from â—dleness as knowing that our idle time is the Devils working timâ— who is most busie with us when we are most at leisure And bless all our undertakings So spâ—ritualize our hearts and affections that we may have heavenly hearts in earthly imployments and so may serve thee our God whilest we are serving our own necessities Together with us bless we beseech thee thy whole Church Call thine ancient people the Jews and bring in the fulness of the Gentiles And particularly we pray thee for our own Nation the Land of our Nativity pardon the crying sins thereof Showre down thy blessings upon it both temporal and spiritual In special we pray thee so to bless our royal Soveraign that under him we may live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty Bless likewise all our Magistrates and Ministers of thy holy Word Thou the Lord of the harvest send plenty of Labourers into thy harvest And O Father of mercy look down with the eye of pitty and compassion upon all thine afflicted ones let thy mercies be suitable to their several needs and necessities Bless all Christian families this in particular enrich every soul with all needfull saving graces Blessed Lord God according to our bounden duty we offer up our Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving unto thy blessed Majesty in the name and mediation of thy beloved Son Jesus Christ. Blessing and praising thee for our health wealth food and rayment for our preservation from our first being to this present time We bless thy name above all for that gift of gifts the Lord Jesus And for the Gospel wherein thou hast freely offered Christ with all his benefits to us We bless thee for whatever grace hath been wrought in any of us by the Gospel and for that good hope thou hast given us through grace We bless thy name for the last nights quiet rest this dayes protection hitherto Add we Pray thee this mercy give us grace to live as in thy sight who seeth all our wayes and art privy to every secret thing which we do And now O Lord accept our persons though sinfull and our service though full of weaknesses in thy beloved Son with whom thou art well pleased In whose name and words we further call upon thee saying Our Father which art in Heaven c. An Evening Prayer for a Family O Most great and glorious Lord God and in Jesus Christ a loving and a gracious Father We thy poor and unworthy Servants being by thy good providence brought to the end of this day desire to conclude the same with an Evening spiritual Sacrifice of Prayer and Thanksgiving Lord we do here profess we come not in our own names nor in our own strength we are unable of our selves to perform any spiritual duty after an acceptable manner But we come in the alone name and strength of thy beloved Son Jesus Christ beseeching thee for his sake to pass by our unworthiness to quicken our dead hearts and to carry us forth with life and vigour in the duty we are now going about Blessed Lord God we do acknowledge our selves to be vile wretched sinners Sinners by nature sinners by birth sinners in the whole course of our lives having sinned as if we had come into the World for no other end but to sin against thee Though thou hast been pleased to restrain us from many hainous scandalous sins yet Lord thou knowest what evil thoughts do lodge in our hearts and what Lusts bear rule and sway there Blessed Lord God though we are in some measure convinced of the need and necessity that we have of Jesus Christ that we are undone for ever without an interest in him yet how have we slighted and rejected the tenders and offers of him in the Ministry of the Gospel and preferred our lusts and the pleasures of this World before him We have indeed outwardly made profession of the Gospel yet have we disgraced the profâ—ssion thereof by our carnal and sinfull conversation Lord we cannot but acknowledge our desires cares and endeavours have run out more after the things of this life than after the things of a better life We have slighted thy judgements abused thy mercies prophaned thy Sabbaths and polluted all thy holy Ordinances When we have drawn near unto thee with our bodies and honoured thee with our lips then have our hearts been far removed from thee when we have had communion with thine Ordinances we have oftentimes had little communion with thee our God therein Blessed Lord our sins are many and hainous yea there seemeth a kind of infiniteness in our sins but we know and believe there is indeed an infiniteness in the mercies of thee our God and in the merits of Jesus Christ and therefore with an utter disclaiming of all righteousness of our own as filthy rags we place our whole confidence for life and salvation upon thy mercies in Christ. As thou hast laid our help upon him so on him will we lay our hope for the pardon of our sins here and for eternal salvation hereafter Lord be pleased to accept of his all sufficient Sacrifice and perfect satisfaction thereby made to thy justice for all our sins Pardon us we pray thee and free us as from the guilt and punishment so from the power and dominion of all our sins that we be no longer the servants of sin but may be henceforth the servants of God Lay hold on all our souls and bring us in effectually to Jesus Christ. Subduâ— our rebâ—llion take away our unwâ—llingness answer all our objections and excuses and work our hearts to a resolved adventuring upon him an hearty acceptance of him and a total resignation of our selves for ever to him to his goverâ—â—ent and dominion Lord we beseech thee not only to jâ—stifie us by thy grace but likewise to sanctifie us by thy Spirit that we may be an holy people serving thee in holiness and righteousness all the dayes of our lives Mortifie our flesh with the affections and lusts let us be proud no longer nor covetous nor envious nor froward nor mâ—litious Let thy grace be sufficient for us both for the killing of our dearest lusts and strongest corruptions and for the quickning of us on in a conscionable discharge of the Duties of our places callings and relations by which grace let us be carryed on throughout our whole course in an holy humble and sincere conversation Lord let it suffice us that we have spent so much of our precious time in seeking after earthly things help us now in earnest to seek after spiritual and heavenly things after spiritual grace and heavenly glory We pray thee convince us thorowly that upon the little inch of time in this life depends the length and breadth of all Eternity and that as we live here we shall fare everlastingly hereafter And O let the consideration thereof stir us up to a fruitfull improvement of our short time to the best advantage
