Kindle Notes & Highlights
To The Christian Reader The Puritans maintained a high view of family, seeing it as a brick in the larger structure of both church and society. These bricks can be solid, true, and square—or of a mealy, crumbling, and warped quality. The difference is largely in how the bricks are shaped and fired, even as our family members’ lives will be shaped by the priority we put upon establishing and maintaining an orderly family (with each part working together in harmony) and fired by a god-honouring response to sin and suffering.
The Puritans began with the assumption that children are born evil
Because of this indwelling sin, the Puritans realized that children must have both guidance and correction: “Parents must be wary and suspect; they must reprove and sharply reprove their children or doing or saying ill.
They taught from the Word of God in various means (Deuteronomy 6:7). Very young children were taught the stories of the Old and New Testaments, with moral lessons. Then they were made active participants by learning the catechism—a method of teaching basic systematic theology by question and answer. Puritan fathers led the family in worship during the week, and led the family to worship on the Sabbath. They talked with their children about Sunday’s sermon.
The Puritans did not shy away from the Bible’s command to spank their children (Proverbs 22:15; 23:13-14). Cotton Mather said, “Better whipped than damned.”
Lions are known to see the young as easy prey.
The word “heritage” is often, by a Hebraism, put for a man’s portion, be it good or bad.
The chief part of a man’s wealth and prosperity are his children; the choicest of outward blessings.
1. There is much of God’s providence exercised in and about children.
A. In giving strength to conceive.
Though bringing forth children be according to the course of nature, yet God has a great hand in it.
B. In framing the child in the womb.
Angels sang at man’s creation,
C. In giving strength to bring forth.
D. The circumstances of deliverance.
2. They are a great blessing in themselves;
