the same shall judge him in the last day Rev. 20.12 And I saw the dead small and great stand before God and the Books were opened and another Book was opened which is the Book of Life and the Dead were judged out of those things which were written in the Books according to their works SECT 14. They deal unjustly with their Families who defraud them of the Instruction that is due to them Motive 14 THe Law of Equity requires that Parents should use their utmost diligence to instill knowledge into their Children and to train them up in a godly sort 1. Because they have been instrumental to convey to them a sinful ignorant nature Psal 51.5 Job 14.4 If one man had hurt another the Law of God delivered by Moses required that he should be at the cost and pains to get him throughly healed Exod. 21.19 He shall pay for the loss of his time and cause him to be throughly healed Seeing Parents are instrumental to convey that sin to their Children which hath given their Souls a deadly wound t is but just and equal that they should be at the cost and take pains to get them healed of their ignorance and do what in them lieth to get their Souls converted to the Lord. 2. It is just and equal that we should teach our Children because God hath taught us his Word for this very end and purpose that we should teach the same unto our Children Deut. 4.10 The Lord said unto me Gather the people together and I will make them hear my words that they may teach their Children 3. Justice requires that we should give to every one that which is due to him He that detains from any one that which is his due when it is required and it is in the power of his hand to render it is an unjust man Now Instruction is due to our Children and Servants for God commands us as we have heard before to instruct them and their necessity calleth aloud upon us to be diligent in teaching and instructing them and therefore we cannot withhold instruction from them without being guilty of injustice And it is a great crime to be guilty of injustice Unjust persons are accounted amongst the chiefest of Sinners And to with-hold from our Children or Servants that which is due to their Souls is greater injustice then to wrong them in their Estates or in those things which are due to to their outward man If then we would fulfill that Precept Col. 4.1 Masters give unto your Servants that which is just and equal knowing that ye have a Master in Heaven And that of the Apostle Rom. 13.7 Render to all their dues And that of Solomon Prov. 3.27 With-hold not good from them to whom it is due when it is in the power of thine hand to do it We must not neglect this good work of teaching and instructing our Children and Servants seeing Instruction is due to them Let thus much suffice by way of motive to stir up Parents and Masters of Families to set upon a diligent performance of this duty of training up their Children and Servants in the Knowledge and Obedience of the Scriptures CHAP. III. Directions for managing of this work of Family-Instruction so as to promote the Conversion Edification and Eternal Salvation of all that are under our Charge I Shall in the next place proceed to some Directions for the successful managing of this work of Family-Instruction and shall shew how we should carry it on so as to promote the Conversion Edification and Eternal Salvation of all such as are under our Charge SECT 1. Such as would instruct their Families in the knowledge of the Scriptures must be diligent in studying the Scriptures Direct 1 IF we would instruct our Families in the knowledge of the Scriptures it is necessary that we our selves should be well acquainted with them and that we may come to be well acquainted with the Scriptures we must read them often observe diligently what we read and pray to God to open our understandings that we may understand his holy Word and lay up what he teacheth us in our hearts and meditate in his Law night and day Before the Lord commands us to teach his Word to our Children he prefixeth this Charge That we should lay up his Word in our own hearts Deut. 6.6 7. These words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy Children And the Apostle calls upon those whom he would have teach others to let the word of Christ dwell richly in themselves Col. 3.16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another A daily searching of the Scriptures attended with Meditation and Prayer will greatly advantage us in this work of Family-Instruction and that in several respects I will instance in two 1. Hereby we shall be furnished with wisdom and knowledge Psal 119.98 99. Thou through thy Commandments hast made me wiser than mine Enemies for they are ever with me I have more understanding than all my Teachers for thy Testimonies are my meditation And the more we are furnished with Heavenly Wisdom the more dextrous and ready we shall be to win those Souls that are committed to our charge Prov. 11.30 He that winneth Souls is wise 2 Cor. 12.16 Being crafty I caught you with guile And as wisdom will make us dextrous in winning Souls to Christ so also it will conduce much to the inabling of us to edifie and build up such as are brought home to him Col. 1.28 Teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus The Romans who were filled with knowledge were thereby made able to teach and admonish others Rom. 15.14 I my self am perswaded of you my Brethren that ye also are full of Goodness filled with all knowledge able also to admonish one another 2. By searching the Scriptures and meditating on them night and day we shall become successful in this work of Family-Instruction God will make this work prosper in our hands to the Conversion Edification and Salvation of such as he hath committed to our care to be instructed in his holy word For the Lord hath promised that whatsoever that man doth who meditates in his Law it shall prosper Psal 1.1 2 3. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly But his delight is in the Law of the Lord and in his Law doth he meditate day and night And he shall be like a tree planted by the Rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season his leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he doth shall prosper Ezra who was a ready Scribe in the Law of Moses Ezra 7.6 taught Gods Word to the people of Israel vers 10. And what effect had his teaching It had great power to humble and reform the people Ezra 10.1 12. The people wept very sore
