I do earnestly desire you to spend now and then a little time in thinking seriously with your selves what sad wretched miserable Families those are in which there is a great many Creature-comforts Epicurean Provisions for the Table and the Belly there is eating and drinking to excess if not to drunkenness there is Cards and Dice Chambering and Wantonness a great deal of Mirth and Jollity Vanity and Folly but there is no Praying there no Reading of the Scriptures there is great dressing of Meat and decking of the Body but in the midst of all this there is no duty done to God no Honour brought him no care taken for precious and immortal Souls I do pity them and oh that my Soul might weep in secret for their sinful neglect And I do earnestly desire them to remember and lay to heart that which God hath spoken and will certainly stand to He will make that word of his good to the comfort of his People and confusion of his Enemies 1 Sam. 2.30 Them that honour me I will honour but they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed From whence it is plain that God takes special notice of Persons their Spirits and Actions and as they carry toward him so will he to them That Tree may expect to fall under a blasting withering Curse from which the Lord Iesus doth gather no Fruit. III. My third and last Reason shall be drawn from the equity of the thing Family-worship is God's due as you heard before the Prophet said Who would not fear thee O King of Nations for to thee it doth appertain it doth of right belong to him Man cannot lay claim to any Comfort or Blessing as due to him from God for any thing that he hath done for all is Mercy than the least of which Man is less yea the best of Men but God may lay claim to fear and honour and service as due to him from Man and I may say the same in the present case what Family is there that should not serve and worship thee O thou King of Nations O thou King of Saints for to thee it doth appertain It is too true and a sad truth it is that too many Families in England yea and in London do not do it and I am afraid when all is said that can be said will not worship God they are setled upon their Lees but what Family is there that should not do it There is none not the greatest not the poorest not those that have most leisure not those that have most business not those that live in the greatest fulness and splendor nor those that are forced to earn their Bread with their hard labour and in the sweat of their Brows The more any have the more abundant they should be in praises and the more any want the more frequent and fervent they should be in prayers whatever their case and condition is still they do owe this to God I may very well call it and House-â—ent which they are bound to be continually paying to their great Landlord and for a neglect or default therein he may justly turn them out of Doors cast them into the open Street yea bring them to a Dunghil and Morsel of Bread I am not censorious nor do I charge any one but this is apparent many that have been topping Men yea and made a great Profession have come to nothing to a Goal the Mint the White-friers they have broken scandalously and by that means have made Religion to stink in the Nostrils of those who are no Friends to it and I would advise them to reflect upon time past and consider whether they were not wanting to or remiss in Family-duties and if they were let them humble themselves and justifie God and say Righteous art thou O Lord why should they think that God would bless and prosper them to the enabling them to pay their Debts to Men if they do not make any Conscience of paying that Tribute which they owe to him but that is only a serious and seasonable hint by the way I am to shew you that family-Family-worship is due to God and it is so upon these accounts First Vpon the account of their Being I before proved that they are of God he made you and them too Now the Prophet saith Psal. 145.10 All thy works shall praise thee O Lord our Families are his work and therefore they should praise him Secondly Family worship ought to be conscienciously and constantly performed to God upon the account of those Mercies which they do receive from God We have personal Mercies preservation and supply health and strength food and raiment and these do engage us to personal services Iacob thought so when Gen. 28.20 21 22. He vowed a vow saying If God will be with me and will keep me in the way that I go and will give me bread to eat and raiment to put on so that I come again to my fathers house in peace the Lord shall be my God and this stone which I have set for a pillar shall be God's house and he accordingly did afterward there Build an Altar which was for the Service and Worship of God Now by a parity of Reason Family-mercies do oblige unto Family-worship Alas what miserable Houses would ours be if God should not look after them and befriend them how would they be exposed should he withdraw his protection and not cover them with his Wing How would they be straitned and pinched did not he reach out to them his Hand of Bounty they soon would turn into Houses of Mourning and Places of Confusion it is God that by his shining upon our Tabernacles makes them comfortable and pleasant to us and doth commend and sweeten our Communion together so that we lye down and rise up and live in peace therefore it is fit and highly becoming that we should serve and worship him together Those that are drawn with the same Cords of Kindness should draw in the same Yoke of Obedience Methinks the Father should of his own accord without a Monitor say to his Family as in Psal. 34.3 O magnifie the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together Thirdly Family-worship is due to God upon the account of his continuing and repeating his Mercies to our Families How much doth he do for them And how unwearied is he in doing We deserve nothing we have forfeited all yet his compassion doth not fail nor is the Stream of Mercy cut off Must you not say have ye not reason to say he daily loads you with his Benefits and he causeth Mercy and Goodness to follow you It is his Mercy that maketh us dwell in safety and sets an Hedge about us and our Houses and about all that we have on every side else we should become a prey to the Sons of Violence or fuel to the greedy devouring Flames It is he that continueth the peace of our Families else a perverse froward Spirit would be conjur'd up
Warriour And we may conceive him speaking thus to them O ye seed of Abraham if ye be given to change so am not I If after all that God hath been to you and done for you you will be so ingrateful as to forget and forsake him so will not I. He hath all along been so gracious a God to us all that he shall be my God for ever and ever I am so well so happy with him that I cannot mend my self I can be no where better no where so well therefore I will abide with him as in the Text I and my house will serve the Lord. This was his holy resolve and to this he would stand there could be no reason to the contrary and as for the example of Apostates it should wiâ—h with him be of no significancy nor would he be carried down by the stream He was and would be for God be they for whom they would In the words there are these things observable First The thing he resolved upon which he had in his heart and purpose that was to serve while others of towring and ambitious spirits are altogether for commanding and Lording it this good Man was for serving Though he was a Prince a great General yet did he not look upon it as a disparagement and below him to be a Servant No more did holy David afterward the King of Israel even when he had been called from following the Sheep and placed upon the Throne he knew how still to serve and lov'd to do it the King of Israel thought it no dishonour to serve the God of Israel and therefore he with joy took upon him the name Servant reckoning it his highest and most honourable Title Psal. 116.16 O Lord truly I am thy Servant I am thy Servant This service is made up of Acts of Worship performed to the Divine Majesty and a Life of Obedience to the Divine Will In it there is Liberty yea most perfect Freedom those that are strangers to it are the worst of Slaves in it is the highest honour To be one of God's Servants is more noble than to be one of the World's Monarchs And in it is the greatest comfort Isa. 65.13 14. Thus saith the Lord God Behold my Servants shall eat but ye shall be hungry behold my Servants shall drink but ye shall be thirsty behold my Servants shall rejoyce but ye shall be ashamed behold my Servants shall sing for joy of heart but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart and shall howl for vexation of spirit Secondly Here is the Person to whom the Service is to be performed not to Idols not to Devils not to Sin the wages of which is death not to divers Lusts which are tyrannical and cruel but Iehovah that is the word in the Original the Lord the Lord of Lords the Lord of Life and Glory the God of Abraham Isaac and Iacob the Lord God of Israel whose Commandments are not grievous but his Yoke is easie and his Burden is light his Yoke being lin'd with his Love and his Burden having Wings Thirdly Here are the Persons by whom this Service is to be performed unto this God We i. e. I and my house I my self not only call others to the work but also set my own hand to it lead them the way I will serve the Lord and all that are mine shall do it together with me Rather than not serve God at all he would serve him alone Ioshua would leave Israel if they would leave God But he would not serve God alone so long as he could have company so long as there were any that he could influence any that he could rule and command they that will live in my house shall serve my God they that would enjoy the comfort of my house shall joyn in the work and duty of my house We will serve the Lord. Exemplum proponitur Gubernandae Familiae saith Masius Here is set before us an excellent Pattern or good Example for the ordering and governing of a Family Oh that it may be followed by all those who call themselves Christians and own Iehovah for the Lord their God! That a Christian Profession and Practical Atheism may not meet in them The Doctrine which I raise from these words and offer to your most serious consideration as the Truth of God to be believed by you received in Love and obeyed from the Heart is this Doct. It is the great duty of all those whom God hath made Heads or Governours of Families to set up Religious Duties and the Worship of God in their respective Families Oh that God would so assist and succeed me in the handling hereof and accompany what shall delivered with such power upon your Consciences and Hearts as by that time I have finished these Discourses there may not be one Prayerless Family belonging to this numerous Congregation How greatly then would my Soul bless God and with what comfort and joy should I look upon you It is both a wicked and miserable thing for any to be without God in the World Ephes. 2.12 He is so great so necessary a good that nothing can possibly supply the want of him Notwithstanding Moon and all the Stars it is night with us when once the Sun is departed off our Horizon God is absolutely necessary for us and our All is due to him Single persons must know it to be their duty and interest to serve and worship God in their Capacities as Publickly in the Gates of Sion which God loves in the Assemblies of the Saints unto which they ought to joyn themselves as followers of the same Lord and Members of the same Body so singly and alone let their Chambers and Closets be Witnesses for them that they do not live in an ingrateful and wicked unmindfulness of God Let Children begin betimes with God Let young Men and Maids have early converses with God waiting upon him and walking with him And when they come to alter their condition and to have Yoke-fellows and Families let them be careful to set up the Worship of God in them though let them still remember to keep up their retirements It is not enough for them to worship God in their Families but they ought to do it in their Chambers too nor is it enough for them to worship God in their Chambers but they ought to do it in their Families too Let not these jostle nor exclude one another but as Sister-duties live sweetly together under the same Roofs In private Duties the holy Soul hath the greater liberty from Family-duties God hath the greater Honour Secret duties are plainer Evidences of Sincerity Family and publick duties are of larger influence and usefulness As for me and my house we will serve the Lord We will unite in his Service not only approve of it or consent to it but joyn in it Take here with you these two things First The Service of God should begin as soon as the Family begins This I
desire Young ones to consider of who are entring into the World and setting upon House-keeping lay this down as an undeniable Maxim that it is best beginning with God so to do is both duty and wisdom That Man who doth not carry God along with him is like to miscarry by the way and at last lie down in sorrow He opens his door to the Devil that will bring very bad company along with him who at his first entrance upon House-keeping shuts God out and turns his back upon him or at least doth not invite him It is not feasting not eating and drinking together tho' that is lawful and friendly but Prayer that will prove the best House-warming Secondly As it is good beginning with God so it is as good holding on To be weary of well doing argues a bad temper of Soul to throw up duty is sin and shews plainly that a person was never upright in it never hearty to it never really tasted the sweetness of it Iob 27.10 Will the Hypocrite delight himself in the Almighty will he always call upon God No neither and because not the former therefore not the latter because God is not his delight Prayer will not be his constant business he hath in his heart no suitableness to God and therefore no pleasure in his Service but such as have been sincere in it will be stedfast and indeed they will never find any reason for the giving of it over God is as full and free as ever he was the Trade of Godliness as safe and sure and the returns as considerable God can with as much cause and boldness appeal now to those that shall desert him and throw up Religious Exercises as formerly he did to ungrateful Israel Ier. 2.5 What iniquity have your Fathers found in me that they are gone far from me and have followed after vanity and are become vain He well knew tho' he could charge vanity and folly upon them and make good the charge yet they could not justly charge iniquity upon him And so again verse 37. Have I been a Wilderness unto Israel or a Land of Darkness No no not a Wilderness but a fruitful Field not a Land of Darkness but a Goshen a Sun of Righteousness and such as have been indeed his Servants have continued firm and faithful liking him too well and loving him too dearly to leave him Will ye go away said Christ to his Disciples Peter desired not time to consider of it but had his Answer ready which he immediately returns in the names of them all Ioh. 6.68 Lord to whom shall we go thou hast the words of Eternal Life Ioshua had served and followed God for a great many years He was now grown old and his Experiences of God's care and goodness had more multiplied and encreast to a far greater number than his days and thereupon he saw abundant reason for resolving to continue in his Service And so did holy Polycarp the Disciple of St. Iohn for being tempted to deny Christ and return to Heathen Idolatry he briskly replied I have served my Master Christ now these fourscore years and all along found him a good Master to me therefore I will not leave him now And if you will believe David he assures you they are all of the same mind Psal. 84.4 Blessed are they that dwell in thy house they will be still praising thee they are and will be so always delighting in his Work and always commending and glorying in their Lord. But yet for the further opening to you the duty it self I must acquaint you with two things which are incumbent upon the Governours of Families and which they are bound carefully to look after viz. 1. That God be served in their Families 2. That they and their Families do together serve him First It is the duty of Family-Governours to take care that there be the Service and Worship of God in their Families that they themselves do serve the Lord and that their Children do serve him yea and that also their Servants do serve him That as the precious Ointment poured out upon the Head of Aaron ran down to the skirts of his Garments so Religion and at least the outward practices of Piety may sweetly descend from the Head of the House to the inferiour and meanest Members of it You Masters Mistresses and Parents ought to take care not only that your Children be respective and obedient to you nor only that your Servants be faithful to you and industrious in their working for you but likewise that both the one and the other do perform their duty to God as well as to you and be far more ready to pass by a failure in them with respect to your selves than to bear with a contempt and neglect of God Do not only see to the feeding and cloathing of your Children and Servants but as they are capable of receiving it do you feed their Minds with Knowledge and exercise them unto Godliness and let it not be your desire only or chiefly that they may live well and comfortably but that they may live holily that they may live like Christians as well as like Men. The Apostle's charge is this Rom. 12.17 Provide things honest in the sight of all men Now I will appeal to your Consciences whâ—â—her it be not so to fear and serve God to pray and seek God to worship God to perform duty to God this cannot but be honest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 good very good amiable and becoming in the sight and account of all men except those that are Atheists and because of their being Atheists do not deserve the name of Men but have forfeited the name since they contradict the very Light of Nature and run counter to the dictates of Reason and are sit to herd only among the Beasts And if that notion be true which some have embrac'd and I do not reject that it is not Reason so much as Religion which is the specifical Difference and doth distinguish between a Man and a Brute because there is something of Reason to be found in Brutes at least call it by what name you please some shadow of Reason some Resemblance something that may claim a little Kindred whereas there is not to be found in them any thing that looks like Religion no appearance nor footsteeps of it then we may very well say without being guilty of injustice or doing a real injury That Atheists do deserve with Nebuchadnezzar to be driven from among Men until they have with him learnt to own praise extel and honour the King of Heaven all whose works are Truth and his ways Iudgment and those that walk in Pride he is able to abase but at the present they are degenerate and no better than Beasts in the mapes of Men. For they deny a Being to him by whom all things are to him who is the Fountain of all Being and the Author of their own they do not only cast off a