pains and endeavours I beseech thee to help me to labour in the work of the Lord and to crown my pains and endeavours with a blessing from Heaven Make me more spiritual in Worldly businesses and less wordly in spiritual businesses Be pleased to put good meditations into my mind and holy desires into my heart Let no corrupt communication proceed out of my mouth but such as may administer grace to the hearers Help me to redeem time let me not lose one day more set me presently to work out my salvation with fear and trembling let me choose the good part and make sure for eternity let me never venture my soul on false and deceitfull hopes but let me make sure Good Lord let me not be deceived and found an hypocrite at last but let me be sound in the faith that I may have rejoycing before thee in the great day Neither pray I for my self alone but for thy whole Church wheresoever dispersed or howsoever distressed upon the face of the whole earth In special I pray thee to bless this Land and Nation with all blessings both temporal and spiritual And herein our Soveraign Lord and King make him an instrument of bringing much glory to thy namâ— and much good to thy Church and people Bless him in his Relations Counsels and Forces Bless the Magistrates and Ministers with the whole people of this Land the afflicted members of Jesus Christ let thy mercies be suitable to their several needs and necessities Vouchsafe to every one of us grace to live in thy fear to dye in thy favour and to raign with thee Eternally in Heaven And now O Lord in the name of Jesus Christ I bless and praise thy glorious Majesty for all those manifold favours thou hast in a plentiful manner conferred on my soul and body for my preservation as from manifold dangers whereunto I was subject so from many sins wherinto the corruption of my flesh and the perswasion of the Devâ—l would have thrown me headlong Blessed be thy name for thy good providence over me through the whole course of my life thou hast been my God from my Mothers womb supplyed me with all needfull good things But above all blessed be thy name for that foundation of all other mercies thy dearly beloved Son for those great things he hath done and suffered for me and those many good things whereof in and through him I have hope or am made partaker Lord pardon the manifold weaknesses and imperfections which have accompanied this holy service in and through thy beloved Jesus Christ. To whom with thee and thy blessed Spirit I do from my heart render all praise and glory both now and evermore Amen FINIS THE PRINCIPLES OF Christian Religion Explained to the Capacity of the Meanest By T.G. Minister of the Gospel John 17.3 This is life Eternal to know thee the only true God and Iesus Christ whom thou hast sent LONDON Printed for Iohn Wright at the Globe in Little-Brittain 1668. THE PRINCIPLES OF Christian Religion EXPLAINED Quest. WHo is the Maker of all things Answ. God Gen. 1. 1. Col. 1.16 By him were all things Created that are in Heaven and that are in Earth Q. What is God A. God is a Spirit of infinite perfection God is said to be a Spirit 1. Negatively to intimate that he is not a body or material substance 2. Analogically Spirits being the most perfect and excellent of all created beings are the fittest to represent the incomprehensible God to our narrow conceptions God is said to be a Spirit of perfection or perfect spirit thereby to exclude all manner of imperfections and including all manner of perfections and excellencies In that he is a Spirit of infinite perfection thereby is implyed that there is no measure or bounds set to his perfection Whereby he is distinguished from the glorious Angels and the souls of the Saints in Heaven which though they are perfect spirits yet their perfection is limited Whereas Gods perfection is beyond all measure being infinite Q. How many Gods are there A. There is one only God 1 Cor. 8.4 There is none other God but one Q. How many Persons are there in the God-head A. Three the Father the Son and the holy-Ghost Though there be but one God in substance and essence yet there be three distinct Persons subsisting in that one God-head This appeareth from Christs own testimony in Matth. 28.19 Where he gives commission to his Apostles to teach all Nations and Baptize them in the name of the Father of the Son and of the holy Ghost See likewise 1 Ioh. 5.7 That God should be one in essence and three in persons is a Mysterie not to be comprehended yet ought to be believed being so plainly revealed in the Word Q. How is God farther set forth unto us in his Word A. 1. By his Properties 2. By his Works The Properties of God are certain excellencies attributed to him as when he is said to be Eternal Almighty Merciful just c. Q. What are the kinds of Gods Properties A. 1. Incommunicable 2. Communicable Incommunicable properties are such excellencies which are so proper to God alone as in no respect they can be attributed or communicated to any other As Eternity without beginning Immutability not subject to any change All-sufficient not only for himself but for all others Omnipotency able to do all things Ubiquity to be everywhere present These and such like are excellencies proper only to God and cannot be communicated to the Creature Communicable Properties are certain excellencies in God communicated also to creatures as Power Wisdom Holiness Iustice c. Thus Sampson was a strong man Solomon a wise man Noah a just man c. But yet there is a great difference between these communicable properties as they are in God and as they are in the creature 1. They are in God Originally he is the primary fountain of them all who hath what he hath in and from himself Thus all these Properties in God are his very Essence 2. They are all in God infinitely without any limits or bounds He is infinite in power wisdom holiness justice c. But in the Creature they are 1. By participation they receive all their excellencies from God What hast thou that thou didst not receive 1 Cor. 4.7 2. By Measure The Creature that hath the most and best excellencies hath but a stinted measure Eph. 4.7 Q. To what heads may the works of God be brought A. Creation and Providence Q. What is meant by Gods creating things A. A making them out of nothing To create is to give a being to things that never were and that out of nothing In this respect it is said Gen. 1.1 In the beginning God created the Heaven and the Earth that is when there was nothing at all no not any matter out of which things might be made then God Created all things Which kind of making things out of nothing is proper to God
