to be performed every day Psal 145.2 Every day will I bless thee Psal 92.1 2. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord and to sing praises unto thy Name O most High to shew forth thy loving kindness in the morning and thy faithfulness every night It is a duty to be performed not only by our selves when we are alone but all the members in the Family should joyn together in blessing and praising God Psal 135.19 Bless the Lord O house of Aaron Psal 34.3 O magnifie the Lord with me and let us exalt his Name together Deut. 14.26 Thou shalt rejoyce thou and thy houshold Now how can our Families bless and praise God for his mercies if they be not taught that all the good things they have come from God and also taught who that God is that gives them all good things and how and in what manner they should express their thankfulness unto him We find that when the Scripture speaketh of praising God it often intimates that we should praise him with understanding Psal 47.6 7. Sing praises to God sing praises sing praises unto our King sing praises For God is the King of the Earth sing ye praises with understanding 1 Cor. 14.15 I will sing with the Spirit and I will sing with the understanding also Which implieth that the Lord cannot be praised by the sons of men in an acceptable manner if they be not endued with knowledge and understanding 3. It is our Duty to exhort our Children and Servants to flee from sin and to follow after Righteousness to love and fear and serve the Lord and to walk in his ways c. Heb. 3.13 Exhort one another daily while it is called to day lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin Now if we would have our exhortations to take place we must joyn Doctrine or Instruction with our Exhortations 2 Tim. 4.2 Exhort with all long suffering and doctrine If we do not instruct them wherein the nature of those Duties lieth unto which we exhort them and how and in what manner they should be performed we shall be like those that beat the air our Exhortations will be of no advantage to them 4. It is our Duty to reprove our Children and Servants when we see them negligent in their duty or committing any sin against God Lev. 19.17 Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy Neighbour and not suffer sin upon him If we must rebuke a Neighbour then much more those of our own house when they sin against the Lord. Now instruction makes way for reproof one word of reproof to a man instructed with wisdom and understanding will do more good than an hundred stripes will do towards the reformation of an ignorant foolish person Prov. 17.10 A reproof entreth more into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool We shall find it a very difficult matter to fasten a reproof upon our Children and Servants so as to make it take place and do them good if they be without understanding The like may be said of other Duties which we ought to perform towards our Children and Servants they cannot be performed successfully if we suffer our Families to be without Instruction SECT 6. We have Gods example for teaching our Children and Servants Arg. 5 GOD teacheth and instructeth his Children and Servants and therefore it is our Duty to teach and instruct our Children and our Servants for we ought to be followers of God Ephes 5.1 Be ye therefore followers of God as dear Children In order to our imitation of God in this practice Let us consider 1. Who they are whom God teacheth all his Children and Servants from the greatest of them to the least he leaves not one of them without instruction Isa 54.13 And all thy Children shall be taught of the Lord Jer. 31.34 They shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest of them saith the Lord. Deut. 33.3 Yea he loved the people all his Saints are in thy hand and they sat down at thy feet every one shall receive of thy words So should we teach and instruct every one of our Children and Servants from the least to the greatest 2. God begins to teach his Children betimes Psal 71.17 O God thou hast taught me from my youth So should we begin early with our Children 2 Tim. 3.15 From a Child thou hast known the holy Scriptures 3. God teacheth his children and servants knowledge Psal 94.10 He that teacheth man knowledge shall not he know He teacheth them to know himself Jer. 24.7 I will give them an heart to know me that I am the Lord And to know and believe in his Son Jesus Christ John 6.45 It is written in the Prophets And they shall be all taught of God every man therefore that hath heard and learned of the Father cometh unto me And to love one another 1 Thes 4.9 Ye your selves are taught of God to love one another He instructs them to shun and to avoid evil company and evil examples Isa 8.11 For the Lord spake thus unto me with a strong hand and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people He teacheth them by his grace to deny all ungodliness and to live righteous and holy lives Tit. 2.12 The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men teaching us That denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world He instructs them how to order and manage the works of their Callings with Wisdom and Discretion Isa 28.24 25 26. Doth the Plowman plow all day to sow Doth he open and break the clods of his ground When he hath made plain the face thereof doth he not cast abroad the Fitches and scatter the Cummin and east in the principal Wheat and the appointed Barley and the Rye in their place For his God doth instruct him to discretion and doth teach him He instructs them how they should walk and what they should say and do and how they should order their Conversations aright in all things Psal 32.8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way that thou shalt go Exod. 4.12 15. I will be with thy mouth and will teach thee what thou shalt say and will teach you what ye shall do 2 Chron. 