"Most married people do not desire children; in fact, they dislike them and hold that it is better to live without them because they are poor and do not have the wherewithal to support a family. This is true particularly of those who are given to idleness and laziness and flee from the sweat and labor of married life. But the purpose of marriage is not pleasure and ease but the procreation and education of children and the support of a family. This is truly an immense burden, full of great cares and labors. But that is why God created you: to be a husband or a wife and to learn to bear these molestations. People who do not like children are swine, dunces, and blockheads, not worthy to be called men and women, because they despise the blessing of God, the Creator and Author of marriage."
Martin Luther, as quoted in What Luther Says: A Practical In-Home Anthology for the Active Christian
“Without question, the Church today does not love children”
-Rick and Jan Hess in the book A Full Quiver
“Many people today, however, are not just thinking about the “problem” of children. They’re employing defensive tactics. That’s why family size is decreasing. That’s why couples postpone having childrern-or the child-until they’re “ready”. That’s why birth control is such an accepted part of the culture of industrialised nations and why abortion and infantcide are rapidly attaining equal tolerance, contributing to the suicidal depopulation trends of many nations. That’s why people-including Christians-have allowed the state to usurp normal functions of family nurturing, resulting in growing alienation between generations, from cradle to grave.”
-Max Heine in the book Children: Blessing or Burden?
“Today’s Christian family, in fact, has the unusual opportunity to be a beacon to a selfish and literally perishing generation merely by the way it values children. The world says children are an intrusion. The redeemed family puts out the welcome mat. The world looks to daycare, schools, peer groups, and any other surrogate parent institutions to shoulder the burden of children’s training. The redeemed family takes primary responsibility for raising and presents them to the world as God’s promised blessings come true.”
-Max Heine in the book Children: Blessing or Burden?
“The Bible abounds with examples of people of diverse economic backgrounds who were considered blessed to have many children. There appears to be no relationship whatsoever between the economic status of a family and the mandate to bring forth children. Rich and poor alike are to have many children for the glory of God and to recognize that the same God who gives life is also able to provide for the life He brings into the world. In fact, in the biblical model, large numbers of children not only increase the spiritual blessing of the family, but potentially increase the financial strength of the family as well, as parents and children join in unison to contribute to the economy of the household.
In contrast with our modern society which promotes barrenness, population control, and abortion, the Bible consistently associates the inability to conceive with sorrow, a decrease in a nations population with judgment, and the careless and harmful treatment of babies with paganism and witchcraft.”
-Doug Phillips from the forward to Be Fruitful and Multiply byNancy Cambell
"The great tragedy of our day is that the Church has been swept up in the birth control ethic, with its selfish quest for convenience, comfort, and the self-deceiving vision of the individual's control over his own destiny. The fact is that we have lost our love for children and our vision to be fruitful, multiply, and have dominion over the earth. The results have been devastating.
In fact, many Christians are unaware that they are not only engaging in an unbiblical practice of preventing "blessings," but that some of the very practices they embrace have abortifacient consequences. How sad to think that someday we will get to Heaven and learn of the untold millions of children that were inadvertently aborted by their Christian parents—all because of lack of faith and ignorance. "My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge."
-Doug Phillips from the forward to Be Fruitful and Multiply byNancy Cambell
Nothing short of a fundamental switch in paradigms will do. We must transform our thinking and our lives such that we, of all people, communicate through our choices, our words, and our families that we love children and view them as God's chosen tool for building the Church and populating the world with future warriors who will dedicate their lives to keep covenant with God and thrash the works of the Devil. We must crave a godly seed. We must actively seek to bring forth legions of children for the glory of God. We must be willing to bless future mothers with the very words given to Rebekah: "May you be the mother of thousands of millions, and may your seed possess the gate."
-Doug Phillips from the forward to Be Fruitful and Multiply byNancy Cambell
"Consider what your children are now capable of, even in the days of their childhood. They are capable of receiving impressions now which may abide upon them while they live. They are capable of honoring God now, if they be well taught; and by their joining, as they can, in religious services with so much reverence and application as their age will admit, God is honored. The hosannas even of children well taught will be the perfecting of praise and highly pleasing to the Lord Jesus.
Consider what your children are designed for, we hope, in this world: they must be a "seed to serve the Lord," which shall be "accounted to him for a generation." They are to bear up the name of Christ in their day, and into their hands must be transmitted that good thing which is committed to us. They are to be praising God on earth, when we are praising Him in heaven. Let them then be brought up accordingly, that they may answer the end of their birth and being. They are designed for the service of their generation and to do good in their day. Consult the public welfare then, and let nothing be wanting on your parts to qualify them for usefulness according as their place and capacity is.
Consider especially what they are designed for in another world: they are made for eternity. Every child thou hast hath a precious and immortal soul, that must be forever either in heaven or hell, according as it is prepared in this present state—and perhaps it must remove to that world of spirits very shortly—and will it not be very sad, if through your carelessness and neglect your children should learn the ways of sin, and perish eternally in those ways? Give them warning, that if possible, you may deliver their souls, at least, that you may deliver your own, and may not bring their curse and God's too, their blood and your own too, upon your heads."
—Matthew Henry (1662-1714)
"O parents, in the name of God, look after your own miserable souls. How should those wretched people do anything for the souls of their children who never did anything for their own?"
-Cotton Mather from A Family Well Ordered
"...watch all opportunities to instill your instructions into the souls of your little folks. They are narrow-mouthed vessels, and things must be instilled into them drop after drop."
-Cotton Mather from A Family Well Ordered
"In Exodus 21:19, the law of equity was that if one man wounds another, he shall cause him to be thoroughly healed. Your children are born with deadly wounds upon their souls, and they may thank you for those wounds. Unjust men, will you now do nothing for their healing? Man, your children are dying of a horrid poison, and it was you who poisoned them. What, will you do nothing for their succour! Your children are thrown into a devouring fire, and it is from you that the fiery vengeance of God has taken hold of them. What, will you do nothing to help them out!"
-Cotton Mather from A Family Well Ordered
"The souls of your children must survive their bodies, and are transcen-dently better, higher, and nobler things than their bodies. Are you solicitous that their bodies be fed? You should be more solicitous that their souls may not be starved, or go without the Bread of Life. Are you solicitous that their bodies may be clothed? You should be more solicitous that their souls may not be naked, or go without the garments of righteousness. Are you loath to have their bodies laboring under infirmities or deformities? You should be much more loath to have their souls pining away in their iniquities."
-Cotton Mather from A Family Well Ordered
"Oh, begin early to tell your children who their Maker is and who their Savior is, what they are themselves, and what is likely to become of them. By no means let them lack that advantage found in 2 Timothy 3:15: "From a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation."
-Cotton Mather from A Family Well Ordered
"Our authority should be so tempered with kindness, meekness, and loving tenderness that our children may fear us with delight, and see that we love them with as much delight."
-Cotton Mather from A Family Well Ordered
"Our children are not falling away because the church is doing a poor job—although that is undoubtedly a factor. Our children are falling away because we are asking the church to do what God designed the family to accomplish. Discipleship and multi-generational faithfulness begins and ends at home. At best, the church is to play a supporting role as it "equips the saints for the work of ministry" (Ephesians 4:12, esv)."
- From Family Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham
