of him that he would by his Spirit help thine infirmities teaching thee to pour out thy soul unto him in Prayer For it is he alone that can teach thee and endue thee with this Heavenly gift 2. Be constant in thy secret devotions which will be a special means to embolden thee to pray with thy Family For when thou findest that thou canst express thy self in any competent measure in secret thou wilt then the better adventure to Pray in private with thy Family And know this for thy comfort that if thou sincerely endeavourest to do what thou canst God will enable thee to do what thou shouldst 3. Rather than the apprehension of thine own insufficiency to pray should occasion a constant omission of the duty I would advise thee to use the help of a form of Prayer for a while till by Gods blessing thou hast attained some ability therein and boldness thereunto 2. Obj. Some against this duty object their multitude of business and little spare time for Family-prayer A. 1. The more and greater thy businesses are the more and greater need thou hast of Family-prayer for the obtaining Gods blessings thereon without which all thy pains and endeavours may signifie little yea prove succesless Assure thy self that the time spent in Prayer both in thy closet and with thy Family will prove no let but rather a great furtherance to thy business 2. Dost thou put off praying with thy Family for the multitude of business Know that therein thou art penny-wise and pound-foolish hazarding the loss of thy precious and immortal soul for the gaining of a little Worldly pelf which will be soon taken from thee or thou from it Oh that such Woâ—â—dâ—ngs would seriously consider that expression of our Saviour What shall it profit a man if hâ— shall gain the whoâ—e World and lose his own soul 3. Dost thou put off Family-prayer for the multitude of Worldly buâ—inesseâ— thereby to encrease thy wealth Know that that wealth is cursed which is thus gotten that substance which is the price of a Prayer may for ought thou knowest be the price of blood Well beware thou neglect not this great duty upon any pretence whatsoever Neither let it be performed after a cold formal and perfunctory manner but be very serious and fervent therein stirring up thy self to an active lively performance thereof which the Apostle intimateth where he saith Be fervent in Spirit serving the Lord and that for two reasons 1. Such Prayers only are acceptable and pleasing unto God these are the Sacrifices wherewith he is well-pleased 2. Such only have the promise of being heard And thereupon saith the Apostle St. Iames The effectual fervent Prayer of a rightâ—ous man availeth much The word in the Greek translated effectual properly signifieth a prayer excited or stirred up and so implyeth both the efficacy and influency of the Holy-Ghost and the vehemency of an earnest spirit and affection which is the only prevailing Prayer CHAP. VII Of Reading the Holy Scriptures in Families with quickning Motives thereunto II. ANother duty incumbent upon Parents and Masters of Families is frequently to read the Holy Scriptures or to cause them to be read in and with their Families Though this be a distinct exercise from the former of Prayer yet do they mutually help one another and therefore are fit to be joyned together We read how the Priest under the Law was daily to light the Lamps and to burn incense as the Lamp signified the Word of God so the incense signified Prayer And as the Lamp was daily to be lighted and the incense daily to be burned so are we thereby taught daily to joyn the Word and Prayer together for as the Apostle speaketh By the Word and Prayer every thing is sanctified Yea this duty of reading the Word we find given in command unto housholders under the Law for saith the Lord Ye shall lay up my words meaning the words of the Law in your heart and in your soul. And ye shall teach them your Children speaking of them when thou sitest in thine house when thou lyest down and when thou risest up which implyeth a diligent reading of the Word in their houses Yea the old people of the Iews were so diligent in teaching their Children the Word of God that Iosephus saith Every one of our people being asked concerning the Laws rehearseth them more easily than his own name In the New Testament we have the Apostles command for this duty for saith he Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly The Word is sometimes taken for Christ himself and so it is true that we should labour that the word Christ should dwell in us But by the Word of Christ is here meant the written Word of God which is here called the Word of Christ both because he is the author of it and because he is the chief subject of it And whereas the Apostle saith Let the Word of Christ dwell in you it is a Metaphor taken from such as dwell under one and the same roof with us and noteth two things 1. That we must get it into our hearts and houses as well as into our Churches 2. That by our frequent reading of it and causing it to be read in our houses it should be as familiar with us as one that dwells with us under the same roof For