in their moods and passions But they never minde the other branch of Paternal Discipline sc Instruction and Admonition of such Parents I suppose the Apostle speaketh Heb. 12.9 10. We have had Fathers of our flesh who corrected and chastened us after THEIR OVVN PLEASURE He speaketh not of all Parents but his meaning is there be such men and women in the world who are most unlike to God and in smiting their children rather please themselves then profit their children He for our profit but they after their own pleasure to give vent to their passion and satisfie their vindictive rage and fury and when is that truly when the Rod and Reproof do not go together it is an argument there is more passion then judgment more lust then love in such chastisements Such Parents do rather betray their own folly then take a course to make their children wise Schola Crucis Schola Lucis The Rod and Reproof give wisdom neither alone will do it the Rod without Reproof will harden the heart and teach the children sooner to hate the Parent then to hate sin Absque afflictione nulli utilia discunt and Reproof without the Rod will leave no impression Reproofs of instruction are the way of life Pro 6.23 or Corrections of instruction a lesson set on with a whiping is best remembred It is divine truth that must be the instrument of working saving grace
in the heart Ioh. 17.17 Sanctifie them with thy truth thy Word is truth It is the commendation of Timothy his Mother that from his very infancy she instructeed him in the Scriptures 2 Tim. 3.15 cum cap. 2.5 Hierom. Chrysost Theoph. docent ex hoc loco Parentes etiam de Scripturis dehere instituere liberos suos That Parents ought to instruct their children in the holy Scriptures 2. Tim. 4.3 which were able to make him wise to Salvation When there is a divine sentence in the mouth of the Rod it brings wisdom and life with it And therefore O that Parents would imitate the Father of spirits in this blessed art of Paternal Discipline joyn the Word of Instruction to the Rod of Correction teach as well as chastise Reprove rebuke exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine It is true it is enjoyned Timothy as a Pastoral duty but it is as true that every Parent is a King a Prophet and a Priest A King to govern and chastise a Prophet to teach and instruct and a Priest to offer up spiritual sacrifice to God Prayer and Praise with and for the Family O that every childe might have cause to give their Parents that commendation Illa magis satagebat ut tu mihi pater esses quoniam sempiternam salutem charius parturiebat Confess l. 1. c. 11 which once Augustin gave his Mother in reference to his Baptism My mother saith he made it her business to make God my Father because she travelled with my everlasting salvation with more tenderness and sorrow then ever she did with my first birth O that natural Parents could bespeak the fruit of their loyns as S. Paul bespeaks his Galatians My little children Gal. 4.19 of whom I travel in birth again until Christ be formed in you that so they might rejoyce in the second more then ever they did in the first birth Why this is done by the Word and the Rod. Pro. 29.17 Correct thy son and he shall give thee rest yea he shall give delight unto thy Soul Correct how the 15 verse answers The Rod and Reproof give wisdom Thus give your Children correction and they shall give you rest and delight Though correction for the present do not give them rest for no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous but grievous yet it will make them give you rest and though correction doth not delight them yet it shall make them give delight to you 3 John 4 What greater delight then to see your children walking in the Truth and to think thus with your selves Quot dedit familiaâ— juvenes totredâ—idit curiae consulares not as Cassiodor expresseth it that so many sons so many Counsellors to to the State but that so many children God hath given you so many children you have brought up for God and so many heirs for the Kingdom of Heaven Well Chastise and teach them out of the Law of God and thy Children shall be Blessed Which that they may indeed take one short CAUTION more and that is Add Prayer to Instruction Last Cautios Add Prayer to Instruction As Teaching should accompany Chastisement so Prayer should accompany Teaching God need use onely the Rod and the Word because the blessing is in his own hand he can command a blessing It is not so with us As Paul may plant and Apollo may water but God must give the increase so the Father may correct the Mother may instruct both may do both but God must give the Blessing and therefore Christian Parents while they add Instruction to correction should add Prayer to Instruction Ora labora Pray and labor Means are ours Success is Gods and therefore let us put the Rod into the hand of Instruction Instruction into the hand of Prayer and all into the hand of God Pray and teach your Children to pray that God would so bless Correction and Instruction that both may make you and your Children BLESSED Amen FINIS
