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
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
it is evident from the word of God that all such as live and die ignorant of God having attained to years of discretion shall be destroyed for ever without having any mercy shewed to them 2 Thes 1.7 8 9. The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power Isa 27.11 It is a people of no understanding therefore he that made them will have no mercy on them and he that formed them will shew them no favour Hos 4.6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge Now if the Lord will condemn our Children and Servants for their ignorance and their ignorance proceed from our neglect of instructing them are not we the cause of their condemnation Such as have the Rule and Government of Families are in the nature and condition of Watchmen as well as those that bear Rule in the Church and must give an account for those souls that are committed to their charge Heb. 13.17 Obey them that have the Rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your souls as they that must give an account And as for those that are placed in the condition of Watchmen if any persons over whom God hath made them Watchmen be lost through their neglect to instruct them in their duty or to reclaim them from their sins the Blood of those that perish shall be required at the Watchmans hands Ezek. 3.17 18. Son of man I have made thee a Watchman unto the House of Israel therefore hear the word at my Mouth and give them warning from Me when I say to the wicked Thou shalt surely die and thou givest him not warning nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way to save his life the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity but his blood will I require at thine hand What Inditement is brought in against the Jews Jer. 2.34 In thy Skirts is found the Blood of the Souls of the poor Innocents I have not found it by secret search but upon all these The like may be said of many Masters of Families In their Skirts will be found the Blood of the Souls of their Children and Servants In their Skirts That is it will plainly and evidently appear unto all men at the day of Judgment that they are guilty of the Blood of the Souls of their Children and Servants for want of instructing and training them up in the fear of God VVe cannot possibly be clear from the blood of those that are committed to our charge if either through wilfulness or through sloth and negligence we forbear to instruct them in those things that are necessary to their Salvation but if we do our duty and they perish in their sins their Blood shall be upon their own head Act. 20.26 27. I take you to record this day that I am pure from the blood of all men for I have not shunned to declare unto you all the Counsel of God Did Parents and Masters of Families seriously consider what it is to have their Children and Servants die eternally and that through their neglecting to teach and train them up in the fear of God did they also consider what it is to have the blood of Souls laid to their charge it would stir them up to be diligent in instructing their Families unless they be such as have lost all regard to their own and their Families welfare To press home this consideration with the greater efficacy I shall suggest to you three or four things more under this head As 1. The death of a Child goes near a Parents heart Hagar could not endure to see her Child die and therefore when she thought he would die she gets a great way off from him and sat down and wept Gen. 21.16 She said Let me not see the death of the Child and she sat over against him and lift up her voice and wept VVhen tydings came to David of Absolom's death he was exceedingly troubled at it 2 Sam. 18.33 And the King was much moved and went up to the chamber ever the gate and wept and as he went thus he said O my Son Absolom my Son my Son Absolom would God I had died for thee O Absolom my Son my Son VVhen Jacob did but suppose that Joseph was dead though he had eleven Sons living his sorrow was so great that he refused to be comforted Gen. 37.34 35. Jacob rent his cloaths and put sackcloth upon his loyns and mourned for his Son many days and all his Sons and all his Daughters rose up to comfort him but he refused to be comforted and he said For I will go down into the Grave unto my Son mourning Thus his Father wept for him If it be so grievous to Parents to see their Children deprived of their natural life how should it pierce their hearts to have them deprived of eternal Life If they are so grieved at the death of their Bodies how should they lay to heart the death of their Souls How should it wound them to have their Children cast into the lake that burneth with fire and Brimstone which is the second death where they shall be always burning and yet never be consumed they shall be always dying and yet never be dead yea how should it affect them when they consider that they themselves have through their negligence been the cause of their Childrens dying the second death 2. It would pierce a flinty heart to see Children dying in their Parents Arms for want of Bread VVhen Jeremiah saw little Children in the time of Famine some dying in the streets others breathing out their souls in their Mothers Bosoms for want of Bread to sustain their Lives it made him weep till his eyes and his heart failed him with grief Lam. 2.11 12. Mine eyes do fail with tears my bowels are troubled my Liver is poured upon the earth for the destruction of the Daughter of my People because the Children and the Sucklings swoon in the streets of the City they say to their Mothers Where is Corn and Wine When they swooned as the wounded in the Streets of the City when their Soul was poured out into their Mothers Bosom This is a sorrowful sight but it is far more dreadful to see Children perishing to all eternity in their Parents Houses for want of their communicating to them the Bread of Life than to see them die by Famine 3. It is an unspeakable loss for a man to lose one Soul Though he do not lose his Children and Servants Souls though he lose not one Soul besides his own the gain of the whole world will not make up this loss as appears from the fore-quoted Scripture Mar. 8.36 What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and