the Sons of God Certainly that Christ should come out of Heaven to keep us out of hell that he should uncrown himself to Crown us must needs argue a wonderful willingness in him to have poor sinners saved 5. Christs Willingness appeareth by his rejecting of none who sincerely go unto him though never so weak and worthless in themselves Never did any sinner go to him but he accepted of him as himself expresseth All that the Father giveth me shall come to me and him that â—ometh unto me I will in no wise cast out but receive him to mercy Hath Christ promised this and will he not be as good as his Word Did he ever break his word with any poor soul though never so unworthy Did he ever cast away any who came unto him And is he not the same yesterday to day and for ever Go sinner fear not go upon the credit of this word which he hath spoken I will in no wise cast them out Though the Devil say go not though thy misgiving heart say go not he will not regard thee he will never look on such a vile wretch he will cast thee out yet since he hath said He will not go and thou shalt find mercy Thus have I by several demonstrations proved as God the Fathers willingness to save the worst of sinners So Christs readiness to embrace all poor sinners who will but come unto him for life and salvation Wherein I have the longer insisted because I know no better argument to prevail with sinners to turn from their sins unto God by true and unfeigned repentance and to close with Jesus Christ by a true and lively faith than a serious consideration as of Gods readiness to save the worst of sinners upon their turning unto him so of Christs Willingness to embrace all poor sinners who will come unto him and receive him as their Lord and Saviour I have read a story of a Gentle-woman who was condemned to dye for killing her own child whereupon divers Ministers came to visit her and perceiving her little affected with her sin and sad condition they laboured to set before her the hainousness of her sin and the dreadfulness of her condition without hearty and deep repentance All which little moved her seeming rather the more hardened in her sin But at last another Reverend Divine hearing of her obdurate hardness notwithstanding all that was said unto her went and preached to her the abundant riches of Gods mercy in Christ how ready he was to embrace with the arms of his free-grace every penitent sinner and how willing Christ was to receive all poor sinners who would go unto him and cast themselves into his arms how many and hainous soever their sins were and thereupon told her there was hope of mercy for her if she were heartily sorry for her sins and would adventure her soul upon Christ notwithstanding the greatness and hainousness of her sin What! mercy for me said she that is impossible c. Whereupon the Minister proceeded further to set forth the freeness of Gods grace and riches of his mercy to all penitent and believing sinners declaring unto her how God delighted in mercy and that where sin had abounded there his grace and mercy would much more abound or to that purpose And thereupon she presently fell a weeping wringing her hands and cryiâ—g for mercy and dyed very comfortably as it is related having had the mercy of God abundantly revealed to her before her death And truly sinner as it was my design so my hearts desire in sâ—tting forth Gods willingness to save the very worst of sinners upon their repentance and Christs readiness to embrace them with the arms of his mercy that it might have the same effect in thee as it had in the forementioned Gentle-woman And oh that the consideration thereof would melt thine heart into tears of unfeigned sorrow for thy sins past and stir thee up to turn from them unto God by hearty repentance and to close with Jesus Christ upon the terms of the Gospel Oh that I could prevail with thee as to give a bill of divorce to thy lusts and corruptions so to give up thy self unto Christ and to adventure thy soul upon him resting upon his perfect righteousness and all-sufficient Sacrifice for the pardon of thy sins here and for eternal life and salvation hereafter If Christ be so willing to receive thee why shouldst not thou be willing to go unto him and that with confidence of acceptance Salvation is this day offered unto thee the golden Scepter is held out unto thee Oh stretch forth the hand of faith to lay hold and embrace the Lord Jesus Christ so shalt thou be happy to all Eternity For whosoever believeth in Iesus Christ shall not perish but have everlasting life Thus much of the truths to be embraced in order to your Regeneration CHAP. XIV Sheweth the Duties to be Practised in order to your Regeneration HAving shewed you the truths to be embraced in order to your Regeneration I come now to the Duties on your part to be practised and performed I. From the consideration of the dreadfulness of thy condition so long as thou continuest in thine unregenerate estate and of the hope thou hast of a blessed change stir up in thy self an earnest longing restless desire after the new birth that thou maist in truth say O that I were Regenerate and born anew Oh that the Image of the Devil might be razed out and the Image of God imprinted in me O that a blessed change were wrought in my soul a change from nature to grace from darkness to light from the Kingdom of Satan to the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Oh that I might become a new creature renewed throughout in all the faculties of my soul and all the parts of my body As Rachel cryed Give me Children or else I dye So do thou cry out and say Give me this new birth let me be born again by the spirit or else I shall dye not only the first but likewise the second death and be undone for ever And know for thy comfort if thou canst find any such longing desire in thy soul thou art not far from this new birth from the work of Regeneration in thy soul. For this longing desire after this new birth will put thee upon the use of all ordinances and means God hath sanctified for the attaining thereof II. Labour to get thine heart deeply and throughly affected with a sense of thy miserable condition by nature It is not sufficient to know thy condition to be sad and deplorable so long as thou continuest in thine unregenerate estate but thy care and endeavour must be to get thine heart throughly affected therewith If you look into the Scriptures you shall find this qualification required in the persons whom Christ came to save and whom he invites to come unto him Our blessed Saviour speaking to Zacheus saith The Son
