DISCOURSE LXIII.

GENESIS Xviii. 19.

For I know him, that he will command his children, and his household after kim, 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.

THE words of the text are the words of the Lord concerning Abraham, the father of the faithful; and they contain the reason why the Lord made choice of Abraham, to distinguish him from the reft of the world, to make of him a great and mighty nation, a nation to whom fhould be committed the oracles of God. Abraham, fays the Lord in the verse before the text, shall furely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth fhall be bleffed in him.

It has been matter of great difficulty with curious inquirers to affign the reasons of God's particular regard to Abraham and his pofterity, to whom he made himself known in a very particular manner; whilst the rest of the nations of the earth were permitted to continue in ignorance and fuperftition. I intend not to examine all the reasons that have, or

VOL. III.

may be affigned for this difpenfation of providence; but, fince God himself has been pleased to give one reafon for his particular regard to Abraham, it highly concerns us to confider it, as holding forth to us the very beft inftruction by what means we may render ourselves acceptable to God, and draw down a bleffing upon ourselves and our pofterity: Abraham fhall furely 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 fhall keep the way of the Lord, to do juftice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath Spoken of him.

You fee now the connection of the text with the verse that goes before it, and the reason given for the diftinguishing mercy beftowed on Abraham: God faw that Abraham would fo rule and govern his children and his houfehold, as to make them keep the way of the Lord, and do juftice and judgment; and therefore he determined to raise him into a great and mighty nation. This reafon is plainly founded on these two propofitions, and fupposes the truth of them, viz. First, That it is the duty of every father and mafter of a family fo to command his children and household that they fhall keep the way of the Lord: and, Secondly, That the fame duty is incumbent on the governors and magiftrates of all nations. If you suppose that the virtue commended in Abraham is proper only to fathers and mafters of families, and has no relation to the duty of a public magiftrate, the reason given in the text for making Abraham a great and

it

mighty nation is a very abfurd one: for, if the magiftrate has nothing to do to command the obfervance of the ways of the Lord, Abraham's difpofition fo to govern and command could be no reafon for making him the head of a great nation: nay, would rather be a very good reason to keep all public authority out of his hands: for, if the magiftrate tranfgreffes the limits of his authority, whenever he ufes his authority for the prefervation of religion, to raise a man to be the head of a nation because you foresee he will fo ufe his authority, is to raise him to be a magiftrate because you foresee he will transgrefs the limits of his commiffion. Since then God has declared that he raised Abraham to be a great nation, because he forefaw that he would command thofe under his authority to keep the way of the Lord, he has at the fame time declared it to be the duty of every magiftrate so to command and govern the nation, the great family committed to his care, that the ways of the Lord, that justice and judgment may be observed.

It has been matter of great difpute, whether government is derived from the paternal authority, and is only the extension of it, or from the confent and choice of the people: a point of greater curiofity than ufe; fince the rights of nations will be determined by their refpective laws and usages, and not by the fpeculations of philofophers. But, as to the cafe of virtue and religion, it is evident, that every magiftrate's duty, with refpect to his people, is the fame with that which every father naturally has with respect to his children and household,

0 2

Abraham was therefore to be made a great and mighty nation, because he would command his children and household to keep the way of the Lord: a manifeft proof that the care and command which he exercifed as father of the family was proper to be extended to whole nations; otherwise this care over his family could be no reason for extending his authority over a great and mighty nation. And indeed the magiftrate's care with respect to the religion of his people, and the father's with respect to the religion of his family, are fo much the fame, that they must neceffarily ftand or fall together; for both have the fame reasons to fupport them, and both are equally liable to the fame objections. If the father of a family has his authority from God, and rules over not only his own children, but the fervants and creatures of the Almighty, and ought therefore to have a concern for God and religion, is the case of the magistrate different? Are not his fubjects alfo the creatures and fervants of God? and is he not the minifter and vicegerent of God, and therefore bound, in the first place, to have regard to his honour, who is the common master of him and of his fervants? If the happiness of a family, and of every member of it, confifts in a due conformity to the principles of virtue and reason, and it be therefore the father's duty, even out of natural affection to his children, to guard them against vice and immorality, is the happiness of a kingdom, and the members of it, lefs concerned in the virtue of the people? or ought a prince lefs to regard the welfare and profperity of

his people? Turn it which way you will, the arguments are still the fame, and equally applicable to both cafes.

If you object to the magiftrate's authority in religion, that temporal rewards and punishments are improper to be employed in the cause of religion; are they not equally improper in the hands of a father, as of a prince? If the fubjects have reafon to direct them, and ought therefore to be left to themselves in all matters of confcience; are not your fons and your daughters reasonable creatures too? and have they not the fame plea to make to exempt them from the authority of a father? If religion be fomething internal, and of which the magiftrate cannot judge, because he knows not the heart of man; is a father better qualified to judge the heart of his fon or daughter than the magiftrate is to judge the hearts of his fubjects? In every view the objections are equally frivolous, or equally ftrong in both cafes.

From the text, thus opened and explained, I fhall take an occafion to inquire, wherein the care of religion, as well public as private, doth confift; and to justify the means which are neceffary to the fupport of it.

If we confider the nature and difpofition of mankind, we shall eafily perceive that two things are especially neceffary to guard the practice of virtue and religion, inftruction and correction: one, a proper remedy for the weakness of the underftanding; the other, for the perverfeness of the will. Where these two are joined together, where the same person has a right to inftruct and correct, the