that which is lacking in your Faith Phil. 1.4 Always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with Joy He put up no prayer at any time but he remembred them all and it was not irksome to him so to do but he did it with Joy And as the Apostle Paul so also others of the Servants of Christ have been wont to labour and strive mightily with God in Prayer for those whom they have taught and instructed in the ways of God Col. 4.12 Epaphras who is one of you a Servant of Christ saluteth you always labouring fervently for you in prayers that ye may stand perfect and compleat in the whole Will of God He did not only pray but laboured in prayer and that fervently not sometimes but always and that not for his own concernments but for you besides it is not said in prayer but in prayers intimating that he put up a multitude of prayers for them and it was no small measure of grace that he laboured thus earnestly for on their behalf but that they might stand perfect and compleat in the will in all the will of God 3. Prayer will do great things with God for others as well as our own Souls Jam. 5.16 Pray one for another that ye may be healed the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much By praying in faith and with fervency we may obtain converting grace remission of sins and eternal life for our Children and Servants and others as well as those of our own Families 1 John 5.16 If any man see his Brother sin a sin which is not unto death he shall ask and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death This promise may give us great encouragement to pray in faith for the conversion and salvation of such as are visible and open sinners If any see his Brother sin c. If we consider 1. The persons to whom this promise is made and they are every one that believeth in the Name of Jesus Christ It is not a priviledge that did belong only to the Apostles or extraordinary men of God but it is said If any man that is any man that believeth in Christ as appeareth from the thirteenth verse 2. The persons for whom Believers may obtain Life and Salvation upon praving to God for them and they are his Brethren sinning Brethren If any man see his Brother sin he shall give him life for them He first speaks of a Brother in the singular number and then saith Life for them in the plural which shews that the word Brother is to be taken collectively as Beza observes for all or any Brother for whom a Believer shall pray to God If you ask Who is meant by a Brother I answer The Apostle seemeth to use the word Brother in this Epistle in the same latitude with Neighbour which may be proved from several passages in his Epistle as Chap. iii. 14 15 16. Chap. iv 20.21 And Piscator expounds the word Brother Fratris nomine intelligit proximum qui eandem nobiscum fidem ac proinde eundem in coelis patrem profitetur 3. He excepts no sins but the sin unto death that is as most expound the place the sin against the Holy Gaost which is a sin that shall never have forgiveness As for any other sins if Believers ask of God Repentance and Forgiveness of sins for them that have sinned that so they may have Life and Salvation God will grant them their desire Another Scripture that sheweth the efficacy of prayer in order to the obtaining for others forgiveness of sins and Grace whereby they may be qualified to receive forgiveness of sins we have Jam. 5.15 The prayer of faith shall save the Sick and the Lord shall raise him up and if he have committed sins they shall be forgiven him Ishmael was a wild Child Gen. 16.11 12. yet when Abraham prayed Gen. 17.10 O that Ishmael might live before thee God answers him verse 20. As for Ishmael I have heard thee And though the Lord adds afterward But my Covenant will I establish with Isaac Yet this as Rivet observes seems rather to be an excluding of Ishmael's Posterity than his Person from the Covenant unto whom the same day that God gave him this answer Abraham administers Circumcision the Seal of the Covenant When the woman of Canaans Daughter was grievously vexed with a Devil her prayer prevailed with Christ to deliver her Daughter from the power of the Devil Matth. 