word It is very probable the Allegory of the wretched Infant was grounded upon some known custome Ezek. 16. Nay experience hath spoken how many poore Infants have tasted death from the cruell hands of their Strumpet-mothers who have twice dipped their soules in sin making amends for uncleannesse by committing murder But Such is the affection of Parents in the flesh that Scripture useth it as some short measure and scantling of the love of him who is the Father of Spirits to his adopted ones Psa 103.13 Like as a father pittieth his children so the Lord pittieth them that feare him Mal. 3.13 And I will spare them as a man that spareth his own Son that serveth him Surely none except Parents know or can be sensible how deare a child is Nay further when God would give a full and affectionate answer to his peoples lamentable but groundlesse complaint he corrects their distrust by this fit similitude Isa 49.15 Can a woman forget her sucking child that she should not have compassion on the Son of her wombe Yea they may forget yet will I not forget thee O sweet comfort to Saints Parents which are otherwise of perverse natures yet they will not neglect their Children and is it possible that the Lord the fountaine of mercy should empty himselfe of his fatherly affection and neglect his people Quantò mollior sexus tenerior affectus Ambr. Duplex est causa physica moralis Weemes Great is the love of a Father but far more tender is the affection of a mother Hence it is rendred by some as one cause why God hath placed the womans dug in her breast That she might impart her affection more to her child by giving it suck with her dug which is so neare her heart The love which she beareth to the little one that she nourisheth and suckleth at her breast is almost unutterable What care doth she use What restlesse nights doth she endure Nay love to her little one maketh her cleane forget her selfe So neare are Children to Parents that they are called Children of their loynes and are said to proceed out of their bowels So said David of his vip'rous Son Absalom 2 Sam. 16. Behold my son which came firth of my bowels seeketh my life So that we may call our spirituall children Philem. 12. as Paul doth his spirituall Son Onesimus nostra viscera our bowels I read that upon a turbulent sedition in Thessalonica Theodosius commanded that seven thousand should be put to death A Merchant there having two Sons put into the Calender of those that should be executed their good old Father put up a supplication for his two Sons The Souldiers pittying him told him they could not save both for then the Emperours number would not be fulfilled but they would spare one choose which he would The poore Father almost like a distracted man looking rufully on both could not tell which to choose So that while he delayed both were slaine Thus the naturall mother though an harlot seeing her Child in danger to be divided 1 Kin. 3.26 her bowels were hot and yearned upon her Son And David about Absalom after all his unnaturall villany yet Absalom is a Child 2 Sam. 18. Deale gently for my sake with the young man even with Absalom and againe Is the young man Absalom safe And it is very observable in Job that he sate still and did abide the boisterous blasts of all those lossefull tidings as being not very much moved untill he heard of the death of his children But O then Children dead So soone as the report of this touched his eare it struck him to the heart Ten children in the morning and now a child esse man Oh now he startles now he stirs now the poore pale father is brought to his knees Then Job arose and rent his mantle and shaved his head and fell downe upon the ground Other losses may go skin-deep but these go heart-deepe Children are unto Parents like unto Teeth painfull both in breeding and parting Reason 3 Thirdly Psal 49.11 It is most naturall to have an eye to the preservation of Posterity Although that ought not to take up our innermost thoughts This care we see not only in the reasonable creatures but in the unreasonable also yea even in birds of Prey and wild beasts who are yet carefull in this behalfe howsoever otherwise they be of cruell and animosious natures Psal 84.3 Thus the Sparrow finds her an house and the Swallow a nest for her selfe where she may lay her young Likewise the Eagle stirreth up her nest fluttereth over her young spreading abroad her wings taketh them and beareth them on her wings That is she carrieth them with such tendernesse and at such an height as none may reach them to do violence unto them Nay further see the force of natures instinct even the sea-monsters draw out the breast Lam. 4.3 they give suck to their young ones What piteous out-cries and cheating circuits makes the poore Lapwing And all is to divert the Passenger from her young So carefull are creatures to preserve the products of their own kind And this care must needs be more superlative in the reasonable Creature unlesse horribly degenerated Moreover God threatens this to a wicked man as a very great judgement to put out his light and expunge his name from among the living Job 18.16 17 19. As Bildad in Job very elegantly His roots shall be dried up beneath and above shall his branch be cut off His remembrance shall perish from the earth and he shall have no name in the street He shall neither have Son nor Nephew among his people nor any remaining among his dwellings And the Psalmist Psal 34.16 The face of the Lord is against them that do evill to out off the remembrance of them from the earth And againe Psa 109.13 Let his posterity be cut off and in the generation following let their name be blotted out And Solomon threatens him not with a rotten house or body but a rotten name Pro. 10.7 The name of the wicked shall rot Marke shall rot The rot we say is an evill disease where ever it lights whether amongst herds or flocks But never so ill as when it lighteth on mens names or memories that either they are mentioned with disgrace as a rotten thing or not remembred at all Also God promiseth this to his people as a grand favour and great incouragement to obedience that he will multiply and keepe alive their off-spring Abraham the friend of God is blessed with a numerous Posterity like to the Sand upon the Sea shore or Stars of heaven It was no small piece of King Davids happinesse that he saw his Son Solomon sit upon the Throne of Israel before his death And that promise made unto Christ is one of the glorious things of the Gospell He shall see his seed Isa 53.10 And
contrariwise 2 Kin. 4.14 it was a miserable blank in the Shunamites estate that she had no child 2 Kin. 20.3 And this is conceived to be one cause why Hezekiah melted into teares when he received the fatall message Even because he had no heire-male his Son Manasses being yet unborne And Abraham himselfe complaines of a great defect amidst all his fulnesse Gen. 15.2 Lord God what wilt thou give me seeing I go childlesse And therefore there was a provision made in the judiciall Law Deut. 25.5 6. That if a man dyed without issue his brother should raise up seed unto him that so his name might be revived and kept alive in Israel Children are nothing else but Parents multiplied Bena Banah aedificavit est enim totius structura seu aedificatio parentum and do in some sense immortalize and perpetuate them especially Sons which have their name originally from a word which signifieth to build because they beare up the name and are a support to the Family Therefore the Church prayeth Psa 144.12 That our Sons may be as plants grown up in their youth that our daughters may be as corner stones polished after the similitude of a Palace When the Father dyeth the Child riseth up in his roome and so Parents have a kind of resurrection in their Children A fourth Reason may be this Reason 4 Scripture upon some accounts reckoneth up steriâ—ity and barrennesse as a curse And who is not utterâ—y unwilling to bespit in the face with a Curse Doubtlesse that may seeme a strange Petition the Prophet puts up in the peoples behalfe Give them O Lord Amos 9.14 what wilt thou give them Give them a miscarrying wombe and dry breasts Comparing it with the context you shall find so great is Ephraim's sin that the Prophet is almost ashamed to pray for such a people and seemes very doubting what he should pray for yet foreseeing the fearefull plagues that were to fall he supplicates a mitigation That rather than women with child should be ripped up by the enemy or they should bring forth to the slaughter and see as Zed kiah did their Children murdered before their eyes 2 King 25.7 he prayeth to God to make them barren A paralell place is that of David who in his great straight chose to fall into the hand of God 2 Sam. 24. rather than into the hand of men That is a lesser judgement rather than a greater And yet this was a sore one three daies pestilence by which there fell seventy thousand men Even so the Prophet as if he should have said O Lord this do I beg in behalfe of this people thou wilt thus much remit the stroke It is the lesser judgement of the two not to have children at all than after they are borne bred and growne to maturity to have them slaughtered and therefore seeing the decree is gone forth give give in mercy O Lord give this mitigation of barrennesse So that the Petition serves to aggravate the ensuing judgements It is a most miserable case when that which is in it selfe a curse is to be prayed for as a blessing Coniah's curse is thus threatned Write ye this man childlesse Jer. 22.30 I do not conceive Coniah dyed without issue Ver. 28. the contrary being apparent but that he had a curse which was equivalent to being childlesse and therefore very great for so it followeth in the next words A man that shall not prosper in his daies for no man of his seed shall prosper sitting upon the Throne of David and ruling any more in Judah And this must not only be spoken but written Litera scripta manet Write ye this man childlesse as a notable judgement to be left on record to Posterity And this was Michals punishment for vilifying her husbands person Because she conceived contempt against him in her heart she never conceived child in her wombe Therefore saith the Text Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death That is 2 Sam. 6.23 she was punished with perpetuall barrennesse Doubtlesse among the Jewes want of children was a reproach both to man and woman This may be gathered from that of the Psalmist Psa 127.5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them viz. his Family well fraught with hopefull children which are those polished shafts they shall not be ashamed but they shall speake with the enemies in the gate 1 Sam. 1.6 Thus Hannah her Adversary provoked her sore for to make her fret because the Lord had shut up her wombe and she cals her barrennesse her affliction O Lord of hosts Ver. 11. if thou wilt indeed looke on the affliction of thine handmaid c. And Elizabeth being with child after a long time of sterility bespeakes her selfe on this wise Thus hath the Lord dealt with me Luk. 1.25 in the daies wherein he looked on me to take away my reproach among men I would not have any gracious heart stumble at this truth so as to hurt it selfe Good men and women may be destitute