Religious Life and live without all acts of Divine Worship but also they do as much as in them is take away the Object of it in whom they live and move and have their Being and by this one thing open a wide and effectual door to Villanies of all sorts But from the Scripture last named it is evident to all those that do believe the Scripture that it is your duty to provide things honest such things as are good and lovely See that all in your Families be honest that they be honest to you and to one another and to the Great God that they give unto every one their due unto God his due that they do not rob God nor with-hold from him that which is meet and that is Worship Honour is not so due to Parents nor Service to Masters as Worship is to God Ier. 10.5 Who would not fear thee O King of Nations for to thee it doth appertain The fear of God is there put not only for the Holy Affection of fear which we should keep up all the day and carry with us into every place but likewise for all Divine Worship which upon all accounts he may challenge at our hands It appertains to him he hath an undoubted right to it For God to crown Man at first with Glory and Honour and make him have Dominion over the works of his hands was an Act of Goodness For God to spare fallen sinful Man to keep him out of Hell and afford him any comforts of Life is an Act of Mercy Lam. 3. It is of the Lords Mercies we are not consumed But for Man to Own and Honour God to Fear Seek Serve and Worship God is an Act of Iustice. And let men provide what they will for their Families for their Wives Children and Servants let them see to it that they have all things richly to enjoy Yet if in this one particular they be negligent and careless if they do not see to it that those who Live with them do Serve and Worship God they do not provide that which is Honest. Observe the Resolution of Holy David and imitate his Example Psal. 101.6 Mine Eyes shall be upon the Faithful of the Land i. e. Good Men that will be every way faithful to me and to my God as well as to me Men that do not only profess him but will be true to that Profession Men that call him Master and will serve him as such that they may dwell with me he would delight in their company and count them the Ornaments of his House He that walketh in a perfect way he shall serve me The perfect way is the way of God's Commandments the Scripture way the way of Holiness and Duty the way Everlasting He that walketh in such a way is a Man for me such an one I like and such an one I will chuse such an one shall serve me as will serve my God as well as me And he had said before verse 4. that He would not know a wicked person You must not understand it of a common ordinary knowledge a nuda scientia bare naked knowledge for in that sense he did and could not but know many too too many but he would not know a wicked person so as to countenance him not so know him as to make him his choice and have fellowship with him He that doth not fear God that will not mind serve and worship God that is without God in the World may well be branded for a wicked Man in all companies let him go for such an one And saith David I will have nothing to do with that sort of men such a person shall be none of my Familiars none of my intimate Acquaintance he shall be none of my Family none of my Court. And it would be well for the World if all Princes would say the same and be as good as their word if they would not know wicked persons fewer wicked persons would be known Were there no wicked men in Favour at Courts there would be fewer in the Cities and fewer in the Countreys But when they swarm at a Court they flie about and like Locusts overspread and cover the face of a Land Secondly It is the duty of those who are Governours of Families to take care and so to order things that they and their Families together do serve and worship God I say that they do it together that it be their joynt act and that all concur to the making up of an holy Harmony It is not enough that there is some Worshipping of God in the Family but besides over and above that there ought to be an holy Family-Worship David saith Psal. 133.1 Behold how good and how pleasant it is for Brethren to walk together in Vnity It is a very commendable and lovely thing to see the same among Husbands and Wives Parents and Children Masters and Servants Mistresses and Maids it is sweet dwelling together in Vnity but it is far more pleasant and delightful to God and all good Men to see them dwelling and walking together in Piety As to live together and love together and eat and drink together without any quarrels or contentions so to read the Sacred Scriptures and other good Books together and pray together and sing Psalms together and put forth other Acts of Religion In short how good and how pleasant is it to see them living together not only a natural and civil Life in Love and mutual Kindness but likewise a gracious and holy Life in all goodness So much may suffice for the opening to you what I mean by setting up the Worship of God in Family Now a person would think that such as live in London where there is so much Light and plenty of Gospel-means specially such as own a God and call themselves Christians should not need many Arguments either to convince them that this is a Duty or to persuade them to the performance of it but they would of themselves at the very mentioning of the thing assent to the goodness and reasonableness of it that all those who do profess their believing that there is a God and their own standing in Relation to him and having an Interest him as their God should at their hearing of Family-Worship cheerfully acknowledge it to be his due But alas alas whatever the Light doth plainly discover and whatever their well-informed and awakened Consciences do suggest to them how many are there among us that imprison the Truth and hold it in unrighteousness and by consequence how great is the number of them who live in the great if not total neglect of this excellent work And I do not now speak of Atheists nor of those who are scandalously wicked and prophane for it is not to be wondred at in them since they have no fear of God before their Eyes But I and others of my Brethren are greatly mis-inform'd if the guilt hereof doth not cleave to some yea to many of those who
in gracious discourses and pouring out your Souls to God in prayer Now faith famous Mr. Perkins upon this very place if it be the duty of men to pray every where then certainly in their Families where God hath set them in so near a Relation one to another Thirdly We are commanded to pray continually or to pray always as in that fore-mentioned Ephes. 6. Praying always with all prayer Which words of the Apostle we are not to understand as if praying must ingross and take up all our time and we had nothing else to do but live Drones like a company of lazy Beggars that will not work though they are able Prayer indeed is a very considerable part of a Christians duty yet it is but a part There are various duties which he hath to perform and much other work of the Lord in which he ought to abound There is reading of the Scriptures singing of Psalms hearing the Word serious meditation and self-examination as well as prayer There is instructing of Youth and Catechizing of Children and exhorting one another and provoking one another to Love and to good works as well as praying Yea and there is tending of the Shop and working in the Trade and looking to the Children and washing of the house and providing for the Family and several other things and must be done We must have respect to all Gods Commandments and labour to fill up our places and to stand compleat in all the will of God concerning us Therefore when the Apostle speaks of our praying always understand it thus pray in every thing for so we are required to do in another Scripture Phil. 4.6 Be careful for nothing i. e. with a distrustful care with a solicitous and anxious care with a distracting disquieting care But in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving make your requests known unto God Pray in great things as believing the greatness of God's Power and pray in little things as believing also the extensiveness of his Care Pray over thy Calling because it is not the diligent hand alone but the Divine Blessing with it that makes rich Pray over your Meat and Drink and go not to your Tables as Swine to their Trough knowing that Creatures cannot befriend or serve you any further than as they are commissioned and assisted by God When Ministers go to study let them pray because it is the Spirit of Truth that must lead them into all Truth They will make sad work of it if God be not with their heads in studying their Sermons and with their mouths in delivering them And when People come to hear let them pray under and after all our Labours they will learn nothing to purppose they will not be wise to Salvation unless they are taught of God Thus to pray alway is to pray in every thing Again To pray always is to pray in every condition When you are High as knowing you are neither out of the reach of Trouble nor too good to serve and wait upon God And when you are Low as knowing you are not out of the reach of the Everlasting Arms but still there is hope in Israel concerning you Pray in Sickness and in Health too for it is God that must remove the former preserve and continue the latter Pray in Advrrsity for it is God that must support and comfort under that and Prosperity for it is God that must sanctifie that and give you an heart and wisdom to improve it Pray in Trouble that God would not be a Terrour to you in Danger that he would be a Defence to you and the Rock of your Refuge and in Peace that your Halcion days may neither be overcast nor abus'd By Prayer in Adversity shew your trusting in God and believing no case to be desperate which he will please to undertake and by Prayer in Prosperity shew to others your dependence upon God and your expectations being wholly from him and that you live more upon a Father in Heaven than you do upon any or all the Creatures here below Once again Pray always that is pray daily pray every day This is to be not only a Sabbath days work as I am inform'd some penurious strait-lac'd Professors make it no no it ought 〈◊〉 to be your every day-work Sure I am there is a great deal of reason for it We do commit sin and contract much guilt every day therefore it becomes us to repent and confess and it concerns us to sue out our pardon every day We have our Dangers visible and invisible Dangers every day therefore should be daily hiding our selves under our Fathers gracious wing and craving the Divine Protection We have Mercies every day a continued succession of them an innumerable number of them they follow us they load us they compass us about therefore we should have our Sacrifices of Praise and as persons of ingenuity pay our thankful acknowledgments to God every day Further we have our Wants every day we want our daily Bread and our daily Pardon we want daily Supplies Our Cistern would soon be empty if God should cut off the stream of his goodness we want daily Supports and should quickly drop into the Grave yea into nothing if God should withdraw his hand and let go his hold of us And we want a daily blessing without which all our contrivances are vain and all our endeavours fruitless If God do not say go and prosper we had as good sit still and therefore there is very great reason why we should have our daily prayers We are commanded by our Saviour to pray and not to faint for this end he spake a Parable Luk. 18.1 and by the Apostle to continue instant in prayer Rom. 12.12 that is to pray daily which was signified and taught by the daily Sacrifice under the Law concerning which you may read in Exod. 29. It is said in the 42 verse This shall be a continual Burnt-Offering thorow-out your Generations at the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation before the Lord where I will meet you to speak there unto thee This shall be a continual Burnt-Offering this what If you look back to the 38th and 39th verses you will see This is that which thou shalt offer upon the Altar two Lambs of the first year day by day continually the one Lamb thou shalt offer in the morning and the other Lamb shalt thou offer at Even Where you may take notice of this that the offering up of these two Lambs every day is called a continual Burnt-Offering And Mr. Answorth upon the place tells us that daily Sacrifice signified the continual sanctification of the Church through Faith in Christ the Lamb of God by whose mediation we and our actions are accepted of God and likewise he there tells us the Hebrew Doctors say the continual Sacrifice of the Morning did make atonement for the sins that were done in the night and the Evening Sacrifices made atonement for iniquities
committed in the day Now by a parity of Reason we may affirm that praying every day Morning and Envening is praying always or continuing instant in prayer And truly this is the least you can do if you would be grateful if you would bring glory to God if you would be exemplary in your places and to do this is good So the holy Prophet assures us in Psal. 92. which he intituled A Psalm or Song for the Sabbath-day vers 1. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord and to sing praises unto thy Name O most High This is good there is all good in it honest and profitable and pleasant good it is a paying of God what we owe to him and it will bring over advantage to us and it carries a great deal of sweetness along with it But when is it good to do this upon a Sabbath-day the Lord's-day yes it is good then it is very good then it is then specially in season because that day is given us not so much for the outward rest of the Body as for the inward and spiritual refreshing of the Soul that being taken off and set at liberty from the Labours and Toils of the World we may be wholly taken up with and imployed about the Service and Worship of God but though this be good singularly good upon our Sabbath-days yet it is not good only then for it is always good at other times as well as then so the same Psalmist assures us in the next Verse To shew forth thy loving-kindness in the morning and and thy faithfulness every night Mark that word every every night and by consequence every morning day by day in the morning because then the mind is more fresh and free and lively not yet intangled with nor deprest and fetter'd with secular Affairs but more fit to wait upon God and engage to holy works which call for and deserve the best and happiest frame And in the night the pleasant peace stilness and silence whereof doth render it very accommodate to and proper for the most sacred serious and solemn exercises In the morning prayer should open the door to business give your first visit to God who is your best Friend and at Evening let Prayer lock up the door and draw the Curtain Before the Body lies down in its Bed let the Soul return unto its Rest. This is a most excellent way for you to enjoy your selves and your God too a most excellent way to bring down from Heaven a Blessing upon your Labours in the day and to put a sweetness and refreshing into your sleep at night In this way you commit your selves and your all to God and engage God for you III. Family-worshipping of God hath been the practice ef Holy men in all Ages Saints standing upon Record in the Scriptures have soughâ— and served God in their Families and with them and so have all others in succeeding Generations who have been sound both in Head and Heart and acted by right Principles They have loved the work and delighted in the performance of it out of Conscience and Choice As for those Persons whose Heads have been Flie-blown and their mnds corrupted with Errour they are to be the Objects of our Compassion and Pity and the good Lord cause his Light to shine into their Minds in order to their better information and the reducing them from the Errour of their way but their practices are by no means to be made use of as your Directory or followed as your Pattern For if any have imbibed false notions it is no wonder that their lives and actions are crooked and irregular shamefully deficient in some things and no less extravagant in others Let us look to the precious and eminent Saints of God those that lived and died in the Faith and obtained a good report You are commanded to be followers of them who through Faith and Patience have inherited the Promises who are now possessed of those great things which they before lived in the belief and joyful expectation of who were here graciously accepted of God and are now received and glorified by him Let you and me my dearly Beloved follow them and tread in their steps Keep the same way now for it is the way Everlasting and turn not aside from that neither to the right hand nor to the left and equal their pace make as much haste as the best of them did considering that your time is as uncertain as theirs and it may be shorter only walk with circumspection not blindfold avoiding those things which were blame-worthy in them for even they were but Men and that imperfect Men compast about with infirmities having in them flesh as well as spirit Imitate them therefore in that which was good in them and will be so in you and in nothing else I may very well apply that of Paul to the present case and let you and me mind it as our Rule Phil. 4.8 Whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things are lovely whatsoever things are of good report and were so in them in all or in any of them think of those things and go you and do the like so long as they wrote fair imitate them but beware of their blots I am and oh that all professing Religion would be for the reviving of the old godliness Primitive Government in Churches and Primitive Godliness in Christians are like old Gold the best Ier. 6.16 Thus saith the Lord stand there in the ways and see and ask for the old paths where is the good way and walk therein and ye shall find rest to your Souls The old way is the good way meddle not with new upstart Doctrines and Practices that is best which is eldest Now then come we to the Business before us upon enquiry we shall find that the setting up of Prayer and other Religious Exercises in the Family was the good old way that way in which those precious Saints walked here upon Earth who at last got safely to Heaven and whose Prayers are changed for Eternal Allelujahs I will not multiply Instances but bring three or four out of the Old and New Testaments and in the Mouth of so many Witnesses I hope you will look upon the thing as evident and established First I Appeal to you Was not this the way in which this great and excellent Person Joshua walked He was a Person that God put great Honour upon he was the Man that must give Israel Possession of the Land of Promise and this was his way He had walked in it and he was not ashamed to own it before all Israel both the good and the bad yea to declare openly unto them his fixed and immoveable resolution of persevering therein This is plain in the Text As for me and my house we will serve the Lord not I alone but I and they too I with them whoever was or would be of his