32.22 The Lord guided them on every side Psal 107.7 He led them forth by the right way He shews them the Path of Life and guides them in the way to Heaven Psal 16.11 Thou wilt shew me the Path of Life Psal 73.24 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel and afterwards receive me unto glory Herein we should imitate God we should teach our Children and servants to know God and his Son Jesus Christ and to believe in Christ and to love one another and to forsake evil company and to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world We
estrangement from God yet he hoped that God in due time would convert them and cause them to embrace the true Religion which was continued in the Off-spring of Shem Gen. 9.27 God shall enlarge or as the word may be render'd God shall perswade Japheth and he shall dwell in the Tents of Shem. So should we hope concerning our Children that God will perswade their hearts to repent of their sins though we should see them go on in evil and destructive courses a long time together and that because of his promise to circumcise not only our hearts but the hearts also of our Seed to love him with all our hearts and all our souls that both we and they may have everlasting life Deut. 30.6 2. If after all our prayers and tears and instructions and endeavours after their salvation we should see any of our Children or Servants live and die in such a condition as that we could have no hope of their salvation we may quiet our minds with such considerations as these I. Consider Gods Soveraignty He hath a soveraign power over all his Creatures to dispose of their temporal and spiritual estate according to his own pleasure we are in Gods hand as clay in the hands of the Potter Jer. 18.6 O House of Israel cannot I do with you as this Potter saith the Lord Behold as the Clay is in the Potters hand so are ye in mine hand O House of Israel And what is the power the Potter hath over the Clay Rom. 9.21 Hath not the Potter power over the Clay of the same lump to make one Vessel unto Honour and another unto Dishonour Jer. 18.4 The Vessel that he made of Clay was marred in the hand of this Potter so he made it again another Vessel as seemed good to the Potter to make it If it be in the Potters power to make every Vessel as seemeth good to him if he may make of the same lump one Vessel to honour and another to dishonour may not the great God do what he pleaseth with his Creatures May not He make of Children that are born of the same Parents and enjoy the same instructions one a Vessel unto Honour and another a Vessel of his Wrath and Displeasure for ever All Creatures in Heaven and in the Earth and in the Sea and in all other places are disposed of by God according to his will and good pleasure Psal 135.6 Whatsoever the Lord pleased that did he in Heaven and in Earth and in the Seas and in all deep places And shall we think much or repine against God when he disposeth of our Children or any other Member of the Family as seemeth good in his sight When the Lord said to Eli I will judge his House for ever And I have sworn unto the House of Eli That iniquity of Eli's House shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever 1 Sam. 3.13 14. This was sad tidings yet when Eli considered it was the Lord who had power to dispose of him and his Family as seemeth good in his sight he quietly submitted his will to the will of God vers 18. It is the Lord let him do what seemeth him good No Parents did ever thirst more after the salvation of their Childrens Souls than Jesus Christ thirsted after the salvation of fallen man yet when he saw that it was his Fathers good pleasure to hide the Mysteries of the Gospel from some persons who were wise and prudent in worldly matters with whom he had taken much pains in preaching the Gospel he rested abundantly satisfied in the will and pleasure of his Father Mat. 11.25 26. At that time Jesus answered and said I thank thee O Father Lord of Heaven and Earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto Babes Even so Father for so it seemed good in thy sight From verse 19. to 24. Jesus Christ upbraids the Cities wherein most of his mighty works were done because they repented not and tells them what an heavy condemnation they should have at the day of Judgment more dreadful than Tyre or Sydon or Sodom and Gomorrah And at that time when he had done upbraiding those Cities he addresseth himself to