15.22 28. Objection I have prayed often to God to give my Children Grace and to convert and turn them from their sins but I do not see that my Prayers avail any thing with God for my Children they abide still in a graceless condition Answer 1. Do you instruct them diligently as well as pray for them Do you watch over them Do you shew them a good example Do you reprove them Do you give them due correction If you do not use other means as well as prayer possibly that is the reason why your prayers avail not for their conversion The Apostle Paul who earnestly desired and prayed for the salvation of the Jews Rom. 10.1 Brethren my hearts desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved joyned with his prayers the use of all means to effect their salvation Rom. 11.14 If by any means I might provoke to emulation them which are my flesh and might save some of them So must we joyn the use of all other means with prayer if we would have our prayers become effectual for the conversion and salvation of our Children 2. Though we see no present return of our prayers yet we should continue praying and not faint or be discouraged until we have obtained what we pray for Luke 18.1 He spake a Parable unto them to this end that men ought always to pray and not to faint Though the Lord may be silent for a season and seem not to regard our Prayers to try our Faith and Patience yet he may purpose to give us all that we pray for He dealt thus with the Woman of Canaan when she came to him with a Request on the behalf of her Daughter at the first he answered her not a word Matth. 15.23 And when the Disciples intercede for her he seems to discourage them from making any farther request for her by saying to them ver 24. I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the House of Israel and afterward when she continued to cry after him he seemeth to beat her off and reject her prayer by telling her Verse 26. It is not meet to take the Childrens Bread and cast it to Dogs Yet she still holding on her suit at length Christ yields her the whole desire of her heart Verse 28. Then Jesus answered and said unto her O Woman great is thy Faith Be it unto thee even as thou wilt And her Daughter was made whole from that very hour 3. If God should
a very hard matter to come to the knowledge of Christ Crucified IV. That this Scripture doth not make void either Ministerial Teaching or Family-Instruction besides what hath been already said may further be proved 1. Because God teacheth in the use of means God could have revealed Himself and his Son in an immediate manner unto Cornelius but he puts him on sending for Peter to instruct him Acts 11.13 14. Send men to Joppa and call for Simon whose sirname is Peter who shall tell thee words whereby thou and all thy House shall be saved And it is his Covenant to teach his People not by his Spirit only or by his Word only but by his Word and Spirit and that as long as the world stands Isa 59.21 As for me this is my Covenant with them saith the Lord My Spirit which is upon thee and my words which I have put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy Seed nor out of the mouth of thy Seeds Seed saith the Lord from henceforth and for ever 2. We see by sad experience the great ignorance and rudeness and dulness of those Children and Servants and of those Families and Places that have no instruction Though they live in Gospel-times and in the days of the New Covenant yet if they have no instruction they are as ignorant as they were that lived under the time of the Old Testament SECT 18. Though some Persons are nothing bettered by instruction yet we must continue to instruct them Object 18 WE see many Children and Servants that have good instructions prove very vile and corrupt and are never a whit the better but rather the worse for all the pains that is taken with them and therefore it is to no purpose for us to instruct our Families Answ 1. Though some are never a whit the better for the instructions and good counsels which are given them yet others are converted to God and edified thereby And who can tell but God may bless your labour unto the Conversion and Salvation of those that are under your Charge 2. If any means under Heaven will do them good instructing them out of the word of God is the most likely way and means to lead them to Repentance We think if a damned Soul should come out of Hell and declare what torments it hath felt in Hell or a Saint should come out of Heaven and declare what Joys he hath possess'd in Heaven this would work wonderfully upon our Children towards the leading of them to Repentance but the word of God which is contained in the Scriptures will do more towards the bringing men to Repentance then the rising of one from the dead would do Luc. 16.29 30 31. They have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them And he said Nay father Abraham but if one went to them from the dead they will repent And he said unto him If they hear not Moses and the Prophets neither will they be perswaded though one rise from the dead If the Scriptures will not perswade men to repent and believe such men would not repent and believe though Jesus Christ himself were on earth to speak to them John 5.46 47. Had ye believed Moses ye would have believed me for he wrote of me but if ye believe not his writings how shall ye believe my words 3. If you should not convert your Children and Servants but they should still go on in their evil ways yet it is worth your time and pains to instruct and warn them of the danger they are in by reason of sin for hereby you shall deliver your own souls from being guilty of their Blood Ezek. 3.19 If thou warn the wicked and he turn not from his wickedness nor from his wicked way he shall die in his iniquity but thou hast delivered thy Soul 4. The word of God is to some men the savour of death unto death yet the Ministers of Christ must not cease to preach the word because all that hear them are not converted from their evil ways And when they discharge their work and duty faithfully they are a sweet savour unto God in those that perish as well as in them that are saved 2 Cor. 2.15 16. We are unto God a sweet savour of Christ in them that are saved and in them that perish to the one we are the savour of death unto death and to the other the savour of life unto life So it is with Masters