in one or other and give a disturbance to the whole How great a matter may a little Fire kindle It is he that gives you the Comforts of your Families spreads your Tables and fills your Cups and giveth you all things to enjoy 1 Tim. 6.17 Your Cisterns would quickly be empty had they not recruits from the Eternal Fountain It is he that prevents breaches in your Families sinful breaches through anger and discontent jarrs and fallings out so that you would be Wolves and Tygers one to another afflictive breaches that would be Heart-breakings and cloath you in Sables and fetch Rivers of Tears from your Eyes and such a Groan as was utter'd by Naomi Ruth 1.21 22. Call me Marah for the Lord hath dealt bitterly with me I was full and the Lord hath made me empty How easily else might Death come with his Dart and stab one and with his Sythe mow down another so that the Parents shall sit down lamenting and refuse to be comforted and a numerous Family moulder away into nothing It hath been thus in other Houses why is it not so in yours But because of God's sparing Mercy he hath not given Death a Commission To instance in all that God doth for us to give in the total Sum of his favours is beyond our power we have reason to say with holy David Psal. 139.17 18. How precious are thy thoughts unto me O God how great is the sum of them if I should count them they are more in number than the sand when I awake I am still with thee Under thy careful watchful Eye thy securing comforting Wing and surely all this doth greatly oblige Families to own serve and honour God the Bonds of God are upon us there is the Bond of his Law the Bond of his Covenant and the Bond of Kindness let us not break these Bonds lest he bind us in the Bonds of Affliction and Fetters of Wrath As it would be a burning shame so an high provocation if they who receive so much from God should return little or nothing to him Fourthly Family-worship is due to God because of that necessary and absolute dependance which they have upon him for the future He that gave particular Persons their Being doth continue them in being else they would drop into the Grave Thou holdest our soul in life and sufferest not our feet to be moved Psal. 66.9 God by his Word created the World and the like Word of his Power is required for its preservation else it would return to its ancient Chaos Heb. 1.3 He upholdeth all things by the Word of his Power so he that made our Families must maintain them he that raised them up must keep them up how soon would they sink if his Everlasting Arm were not underneath In the Church he that planteth is nothing and he that watereth is nothing but God that giveth the increase so in the House he that ordereth and commandeth is nothing and they that assist and labour are nothing but God that giveth the blessing and the success I desire you to bestow some thoughts upon that one Scripture Iob 8.6 He shall make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous where I desire you to take notice of these few things First That it is God's work to make Habitations prosperous yea it is his alone all endeavours are vain and fruitless without his concurrence The diligent Hand indeed is said to make rich but another place tells us the Blessing of the Lord makes rich Man's diligence and God's blessing do excellently together then much good will come of it but when Man works alone he doth but beat the Air and loseth his labour nothing will prosper that God doth not command so to do in Spirituals the Spices will not flow forth unless the North and South Wind blow upon the Garden In Temporals the Ship must lye still and not reach its desired Haven except the Divine Blessing fill the Sails God's Curse at the Root will blast Families and make the greatest and most flourishing of them fade and dwindle into nothing Secondly Our Reason will tell us and so doth that Scripture That righteous Families stand fairest for God's Blessing I will behave my self wisely in a perfect way said David I will walk within my house with a perfect heart O when wilt thou come to me Psal. 101. A person of such an Heart and Way may desire and wish for God humbly invite him and believingly expect him with smiles and sweet manifestations of himself and gracious favourable Providences It is most probable and most rational to conclude that God will prosper Habitations of Righteousness this looks most consonant to his Nature most agreeable to his Justice and for this there is the greatest assurance in his Promises It is a righteous thing with God that Habitations of Wickedness should be Instances of Divine Vengeance that Habitations of Uncleanness should be Habitations for Owls and Satyrs that where the Tables are full of Vomit the Houses should spew them out but righteous Persons and Habitations of Righteousness are under the Blessing of Heaven and so most like to flourish Psal. 5.12 Thou Lord wilt bless the righteous with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield But then Thirdly The great Question will be What it is that doth make or denominate any House an Habitation of Righteousness and to that I answer the giving of every one his due the performing all righteous acts toward Men and of all holy acts toward God that is an Habitation of Righteousness in which there is the true fear and worship of God There may be a righteous Person in a Family that is wicked there was a righteous Noah in a wicked World a just Lot in a wicked Sodom a Diamond in a sink a good Ahijah in the House of Iereboam who made Israel to sin Saints in the House of Nero who was at that day the Monster of Men though there have been as bad since and worse too but this did not make those Houses Habitations of Righteousness notwithstanding that they were Habitations of Devils there must be the Families fearing serving and worshipping of God else it is not it cannot truly be called an Habitation of Righteousness So much may well suffice to be spoken to the first sett of Arguments for the proving to you that the setting up of the Worship of God in our Families is no more than our reasonable service I proceed now according to the method before propounded to a second order or company of Arguments for the setting up of Family-worship and Duty and they shall be drawn from the Heads and Governours of Families and there will be several of them which I advise and earnestly desire every one of you seriously to consider for what will Arguments signifie if they be not duly weighed Prov. 24.32 Solomon tells us that passing by the Field and Vineyard of the slothful Man void of understanding the Wall whereof was broken down
God speaking in Psal. 91. of one that loves him that loves his Name and Interest speaks of many things that he will do for him and among the rest he promiseth to honour him and he will be as good as his word it shall be done both in Time and to Eternity Secondly This is the way to instill into your Families right Principles that fear and respect which you have with them upon the other account is altogether forc'd you do by meer violence extort it from them and so it is not kindly nor will it be lasting they will reverence you before your Face but what will they do behind your Back Multiply very hard thoughts of you and speak as hard words against you where they safely may but in this way of holy Duty you take a course to rectifie their Spirits and sow in them those Seeds that may and in all likelihood will spring up to your own comfort and advantage for while you do endeavour to teach them the good will of God concerning them and to instill into their Hearts the love and fear of his holy Name they will at the same time and with the same pains and labour be taught to pay that reverence and fear which they owe to you shew them the way to honour God and they will thereby learn to give that honour which is due to you and it is to be hoped that what they do now will proceed from an inward Principle and what doth so is of all things the most durable and like to hold Thirdly Religion acted to the Life carrieth a Majesty along with it It was the Image of God instampt upon Man at first that did so excellently fit and qualifie him for the Government of this inferiour World it was this shining in his Countenance that struck an awe upon the other Creatures and made them submit to him As soon as Sin had defac'd that Image and he faln short of the glory of God they threw off the Yoke and grew stubborn and rebellious the more this Image is restored to Men the more there is of God appearing in them the more they live to God and walk with him the more will they recover their lost honour a Crown upon the Head a Sword a Scepter in the Hand will not render a Person so truly honourable as Religion will This strikes an awe even upon carnal Men when in the Company of such and often restrains them and keeps them from those exorbitances into which their own cursed Lusts would hurry them if this doth not gain you their Hearts so that they shall be knit to you it will commend you to their Consciences Let Men think and say and act as they please there is no such probable no such effectual way for the working in the minds of people a real and permanent goodness for the making of Children loving and dutiful and of Servants industrious and faithful as is an instilling into them the Principles of Religion and teaching them the good fear of the Lord when this is once done your Hearts may trust in them and you will find them devoted to the pleasing of you and set for the promoting your Interest that will preserve them from running into such sins as others do not stick at it will make them tremble at that which others will commit with greediness they shall not be supinely careless and negligent in your business nor shall they be Companions of Fools running with them into excess of Riot they shall not pilfer and steal from you that they may have wherewith to gratifie and fulfil a Lust they shall not embezzle your Goods nor betray the Trust you repose in them they dare not do these things there is a Conscience within that restrains them an Eye above which awes them You have two famous instances in Scripture for the proof of this which I shall mention the one of a great Man the other of a poor Servant The former is that of good Nehemiah What made him so excellent a Governour and so tender over the people studying their ease and comfort he had precedents enough to justifie him in another manner of Carriage toward them Neh. 5.14 15. For twelve years I and my brethren had not eaten the bread of the Governours He made not use of that which was his just allowance The former Governours which had been before me were chargeable to the people and had taken of them bread and wine besides forty pieces of silver yea even their Servants bare rule over the people so that this Oppression was grown to be a custom Why did not he keep it up The people having been accustomed to such a load would not have kicked now that was not it he did not fear the people but he fear'd God who alone was more than they and that was it that kept him from such practices as he tells us in the same Verse So did not I because of the fear of God The other instance is that of Ioseph who was indeed of a most Noble Descent the best Family in all the World but having fallen under the heavy displeasure of his envious Brethren they sold him and at this time he was a poor Servant nay of the worst sort a Slave and what would not such an one do to recover his liberty or to enlarge his comforts His Mistress burnt in Love to him and was earnestly set for an unlawful Enjoyment and thereupon tempted him to a compliance with her Lust. Carnal Reason now might have suggested here is a fair opportunity offered for advantaging your self a refusal will inrage her if you do not yield to her Love you kindle her Wrath and that will make the House too hot for you but if you do comply with the motion and accept her tender'd kindness you may be sure of a Friend you engage her favour and who knows but by having that you may recover your liberty however you may promise your self much from it but this would not take Ioseph had been taught better in his Fathers House and he had not forgot all he had brought from home with him such a Principle as was his preservation from t his fiery Dart an excellent Antidote against this insinuating Posyon and that was a Spirit of ingenuous gratitude and holy fear Gen. 39.8 9. My Master hath committed all that he hath to my hand there is none greater in his house than I neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee because thou wast his Wife how then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God! You see here the power of good Principles and the blessed effect of Family Religion Whereas the neglect of this is of as malevolent influence and pernicious consequence An House where there is not holy instructions and exercises is like a Field or Garden not cultivated that will be over-run with Weeds When Masters of Families neglect their Duty to God they set their Children and Servants a wretched
benumm'd are cast into a profound sleep and have no fear of God before their Eyes And let them know that sooner or latter the present Calm will be followed with a most terrible Storm the Wrath of God and the Rage of Conscience will cause it and that will blow away all your comforts and throw down all your hopes and who can tell but it may carry you to Hell with the People that forget God But on the other side an hearty Love to the Name Honour and Interest of God and the setting up of his Worship and Service in your Families from such an excellent and holy Principle is the direct and ready way to a sweet inward peace the way to have a Calm and Serenity in your Souls though the Clouds may be black and the Storms great which are upon your Tabernacles Let things issue how they will in your Families as to your Children and Servants whether they do get good or no whether they go to Heaven or to Hell yet this will be a quieting and comforting consideration to you that you in some good measure have done your duty I have been much taken with those words of Samuel to Israel after they had rejected the Lord from being King over them and he had made Saul King 1 Sam. 12.23 As for me God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you but I will teach you the good and the right way O! do you so my dear Friends let it be the same with you set this excellent Copy before you and write after it frequently considering with your selves what an hearty reviving Cordial it will be when you are able to say to your Families Blessed be God I have not ceased to pray for you many a Petition I have put up and many a Tear I have shed in my Closet nor have I ceased to pray with you your selves are my Witnesses how frequent and earnest a Suitor I have been to God on your behalf I have been pleading and wrestling every day morning and evening and I have also been teaching you the good and the right way that of Truth and Holiness that of God's Commandments the Scripture way which is good because it is clean and pure and right because it brings to Heaven and Happiness all those that travel and are undefiled in it And yet further it will make the Cordial much more strong and prove a singular addition to your comfort when you are able to say I have not only shewn and taught you that good and right way but I have likewise taken you by the hand and led you into it You and I have had a communion in holy Duties We have gone to the House God in company and at home we have walked in the way of God in company How chearfully may you converse together and go about the work and business of the day after you have in the morning offered up your Sacrifice unto God and how may you at night part with one another in peace and lye down to rest in your Beds after you have desir'd the spreading of the Divine Wing over you and committed your selves to the protection of that God who is the Keeper of Israel and doth neither slumber nor sleep If there be not wilful commission of known sins nor a wilful omission of other known duties but a sincere desire and endeavour of approving your selves to God in all holy Conversation a due and constant care of performing Family-duties will afford you great peace so that nothing need to offend you And let me add this that constancy in this work will be a soveraign Antidote against many of those things that cause convulsions and broils and disorders in too many houses What passions are there in them and how unruly and exorbitant by which all is put into a flame What discontents what animosities what quarrels and contentions that people are so far from enjoying one another that they cannot enjoy themselves by means whereof the nearness of the Relation becomes a great aggravation of the affliction but joynt-fellowship in Family-duties and execises of Religion may very much help in this case both to the purpose of preventing those feuds if you do but consider that of the Apostle 1 Tim. 2.8 I will that men pray every where lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting As you must pray in Faith so in Love You must not in wrath pray to him that is the God of Love It will also help to the repairing of a breach and healing of a wound when there is one made if you duly consider that of our Saviour Matth. 5.23 24. If thou bring thy gift to the Altar and there remembrest that thy Brother hath ought against thee leave there thy gift before the Altar and go thy way first be reconciled to thy Brother and then come and offer thy gift Reconciliation must go before supplication if we would have audience with God How can you think your Father should be pleased if you live at variance with his Children Peter would have Love between Husband and Wife that their prayers might not be hindered 1 Pet. 3.7 They that quarrel together will not be fit to pray together Observe Iames his method laid down for general observance among Christians Iam. 5.16 Confess your faults one to another and pray one for another that ye may be healed Seek peace with one another by confession and then peace with God by prayer But to return this Family-serving of God will promote inward peace in them that are Governours it cannot but be a comfort to you to think that while other houses have been the sink of sin yours have been the dwelling places of the most High Others have been Bethavens houses of vanity yours have been Bethels the houses of God in others there hath been the serving of divers lusts and fellowship with Devils and the unfruitful works of darkness but in yours there hath been the serving of God and a fellowship kept up with the Father and with his Son the Lord Jesus Christ. In a word while other houses have been the Synagogues of Satan yours have been the Temples of the Living God and the Churches of Christ. As we do find godly Religious Families dignified in the Scriptures and honoured with the illustrious name of Churches Thus Paul Rom. 16.3 bids them greet Priscilla and Aquila his helpers in Christ Iesus and also verse 5. the Church that was in their house And again in Col. 4.15 He ordered them to salute Nymphas and the Church that was in his house i. e. the Family which was Christian and Godly and besides their joyning together in Manual Labour and houshold business did unite and joyn together in the Worship and Service of God And I have read that in the last Century before this the House of George Prince of Anhalt for the good Orders that were observed therein was said to be Ecclesia a Church for the Religion
