of Families that both you your selves and all those that are yours may be perfect and compleat in all the Will of God that the Divine Will may be known by you and likewise conform'd and liv'd up to for He that knoweth his Masters will and doth it not shall be beaten with many stripes when God takes his Rod in Hand Luke 12.47 Now Family-instruction is one part of the Will of God concerning you who are Parents and Masters yea and Mistresses too You are Priests in your own Houses and as such ought not to be without your Sacrifices Prayer is your Duty You are Prophets also there and though it would be folly in you to turn Enthusiasts and Predict Things to come yet you ought not to be without your Teachings and wholesom Counsels and in one respect you will not You that are Parents will as soon as may be teach your Children to speak and go and when through Age and Discretion they are capable you will bring them up to some Imployment and Trade or other that they may afterwards arrive at some considerable Quality and Estate in the World at least that they may be able to earn their Bread and get their Living without being chargeable to your selves or others and shall this be the utmost Extent of your Care Will you not teach them the fear of God and Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ Will you not labour to bring them to a good understanding in the matters of Religion which are of highest importance and shew them the way they should take in order to their coming unto Glory at the last If you are guilty of neglect herein what satisfactory Reason can you give of being so Here I cannot forbear telling you that it hath often and often been to me great matter of grief to see Persons grown up to Man's and Woman's Estate yea to grey Hairs that could not read a Word nor tell a Letter whereupon I could not without just indignation reflect upon their unnatural Parents who were so brutishly wanting to that love kindness and pity which they ought to have had for them and now I make it my Request to you yea the poorest among you that you would take greater and better care of your Children see that they be taught to Read and then that they Read the Bible do this though you pinch for it in other things yea though you spare it out of your own and their Bellies and if you cannot possibly do it out of your sorry pittance beg the Charity of those you know who may help in that without prejudice to themselves a little matter will do and this will turn to a greater account than relieving common Vagrants And so for you that are Masters and Mistresses and have Apprentices bound to you I own it that they are bound to give you reverence and to serve you with all diligence and faithfulness and so let them in the fear of the Lord but withal do you know and consider that you are obliged to take care of them and teach them what Your Trades And the Mysteries of them Yes without peradventure your Indentures tell you so and if you do it not you deal falsly but you are also to instruct them in the greatest and best Trade that of Godliness that with Heaven in order to their being wise Merchants and getting the Pearl of Price That Family-instruction ought to be carefully attended to I shall briefly prove 1. By Scripture Precedents 2. By Scripture Precept First By Scripture Precedent or Example This hath been the practice of good Men recorded there of a great Character Eminent for their Faith and Holiness You have in these Discourses already heard of that great confidence which God had in Abraham who was called the Friend of God and Father of the Faithful God said He knew him that he would command or order his Children and his Houshold after him that they should keep the way of the Lord. And we must conclude Divine Wisdom which is Infinite is not cannot be liable to a mistake neither as to things nor Persons Now we read in Gen. 14. that when his Kinsman or Nephew Lot was taken Captive and carried away Abraham arm'd his trained Servants and pursued them unto Dan your Bibles in the Margin have it his instructed Servants some render it his Catechized Servants those say some Learned Expositors whom he had well taught and instructed not only in Domestick Business which concern'd the House nor only in Military Affairs which related to War but likewise and principally in Religion and the Law of God So again Solomon the wisest of meer Men at least in his time was called Iedediah the Beloved of the Lord and that he was so appear'd by God's appointing him to succeed in the Throne as King of Israel and chusing him to Build the Temple both which were demonstrations of that particular kindness God had for him And he was dearly beloved of his Father and Mother now the Love which they did bear him was evidenced by his gracious Education and in their Parental Care for the right bringing of him up Prov. 4.3 4. I was my Fathers Son tender and only beloved in the sight of my Mother he taught me also and said unto me let thy heart retain my Words keep my Commandments and live get wisdom get understanding c. One saith Doubtless his Father David being a King had Nathan the Prophet and the best and most accomplished Persons the Kingdom could afford for the bringing up of his Son for whom he design'd the Crown yet he did not leave it wholly to them but would himself have an hand in the work yea a main one Neither did his Mother think her self excused but as she had brought him forth so she would bring him up as you may see in Prov. 31.1 The words of King Lemuel the Prophecy which his Mother taught him But passing from that we will consider Secondly Scripture Precept And as I desire you to imitate and follow those good Examples so to remember and conform to holy commands given out from God by his Servants who wrote as they were moved by the Holy Ghost I shall only mention that one which we have Eph. 6.4 Parents provoke not your Children unto wrath but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. It is a Scripture that deserves to be written in Letters of Gold and to be deeply imprest upon the Minds and Hearts of Parents I cannot lightly pass over it two things are remarkable in it First A Prohibition Secondly An Injunction First Here is a Prohibition something forbidden and carefully to be avoided Parents provoke not your Children unto wrath It may be this will sound harsh in the Ears of some who have better thoughts of themselves than they do deserve or any body else have they may be apt to conclude that Paul did forget himself here and should rather have said Children provoke not your Parents unto
