A supplement to The Morning-exercise at Cripple-Gate, or, Several more cases of conscience practically…

Sol. All younger ones and Inferiors that are committed by God or men to the care and conduct of Superiors; all included in the name Child. The Original word admits of several significations: An Infant newly born, Judg. 13.7. of three months old, Exod. 26. A Child as soon as he begins to speak and exert his reason. Thus it runs parallel with the Greek word [Greek or Hebrew]: And so we find Timothy instructed from a Child, a Babe, a Suckling, 2 Tim. 1.5. with 3.15. It takes in Boys also and Girls, Sons and Daughters of somewhat riper age, youths as Shechem, Gen. 34.19. Damosels, and those marriageable, Deut. 22.19. The word is also applied to Abraham's Men-servants, Gen. 22.3. and to Boaz Maid-servants, Ruth. 2.22. Est. 4.4. To such, as though they may be men in years, are children in understanding. These all, and every one of these come within the List of those that Solomon and his God would have trained up and Catechized: Nay, let me add, there is not a younger Son of the Prophets, not one that sits at the feet of those Learned Gamaliels, those truly Reverend Elijahs, that can justly plead exemption from this seeming task, shall I say, or real honour, of being clearly taught in, and firmly sixth upon those Everlasting Foundations, the first principles of the Oracles of God, Heb. 5.12. & 6.1.

Sol. All younger ones and Inferiours that are committed by God or men to the care and conduct of Superiours; all included in the name Child. The Original word admits of several significations: An Infant newly born, Judg. 13.7. of three months old,