hereafter he will extort it from you in a way of Vindicative Justice if you will not apply your selves to praying and reading the holy Scriptures with the teaching and instructing of your Children and Servants in the things of God you may well tremble to think of fiery indignation and of the dismal effects of it weeping and wailing and gnashing of Teeth which will be the portion of your Cup to all Eternity unless you do seasonably repent and reform and make your peace with God for what reason have they to promise themselves a comfortable Reward who do now live in the neglect of their Duty But then on the other side Thirdly When your Hearts have been upright with God and sound in his Statutes and walked as David resolved to do within your Houses with a perfect Heart and behaved your selves wisely in a perfect way then you need not tremble at the nearest approaches of the King of Terrours It is indeed a solemn thing to die and as it is a taking the compositum in pieces as it is the parting of those two old Friends the Soul and Body which had lived together long in great intimacy and close union Nature startles at it and they seldom are divided without an agony and struggling But yet such a Person as I have now described need not fear but as he can look back with comfort so he may look forward with boldness as Paul did 2 Tim. 4.6 7 8. I am now ready to be offer'd and the time of my departure is at hand Well Paul thou art now ready to be gone but what didst thou do while thou wast here I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith and what dost thou now please thy self with That hencefort there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which God the righteous Iudge will give unto me at that day and not to me only but to all them that love his appearing and who are they that can love his appearing as a Iudge surely none but they that have been obedient to his commands and done his work as he was their Lord and Master when you have served your Generation according to his Will you may be as willing to fall asleep as a weary Man is at Night after a hard days labour when he hath finished his work in short when you have been faithful in your little much more when you have been always abounding in the work of the Lord you may be sure that your labour shall not be in vain but you shall receive your reward even that Gift of God which is Eternal Life To this purpose I would have you consider two things First The account our Lord and Saviour could give of himself and what thereupon he did expect and ask of his Father Both these we meet with in Iohn 17.4.5 The account which he could give of himself was this Father I have glorified thee on earth I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do He glorified his Father in and by finishing his work Now let it be your care and mine to tread in the steps of our Lord and to write after so excellent a Copy set us by so great a Person and so dear a Saviour though we cannot equal him that is a thing impossible for us poor weak sinful Creatures to do yet let us imitate him as much and as far as we can and the good Lord help us so to do and if we will up and be doing God will be with us Will you therefore endeavour it Oh do glorifie God upon earth you have too much dishonour'd him by your sins against him by your disobedience to him by your preferring worthless trifles broken cisterns lying vanities before him mend now and for the future make it your business to glorifie him you were made for that it was the end of your Creation you were sent hither into the World for that whatever other business your hand findeth here to do this is the main and principal this doth deserve and call for your best thoughts and utmost diligence and do you glorifie him by finishing the work which he hath given you to do There is none of you but God hath given work as he casts your Lines and carves your Portions so he hath cut out your work I beseech you study it labour to know what it is and knowing it mind it set about it speedily without delay and follow it close neglect no part of it but finish it as far as you are able you cannot do all because so much of your time is already lost and your strength is so much impair'd and corruptions do so greatly clog you and your spiritual and carnal Enemies will so resist and hinder you that you cannot do all you should and will need pardon for your miscarriages and failings in what you do yet do all that you can not only the work of your general Calling as you are Christians but also the work of every particular place station and relation in which the Divine Providence hath set you whether it be Civil or Ecclesiastick Publick or Domestick Art thou a Sheriff of Justice in the Countrey a Mayor Alderman a Common-Council-Man or Constable in the City Do thou the duty of thy Place Art thou a Minister of the Gospel Do thou thine Preach the Word be instant in Season and out of Season art thou a Child a Servant Be thou obedient industrious faithful art thou an Husband a Wife a Parent a Master or Mistress the Head and Governour of a Family Do thou thine Walk within thy House with a perfect Heart rule in the fear of God He that is not good in his Relation is not good at all he that is not a good Husband a good Master is not a good Man much of the power of godliness doth consist and discover it self in the performance of Relative Duties See then that much of your care be employed about this and see that your places be not empty of Duty nor your Families void of Religion Now observe what our Savior did hereupon expect and say Father glorifie thâ—u me with thy own self Here hath been my work where now is my glory So when you have finished the work which God gave you to do when you have walked with God and lived to God when you have improved your Interest your Power and your All for God then you may say Father do thou accept of me and receive me and glorifie thou me my work is done now let me have my rest always remembring that you are not to expect this upon the score of Merit but only as a Reward of Grace for our Lord hath taught us to call our selves unprofitable Servants when we have done all that is commanded us what are we then now we fall so short and perfect not one piece of work that is put into our hands Secondly Consider that good account which the Prophet gives of
with you and in you and keeping a Book of Accounts in which is inserted and recorded what it observes Now then ought you not to repair this damage to your utmost and since you have done and go on to do them so much hurt should you not do them all the good you can and be heartily glad when it is in your power to do it have you shewn them many things by which they have offended God and will you not shew them by counsel and practice those things that will please him I beseech you to bestir and lay out your selves and your all for the making of them amends and the recovering them out of that Snare of the Devil into which you have helpt to bring them In what I now say I do not put you upon impossibilities nor the doing of that which is without the reach of your power I do not bid you sanctifie them by forming Christ and planting Grace in their hearts I do not bid you raise them out of the Grave of Corruption and breath into their Souls the Breath of Spiritual Life that must be effected by the Arm of Omnipotency none else can do it none hath a Regenerating Power but he that hath a Creating Power but you may pray for them in your private Retirements and you may pray with them that God would be pleased to give them his Spirit and to work his Grace in them You may take your Children and your Servants with you and carry them to God and beg of him that he would pity and help them As you read when our Lord Iesus was here upon Earth Tabernacling among Men they came to him from all parts of the Land begging of him a Cure for themselves and their Children and their Servants as the matter did require Now Christ is in Heaven he hath the same power that you must needs believe and grant for here he was in his State of lowest Humiliation there he is in his State of highest Preferment and Exaltation After his Resurrection he told his Disciples all Power was given him both in Heaven and Earth and distance of place doth not hinder He can help afar off as well as at hand his Arm being long as well as strong There is no need of this great Physician leaving his Fathers Right Hand and coming down in Person to cure Diseased Souls by sending his Word he can heal them as he did formerly Psal. 107. v. 20. And his Glory hath not in the least detracted from his Mercy His Heart is now what it was as loving and tender his Bowels are not shrunk up nor do his Compassions fail Iesus Christ is the same yesterday and to day and for ever Heb. 13.8 As his Hand of Power is not shortened so his gracious Ear is not grown heavy therefore go to him taking Faith along with you and say Lord my Children were born blind O! do thou anoint them with thine Eye-salve that they may receive their sight Open their Eyes that they may see wonderful things out of thy Law and the precious things of thy Gospel that they may see the sinfulness of Sin and the beauty of Holiness that they may see their own undone condition and the absolute need they have of Christ together with the all-sufficiency of his Righteousness and the riches of his Grace the sweetness of his Government and the easiness of his Yoke Go to him and say Lord my Children are grievously troubled with a Devil a proud Devil a lying Devil a disobedient stubborn obstinate Devil O that thou wouldest make thy Power known in the casting of him out Once more go to him and say Lord My Children have got the Leprosie of Sin it hath spread it self all over them O do thou say I will be ye clean My Children are Enemies in their Minds by wicked works Enemies to Thee and all that is spiritually good O do thou reconcile them that of Enemies to Thee they may become Enemies to Sin and for the time to come they may love thy Father thy Self and Spirit thy Truth and Ways Lord My Children are the Slaves of Satan and they delight in their Chain they serve divers Lusts and are pleased with their Bondage and count their Drudgery a Recreation O! let these Lawful Captives of the Mighty be delivered break their Chains asunder and bring them into the Liberty of thy Children and as they have yielded their members Servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity even so now and for the time to come they may yield their members Servants to righteousness unto holiness Rom. 6.20 And what you do to this purpose for your Children do also for your Servants take them up in the Arms of your Love and Prayer and lay them at the foot of God and beg him that he would sanctifie and save them And as you can thus pray and plead with God for them so you can add hereunto if you will There are other things which you can do You cannot infuse into them a Principle of Grace but you may teach them the Principles of Religion you may shew the way in which they should walk though you cannot put that way in their hearts as we have that expression Psal. 84.5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee in whose heart are the ways of them You cannot bow their Wills to God's nor raise and spiritualize their Affections nor set them upon their proper Objects those things which are above but you may inform their Judgments You cannot write the Law of God in their hearts nor put his Fear into their inward parts but you may acquaint them with the Law of God and read the Bible to them and hear them read both it and other Othodox good Books but the Bible most and rather than the best Books in the World So again you cannot make them good but you may set a good Example before them and write a very fair Copy for them to imitate and invite them to tread in your steps saying to them as Paul did Be ye followers of me as I am of Christ and walk so as ye have us for an example It is certain all this is in your power you may do it and oh that you would Oh that you would abound in the doing of it considering how much you have done against them how greatly you have prejudiced them how much they have suffered through your means how much they have been tainted by you Really you are obliged to this this is no more than what you owe to these poor Creatures and if you are careless negligent and wanting herein you are unjust you with hold that which is meet and it tends to your own poverty and sorrow at the last it is in the power of your hand to do it therefore do not withhold it from them to whom it is due it is a Debt and that both of Charity and of Equity up then in your several Families and apply to this excellent
needful work for the Lord's sake apply to it with diligence and chearfulness what your hand findeth to do herein do with all your might And since your planting and watering will turn to no account unless God give the increase begin and second all these holy endeavours with prayer Beg of God that he would open their understandings and hearts that he would work together with you and by you and that he would be pleased to out-do you that he would work that in them and for them which you cannot III. Considâ—r seriously whose your Children and Servants are they are yours yea and they are God's as well as yours God's more than yours First They are yours Your Children are yours by Nature begotten or born of you parts of your selves from you under God they had their Being Your Servants are yours by Compact or Covenant And here let us call again to mind what was said before they are both your Charge and therefore they ought to be your Care you are to look to them you will look to your Money and Goods and not lose them if you can help it The Countrey-man will look to his Corn and Cattel that he may not lose them and is there not reason for as great care here and greater too Our Saviour said It is the will of him that sent me that of all whom he hath given me I should lose none and I am sure it is so here It is the will of him that sent you into the World that of all whom he hath given you you should lose none There may be indeed as there was in Christ's Family so in yours a Son a Daughter of Perdition who lose themselves who will ruin and destroy themselves and their Blood will be upon their own heads But have you a care that you do not lose them through your wilful carelesness and neglect For as I have said they are your Charge and believe me the Charge of a Family is a great Charge of mighty weight and importance as all the World all ranks and degrees of Men will find it when that day shall come in which the Eternal God will reckon with them You know that if any one come by an untimely Death whether it be in the City or in the Countrey the Coroners Inquest must be called and sit upon the Body who ought to make a strict and impartial Enquiry about it that the Murderer might be discovered and brought to condign Punishment because there is not only the Loss of a Relation or a Servant but also the King hath lost a Subject Bring this to the present case before us here is such an one a Soul lost in this Family and there is another lost in that Family and so in a great many more the Lord only knows how great the number of them is How many thousand of Souls do every day drop into Hell If people would give themselves leave seriously to consider it it would make their hearts to ake and dissolve into Tears and peradventure it is nay I do not in the least question but it is the case of some of your Families You have lost a Child and you a Daughter and you a Servant in that sense in which the compassionate Father said concerning his Prodigal This my Son was lost he was dead He was dead in trespasses and sins the poor mournful Father had lost him and the Devil taken him up for a Stray but these of yours are lost beyond the possibility of a recovery their Souls are lost for ever they are dead and dead in sin