• 1 NEw, or young married folkes ought not licentiouslie to go together, before they haue first vpon their knees, secretelie in their chamber, commended themselues vnto God by praier: after the good example of Tobias and Sara, Tobit. 7.17. & 8, 4.
• 2 It is the duetie of parents to blesse their children, and wish them all good: a patterne whereof we haue in Genesis. Chap. 4.8. vers. 15.20. & Iacob Numbers cap. 6. vers. 24.
• 3 It is the mothers duetie, so well as the fa­thers, to instruct her children with precepts of good doctrine: so did Bethsheba teach hir sonne Salomon: as you may reade Pro­uerbs chap. 13.1.
• 4 Pouertie and shame is to that child, that re­fuseth Instruction, and will not abide cor­rection: but that childe that regardeth disci­pline, and giueth eare to the instruction of their parents shall come to honour: Pro­uerbs 13.1.18.
• 5 Who so laugheth their father to scorne, and set their mothers commandement at naught, the rauens of the vallie eate out their eyes, and deuoured bee that child of the young eagles. Prouerbs 30.17.
• 6 A wise child maketh a glad father: but a foo­lish and vndiscreete daughter is a heauinesse to hir mother. Prouerbs. 1.10.
• 7 A well nurtured and mannerly maiden is as a polished stone of a Pallace, and the ho­nour of hir fathers house: as appeareth by the prophet Dauid in his Psal. 114.12.

THe holie Ghost speaking in the Scriptures of foolish sons, as that he that beget­teth such a one getteth himselfe sorrow, and that the father of a foole hath no ioy, Prouerb. 17, 21. Meaneth it not so much of naturall idiots, and such as are destitute of common reason: although it is true, that is a lamentable iudgement of God, and a heauinesse to the parents of such a child: as of wicked children such as either are igno­rant in the word, nor knowing how to or­der one right step to the kingdome of God, or else hauing some knowledge, abuse it to maintaine their carnall lustes and appetite. For this cause, as it woulde grieue parents to haue naturall fooles to their children, or such as either in some imperfection of nature are dismembred, or deformed and misfigured in the partes of their bodie, so much more shoulde it grieue them to haue such children, as ei­ther for want of knowledge and hea­uenlie wisedome, can not walke in the [Page] feare of God, or abusing the knowledge gi­uen them, prostitute themselues to al sinne and wickednesse: it is maruellous howe greatly parents can bewaile the want of one natural gift procéeding of some imper­fection, and how easilie they can passe ouer without anie griefe the want of all spiri­tual graces, springing from corrupt edu­cation. In like manner is it strange that men can take the matter so heauilie when their children breake into such offences as either haue open shame, or ciuill punish­ment folowing them, and yet can make no bones, but passe ouer such sinnes as are a­gainst the maiestie of God, accompanied with euerlasting confusion, and vnspeake­able torments: wherein what doeth the most part of men bewray, but their great hipocrisie, in that neither their ioy, nor their griefe is sound to their children, and that they loue themselues more in their children, then eyther their saluation or the glorie of GOD: the tender loue and care whereof no doubt did increase the sorrow of Dauid for the death of his sonne [Page] Absolon, who was not so much grieued for the losse of a sonne, as for that vntime­lie ende of his sonne, to whom the time of repentance, for his saluation and the glorie of God, was denied: which haply, if he had liued, his father Dauid might haue reioy­ced in. Let vs learne therefore to correct our affections to our children, and be grie­ued for their ignorance, impietie & sinnes, whereof either our carnall copulation, the not lamenting of our naturall corruption, the want of prayer and holie séede, or pro­phane education, armed with the wrath of God, maie bée a most iust occasion. Can a man hope for a holie posteritie? or doe we maruaile if the Lorde crosse vs in the children of our bodies, when we make as bolde and brutish an entrance into that holie ordinance of the Lorde as is the mée­ting of the neighing horse with his mare: when béeing ioyned in that honoura­ble estate of matrimonie, either as mere naturall men without all knowledge of GOD we beget our children, or as too carnall men without the feare and reue­rence [Page] of the Lord: neither bewailing our corruptions, which we receyued of our an­cestrie, nor praing against the infirmities which may descende to our posteritie, wée abuse the marriage bedde. Lastlie, when hauing receiued the fruite of the wombe, we haue no care, by vertuous education, to offer it to the Lorde, that our childe by carnall generation may be the childe of God by spirituall regeneration. Surelie no: and yet men looking vp to God his prouidence and secrete councell, without all bethinking themselues of their corrupt generation, from which their children are descended, without all looking backe into their wicked and godlesse bringing of them vp, will freat agaynst their sinnes, fume agaynst their children: yea often they will correct them, and that to serue their owne corruptions, not so much grieued for that they haue sinned against God, as that they haue offended them. Christians therefore must knowe, that when men and women raging with boyling luste méete togither as brute beastes, ha­uing [Page] no other respects then to satisfie their owne carnall