1 Tim. 3.6 for now in Christ it is God manifest in the flesh the humane nature of Jesus Christ hath made God visible In this face now of Jesus Christ do they whom God teacheth by a saving Gospel-teaching see divine truth i. e. they see it now not only by borrowed representations and natural resemblances Ephes 4.21 but in its own native beauty and lustre as the truth is in Jesus He hath shined into our hearts to give us the light of the knowledg of the glory of God in the face of Iesus Christ 2 property clear convincing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist A Syllogisme whereby the respondent is forced to contradict himself either concessa negando or per negata concedendo This is the first property of Divine Teaching It is inward and that both in respect of Subject Object 2. Divine Covenant-teaching is a clear convincing teaching so our Saviour of the spirit when He is come he shall CONVINCE the world c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word signifieth a clear demonstrative conviction so the Apostle defines faith to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the evidence or demonstration the evident demonstration of things not seen The Holy Ghost in his teachings brings in divine Truths with such a clear and convincing light that the soul sits down under it fully satisfied it is not only convinc'd to silence but to assurance it doth sweetly and freely acquiesce in the present truths Now I know saith Moses Father-law that the Lord is greater then all Gods He had heard of God before Exod. 13.11 but that bred but opinion only but now he is throughly convinced I know that the Lord is greater then all Gods So David concerning his afflictions Psal 119.75 I know Lord that thy judgments are right and that of faithfulness thou hast afflicted me He was fully satisfied both of the equity and fidelity of Gods chastisements right in respect of the merit and faithful in respect of the end And thus in all the Lessons before presented to your view and in all other what God teacheth he teacheth with such a clear evidence of truth that the soul is set beyond all peradventure 1 Thes 1.5 Our Gospel came unto you not in word only but in power and in the Holy Ghost and in much full assurance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word hath a double and a treble emphasis assurance full assurance and much full assurance such are the teachings of the Holy Ghost Common teaching may convince to silence but the understanding may remain doubtful still Formido oppositi there is that which the Schools call suspence or hesitancy in the understanding there is not a full and clear assent in the understanding to the truths propounded but a man remains in the Apostles Language a double minded man or as the word signifieth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a double-sould man duplex amino a man of a double or doubtful or divided spirit floating between different opinions one soul as it were beleeveth this way and another soul beleeveth that way one while he beleeveth there is a God and anon the fool saith in his heart there is no God sometimes he calls sin evil and anon again he thinks it good He beleeveth and he beleeveth not sometimes what he heareth from the word is truth sometimes he thinks again it is but an invention of man there may be some mistake in it But now the teachings of God set a man beyond all those fluctuations and unsetledness in judgment there is that which the Apostle calls the riches of the full assurance of understanding to the acknowledgment of the Mystery of God Assurance of principles Col. 2.2 even when the soul may possibly want the assurance of application A third property of divine teaching It is an experimental teaching 3d property experimental The soul can speak experimentally of the truths it knows it is good for me saith David Psal 119.71 that I have been afflicted why but may not any man say as much as that yes few men there are but have the Notion in their heads in their lips I but mark I pray the Psalmist speaks experimentally to the point and doth instance the good which he had gained by affliction I have learned thy statutes He had learned more acquaintance with the word more delight in the word more conformity to the word He knew it more and loved it better and was more transformed into the nature of it then ever c. So Psal 116.6 The Lord proserveth the simple i. e. God stands by his upright hearted ones to secure them from violence a good notion but any man may have it in the proposition I but David hath it in the experience I was brought low and he helped me my faith was brought low and my comfort was brought low and my resolutions were brought low my feet had welnigh slipt Psal 73.2 but God helpt my faith revived my comfort strengthened my resolutions and stablisht my feet thou hast holden me by my right hand 2 Tim. 1.22 vers 23. Thus St. Paul I know whom I have beleeved c. I have experienc't his faithfulness and his All-sufficiency I dare trust my All with him I am sure he will keep it safe to that day And thus they that are taught of God in affliction can speak experimentally in one degree or other of the gains and priviledges of a suffering condition they can speak experimentally of Communion with God though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death Psal 23 4 I will fear no evil why for thou art with me I have had comfortable experience of thy upholding councelling comforting presence with me in my deepest desertions so of other fruits of affliction this I had Psal 119.56 this I have got by my sufferings I bless God I have learned more patience humility self-denial c. to be more sensible of my Brethrens sufferings to sit looser to the World to minde duty and to trust safely with God to prepare for death and to provide for eternity one way or other it is good for me I could not have been without this affliction c. Common knowledg rests in generals lieth more in propositions then in application but they that are taught of God can say as we have heard so have we SEEN they can go along with every truth and say It is so I have experienc'd this Word upon mine own heart Iohn 3.33 they can set to their seal that God is true 4. 4 Property Powerful Divine Covenant teaching is a powerful teaching After a man hath got many truths into the understanding the main work is yet to do and that is to bring down holy truths to action to draw forth divine principles into practice a natural man may know much he may have an heap of truths in his understanding but they all lie strengthless in the brain he