their Bodies are laid in the Grave in a Bed of Dust and their Souls are gone down to Hell and there laid upon a Bed of Flames which Divine Justice hath prepared for them and the Breath of the Lord like as a stream of Brimstone doth feed But now here God hath lost a Creature one that was the work of his own hands and you may be sure that He will make Inquisition for Blood How did this Soul and that Soul come thus to miscarry was it their own doing was it through their own folly and madness because they would not hearken to the Voice of their Teachers or was it through the neglect of those to whose care and tuition they were committed The guilt of every ones Blood shall be laid some where and God will lay it where it ought to lie and there is as you may gather from what hath been said reason why God should thus proceed because Secondly They I mean your Children and Servants are God's as well as yours nay they are more God's than yours He indeed gave them to you as Iacob told his Brother These are the Children which God hath graciously given to thy Servant But when he gave them to you he did not alienate them from himself nor part with his own Right but reserves that whole and entire to himself He so gives them to us that still they are his Yea they are more his than ours And so it is with all our other Enjoyments Take one Scripture or two for the proof of this first as to our Enjoyments some Men think their Estates are their own and their Money their own so that they may do with them whatsoever they please but it is no such matter we are but Stewards God is the Lord of all For this see Hos. 2.8 9. I gave her Corn and Wine and multiplied her Silver and Gold They were his and he gave them to her But observe now he retain'd a propriety in them and therefore upon her misemploying and abusing them he threatned to take them away I will return and take away my Corn in the time thereof and my Wine in the season thereof and recover my Wooll and my Flax. They were hers by vertue of God's donation but they were his also and now she should know as much for he will turn her out and take the Possession of all again This consideration should make all wary that they do not sin with their Enjoyments nor maintain their Lusts at God's cost nor with God's allowances make provision for the Flesh and it should also teach rich Men to do good with what they have and quicken them to acts of Piety and Charity Your Estates are yours but they are God's too and therefore as you ought to use them for your own good and comfort so you must lay them out for God's honour and for God's poor for the Sovereign right in your Estates is in God and it is the same as to your Children God lays his claim to them Ezek. 16.20 21. Thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters whom thou hast born unto me and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured Is this of thy Whoredoms a small matter that thou hast slain my Children and delivered them to cause them to pass thorough the fire for them Mark it the Lord grants they were her Children but he doth also call them his Children he
that their Minority that Sign or Token of the Covenant is not set or given to them as apprehending them to be in the same condition with those who are Aliens to the Commonwealth of Israel and Strangers to the Covenants of Promise though the truth is the Children of Believers are the holy Seed born Members of that Commonwealth and within the Covenant of Promise But I dispute not the Point with them having in mine Age something else to do than to spend my few precious hours in Controversies but this I would say to all those that are of that Perswasion that it doth very greatly concern them to be very careful and constant in the performance of Family-duties and I should be very glad to hear that they are consciencious and as diligent therein as the matter doth require Oh! that they would take pains and spend a convenient portion of time in praying with their unbaptized Children and Servants and in Instructing and Catechizing of them and in using all the means which God hath appointed and that are within the compass of their power that so they might be brought to the knowledge of God and to a believing in owning of and submitting to the Lord Jesus Christ and to a laying hold upon the Covenant that so they may when grown up have a right to the benefits of it and partake of the Blessings of it and be fit to receive the Seal of it and my hearty Prayer to the Father of Mercies and God of all Grace on their behalf is that they may lay it to their Hearts as they ought and often think with themselves how much it stands them in hand and what an obligation resulting from their own Principles lyes upon them to be very holy in their Lives and very industrious in their Places for the good of their Families and in order to the working of Knowledge in their Heads and Grace in their Hearts and Holiness in their Lives that of those concerning whom they do now say They are none of God's people God may be graciously pleas'd to say They are my people and I am the Lord their God But Secondly There are others here with and for whom I am more concerned as being of that Flock of God over which the Holy Ghost hath made me an Overseer and these are for the Baptizing of Children in their Infancy and so for an early dedication and binding of them to God and his Service you are my Charge and I can say as to many of you you are my Joy and Crown and I hope will be so in the day of Christ and it is my hearty Desire and Prayer that you may adorn the Gospel and walk unto all well-pleasing and make it your endeavour to stand compleat in all the Will of God Now I would have you all to know and do intreat you to consider and remember that as a worthy Divine as yet I hope in the Land of the Living hath observed there is an equal Tye and full out as strong an Obligation to an holy care and diligence this way lying upon those Parents that are for the Baptizing of Children in their Infancy as there is upon those that are against it you ought not to be more slack and remiss in teaching and rightly principling your Baptized Children than they are in instructing their unbaptized Children you ought to be as diligent in bringing them up graciously whom you have bound to God as they are or can be in the Education of them whom they do thus far leave at liberty though indeed you do not drive on the same design with them nor level and aim at the same end they do for as he saith and it is true Antipaedo-baptists who are consciencious and do indeed love and fear the Lord ought and will endeavour to bring up their Children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and earnestly to seek their conversion and turning from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God and their personal embracing and laying hold upon the Covenant that thereupon they may be brought into a Covenant-state that they may be admitted and taken into Covenant and that they may come under the Wing and Benefit and Blessing of it Whereas those holy Parents who have their Children Baptized in their Infancy have not that in their Eye as their end for they do not doubt of their Covenant-state for they do firmly hold their being Born in Covenant with God as they are the Children of Believers and they also know that that Covenant hath been sealed to them yet notwithstanding they do reckon themselves greatly concerned and no less obliged to endeavour the Instruction and Conversion and their own personal owning and embracing of the Covenant and Cordial Chearful coming up to the terms and requiries of it and that for these Considerations and Reasons which I shall name and lightly touch and so pass on First That they might understand their Duty what it is that the Lord their God requires of them and what their Parents did in their young and tender years bind them to the observance and performance of that through their own folly and default they may not be cast out and cut off as Ishmael was tho he had Abraham for his Father and had himself been Circumcised and so it was with Esau afterwards Now these Parents do not think it enough that the Covenant between God and their Children hath been struck and sealed but they would have it established everlasting and sure they would have their Children kept preserved in a Covenant-state live and die in it Secondly It is the earnest desire of such holy and gracious Parents not only that their children might be preserved in a Covenant-state but also that they might be happy sharers in the good of it and the Benefits and Blessings thereof may descend upon them for Persons may be in a Covenant-state and yet fall short of the best and richest Blessings of it such as are the fruits of special love and distinguishing As a Man may be in Christ the true Vine and yet not partake of his sap and fatness Iohn 15. So he may be in Covenant and yet not have Covenant-grace nor a Covenant-spirit a Man may be externally in a Covenant-state and yet in an unregerate and unjustified-state and therefore that which doth most strongly engage Parents to teach their Children and endeavour the bringing them up to the terms of the Covenant is that they might so honour obey and please God as withal to reap and enjoy all those great good things precious Mercies and singular Blessings which are contained in the Covenant and conveyed by it Thirdly A being faithful to the Covenant and a living up to its terms and performing its conditions is the Duty and Interest of all those who would be savingly the better for it unto that a continuance in the Covenant is of equal necessity with an entrance and admission into it How can any
him and my Patience shall no longer wait upon him Do not therefore in this or the like case consult with flesh and blood make not carnal Reason your Counsellor listen not to Objections though never so seemingly fair and plausible for there is no sufficient Argument to be brought against any thing which really is a matter of Duty whether you owe it to God or Man All this while I have been speaking to you altogether in generals but now I shall descend to particulars and here with all the earnestness that I possibly can use I shall exhort you to these three things and give you some Directions for your help in the doing of them 1. To pray with your Families 2. To teach and instruct your Families 3. To set them a good Example in your own Lives and Conversations in order to the keeping or banishing sin and profaneness out of them together with the promoting of Morality and Godliness in them I shall begin with the great Duty of Family-prayer and oh that I might through the Grace of God persuade you all into the practice of it Oh that from this very day there may not be found one prayerless Family among you For I do not doubt to affirm that which is a prayerless Family is also a graceless Family Where there is no seeking of God there is no love to him no fear of him And that Family which is void of the Grace of God is without his Blessing and though there may be outward Plenty and Grandeur in it and the Sun of worldly Prosperity may shine upon it yet it stands open and exposed to the Wrath and Indignation of God who is and cannot but be angry with it every day seeing himself slighted and neglected by his own Creatures who live upon him and receive their All from him And there is standing upon Record in the Sacred Scriptures a dreadful Prayer against those Families which do not pray let those that are guilty read it and tremble for as it was indited by the Spirit of God so it shall be fulfilled by the Iustice of God Ier. 10.25 Pour out thy Fury upon the Heathen that know thee not and upon the Families that call not upon thy Name The Families that do not call upon God's Name do not know him for as those that know his Name will put their trust in him so they will seek him and they may very well be reckoned Heathen-Families though they are Christian by a verbal Profession Christians in Name but Heathens in practice and over these Families there hangs a great black Cloud of Divine Vengeance which at one time or another will disgorge and empty it self upon them there shall not only be some little small drops of Anger but the pouring out of Fury and methinks danger should be enough to drive you to Duty though he is not ingenuous not of a right temper who is moved by no other consideration I would have you walk with God and in the way of your Duty not for wrath only or chiefly but for Conscience sake not only that you might avoid being bound in Chains of Wrath but because you are allur'd and drawn with the cords of kindness Though we may and should use all the Arguments we can muster and those of all sorts for the persuading of our dull and heavy hearts that are so backward unto that which is spiritually good to that end therefore consider you have Family-sins and therefore ought to joyn together in your confessing of them mourning over them and humbling your selves before God for them and you have Family-sorrows and afflictions and therefore should be joynt-suitors to God both for the sanctifying of them to you and for the removal of them from you and you have Family-mercies in which you do all share and of which you tast the sweetness and therefore you should all bear your parts in a Song of Praise and chearfully joyn together in your acknowledgments of them and thankful returns to the God that gives them And withal be sure of this that if you do exclude Family-prayer you shut out God himself and at the same time you open the door to the Devil and let in together with him a croud of sins and by conseqence of mischiefs Therefore I beseech you mind and resolve upon the great and excellent work of Family-prayer yea and make Conscience of performing it And in order to the better management thereof I shall give you these following Directions which I desire you to observe and the good Lord grant you an heart to follow them I. Live in the performance of Secret Prayer When you are in your Retirements be upon the ascent when you are alone be with God You that are Parents and Masters of Families do this your selves and heartily commend it to all under your care your Servants and your Children which are in a capacity of doing it which you will not find to be any detriment or loss to you For this you have an express Command from our dearest Lord Jesus Christ Matth. 6.6 Thou when thou prayest enter into thy Closet and when thou hast shut thy door pray to thy Father which seeth in secret and thy Father which seeth in secret will reward thee openly He doth not here take you off from praying with others but he puts you on praying by your selves that is not to be neglected and this is to be done therefore do you allow them time for it who are under your roof Let the Husband pray by himself and the Wife by her self the Children apart and the Servants apart It was a dreadful thing when in the 8th of Ezekiel the Lord in a Vision carried the Prophet from place to place and in them all he shewed him abominations in one place there was the Image of Iealousie in another place the form of creeping things Beasts and all the Idols of the House of Israel pourtray'd upon the Wall in a third place Women weeping for Tammuz and in a fourth place there were others worshipping the Sun toward the East Idolatry was committed in all those places hereupon God threatens to dwell with them in Fury But how sweet will it be when God looks into your houses and sees the Husband praying in one room and the Wife in another a Child upon his knees pouring its supplications out before him here and a a Servant doing it there this is the way to have him dwel with you in mercy and according to the exceeding riches of his Grace I desire you that are Servants to redeem some time for this work though you have enough to do your heads and hearts and hands full yet get some minutes for this for so you may comfortably expect that when you are about the business of your Calling God will strengthen you the more for it and bless you the better Wrest some time out of the hand of sleep Wrestling with God is better than an idle slothful lazying It is a thousand