of Families they must not desist from Family-Instruction though they should see their Children or Servants continuing in their sins for if they discharge their duty faithfully and with diligence though they should have no success they shall be accepted of God in Christ Jesus SECT 19. The fear of aggravating our Childrens Condemnation should not make us neglect Family-Instruction Object 19 THe more light my Children have the greater their Condemnation will be if they make not a good use of it and I am afraid they will not and therefore I am afraid to instruct them lest I should aggravate their condemnation Answ I. It is true that the more Light any man hath the greater his condemnation will be if he do not make a good use of it Luc. 12.47 That Servant which knew his Lords will and prepared not himself neither did according to his will shall be beaten with many stripes II. Though the case be so that the more light any man hath the greater will be his condemnation yet this must not make you neglect instructing them out of fear that they should not improve their light and so have the greater condemnation For 1. Some mens sin and condemnation will be aggravated by the coming of Christ into the world John 15.22 If I had not come and spoken unto them they had not had sin but now they have no cloak for their sin Yet God did well in sending his Son into the world The preaching of Christ and the Gospel will make their condemnation more dreadful where Christ and the Gospel are not embraced than the condemnation of the Heathen that never heard of Christ John 3.19 This is the condemnation That Light is come into the world and men loved darkness rather than Light because their deeds were evil See also Mat. 11. 23 24. Yet the preaching of Christ and the Gospel to the world is a good work and God pronounceth a wo against those that he hath called to the Ministry of the Gospel who preach it not 1 Cor. 9. 16. For necessity is laid upon me yea wo is unto me if I preach not the Gospel Suppose it should increase your Childrens misery in the world to come to have Light if they make not a good use of it yet you do well when you instruct them yea a necessity is laid upon you and wo be unto you if you do it not 2. You run a greater hazard both of your own and your Childrens condemnation by neglecting to
some mens light doth so far misguide them as that they think they do God service when they kill his servants John 16.2 Yea the time cometh that whosoever kelleth you will think that he doth God service A man may verily think that his ways are right and good and yet they may be such as will lead him to destruction Prov. 14.12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man but the end thereof are the ways of death And therefore we find God charging us not to lean to our own understandings Prov. 3.5 Lean not unto thine own understanding And commanding us to observe his Statutes and not to do such things as are right in our own eyes Deut. 12.1 8. These are the Statutes and Judgments which ye shall observe to do ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes 6. Satan can transform himself into an Angel of Light and suggest his own evil motions under the name and notion of the dictates and motions of the Spirit of God 2 Cor. 11.14 Satan himself is transformed into an Angel of Light And because Satan can transform himself and make as if he were an Angel of Light we are commanded not to believe every Spirit but to try the Spirits whether they be of God 1 John 4.1 Beloved believe not every Spirit but try the Spirits whether they are of God And by what shall we try the Spirits whether they be of God This must be done by the VVord of God we must have recourse to the Law and Testimonies what is agreeable to the Scriptures we must own as the Will of God what is contrary to them we must reject as coming from the Spirit of Delusion Isa 8.20 To the Law and to the Testimony if they speak not according to this Word it is because there is no Light in them VVhatever Light or Spirit would draw us off from or perswade us to any thing contrary to This Word that is the Law and the Testimony is to be rejected as no true Light nor true Spirit 7. The Lord commandeth all sorts of persons to read the Scriptures and that not in a slight cursory manner but with diligence and great attention 1 Tim. 4.13 Give attendance to reading John 5.39 Search the Scriptures The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to weigh and consider diligently what we read to search into the understanding of those things that are hidden and abstruse It is the same word which is used Rev. 2.23 I am he which searcheth the heart and reins Such a search should we make into the Scriptures we should labour to have a clear and thorow understanding of the most abstruse and hidden truths that are wrapped up in the Scriptures It is not only our duty to read the Scriptures but to do it daily Acts 17.11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica in that they received the Word with all readiness of mind and searched the Scriptures daily And to continue reading some portion of them every day as long as we live Deut. 17.18 19. He shall write him a copy of this Law in a Book out of that which is before the Priests the Levites and it shall be with him and he shall read therein all the days of his life This is spoken of the Kings of Israel and if they were obliged to get a Copy of the Law and to read therein all their days then surely other inferiour persons that have nothing so much business upon their hands as Kings are obliged to spare some time every day from their occasions to read some portion of the Scriptures Besides our reading the Scriptures privately by our selves God commandeth them to be read publickly in the audience of all the people both Men and Women and Children Deut. 31.11 12. And we find it was the practise of the servants of God in their publick Assemblies to read the Scriptures Josh 8.34 35. He read all the words of the Law the Blessings and Cursings according to all that is written in the Book of the Law there was not a word that Moses commanded which Joshua read not before all the Congregation of Israel with the women and their little ones and the strangers that were conversant among them And this they did not at some extraordinary times only but it was their constant course to read the Scriptures in their Assemblies every Sabbath day Acts 1.13 22. Moses of old time hath in every City thens that preach him being read in the Synagogues every Sabbath day And our Lord Jesus approved this practice by his own example he read the Scriptures to the Jews on the Sabbath days Luc. 4.16 17. And he came to Nazareth where he had been brought up and as his custom was he went into the Synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up for to read and there was delivered unto him the Book of the Prophet Esaias 8. As all sorts of persons are commanded to read the Scriptures so all sorts of persons may reap great benefit by reading the Scriptures Men VVomen Children Strangers all sorts of people may learn to fear and obey the Lord by reading the word of God Deut. 31.11 12. Thou shalt read this Law before all Israel Gather the people together Men Women and Children and the Stranger that is within thy Gates that they may hear and that they may learn and fear the Lord your God and observe to do all the words of this Law Reading the Scriptures is an effectual means to beget Repentance Neh. 8.8 9. So they read in the Book in the Law of God distinctly and gave the sense and caused them to understand the reading All the people wept when they heard the words of the Law And Faith Acts 17.11 12. They received the word with all readiness of mind and searched the Scriptures daily whether those things were so Therefore many of them believed The Lord hath promised his Blessing to those that read and practise those things which are written in the Scriptures Rev. 1.3 Blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the Words of this Prophecy and keep those things which are written therein 9. The Light that is within us if it be true Light teacheth us that we ought to yield obedience to all the Commandments of God and this is one of the Commandments of God which he doth often inculcate upon us That we should teach his word unto our Children and train them up in the knowledge and obedience of his Laws as hath been already proved from Deut. 6.6 7. These words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart and thou shalt teach them diligently to thy Children Psal 78.5 He established a Testimony in Jacob and appointed a Law in Israel which he commanded our Fathers that they should make them known to their Children Ephes 6.4 And ye Fathers provoke not your Children to wrath but bring them up in
Eccles 8.11 They would always have gone on resisting the Spirit of God and doing those things which are grievous in the sight of God Psal 10 4 5. The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God God is not in all his thoughts his ways are always grievous Acts 7.51 Ye do always resist the holy Ghost They would continually have sinned against God in their hearts and lives Gen. 6.5 God saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the Earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually Time would have been so far from leading them to Repentance that the longer they had lived they would have been the more subtil and obstinate sinners and would have been longer accustomed to do evil and the longer a man hath been accustomed to do evil the harder it is to bring him to Repentance Jer. 13.23 Is there any inequality in punishing them for ever who would have sinned for ever Now if God hath dealt righteously with your Children why should you fret or be disquieted at the righteous dealings of the Just and Righteous God Was it meet that the Lord should have perverted Justice for your sake or the sake of your Children III. The Lord hath fulfilled his eternal counsel and declared his truth and faithfulness in fulfilling his Threatnings denounced against impenitent sinners by condemning your children who died in their sins unto eternal torments God hath plainly revealed it in his holy Word that it is his eternal and unchangable purpose to cast into eternal torments all wicked and ungodly persons that live and die in their sins without Repentance The Scriptures are full of Threatnings to this effect as Psal 9.17 Luk. 13.3 5. Mat. 13.41 42. Mat. 25.41 Rev. 21.8 with a multitude of other places why then should you fret at Gods fulfilling his eternal counsel and at his faithfulness in fulfilling his word As Bildad said to Job 18.4 He teareth himself in his anger shall the Earth be forsaken for thee And shall the Rock be removed out of his place The like may I say to you Why do you tear your selves in your anger Should the Lord have forsaken his eternal counsels which are more firm than the Earth or Rocks and would have brought greater confusion than the removing the Earth or the Rocks out of their places for your sakes Would you have had him altered the way and course of mans salvation for the sake of your Children Would you have had him proved unfaithful in not fulfilling his word to spare your Children from eternal torments This in effect is to have desired that he would have denied his own Being and ceased to be God rather than to have condemned your Children For if God should depart from his faithfulness he should deny his own Being 2 Tim. 2.12 He abideth faithful he cannot deny himself IV. Murmuring and fretting against God for condemning your Children who died in their sins unto eternal torments is the way to fall into the same condemnation with your Children For those that resemble Dogs by their barking and snarling and being angry at what God doth shall be shut out of heaven Rev. 22.15 Without are Dogs The Apostle cautions us against murmuring lest we should thereby provoke God to destroy us 1 Cor. 10.10 Neither murmur ye as some of them also murmured and were destroyed of the Destroyer And therefore instead of murmuring against God for destroying your Children admire his great and wonderful mercy that you as well as they are not consumed and cast into everlasting burnings Lam. 3.22 It is of the Lords mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not V. Your excessive sorrow for your deceased children who died in their sins doth not please God nor any way benefit you or your children It doth not please God he is troubled that you do not joy more in having him for your God and Portion and Saviour than you grieve at the loss of your children but that your grief for your children should swallow up your joy in God and may say to you as Elkanah did to Hannah 1 Sam. 1.8 Why weepest thou And why eatest thou not And why is thy heart grieved Am not I better to thee than ten sons When any affection exceedeth its due bounds it is sinful and that which is sinful displeaseth God Your excessive sorrow will no ways benefit your deceased children If you could shed Rivers of Tears for them they would avail nothing for their Release or the mitigation of their torments Prayers and Tears may do great things for the Living but they are not any way profitable for the Dead And as Prayers and Tears profit dead men nothing so neither can any other work that is done by any man under the Sun be any way beneficial to the Dead Solomon speaking of the dead saith Eccl. 9.6 Neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the Sun When once God hath passed sentence upon them for their eternal state no Creature can prevail with him to change his mind Job 23.13 But he is in one mind and who can turn him Not one Soul that is cast into hell can by any means be redeemed from thence again Psal 49.8 For the redemption of their soul is precious and it ceaseth for ever And as your inordinate sorrow doth not benefit your deceased children so neither do you your selves reap any advantage by it it is so far from doing you good that it hurts you both in body and soul and estate It hurts your bodies as it dries and consumes them and hastens your death Prov. 17.22 A broken spirit drieth the bones 2 Cor. 7.10 The sorrow of the world worketh death It hurts your Souls as it hinders your communion with God and your performing that service you owe to God and tends to the destroying of the Kingdom of God in your Souls which consisteth not only in righteousness but also in peace and joy in the Holy Ghost Rom. 14.17 It hurts your Estates as it unfits you for the works of your Calling And therefore seeing that your excessive grief doth not please God nor benefit your Children or your selves nor any other person but you disquiet your selves in vain let this put a period to your immoderate sorrows VI. Turn your excessive sorrowing for the loss of your deceased Childrens souls into zealous endeavours after the salvation of your own soul and the souls of your surviving Children Instead of unprofitable mourning for the dead rise up and work out your own salvation with fear and trembling and save if it be possible all that are committed to your charge As the Lord called off Samuel from mourning for Saul to anoint an other King 1 Sam. 16.1 And the Lord said unto Samuel how long wilt thou mourn for Saul seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel Fill thine horn with oyl and go c. So
of thine Enemies that thou mightest still the Enemy and the Avenger And we find this Scripture applied by Christ to the little Children who cried in the Temple Hosanna to the Son of David Matth. 21.15 16. These little Children by the Revelation of Gods Spirit knew and understood that Jesus Christ was the promised Messiah which thing was hid from many of the Pharisees who were wise and prudent men Matth. 11.25 4. Suppose our Children should not understand for the present some of those Scriptures which we teach them yet they may understand them and reap great benefit from them hereafter it may be after we are laid in our Graves John 12.16 These things understood not his Disciples at the first but when Jesus was glorified then remembred they that those things were written of him and that they had done these things unto him And in another place we find that the Disciples after Christs death were much helped in their Faith by remembring a word that Christ had said to them in his Life time about his building of the Temple in three days after it should be destroyed John 2.22 When he was risen from the dead his Disciples remembred that he had said this unto them and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said 5. It is not a profaning of Gods Name or of his holy Word to teach our Children the Scriptures whilst they are young but it makes much for the glorifying of God When little Children cried in the Temple Hosanna to the Son of David the chief Priests and Scribes were sore displeased but what said Christ to this He justifies them he saith it redounded to Gods praise yea so far was he from counting it a profaning of Gods Name that he calls it a perfection of praise Matth. 21.16 Out of the mouths of Babes and Sucklings thou hast perfected praise And therefore we should look upon this as a Temptation of Satan when we are perswaded to neglect instructing our Children while they are young lest we should thereby profane the Name of the Lord. 6. Jesus Christ hath given a Charge for the feeding of his Lambs as well as his Sheep John 21.15 Lovest thou me Feed my Lambs He was much displeased with those that would have hinder'd little Children from being brought unto him Mark 10.13 14. They brought young Children to him that he should touch them and his Disciples rebuked those that brought them but when Jesus saw it he was much displeased and said unto them Suffer little Children to come unto me and forbid them not for of such is the Kingdom of God It is the duty of little Children to praise the Lord Psal 149.12 13. Both young men and maidens old men and children let them praise the Name of the Lord. And how can they do this except we teach them to praise the Lord Amongst the Offerings under the Law we find several Creatures offered to God very young Samuel offered a sucking Lamb 1 Sam. 7.9 And Aaron is required to offer a young Calf Lev. 9.2 And they that were poor and could not go to the price of a Lamb were to offer two young Pigeons Lev. 5.7 This may teach us that we cannot dedicate our selves or our Children too soon to the Lord but the younger our Children are when we begin to train them up in the knowledge and fear of God the more acceptable it will be to the Lord who desireth the knowledge of God more than Burnt-Offerings Hos 6.6 7. We know not how little a time we may live with our Children or our Children may live with us and therefore 't is not safe deferring this work for All flesh is grass Isa 40.6 and grass is of a fading nature In the morning it flourisheth and groweth up in the evening it is cut down and withereth Psal 90.6 Mans life is set forth by a more transient fading thing than grass by the Apostle James What is your life It is even a vapour that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away Jam. 4.16 Whilst therefore God continueth us with our Children and our Children with us we should set upon this work of teaching and instructing them with all speed and with all our might Eccles 9.10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do do it with thy might for there is no work nor device nor knowledge nor wisdom in the Grave whither thou goest SECT 7. The Plea of such as neglect Family-Instruction because their Families are endued with knowledge answered Object 7 My Family are all knowing persons and are well acquainted with the Scriptures already so that it is needless for me to instruct them Answ First If the case be so indeed that all the Members of your Family be knowing persons you have great cause to bless God and to be thankful every day on their behalf 1 Cor. 1.4 5. I thank my God always on your behalf for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ that in every thing ye are inriched by him in all utterance and in all knowledge 2. It may be if you examine the several members of your Family you shall not find all of them so eminent and abounding in knowledge as you think them to be before you have made trial Who would have thought that Nicodemus who was a Master in Israel should have been so ignorant in the Mystery of Regeneration that when Christ spake of a mans being born again or else he could not see the Kingdom of God he should reply How can a man be born when he is old Can he enter the second time into his mothers womb and be born Joh. 3.4 And when Christ had explained his meaning that he spoke of being born of the Spirit he replied afterward How can these things be Vers 9. Insomuch that our Lord Jesus wonder'd that such a man as he should shew so much ignorance in such things as these were vers 10. Jesus said unto him Art thou a Master of Israel and knowest not these things The Disciples of Christ after they had been a long time with their Master and had been often instructed by him both publickly and privately were so ignorant in the Doctrine of Christs Resurrection that they did not know what his rising from the dead should mean Mark 9.10 They kept that saying with themselves questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean And as they did not understand the Resurrection of Christ so neither did they understand of a long time that he was to die for our sins Luke 9.44 45. Let these sayings sink down into your ears for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men but they understood not this saying and it was hid from them that they perceived it not And they were not only his ordinary followers but his twelve Apostles whom he chose to be with him continually that understood not what he taught them when he spake of his Death and Resurrection
