mant, and, by faith, obtain grace to instruct, warn, and guard their children, and thus cheerfully commit them to the holy keeping and difpofal of a heavenly father.

5. In this promife there is abundant mercy to make their prayers, inftructions and corrections effectual. Here is not only grace to make them faithful, but mercy to render them fuccefsful.Pious parents, when they confider the total depravity of the human heart-when they fee that the imagination of the thoughts of the heart is evil, and only evil continually, and when, upon a fmall trial, they perceive the obftinacy of their children, then they are exceedingly apt to be difcouraged. But the promise contains grace fovereign and powerful enough to fubdue the most stubborn will, and to break the hardest heart.-Here is mercy fufficient to make the weak, but faithful and perfevering endeavors of pious parents fuccessful, on the most finished piece of human corruption.-God fays, "I know Abraham, that he will command his children, and his household after him, and they Shall keep the way of the Lord-Gen. xviii. 19. Train up a child in the a child in the way he fhould go, and when he is old he will not depart from it"-PROV. xxii. 6. The Lord himself anfwers for the event. this fource fainting believers ought always to look. Faithful Parents, who have given their children to God in covenant, may undoubtedly depend on the all-fufficient mercy of a covenant-keeping God. Is this no advantage to parents? Is there no peculiar bleffing for them who have given up themselves and their children to God in covenant? Is there no fuitable, encouragement-no particular affiftance for them in this covenant, which is fo well

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ordered in all things and fure?-But here let me obferve, that as thefe covenant-bleffings are fpiritual-the fpiritual perfon only can enjoy them. They are fo little attended to, and understood, and fo little believed even by pious people in the present day, that we need not wonder they have fo little apparent effect; and especially when fo few parents take hold of the covenant truly by faith, and are active and diligent in the use of all thofe means by which God communicates the covenanted-bleffings to his people.

Sixthly, and lastly-Should it please God to take away the infants of believers by death, the promise gives them full liberty, by faith, to commit, through Jefus Chrift, their infants, as their own fouls, into their heavenly Father's hands.-To this great privilege they are undoubted heirs, as children of Abraham. No favor, perhaps, could be more grateful to the feelings, no bleffing more fuitable to the defires, and no privilege could more exactly corref pond, than this, with the wifhes of a pious parent, in fuch an affecting fituation. O parent! behold the grace and condefcending goodnefs of a covenant-God and Father.

II. I am to fhew, what are the promises and bleffings contained in this covenant, for believing parents, refpecting their children.

First-In their infant and moft helpless ftate, they are admitted into Chrift's family on earthThis is no fmall privilege. How great would you think the favor to your children, to be taken into the family of an earthly king? But the church is the houshold of faith, the family of the king of kings. Here are the richest promifes, and greatest bleffings, and here is a foundation for the moft

fanguine expectations. In this fituation they are interested in all the public prayers for the welfare of the church, and they ought to be always remembered in.the private and fecret petitions of all God's people.

Secondly-The God of Abraham is their GodThe promise is to believing parents, and to their children. "I will be a God to thee and to thy feed." This is certainly an ineftimable bleffing of the covenant, which believers have for their infants. God, therefore, will preferve them through the dangers of their infant ftate, or will take them to himself. All this is doubtlefs implied in his being their God. For if believers are, by the divine command, to give their infants to God, and they in obedience, do give them up to him as he hath appointed, will he not accept them? He certainly will, and through Jefus Chrift, he doubtlefs becomes their God in life, agreeably to the tenor of the gracious covenant. But to fuch as die in an infant state, he is forever a God and portion. Thus only can this be an everlafting covenant refpecting fuch, and in this view alone his mercy to them endureth forever. Thofe, therefore, who believe that the promise contains any thing refpecting the infants of believers, who die in their infant ftate, can hardly doubt of its fecuring to them the faving bleffings of the covenant in the eternal world. What bleffings are here for the dying infants of believers ? bleflings infinitely rich-infinitely free!--This is not a new fentiment-It was holden, and firmly believed by the moft zealous and pious ancient fathers in the church.

Should thefe infants, on the contrary, live and advance to the ftate of childhood, there are still

great bleffings for them in this gracious covenant. First-That grace, promifed to believing parents to make them faithful, has some special reference to children in this ftate. If believing parents have grace to be faithful, this is a great blefling, not to parents only, but also in a very special manner to their children: It gives them the advantage of their faithful pious inftruction.

Secondly-Believing parents, refpecting their children in this state, have the promise of the blesfing to attend faithful instruction and discipline. Prov. xxii. 6-xxiii. 13, 14-xx. 7. "Train up a child in the way he fhould go, and when he is old he will not depart from it-Withhold not correction from the child; for if thou beatest him with a rod, he fhall not die-Thou fhalt beat him with the rod, and fhall deliver his foul from hell. The just man walketh in his integrity; his chil dren are bleffed after him." What precious promifes! What unfpeakable bleffings for their children! If God graciously grants his bleffing to attend the faithful care of pious parents, this will certainly make it effectual, and lay a glorious foundation for their children's usefulness here, and for their eternal felicity in the world to come. This has often been the cafe, and it is more than probable always will be the cafe, where parents take hold of the covenant, and are perfeveringly faithful in their inftruction and difcipline towards their children, agreeably to the following paffages of facred fcripture." And I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy feed after thee, in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy feed after thee. For I know him, that he will command his

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children, and his houfhold after him, and they fball keep the way of the Lord, to do juftice and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him"-Gen. xvii. 7. and xviii. 19. "So then they which be of faith are bleffed with faithful Abraham. That the bleffing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jefus Chrift, that we might receive the promise of the fpirit through faith"-Gal. iii. 9

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"For I the Lord love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them; and their feed fhall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people all that fee them fhall acknowledge them, that they are the feed which the Lord hath bleffed. They fhall not lobor in vain, nor bring forth for trouble for they are the feed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them." Isaiah lxi. 8, 9. and lxv. 23.

Thirdly-In this state the children of believers, in covenant, are alfo under the care, watch, and discipline of the church. This alfo is no fmall privilege. And where the church is faithful, it most certainly is a very great bleffing; not only as a powerful incitement to faithfulnefs in parents, but also as it adds great weight to their parental instruction and difcipline.

In this age, human nature is capable of the moft deep and lafting impreffions. The foundation of a future life of virtue or vice, and confequently of happiness or mifery, is much oftener laid in childhood than is generally imagined. In this age, therefore, to have our children under the care, watch, and difcipline of the church-under the