tender Babes so that they will be quiet and give you no disturbance in the work that so you may First Present your selves before the Lord offering and dedicating them to him Secondly Enter them early and from the Cradle in his Service Thirdly Beg a Blessing from God upon them though they cannot beg one for themselves If you will consult the Scriptures you will find that God's ancient People the Iews did bring sometimes their Children with them to the great Congregations Take two instances of it one of them you have in Deut. 29.10 11. All Israel did appear before the Lord when Moses made a Covenant with them in the Land of Moab Now read what Moses there said to them Ye stand all of you this day before the Lord your God your Captains of your Tribes your Elders and your Officers with all the men of Israel your little ones your Wives and thy stranger that is in thy Camp from the hewer of thy Wood unto the drawer of thy Water Not only the Males but the Females not only the great and honourable Men but the meanest not only the Fathers but the Children not only those that were grown up but the little ones were brought before the Lord to enter into Covenant with him and into the Oath which the Lord their God made with them that day So when in Ezra 9. the Princes came to that holy Man and told him the people of Israel and the Priests and the Levites had not separated themselves from the people of the Lands but taken their Daughters for themselves and for their Sons also so that the holy Seed had mingled themselves with the people of the Lands the good Man upon the hearing thereof rent his Garment and his Mantle and pluck'd off the Hair of his Head and of his Beard and sate down astonied at the Evening Sacrifice he fell upon his Knees and spread out his Hands unto the Lord his God blushing and professing himself ashamed to lift up his Face to God because of that great trespass which had been committed by the people though he himself was not guilty of it Now consult Ezra 10.1 and you find there when he had prayed and when he had confessed weeping and casting himself down before the House of God there assembled unto him a very great Congregation of men and women and children for the people wept very sore The poor Children were brought as Persons concern'd as those who were obnoxious to the stroke of Justice and might perish in a common Calamity brought upon that sinning and God-provoking People So that it was no childish thing in them to bring their Children with them to such serious and solemn work there was much in it as might easily be shewn Now let these Examples prevail so far with you as to bring your Children with you to your Family-duties there present them before the Lord for though they can do nothing to the duty yet you cannot tell what God may do upon and in them he hath a way to their Hearts and can do that good work in them which neither they nor you do know now but both they and you may know it afterward Therefore though they cannot pray themselves though they cannot understand what you say in your Prayers yet let them be present at them there they are under the Eye of God and he may bestow upon them a look of love they are in the way of mercy and it may give them a visit the Prayers you cause to ascend may gather into a Cloud over you and when that pours down a shower of Blessings some drops may fall upon your little ones And since you should bring your little ones to Prayer it is plain that you ought to call those to it that are elder and grown up and have attained to the use and exercise of their Reason your Sons and your Daughters your Man-servants and your Maid-servants invite them to come in call them exhort them shew the goodness of it the excellency and necessity of it perswade them draw them with the Cords of a Man if they or any of them be careless refractory obstinate command them to come in compel them to come in use that power and authority with which God hath invested you Do not suffer any of them to absent themselves from one Prayer without just cause Let them not eat of your Bread nor live under your Roof who will not join with you in the service of your God You have in this Discourse heard and now read much concerning the noble and gracious Resolution taken up by that great and excellent Person Ioshua in the Text As for me and my house we will serve the Lord. I will do it and they shall I and all mine my House my whole House every Individual Person in it Let none serve you that will not serve your God as well as you For mine own part I never was a Friend to Impositions and I think and hope never shall be Not for Mens adding their Inventions to Divine Institutions and then requiring all to submit and comply with them Let themselves use them yea and all those that like them only may they grant liberty to such as are otherwise minded and count that worship best most pleasing most profitable and most glorious which is of God's own appointment But I am for requiring what God hath required it is the duty of Magistrates in Nations and of Governours in Houses to see that Gods Laws be observ'd and obey'd and therefore be you very careful in that respect and strictly command all under you to be constantly present If any of them will not let them know your displeasure and that you will not endure it whether they refuse to join with you out of a Spirit of Errour with which too many at this day are acted or out of a Spirit of Profaneness it is all one for that if they will not with you seek and serve the Lord let them not continue in your House nor tarry in your sight they are no other than Plagues in your Families and may spread the Infection others are in danger from them They are rotten Members cure them or cut them off bring all to Prayer III. Be sure to make Family-prayer the work of every day God loves your Company therefore be not strangers to him He never thinks you come to him too often why then should you go but seldom Do not content your selves with praying only upon the Lord's-day and bringing all your service of God within the compass of a Sabbath as if the other six days were so your own and for your own work that you must spare none of them for God This indeed as I have been informed is the manner of some among us upon a Lord's-day they will call their Families together and then they will do something for God but they must give me leave to think what they do then is pitifully shamefully done they are so seldom
too much with God nor do too much for him you cannot pray too much so that you have a prudent and cordial respect to all his Commands and to all the parts of your Duty not suffering one to justle out another as the Body is not all one Member so Religion is not all one Duty it doth not consist altogether in Prayer nor altogether in Hearing and as that is a lame Body which wants one Member so he is a lame Christian that is careless as to any one piece of Religion such a wilful defect is a great deformity Set your hand to all the work of God and in particular be much in Prayer David gave himself unto Prayer as a Man much set for it and devoted to it Daniel the Man greatly beloved of his God was at it three times in a day Dan. 6.10 His Windows being opened in his Chamber toward Ierusalem he kneeled upon his knees three times in a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he did afore-time He loved Prayer so well that neither danger nor death no not a violent death being cast into a Den of Lyons could affright and deter him from it David the Man after Gods own heart was much more at it Psalm 119.164 Surely he had great encouragement so to do from his experience he sensibly felt that it very greatly tended to his advantage he saw begging was a good trade he did thrive upon it and therefore he follow'd it close the oftner he went to God the more he got from him and of him he never rose off his knees nor returned from the Throne of Grace without an Alms. The most Praying Christian is certainly the most growing Christian as he hath his expectations I will direct my Prayer unto thee and will look up so he hath his answers and sees something is coming but let the Morning and Evening of every day be your stated and set times for Prayer there is a great deal of reason for that viz. First The Divine Order and Appointment of this we did before take notice in Exod. 29. God required there should be two Lambs offered up every day in Sacrifice the one in the morning and the other in the Evening which was called the continual Burnt-Offering and shall we be exceeded and out-done by them shall the dispensation now be more glorious and shall we be more penurious that live under it shall God now more magnifie his grace and shall we grow poorer in our returns their Sacrifices were more costly and chargeable and shall ours be fewer surely since in the times of Messiah there is a more plentiful effusion of the Spirit there should at least be an equal abounding in the work of the Lord our Sacrifices of Prayer and Praise the Calves of the Lips and the lifting up of our Hearts and hands to God should be as frequent as those bloody Sacrifices Secondly This Practice is commended to us in the Scripture we are directed to think upon those things that are of good report Now this hath obtained a good report in the World and as it is with Men so it is with things to be well spoken of by the word is more than to have all the World speak well of one look then into the 92 d Psalm 1. v. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord and to sing Praises to thy Name O thou most High to bless God to exalt God to give him glory is good it is duty it is the employment of Angels the Work of Heaven and Eternity and those that have good hearts will delight in good work If you would know what are the fittest and most convenient times for the doing of this good work for that tends much to the adorning and setting off a work every thing being beautiful in its season He tells you in the next words to shew forth thy loving kindness in the Morning and thy faithfulness every night and when we do in the sincerity of our Souls thus begin and end our days we are like to find them good throughout Thirdly God visits us every Morning it is no less than Gods humbling himself to behold those things which are above the glorious Angels much more to look upon Man sorry dust what is it then for God to visit him the Prophet admired it Psal. 8 4. What is Man that thou art mindful of him or the Son of Man that thou visitest him Great Princes are not wont to go into a Beggars Hovil they reckon it below them but the Great God stoops much lower and Oh! how necessary is this for us Iob 10.12 Thy Visitation hath preserved my Spirit By this he meant a gracious Visitation a Friendly one this reviv'd him this preserv'd him his Spirit his Life his Courage his Comforts all were upheld and maintain'd by the gracious visitations of God Again how frequent are these with us how many gracious Visits doth God bestow upon his poor People Iob 7.18 Thou visitest him every morning there is never a Morning that we miss him as often as the Morning returns God comes to visit us yea he is with us before we are up and since Gods visits are so frequent shall ours be few shall he come to see us and see to us and shall not we wait upon him shall the strangeness be on our side let us visit God every Morning and pay him visit for visit and let us be sure to carry our Family with us for so we shall be the more welcome Fourthly The continuation and constant succession of Mercies doth oblige to this and call for it Gods Mercies are new every Morning upon us and shall not our returns shall we not follow hard after him and delight in our approaches to him when he draws us with the Cords of a Man yea with loving-kindness the very pouring out of his Name which is as a precious Oyntment should make us love and run after him Oh! let the pouring out of his Grace and Mercy do it Day unto Day utters speech and Night unto Night sheweth knowledge and one would think that when both Day and Night speak in the Language of Love we should answer them and not be silent God soweth his Seed in the Morning and in the Evening he witholdeth not his hand and surely that Heart and House is a very barren Soil and near unto a Curse that doth not twice a day pay its acknowledgments to him Lastly methinks there is not any one who hath the use of reason and believes a God but hath a Monitor in his own bosom to prompt him to this and not need a Minister in a Pulpit to press it upon him or a Friend at his elbow to jog him your own reason should and would direct you to it if you did but consult and hearken to it It is fit that we should make God the Alpha and the Omega the first and the last for so he is and therefore we ought to begin
with a Crutch when he can go as well and better without it it is a making your selves poor when God hath enriched you and living upon the Basket when you have a sufficient Stock of your own Sixthly When you have Gifts for Prayer and yet câ—nfine your selves to a form you are injurious to others Every manifestation of the Spirit is given to profit with all 1 Cor. 12.7 Every Gift by which the presence of the Spirit the in-being and influence of the Spirit doth appear is bestowed upon Men not meerly for Ornament but for Use not for Ostentation but in order to greater Serviceableness that they might profit with it profit others their Friends their Families the Church of God But now those that have the Gift of Prayer and use it not do not profit with it they do no good to others It is like Money kept up in a Chest that the Miser is not the better for or a Candle in a dark Lanthorn that gives no light and they are not like to profit in it Not to make any improvement or increase it is a dead Commodity thy not using it is losing it it is the way to have it taken from thee to have God blow upon it with a withering Breath And indeed why should a Man have that which he will do nothing with You know the Parable the unprofitable Servant buried his Talent and his Lord commanded he should have it no longer but be severely punished for his neglect For all these Reasons Christians I do advise you not to tye your selves up to a form of Prayer use your own Gifts but see there be Grace too content not your selves with a volubility of Tongue a freedom and neatness of Expreâ—sion but see that the words of your Mouths be the Meditations of your Hearts and accompanied with the Affections too that is the way to have them acceptable in the sight of God VII In all your solemn approaches to God consider with what an infinitely glorious Majesty you have to do and set your selves to the work as in his sight Consider his being of purer Eyes than that he can behold iniquities without loathing and abhorrency consider that he cannot be deceived and will not be mocked and that he is most jealous in those things that appertain to his worship Lev. 10.3 This is it that the Lord hath spoken I will be sanctified of all them that come nigh me Again consider that God is observant of you at all times but most curiously so when drawing near him in Duty He hath said Where two or three are met together in his name there he will be in the midst of them Mat. 18.20 As to hear their suits so to observe their behaviour The Iudges place is usually in the midst that he may the better see and hear so God is in the midst of Congregations and Houses to take notice how his work is done and whether his Servants carry toward him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as becomes a God Do you remember therefore the Exhortation given Heb. 28.29 Let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear for our God is a consuming fire Where we may observe First What our God is viz. A consuming fire Not a stock or piece of Wood like the Heathen Idols but a Living Mighty and Active Being who can like Fire quickly and severely punish those that do provoke him Nadab and Abihu experienced this upon their Offering with strange Fire The Apostle saith Our God is so the God of the Christians is a consuming Fire as well as the God of the Jews He is indeed the Father of Mercies and God of all Comforts but with all Vengeance belâ—ngs to him and he will repay it Secondly What our great interest is to serve God acceptably While here we cannot serve God to perfection but we must serve him to acceptance what is not done to acceptance is done to no purpose and will turn to no account where there is no acceptance of the Duty there can be no rational expectation of a comfortable Reward Thirdly What is necessary in order thereunto Grace Those Duties that come from Grace will meet with Grace without that the Calves of the Lips will be as odious as Swines-flesh or the cutting off a Dogs-head If the Person be bad the work cannot be good though the Sacrifice of the wicked may be rich and costly yet because it is his it proves an abomination to the Lord. Fourthly How this Grace must discover and shew it self viz. in reverence and godly fear See that the awe of God fall upon you and fill you that your fear of him be not slavish but filial that you fear him and his Goodness fear to offend as well and as much as to suffer Thus David resolved to appear before him Psal. 5.7 I will come into thine house in the multitude of thy mercies Incouraged by the many Mercies that have been extended to me and relying upon that Infinite Mercy that is still in thee and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple And let this inward godly fear manifest it self by the reverence you express while in his presence and service both at your entrance and all along from the beginning to the end Before him Seraphims the glorious Angels cover their Faces with two of their Wings and if this become those excellent Creatures Heavens Courtiers then Dust and Ashes much more God indeed allows his People a boldness but it must be an humble one and herein be you Examples to all in your Families It indeed is not within the reach of your power to work Grace in the Hearts of your Yoke-fellows Children or Servants nor to stir up in them a true filial fear of God that cannot be effected by any power less than an Omnipotent one by any Arm shorter than the Divine one yet see to it that there be a due reverence exprest by them all in their outward Gestures and Deportments strictly charge and command them to avoid lolling sleeping talking laughing gazing about and every thing else that speaks a vain light Mind I add one thing more VIII Be sure to put up all your Prayers to God in the Name of Iesus Christ. He hath left his Spirit and his Name with us therefore let us make use of both seeking for assistance from his gracious Spirit and for success from his prevailing Name Unto this we have been directed by our Lord himself Iohn 16.26 At that day ye shall ask in my name While he was Corporally present with them they made their applicaaion to him and asked of him and he did supply all their needs and granted to them those things which they desired and were convenient but after my Resurrection and Ascension when I am absent from you and received up to Glory Ye shall go to my Father and that in my Name I give you free liberty to set my Name to all your holy Petitions and