his Father wherein he declares his perfect acquiescence in his Fathers will Even so Father for so it seemed good in thy sight although he had hid the Mysteries of the Gospel from the wise and prudent and we know that eternal perdition followeth the hiding of the Gospel 2 Cor. 4.3 If our Gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost and had revealed them only or chiefly at least to such as were in comparison of the wise and prudent men in the world but Babes Now seeing our Lord Jesus did acquiesce in his Fathers good pleasure when he saw many amongst whom he had preached and done his mighty works continuing in their unbelief and impenitent condition and so perishing eternally It concerneth us to submit our selves to the will and pleasure of God if after all the pains that we have taken to convert and save our Childrens Souls he should leave some of them to perish in their sins We must know that he is God and so may dispose of us and all that belongs to us as he pleaseth and howsoever he is pleased to deal with us we must be still and silent under his hand Psal 46.10 Be still and know that I am God II. Others as good and better than we have met with the same trial viz. some of their children and servants have degenerated and proved vicious and lewd persons and have lived and died in their sins notwithstanding all the pains that their Parents and Governours have taken to convert and save their souls Adam had a Cain who murthered his own brother and was a fugitive and vagabond in the earth and hath the brand of a wicked man set upon him by the Holy Ghost 1 John 3.12 as well as righteous Abel Noah had an Ham who saw and divulged his fathers nakedness and had his fathers curse upon him and his posterity as well as a pious Shem and Japheth righteous Lot had two daughters that enticed him to drunkenness and incest Ishmael in his younger time was so vile that Abraham cast him out of his family for a scoffer Isaac had a profane Esau who sold his Birthright for a mess of Pottage a man hated of God Esau have I hated Rom. 9.13 as well as a godly Jacob. Jacob met with crosses in his Children Reuben his first-born defiled his Fathers Bed Simeon and Levi by their cruelty in slaying the Shechemites after they had drawn them to be circumcised made Jacob's name to stink among the Inhabitants of the Land Gen. 34.30 Judah lieth with his Daughter-in-law Tamar supposing her to have been an Harlot with divers other crosses in the rest of his Children as the selling of Joseph into Egypt c. Aaron lost two sons Nadab and Abihu In
bring their fruit to perfection and to that end put them in mind that it is the will of God that we should not only labour to be holy but that we should labour to perfect holiness in the fear of God 2 Cor. 7.1 And caution them against those things which do hinder the seed of the Word from growing to perfection as the cares of this life pleasures unmortified lusts Luke 8.14 Mark 4.19 Keeping company with men of corrupt minds and corrupt conversations 1 Cor. 15.33 Be not deceived evil communications corrupt good manners Giving heed to such as teach false Doctrine will endanger their overthrow and prove destructive to them 1 Tim. 4.1 Now the Spirit speaketh expresly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing Spirits Seducers are those Foxes that spoil the Vine that hath tender Grapes against whom the Church prays Cant. 2.15 Take us the Foxes the little Foxes that spoil the Vines for our Vines have tender Grapes 7. Counsel them well to consider into what Families they dispose themselves when God shall by his providence remove them out of your Family That they do not for the gaining of more wages or easier work put themselves into such Families where they shall have no instruction lest that good Work which is begun in them cease and come to nothing While Jehoash was instructed he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord 2 Kings 12.2 Jehoash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all his days wherein Jehoiada the Priest instructed him But when Jehoiada that instructed him was dead Jehoash fell into Idolatry and other great sins 2 Chron. 24.17 18 19 21. 8. If any of the Members of your Family do find that God hath done their Souls good by the Instructions that you have given them counsel and exhort them by way of gratitude if ever God shall give them Families to teach and train up their Families in the knowledge of Gods Word Thirdly If upon communing with your Families you find they have gotten no good by those Instructions and godly Lessons which you have given them Then 1. Inform them what a great sin and how dangerous it is to enjoy great means of Grace and to remain graceless and barren under them Heb. 6.7.8 The Earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed receiveth blessing from God but that which beareth Thorns and Bryars is rejected and is nigh unto cursing whose end is to be burned Matth. 