prophane men to be uncomfortable because all the causes of uncomfortableness are found on them as guilt of sin death in sin enmity against God alienation from Christ and therefore lyableness to all judgements and plagues here and to eternal death and condemnation hereafter Surely if carnal men understood themselves throughly they would find all both within and without them like Ezekiels roul nothing but lamentation mourning and woe CHAP. XVII The second branch of the Vse of Exhortation unto the Regenerate HAving done with the first branch of the Use of Exhortation unto the Unregenerate Come we now unto the second which concerneth the Regenerate and consisteth of divers heads 1. Admire and adore Gods special mercy and goodness in thy Regeneration Let thine heart be ravished with the consideration of his love to thee in Christ Jesus the bottom whereof cannot be fathomed by any Angel in Heaven And therefore well maist thou cry out Oh the heighth and the depth the length and the breadth of the love of God unto thy soul If David upon the consideration of the goodness of God to man in his Creation cryed out so affectionately Lord what is man that thou art mindfull of him and the son of man that thou visitest him Surely upon the consideration of Gods mercy unto thy soul in this work of new Creation hast not thou cause to say the like Lord what is man that thou art mindfull of him and the son of man that thou visitest him Lord what am I among the Sons of men that thou shouldest have respect to me That the Lord should pluck thee as a brand out of the fire that he should take thee into his special grace and favour when he left many millions of Men and Women to perish in their sins that he should make thee an heir of Heaven when he left so many to be fire-brands of hell that thy nature should be renewed and sanctified when others are left in their filth and pollution hast not thou unspeakable cause to sit down and admire the freeness of Gods grace and riches of his mercy towards thee Surely nothing but free Grace hath put this honour upon thee and put such a difference between thee and others For what did God see more in thee than in others to move him to set his special love on thee Oh cast thine eyes round about thee look upon thy neighbours who live under the same Ministery partake of the same Ordinances as thou dost and yet never felt the power and sweetness of them in their souls Let the abominable wickedness which thou daily seest in others fill thee with wonder at the loving kindness of the Lord to thee That the dew of his free Grace should fall upon thy soul when the hearts of so many about thee should be dry not having one drop of that dew upon them is not this a mercy to be admired Oh consider it and adore it and say Lord how is it that thou shouldst bestow thy grace on me and deny it to so many who in many respects are better than I That thy heart may be the more raised up in admiration of the mercy and goodness of God unto thee herein take notice of the manifold priviledges which do follow and accompany such as are Regenerated 1. The love and favour of God wherewith they are embraced Love is weighty and falleth downward from Father to Child Yea love in God is as a Fountain and spring-head and the channel or pipe in and through which it runneth is Christ now that spring continually floweth forth through that pipe to every Regenerate person Observe the love of earthly Parents to their Children how great how constant it is withall consider how far God exceeds them in his love even as far as he doth in greatness which is infinitely So as every Regenerate person may with assurance rest on the love of God his Father which cannot be but most sweet to the soul and exceeding comfortable For in Gods fatherly favour consisteth our happiness II. Union with Christ. For Christ is the head and by Regeneration we are his members The Apostle writing to the Corinthians who were born again by the Spirit saith Now are ye the body of Christ and members in particular meaning of the mystical body of Christ. This Union of the Regenerate with Christ is one of the great mysteries of our Christian faith and it is a Mysterie of an unspeakable comfort and consolation For by vertue of our Union with Christ God is our Father Christ is our Brother and our Husband and Head Heaven is our inheritance Angels are our attendants and guardians who are sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of Salvation These Angels are those Horses and Chariots of fire which were round about Elisha and which are also round about every member of Christ in all their dangers though they see them not If the eyes of the Regenerate were but opened to see their glorious attendants how would their hearts be comforted and cheered in all their distresses III. Adoption Such as are Regenerated are thereby the adopted Sons of God Whereas by natural propagation they were the children of wrath by this Regeneration they are the Children of grace being translated out of the Family of Satan into Gods own Family and in and through Christ they are made the adopted Sons of God Oh that the Lord would open our eyes to see this priviledge Behold saith St. Iohn what manner of Love the Father hath bestowed on us that we should be called the Sons of God The Apostle not being able to express the greatness of Gods love to us therein he breaks forth into an admiration thereof And truly well might he say Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed on us For here is not only love but love to admiration that we vile wretched sinfull creatures who were dead in sins and trespasses enemies to God by wicked works yea and children of wrath as well as others that we should be thus advanced in and by Christ as to be accounted not only servants which is much nor only friends which is more but also Sons and consequently heirs and co-heirs with Christ which is most of all IV. Christian freedom As it is the great unhappiness of the unregenerate that they are in a state of vasalage so it is the great happiness of the regenerate that they are in a state of freedom being freed 1. From Satan Though not from the assaults and temptations of Satan yet from the power of Satan For our Saviour Christ by his death hath destroyed him that had the power of death that is the Devil He hath now broken the Serpents head so that though he may hiss against us yet he cannot sting us though he may assault us yet he cannot overcome us and though he goeth about like a roaring Lion sâ—â—king whom he may devour yet Christ hath him in a
