their families, and have neglected teaching and praying with or for their children. What a just contempt will those children naturally have for those parents, especially if ever God comes to enlighten their hearts, and open their eyes, as he sometimes does without the help of paternal instruction? When the children come to reflect how their parents totally neglected the salvation of their souls, compared to which the provision made for their bodies was but of little value, the disgust at the omission of the former will be too apt to take off all the gratitude and affection due for the latter.

Nothing but mere duty can be supposed to preserve the child's respect, and even common civility to its parents, when he comes to be sensible how unnaturally they abandoned his immortal part, how unchristianly they exposed his better, his intellectual part, to eternal destruction; as if the duty of a parent had ended in, or been restrained to, the narrow compass of the office of a nurse, or a schoolmaster; and that they had no obligation upon them to regard the eternal happiness of that part of their posterity which can never die.

Such parents are certainly the most unnatural, and may justly be reproached by their children, not with neglect of their duty only, but with their being without natural affection; and consequently can by no means expect suitable returns of affection from their children, when they come to be made sensible of the treatment they have received from them. If they show them common respect, as above, it must be all owing to that very grace which, in spite of the obstruction of the godless education, has been planted in the heart by the powerful influence and invincible operation of the Spirit of God.

For parents to pretend love to their children, and natural affection, as they are the fruit of their bodies, and as it is vulgarly expressed, their own flesh and blood, and at the same time neglect to instruct them, or educate them, either in human learning or religious knowledge, is just as

if, when their children are taken sick, they should employ themselves in mending or making them clothes, or dressing up fine banquets or entertainments for them, and wholly omit the necessary cordials or applications for the recovery of their health: only with this difference, that the soul to the body has infinitely a greater disproportion, than the health and the daily food.

But our case extends yet farther, viz. that the defect complained of here is not the want of education and instruction, from the ignorance or incapacity of the parent, for this had been the hand of God immediately in bringing forth the child from parents that knew not God; but the case here is yet more aggravated, in that this happens in families where the parents have the knowledge, and have the capacity, and know and acknowledge it to be their duty to instruct their children, and yet entirely neglect it, which adds to the crime in the parents, and will be ground of astonishment and reflection in the children, if they ever come to the knowledge of God without the due assistance of their parents. Nor will the reflections of the parents be less bitter on themselves than those of their children, as will be more lively represented in the other dialogues of this part.

But this subject may also be of present use to children who have not the blessing of godly parents to instruct them: and for this it is also designed; and these, as well as those whose parents neglect the great duty of instructing them, are desired to consider, from the example of this little child, these few things.

1. That the most plain, most natural, and most easy questions that it is possible a child can ask, will lead them to both their Creator, and their duty to him; such as

Who made me?

What am I made for?

What am I?

What business have I here?

How came I hither?

F

Whither am I going?

What is my end?

What is good?

What is evil?

The little babe here presented, infers, by the mere power of natural reasoning,

1st, That he was made better than the brutes.

2dly, That it was the goodness of his Maker which distinguished him so.

3dly, That fear, service, love, and obedience, were natural returns for that goodness. Thus the meanest capacity, and the youngest children, may supply the defect of education, if they think but a little seriously of themselves and the original of their being.

2. It is also observable, that as soon as ever the soul is but able to inquire rationally about itself, nature and reason concur to lead him to the knowledge of God, a first cause, a chief good, and an ultimate end; "of whom, and for whom, and to whom are all things." And these impulses. go on, till natural religion, joined with revealed religion, discovers Christ," and God in Christ reconciling us to himself, not imputing our trespasses," which is the sum and substance of the Christian religion.

This is the great end of these dialogues, as they respect children, viz. that they may, where perhaps family instruction has been wanting, guide themselves to the knowledge of God, and of their duty, by these familiar steps which nature itself will be most certain to concur with. As they respect parents, their end is plain, viz. they are a satire upon their neglect of duty, and a reproof to them in order to amendment.

THE THIRD DIALOGUE.

The mother of this pretty infant, sensibly affected with the discourse she had had with him in the last dialogue, and in teaching her child, being particularly taught how she

had neglected her own duty before, appears under a great and more than ordinary concern. Her husband was under the same convictions, and both were very desirous to unbosom themselves to one another, though utterly ignorant of the respective circumstances. This occasions the following dialogue or discourse between the husband and wife. The rest of the family being withdrawn, the husband, perceiving his wife melancholy, and that she had been weeping, and being a very tender, loving husband, begins with her thus:

Husb. My dear, what is the matter? I believe something troubles thee.

Wife. I cannot deny it; and if I did, you see I cannot conceal it.

[The wife weeps, and is backward to tell the occasion; but her husband presses her to tell him.]

Husb. Tell me, my dear, what afflicts thee. If it be in my power to relieve it, you have no reason to doubt, but as in duty I ought, so in affection I am inclined to give you all the comfort, all the advice, and all the assistance I am able.

Wife. Alas! you cannot assist in my case; no, nor any one in the world: and the reason why I am backward in telling it is, because when I do you will perhaps be so far from easing my grief, that you will add to it, by falling into the same yourself; for my affliction equally concerns you and myself.

Husb. My dear, there is no affliction can befall thee, but either I must have an equal share in it, or be wanting in affection to thee, which I never was yet, or want a concern for my own happiness; seeing, ever since we have been one by consent, or by contract, I have but one interest, one wish, and one desire with you; and this not by duty only, but by inclination.

Wife. I have full experience of that, and thought my happiness always complete in it; and the more, in that I have not been able to charge myself with the least breach

on my part, to render that affection less pleasing to you, or less satisfying to me. But we have both been wanting in one thing, and I fear have nothing to excuse or to accuse one more than another. And this is my present grief.

[The husband, touched before, answers with blushes in his face.]

Husb. I know not what you can mean, unless it be want of performing some duties which we owe to God and our children.

Wife. O you have touched it! there it lies! And if you had had such a messenger sent from God to reprove you for it as I have had to-day, I question not but it would have touched you as nearly as it does me.

Husb. I know not what thou hast had to-day; but I had such a lecture preached to me yesterday by a little dear infant, even our own youngest child, that has almost broke my very soul within me; and you may know part of it by this, that you know I slept not a wink all last night.

Wife. O, my dear! the same is my instructor! He has certainly been sent from God to me.

Husb. And to me too. Whether it be for a blessed restoring end, or for judgment, and the terrible part of conviction, he only knows.

[Here they repeat to one another the circumstances of the former dialogues with the child, and the effects which the surprise of it had upon both their minds severally.]

Husb. It is impossible to express to you how the little creature moved me. It was a dagger struck into my very heart, to hear the dear lamb ask me-" Father, will not God be angry, with me that I have not thanked him, and loved him, and prayed to him before? And how should I know it, father? you never told me." When I told him he must pray to God, was it not cutting me to the heart to hear him say—"Do you pray to him, father?" and when I told him yes, to hear him say-"I never heard you,. father," I was not able to bear it, I was fain to stop and turn away from him.