Let Children also be affected and moved to inquire after the God of their Fathers, and to seek him early. Cry to him, My Father, Thou art the Guide of my Youth. Offer up your first ripe Fruits unto God. Begin in the Morning of your Days to serve him who is the Lord of all your Time. You are strongly obliged to this, not only as God is your Creator, but also as you are his Children by a Covenant Relation. When you were baptized, God's Name was called upon you, and you were devoted to his Service. Do not then alienate yourselves from him; but glorify him with your Souls and Bodies which are his. Prize this great Privilege of being born under the Shadow of the Covenant; but take heed lest you be carnally confident and secure. Know it, if your Lives are among the Unclean, you shall be cast into outer Darkness, tho' you are the Children of the (visible) Kingdom. Be earnest with God therefore to give you that invisible Grace which is represented by Water in Baptism. This divine Ordinance teacheth you, That by Nature you are defiled, being shapen in Iniquity and conceived in Sin. Seek to God then to wash you thoroughly from your Iniquity, and to cleanse you from your Sin, by pouring out his holy Spirit upon you, and so applying the Blood of Christ ⟨p. iv⟩to your Souls. In a Word, labour to know the holy Scriptures from your Childhood, learn your Catechism, pray to God, keep the Sabbath holy, be dutiful to your Parents, fly the Sins of Pride, Idleness, Uncleanness, Lying, Calling wicked Names, and all other youthful Lusts; and follow the Things that are pure and lovely and of good Report.
Let Children also be affected and mov'd to inquire after the God of their Fathers, and to seek him early. Cry to him, My Father, Thou art the Guide of my Youth. Offer up your first ripe Fruits unto God. Begin in the Morning of your Days to serve him who is the Lord of all your Time. You are strongly oblig'd to this, not only as God is your Creator, but also as you are his Children by a Covenant Relation. When you were baptized, God's Name was called upon you, and you were devoted to his Service. Do not then alienate yourselves from him; but glorify him with your Souls and Bodies which are his. Prize this great Privilege of being born under the Shadow of the Covenant; but take heed lest you be carnally confident and secure. Know it, if your Lives are among the Unclean, you shall be cast into outer Darkness, tho' you are the Children of the (visible) Kingdom. Be earnest with God therefore to give you that invisible Grace which is represented by Water in Baptism. This divine Ordinance teacheth you, That by Nature you are defiled, being shapen in Iniquity and conceiv'd in Sin. Seek to God then to wash you thoroughly from your Iniquity, and to cleanse you from your Sin, by pouring out his holy Spirit upon you, and so applying the Blood of Christ ⟨p. iv⟩to your Souls. In a Word, labour to know the holy Scriptures from your Childhood, learn your Catechism, pray to God, keep the Sabbath holy, be dutiful to your Parents, fly the Sins of Pride, Idleness, Uncleanness, Lying, Calling wicked Names, and all other youthful Lusts; and follow the Things that are pure and lovely and of good Report.
