Selected quad for the lemma: love_n
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A39501
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An Earnest call to family-catechising and reformation by a reverend divine.
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1693
(1693)
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Wing E95; ESTC R31403
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30,606
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74
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and all that were with him Put away the strange gods that are among you and be ye clean and let us arise and go up to Bethel and I will make there an altar unto God c. Gen. 35. 2 3. So do you say unto your Family when you are making your House a Bethel a House of God 3. See that your Family get the Answers of the Assembly's Catechism by memory so as to be able to repeat them perfectly and distinctly without Book which when they have done so far as is necessary for your beginning then set a-part some convenient time at least once a Week and if any extraordinary Occasion necessarily diverts you at that Season be sure you take some other And when you actually engage in this Holy Exercise let not the Family be scatter'd here and there nor some engage in the Service of the World or be idly chatting while others are engag'd in the Service of God but summon the whole Family together and let them solemnly present themselves as before the Lord. 4. As to the Actual Performance of the Duty it self I would direct you to a Method so easie that those of the meanest Capacities may comply with it And 1. Begin with Prayer to God for his Assistance and Blessing in this Work for it is he must teach to profit Isa 48. 17. and none teacheth like him Job 36. 22. Pray that God would make it a Means of Enlightning your Minds Confirming and Establishing your Judgments Convincing your Consciences Moving your Affections Engaging your Hearts of Converting you to God and Building you up in Faith and Holiness and so of bringing you to eternal Happiness and Salvation Having thus prayed to God 2. Apply your selves to your Family asking them some Questions in the Assembly's Catechism to which let them return the Answers without Book audibly distinctly and seriously Two or Three Answers I conceive are as many as you can well insist on at one time And since learning these and repeating them only by rote is of little Signification I do further advise you 3. To ask them By-Questions for the Proving and Improving their Understandings in those Truths and for your own and their Ease in this Part of the Work I do recommend to you Mr. Lye's Explanation of the Assembly's Catechism or that written by Mr. Joseph Allein The former is more full Mr. Lye writing his last of that nature after the other and having also a peculiar Talent for promoting this excellent Work Toward the close of which Book there is a most Useful Alphabetical Table explaining the difficult Words and Terms throughout the Catechism But the Latter some have chosen to use as more familiar In both these you have Questions fitted to your Hand so that you need only to read them distinctly and intelligibly and the Matter is reduc'd to such a Method especially in Mr. Lye's that the Learner may return his Answers with a single Yes or No. 4. When you have finished this Part of your Work I would have you if time will permit else at some other time read Mr. Thomas Vincent's Explicatory Catechism so far as concerns the Answers you have been upon 5. When you have done Catechising sing the whole or some part of a Psalm suited so near as you can to that subject you have been upon And upon Acquaintance with the Psalms it will hardly be possible for you to insist upon any Two or Three Answers but you may find some Psalm very suitable thereto This being devoutly performed will yield unspeakable both Delight and Profit Then 6. Conclude all with Prayer to God for a Blessing on his own Ordinance And if the time you pitch upon be the Evening you may in that concluding Prayer commit your Selves and Families to God for that Night and remember to join Praises with your Prayers All this I conceive may be performed in one Hours time or within it unless reading Mr. Vincent's Explicatory Catechism should cause you to exceed To prevent which you may as you see Occasion omit some part or the whole of that till some other Evening of the Week 7. You may also do well to signifie That if any of them have Doubts and Objections they should at convenient times move them to you which will put you upon further Study and Consideration and so in teaching them you will learn your selves If their Questions or Objections puzzle you so that you cannot resolve them with due Satisfaction apply your selves to your Minister which will put him upon studying the Case and be a Mutual Advantage both to him and you Yea he will hereby in some measure know the Spiritual State both of the Sheep and Lambs of his Flock 8. When you have throughly versed your Selves and Families in the shorter you may proceed to the Larger Catechism of the Assembly And having first gone through the Catechisms without the Proofs you may then put your Family upon learning those and particularly examine them what Part of the Answer the Proof is brought to confirm and what Part of the Proof confirms that Part of the Answer This will not a little promote your knowledge of and confirmation in the Truths of God I have been more large on this Fourth Particular because it is directive to the Actual Performance of this Duty Beside the Books before-mention'd Mr. Doelittle's Scheme of the Assembly's Catechism Printed in a single Sheet is worth every Families having 5. Labour to be well grounded your selves and confirm those under your Charge in the great Articles of Christian Faith as the Being of God the Oneness of his Essence the Trinity of Persons or Subsistences the Lord Jesus Christ his Person his Natures Divine and Humane his Offices Kingly Priestly Prophetick his Sufferings Resurrection Ascension Intercession sitting at God's Right Hand his future Judging the World with all other his Glorious Performances the absolute Necessity of Faith in him and intire reliance on his Merits as the only Matter of our Righteousness for Justification that true Justifying Faith works by Love and without Works Faith is Dead The total Impotence of corrupt Nature as to all Spiritual Operations and the Absolute Necessity of the Energy of the Spirit of God yet that it is our Duty to be conversant with the Means That the Holy Scriptures are a sufficient Rule for Doctrine Worship Discipline and Conversation Let these and the like Principles be engraven on your Hearts that you may be nourished up in the words of faith and of good Doctrine whereunto you have attained 1 Tim. 4. 6. 6. Take great care that God's Sabbaths be strictly observed and industriously employed by your Selves and Families As the Misimproving of this day is one great in let to all prophaneness so the Spiritual Improvement of it will much advance all true Piety The Sabbath should have its Double of Offerings You will thrive in Spirituals all the Week according to your Spiritual Industry that day The Fourth Command is