was his Will that all his Disciples should of him learn to be so Mat. 11.29 The highest Heaven is not so much above the Earth as the great and glorious God is above Angels and Men there is an infinite distance between him and us yet how low doth he stoop how wonderfully doth he condescend to his poor Creatures to Worms to Dust and Ashes to whom he looks with whom he dwells whom he gives leave to lay hold upon his strength to wrestle with him to come with boldness to his throne of Grace to whom he saith Ask me of things to come concerning my Sons and concerning the work of my hands command ye me Isa. 45.11 Mind these things and be astonished that so great a Majesty should so greatly bow to such pitiful shreds of Being Psal. 8.4 What is man that thou art mindful of him or the Son of Man that thou visitest him Now certainly since the great God and our Saviour do thus stoop and humble themselves we cannot but conclude that Pride becomes no body but it is the shame and disgrace of all that are guilty of it and generally those Persons are highest in Pride who are lowest in Worth Pride and Frowardness turn Men and Women into Monsters yea into a kind of ugly Devils for as such they appear in the Eyes of those that have to do with them yea let their other accomplishments be never so great yet this one thing spoils all Such a Man is an Understanding Man a Learned Man a Wise Man an Active Man a very Useful Man this is an high Encomium but he is a Self-conceited Man a Proud Lofty Man it is a great blot in his Escutcheon Men do not like him and God will resist him whereas Humility is an Ornament wheresoever it is found but it sets them off most who are highest God delights to see such a Man he will dwell with him that is of a contrite and humble Spirit Isa. 57.15 And that is an evident sign he likes and loves them well and as he will dwell with him so will be good and liberal to them he will revive his spirit and give him grace Jam. 4.6 He hath a special favour for them he will smile lovingly upon them he will give forth plentifully of his Spirit unto them they shall have fresh influences and blessed assistances grace for grace Thus an humble Spirit renders you pleasing to God in and through Jesus Christ and a kind affable courteous behaviour will commend you to Men to all those with whom you Converse But while I am commending humility to Family Governours I would not have them to do any thing unworthy of that place in which God hath set them Stoop but not basely not below your place shew your selves humble and kind but do not make your selves mean and cheap Remember you are Parents and Master and Mistress and carry as such and let not Inferiours forget themselves nor turn kindness into wantonness and neglect there are due bounds and limits unto which they may go and beyond which they cannot pass without being Transgressors It is not fit that Servants should be all tongue in the presence of their Master or their Mistress or boldly mingle them selves with their Discourses yet they may be permitted to speak before them so that they open their mouths with wisdom in a due season and in a right manner It is not fit that Servants should usurp Authority or take into their own hands the reins of Government as if they had a right to dictate and give order no no their business is to do the work and not to cut it out yet they may sometimes and in some cases modestly shew their Opinion Servants are to be obedient to their Masters pleasing them well in all things not answering again not quarelling and murmuring against their Orders or Corrections not thwarting and contradicting them and thereby provoking their anger and indignation against them yet when they are spoken to they must not be sullenly silent but give respective answers yet when they have received wrong and are unjustly charged they may seasonably with due submission and soft words which turn away wrath assert their own innocency and clear themselves of that blame which was laid upon them An instance hereof we have in David 1 Sam. 24.8 9 10 11. When Saul looked behind him David stooped with his face to the earth and bowed himself and David said to Saul wherefore hearest thou mens words saying behold David seeketh thy hurt Behold this day thine eyes have seen how that the Lord had delivered thee to day into my hand in the Cave and some bid me kill thee but mine eye spared thee and I said I will not put forth my hand against my Lord for he is the Lords Anointed Moreover my Father see yea see the skirt of thy Robe in my hand for in that I cut off the skirt of thy Robe and killed thee not know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in mine hand and I havâ— not sinned against thee thus he did and so Servants may humbly clear and vindicate themselves when innocent And Saul himself as bad as he was did hearken to him and owned his integrity saying thou art more righteous than I for thou hast rewarded me good whereas I have rewarded thee evil Before I pass on and leave this particular I shall propound to your consideration the practice of Iob who was a Mirrour of Patience and a Non-such for Piety He tells us it was far from him to despise the cause of his Man-Servant or his Maid Servant when they contended with him If I had done so saith he what shall I do when God riseth up and what shall I answer when he visiteth Iob 31.13 14. We must needs speak something to that word contended when they contended with me May Servants contend with their Masters and Mistresses they do often too too often contend among themselves one with another more shame for them but would Iob allow them to contend with himself if he did indeed we may admire his Patience but have no reason to commend his Prudence What therefore are we to understand by this their contending let Holy and Reverend Mr. Caryl answer the question which he doth in these Particulars First We are not to understand this of a bold and saucy contending doubtless Iob was a Wiser Man than to endure such unmannerly Servants in his House such sacucie carriage deserves and calls for sower returns nor Secondly Are we to understand hereby contention in a way of gainsaying thwarting him in his Orders and contradicting his Commands a Master who knows his place will not bear with that he is not to have them for his Controulers nor Thirdly are we to understand it of any unreasonable murmuring and dislike upon every trivial and frivolous occasion these things saith he are not to be permitted in any well-govern'd Family such as Iob was If Servants will thus