concupiscense, when they make no conscience to sanctifie the mari­age bedde with praier, when they haue no care to increase the Church of Christ and the number of the elect, it is the iust iudge­ment of God to send them either mon­sters, or naturall fooles, or else such as ha­uing good gifts of the mind, and well pro­portioned bodies, are most wicked, grace­lesse, and prophane persons. Againe on the contrarie we shal find in the word of God, that noble and notable men, commended vnto vs for rare examples of vertue and godlines, were children asked and obteined of God by praier. Our first parents Adam and Eue, being humbled after the birth of their wicked sonne Caine, obteyned a righteous Abell, of whom, when by his bloudie brother they were bereft, they re­ceiued that holie man Seth. Abraham, be­getting in the flesh had a cursed sonne Is­mael, but waiting by faith for the accom­plishmēt of God his couenant, he obtained a blessed Isaac. Iacob not content with one [Page] wife, according to the ordinance of God, was punished in his children: yet after­ward being humbled he receiued faithfull Ioseph. Elkanah & Hannah, praying and being cast downe, had a Samuel that did minister before the Lord. Dauid and Beth­sheba, lamenting their sins, obteined Salo­mon, a man of excellent wisdome. Zachary and Elizabeth fearing the Lord, receiued Iohn the Baptist & forerunner of Christ. Looke what sinnes we haue receiued natu­rallie without GOD his great blessing, without praier & humbling of our selues, we shall conuey them to posteritie: and al­though the lord granteth sometimes ciuill gifts vnto the children of natural and car­nal men, yet for the most part they receiue their naturall sins. But if the children of God by regeneration do sée in themselues, and lament their sinnes of generation, praying that their naturall corruptions may be preuented in their posterities, they shal sée great mercies of god, in some mea­sure fréeing their children from the same. Nowe when thou shalt sée such sinnes to [Page] bée in thy children, enter into thy owne heart, examine thy selfe, whether they are not come from thée, consider how iustly the hand of God may be vpon thée: and when thou wouldest be angrie against thy child, haue an holie anger with thy selfe, and vse this and such like meditation with thy owne soule: Lord, shal I thus punish mine owne sinne? and that in my owne childe: shall I thus persecute the corruptions of my ancesters? nay I sée, O Lord, & proue that thou art displeased with me for the too carnall conception of my childe: I lay then in some sinne, I asked it not of thée by praier: be mercifull vnto me (O Lord) and in thy good time shewe some pittie vpon my childe. Thus thinking thou goest a­bout to correct nature in thy childe which he could not helpe, arming thy selfe with praier, repenting with Iacob, thou shalt be so affected as desirous to draw thy child out of sinne, yet with the mildest meanes and least rigor. And one thing is most wonderfull: that some will teach their chil­dren to speake corruptlie, and doe wicked­ly [Page] whilst they are yong, and yet beat them for it when they are olde: againe some will imbolden their litle ones to practise iniqui­tie towardes others, which when by the iust iudgement of God they afterward ex­ercise towardes the parents themselues, they are corrected for it. And yet deale with these and such like men for the euill educa­tion of their children, and they will an­swere: doe not wée as much as is of vs required: wée sende our children to the Church to be instructed of the pastour, and to the schoole to be taught of the maister: if they learne, it will be the better for them, if not, they haue the more to answere for: what can we do more? But remember, O man, consider, O woman, whosoeuer thus speaketh, for that sinnes sake, and the want of praier there may be a plague vpon the pastors paines, and a cursse vpon the tea­chers trauell. If parents would haue their children blessed at the Church and at the schoole, let thē beware they giue their chil­dren no corrupt example at home by anie carelesnesse, prophanesse, or vngodlines: o­therwise [Page] parents wil do them more harm at home then both pastor and schoolmaister can doo good abroad: for the corrupt exam­ple of the one fighteth with y ^e good doctrine of the other: which is by so much the more dangerous, because that corrupt walking is armed with nature, and therefore more forcibly inclineth the affections of children to that side. And further experience tea­cheth vs that children like or mislike more by countenance, gesture and behauiour, then by anie rule, doctrine, or precept what soeuer. Some there be that will not haue their children taught vntill they be ten or twelue yeares old, because as they say, at that age they haue but an apish imitation. To whom I answere, that although they cannot then déepely discerne, nor profound­lie conceiue things, yet how manie things before these yeares will they both re­ceiue, and remember? And I demaund if children be apish in imitating that, whiles they be yong, which they will haue the ha­bit of when they be old, may they not much better doe apishlie good whiles they are [Page] yong, which they may do carefullie when they are olde? besides let them goe so vn­taught, and they will grow so headstrong, that they will sooner be broken, then ben­ded: and sure it is that one stripe, or two words will doe more good to a child in time then a hūdred stripes afterward. And