SERMON XXIII.

EPHESIANS VI. VERSE IV. in part.

And ye fathers, bring up your children in the nurture, and admonition of the Lord.

IN treating of the subject of religious education, as I propose to do this day; it is impossible not to begin with an opinion, which neither leans to this, nor that system, but objects totally to all religious education whatever. For instance, it is said, why give to children, strong opinions upon subjects of the highest difficulty, and the highest importance, and which they may possibly be induced to change, when their under

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standings are mature? instruct them only in the first principles of natural religion, and leave them to a gradual acquisition of the sacred truths of revelation, in proportion as the growth of their understandings enables them to estimate the value of that evidence, upon which christianity depends; by these means, their belief will always be rational, and they will not entertain a faith, for which they are not ready to render a reason. The objection to this system, which appears to be more distinguished for an absence of good sound sense than for any feature of ingenious paradox which it may exhibit; the objection to it is, that you cannot keep a mind void of all religious opinions, which you do not bring up in a particular system of those opinions; such a state of suspense, even if it were desirable, cannot be obtained; some principles on such a subject the mind will imbibe, and your alternative is, not between those which you are ready to infuse, and none at all; but it is between your own, and those crude, and perilous opinions, which sin is ever ready to suggest, levity always prompt to encourage, and ignorance

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never able to detect, and repell; at the moment when you had intended to begin this long-deferred education, to avail yourself of this now-matured reason, and to offer to his free election those truths, which you thought it uncandid to impress upon a ductile, and ignorant child; at that moment, you would find the question prejudged; you would perceive the mind filled up by opinions, as strong as those you had kept away, but not as good; you would meet with all the obstinacy you dreaded, with prepossessions equally formed, before they could be fairly discussed; but without the qualification of their being formed in favour of truth. Besides, can it be a reason why a parent should not teach to his children those sacred truths, which have taken such firm hold of his belief, because such truths may not hereafter present to the ripe understanding of his offspring, an evidence as satisfactory as they have done to his own? What can any man do, but communicate to the mind of another, a belief as sincere as that which actuates his own? he does so fearlessly in all human

science; why should he dread to do it where the instruction is more necessary, and the lesson more awful? It is not possible to wait for opinions, till we are capable of judging whether opinions are right,or wrong; we must act, before we can reason; a great part of human life is elapsed, and all the habits which are to influence the future man are formed, before it can be said that he is fairly capable of forming a judicious opinion, upon any abstruse subject; in the mean time, he must have decided notions of sin, and righteousness; a divine law sanctioning those notions; a strenuous belief giving to that law, its full influence upon his actions; and antient forms cherishing that strenuous belief: If none of these things were taught, till the causes from which they originate, the evidence on which they depend, and the consequences to which they lead, could be plainly apprehended, it is quite clear that they would soon cease to be taught at all. Ye fathers, says the apostle, without any regard to these things, bring up your children in the nurture, and admonition of the Lord; give them your own religious