as we may see Luc. 18.31 32 33 34. Now if Nicodemus a Master in Israel was ignorant of the nature of Regeneration which is a work that must pass upon every one that shall be saved if the Disciples of Christ yea his Apostles after they had been a long time with him were ignorant of those plain and fundamental Truths of the Death and Resurrection of Christ had not those Masters of Families that think all in their Families are endued with such a great measure of knowledge that they want no instruction need make enquiry into their Children and Servants knowledge whether they are indeed so knowing as they think them to be Thirdly Suppose all the Members of your Families be wise understanding persons endued with a great measure of knowledge yet it is your duty to instruct them that they may get more wisdom and it will be a benefit and advantage unto them to be instructed Prov. 9.9 Give instruction to a wise man and he will be yet wiser teach a just man and he will increase in learning For 1. Though you should teach them nothing but what they knew before yet thereby you may edifie them whilst you stir up their Faith Hope Love Joy Thankfulness and Obedience c. by putting them in remembrance of known Truths They to whom the Apostle Peter wrote knew and were established in the Truth yet he resolved as long as he lived to stir them up by putting them in remembrance of what he had taught them before 2 Pet. 1.12 13. I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of those things though ye know them and be established in the present truth yea I think it meet as long as I am in this Tabernacle to stir you up by putting you in remembrance But 2. There is no man knows so much but he may and ought to labour to grow in knowledge David knew more than the Antients and more than all his Teachers and yet how often do we find him praying after this manner Give me understanding Teach me thy Statutes c. In the 119 Psalm where he speaks of the great measure of knowledge whereby he excelled his Enemies his Teachers and the Antients he prays 24 or 25 times to God to give him knowledge You should not rest satisfied that your Families do know the will of God but you should desire and endeavour as the Apostle did in the behalf of the Colossians that they may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding Col. 1.9 10. You should not only labour to bring them acquainted with the word of God but endeavour that it may dwell richly in them and that it may dwell in them in all wisdom Col. 3.16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom SECT 8. Family-Instruction must not be neglected because we have but a small Family Object 8 SOme perhaps may object My Family is so small I do not think it worth my time and pains to instruct them If I had many Children or many Servants I would take pains to instruct them but having so small a Family I do not think it worth the while to bestow my time on one or two because I can imploy my time better Answ 1. If you have but one Child or one Servant to instruct it is worth much time and pains to instruct that one person for one Soul is more worth than the whole world Mark 8.36 Now you have spent and do spend much time and pains to get a little of the world and will you then grudge the spending a little time or pains to save a Soul which is more worth than the whole world when as you willingly spend much time to gain a little of the world 2. To instruct persons in the knowledge of Christ is such a great and glorious work that the holy Angels did not think much to go to a few Shepherds to acquaint them with the time and place of Christs birth Luc. 2.8 9 10 11 12. And when one Angel was publishing this message to the Shepherds there suddenly descended a multitude of the heavenly Host as being desirous to do the same work vers 13 14. And shall any of us think much to do that which the Angels of Heaven do and rejoyce to be imployed in 3. The Lord Jesus spent much time and pains in teaching and instructing one poor woman the woman of Samarla who was a sinner and a woman of a churlish disposition that in an upbraiding manner denied him a Cup of Water notwithstanding the Well was deep and she saw that he had nothing to draw withal and this he did at such a time as he had been wearied with his journey and was both hungry and thirsty John 4.6 to 28. Now one hour of Christs time was more worth than our whole lives and shall we then think much to spend a little time in teaching one Child or one Servant whenas the Lord Jesus did not think much to spend his time when he was weary hungry and thirsty in teaching one poor woman 4. Though you have but one Child or Servant to instruct if God bless your labours so as to convert that Child or Servant that one person may be instrumental to bring great glory to God and to do good to many others When the woman of Samaria was converted by Christ she was a means of drawing a great part of the City where she lived unto Jesus Christ John 4.28 29 30. she did not only draw a great part of the City to hear him but also was a means of their conversion vers 39. Many of the Samaritans of that City believed on him for the saying of the Woman which testified He told me all that ever I did 5. Faithfulness to God and such as are under our charge is shown in discharging our duty to a few as well as to many and he that is not faithful to a few would not be faithful if he had many committed to his charge Luc. 16.10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much They that have but a few things committed to their trust if they are faithful in them shall have a great and glorious Reward as well as they that have been intrusted with much Matth. 25.23 His Lord said unto him Well done good and faithful Servant thou hast been faithful over a few things I will make thee Ruler over many things enter thou into the Joy of thy Lord. 6. Whereas you say you could spend your time better than in teaching so few as you have in your Family you should do well to consider That we are not to spend our time in those things which seem right in our own eyes Deut. 12.8 Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes But we are to