here let parents be admonished of their vndis­créete correction, who doe their children more harme in shewing a merrie counte­nance after their discipline vsed, then they do good by their chastisement of them whi­les they do correct them. Neither doe I purpose to take away naturall affections anda Christian kind of compassion in all our censures: for it is my great complaint of the brutish vnmercifulnesse of manie parents herein, but would wish Christi­ans, to correct their vndiscréete affections herein by heauenly wisedome. Neither am I so Stoicall as to denie a more milde and affable kinde of speach to bée both lawful­lie and conuenientlie vsed to children, and yet I wish it to be void of all vnséemely le­nitie, and without all shew of foolish, vaine [Page] and vnnecessarie behauiour. To be briefe, howe néedefull houshold gouernement to­wards our children is, it may appeare by the slender thriuing and small profiting either of religion or vertue, either in the church or common wealth. Speake men of discipline neuer so much, complaine they of the want of church gouernement neuer so loude, preach they, teach they neuer so much abroade, vnlesse they will beginne discipline in reforming their houses, and giue religion some rowme at home, they shall trauaile much, and profite little. And surely, if men be carefull to reforme them­selues first, and then their families: if their charge be greater their circuites and pro­uinces, wherein the Lorde hath placed them, it were the best way to moue the Lord to bestow reformation, and discipline on his church among vs: and of all meanes that nowe may be hoped for this séemeth best: for of particuler persons come fami­lies, of families townes, of townes prouin­ces, of prouinces realmes, so that conueigh­ing discipline thus from one to another, in [Page] time, and that shortlie it would come into the church: well (I say) let there be neuer so good lawes in cities, neuer so pure or­ders in churches, if there be no practise at home, if fathers of families vse not doc­trine, and discipline in their houses, & ioyne their handes to magistrate and ministers, they may indéede, but vniustlie, as manie haue done complaine that their children are corrupted abroad, when they were be­fore, and are still corrupted at home. Alas if parents, to whome the comfort of their children well brought vp is a precious crown, wil not informe and reforme their children in the feare of God, howe would hope sustaine these men, that others will performe this dutie for them, to whome this charge doeth farre lesse appertaine? Lastlie, let parents remember, that there­fore they haue disordered and disobedient children to themselues, because they haue béene disobedient children vnto the Lorde, and disordered to their parents when they were young, whereof because they haue not repented, the Lorde punisheth their [Page] sinnes to others with the like sinne to themselues. Wilt thou know, thou father, howe thou maiest haue that blessing to bée the blessed father of a blessed séede? wilt thou know, thou mother, howe to auoide that cursse to bée the curssed mother of a curssed séede? bring thy children within the com­passe of the couenant: indeuour to make thy sonne the sonne of God, and thy daugh­ter by nature the daughter of god by grace: and remember howe that God, which on his part protested to father Abraham that he was all sufficient for the accomplish­ment of his promise in giuing him a bles­sed séede, and requested also on father A­brahams part, that he should walke before him, and be vpright. Wilt thou then haue the one part of this of the couenant: that is, that God should blesse thée in thy séede? then remember also that thou walke be­fore the Lord, and be vpright: wilt thou haue thy children as the blessed séede of Abraham? teach them with Abraham the iudgements of the Lord: pray for them with Abraham, that they may liue in tho [Page] light of the Lord: be readie to offer them with Abraham, that they may be a holie sacrifice vnto the Lord, It is thou, O man, O woman, that mayest do thy childe the greatest good, and the greatest harme: if thou prayest for him, and repentest for thy selfe, the Lord will blesse thy care, the pa­stors paines, the teachers trauaile. But if thou dispisest these dueties, the Lorde will denie thée these blessings, and the cursse of God will be vpon thy childe, at home in thy house, abroade in the Church, and in schoole. And séeing the Lorde hath promi­sed that he will be thy God, and blesse thy séede, if thou béest faithfull, thou mayest both hope that thou art of the faithfull, if thou hast a blessed séede, and feare, that thou hast not as yet the blessing of the co­uenant when thy séede is accurssed. But had not Iacob wicked children, and Dauid godlesse sonnes? and doeth not dayly ex­perience teach vs, that wicked men haue godly children? yes: for besides the secret counsell of the Lorde herein, we must knowe that neither the promise of the [Page] Lord is so vniuersall that euerie particu­lar child of a faithfull man should be with­in the couenant: for if of many there be but one blessed, the promise is performed: yea, which more is, though the faithfull man haue neuer a good childe, yet, if vnto the thousand generation there be but one good, the couenant is not broken: neither must we tie the Lorde his worke so much to man, that a good man may not haue an e­uill sonne: séeing though the Lord visit not his sinnes, yet he may visit the