lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves 4. Exhort them to abstain from all provoking speeches Prov. 15.1 Grievous words stir up anger and from all provoking carriages one towards another as scorning each other Prov. 22.10 Cast out the scorner and contention shall go out yea strife and reproach shall cease A froward carriage that also kindleth strife Prov. 15.18 A wrathful man stirreth up strife but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife Tale-bearing is another evil that occasions much discord and contention Prov. 26.20 Where no need is there the fire goeth out so where there is no Tale-bearer the strife ceaseth Those persons that do not learn to bridle their tongues they will set the Famimilies where they live at variance among themselves and also with other Families and not Families only but kingdoms also Jam. 3.6 The tongue is a fire A world of iniquity and setteth on fire the course of Nature 5. Teach them to bear one with another let the stronger bear with the weak and when any ones passion is stirred let the other seek to appease it by mild speeches and gentle carriage It is not good to answer passion with passion that will blow up the fire to a greater flame But if either the Husband or Wife be angry or one Servant be angry with his fellow-Servant the way to asswage anger is to speak in a mild gentle manner to the person that is provoked Prov. 15.1 A soft answer turneth away wrath but grievous words stir up anger Prov. 25.15 By long forbearing a Prince is perswaded and a soft tongue breaketh the bone 6. Admonish them to be of a self-denying yielding spirit and not to be stiff and self-willed Eccl. 10.4 Yielding pacifieth great offences By this means Abraham prevented the strife that was like to have been between him and Lot by receding from his own Right and yielding to Lot who was the younger to make his choice which way be would go with his Flocks and Herds Gen. 13.8 9 10. 7. When any strife or contention doth arise take up the difference that is between one party and another and endeavour to reconcile each to other and judge with equity and impartiality between him that doth and him that suffereth the wrong Thus Moses when he saw two Israelites striving together endeavoured to bring them to an agreement Acts 7.26 This is a blessed work to make peace and therefore though it be attended with some difficulties we should endeavour as much as in us lieth to make peace between such as are at variance one with another Matth. 5.9 Blessed are the Peace-makers for they shall be called the Children of God SECT 19. The necessity of joyning Prayer with Family-Instruction The Case of such as have prayed long for their Childrens Conversion and see no answer of their prayers considered Direct 19 IF you would carry on the work of Family-Instruction successfully so as to convert edifie and save their Souls which are under your Charge you must pray with and pray for your Families you must pray often and earnestly to God in the Name of Jesus Christ for guidance assistance and success in the management of this work When the Apostles gave themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word great multitudes were converted to the Faith Act. 6.4 7. We will give our selves continually to prayer and to the Ministry of the Word And what followed hereupon The Word of God increased and the number of the Disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly and a great company of the Priests were obedient to the faith To stir you up to give your selves unto prayer for assistance and success in this work Consider 1. All your sufficiency for the right performing of this work is of God 2 Cor. 2.16 Who is sufficient for these things 2 Cor. 3.5 Not that we are sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is of God And as our sufficiency for this work so our success in it is from God 1 Cor. 3.6 I have planted Apollo watered but God gave the increase Paul was an able Minister of the New Testament 2 Cor. 3.6 and Apollo was an eloquent man mighty in the Scriptures Act. 18.24 yet neither Paul's Abilities nor Apollo's Eloquence could convert or edifie any but where God gave a blessing to their Labours 2. Consider how the Servants of Christ who have been Teachers of others have longed and laboured with God in prayer night and day for the conversion edification and salvation of those that have been committed to their Care and Charge Phil. 1.8 God is my record how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ The Apostle had a longing desire after the sanctification and salvation of the Philippians He did not only long but longed greatly not after some or most of them but after them all and that in the bowels of Christ that is with such earnest and ardent desires as Jesus Christ hath towards the conversion of Sinners and their eternal salvation or In the Bowels of Christ Jesus may signifie those bowels that tender and ardent affection which Jesus Christ had implanted in his soul And what was it that the Apostle did thus long for on their behalf It was that their love might abound more and more in knowledge and in all judgment that they might approve the things that are excellent that they might be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ that they might be filled with the fruits of Righteousness which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God ver 9.10 11. How earnestly did the Apostle thirst after the conversion of the Galatians Gal. 4.9 My little Children of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you As it is with a travailing woman she is full of sorrow and heaviness and cries out and is pained till she be delivered John 16.21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow Rev. 12.2 She being with Child cried travelling in Birth and pained to be delivered So it was with the Apostle he wept he cried out he was pained he could not be at ease untill Christ was formed in their hearts This is a good pattern for Parents to follow as soon as God hath given them Children they should travel in birth again till Christ be formed in their Childrens hearts The Apostle was so affectionately desirous of the Thessalonians welfare that he could have imparted his own Soul to them 1 Thes 2.7 8. We were gentle among you even as a Nurse cherisheth her Children so being affectionately desirous of you we were willing to have imparted unto you not the Gospel of God only but also our own Souls because ye were dear unto us And as the Apostle did earnestly long after their welfare whom he instructed so he prayed exceedingly for them night and day 1 Thes 3.10 Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face and perfect
great worth and excellency there is in an immortal Soul The Soul of the poorest Child or Servant in your Families is more worth than all the substance in your houses than all the Riches you have gotten or can get as long as you live yea than the whole world Mark 8.36 What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own Soul And therefore you should spend more thoughts and pains about saving your Children and Servants Souls than you would do to gain the whole world if there were a probability that by your care and industry you might get into your possession all the good things that are in the world There is such an excellency in the Soul that when any one sinner is brought to repentance whereby his Soul is put into a state of Salvation all the Angels of Heaven rejoyce at this glad Tidings Luk. 15.10 There is joy in the presence of the Angels of God over one sinner that repenteth 2. By converting your Children and Servants you shall recover their souls from the power of the Devil Before their conversion he rules and carries them captive to this and the other sin as he pleaseth Ephes 2.2 2 Tim. 2.26 But when they are converted they are freed and delivered from the power of Satan The Conversion of a sinner is the opening of his eyes and turning him from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God Act. 26.18 It is Gods delivering of a sinner from the power of darkness and translating him into the Kingdom of his dear Son Col. 1.13 If your Children were under Turkish Slavery would you spare any pains or cost to redeem them from the hands of the Turks It is far worse to have them under the power of Satan than under the power of the Turks Suppose the Devil had gotten possession of your Childrens Bodies and should torture them as he did the woman of Canaan's Daughter who cried out to Christ Mat. 15.22 Have mercy upon me O Lord my Daughter is grievously vexed with a Devil or should rend and tear them as he did that young man whose Father made his moan to Christ after this manner My Son hath a dumb Spirit and wheresoever he taketh him he teareth him and he fometh and gnasheth with his teeth and he pineth away and oft times it hath cast him into the fire and into the waters to destroy him Mark 19.17 18 22. would not this cause you to mourn and fast and pray and to use all means possible to get your Childrens Bodies delivered from the tyranny of Satan And would you not be restless until you had obtained their deliverance To have your childrens Souls under the power of the Devil and to have them drawn sometimes into one foul sin and then into another is far worse and more dangerous then to have their Bodies at his command and yet this is their case as long as they remain unconverted their Souls are under the power of sin and Satan How should this cause you to strive with God in prayer night and day and labour with your utmost diligence in the use of all means to get their Souls converted to God 3. By converting your Children and Servants you shall prevent their dying in their sins and save them from the wrath of God and the torments of Hell Jam. 5.19 20. Brethren if any of you do err from the truth and one convert him let him know that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a Soul from death and shall hide a multitude of sins What a great what a good work is this to save a soul from death Shall we think any pains too much to save immortal Souls from eternal Death If you saw any of your Children ready to fall into a fiery Furnace which would consume them to Ashes in a moment you would suddenly lay hold on them and prevent if it were possible their falling into the furnace of fire Hell is called A Furnace of Fire Mat. 13.42 As long as your Children live in ignorance and in an unconverted condition they are in danger every day to fall into this furnace of fire And doth it not concern you then to prevent with all possible speed their falling into everlasting burnings 4. Consider what great pains Jesus Christ took to save and convert Souls The great end of his coming into the world and taking our Nature upon him was to save Souls Luk. 19.10 The Son of man is come to seek and save that which was lost When he was upon the earth he was so diligent in teaching and instructing the people that he did not omit his work one day Luk. 19.47 He taught daily in the Temple He was so diligent to teach and instruct the people that he could not find spare time to eat his Bread which cansed some of his friends to think and say he was beside himself Mark 3.20 He was not only very diligent in preaching but was content to lay down his life to save our souls Shall not this example of Christ provoke you to give all diligence to save both your own and the souls of all that are committed to your Charge 5. God will give a greater degree of Glory to those that are instrumental to convert and save souls than to other Saints For whereas they shall shine only as the Firmament they that convert others shall shine as the Stars in the Firmament Dan. 12.3 They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the Firmament and they that turn many to Righteousness as the Stars for ever and ever 6. You cannot approve your selves to be Righteous Persons either to God or Men if you do not regard what becomes of your childrens and servants souls A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast Prov. 12.10 If this be true how can they account themselves righteous persons who have no regard what becomes of the souls of their Children If a Beast go astray though it be not our own but our Neighbours yea our Enemies we must by no means neglect to bring it back Exod. 23.4 If thou meet thine Enemies Ox or his Ass going astray thou shalt surely bring it back to him again If we are bound so straightly to bring back an Ox or an Ass of our Enemies when he goes astray then what obligations lie upon us to bring home to God our own Children and our houshold Servants when we see them going astray from the Lord SECT 2. Such as neglect Family-Instruction are guilty of their Children and Servants Blood How great an Evil it is to be guilty of the Blood of Souls Motive 2 SUch Parents and Masters of Families as neglect to train up their Children and Servants in the fear of the Lord and in the knowledge of his word are the instrumental causes of their Damnation and their Children and Servants Blood will be laid to their charge and be required at their hands For
a thousand times more value than many Sparrows And seeing it is God hath done it how grievous and bitter soever it be unto your Souls you must bear it with patience Psal 39.9 10. I was dumb I opened not my mouth because thou diddest it And this was no small stroke under which David was dumb because the Lord gave him the blow but it was so great as that he was even consumed with it as the next words shew Remove thy stroke away from me I am consumed by the blow of thine hand By his being consumed we may understand the greatness of his grief as Psal 31.9 Mine eye is consumed with grief yea my soul and my belly yet under this great stroke which consumed his Soul and his Body with grief he was dumb and opened not his mouth because God did it Whatsoever cometh from the hands of God must be born with silence and submission to his will although it be so sharp and bitter as that it will make us go mourning as long as vve live Isa 38.15 What shall I say He hath spoken unto me and himself hath done it I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my Soul And as vve must be patient under all our griefs so we must contentedly bear vvhatever grievous things befal our children Jer. 10.19 20. Wo is me for my hurt my wound is grievous but I said Truly this is a grief and I must bear it My Children are gone forth of me and are not II. God is righteous in vvhat he hath done to your Children although he hath cast them into eternal torments If you think it not consistent with Righteousness and Equity to punish the sins of a few years vvith endless and eternal torments consider 1. That the Scriptures assure us that the Lord is righteous in all his vvays Psal 145.18 The Lord is righteous in all his ways and holy in all his works And if the Lord be righteous in all his ways then also in this vvay of his Providence vvhen he condemneth vvicked men to eternal torments for the sins they committed in that short space of time they lived in the vvorld Yea more particularly vve find the Scriptures ascribing Righteousness to God in this very case vvhen he punisheth ungodly persons vvith everlasting torments 2 Thes 1.6 9. It is a righteous thing with God to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power 2. The Angels are more glorious Creatures than the Souls of Men yet vvhen they sinned against God the Lord did not spare them but for their first sin cast them down into hell 2 Pet. 1.4 God spared not the Angels that sinned but cast them down to hell and delivered them into Chains of Darkness to be reserved unto Judgment And that they shall be punished in Hell vvith everlasting torments is evident from Matth. 25.41 Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels And this he did vvithout affording them any means of their recovery from their sin and misery vvhich vvas granted to fallen man Heb. 2.16 For verily he took not on him the Nature of Angels but he took on him the Seed of Abraham Now seeing God cast those glorious Creatures the Angels into eternal torments for their first transgression and did not spare them one day or afford them any means of recovery after their fall shall vve think that God deals hardly vvith the Sons of men in condemning them to eternal torments vvhenas he afforded them means of grace and salvation and gave them a long time and space for their Repentance vvaiting day after day and year after year for their returning to him Is not this far greater mercy and less severity then vvas shewn to the fallen Angels 3. Sin is committed against an eternal God against an infinitely holy great and glorious GOD and therefore deserveth an infinite and eternal punishment We do not understand or at least vve do not consider what an odious thing Sin is and what a great God the Lord is and vvhat an infinite distance there is between the great and holy God and a poor sinful man vvhen vve think that the Lord deals hardly vvith sinners in punishing their sins vvith eternal torments What an hainous crime is it for man who is but a poor vvorm made of dust and ashes to affront despise and rebel against the great GOD of Heaven and Earth vvho gave him his Being and loadeth him vvith his Benefits every day To tread the Laws of God under his feet and to cast his vvord behind his back to slight all his Promises and Threatnings to contemn all his offers of Grace and Mercy and though he wait with much patience and long-suffering many days and years for his Repentance to refuse to return and obey the Voice of his Creator Doth not such a despising of the Eternal Immortal Ever-Blessed God deserve to be punished with eternal Torments 4. It is accounted no injustice among men to inflict a punishment of long continuance for a crime that was committed in a very short time If Murder Adultery Treason or some other capital Offence which was committed in the space of a few minutes be punished with perpetual imprisonment or perpetual banishment no man counts it injustice or thinks the Offender is hardly dealt with because he is so long punish'd for an offence committed in so short a time Why then should any man think that the Righteous God dealeth hardly or unjustly in punishing sinners with perpetual torments for the sins they committed those few years they lived in the world 5. It was their own choice to embrace eternal death God set before them Life and Death He told them if they did evil they should die eternally but if they would repent and do that which is good in his sight they should have everlasting life and he called upon them earnestly to chuse Life rather than Death Deut. 30.15 19. See I have set before you this day life and good death and evil Therefore chuse life He offered them Life in his Son and they would not go unto him for it John 5.40 And ye will not come to Me that ye might have life He protested solemnly to them that he was loth they should die and therefore pleaded with them Why will ye die Ezek. 33.11 Say unto them As I live saith the Lord God I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his way and live Turn ye turn ye from your evil ways for why will ye die O House of Israel And therefore they must blame themselves not the Lord for their being cast into eternal Torments 6. Had they been permitted to have lived for ever upon the face of the Earth they would have sinned for ever The heart of the Sons of men is fully set in them to do evil