the Wise man The house of the wicked shall be overturned but the Tabernacle of the upright shall flourish And therefore the Psalmist pronounceth them blessed who thus fear the Lord saying Blessed is he that feareth the Lord and walketh in his wayes for thou shalt eat the labour of thine hand happy shalt thou be and it shall be well with thee How then can such expect a blessing from God either upon themselves or upon their relations or upon their pains and endeavours who do not set up God and his Worship in their houses seeing it is that whereby Gods blessing is entailed 2. Those Children and Servants who are religiously educated and principled are likeliest to prove comforts to their Parents and Masters What a comfort must it needs be to thee who art a Master of a Family to see thy houshold through the blessing of God on thy care and pains to be walking Heaven-ward Yea when thou comest to lye upon thy death-bed Oh what a comfort will it then be unto thee that thou hast good ground to believe that thy Children are Gods Children and the Servants of Jesus Christ thou maist then with stronger confidence commend them unto Gods Fatherly care and protection and with greater assurance expect Gods blessing upon them after thy death 3. There is no such means to make your Children loving and dutiful unto you and your servants faithfull in the discharge of their duty as to instruct them in the principles of Religion and to plant the fear of God in their hearts In which respect Solomon saith A godly Son maketh a glad Father viz. by his dutiful and respectfull carriage towards him And that servant who shall find true grace either first wrought or further increased in him by his Masters means will endeavour with the utmost of his power to do him what faithfull service he can in way of thankfulness So that if Parents and Masters of Families respect either that charge God hath laid upon them whereof they are to give an account to him at the great day or that good and benefit which themselves may reap thereby they will see good and just ground to be diligent and constant in the discharge of holy duties with their Family R. V. Another reason may be taken from the manifold mischiefs which usually follow and accompany the neglect of family duties 1. From hence come all Domestick brawls and contentions hence it is that the house is divided against it self Husband against Wife and Wife against Husband Master against Servant and Servant against Master Parent against Child and Child against Parent which would be prevented were the Lord better known and more duly worshipped amongst them For where God is served with perfect purity there is perfect peace But where God is not served there is no peace but jarrs and contentions strife and debate which giveth great advantage unto Satan the arch-enemy of mankind who like a roaring Lyon walketh about continually seeking whom he may devour 2. From hence it is that Magistrates are enforced to execute the penalties of the Laws upon so many namely because they are not Religiously educated but suffered to have their wills in their youth Which appeareth from the sad complaints of many malefactors at the place of Execution against their Parents and Masters for their careless omission of their duty towards them saying if they had had any care or conscience of our education if they had corrected and restrained us betimes from our wicked courses we had never come to this dogs-death and shamefull end 3. From hence it is that so many Families are so dissolute and prophane abounding with all manner of sin and wickedness as lying swearing Sabbath-breaking drinking whoring and the like as if there were a seminary of little Devils an houshold of fiends And truly when Families leave God in not doing the good they should God leaves Families to do the evil they should not So that sin hath there free place where Gods service hath no place And sins of commission do usually follow sins of omission it being ordinary with God to punish one sin with another to punish the neglect of duty with the committing of sin by leaving men so to themselves that they break forth into the committing of great and hainous sins A general complaint there is in these dayes of the undutifulness and disobedience of Children of the negligence and unfaithfulness of Servants yea and of the loose lewd lives of both in many Families whereof if we would search the true ground and cause we shall find it rather in the superiours than in the inferiours For howsoever inferiours cannot be excused yet questionless the fault is chiefly in superiours and Governours because they are careless and negligent in the discharge of their duty towards them not praying with them nor Catechising and instructing them as they should For where religious duties are shut out of any Family there usually the door is set wide open to looseness and profaneness 4. The neglect of Religious dutiâ—s in thy Family will make thee guilty of Murther even of Soul-murther which is the greatest of all For whereas the Souls as well as the bodies of thy Children and Servants are committed to thy care and charge if any of them should perish through thy default thou art deeply guilty of their eternal death and damnation and their blood will be required at thy hands As Iacob was accountable to Laban for the â—oss of every Lamb or Sheep at his hand was it required So is every Master of a Family accountable to God for every soul under his roof If any of them perish through his default God will require it at his hands God will require the blood of thy Child the blood of thy Servants at thy hands one day If therefore you will be free from the blood of your Children train them up in the fear and nurture of the Lord pray for them and with them Catechize them c. The Point being confirmed by Scripture and Reason come we now to the Uses thereof CHAP. III. The Vse of Reproof of those Masters who make no Conscience of Family-duties Use 1. SEeing it is a Duty incumbent upon Parents and Masters of Families to be carefull that not only themselves but also all under their charge even their whole Family do faithfully serve the Lord then they are greatly to be reproved who are neither carefull to serve God themselves neither take they any care of their Family but as there is no fear of God in their hearts so neither is there any fear of God in their Families Yea instead of Gods service there is all manner of wickedness and prophaneness so that their houses are as so many filthy cages of unclean birds so many styes of all manner of abominations Of whose houses we may say what Solomon said of the Harlots house 'T is the way to Hell that is the high and ready way unto eternal
