instruction, warning, and admonition fail to restrain them, they must use more powerful and coercive means, which are sufficient to produce the desired effect. Though Eli used the milder means to govern his family, and restrain them from evil, which proved ineffectual; yet God blamed him for neglecting to exercise the power he had to restrain them effectually.--As all parents have authority to command and to punish all under their government; so God will require it at their hands, if they neglect to instruct and restrain their children and households. It now remains to show, III. The importance of exercising parental authority.

This will appear, if we consider the great and happy consequences, which family government tends to promote.

1. Family government directly tends to promote family religion. This is plainly intimated in the text. God foresaw that Abraham's children and household would keep the way of the Lord, and do justice and judgment, that is, become pious, virtuous, and useful, because he would properly command, instruct, and restrain them; or in other words; give them a pious and religious education. Accordingly, we find that family religion was the happy effect of his wise and faithful family government. His children and household were truly religious. He instructed, governed, and restrained Ishmael until he was thirteen years old, and then devoted him to God, by the right of circumcision.--Though after this, Ishmael conducted ill, which constrained Abraham to command him to leave his house; yet he did not cease to love and pray for him, with tender paternal affection. He said unto God,

This

So

"O that Ishmael might live before thee." prayer was undoubtedly heard and answered. that we have just ground to believe, that Ishmael was a good man. And we know that Isaac was. Whether all his household were pious, we are not told. But one of his servants, whom he sent to Laban upon an important errand, appears to have been not only faithful, but truly pious. It was Abraham's primary object in the government of his numerous family to promote their piety, and he employed the most proper means to obtain the important end he had in view. He walked before God with a perfect heart. He devoted his children and household to God according to his own institution. He employed his parental authority in teaching and restraining all under his command. And he had the great satisfaction to see his children and household keeping the ways of the Lord, doing justice and judgment, and becoming useful and happy in the world. Other pious parents have pursued the same method and employed the same means to promote family religion, and happily succeeded. The pious parents of Samuel gave him a pious education, which appears to have been the means of his eminent piety and usefulness. Zacharias and Elizabeth were both righteous, and walked in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. They dedicated their son John to the Lord in the way he had appointed, instructed and restrained him; and instrumentally qualified him to prepare the way for the coming of Christ, and the commencement of the gospel dispensation.There is nothing, that has a greater tendency to promote family religion, than the proper exercise of parental authority in respect to the dedication, instruc

tion, and restraint of children and households. If parents neglect to exercise their rightful authority over their families, they will find it morally impossible to instruct and restrain them properly. Where can you find an instance of family religion, where family government is neglected? It is true, there were saints in Cesar's household, and there may be pious individuals, where parental authority is not properly exercised; but these are rare instances. Nevertheless, it is the natural tendency of family government to promote family religion. Whenever we find religious parents, who give up their children and households to God, and instruct, and restrain them, there we generally find vital piety to prevail more or less, and those under their care early devoting themselves to God, and walking with the wise in the ways of wisdom, righteousness and peace. The proper exercise of parental authorty is, therefore, very important, as it directly tends to promote family religion.

2. The proper exercise of parental authority is highly important, as it tends to propagate religion from generation to generation, throughout the world.--This God mentions as the great and happy effect of Abraham's fidelity in exercising his parental authority over his family and household. "And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do ; seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command his children, and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him;" which was,

that in him all the nations of the earth should be blessed, in consequence of his propagating religion through the world. By Abraham's commanding his children and his household, to keep the way of the Lord, he propagated religion in the family of Isaac. Isaac propagated religion in the family of Jacob. Jacob propagated religion in the families of his twelve sons. They propagated religion until their posterity became a great and mighty nation. That great and mighty nation propagated religion from the time they took possession of Canaan, till the coming of Christ. And the twelve apostles, who were of the seed of Abraham, propagated religion in all nations until this day, and will be the instrument of propagating it to the end of the world. God always has propagated, and always will propagate religion from family to family, by the instrumentality of pious parents, who devote their children and household to him, and properly exercise their parental authority over them, by precept, example, and restraint. You can now find but a very few pious parents, who were not born, educated, and devoted to God in infancy, under the proper exercise of parental authority. We every where see religion generally flowing from family to family, by means of family government. It is greatly owing to family government, that children and youth read the bible, observe the sabbath, and attend public worship, and those means of instruction, which God usually blesses to the conviction, conversion, and salvation of sinners. What. then can be of greater importance, than the proper exercise of parental authority and family government? It is no less important than the propagation of religion, from generation to generation, through the world to

the end of time; and this is no less important than the salvation of myriads and myriads of mankind, whom God has given to his Son. It appears from common observation, that when family government declines, religion declines with it from family to family, who become more and more irreligious. It is of infinite importance, that these fatal consequences should be prevented, and according to the common course of things, nothing but the revival of family government, will prevent such a declension of religion. Whether you look backward, or look forward; whether you look into your own or other families, you cannot help seeing the vast importance of family government, which is the mighty means of instructing, restraining, and converting mankind. These observations will not become less, but more weighty, the more seriously and attentively you consider the worth of your own souls, and of the souls of your descendants from generation to generation to the end of time. If family government be maintained, or if it be neglected, it cannot fail of producing infinitely important consequences, with respect to all the familes of the earth. Furthermore,

3. The proper exercise of parental authority directly tends to promote both temporal and spiritual prosperity. It produced both these great and happy effects upon Abraham and his posterity. Abraham was rich. Isaac was rich. Jacob was rich. And the whole Jewish nation were rich, while they remained in the land given to their fathers; and individuals still continue to be proverbially rich. There never was a more prosperous nation than the Jews, for nearly two thousand years. Their flocks and herds were extremely numerous, and their land brought forth in handfuls.--