both of Children and Nephews And yet this is not so great an affliction to them because God comes in and makes up this want with a far more precious supply A worthy Grectan being mortally wounded by the Spartans a friend told him he much lamented that he dyed without Issue To whom he replied my famous victories are as so many children to renew my memory But here is more for if God have denied any of his the benefit of Children yet he hath given them a name better than of Sons and Daughters Isa 56.6 They are called the children of God Mat. 5.9 They have right and priviledge to become the Sons of God Joh. 1.12 And John speaks it with admiration Behold 1 Joh. 3.1 what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the Sons of God! He that hath the Spirit of Adoption and is heaven-borne that can call God Father and speake to Christ as his brother and is allied to all the Saints shall find a fulnesse in this spirituall relation A name on earth how honourable soever is perishable But a name written in heaven shall never wither but flourish for ever It is no great matter to him or her that wants Children if they themselves be the adopted ones of God But to a wicked man it must needs be a curse because he hath nothing to make up this vacuum and relieve this want He that at once is both Childlesse and Christlesse too hath reason to weepe for his Children and not be comforted because they are not Reason 5 Last of all to touch the ultimate Period of this Point frequent it is for the first-borne to be the first Dolens profere and to fit highest in Parents esteeme And there is reason with due limitation it should be so Gen. 49.3
these Cockle-shells and toyes upon the sea-shore as to forget the tide which sweeps away all on a sudden Say to thy selfe I know not how soone God will bereave me of my only beloveds and take away from me the pleasure of my heart and that which is precious in mine eyes At present I have plenty and prosperity my belly is fully fed and my back warmly cloathed Now my house is richlyfurnished and my Vine and Olive branches wife and children sit round about my table But I know not how soone stripping times may come that mine eyes shall behold none of all these These things may give us the slip and salute us with an abrupt Vale when we least expect it Commonly when we thinke our selves most exempted from trials then are they at our heeles It is our wisdome to suspect our selves when our path is most pleasant I read of Nero that Tyrant who having a beautifull Lady to his Empresse would sometimes salute her with these words O goodly face and neck but when I list it shall be cut off Say to thy sweetest outward comforts O faire mercies but when God will ye must all be cut off Nay secondly Sit loose from your own selves Selfe-deniall was our Saviours Doctrine Mat. 16.24 and is the very institution of a Christian One way or other sooner or later God will try what you will do God will see if he can prevaile so far with you as to and câ—eave cling unto him when all is gone Beleeve it God will not harbour such as he knows not what to make of I speake after the manner of men None shall want their trialls Soule under colour of Religion thou maiest retaine a great deale of selfe in thee and God will put thee to it Selfe-deniall is of large extent Thinke not alwaies to carry thy course even and faire and to go on smoothly with peaceable living and formall praying and hearing God will surely take a course further than thus to try what is in thine heart The wind may blow long and loud upon the sound side of a tree and the tree make a shift to stand But when it gets into the hollow of the tree and affronts it on the rotten side then it puts it hard to it ten to one to lay it under feet O know that smooth and unblameable walking will not serve your turne there is a greater worke lies upon us to stick and stand to our tacklings when the Lord effectually tries us Now soule see and consider well what thou hast to do If it be so brought about thou canst not both hold God and thine enjoyments God and thy Children God and thy Life canst thou close with God be faithfull unto him and content with him without these Here thou art put to it indeed Mat. 16.25 Whosoever will save his life shall lose it and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it And this may serve for them that are free The Use in the next place is to the afflicted Use And to them also it speakes two things The first is comfort It is said of the waters of Marah that when they were so bitter as the people could not drinke Exod. 15. upon Moses his crying unto the Lord the Lord shewed him a tree which when he had cast into the waters the waters were made sweet The Doctrine is a bough of that tree The Lord may deale very bitterly with his beloved ones And so it is Lord Joh. 11.3 behold he whom thou lovest is sicke which is also applicable to all other sufferings Lord behold he whom thou lovest is bereaved of his Children deprived of all Heb. 〈…〉 c. Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth every Son whom he receiveth That is into his love and favour in this life and into his Kingdome in the life to come And yet the scope of that Scripture marke the place speaketh unto us lovingly as unto Children 2 Sam. 23.5 This was Davids comfort Although my house be not so with God yet he hath made with me an everlasting Covenant ordered in all things and sure for this is all my salvation and all my hope although he make it not to grow The meaning is though my Family have not that flourishing prosperity but there are many enemies against my house and my Children mutiny amongst themselves yet all this shall not frustrate the free promises of God made unto me and grounded on the Messiah And this was his comfort and his hope in the want of outward prosperity Besides they come from a Father not an Avenger out of love not rigour and he that hath one hand upon us hath another under our heads and the one is not more stretched out to smite than the other is to consolate When by reason of sin and suffering the whole head is sick and the whole heart is faint Christ laies down himselfe as a Pillow for the soule to be refreshed upon by the application of his own righteousnesse and the consolations of the spirit And though all should be taken away yet there can be no want where there is Gods love in Christ The second thing which this Use speaketh is counsell and that in some particulars viz. If the Almighty have dealt very bitterly with any Be sensible of it Not only of the smart of the suffering but who sends it and for what end Be not like senselesse Ephraim Hos 7.9 whose strength strangers devoured but he knew it not and though gray haires were sprinkled upon him yet he knew not It is the Lord that giveth being to all things actions and motions both in the decree and in their actuall existence Amos 3.6 Malum culpae poenae Shall there be evill in a City that is not the evill of sin but of suffering and the Lord hath not done it He formeth light Isa 45.7 and createth darkenesse he maketh peace and createth evill As we see by the motion of the Celestiall bodies the aire becomes either light or darke even so by the change of Providence we meet with prosperity or adversity peace or trouble God is the ruler of the whole Universe wisely ordering it partly by his direction and partly by his correction in both which we ought to see a divine hand Job 19.21 Therefore saith Job The hand of God hath touched me And this good woman Ver. 13. The hand of the Lord is gone out against me Christians look neither to the right hand nor to the left but upward Know that afflictions spring not out of the dust Blame not chance blame not instruments blame not secondary causes The Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me The Scripture is Lex loquens and speaketh this Language My Son despise not the chastening of the Lord neither be weary of his correction Whence we learne that when trialls are laid upon us and we saile in bitter waters we must be carefull to steere
Stocks or Roots conveying different fruit unto their branches As the new Adam Christ Jesus grace and life to all that are engraffed in him so the old Adam sin and death In Adam all dye 1 Cor. 15.22 in Christ shall all be made alive Sin is the seed of death And it is apparent an Infant is no sooner born but he hath in him these seeds I was shapen in iniquity Psal 51.5 and in sin did my mother conceive me I presently got the infection of sin and so a subjection unto death I was even warmed in sin in my mothers wombe Eâ lege nascimur Sence An Heathen called death Exitus communis And true it is death hath both young and old in bonds alike inviolable As a Genesis so an Exodus for all A time to be borne and a time to dye Hence a certaine Philosopher Sciome mortalem genuisse hearing that his only Son was dead makes answer I am very sensible I did but beget a mortall creature like to my selfe Lastly If Children be an holy seed within the Covenant their upon their decease consider even felicity Sooner shall Gods right hand forget his cunning than he will ever be unmindfull of any little one in Covenant with him Indeed if our Children should come to maturity and then dye unnaturall and murtherous Absaloms incestuous Amnons riotous and roaring Prodigals c. If this evill were concomitant with our Orbity it might be written a mourning in good earnest Planxit merito David super parricidâ filio cui perpetuo sciret obstructum exitum c. Bernard As Bernard speakes most fearefully of the case of Absalom and David lamenting his death But Children that are justified from originall sin by Christs bloud and cleansed by the Baptisme of the Holy Ghost are in Abrahams bosome They wish not themselves againe with their Parents as sometimes the murmuring Israelites Would to God we were in Aegypt againe but rather they say as the Disciples did on Mount Tabor Lord it is good for us to be here Vita hominum caepit esse miserabilis debuit dari finis malorum ut mors restituerit quod vita amiserat Ambr. Job 5.7 Indeed here they find sad entertainment being courted with calamities so soon as they enter the world Their very teares seeme to presage their sorrows Launching into such troubled seas where stormes will never cease till they arive in heaven It is their gaine therefore as well as ours to be freed from the burden of the body Neither let it trouble us that they are nipt in their tender yeares and taken away in their minority for those that dye in the state of grace dye in a full age Eph. 4.13 and are perfect men What they want in time is made out in happy eternity David tels us we shall go to them 2 Sam. 12.23 but they shall not returne to us And a very Heathen could say Praemittimus Scnec non amittimus we lose not our friends but send them before us Why then should we immoderately bewaile the death of those whom we must shortly follow There is great joy in the meeting of friends when Moses and Aaron met in the mount for joy they kissed one another Yet the joy of these meetings may be dashed and will have an end But O what joy will it be when we meet one another in the glorious Mount of heaven never to depart any more Let us then moderate our mourning and prepare for that meeting 1 Thes 4.17 When we shall meet