mit their Children to God; and to trust in him to take care of them, and make provifion for them. To this purpose, confider 1. That you truft God for greater matters than the Temporal concernments and welfare of your Children, when you fhall be taken from them. You trust in him for the Eternal Welfare and Salvation of your own Soul; and will you not truft him to make provifion for your Children? 2. Confider that God hath a greater interest in your Children than you have. They are his Children, he gave them you, 'tis by his free Gift and Donation that you have enjoyed them so long.Why therefore fhould you question but that God will take care of and provide for his own? 3. Confider that he hath commanded you to caft all your care upon him as hath been faid before. Why therefore should you not caft the care of making provifion for your Children, especially when you fhall be taken from them, and will no longer be able to look after them or take care of them. 4. He hath particularly declared his care, his peculiar care of the Fatherless, I i 2 the the Deftitute, the Friendlefs, the Poor and Needy, the Afflicted, and the like. But of the Fatherless in fpecial manner. He hath often required and ftrictly enjoyned Men to take care of them, to do them right, to protect and defend them. Seek judgment, relieve the oppreffed, judge the fatherless, Ifa. 1. 17. Oppress not the ftranger, the fatherless, and the widow, Jer. 7.6. Defend the poor and fatherless, do juftice to the afflicted and needy,Pfal.82. 3. You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child, Exod. 22. 22. Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger or of the fatherless, Deut. 24. 17. And fo or to the like effect in many other Scriptures. But befides all the strict charges that God hath laid upon Men to take care of and stand by the Fatherless, if Men notwithstanding all this fhould neglect their Duty, God hath taken upon himself the care of the Fatherlefs. The Lord preferveth the ftranger, and relieveth the fatherless, Pfal. 146. 9. He executeth the judgment of the fatherless and the widow, Deut. 10. 18. He is the helper of the fatherlefs, Pfal. 10, 14. Yea he Vouchsafeth to ftyle himfelf the Father of the Fatherless. A father of the fatherlefs, and a judge of the widow is God in bis holy habitation, Pfal. 68. 5. Hence that fafe counsel of Solomon, Remove the old land-mark, enter not into the ot of the fatherless; for their redeemer is mighty, he shall plead their caufe with thee, Prov. 23. 10. Now after that God hath fpoken fo much concerning his care of the Fatherlefs, with how much inward quiet and holy fecurity, with what humble confidence of God's care of their pofterity, fhould dying Parents commit their furviving Children to his Gracious providence. And whereas this, as hath been faid, often adds to the trouble and thoughtfulness of dying Parents, that they have fo little, it may be nothing at all to leave their Children, this very Confideration fhould make them commit their Children to God's providence, with fo much the greater confidence of his care of them. For fuch is the Merciful and Gracious difpofition of God, that the lefs their Parents can leave them, and the fewer friends they have to help them, the more ready will he be to look after them, to take care of them, to fuccour and relieve them, to ftand by them and protect them as their Neceffities and Exigencies fhall at any time require it.And Ii3 much much the rather may Parents leaving the World, thus commit their Children to God's providence, If 1. They have been careful to make the best provision for them that they could, by their Diligence and Industry in those ways of honeft Imployment in which the providence of God ingaged them; and by their Thriftinefs and Providence; and have not lavished away and mifpent what God beftowed on them profufely and waftefully. 2. If they have been Confciencious in the course of their lives, and been careful to live in the fear of God; for this derives a Bleffing upon their Posterity. The generation of the upright fall be bleffed, Pfal. 112. 2. I have been young and now am old; yet have I not feen the righteous forfaken, nor his feed begging bread. He is merciful and lendeth, and his feed is bleffed, Pfal. 37. 25, 26. The juft man walketh in his integrity, his children are bleffed after him, Prov. 20. 7. Though hand jojn in hand the wicked shall not be unpunished, but the feed of the righteous fhall be delivered, Prov 11. 21. 3. If they have given their Children good Education, and brought them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Lord. He fheweth mercy unto thousands of them that love him, and keep his commandments, Exod. 20. 6. The mercy of the Lord is from everlafting to everlasting. upon them that fear him, and his righte oufness unto childrens children; to fuch as keep his covenant, and to fuch as remember bis commandments to do them, Pfal. 103. 17, 18. 4. If they have prayed much for their Children. Many prayers offered цр unto God for them, remain upon the file to be answered when their Parents are in Heaven. Children may fare the better both in Spirituals and Temporals as long as they live, for thofe prayers which their Parents made for them in their. Life-time here. I fay, if thus they have in fome good measure difcharged their Duty in Relation to their Children while they were here with them, they may with so much the greater confidence leave them unto God's care and provifion when he calls them hence. 3 Now having all thefe Encouragements to truft God with your Children when you must leave them, how Sinful, how Intolerable and utterly Inexcufable would your diftrüft of God's providence be! What more can you defire to induce I i4 you, |