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A04623 A briefe exhortation to all men to set their houses in order. By William Iones B. of D. Preacher to the Isle of Wight Jones, William, b. 1581 or 2. 1631 (1631) STC 14741; ESTC S107460 9,695 36

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A BRIEFE EXHORTATION TO ALL MEN TO set their houses in order By WILLIAM IONES B. of D. Preacher to the Isle of Wight 1 COR. 14. 40. Let all things be done decently and in order LONDON Printed by WILLIAM IONES dwelling in Red-crosse-streete 1631. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE RICHARD LORD WESTON LORD HIGH TREASVRER OF ENGLAND CAPTAINE OF THE ISLE OF WIGHT AND TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL THE BARONETS KNIGHTS AND GENTLEMEN AND TO HIS LOVING BRETHREN THE MINISTERS AND TO ALL THE INHABITANTS OF THE ISLE OF WIGHT WILLIAM IONES THEIR DEVOTED SERVANT VVISHETH VVELL-ORDERED FAMILIES ON EARTH AND EVERLASTING HAPPINES IN HEAVEN To the Christian Reader WHEN thou readest this small Treatise take thy pen and blot out what is superfluous and amend what is amisse and supply what wants And if any thing be iudged profitable forthwith begin to put it in practise thy selfe and to perswade others to doe the like So shall wee all have better families and the King better subiects and God better servants Thine in the Lord Iesus W. J. A BRIEFE EXHORTATION TO all men to set their houses in order ISAY 38. 1. Set thine house in order MVsing with my selfe what might be the cause of so many evills and calamities as haue violently assaulted our Land within these few yeares I could impute all to nothing more than to the great disorder that is in all orders from the highest to the lowest And inquiring further how such disorder might haply arise notwithstanding we have many good orders daily established by the care of our Superiors both in the Church and Common-wealth for all estates and Degrees I perceived the occasion of all mischiefe to be the want of good Houshold Government Wherfore I resolved with all my might to presse the Doctrine of Houshold Government upon the consciences of all that shall heare or reade this short meditation I have chosen for the ground of all that I shall say those words I say 38. 1. Set thine house in order These are the words of the Lord of heaven and earth which he commanded Isaiah the Prophet to speake unto Ezechiah the King This King was a great and mighty Prince and abounded with wealth as you may see at large 2 Chron. 32. 27. And therefore there is no man so great but may vouchsafe to bearken unto that which is said unto him This Ezechiah was as good as great For 2 Kings 18. 3. Hee did that which was right in the sight of the Lord so that after him was none like him of all the Kings of Judah nor any that were before him And therefore who is so good and well-ordered that may not vouchsafe to hearken unto these words Wherefore I beseech you all to whom these words shall come hearken with reverence and good conscience unto the same Thus saith the LORD Set thine house in order Thus they are read in our last Translation and in some former Translations and in the margent here and elsewhere 't is noted that the Hebrew phrase is Give charge concerning thy house this comes all to one reckoning For when God saith Gen. 18. 19. that Abraham will command his children and his houshold after him it is that they keepe the way of the Lord and doe iustice and iudgement And this is to set his house in order Some Interpreters both here and 2. King 20. take these words to be a Direction to the King to make his last will and testament But considering that 't is evident that when the Patriarks made their last wills they did not onely dispose of their goods but also gave charge concerning the well ordering of their houses after them this need not interrupt us For my part at this time I will follow the generall meaning of the words as they are translated and doe my best endeavour 1. To shew the necessitie of setting every mans house in order 2. I will declare the best way how our houses may be set in order 3. I will conclude with exhortation Touching the first That it is necessarie that every house be set in order may appeare 1. Because else the Common-wealth cannot bee well ordered For the Common-wealth consists of severall houses and if the severall houses which are so many members be not well ruled how can the whole body be well ordered The body of a Common-wealth may not unfitly be compared to the body of a great Armie Now concerning an Army it consists of many Regiments and every Regiment of sundry Companies which have their severall Captaines to traine them and teach them due order And ●f these private Captaines doe not teach their severall bands due order 't is not possible on a sudden to cast the whole Armie into a great orderly body Even so in the Common-wealth if every Master of a family who is as it were a Captaine of a Companie of souldiers in the Church Militant doe not well order the severall persons committed to his charge how can they observe order when they are called out to serve publickely in the Church or Common-wealth A few bands in an Armie disranked may trouble nay confound the whole Armie Even so a few disorderly families may bring much hurt upon the whole Common-wealth Wherefore as wee tender the good of the whole Land let us every one in his place bee carefull to order those that are committed to our charge in our particular families Againe the necessitie of setting in order our severall families will appeare if wee observe how diligent the men of God I meane the Patriarks Prophets and Apostles yea and the Kings of Israel and Judah have beene to set in order their owne houses Concerning Abraham the Lord himselfe sayes Gen. 18. 19. I know him that hee will command his children and his houshold to keep the way of the Lord. Pererius gives this note that by this it seems to have bin the godly practise of the Fathers to catechise and instruct their families and that this is a worthy peece of service performed unto the Lord may appeare because God alledgeth this as one reason why hee reveales the destruction of Sodome unto Abraham and a motive to bring upon Abraham that which hee had spoken of him before The like course in ordering their families it seemes Isaac the sonne and Jacob the Grandchild tooke For though Isaac had a reprobate sonne Esau and Jacob divers lewd sonnes yet it was not for want of instruction For whence did Joseph who was solde into Egypt when he was young learne his religious conversation but in the familie of his father Iacob But to passe by uncertainties and to hold me to that which is certaine Josh. 24. 15. Joshua makes this protestation As for me and my house wee will serve the Lord. Here you see this great man Joshua promiseth not onely for himselfe but also for his house And doe you thinke hee did more than he needed to doe Doubtlesse he was of another minde than Cain who said Am Imy brothers keeper