it be jarring in their ears so long as it is musick in his know thou hast to deal with a good Master the God of all grace who if there be a willing Mind doth accept according to what a Man hath and not according to what he hath not The poor Publican was very short he had much to desire yet little to say his dejected looks and sorrowful gesture spake more than his Tongue did but though he was short yet he was sweet we read but of one Petition that he put up to God God be merciful to me a Sinner but he accompanied it with his heart and it came before God as incense who sent him home to his house justified Luke 18.13.14 God took away the filthy garments he came in and put on him a Robe of Righteousness The Sacrifices of God are a broken Spirit a broken and a contrite Heart O God thou wilt not despise Psalm 51.17 despise it no no he is so far from that that he requires it and approves it and will bind it up A broken Prayer from and with a broken Heart makes Melody in Heaven God will count it his delight Alas he seeth not as Man sees looks not at the flourishes of words but at the life fervency and Zeal of the Soul for those flowers may be strewed upon a dead and rotten carcass Indeed if a Man bring the Torn and the Sick and the Lame for an Offering to the Lord when he hath better it shall not be accepted Malach. 1.13 but if that Torn and Lame and Sick be the Male of the Flock if it be the best he hath God will receive it graciously and have respect to the Person and to his Offering and Grace will say he hath done what he could as our Lord pleaded for the Woman when his Disciples did absurdly trouble her Mark 14.8 Not only those Richer Persons who brought Gold and Silver and Silk and Precious Stones to the service of the Tabernacle were welcome but those also who came with their Goats-Hair and Badgers-Skins if they had no better I am willing to hope that by what hath been said the mouth of this Objection is stopt the edge of this Argument blunted and so this untoward rub removed which lay in the way of thy Duty therefore I beg earnestly of thee that thou wouldest defer no longer but get up break thro' all opposition and since God hath said seek ye my face let thine heart answer thy face Lord will I seek Before I go off from this Subject I shall direct my Discourse to two sorts of Persons First I would speak something to you whose hearts God hath touched so that you love your work and do it making Family-Prayer your every day business I bless you in the name of the Lord and the God of Heaven bless you while I beg it for you may he bestow it abundantly upon you and pour it out till you be rich in blessings the good Lord strengthen your hands and hearts more and more in this work and encourage you by his gracious answers may you find by frequent and large experience that he hath not said to you seek ye my face in vain The Lord teach you to pray and assist you by his Holy Spirit the Lord send you help from the Sanctuary and strengthen you out of Sion remember all your Offerings grant you according to your own hearts and fulfill all your Petitions which are according to his Mind and Will may you by the Bucket of Prayer draw Water with joy out of the Well of Salvation let him never turn away your Prayer nor his Mercy from you Secondly Do you also suffer the word of exhortation who have your lines cast in those Families in which there is Prayer and the Worship of God do you take special notice of it as a choice mercy and accordingly value it and bless the Lord for disposing you so graciously planting you not in a dry and barren Wildâ—erness where there is no Water but in a Paradise an Eden that is so well water'd You that are Wives and Married to Praying Husbands do you bless God and you Children who have been begotten by Praying Fathers and you Servants who work for and wait upon Praying Masters let all that is within you bless his Holy Name and see to it that you improve the Mercy lose not such a Season such an Opportunity Oh! how much good may you get how much the better may you be in case you be not wanting to your selves and who can tell how much Mercy such an Husband such a Father such a Master may obtain how many Blessings he may procure at the hand of God for you read what the Queen of Sheba said to King Solomon in the 1 of Kings 10.8 Happy are these thy Men and happy are these thy Servants which stand continually before thee and that bear thy Wisdom She had seen the House he had built and the ascent by which he went up to the House of the Lord and the Meat at his Table and the sitting of his Servants and the attendance of his Ministers and their Apparel but there was something above all this that she admired She did not look upon the happiness of his Servants as consisting in beholding the greatness of his State and Honour and the Splendour and Glory of his Court or in feeding every day upon his Royal Dainties and Drinking his Generous Wines but in hearing of his Wisdom I may as well yea and much more say of you in case you are your own Friends happy thrice happy are you who live in such a Family though as the lowest and meanest Members of it in which you may every day hear the Master of it speaking to God and conversing with Heaven and every day perfuming the House with the precious Odours of his gracious and holy Prayers So much may suffice to be spoken concerning that great and excellent Work of Family prayer and Oh! that it may not be in vain as to any of you if it be you must answer for it another day But that is not all Christians the whole of your work doth not lye in Prayer this you must do and not leave the rest undone no none of it undoneâ— I remember the holy Apostle Paul speaking of Epaephras whom he calls a Servant of Christ and of them a Citizen of Colos a Member of their Church and Teacher much set for their good saith Col. 4.12 He always labour'd fervently for them in Prayer that they might stand perfect and compleat in all the will of God which is a great thing and deserves our utmost endeavours and his so labouring in Prayer for them to this end spake him a good Man and a singular Friend of theirs and it is my Hearts desire and my frequent Prayer that it may be so with you And this should be the Desire and Prayer the Care and Endeavour of every one of you who are Godly Parents and Religious Governours
wrath To avoid that is their Duty and Interest but the Apostle knew what he did when he said Parents provoke not your Children unto wrath though you are above them older and stronger than they though they have their dependance upon you though you at present give them their Maintenance and must hereafter their Portion yet provoke them not do nothing to incense and inrage them A Wasp is a very little feeble Creature yet do not anger it for it hath a Sting Do not irritate your Children by too much severity remember the Authority you have over them is Parental therefore your Government should be sweet and easie you should so carry as to be both fear'd and lov'd at the same time and in order to that not rule with a Rod of Iron but draw and bind them to you with the Cords of a Man those of Reason and Kindness more particularly do not provoke your Children First Not by unreasonable requiries and hard commands lay not a Man's burden upon a Child's Shoulders exact not that which is above their ability to do Secondly Do not make unequal distributions of your kindnesses among them being all Honey to one and all Gall to another remember they are equally yours though your Affections may incline more to one than another yet conceal it as much as you can unless their goodness and obedience make an apparent difference Thirdly Provoke them not by giving them undue unreasonable Correction the Rod is sometimes as necessary as Bread but it must always be used with a prudent love let not your Rod be too smart nor your Hand too heavy convince them that your chastening of them is not for your pleasure but for their profit Fourthly Provoke them not by calling them reproachful Names as Fool Blockhead Rascal or the like which may expose them to the slight of others to the contempt of your very Servants while you hate their offences be tender of their Reputation Lastly Provoke them not by continual chiding and threatning finding fault with every thing they do overlook some smaller faults and wink at others knowing your selves are not blameless let not the Poyson of Asps dwell under your Tongues nor all your words be as sharp Swords but draw them to their duty keep them at it and encourage them in it rather by love than fear By provoking your Children unto wrath by all or any of these ways you create to your selves more grief and sorrow than you at present are aware of for by rigour and severity the minds of your Children may be alienated and estranged from you through your imprudent and unnatural Carriage it may come to pass that instead of loving reverencing and honouring you as Parents they will only fear and dread you as Tyrants so that in after-times when you shall need them as Staffs in your Hands for support they may prove Thorns in your sides piercing you thorough with many sorrows Well remember provoking your Children to wrath is forbidden therefore carefully avoid it Secondly In that Scripture there is an Injunction or something commanded that is the bringing of your Children up in the fear and nurture of the Lord. The Greek hath it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The nurture and admonition of the Lord. The former word Translated Nurture doth signifie such Education or Discipline as is convenient or fit for young ones made up of wise Instructions and needful Correction The latter word by our Translators rendred admonition may be looked on as being of a double import and signifying 1. A putting something into the Mind 2. A putting of the Mind into a right frame First then It is the Duty and should be the Endeavour of Parents to put something into the Minds of their Children to stock them well to instil and drop into them something that should be there something that will be proper for them and do them good that those choice and excellent Cabinets may be filled with Spiritual Riches with goodly Pearls yea the Pearl of Price in which by Nature as it is now corrupted there is nothing but filthy dross and dung Now there is in them nothing but Vanity and Folly false Notions wrong Conceptions of things and it is pity such vain Thoughts should lodge there a thousand pities they should continue and abide there labour to get them out by degrees as soon and as fast as you can that so instead of them and in their room you may happily introduce those things which are precious and of value viz. the Truths of God Right Orthodox and Saving Principles get into these narrow-mouth'd Bottles drop by drop as they are capable of receiving them the true Notion of things for good Principles do directly tend to the producing of good Practices and a Divine Light set up in their Understandings may keep them in the way of Peace and out of the path of the Destroyer for by means thereof they will be put into a capacity of discerning the way in which they ought to go Ignorance may be the Mother of a silly Devotion that O Papists we will grant you but God having told us His people are destroyed for lack of knowledge we cannot but look upon it as the Highway to Perdition Since without knowledge the Heart cannot be good we will not stick at concluding that without it the end cannot be peace Secondly It is the duty and should be the endeavour of Parents to put the Minds of their Children into a right frame to cast them into a due Mould and set them in a proper posture It is now a dark Mind there is blackness of darkness in it your work is to illuminate it and to set up there the Candle of the Lord. It is a corrupt Mind the Scripture tells us The Mind and Conscience is defiled your work and duty is to cleanse it and rid out all the filth that is there Now that I may afford you all the help that I can in order thereto I shall propound and offer some things to your Consideration and Practice speaking first more generally then more particularly in general I advise these four things First See carefully to it that the Holy Scripture be read in your Families The Bible is the Book of Books may as well be so called as the Canticles is the Song of Songs There is an inexhaustible Treasure for the inriching of the Mind and a Golden exact Rule for the ordering of the Life That is the most blessed and full Revelation of the Mind and Will of God concerning us whereby we may by Prayer and Study come to know what things we are to believe as God's Truths and what to practice as our own Duties what to reject as Errours and what to avoid as Sins There we have the great things of the Law for our Direction and the precious things of the Gospel for our Consolation these are able to make us wise for Salvation and thoroughly to furnish us for every good work which
our heavenly Lord and Master hath cut out for us This is part of the description of a blessed Man that his delight is in the law of the Lord and in that law he doth meditate day and night Psal. 1.2 And it is the Will of God not only that you your selves should know them such Monopolizing is not grateful to the King of Glory but also teach them your Children Deut. 6.6 7. These words which I command thee this day shall be in thy heart to know them and to love them but to have them in their own Hearts was not all it was not enough no no read on thou shalt teach them diligently to thy Children and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house and when thou walkest in the way and when thou lyest down and when thou risest up The Word of God is to be the matter of our Meditation and of our Discourses at all times and in all places I mean in the Morning and in the Evening at home and abroad This alone is excellent Food and to other discourse it is an excellent seasoning Paul in his Epistle to Timothy speaks of his having known the Scriptures of a Child ab incunabulis almost from his Cradle he did as it were suck them in with his Mothers Milk but how came that to pass By means of Parental Care the Teachings and Instructings of his Parents for certain of his Mother in that young and tender Age. Secondly Look diligently to the Catechising of them Blessed be God that Exercise hath been for some Years kept up in our Congregation and is now singularly well performed by my worthy Brother Mr. Alexander whom you have chosen and called to that and other Ministerial Work among you the Lord grant his Blessing both to him and to it that there may be much good fruit thereof seen and felt both in young and old and by the way I cannot pass it by in silence that it is some trouble to me there are no more of your Children and Servants brought into it and I cannot but reckon it a bad sign of proud or slothful unwillingness in them or else of a wretched neglect or carelesness in some of you But I advise and earnestly desire you as to be thankful for so not to rest in what is done here but come out to our help and do your duty at home teach you your Children and Servants their Catechism and examine them in it your selves In the Assembly's Catechism which is us'd in our Congregation and which I commend to your Family use you have a Body of Divinity summarily contained the main Fundamental Principles of Religion necessary to be known in order to Salvation methodically propounded and also brought into so narrow a compass that they will not oppress and burden the memory but if blessed of God mend both head and heart To the want of this we may I doubt not in part impute it that there among us so many wicked and profane persons so many Sons and Daughters of Belial so many ungodly impudent and debauched Young ones Hos. 4.1 There is no knowledge of God in the Land to be sure then there is a great deal of villany yes verse 2. By swearing and lying and killing and stealing and committing Adultery they break out and Blood toucheth Blood Darkness being in the Mind the Works of Darkness will be in the Life an uninstructed Head an unsanctified Heart and a wicked Life go together through this means so many precious Souls go down to Hell and are for ever lost they perish for lack of knowledge for lack of this the Labours of Ministers are no more successful Want of Family-Instruction is one great reason of so much unprofitable Hearing 3dly Take all possible care that none under your Charge prophane the Lord's-day That is a day which God hath sanctified by chusing it out of the rest of the days and setting it apart for holy use and it is his will that all his People should sanctifie it too as he hath made it holy they must keep it so We are to call it a delight the holy of the Lord honourable and honour it or him i. e. Honour God by honouring the Sabbath not doing our own ways upon it nor finding our own pleasure nor speaking our own words There are ways and pleasures and words proper for that day but they must not be our own no nothing of our own it must be the way of God and the pleasure of God and the word of God that we are for upon that day and not our own Isa 58.13 Neither our corrupt sinful thoughts the froth or scum of our depraved Nature nor our worldly profits nor our sensual pleasures we must bring our thoughts our minds and hearts and strength with us but lay them at the foot of God devote them to his service and engage them entirely about his work Upon that day we are not of a due elevation till above our selves and above the World nothing of our own is to be minded or done by us save works of Necessity and Mercy It is God's day and therefore to be employed about the things of God thoughts of God discourses of God the Service and Worship of God should take up the whole of that holy day To do worldly business to follow bodily recreations upon that day is no less than Sacriledge a robbing of God Therefore take care of your Families as to this do not you set your Children or Servants about the affairs of your Callings on that day see also that they mis-spend it not themselves but in the performing acts of duty preparing to wait upon God in the way of his Publick Ordinances and thither do you carry them with you not suffering them to stay lazying sleeping or playing at home or to go rambling abroad whither they themselves please no no in this case put on the Spirit of Elijah and be very jealous for the Lord God of Hosts see that That day be kept for God and when you and your Families are at home exercise your selves and them unto Godliness The continuance of Religion in England doth under God very much depend upon a care of keeping the Sabbath Many years ago when I was a young Man Famous Mr. Newcomen of Dedham told me this passage This Question was put in the Conclave What is the best way to reduce England to the see of Rome To this every Cardinal was to give his Answer beginning at the youngest Many Expedients were propounded at length an old Fox stood up and said Take away their Sabbaths and that will effectually do it This Invention was hugg'd this Medium resolv'd upon and not long after came out the Book of Sports O holy Mother Church whose Interest is promoted by such unholy means And let me tell you I do never expect to see Religion flourishing nay not living long in that Family in which there is not due regard had to the Lord's-day Therefore