3.10 And now also the Ax is laid to the Root of the Trees therefore every Tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and is cast into the fire 2. See whence their unprofitableness proceeds whether the cause of it be in your selves that you teach them things that are too high for them or that you do not make things plain to their understandings or that you do not teach them by your Example as well as Doctrine or that yo do not water your Seed that you sow with your Prayers and tears or that you teach them so seldom or in such a slight manner Or whether the cause of their unprofitableness be in themselves as their not minding what you teach them their forgetfulness c. And where-ever the ground of their unprofitableness lieth endeavour to get it removed 3. Direct them what means they should use that they may profit by what you teach them as 1. To look up to the Lord who alone can teach them to profit Isa 48.17 2. To mingle the Word of God with faith Heb. 4.2 3. To meditate often on those things wherein they are instructed Meditation on the Word of God will be a great help to their profiting both in knowledge and grace 1 Tim. 4.15 Meditate on these things that thy profiting may appear unto all Fourthly If upon discoursing with them you find they rest in a form of Godliness and have only a notional knowledge of the word of God without the favour and practice of those Truths that you have taught them Then 1. Inform them that knowledge without practice will never make them happy Joh. 13.17 but will aggravate their condemnation and cause God to beat them with many stripes Luk. 12.47 And that the form of Godliness will profit them nothing but the life and power of Godliness will be profitable for all things and give them an interest in all Gods promises whether they concern this life or the life to come 1 Tim. 4.8 2. Direct them what means they should use that they may not only have a barren and unfruitful notional knowledge of the things of God but that they may relish savour and practise what they know As namely 1. Exhort them to get Faith Temperance Patience Godliness Brotherly Kindness and Charity The Apostle having spoken of these Graces saith 2 Pet. 1.8 If these things be in you and abound they make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ 2. Exhort them to plead Gods Covenant where God hath promised not only to put his Laws into our minds that is to give us the knowledge and remembrance of his will but also to write them in our hearts that is to incline our wills to embrace love and obey his Laws Heb. 8.10 I will put my Laws into their minds and write them in their hearts 3. Stir them up to cry unto God who hath taught them to know his will to encline their hearts to do his will and to keep his Commandments Psal 119.36 Incline mine heart unto thy Testimonies Psal 143.10 Teach me to do thy will Fifthly If you find any of your Family in a declining withering condition 1. Warn them betimes of the evil of a decaying declining frame of spirit The Church of Ephesus had many things for which Christ gives her great commendations Rev. 2.2 3. yet having lost her first love he gives her a sharp rebuke vers 4. 2. Exhort them to remember whence they are fallen and to repent and do their first works lest God send some sudden and sore Judgment upon them Rev. 2.5 3. Stir them up to act their faith upon such promises where God hath promised to heal our backslidings and restore our souls and to recover us from a decayed frame of spirit by causing us to grow in grace as Hos 14.4 5. I will heal their backslidings I will love them freely I will be as the dew unto Israel he shall be as the Lilly and cast forth his roots as Lebanon This promise is made unto Israel that was fallen into great decay Vers 1. O Israel thou hast fallen by thine iniquity Israel was so far fallen that God complains O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self Yet to Israel that was fallen thus low God promiseth to heal their back-slidings and to love them freely and to be as the dew to them
the very act of sin as they were offering up strange fire fire came from the Lord and consumed them Eli's children were such sons of Belial that their wickedness caused men to abhor the offerings of the Lord 1 Sam. 2.12 17 David met with much affliction in his children Amnon ravished his sister Tamar Absolom killed Amnon when his heart was merry with wine Absolom was cut off in the Act of his Rebellion Adonijah seeks the Crown which his father had devolved upon his son Solomon Our Lord Jesus Christ himself had a select Family consisting of twelve Apostles whom he chose out of all Israel and whom he often instructed with great power for his word was with power Luke 4.32 and yet one of them proved little better than a devil John 6.70 Have not I chosen you twelve and one of you is a devil He proved so vile that he betrayed his Master for thirty pieces of silver and then went and hang'd himself and went to his own place Elisha the Prophet had a lying servant Gehazi who went in his Masters name but contrary to his Masters mind to Naaman the Syrian and demanded and received for his own use a great sum of money as much as two men could carry and two changes of Garments 2 Kings 5.20 21 22 23. These examples with several others which might be produced do shew that though it be a great affliction to have evil