the better pressing of this duty upon the Consciences of Parents and Masters of Families I shall hint only two Motives to quicken you up thereunto 1. The knowledge of the Scriptures will be an excellent means to keep up your authority in your Families over your Children and Servants For therein they cannot but hear and understand it is their duty to be obedient to you in all things Your own commands and threatnings may perhaps cause them to serve you with eye-service as menpleasersâ— but to hear the commands and threatnings of God in his Word may cause them to serve you in singleness of heart So that if nothing else yet policy methinks should prevail with you to cause the Word of God to be read frequently in your houses 2. Some by reading the Scriptures others by hearing it read in the Family have been converted from the state of nature to the state of grace For faith may be wrought in us by hearing the Word read as well as hearing it Preached St. Austine reports of an Aegyptian Monk who living in a Christian-family where the Word of God was frequently read was thereby converted to the Christian faith And indeed there is a greater vertue in the holy Scriptures than in any other book for the working of conversion in the hearts of natural Men and Women Oh what an encouragement should this be unto Parents and Masters of Families to cause the holy Scriptures to be frequently read in their houses for what know they whether some under their charge may not thereby be converted And that
sinner as himself was to stir up and encourage other great and heinous sinners to go unto Christ and that with hope of acceptance casting themselves and the burden of their sins upon him Yea questionless the conversion of so many notorious sinners is recorded in Scripture not only as a memorial of what God hath done for others but also as a sign and token what he is now ready and willing to do for the greatest sinners upon their turning from their sins unto him by unfeigned repentance and closing with Jesus Christ by a true and lively faith Oh therefore let those admirable and sâ—upendious patterns of mercy held forth in Scripture be encouragements unto thee to abandon thy sins to turn over a new leaf and to close with Jesus Christ upon the terms of the Gospel II. The Occasion of the conference betwixt Christ and Nicodemus followeth in verse 2. and that was his coming unto Christ which is farther amplified by the time when he came and that was by night The same came to Iesus by night Nicodemus his going unto Christ for farther instruction in the way and means of salvation did evidence the truth of his faith but his going by night did evidence the weakness of his faith He believed upon the hearing Christ Preach and seeing the miracles which he wrought that he was a Teacher sent from God Yet because he was a Pharisee and a Ruler thought it a disgrace to go openly unto Christ to be instructed by him but went by night and thereby discovered the weakness of his faith whence we may observe Observ. True Faith may be exceeding weak This title O ye of little faith wherewith Christ often upbraideth his Disciples is an evident proof thereof So likewise that expression of the poor man who cryed out unto Christ Lord I believe help thou my unbelief The former word I believe sheweth the truth of his faith but the latter word unbelief sheweth the weakness of his faith which was so weak that he calls it unbelief Art thou conscious to thy self of the weakness of thy Faith 1. Be thankfull unto God for that measure and degree which thou hast though it be but as a grain of mustard-seed for quantity for the least dram of true faith is of greater value than Mountains of Gold and Silver 2. Content not thy self with a small measure of faith for contentedness with a weak faith is an argument of no faith and besides the greater and stronger thy faith is the greater and stronger will be thy comfort and consolation For the stronger thy faith is the clearer will thy apprehension be of thine interest in Christ and of the pardon of thy sins in and through the merits of his death and passion The more vertue and strength wilt thou draw from Christ for the mortifying thy lusts and for the quickning thy graces yea with the greater cheerfulness wilt thou go on in thy Christian course 3. Labour and strive after a greater measure and degree of faith to grow from faith to faith from one degree of faith unto another till thou attain unto the highest degree thereof even to a full assurance To this end be earnest with God in prayer for the increase of thy faith For every grace depends upon him not only for birth but also for growth and increase but of this grace of faith he is in a special manner stiled as the author so the finisher thereof Though thy faith at present be weak yet know for thy comfort That the weakest faith if true and sincere is sufficient to salvation For though God giveth not to all believers a like measure and degree of faith but to some more to others less yet he giveth to none of his less than may suffice to their salvation So that the least faith hath this in it that