their destruction Are they of a sorrowful spirit The word of God will fill them with Joy Psal 19.8 The Statutes of the Lord are right rejoycing the heart Are they ignorant The word of God will inlighten them Psal 19.8 The Commandment of the Lord is pure enlightning the eyes In a word whatever is needful and profitable either for our selves or for our Children to be acquainted withal it is revealed in the Scriptures Act. 20.20 I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you Neither we nor our Children need the knowledge of any thing more than the whole Counsel of God concerning our Salvation and this is fully revealed in the word of God Act. 20.27 I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God Whatsoever Christ heard of the Father that he taught his Apostles John 15.15 All things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you And all things that Christ taught the Apostles they are written in the Scriptures Acts 1.1 2. The former Treatise have I made O Theophilus of all that Jesus began both to do and teach until the day in which he was taken up after that he through the holy Ghost had given Commandments unto the Apostles whom he had chosen And therefore the Scriptures are a perfect Rule of Righteousness containing all things that are necessary for any man to know believe or practise in order to his eternal salvation And as the Scriptures are profitable for instruction in respect of the usefulness and suitableness of the matter contained in them so also in regard of the power that is in them to convince the Judgment and to prevail with the Conscience and to bow and bend the will to a compliance with Gods will For they carry the Authority of God with them and work efficaciously upon the stoutest hearts when God accompanies them with his Spirit Act. 18.28 He mightily convinced the Jews and that publickly shewing by the Scriptures that Jesus was Christ The Jews were exceedingly prejudiced against Christ they were so far from believing that Jesus was the Christ that they had crucified him as an Impostor and a Deceiver of the People yet Apollos bringing clear Scripture-proof for what he taught the Jews were hereby mightily convinced that Jesus was the Christ The word of God is of a more piercing nature than a sword and carrieth greater power along with it Heb. 4.12 The Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged Sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of Soul and Spirit and of the Joynts and Marrow and is a Discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart It astonisheth the minds of men and carries out their Souls to believe in and obey the Lord notwithstanding all Oppositions and Discouragements that lie in the way either of Faith or Obedience Elimas the Sorcerer was full of subtilty and mischief and he opposed all he could the word of God which was dispenced by Paul and Barnabas and sought to turn away Sergius Paulus from the Faith but the Word of God had such power upon the Deputy that notwithstanding all the endeavours of Elimas he became obedient to the Faith Acts 13.12 The Deputy when he saw what was done believed being astonished at the Doctrine of the Lord. Of all the Jews none were more opposite to believing in Christ than the Priests for the Priests plotted and contrived Christs death Matt. 26.3 4. They sent Judas and a multitude of People with him to apprehend Christ vers 47. They suborned false witnesses against him vers 59. They held a Counsel after he was apprehended by what means they should put him to death Matth. 27.1 The Priests accused him with great vehemency before Herod Luk. 23.10 They stirred up the multitude to ask Barrabas when Pilate was willing to have released Jesus Matth. 27.20 It was the cry of the multitude that were stirred up by the Priests and the voices of the Priests that prevailed with Pilate to crucifie Christ Luk. 23.23 After the death of Christ the Priests took greatest offence at the Apostles preaching and were the chief Agents in their imprisonment Acts 4.1 And yet notwithstanding all the opposition that was in the Priests against Christ and the Doctrine of the Gospel such was the power of the Word of God that thereby a great number of the Priests were converted to the faith of Christ Act. 6.7 The word of God increased and the number of the Disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly and a great company of the Priests were obedient to the Faith Besides this consider the excellency and weightiness of the matter contained in the Scriptures They reveal to us the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven Gods eternal Counsel concerning our salvation the gracious Covenant God hath made with man They reveal to us Gods Attributes his works of Creation and Providence the great Mystery of our Redemption They shew to us how we may serve glorifie and enjoy God which is mans chiefest happiness They treat of the Torments of Hell and of the unspeakable Joys and Glory of Heaven and shew us how we may avoid the one and get possession of the other In a word they discover to us such excellent things as the eye of man never saw the like neither did ear hear neither can it enter into the heart of man to conceive the transcendent worth and dignity of them 1 Cor. 2.9 10. They open such Mysteries as the Angels of Heaven desire and delight to look into them 1 Pet. 1.12 Which things the Angels desire to look into And shall we hide such excellent things as these are from our Children We should resolve with full purpose of heart as the godly Jews of old did concerning those glorious things which their Fathers had told them Psal 78.4 We will not hide them from their Children shewing to the Generations to come the praises of the Lord I might adde further There is nothing revealed in the Scriptures but what is of great and near concernment to us and to our Children and that as long as we and they shall live in this world Deut. 29.29 The secret things belong unto the Lord our God but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our Children for ever that we may do all the words of this Law If those things that are treated of in the Scriptures did not belong to us or to our Children we might have some excuse for not teaching them the word of God But what Apologie can we make for our neglect of this Duty seeing they were revealed purposely for us and our Children to be conversant therein as long as we live They are of such near and great concernment to us as that every mans Judgment for his eternal state shall be given at the last day according to what is in the written word John 12.48 He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words hath one that judgeth him the words that I have spoken