Christ in the aire and ahide with him for ever But I adde further lest this griefe should overwhelme you do ye overwhelme it with the consideration of a greater Suppose your Children should live â—o be a griefe to you as Adam Emperour of the whole world had his heart sadned with one Son killing another and David In like manner Rebekah who had a double desire at once hath it imbittered with feare of a murderous emulation That she confesseth I am weary of my life Gen. 27.46 and what good shall my life do me Nay suppose ye should have brought forth to the sword Seen your little ones spitted upon Pikes Their tender limbs rent like kids by cruell hands Or pluckt from their mothers breasts and have their braines dasht against the wall Whilest the affrighted mother is halfe dead with astonishment Or to see your selves so straightned by famine as to devoure the fruit of your bodies your little Infants of a span-long Being forced against nature Parturire Deglutire to turne your tender kisses into cruell bitings and suck their bloud that sucked your breasts O tender hearted Fathers and Mothers who knoweth how far this fire which is kindâ—ed among us may burne before it be quenched Seeing it hath such combustible matter to feed upon and such bellows to blow it up All ye have hitherto seen may be only the beginning of sorrows Suppose ye should live to see women with child ript up your daughters ravished your Sons captivated slaves not knowing what destiny may befall them but most likely to live abused and dye without buriall Nay which is saddest of all have the Gospell taken from your Children Would you not much rather commit them to Christ in their Infancy and lay them up with him The Vse in the last place counselleth us to keep close unto him Use 4 the enjoyment of whom supplies every want and sweetens every Crosse The summe is if we cannot keepe our children yet let us have a care to keep our God Though you part with your own seed yet be sure you have the seed of God And this child in you will cause you at the full birth to forget all the sorrow Say to thy selfe I now see the worth of Grace and emptinesse of all things else Nay I foresee a time when nothing will stay by me but Grace Therefore if I can make nothing sure 2 Pet. 1.10 I le endeavour to make my Calling and Election sure This high piece of spirituall wisdome the good Spirit of God did dictate unto Job He could not keep his goods Oxen and Sheep Camels and Asses were gone He could not keep his Servants they were slaine He could not keepe his Children Sons and Daughters were dead But yet Job will have a care to keep his God Say to God as sometime that great wrestler Jacob Gen. 32.26 I will not let thee go He would hold his God though he lost his limbes his life We will be hold-fasts of our estates and money we will not let them go Oh that we could be so of our God It is said Sir Walter Rawley that when the Persians were defeated and fled one of the Grecian Commanders followed them to the Sea and tooke hold of one of their Galleys with his right hand which being cut off he laies hold with his left hand and being deprived of both with his teeth so
eye towards God and say Psa 39.9 I was dumbe I opened not my mouth because thou didst it Thus Aaron upon the strange and terrible death of his Sons Aaron held his peace Lev. 10.3 Thus Eli when he heard of that black cloud that was to empty it selfe upon his house It is the Lord 1 Sam. 3.18 let him do what seemeth him good And Hezekiah under his visitation Isa 38.15 What shall I say he hath both spoken it unto me and himself hath done it Mic. 7.6 And the Church I will beare the indignation of the Lord. O content thy selfe and say with Christ Sweet or bitter I must drinke the cup my Father hath given me We should be as Adamants under afflictions indure all But because it is no easie thing to quiet our Spirits and silence the stirs and clamours of our hearts under bitter afflictions I conceive it meet to propound some considerations helpfull hereunto They may be such as these First consider God is our Father and we may not limit his chastisements We may not tell him how many stripes or lashes he must give us Children do not only take Correction patiently from their Parents Heb. 12.9 but also reverence them The Child cries out O spare good Father but may not limit him So we Mercy Lord mitigation Lord but may not limit our heavenly Father how much Thus the Church begs moderation O Lord rebuke me not in thine anger Psal 6.1 neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure Jer. 10.24 O Lord correct me but with judgement not in thine anger lest thou bring me to nothing Hab. 3.2 In wrath O Lord remember mercy Mercy is a Saints plea in affliction Let there be the presence of mercy as well as affliction Though thy rod laid on me is smart and doth draw bloud yet let not thy wrath burne like fire Besides we forâ—e him to it Parents take no pleasure in whipping their Children it goes to the heart of a tender Father to beat his Child water ost-times stands in the Fathers eyes he turnes his back and weeps Even so God doth not afflict willingly Lam. 3.33 but sees great need before he corrects For a season if need be ye are in heavines through manifold temptations 1 Pet. 1.6 No affliction befalls us but what is incident to men yea to Saints Be it never so bitter 1 Cor. 10.13 others have tasted the same bottle And in this very kind Esau was in his degree a murtherer of his mother Rebeckah Gen. 27. whilest by his ungracious carriage he made her life bitter unto her The Shunamites only Child dieth The widdow of Naims only Son deceaseth 2 King 4. Mary beholds her only Son nailed to the Crosse Luk. 7.12 And Abraham must sacrifice his own Son Gen. 22. his only Son and upon whom depended all the promises O what a lamentable sight was this to see Abraham about the killing of his only Son That a Father should be put to this extremity to be the butcher of his own only Child Let us make it our own case and it will make us all to weep Consider the conference that was between them in the way and it must needs strike Abraham to the heart Father here is fire and the wood but where is the Lambe for the burnt offering Alas my child saith Abraham in his heart thou must be the burnt offering And no doubt but the teares went trickling down his cheekes If the bowels of the harlot yearned within her when her child was to be divided by Solomons sword What did Abrahams bowels when with his own sword he must take away the life of his own Son O my Son Isaac my sweet child beautified with so many glittering graces enriched with so many precious promises A type of Christ the joy of the world and the only stay of my old age must thou be killed and by thy Fathers own hand Yea and must I burne thee which is the sharpest death of all O! No doubt this pierced the Fathers heart and touched him to the quick It was once the Prophets complaint 1 King 19. I only am left And indeed it addes much to affliction to be singular in suffering But we are compassed with a cloud of witnesses that have broken the ice before us and do draw in the same yoke with us Nay the Apostle is very bold and saith Heb. 12.7 8. What Son is he whom the Father chasteneth not But if ye be without chastisement whereof all are partakers then are ye bastards and not Sons It is a spurious and ignominious thing to be a Bastard Bastards are despised in severall respects and many brands of infamy are set on them Being illegitimate Deut. 2 3. and neither to inherit Lands nor be advanced to office without a speciall dispensation as in the case of Jephta Judg. 11.1 Although I conceive the result of that rigour was rather to shew how God abhorred uncleannesse and to make men avoid it then to inflict a punishment upon the person so begotten if he did abhorre and forsake his fathers sin and cleave to God in sincerity Well seest thou a man without the Crosse not a finger aketh It is a great signe he is a bastard God will schoole his own children The Patriarchs Prophets Apostles yea Christ himselfe dranke of this cup and if thou be Gods child thou must pledge him There is not any one can claime priviledge This is a rule in divinity admits no exception 2 Tim. 3.12 All that will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution No affliction befals us but sin did deserve greater The least of sins deserts are above the greatest of our undergoings Ezra saith Thou our God hast punished us lesse than our iniquities deserve Exra 9.13 And yet whoever reads the book of Lamentations may judge of their sufferings Is any of us afflicted It is of mercy we are not consumed It may be thou hast lost an Estate a Friend a Child a Comfort Sin did deserve thou shouldst have lost all and after all thy selfe and soule in hell for ever O brother didst thou but know in what coine God paies all Sinners and how he makes even with them in another world Thou wouldst heartily bless God for the bitterest affliction that here falls to thy share Rom. 6.23 Stipendium peccati mors est The wages of sin is death Consider further No affliction so grievous but it may be increased New flies and hungry ones fall upon the same sores out of which others had already sucked their fill God can yet bring more corroding evills upon us God hath yet sharper Arrows in his quiver He can fill the cup yet fuller and add to the weight making it more bitter and burdensome God threatned Israel more than once Lev. 26. I will punish you seven times more for your sins Sad were it for a soul to make
none of the best even for the sakes of their godly Parents although long before deceased Read these places Gen. 26.24 1 Kings 11.12 32.34 1 King 15.4 2 King 8.19 2 King 19.34 Isa 37.35 Cap. 45.4 c. Not that I in the least impute these allaies of judgement and mixtures of mercy to the merit or worth of their Predecessors but to the promises of God made unto them who also endued them with care and good conscience to keep the condition annexed thereunto This is plaine out of Psal 89.20 forward And the Saints in their wrestlings with God have pleaded it as a strong Argument Thus Moses Exod. 32.18 and 2 Kings 13.23 So that in some cases the Child that is unborne may blesse God that he had a religious Father or Grandfather And if so ye may eftsoone guesse what is like to follow upon the contrary Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul saith David 2 Sam. 9.1 remembring his promise that I may shew him kindnesse for Jonathan's sake And afterwards thus saith he to Mephihosheth Feare not Ver. 7. for I will surely shew thee kindnesse for Jonanathan thy Fathers sake Even thus Children may receive much kindnesse from the King of heaven for their godly Parents sakes Surely a man may be either blessed or cursed not only personally but also in his posterity The blessings of Children are the blessings of Parents and Childrens punishments may be Parents punishments Psal 109. The Psalmist shews sufficiently in those his imprecations that wicked men are plagued in their Children Thus Cham was cursed in his Son Canaan marke the Text not cursed be Cham but cursed be Canaan Gen. 9.25 And contrariwise bounty and kindnesse to Solomon is called bounty and kindnesse to David his Father 1 Kin. 3.6 And Joseph was blessed from his Father in his