keep thee: and when thou walkest, it shall SERM. talk with thee. For the commandment is a VIII. lamp, and the law a light, and reproofs of inftruction are the way of life.

III. They are to be blamed, and their cafe is to be lamented, who degenerate from the wisdom and piety of their religious ancestors.

For it is a great advantage, to have had fuch good inftructions, and to have seen good examples, in the early part of life. And it implies fome faulty difpofition, not to follow them. There must be, furely, some want of capacity, not to perceive and admire the beauty of good examples: and fome perverfneffe of temper, to act contrarie to them.

This is often one article of accufation against the Jews, and affigned as a reason of calamities brought upon them, that they had forfaken the God of their fathers. When God appeared to Solomon after the dedication of the temple, there were affecting warnings, as well as gracious promifes delivered to him, and his people. They are to this purpose: For now I have chosen and fan&tified this house,

that

VIII.

SERM. that my name may be there for ever. And mine eyes, and my heart shall be there perpetually... But if ye turn away, and for fake my statutes and my commandments, which I have fet before

2 Chron. vii. 16.

you ... then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land, which I gave them.... And this houfe, which is high, fhall be an astonishment to every one that paffeth by it. Because they for fook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worShiped and ferved them.

That is what is frequently meant in the Old Teftament by forfaking the God of their fathers; namely, leaving and abandoning his worship, and going after other gods, and worshiping idols. But as the guilt of idolatrie was, more especially aggravated in that people, who had known the true God, and been inftructed in his worship: So in like manner is any departure from God aggravated in thofe, who have been inftructed in the principles and duties of true religion. And they who have been early taught the way of righteousneffe, and feen examples of virtue, if they turn from the holy commandment delivered to them: if they forfake the ftatutes and judgements of the Lord, and

are

VIII.

are seduced into the ways of fin and iniquity; SERM. they are very blame-worthie, and their condition is very pitiable.

IV. Children may, and have a right to
exceed and excell their parents and an-
cestors in those things, which are good
and praife-worthie.

They are not reftrained from this by any rule of reafon, or any revealed and writen law of God. If their progenitors have been wicked and irreligious, they are not obliged to follow them. They may not do fo, upon any confiderations whatever. Nor are they who are fincerely, but imperfectly good, to be imitated in their faults, or defects.

Any truth, that appears clearly revealed, ought to be embraced and profeffed, whether it had been before entertained by those we respect, or not. And the commands of God ought to be obeyed, however others may contradict and gainfay. Paul, when it pleased God to reveal his Son in him, did not confult with any man, whether he should be a dif ciple of Jefus, or not. It became thenceforward his duty, though not his interest, to

preach the gospel, as he did.

The

The truth of this obfervation appears from the cafe of Timothie in the text. Lois and Eunice were Jeweffes, of the pofterity of Jacob. When the gospel-revelation was propofed to them, they received it, as the mind of God, and profeffed it. This is the unfeigned faith, that firft dwelled in them. And Timothie was to be commended for following them therein. He was in the right to receive a doctrine, that appeared excellent, and well fupported; as being the fulfilment of ancient prophecies, and confirmed by miracles though his father, as it seems, did not embrace this faith. For if he had, it is likely that St. Paul would have mentioned him here likewife. Nor does St. Luke in his brief hiftorie of these persons in the Acts give any intimation of it. All he fays of Timothie's father is, that he was a Greek, well reported of by the brethren, or Chriftians, that were at Lyftra and Iconium.

Here then we perceive, that Timothie is juftified, and even commended, for choofing the principles of true religion: though he had not the leading, or the concurring au thority and example of his father. From a child he had known the fcriptures of the

Old

Old Teftament, having been inftructed in SERM. them by his mother and grand-mother, of VIII. the pofterity of Jacob, and by profeffion, of the Jewish religion. And from the begining he payd a great regard to those Scriptures, till at length he also became a disciple of Jefus, and embraced the faith of the gofpel.

And it is evident, that perfons of mature age are obliged to receive what appears to be truth after ferious and fufficient examination,

and to do what they are convinced is the will of God: whether their parents confent, or not. For there is a fuperior obligation to truth, and the will of God, to which all are fubject.

If there is any defect of knowledge in those to whom any are obliged, they may endeavor to be better informed in the principles of religion, and the grounds of them. There may be occafion for them to be more open and explicite in the profeffion of religion, than thofe that went before them. They may aim at the ftricteft regard to the will of God, and excell in moderation and charity toward others. If they, by whom they have been brought up, appear to them morofe