for the spiritual and eternal good of our poor souls Help us to keep alwayes upon our hearts a deep sense as of the certainty of our death so of the uncertainty of the time thereof that we may live as those who believe we must shortly dye Lord take us into thy keeping and protection this night Grant we may lodge in the arms of Jesus that we may rest in his bosome Give unto us such sweet and comfortable rest and sleep that our bodies may be refreshed and we the better enabled to serve thee the next day in our several places and callings In mercy remember thine all the World over And in special we pray thee for this sinfull Land and Nation Pardon our sins be reconciled to us in Jesus Christ. Let thy Gospel have a free passage therein Pour the choicest of thy blessings upon the head of our King that he may be a blessing unto us Bless all our Magistrates with the Ministers of thy Word and Sacraments Pâ—tty the afflicted members of Jesus Christ. Bless all Christian Families this in particular giving unto every member thereof all needfull saving sanctifying graces And now accept our Sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving which we offer unto thee for thy manifold favours and mercies conferred on our souls and bodies especially and above all for that great gift of thine the Lord Jesus Christ and for all those great things he hath done and suffered for our redemption We bless thy name as for the enjoyment of the Gospel so for any spiritual good we have received thereby that any of us have fiducially and cordially closed with the tenders and offers of Jesus Christ. We bless thy name that thou hast withheld us from the company and wayes of those who live without God in the World giving themselves up to work all wickedness with greediness and hast set our hearts to seek the Lord and wait for thy Salvation For every other good thing whether temporal or spiritual concerning this life or a better blessed and praised be thy great and glorious name And now O Lord we beseech thee in mercy to overlook all the weaknesses and infirmities which have accompanied this holy duty Sprinkle both our Persons and our Services with the blood of that immaculate Lamb Christ Jesus To whom with thee O Father and the holy Spirit be rendred as is most due all honour and praise and glory both now and for evermore Amen A Prayer for a single Person O Eternal and ever-living Lord God the fountain of all blessing the Father of Mercy and God of all Consolation I thy poor creature altogether unworthy to appear in thy sight to present my Prayer and supplication unto thee do yet in the name and mediation of thy beloved Son Jesus Christ prostrate my self at the footstool of thy grace looking for acceptance and assistance in and through him For his sake look graciously upon me pardon my sins which are many and hainous Lord I cannot but acknowledge that besides the guilt of Adam's sin there is in me a fountain of corruption which I brought with me into the World from whence hath plentifully flowed many poisonous streams of actual transgressions and that in evil thoughts evil words and evil actions which I have committed through the whole course of my life from my tender infancy to this present time I have been alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in me I have walked after the course of this World fulfilling the desires of my flesh and of my mind minding earthly things I have broken thy Law neglected thy Gospel refused the offers of Christ and am in great doubt that to this day there hath been no good work wrought upon me but that I continue in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity Lord I cannot but acknowledge I have shamefully abused the ricâ—es of thy goodness forbearance and long-suffering which should have led me to repentance as also thy Fatherly corrections and chastiâ—ements laid upon me in love and for my good oh how little have I been bettered thereby How do I spend my time and strength for the getting of earthly riches and satisfying my self with sensual pleasures and in the mean time am careless of my precious and immortal soul Lord I have often for my profit and pleasure sake omitted and put off the holy exercises of Religion which ought to have been performed by me and have been exceeding dead and dull lifeless and heartless in performing those good duties I have taken in hand I have been unfruitfull under a plentiful dispensation of the means of grace unthankfull under those favours and mercies thou hast conferred on me unfaithfull to those manifold vows and promises I have made unto thee my God Truth Lord my sins are many and hainous but this is my comfort that Jesus Christ came into the World to save sinners and why not me why not me I acknowledge my self to be a great sinner but yet again thy Word testifieth That Jesus Christ came to save the chief of sinners Therefore will I not despair of mercy but am resolved to cast my self and the burden of my sins into the arms and upon the shoulders of Jesus Christ. Be pleased to accept of what Christ hath done and suffered for me and to accept of me in him Turn me O Lord unto thee and through him let me be reconciled unto thee Slay the enmity and subdue the rebellion of mine heart against thee Wash my polluted soul with his most precious blood cloath my nakedness with the long white robe of his righteousness fill my emptiness out of that fulness which is in Jesus Christ. Enrich my soul with all needfull saving sanctifying graces Let the faith of Gods Elect let the love and fear of thy name be shed abroad in my heart Oh that every grace may more and more flourish in me and my lusts more and more wither and decay in me Let my covetousness dye let my pride and envy and passion and sensuality dye let the whole body of death be destroyed that I may no longer serve sin Oh give me grace in this my day to know the things that belong to my peace to make a right use of this time of my visitation As Christ is now frequently tendred in the Ministry of the Gospel as a Saviour to poor sinners So Lord give me grace fiducially to close with the offers and tenders of him that Christ may be mine and I his And as thou hast been pleased to afford unto me the means of grace so I pray thee help me to carry my self in some measure suitable and answerable thereunto that I may not be a shame but rather a credit to Religion and my profession thereof To this end teach me to deny all ungodliness and Worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present World Blessed Lord seeing without thy blessing it will be in vain to put forth my own