sinnes of some of the forefathers, to the thirde and fourth generation going before. To the se­cond I say, that an euill father hauing a good child, though the Lord shew not mer­cie to that particular man therein, yet he may remember his promise to some of the forefathers in the thousand generations going before: and though that euill man haue no curssed child, yet the cursse may be accomplished in the third and fourth gene­ration following. Wherefore not spea­king of election or reprobation, which wee leaue only to the Lord to make good or bad, [Page] I exhort parentes to vse the ordinarie meanes, to bring vp their childrē so as they either by some good tokens may sée them the children of God, and heires of the co­uenant, or at least be comforted in their owne conscience if their children for some cause vnknowne refuse it, in that to their habilitie they haue vsed all good meanes to bring them vp well, and offered them to God. And if parents haue cause to be grie­ued, when thus trauelling in good educati­on, they cannot sée good in their children, how much more cause of griefe may they haue when they haue vsed no labour at all to bring them vp in the feare of the Lord? And yet many will be grieued for the one, that will not for the other: wherfore let vs learne, if we will conuey God his blessing to our posterities, let vs vse y ^e duties there vnto, let vs, if we be loth to conuey God his iudgements to our children, carefullie auoid the meanes vnto it: and surely as it is a blessed thing in the houre of death, with Simeon to depart in peace, leauing our wife, children and seruants members [Page] of Christ, spouses to Christ, childrē to God, and seruants to the Lorde: so in death no one thing will be more grieuous vnto a man, then the Lord hauing giuen him the charge of so many soules to be furthered to saluation, that his owne tormented con­science shall presse him, howe, in as much as he could, he hath helped them forwarde to their damnation: and so, which is more fearefull, he shall haue them spewing and foming out on his face continuall curses in hell, accusing him for euer to bee a murtherer of their soules, and a cutthrote of their saluation. Howe be it, in all this I doe not exempt Children from all blame, so charging the parents as though the Children were frée from all guilti­nesse herein: for I am not ignorant, that as in the time of Ezechiel, so in our dayes youth is readie enough to take vp this pro­uerb: the fathers haue eaten sower grapes, and the Childrens téeth are set on edge: but I affirme, that though the occasion be offred of such wicked parents, yet the cause of destruction is still in the children them­selues, [Page] And besides that, it is sure that the soule which hath sinned shall die the death. Séeing there bée some young men, who, notwithstanding the great prophanesse of the moste, the manifolde corruptions of­fered abroade, the vngodlie examples a­bounding at home, are so mightilie pre­serued by the séede of grace, that they es­cape safelie in an holie course of life, la­menting when they sée the least occasion of euill, reioycing in the least occasion of good things. The rest who please them­selues, and hope to shelter their sinnes vn­der their parents defaults, are plainlie left without excuse, and are iustlie guiltie of thebloud of their owne sinnes. Labour therefore, ye yong men, to wipe away the teares of griefe from your fathers eies, and stay the sorrowfull spirites of your tender mothers, and consider in your selues, if ye haue anie nature in you, and haue not bu­ried y ^e vse of common reason, what a shame is it to be a shame vnto your fathers, to whome ye ought to be a glorie: thinke ye, wanton wittes, that haue not cast of all [Page] naturall affections, what a contempt it is to be a contempt vnto your mothers, to whome you haue offered as it were a de­spightfull violence, in that ye are a corro­siue to hir griefe, when as ye should haue bene a crowne vnto hir comforts. The end of all this bréeflie is thus much: that pa­rents hauing fooles, Children not wal­king either in knowledge or in a good cōsci­ence must make some vse of so iust a cause of griefe, examining themselues, and ac­cusing their owne soules before the Lord, either for that their méeting was pro­phane to so holie an estate, or brutishlie, because they desired rather a séede like vn­to them in flesh and bloud, then such as might bée like to Christ by grace and new birth, or that they begate their ofspring as mere naturall or verie carnall men: or because they either prophanelie neglected all education, or monstrouslie misliked that in their young children which they li­ked in themselues, and punished in them their owne corrupt precepts, or for that they suffered their Children iniuriouslie [Page] to doe euill to others, which they could not suffer to doe to them selues: or vntaught that at home which was taught abroad: or in that they doe lie in some sinne vnrepen­ted of: or else because they neuer made conscience to bring their posteritie within the couenant of saluation, but still loued the flesh of their children, and not their soules. And children here also must learne that it is one speciall propertie of a liberal and ingenious nature to be carefull so to liue, that in time they may be a glorie to their fathers, and a ioy to their mothers: which the Lord grant to vs all, for his owne glorie and our euerlasting comfort, through Iesus Christ our Lord and onlie Sauiour. Amen.