12.1 2. not only for encouragement but likewise for direction Now he had a Family his Twelve Disciples were his Family and he prayed and gave thanks at his Meats and also at other times and he prayed not only for them but with them Luke 9.16 As he was alone praying his Disciples were with him Here is a seeming contradiction that Christ should be said to be alone and yet his Disciples with him but there is no real one for that word alone must be understood as intimating no more than the multitudes being departed from him when the Miracle of Feeding Five Thousand Men with Five Loaves and Two Fishes had been wrought they having what they came for the filling of their Bellies and satisfying their Curiosity withdrew themselves and went away and they being gone he went to Prayer which was a work he greatly delighted in and in and at that Prayer his Disciples were with him I hope it may without vanity be said That in what I have spoken to you upon this Subject there is enough said for the satisfaction of any sober serious and consciencious Christian that the setting and keeping up of the Family-worship of God is the Duty of those that are the Masters or Governours of Families Wilful Cavillers against plain Truths are not worthy nor fit to be dealt with time and pains bestowed upon them is meerly thrown away Therefore as for those wicked Persons who are either of Atheistical Principles not believing but denying the Being of a God or of desperately Profane Spirits that value neither his Love nor his Wrath and so have no fear of him before their Eyes I do not now in these Discourses go about to perswade them another course must be first taken with them them I leave to the great and mighty God begging that he would have Mercy upon them in convincing them that he is and that he is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek him and that there is a day coming when the Lord Iesus shall be revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Iesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power 2 Thes. 1.7 8 9. So we have done with the first thing propounded viz. That Family-worship is a Duty the second part of the work before us is to prove that there is very great and cogent reasons for our performance of this Duty and that it is using the Apostle Paul's expression no other than 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 your reasonable service That which is to be done by rational Creatures and is most consonant and agreeable to the Principles and Dictates of right Reason and I doubt not but this will appear evidently to you if you will duly consider and weigh the Arguments which we shall draw from these Four Topicks 1. From God 2. From Governours of Families 3. From the Families themselves 4. From the Publick You will find that there do Obligations rise from all these many and strong ones for the enaging and binding you hereunto the good Lord grant we may study the Obligations and answer them by a suitable practice First You are to set up Religious Worship in your Families upon the account of the most great and glorious God who alone is the proper Object of it unto whom it is to be performed And here are three things which did immediately occur to my thoughts and which I do now offer to your Consideration I. God is the Author and Original of our Families They had their Being from God and therefore they should pay Homage and perform Service unto him this is that which doth without all Controversie lay an Everlasting Engagement upon particular Persons high and low young and old to serve God to love him with all their Hearts to fear him all the day and to worship him because he made them Children are to honour their Father and Mother but God much more because God was the principal efficient of their Being their Earthly Parents no more than Instruments in his Hand And if it be a good way of arguing in David and so in us to say as he did Psal. 119.94 I am thine save me and verse 73. Thy hands have made me and fashion'd me give me understanding It cannot but be as strong and if we be ingenuous as forcible and taking an Argument on God's side for him to say to us You are mine you were wonderfully made formed and fashioned by my wisdom and the hand of my power therefore do you serve me It is full out as good an Argument for Duty as it can be a plea for Mercy do not the Rivers send back their Waters to the Sea from which they received them And shall not Man return praise and service to God from whom he received life and strength all that he is and hath I desire you to take notice what a loud and earnest call there is and how much importunity the Prophet useth in Psal. 100. 1 2. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye Lands Be joyful be chearful it is lawful for you to be so it is allowed you to be so and if you be gracious of all persons in the World you have the greatest right to Joy only see that your Joy be directed to God and terminated in God Make a joyful noise unto the Lord. Well he goeth on vers 2. Serve the Lord with gladness come before his presence with singing Do not go to his work as Bears to a Stake nor meerly as to a Task but as to your Recreation as to your Meat and Drink so Christ did be sure that your duty be your delight And yet again he adds Enter into his Gates with thanksgiving and into his Courts with praise be thankful unto him and bless his Name We should labour to have our hearts greatly raised and enlarged in our serving of God that we have such a God so glorious so good and that he is pleased to admit us into his Service and employ us about it But why all this what reason is there for it doth any one here ask that Question let him know yea and let all men know So saith the Prophet in verse 3. Know ye that the Lord He is God He alone is God Let others be what they will never so great and high and good there is not a God among them Iehovah is God of whom and thro whom and for whom are all things It is He that hath made us and not we our selves The Hebrew reads it in the Margin His we are And Mr. Ainsworth tells us the Chaldee keeps that reading It is He that hath made us and his we are He hath the best Title to us the Supream Soveraign Right We are his People and the Sheep of his Pasture And since we are his Creatures we should be his Servants we