without a gracious answer and then see if this be not his answer Son be of good comfort thy sins are forgiven be thou cleansed of all thy corruptions thy faith hath made thee whole Having shewed the Means whereby the work of Mortification may be effected I come now to shew the Manner how it ought to be performed 1. Our Mortification must be speedy Begin to day let the ax be presently laid to the root of these trees and whenever you feel the Devil at work blowing up the Coals of Lust be instantly in arms give not time to sin to get head upon thee resist it in its first motions and risings Delayes herein are very dangerous That Lust which at first may easily be overcome afterwards will hardly be kept under Why should we not be as wife for our souls as we are for our bodies who having fire cast into his bosome or house will not presently cast it out and quench it Woe to those fools who let alone these hellish fires and trifle so long till it hath gotten the mastery You whose Lusts are through your own neglects gotten up into a flame fear leâ—t it be too late to quench them fear lest these fires having been neglected so long should now burn to the bottom of Hell Vain wicked wanton thoughts are evil seeds sown in our hearts by our adversary the Devil which if they be let alone will insensibly grow up first into a blade then to an eare and so bring forth a dismal harvest of wickedness and wrath And therefore our wisest course must needs be so soon as they are sown speedily to weed and pull them up by the roots To which agreeth that of an ancient We must not suffer those fleshly vices to grow and increase but rather destroy them in their first beginnings 2. Our Mortification must be willing and voluntary not forced and constrained The Marriner in a storm casteth away his goods because he dares keep them no longer yet still his heart goeth after them And this is all the mortification of the most they will cast off their transgressions because they dare do no other Then only are we sincere in this work when our hearts are the first in all that opposition we make against our sins when we pray against them heartily when we watch and wrestle and strive and resist them with all our hearts when our very souls long to see the blood of our Lusts and if it were possible we might with safety yet our hatred against them would not suffer them to live They are like to do something to purpose against sin whose hearts do give the first charge upon them 3. Our Mortification must be universal extending it self to all our sinfull Lusts with a sincere purpose not to bear with our selves in any known sin For most certain it is that true mortification and an advised remaining in the practice of any known sin cannot possibly stand together Therefore the Prophet David to testifie the truth of his Mortification saith I have refrained my feet not from one or two but from every evil way he did not willingly bear with himself in the practice of any one sin well knowing every sin to be a transgression of the Law These two words Sin and transgressioâ— are convertible Whosoever committeth sin saith the beloved Disciple Iohn transgresseth the Law for sin is the transgression of the Law yea every sin and so makes us lyable to the wrath of God to all judgements and plagues here and to eternal damnation hereafter God will not spare that soul that will have any one of his sins spared to him He that would have one sin spared would have another and another if it served his turn He that would not have all of Christ would in truth have none of him And he that would not be rid of all sin has no sincere mind to be rid of any Christ will have all or nothing every duty must be done or as good you did none â—very sin must be left or as good you kept them all Canst thou let all sin go but this one even this must go too or thy life must go for it O friend set thy self against every sin great and small open and secret carnal and spiritual Set thy self against them heartily be willing to prosper and overcome and set upon them speedily let no iniquity live a day longer nor sleep a night more in quiet with thee only remembring to go forth against them in the strength of the Lord and then we shall quickly find thee to be one of Christs mortified ones who as thou art dead with Christ shalt certainly live with Christ and raign with Christ to all Eternity FINIS Josh. 24.15 As for Me and my House we will serve the Lord. CHAP. I. The Parts of the Text and Observation thence arising THe summ of these words is The good mans godly râ—solution to serve the Lord with his houshold In which we may observe these particulars 1. The person resolving viz Ioshua he it is who makes this resolution 2. The order of his resolution first himself will serve the Lord and then his house 3. The extent of his resolution viz. his whole house as for me and my house 4. The matter resolved on and this is to serve God Each of these might afford unto us a distinct point of Doctrine But I shall wave them all and insist upon one which as it comprehendeth the main scope of the words so it best suiteth with the scope of my intention in this discourse which is to press all Parents Masters and Governours of Families to a constant and conscionable performance of holy and religious duties in and with their Families The point of Doctrine is this Observ. It is a duty incumbent upon Parents and Masters of Families to be carefull that not only themselves but also all under their charge even their whole houshold do faithfully serve the Lord. It is not sufficient for Governours of Families to be good Christians themselves but they ought to be Christian Governours Not enough to be themselves Religious but they must train up all under their charge in the knowledge and practice of Religion And the truth is good Christians they cannot be who are not Christian Governours He hath little Religion himself that doth not faithfully endeavour to propagate it in his Family Thus Ioshua as a Master of a Family undertaketh not only for himself but also for his whole houshold that he with them and they with him should serve the Lord. Yea and in all ages such as have been most eminent in grace have been most exact in their Family-duties instance Abraham the Father of the faâ—thfull of whom God himself giveth thiâ— testimony I know Abraham that he will command his Children and his houshold after him that they shall keep the way of the Lord c. And Iacob his Grand-child walking in the steps of his Father Abraham was
