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A41637 Christian directions, shewing how to walk with God all the day long drawn up for the use and benefit of the inhabitants of Sepulchres parish / by Tho. Gouge ... Gouge, Thomas, 1605-1681. 1661 (1661) Wing G1359; ESTC R955 152,866 176

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many excellent and weighty exhortations 3 Act thine obedience by resigning up thy self unto the Will of God to be at his dispose either for life or death As thou must not be unwilling to dye when God calleth thee so neither must thou be over eager to dye before hee call thee thou maist not desire Death out of discontentment of mind because of some present miseries and afflictions which lye upon thee nay thou maist not absolutely wish to dye out of a desire to be rid of thy sins and to bee with Christ but it must be with a submission to the Will of God if he see it meet and convenient for thee though Paul knew it were far better for him to dye than to live yet did he not desire death absolutely but with a submission to the Will of God VII Be frequent in reading the holy Scriptures or cause them to be frequently read unto thee for there thou shalt find 1 Examples of Gods mercy shewed to the afflicted 2 Instructions how to bear and improve thy present Visitation 3 Comfortable promises of support under the sorest trials And know for certain that one Promise in the Book of God will bee more effectual to yeeld thee comfort on thy Death-bed than all the counsel of thy friends that shall be then about thee VIII Be often lifting up thine heart to God in Prayer And when through weakness of body and faintness of spirit thou art not able to pour our thy soul in any set and solemn Prayer send up some short ejaculatory Prayer unto God as that of the poor Publican Lord be merciful to me a Sinner and also that of the poor man Lord I beleeve help thou my unbelief and that of the Apostles Lord increase my faith and that of Stephen Lord Iesus receive my spirit These ejaculations going from the heart they are acceptable and pleasing unto God let us therefore as Austine adviseth us endeavour to dye praying by a frequent breathing forth of these or such like ejaculatory Prayers IX Be often resigning up thy soul into the hands of God saying with our blessed Saviour Father into thy hands I commend my spirit Little Children for the most part desire to dye in their Fathers bosome or upon their Mothers lap even so shouldst thou in the hour of death cast thy soul into the arms of thy heavenly Father and rest in the bosome of Jesus Christ. If thy Disease be painful turn to those Direction in the fore-going chapter How to bear afflictions willingly and cheerfully CHAP. XIX Directions to such as visit the Sick VIsiting the Sick being a work of Mercy it will be thy wisdom so to manage and improve the same that thou maist both benefit thine own soul thereby and likewise doe good to the sick Party I. That thou maist benefit thy self thereby take these few directions 1 In visiting thy sick Neighbour take occasion to think of thine own mortality and proneness to fall into Sicknesses and Diseases for that which befalls one man may befall another in that we all carry about us as mortal so frayl bodies subject to the like calamities which the Lord knows how soon may befall any of us 2 Lift up thine heart in thankfulness unto God for that health and strength of body he is pleased still to continue unto thee Health is a greater mercy than most doe imagine Ask the sick man what hee thinks of health and he will tell thee it is the greatest of Temporal mercies and in it self a mercy not to be valued the truth is all Mercies are prized by the wanting of them more than by the having and enjoying them As no body admires the Sun but when it is eclipsed so neither doth any esteem health but when by sickness they are deprived thereof 3 Labour to be compassionately affected with the miseries and afflictions of thy brother for as Iob speaketh To him that is afflicted pity should be shewed from his friend Which duty is often urged and pressed in Scripture as by the Apostle Paul Rejoyce with them that rejoyce and weep with them that weep and by the Apostle Peter in this phrase Having compassion one of another which Beza Paraphrastically well turns Be touched with the sence and feeling of one anothers griefs And truly that communion and nearness of conjunction that sincere Christians have one with another doth call for this duty for as they are all sons of one Father so are they members of one body in respect whereof there should nay there ought to be such a compassion and sympathy in the members of the Mystical body I mean among Christians as there is in the members of the Natural body Now you know that in the Natural body if one member suffer all the members suffer with it as the Apostle expresseth it 1 Cor. 12. 26. which place Saint Augustine in his Works often expounding most excellently shewes the mutual compassion betwixt the members of a Natural body Behold saith he the foot treadeth on a thorn and see how all the members condole it the Back bends it self the Head stoopeth the Eye though remote in place diligently searcheth it out the Tongue complaineth as if it self were pricked and the Hands doe their best to pluck it out and yet neither Back nor Head nor Tongue nor Eye nor Hand nor any member but the Foot was touched with the thorn and surely such a sympathy and fellow-feeling there ought to bee amongst true Christians who are all members of one body whereof Christ Iesus is the head II. As in visiting the Sick thou must be careful to benefit thine own soul thereby so likewise to doe what good thou canst to the sick Party To that end observe these few Directions 1 Forbear to talk of any vain worldly or needless matter before him but let thy discourse be as savoury and Spiritual so in some measure suitable to his condition as of Death and preparation thereunto of the Day of Judgement of the happiness of those who have an interest in Christ and his Righteousness and the like 2 Perswade the sick Party to settle his estate by making his Will if he have not done it before that so hee may with more freedome wholly mind the spiritual good and welfare of his soul. This counsel did the Prophet Isaiah give unto King Hezekiah when hee was first struck with sickness 3 If thou apprehendest his Disease to be dangerous flatter him not with a hope of recovery lest thereby thou betray his soul to eternal death but deal faithfully with him by declaring unto him his weak and dangerous condition and advising him as to think of death so to prepare for it telling him that the fitter hee is to dye the fitter he will be to live if the Lord should adde more days to his life 4 If thou perceive him to be ignorant instruct him in the Principles of