many among them to make Vessels of Honour fit for his Use and Service here and for his Kingdom and Glory hereafter 2. For that great and most blessed End he chose and sent his own Son his only Son his infinitely beloved Son who was the brightness of his Fathers Glory and the express Image of his Person Man not being in a capacity to help himself nor all the Angels in Heaven able to relieve him their back was too weak to bear that burden of guilt which lay upon him and their whole Stock too little to discharge those Debts which he had contracted and their Arm infinitely too short to reach him and draw him out of that horrible Pit into which he had cast himself and all his Posterity Now I say when things were at this pass God was pleased to send his Son to humble himself to empty himself to become poor to become our Brother and to assume our Nature with its sinless infirmities and to be in the form of a Servant of no reputation made under the Law that he might fulfil all Righteousness and be the End thereof for Righteousness to all that are found in him and to be made sin for us i. e. a Sacrifice for sin that we might be made the Righteousness of God in him a Ransom that he might be a Redeemer 3. The Son of God being thus chosen by the Father and sent did come he most readily and freely came in the fulness of Time and according to the Counsel of Peace which had been between them both he came to do the Will of God he was incarnate was manifest in the Flesh yea in the likeness of sinful Flesh and was numbred among Transgressors the Iniquities of all his People were laid on him and he did bear them in his own Body upon the Tree becoming obedient to the Death even the Death of the Cross he did die the Prince of Life did die his Blood was shed that therein might be opened a Fountain for Sin and for Vncleanness 4. Neither is there Salvation in any other there is no other Name under Heaven by which Man may be saved but his no Blood by which he may be washed but his nor Righteousness by which he may be justified but his and therefore it is altogether in vain meer lost labour to look for Salvation any where else Whither shall we go Lord said Peter with Thee alone are the words of Eternal Life And as it is in vain so it is altogether needless for Christ is able to save to the utmost all those that come unto God by him Mark it them that come unto God by him them without exception all them one and another be they never so many and be they what they will never so bad he is able to save them and that compleatly to the full perfection of Salvation to the utmost of their dangers to the utmost of their desires to the utmost of Eternity he is the Author of Eternal Salvation unto all them that obey him and truly be that hath a Salvation which will reach as far as Eternity doth not will not need one any longer 5. This Salvation doth come most freely from him to all thâ—se that humbly seek it Zech. 9.9 Behold thy King cometh unto thee he is just having Salvation He comes to poor Sinners and brings his Salvation with him He once came into the World in Person to work Salvation for them he still comes by his word and Spirit to bring Salvation to them We before said he is able to save and he is full out as willing as able Oh! that lost ruin'd Sinners were as willing to accept Salvation as he is to bestow it indeed what should hinder his being willing all the charge is over it did cost him a great deal but it will cost him no more no more blood no more sweat no more tears no more sighs no more sorrow or shame it is having the joy that was set before him it is seeing the fruit of the travel of his Soul that will issue in his satisfaction It is but his own taking possession of that which he purchased for himself and giving his People possession of that which he purchased for them Hence we have reason to conclude that his heart is in the work and that he doth it with joy and delight be much and often in speaking to your Families concerning this most sweet and precious Iesus and the good will which he bears to the Children of Men. How he stands with his gracious arms stretched out to receive and embrace them that are willing to accept of him and of Salvation upon the terms propounded in the Gospel and hath given us his faithful word for it which he can no more deny than he can deny himself that whosoever cometh to him he will in no wise cast out tho' he hath been never so vile though his Sins have been never so great yet if he will but come he shall find Grace to welcom him and meet with a most kind reception he will spread his skirt over him for the covering of his shame and nakedness and his wings too for the security of his Person and the healing of his wounds 5. Carefully instruct them about the Covenant of Grace that there is a two-fold Covenant 1. A Covenant of Works 2. A Covenant of Grace A Covenant of Works which had Grace in it upon this account that God should deal in a Covenant way with Man which he needed not to have done He was Mans Creator gave him his being and therefore was his undoubted and Sovereign Lord and might have proceeded with him altogether in a way of Sovereignty exacting obedience of him and let him refuse it or fail in it at his peril It was a gracious condescension in God to act in a Covenant-way and oblige himself to reward man for his obedience this is called a Covenant of Works because therein Life was promised to Man upon the terms of his personal perfect obedience and his perseverance therein Now this Covenant was transgress'd and broken by our first Parents soon after that it was made so that no good no happiness is to be hoped for from it by us or by another the Penalty indeed threatned upon the breach thereof may be most righteously exacted and so it will of all those who are found guilty and continue still under it not having fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hopes set before them i. e. not having closed with Christ and by Faith taken Sanctuary in him but no life is to be had by it the Law cannot justifie because it is grown weak through the flesh Rom. 8.3 weak to the purpose of justification and this was by accident through Mans fault Mans weakness is the reason of the Laws weakness the Law was able to have justified innocent perfect Man but it cannot justifie lapsed sinful Man Homo est impotens ad praestandam legem Lex ei Vires
to you cannot neither can they pass to us that would come from thence Now as there is a double end so there is a double way leading to them That way which leads to Life is a narrow way and the Gate strait there is not room enough for a Man and his Lusts Nature must be curb'd and the Flesh Crucified and the Body kept under and self denied That way which leads to Hell is broad and the Gate wide there a Man may take with him his Sins and his Pleasures he may fare deliciously every day and be wicked every day he may live without God in the World and have Fellowship with Devils and fulfil the Wills of the Flesh. He need not care what he doth who doth not care what becomes of him Well assure them of this that Sin ushers in Misery and the ways of Sin go down to death its steps take hold of Hell but a Life of Holiness and Duty a Life of Faith and Obedience to God carrieth to Heaven and the Happiness above Mark the perfect Man and behold the upright see the last of him for the end of that man is peace Though the way have its difficulties an up-hill way that calls for great pains and labour though it be hedg'd up with Thorns and lin'd with Enemies yet it hath a good end The good Servant that Trades with his Talent minds his business and is faithful in his little shall be made Ruler over much and when he hath finished his work enter into the Joy of his Lord. The Reward will be sure and great what will both issue in abundant satisfaction and raise the highest admirings so that the glorified Soul shall think and say as David did upon another account O Lord who and what are all my services and what my Fathers house that thou hast brought me hitherto Bring them by degrees to understand something of what it is to behold God's Face in Righteousness and to be satisfied with his Likeness to lye at the Fountain-head of Happiness and to delight ones self in the bottomless boundless Ocean of Goodness How pleasant it will be to reflect upon the troubles of the past Life the violent Storms they past thorough the scorns and abuses of a foolish and mad World the rage and fury of wicked unreasonable Men and what a change is made how ill it was how well it is how sweet it must needs be to be above the reach of all sorrows and wants of all Enemies and fears and to be incompast feasted fill'd with the best and choicest delights What a priviledge will it be to sit down as welcom Guests with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the Kingdom of God at a Feast of Glory there to take your fill of Love to all Eternity when you shall see so many shut out What an Honour will it be to sit upon Christ's Throne How easie to lye in the Bosom of Abraham How comfortable to be ever with the Lord How infinitely is this beyond all the Pleasures that Sin can afford its Votaries beyond having the Belly filled with hid Treasures Will you do this you that are Governours of Families Oh! How good is it How much your Duty and how much good may you do This is the way to render them serious and thoughtful the way to make Sin odious and abominable to them so that they shall not desire to taste of those Dainties this is the way to commend Godliness and Religion to them so that they shall be like the Chariots of Amminadab this also is the way to blunt the edge and break the force of a Temptation when it would at any time draw them away from God and take them off from the performance of that duty which they owe unto him I will here add these two things and desire you to put them in practice in order to the rendering these Instructions or Teachings the more effectual First Go over with these things again and again and insist much upon them yea though they be unwilling to hear yet be not you weary of speaking nay though they cast your words behind their Backs do you still follow them with more The Prophet Ezekiel was to continue speaking to the People of Israel though they were a Rebellious House nor might he be silent till God shut up his Mouth and struck him Dumb so must you do with your Families though they be dull and slow to learn yet teach though they be obstinate and stiff necked yet counsel and perswade let there be frequent repetitions of the same Truths and the same Advice and the same Arguments Gutta cavat lapidem Drops of Rain often falling make an impression upon a Stone Immortal Souls are so exceeding precious that the gaining the saving of one is worth the labour of a Life How long did God wait upon you And how often did he speak to you before you would hear do you the like to yours As Children must be often fed so they must be often taught Precept must be upon Precept and Line upon Line here a little and there a little The understandings of young ones are weak and therefore you must deal with them in all plainness and by degrees They are like narrow mouth'd Bottles not receptive of much at a time and you cannot pour in much at once but by little and little Drop in Truths Counsels and Instructions into them according to their ability to receive them Their Memories also are labil and slippery too tenacious of bad things but not of the best like Sieves that let the Flower go and only retain the Bran as they are not capable of receiving much at once so but weak in keeping that which they have received The Apostle saw cause of writing thus to the Hebrews Ye have forgotten the Exhortation which speaks to you as unto Children Heb. 12.5 It is certain there is too much of this to be found among Men grown Men yea grown Saints we read the Word and forget what we read we hear Sermons and forget the Sermons we hear we forget the Promises we make and the Mercies we receive and the Experiences we have had of the power care and goodness of God Men and Women are apt to forget Truths Precepts Counsels and Exhortation we did stand in need of an Ordinance the blessed Sacrament to put us in mind of Christ himself and it is no wonder then if young ones be so their Memories are leaking Vessels and those impressions which are made upon their Minds and Affections do quickly wear out again and therefore there is an absolute necessity of our going over with the same things again upon this account as well as that of the backwardness and great natural aversness of their wills from that which is good daily Instructions are as needful for them as their daily Bread Secondly Back your holy Instructions with holy Exhortations and let all your gracious Counsels be followed and prest upon them with earnest perswasions and
the Morning rose the next day and it smote the gourd that it withered 4. Ionah 6 7. He joyed too much and his enjoyment was short over-loving a Child is over laying it It is as killing it with kindness Or Secondly If that Child hath been continued to them it hath been in wrath They have the life of it but they want the comfort of it for it hath proved naught and vicious and so been a Thorn in their side an Heart-break to them They had better while it was Young have followed it to the Grave than see it now notoriously wicked an Enemy to God and all goodness disobedient to them and galloping to Hell with full speed as if it thought it could not get thither soon enough Therefore upon all these accounts the advice which I give unto Parents is this observe the spirits and carriages of your Children and also of your Servants which of them do most fear God and respect you which of them are most tractable and diligent and let them have most love and respect who do deserve it best bestow your greatest cost upon that Soil which makes the best returns by this means they will have no just cause of quarreling you By this you will prevent envy discontent and breaches among them and also promote Piety and Goodness in your Families by stirring up in them all an excellent sweet and Friendly Emulation So that there shall be a striving together without wrath and bitterness how they may excel in Godliness and Virtue and in all those things which you require of them and which will render them acceptable and pleasant unto you this will sweeten and commend obedience to them it will encrease and add to their endeavours it will be as a Golden Spur to quicken their pace in the way that they should go Now for a Coronis or conclusion of this my Discourse upon this great and specially at this day necessary Subject of Family Duties I shall add some Miscellany Counsels and make a kind of Medley inviting whoever will to come and take and apply those of them to themselves which they shall judge most proper and pertinent to their case and the God of Heaven bless them to them First Look diligently lest any fail or fall short of the grace of God 12 Hebrews 15. You see there it is the Apostle's Advice it will be your wisdom to take and follow it see that the Spirit of Christ dwell in you else you are none of his and that you have been made partakers of his renewing sanctifying Influences without the Spirit of God you will never be fit for the Work of God Without Christ's breathing upon his Apostles and their receiving from him the Holy Ghost they could never have done the work of an Apostle so without Christs breathing upon you and your receiving his Spirit you will never rightly perform the work of a Christian. where there is not the Spirit of Grace there is not the Spirit of Supplication Nor will a person void of the Spirit and Grace be welcom to God nor his Service pleasing Such an one indeed may peform the External Duties of Reliligion and set up the Worship of God in his Family and it is no more than what he owes to God and to himself and to his House yet that which he doth will not be accepted if the man be bad what he doth cannot be good but is quite spoil'd by his doing it The Sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord Though the Sacrifice for the matter of it be rich and costly yet God's soul loaths and abhors it because a wicked man brings it The Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering 4 Gen. 4. first to the person and then to the thing Besides unless you have the Spirit and Grace you will not be constant in Duty a small matter shall take you off and stop you in your course the question is Will the hypocrite pray always will he always call upon God The Answer is easy and ready no he will not and the Reason is plain because there is not a spring to feed the stream not an inward principle to keep on the motion God complain'd of old That the people drew nigh unto him with their lips but their hearts were far from him Mark though there were appearances before God yet their hearts and God did never meet together in the Duty and therefore the day will most certainly come when there will be a parting between such people and their duties they never cordially and throughly agreed with God himself never came to a full closure with his terms never lov'd him for his holiness nor rejoyced at the remembrance of it and therefore for something or other they will fall out with his Works and Ways Consider my dearly beloved and again consider what the Scripture saith It is a good thing that the Heart be establisht with Grace Heb. 13.9 both with the Doctrine of Grace and with an internal Principle of Grace for the one will not do without the other nothing short of Grace can strengthen stablish and settle the Heart till Grace be infused into the Soul and becomes a new nature in it till it comes to be commander in chief the Heart of man will be fluttering and unstable off and on playing fast and loose with God it will look toward the holy Temple and take some steps in the Way of God and that with seeming life and vigour as much zeal for the Lord of Hosts as Iehu pretended to have but being only a preternatural heat it cools again and the man jades and tires But when once Grace comes in truth and with Power it fixeth the Soul and as when the Rulers of the People and Elders of Israel commanded the Apostles not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Iesus Peter and Iohn answered them thus we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard Acts 4.20 so when there is an holy frame wrought in any they cannot but wait upon God converse and walk with God they cannot but Read and Hear and Pray they cannot live a spiritual life without these spiritual breathings more than another life without natural breathing an holy fear will powerfully drive them to their duty a filial love will sweetly draw them to it and Faith will mightily encourage them in it while they do really and firmly believe that God is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him they cannot but be a seeking People while they do believe that let them be stedfast and immoveable and never so much abounding in the Work of the Lord their labour shall not be in vain in the Lord they cannot but be an industrious and diligent People and while they do believe that in the keeping of Gods Commandments there is great reward besides all that which shall be hereafter they will delight themselves greatly in them and it will be their