not content at Bethel to worship God sincerely himself but he chargeth his Family to put away the strange Gods which were among them and to serve the true God according to the prescribed rule of his Word David though he were a King and so had the care of an whole Kingdom upon him yet thought his State-affairs no priviledge to exempt him from the Religious ordering and governing of his Family And therefore he professeth That he would walk within his house with a perfect heart that is sincerely discharge the duties belonging to the Governour of an house Yea under the Law we find that the Fathers amongst the Israelites were commanded to teach their Children the meaning of the Passover and of the Feast of unleavened bread And that we may not think this a legal precept abolished in the time of the Gospel the Apostle giveth a general charge to all Christian Parents to bring up their Children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Yea by the practice of the primitive Christians who lived in the dayes of the Apostles it doth appear that so soon as any Governour of a Family was converted and professed the Christian faith he still ingaged his Family to serve God It is said of Cornelius that he was a devout man and one that feared God with all his house And it is recorded of Lydia that she was baptized and her Houshold And it is said of the Iaylor that he believed in God with all his house Yea the houses of the faithfull in the primitive times were stiled Churches which implyeth that their private families were so piously ordered and religiously instructed that they seemed to be little Churches rather than ordinary houses having taken up Ioshuah's resolution As for me and my house we will serve the Lord. The point being thus proved by Scripture and Examples come we now to the Reasons for the farther confirmation thereof CHAP. II. The Reasons of the point R. 1. MAy be taken from the command of God who hath commanded as much saying Thou shalt teach my Laws diligently unto thy Children and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house c. And God hath manifested his approbation thereof by commending Abraham for commanding his Children and houshold to keep the wayes of the Lord. So that to whomsoever the Lord hath given this honour to make him a Father of Children a Master over Servants a Governour over an Houshold of them he requireth this duty to teach and instruct all under their charge R. 2. Every mans house is his private charge which he must oversee it is his flock which he must attend You will all acknowledge that every Ministers flock is his charge and that it is a most dreadfull thing for any to neglect them And have not you as great a charge of your family as the Minister hath of his flock Yea doubtless I dare boldly say that every Parent and Master of a Family is as deeply charged with the souls of their Children and Servants as the Minister is with the souls of his flock If therefore your Children and Servants live and dye in their sins through your negligence their blood will be required at your hands Yea let Parents and Masters of Families know and consider that those Children and Servants who by the neglect of their duty to them shall perish in their sins will curse them for ever hereafter amongst the fiends and damned in hell crying out woe and alas that ever we were born of such irreligious Parents and served such wicked and ungodly Masters that had no care of the Salvation of our souls but suffered us to run headlong into these everlasting flames Oh that all Parents and Masters of Families would seriously consider these things and in time labour to prevent them by a conscionable discharge of the duties belonging to their places and relations R. 3. Justice and equity requireth this at your hands to do your utmost endeavour to train up your Children and Servants in the fear of God and to instruct them in the wayes of Godliness that as they help you in many things so you should be a means to help them in this that as God of his goodness hath made them your Children and Servants so you in way of gratitude should strive to make them his Children and Servants And truly though you feed them well and cloath them well and provide well for them yea and teach them how to live another day to live as men yet if you teach them not withall the fear of God whereby they may live as Christians which will make them live for ever wherein do you differ from Heathenish Parents and Pagan Masters for even they will not be wanting in the former things which the Apostle implyeth where he saith He that provideth not for his Family is worse than an Infidel And if you go no further than to make outward provision for the bodies of your Children and Servants you are no better than Infidels and Heathens And therefore how doth it concern you who are Parents and Masters of Families to have a special care of the souls of your Children and Servants by a conscionable performance of holy and religious duties amongst them as Praying Reading Catechising and the like whereby you will not only go beyond all the Heathens in the World but likewise gain an hopefull evidence to your own souls of the truth of grace in you and of the sincerity of your profession that ye are Christians indeed R. 4. The curse of God hangs over those Families in which Religious duties are alltogether neglected yea it abideth in their houses as the Wise man expresseth The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked Howsoever they may seem to abound and flourish in all Worldly wealth and riches yet the curse of God is upon all that they enjoy For as the Lord speaketh by his Prophet Malachy He will curse their blessings that is whatsoever outward good things they did enjoy should be cursed to them Whereupon saith Eliphas in Iob I saw him taking root but I cursed his habitation that is I saw him seemingly setled in his outward prosperity but by the eye of faith I likewise saw a curse hanging over his house and family over his wealth and riches R. 5. Another Reason may be taken from the manifold benefits and commodities wich usually follow upon a conscionable performance of these duties 1. Religious duties consciensciously performed will bring down Gods blessing upon your selves and your relations upon your estate and all your undertakings As God blessed Obed-Edom and all his houshold for the Arks-sake So questionless will the Lord bless those Families wherein holy duties are faithfully performed For Godliness is profitable unto all things having the promise of this life that now is as well as of that which is to come Whereupon saith