two Sons Manasseth and Ephraim So saith the Text He blessed Joseph how did he blesse him Gen. 48.15 16. The Angell which redeemed me from all evill blesse the Lads Object But Scripture tels us Ezek. 18.20 Gal. 6.5 The Son shall not beare the iniquity of the Father But every man shall beare his own burden I answer Sol. Here is no contradiction for 1. The Proposition is most true if it be taken away by regeneration 2. The Son shall not beare it in reference to eternall punishment Ver. 4. The soule that sinneth it shall dye God will never send a Child to hell for the Parents sin 3. Neither as I conceive shall the iniquity of the Father devolve upon the Child except he imitate his Fathers iniquity But ye must know 1. Children are Parents goods as is plaine in the case of Job which may justly suffer loss for the owners sake 2. Children are as it were a part of Parents so that when they are punished Parents are punished and this is a more cutting Corrasive and torment to Parents 3. Parents sin is ost a cause of Childrens fin For God in his just judgement may curse a wicked mans Posterity by leaving them to themselves Mat. 23.32 that so they may fill up the measure of their Fathers And when the Child hath not only sins which belong to his owne individuall person but also revives his Fathers by approbation and imitation then the sin is made his own As a man catching the plague dyeth of his own disease wherever he had the infection So that we Object may conclude Children are very proclive to tread in Parents steps And when they appeare to be their Children not only naturally but morally In such case it is usuall for the jealous God To visit the iniquities of the Fathers upon the Children to the third and fourth Generation of them that hate him Now Fathers and Mothers be not as Zipporah once said bloody Parents For your Childrens sake looke to your selves That none of yours when you are dead and in your graves may have cause to curse your dead ashes say Woe alas that ever I was born the wretched Child of so unworthy a Parent See to your God Disobedience to the most High will render you very unnaturall and unmercifull to your Children Sinning Parents do what they can to make their Children miserable It was Sampsons Plea unto his Charge for firing the Philistines Corne Judg. 15.11 As they did unto me so have I done unto them Beloved take heed how ye deale with God Psal 18.26 With the froward he will shew himselfe froward Lev. 26. If ye walk contrary unto him then will he also walk contrary unto you If ye provoke him whom you ought to love most he will bereave you of that which ye love most If ye have one Child dearer to you than another by one meanes or other he will deprive you of it If ye love your Children love your God If ye desire to keep them keep in with God he gave and he can take away at pleasure The best way to keep our Children is to serve him who gave us our Children See to your Children That ye carefully performe those Parentall Offices towards them which God in Scripture calls for at your hands We shall particularize some of the prime viz. First then Let Patents have a care they do not provoke their children This the Apostle prohibits most plainly Eph. 6 4. And ye Fathers provoke not your Children to wrath And againe Col. 3.21 Fathers provoke not your children to anger Some Copies adde above what is fitting So that Parentall power hath its limits Docter Davenant observes Davenant an Colos that Parents may abuse their authority and provoke their children severall waies 1. By denying them necessaries which by the Law of God and nature they ought to afford them according to their power As food raiment c. A sin so foule as the Apostle blusheth not one bit to say 1 Tim. 5.8 Such a one hath denied the faith and is worse than an Infidell 2. By burdening their Children with wicked and unjust commands Such was that of Saul 1 Sam. 20.31 when he commanded his Son Jonathan to fetch his innocent friend David that he might be slaine 3. Parents may irritate and provoke their Children when they do passionately and undeservedly affect them with contumeâ—ious and disgracefull language And thus Jonathan in his Fathers rage is called Ver. 30. Son of the perverse rebellious woman Reproachfull Language leaves a sting behind it very difficult to be endured 4. And lastly by immoderate chastisement Which is when the grievousnesse of the punishment exceeds the greatness of the crime Thus the same Saul casts a Javelin at his own Son for defending innocent David whereupon the Text saith Ver. 33. Jonathan arose from thetable in fierce anger And it is too ordinary for fathers of the flesh to chasten their children according to their own pleasure The reason which the Apostle annexeth to this prohibition is Lest they
be discouraged Frequently hereupon Children fall into an Athymy or despondency of mind being as it were out of all heart Whereby either first their Spirits if tender-hearted are too much sadned and this sadnesse inclosed in the heart is like a moth to a Garment or a worme to wood bringing diseases and immature death Or secondly through too much dejectednesse they are made stupid and so rendred incapable of any considerable attainments or commendable actions Or thirdly they become desperate and contumacious whereby they provoke God and God cuts them off Certainly Parents need abundance of prudence in correcting their Children If Parents will not be found wanting towards their Children they must mind their education Not only fitting them for an outward and particular calling in reference to the world and well being of their bodies But also having an eye mainly