trembles at the thought of ever having a wife without them. What! shall I marry one that is wedded already to her sins, or have possession of her body only, when the devil hath possession of her soul? shall such a one be united to me here, who shall be separated from me for ever hereafter, and be condemned to scorch in everlasting burning? No: if it ever be my lot to enter into that state, I beg of God, that he would direct me in the choice of such a wife only to lie in my bosom here, as may afterwards be admitted to rest in Abraham's bosom to all eternity; such a one, as will so live and pray, and converse with me upon earth, that we may be both entitled to sing, to rejoice, and be blessed together, for ever in heaven.

That this, therefore, may be my portion and felicity, I firmly resolve, never to set upon a design, before I have first solicited the throne of grace, and begged of my heavenly Father, to honour me with the partnership of one of his beloved children; and shall afterwards be as careful and cautious as I can, never to fix my affections upon any woman for a wife, till I am thoroughly persuaded of the grounds I have to love her, as a true Christian.

If I could be thus happy, as to meet with a wife of these qualities and endowments, it would be impossible for me not to be hearty and sincere in my affection toward her, even though I had the greatest temptations to place them upon another: for, how could I choose but love her, who has God for her father, the church for her mother, and heaven for her portion; who loves God, and is beloved of him? especially, when I consider that this love to her, will not only be my duty but my happiness too.

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As to the duty, it is frequently inculcated in the scripture, that "husbands should love their wives," and that not with a common love, but as "Christ loved his church;" yea, "as their own body," or, as themselves:" and they are so to love them, as not to be "bitter against them," not to be passionate or angry with them upon every light matter, nor suffer their resentments to rise to that height upon any occasion whatsoever, as to abate the least spark of conjugal affection towards them, but to "nourish and cherish them even as the Lord the church." In a word, to do all the kind offices they can for them, in their civil capacities, and to help and forward them by all means possible, in the way that leads to heaven; that as they are united in the flesh, so they may likewise be united in the spirit, and raised and rewarded together at the general resurrection.

And, as love is the great duty, so it is likewise the chief happiness of a married state. I do not mean that love whereby she loves me, but that wherewith I love her; for, if I myself have not a cordial esteem and affection for her, what happiness will it be to me, to be beloved by her? or rather, what a misery would it be to be forced to live with one I know I cannot love? As ever, therefore, I desire to be happy, I must perform my duty in this particular, and never aim at any other end, in the choice of a wife, nor expect any other happiness in the enjoyment of her, but what is founded in the principle of pure and inviolable love. If I should court and marry a woman for riches, then, whensoever they fail, or take their flight, my love and my

happiness must drop and vanish together with them. If I choose her for beauty only, I shall love her no longer than while that continues, which is only till age or sickness blasts it; and then farewell at once, both duty and delight.

But if I love her for her virtues, and for the sake of God, who has enjoined it as a duty, that our affections should not be alienated, or separated by any thing but death; then, though all the other sandy foundations fail, yet will my happiness remain entire; even though I should not perceive those mutual returns of love, which are due from her to me upon the same foundation. But, O! the happiness of that couple, whose inclinations to each other are as mutual as their duties; whose affections, as well as persons, are linked together with the same tie! This is the chief condition required to make the state of matrimony happy or desirable, and shall be the chief motive, with me, to influence me to enter into it. For, though it be no happiness to be beloved by one I do not love; yet it is certainly a very great one to be beloved by one I do. If this, then, be my lot, to have mutual expressions of love from the person I fix my affections upon, what joy and comfort will it raise in my heart! with what peace and amity shall we live together here! and what glory and felicity may we not promise ourselves hereafter!

What is here said of the duty in choosing and loving of a wife, may be likewise applied to a woman's duty in choosing and loving her husband. But being not so immediately concerned in this, I pass on to my next resolution.

RESOLUTION III.

I am resolved, by the grace of God, to do my endeavour to give to God whatsoever children he shall be pleased to give me; that as they are mine by nature, they may be his by grace.

I HAVE Sometimes wondered at the providence of God, in bringing so many millions of people out of the loins of one man; and cannot but make this use of it, even to stir up myself to a double diligence, in bringing up my children "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." For who knows, but the salvation of ten thousand souls may depend upon the education of one single child?

If I train up my son in the ways of religion, and teach him what it is to "keep a conscience void of offence towards God, and towards man;" he will then not only have an inward sense of his own duty, but take all possible care to instil it into others, whether children or servants, that are committed to his charge; and these, again, will do the same to theirs, by teaching them to walk in the same path; till, by degrees, the piety and holiness of one man has diffused itself to all succeeding generations. But now, on the other hand, If I neglect the care of my son's education, and suffer the leprosy of sin and wickedness to taint and corrupt him, it is great odds, without an extraordinary interposition of divine grace, but the infection may spread itself over all my posterity; and so draw down upon me the curses

and accusations of ten thousand souls in hell, which might otherwise have been praising and blessing God for me, to all eternity, in heaven.

Hence it is, that I am resolved to endeavour to be a spiritual, as well as natural father to my children; yea, to take more care to get a portion for their souls in heaven, than to make provision for their bodies upon earth. For, if he be accounted "worse than an infidel that provides not for his family" the sustenance of their bodies, what is he that suffers his family to neglect the salvation of their souls!

That nothing of this, therefore, may be laid to my charge, if ever Providence sees fit to bless me with children of my own, I will take effectual care, so soon as conveniently I can, to devote them unto God by baptism; and then to be constantly soliciting at the throne of grace, that he who hath given them to me, would be pleased likewise to give himself to them.

The next thing to be done, as soon as they come to be capable of instruction, is to take all occasions and make use of all means, to work the knowledge of God into their heads, and the grace of Christ into their hearts; by teaching them to "remember their Creator in the days of their youth;" by acquainting them with the duties that He that made them expects from them; with the rewards they shall have, if dutiful, and the punishments they shall feel, if disobedient children: still accommodating my expressions to the shallow capacity of their tender years. And, according to their doing, or not doing, of what they have been told, I shall reward them