some mens light doth so far misguide them as that they think they do God service when they kill his servants John 16.2 Yea the time cometh that whosoever kelleth you will think that he doth God service A man may verily think that his ways are right and good and yet they may be such as will lead him to destruction Prov. 14.12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man but the end thereof are the ways of death And therefore we find God charging us not to lean to our own understandings Prov. 3.5 Lean not unto thine own understanding And commanding us to observe his Statutes and not to do such things as are right in our own eyes Deut. 12.1 8. These are the Statutes and Judgments which ye shall observe to do ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes 6. Satan can transform himself into an Angel of Light and suggest his own evil motions under the name and notion of the dictates and motions of the Spirit of God 2 Cor. 11.14 Satan himself is transformed into an Angel of Light And because Satan can transform himself and make as if he were an Angel of Light we are commanded not to believe every Spirit but to try the Spirits whether they be of God 1 John 4.1 Beloved believe not every Spirit but try the Spirits whether they are of God And by what shall we try the Spirits whether they be of God This must be done by the VVord of God we must have recourse to the Law and Testimonies what is agreeable to the Scriptures we must own as the Will of God what is contrary to them we must reject as coming from the Spirit of Delusion Isa 8.20 To the Law and to the Testimony if they speak not according to this Word it is because there is no Light in them VVhatever Light or Spirit would draw us off from or perswade us to any thing contrary to This Word that is the Law and the Testimony is to be rejected as no true Light nor true Spirit 7. The Lord commandeth all sorts of persons to read the Scriptures and that not in a slight cursory manner but with diligence and great attention 1 Tim. 4.13 Give attendance to reading John 5.39 Search the Scriptures The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to weigh and consider diligently what we read to search into the understanding of those things that are hidden and abstruse It is the same word which is used Rev. 2.23 I am he which searcheth the heart and reins Such a search should we make into the Scriptures we should labour to have a clear and thorow understanding of the most abstruse and hidden truths that are wrapped up in the Scriptures It is not only our duty to read the Scriptures but to do it daily Acts 17.11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica in that they received the Word with all readiness of mind and searched the Scriptures daily And to continue reading some portion of them every day as long as we live Deut. 17.18 19. He shall write him a copy of this Law in a Book out of that which is before the Priests the Levites and it shall be with him and he shall read therein all the days of his life This is spoken of the Kings of Israel and if they were obliged to get a Copy of the Law and to read therein all their days then surely other inferiour persons that have nothing so much business upon their hands as Kings are obliged to spare some time every day from their occasions to read some portion of the Scriptures Besides our reading the Scriptures privately by our selves God commandeth them to be read publickly in the audience of all the people both Men and Women and Children Deut. 31.11 12. And we find it was the practise of the servants of God in their publick Assemblies to read the Scriptures Josh 8.34 35. He read all the words of the Law the Blessings and Cursings according to all that is written in the Book of the Law there was not a word that Moses commanded which Joshua read not before all the Congregation of Israel with the women and their little ones and the strangers that were conversant among them And this they did not at some extraordinary times only but it was their constant course to read the Scriptures in their Assemblies every Sabbath day Acts 1.13 22. Moses of old time hath in every City thens that preach him being read in the Synagogues every Sabbath day And our Lord Jesus approved this practice by his own example he read the Scriptures to the Jews on the Sabbath days Luc. 4.16 17. And he came to Nazareth where he had been brought up and as his custom was he went into the Synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up for to read and there was delivered unto him the Book of the Prophet Esaias 8. As all sorts of persons are commanded to read the Scriptures so all sorts of persons may reap great benefit by reading the Scriptures Men VVomen Children Strangers all sorts of people may learn to fear and obey the Lord by reading the word of God Deut. 31.11 12. Thou shalt read this Law before all Israel Gather the people together Men Women and Children and the Stranger that is within thy Gates that they may hear and that they may learn and fear the Lord your God and observe to do all the words of this Law Reading the Scriptures is an effectual means to beget Repentance Neh. 8.8 9. So they read in the Book in the Law of God distinctly and gave the sense and caused them to understand the reading All the people wept when they heard the words of the Law And Faith Acts 17.11 12. They received the word with all readiness of mind and searched the Scriptures daily whether those things were so Therefore many of them believed The Lord hath promised his Blessing to those that read and practise those things which are written in the Scriptures Rev. 1.3 Blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the Words of this Prophecy and keep those things which are written therein 9. The Light that is within us if it be true Light teacheth us that we ought to yield obedience to all the Commandments of God and this is one of the Commandments of God which he doth often inculcate upon us That we should teach his word unto our Children and train them up in the knowledge and obedience of his Laws as hath been already proved from Deut. 6.6 7. These words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart and thou shalt teach them diligently to thy Children Psal 78.5 He established a Testimony in Jacob and appointed a Law in Israel which he commanded our Fathers that they should make them known to their Children Ephes 6.4 And ye Fathers provoke not your Children to wrath but bring them up in