at their generall and spirituall calling in relation to God and their soules Thus the Apostle Eph. 5.4 Bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. And God himselfe seems to be very confident of his servants care in this particular he saith of Abraham I know him Gen. 18.19 that he will command his children and his houshold after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgement that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him You are not inhibited the having of respect unto due decency for education doth consist in Religion Learning and Behaviour But have a care that sauce exceed not meat Every one ought to say of his naturall as John of his spirituall children 3 Joh. 3. I have no greater joy than to know that my children walke in truth A mamma corporali ad mammam spiritualem Chrys O Parents above all be mostly carefull of your childrens soules Hannah brought her Son Samuel very speedily from the naturall to the spirituall dugge so do ye Be good examples to your Children Instruct them Distâ—â—… good things into them as they are capable of receiving Children are like unto straight-neck'd bottles admitting by drops Isa 18.10 here a little there a little Yea Castigationes madicamentorum fimiles sunt non ciborum Cattw in Pro. 31.2 and correct them likewise when their is occasion Provided it be with moderation and upon necessity as Physick not frequent and famiâ—iar as daily food Such is the reiterated counrell of wise Solomon 1 Sam. 4. We know how fatall Ely's indulgence proved to his Sons being both slaine in one day and for the old man himselfe difficult it were to tell whether his neck or heart were first broken 2 Sam. 18.17 We leave Absalsm that was so much cockered up with an heape of stones upon him And it ended far from well with Adonijah 1 Kin. 2.25 whom his Father had not displeased at any time We shall discover in our children many vices which we had need to cut off whilest they are young lest they grow up with them when they are old It was said of Ptolomy that he was too young to reigne but old enough to love Harâ—ots So there are many who are in Age children but can commit sin like men Wise to do evill Jer. 4.22 but to do good they have no knowledge But O let not any nearenesse of relation make us to connive at wickednesse or be silent at sin In case of Gods dishonour we should forget our selves to be Parents and them Children using sin as a Serpent the nearer it creeps unto us the more to flye and hate it Youth is a plant very flexible but old age a tree and inflexible Youth is like soft wax fit to take a good impression but old age is hard and more unfit to take such a counterfeit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I read of Diogenes who seeing the rude carriage of a Boy did reach his Master a reall invective saying The fault is not in the Scholar but in the Master I am afraid much of the sin of Children will be laid to the charge of Parents If we have a piece of ground we will be at cost and paines in the manuring and tilling of it We take delight in ordering our Gardens and shall we neglect our Children Ought we not much more to weed sin out of them and to improve them Psal 127.3 Children we heard are the inheritance of the Lord and the fruit of the wombe is his reward and shall we reward the giver so unkindly as not to give them education O let us have a care of them while they are young lest both they and we repent afterwards when it is too late 1 Kin. 21.3 Naboth would not give the inheritance of his Fathers to Ahab Children are the inheritances given us of God take heed that through our negligence we do not what in us lyeth to give them to the Devill Commonly those Parents are most reverenced of their Children that have wisely and orderly corrected them They that have laid the reines on their necks and suffered them to go without correction are most contemned and despised of their Children afterward Correct thy Son Pro. 29.17 and he shall give thee rest yea he shall give delight unto thy soule 1 King 1. Adonijah whom David would not displease displeased his Father afterward and came at last to an untimely end A third thing required of Parents is To mixe Prayer with their Childrens Education When we carefully plough sow weed our Corn we may hopefully pray for a good harvest This was the quotidian practise of holy Job Quò multorum pignorum pateres plures sunt pro quibus deum de preceres multorum animae redimendae Cypr. He rose up earely in the morning marke this man prayed for his Children next his heart and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all he begs a particular blessing on every childs head thus did Job continually And thus Bathsheba bespeakes her beloved Son Solomon under the name of Lemuel What my Son and what the Son of my wombe and what the Son of my Vows O it is good for Children that they have praying Parents and good for Parents that they be at some proportionable expence for their Children in spirituals laying up Prayers as well as Portions for them The Prayers of faithfull Parents are as seed sown in their life-time the fruit of which their Children may reape after they are dead Christians I tell you the time is comming and now is that Parents prayers may be of more profit unto their Children than their Estates Fourthly let Parents take need and beware of idolizing their children They are given to succeed in your stead But beware you set them not up to your selves in Gods stead 1 Sam. 2.29 It was heavens complaint against Eli that he honoured his Sons above God that is did chuse to please them rather than God If any fond Parents be guilty of this