children and evil servants yet it is a temptation common to men even to good men yea such as have befallen the best men that ever lived upon the face of the earth whose persons have been very dear and precious in the sight of God and their works and labours have been graciously accepted of him And therefore we should not be disquieted or cast down without measure because God doth not bless our labours with the converting and saving of all the members of our families neither should we conclude from hence that either our persons or our labours are not accepted with God III. Our children are Gods creatures as well as our children God hath a greater right to them and a greater interest in them than we have We were but Gods instruments to bring them into the world It was not we but God created and gave them their beings it was Gods hands that framed and fashioned their Bodies when they lay in their Mothers womb Psal 119.97 Thy hands have made and fashioned me 1 Cor. 12.24 God hath tempered the body together It is God that gave them every part of their Bodies as Skin and Bones and Flesh and Sinews Job 10.11 Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh and hast fenced me with bones and sinews And every member of their Bodies as Eyes Hands Feet c. Psal 139.16 Thine eyes did see my substance yet being imperfect and in thy Book all my members were written which in continuance were fashioned whenas yet there was none of them It was God which created their Souls after he had formed their Bodies Zech. 12.1 Saith the Lord which stretcheth forth the Heavens and layeth the foundation of the Earth and formeth the Spirit of Man within him Ezek. 18.4 Behold all Souls are mine as the Soul of the Father so also the Soul of the Son is mine the Soul that sinneth shall die It was God that drew them out of the womb Psal 22.9 Thou art he that took me out of the womb It is God that hath preserved them alive ever since they were born Psal 66.8 9. O bless our God ye people who holdeth our Soul in life And seeing God hath a far greater right to our Children than we have shall we be discontented when he disposeth of them as he seeth good May not he say to us when we repine at any thing that he doth to our children as the good Housholder said to those that murmured at him Matth. 20.13 15. Friend I do thee no wrong Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own And as our children are the works of his hands so his mercies towards his works are beyond our mercies towards those that proceed from our bowels Psal 145.9 The Lord is good to all and his tender mercies are over all his works He desires their welfare both here and for ever more than we can do Job 14.15 Thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands Deut. 5.29 O that there were such an heart in them that they would fear me and keep all my commandments always that it might be well with them and with their Children for ever Now if the Lord whose tender mercies are over all his works and who desireth our Childrens welfare more than we our selves do saw cause to cast away the works of his own hands into eternal torments shall we by our discontent go about to controul God in what he hath done as though we were wiser or more merciful than He IV. Though there be a great depth in Gods Judgments and such as we can't search out the reason of them why sometimes he converteth one and leaveth another to perish in his sins although both are born of the same Parents and live under the same means of grace Yet he is always Just and Righteous and True and Faithful in all his ways The Apostle was a man of a deeper insight into the mysteries of the Gospel than we are yet he confesseth some of Gods ways to be unsearchable Rom. 11.34 O the depth of the Riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his Judgments and his Ways past finding out Whatever Judgments God inflicts upon Nations or particular Persons though we may not be able to fathom the reason of them yet we must believe that all that the Righteous God doth is Just and True and that he never acts contrary to the Truth of his Word or against the Rules of Justice Rev. 15.3 They sing the Song of Moses the Servant of God and the Song of the Lamb saying Great and marvellous are thy works Lord God Almighty Just and True are thy Ways thou King of Saints This Song was sung upon the pouring out of the seven last Plagues in which was filled up the Wrath of God verse 1. From hence it is evident that the Lord doth nothing beyond the Rules of Justice or contrary to his Truth when he poureth out his wrath to the utmost either upon a Nation or upon particular persons When the children of godly Parents sin against God and God casteth them away for their sins he doth not by this act pervert Justice and Equity Job 8.3 4. Doth God pervert Judgment Or doth the Almighty pervert Justice If thy Children have sinned against him and he have cast them away for their transgression Now when God doth those things which are Just and Right we should be so far from murmuring that vve should praise and honour God although vve our selves should suffer deeply by those Judgments After Nebuchadnezzar