the Ass is a dull blockish Creature the wild Ass an untractable Creature and such is Man by Nature 2. Consider it will be your great Honour and true Comfort to hearken to Good Counsel and receive good Instructions and that betimes saith the Lord Since thou hast been precious in my sight thou hast been honourable Isa 43. 4. This made Jabez more honourable than his brethren 1 Chron. 4. 9 10. Wisdoms ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace Prov. 3. 17. All that ever walked in them have found them so They are Enemies and Strangers to them that suggest the contrary 3. Consider how much Evil both of Sin and Punishment thou mayest prevent by a speedy attending to wholsome Counsel and Instruction Look upon thy whole Life as a time of Temptation yea and the further thou engagest in the World the more thou shalt find the Temptations of it Even Infancy hath its Temptations but Childhood more than Infancy Youth more than Childhood There are such filthy Lusts of the Flesh as make even a Child of God cry out O wretched man that I am Rom. 7. 24. And such would be glad of Deliverance even by Death Yea it is a great Testimony of the truth of Grace when we can desirously submit to Death which even pure Nature is averse unto rather than be infested with Temptations unto those Sins which corrupt Nature is most pleased with And it is a further Testimony of the Grace of God in us when yet we sit patient and submissive though uneasie under this greatest of Burthens till God shall in his own time and way give us a fair discharge from our service But if these Temptations should prevail and you should be induced to make provision for the flesh to satisfie the lusts thereof Rom. 13. 14. what Wounds do you give to your own Souls Great also are our Temptations when we come to Man's Estate for then ordinarily we engage more deeply in the World a most dangerous Enemy It was smartly and as truly said by one The Devil of Business hurries more Souls to Hell than all the Devils in Hell besides At this age it is that Persons usually enter on the Conjugal Relation which so much influenceth the residue of our Lives yea and Posterity after us And if you should arrive at Old Age which few do yet that of all is most unteachcable As to Evil of Punishment it is consequent to that of Sin Yea God sometimes even where he forgives the Sin and exempts from Hell yet will not remit or abate the rigour of Chastisement here Saith the Psalmist Thou answered'st them O God! Thou wast a God that forgavest them though thou tookest vengeance upon their inventions Psal 99. 8. God may visit our transgressions with the rod and our iniquities with stripes though he do not utterly take his loving-kindness away Psal 89. 32 33. At least Sin will cost us a dear-bought Repentance Now how much of this Evil of Sin and Suffering may be happily prevented by early attending to good Counsel and Instruction 4. Consider the Shortness and withal Uncertainty of Time and the vast Extent if I may so speak and Concernment of Eternity Thy Time will soon be at an end how soon thou knowest not and thou must take that amazing step into an Eternity which has no end 5. Consider None ever complained they were brought to Acquaintance with God too early but many have repented it was so late Said Austin I have loved thee late Sero te amavi veritas tam antiqua tam nova Ang. O thou Truth so Ancient and yet so New By which I suppose he meant so Ancient in it self as being Eternal and yet so New that is newly discovered unto him Who was ever brought so early to God but he wish'd it were yet earlier if earlier it could be I am sure in this of the concurrent Testimony of all the Saints that are or have been or ever will be upon Earth though in this case late is better than never yet early is better than late 6. Consider As the Lord will be very gracious and indulgent toward you if you hear Instructions that you may live so he will be equally severe if you reject his Counsel and chuse Death God was highly pleased with his Sacrifice of Lambs and his Offerings of First-fruits When the Ears were yet green his Soul desires the first ripe Fruits When any do early attend the Calls of God He remembers the kindness of their youth the love of their espousals Jer. 2. 2. The Shepherd of Israel even the great Shepherd of the sheep gathers his lambs in his arms and lays them in his bosome Isa 40. 11. But if you cast his fear behind your backs and walk contrary unto him he will walk contrary unto you Lev. 26. 23 24. The Lamb of God is likewise the Lion of the Tribe of Judah and will rend and tear and none shall deliver out of his Hand Psal 50. 22. He hath his Iron Rod as well as his Golden Scepter therefore Kiss the Son lest he be angry and ye perish from the way Psal 2. 12. Thus I have been suggesting Motives the Lord himself move you by them CHAP. VII Objections Answered The Conclusion I Shall now apply my self to Answer those Objections that either the Governors or Governed in Families or both of them may be apt to raise against the necessary and important Duty I have been urging Yet thus much I must first premise in general That there can in this case no Objections be made but such as savour very strongly of Weakness Sloth Earthliness Impiety and Obstinacy But such as they are I shall give them a Hearing and endeavour to Answer them that this Iniquity may for ever stop its mouth Object 1. Some weak Persons may object against Catechising as a Dead Flat Formal Thing not suiting the Spirituality of the Gospel I Answer 1. Solemn Catechising or Instructing Persons in the chief Heads of Christian Doctrine is a Duty of that nature as necessarily requires a methodical Collection of those fundamental Truths that lye scattered throughout the Scriptures The Apostle mentions a Form of Doctrine delivered Rom. 6. 17. And we are presented with some of the fundamental Principles of the Doctrine of Christ Heb. 6. 1. under certain Heads methodically and regularly disposed And Timothy is commanded to hold fast the form of sound words which he had received of Paul in faith and love that is in Christ Jesus 2 Tim. 1. 13. 2. Whether or how far Forms of Prayer are lawful is nothing to my present purpose to enquire But this let me say There is a manifest difference between Forms of Prayer and those imposed and Forms for Catechising either composed or chosen as adapted and fitted to that Occasion which necessarily requires such a Form 3. I plead as much as you against Formality in this or any other Christian Duty yea I exhort you to be