they are born The Iew. vere commanded to circumcize their children on the eighth day But though Baptism succeeded in the room of Circumcision as the Apostle hinteth yet are not wee now under the Gospel strictly tied to that day notwithstanding from that command of God to the Iews wee may doubtless infer that the Children of Christians may and ought to be baptized within some few daies after they are born II. To train them up in the fear and nurture of the Lord. This duty the Apostle Paul in special presseth upon Parents Yee Parents saith hee bring up your Children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord q. ● Let your main care be not how to make them rich but religious how to work the sincere fear of God into their souls that as God of his infinite goodness hath made them your children by natural Generation so you should strive and indeavour to make them his Children by a godly and religious education Austin in his fifth Book of Confessions speaking of his Mother Monica saith That shee travelled with greater care and stronger pai● for his spiritual birth than for his natural birth And truly the like care and pains should be in all Paren●● towards their Children Not thinking it sufficient that they have brought them up to some good Trade whereby they may live another day But they must likewise bring them up in the fear of God teaching them so to serve him here that they may live with him eternally in the Heavens For your better help herein take these few Directions 1 Instruct them in the Principles of Religion by teaching them some good Catechism which should be frequently if not daily performed though but a very little at once to prevent wearisomeness in your children Q. How soon should wee begin to teach our children A. When they are able to learn any thing that is evil it is high time to teach them something that is good Solomon saith when hee was young and tender his Father taught him And that his Mother did so too you may read in the last chapter of the Book of Proverbs 2 Betimes instruct them in the practical part of Christianity by calling upon them frequently to read the Scriptures daily to offer up a morning and an evening Sacrifice of prayer and praise unto God constantly to give thanks before and after meals carefully to avoid all known sins and diligently to perform every known duty and that out of conscience This the Lord commended in Abraham I know him saith God that hee will command his children and his houshold after him to keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgement 3 Bring them with you to the House of God so soon as they can remember any thing which they hear When Ioshua read the words of the Law before the Congregation of Israel it is expresly said That the women and the little-ones were amongst the men 4 Examine your children at home of what they have heard in the publick Congregation and labour to make it more clear and plain to their understanding 5 Bee often speaking before them of the great things the Lord hath done for his Church and people both of old and in your daies This the Lord commanded the Israelitish Parents to do to their children which wee finde accordingly practised by them As children generally have good memories so they are excellent at the remembring of stories 6 Bee patterns of piety and godl●ness unto your children For the truth is there is great force in Examples to draw others either to good or evil And it is usually the disposition of Children to follow their Parents And therefore how doth it concern Parents to look to their waies and courses especially how they behave themselves before their children who are much inclined to follow their example Oh that all Parents would seriously think of this that the consideration hereof might reclaim them from all loose and wicked courses lest by their evil example they make their children twofold more the children of Hell than they were by nature 7 Bee sure you forget not daily to pray to God for them especially that hee would indue them with his saving sanctifying graces that as they grow in years so they may grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. And for your incouragement know that children of many prayers seldome miscarry Parents are generally careful to lay up wealth and riches for their children oh that they would be as careful to lay up a stock of prayers for them in Heaven which will questionless prove their childrens best portion Oh that all Parents would thus indeavour to bring up their children in the fear and nurture of the Lord that as they were instruments to beget them in the flesh so they might be instruments to beget them in the Faith which is the main duty incumbent upon Parents in reference to their children III. Another duty is To provide for the bodies of their children as well as for their souls This the Apostle intimateth where hee saith If any provide not for his own and specially for those of his own house hee is worse than an Infidel viz. in this point because he by the light of nature knoweth this to be a duty And again saith the Apostle in 2 Cor. 12. 14. Children ought not to lay up for their Parents but Parents for their children as God shall bless them But yet beware of with-holding thy hand from works of charity because of many children nay rather the more children thou hast the more liberal thou oughtest to be that so the Lord may double his blessing upon thee and thine for the seed of the merciful saith the Psalmist are blessed And saith the Apostle Hee that soweth bountifully shall reap bountifully IV. It is the duty of Parents to rebuke their children when they do amiss whereby you may both free your selves from the guilt of your childrens sin and prevent much evil in your children For questionless the want thereof is one special cause of so much wickedness and prophaneness in many children V. When reproof prevails not you ought to correct them for their faults This duty the Scripture often presseth upon Parents Chasten thy Son while there is hope and let not thy soul spare for his crying or as the Original properly signifieth Let not thy soul spare to his destruction Intimating that the Fathers sparing of his child may tend to his destruction or as wee use to say bring him to the Gallows So that too much lenity may prove the greatest cruelty in the issue An Antient Father in the Church relates a sad story of a youth whose usual custome it was upon auy thing that crossed him to curse and blaspheme and not being duly corrected for the same hee continued in that wicked course to his dying-day and as the story noteth the Devil