it is sufficient to salvation in that it doth interest us in Christ and in all the promises of the Gospel III. The Conference it self follows which is a Dialogue between Nicodemus and our blessed Saviour wherein Nicodemus begins saying Rabbi we know that thou art a Teacher sent from God for no man can do these miracles that thou doest except God be with him Wherein we may Observe I. The Title be giveth to our Saviour Rabbi which signifieth Master and so our Evangelist expoundeth it Ioh. 1.38 It is a compound word and signifieth my Master For RAB implyeth a man of excellency one that excelleth others in knowledge and learning and therefore may well be accounted a Master or Teacher This being a title of great esteem and renown the Pharisees did exceedingly affect it whereupon their flattering followers to please them would double the word and call them Rabbi Rabbi Hence it is that Christ upbraids to them thâ—s their ambitious affectation and reckons it amongst the badges of their pride Matth. 23.7 where speaking of the Pharisees he saith they loved to be called of men Rabbi Rabbi The truth is that this title rightly taken in its proper sense is due only to Christ who is the great Prophet and Teacher that came from God as Nicodemus here acknowledgeth Whence we may observe Observ. That Iesus Christ is the great Prophet and Teacher of his Church being alone able to declare his Fathers will and to open the mysteries of the Gospel And indeed all other Prophets were but types of this great Prophet He lay in the bosome of his Father and so understood the mind and will of God and was thereby enabled to make known the Oracles of God and the mysteries of Salvation Yea as the Apostle expresseth In Christ are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge Not only wisdom and knowledge are hid in him but treasures of wisdom and knowledge yea all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hid in him And all these graces he hath in the highest degree in which respect he may well be termed the great Prophet and Teacher of his Church To him let us give ear and hearken preaching unto us both in his Gospel and by his Ministers who make known unto us the mysteries of the Gospel II. The next thing that followeth in the conference is the profession which Nicodemus maketh of Christ we know saith he that thou art a teacher come from God for no man can do these miracles that thou doest except God be with him In which we may observe 1. The Profession it self we know that thou art a Teacher come from God 2. The reason thereof in the next words For no man can do these miracles that thou doest except God be with him As if he had said whosoever worketh Miracles cometh from God but thou workest miracles therefore thou comest from God This clause these miracles that thou doest carryeth a great Emphasis and sheweth that they were very great miracles which Christ did and so confirm the argument the more This reason is sound and affordeth this point of doctrine
creatures shall run hither and thither and not get a drop of Water to cool their scorched tongues Ah sinner sinner how canst thou but quake and tremble at the thought of this fire at which the very Devils do quake and tremble Suppose thou wert condemned to be cast as many of the Martyrs were into a boyling Caldron or flaming fire oh how dreadful and terrible would the apprehension thereof be unto thee and how wouldst thou cry and roar through the extremity of the torment But alas what is a boyling Caldron to that boyling Sea of fire and brimstone And what is a flaming fire of Wood and Coal here to the fire of hell kept in highest flame by the breath of Gods wrath Surely this as far surpasseth that in heat as our Chimney fire doth exceed the fire painted on the Wall This me-thinks should sowre the pleasure of all thy sinful lusts and provoke thee forthwith to set upon that stricter course of life that more serious circumspect conscientious walking whereby thou maist escape these heavy things Ah sinner look about thee while it is called to day run over to Christ lay hold on his righteousness stoop to his Scepter beg of God that whatsoever he deny thee he would not deny his Son to thee by whom alone thou canst be freed from this tormenting fire Otherwise woe and alas that ever thou wert born But oh how wonderfully prodigal are we generally of our souls when that for the vile things here below we are so ready to prostitute them to the lust of Satan and to expose them to the torments of hell-fire Whereas alas What is it to gain the World and to lose our Souls What to spend our dayes in mirth and jollity and in a moment to be cast into hell It is easie for a secure unbelieving soul to read and hear of this fire But woe and ten thousand woes to all such who shall feel and endure and prove by their experience how hot it is 4. Another resemblance whereby the misery of the damned is set forth is a Worm Their Worm shall not dye neither shall their fire be quenched Which very words Christ applyeth to the damned in hell Mark 9.44 46 48. This metaphor of the Worm setteth out the sting of conscience and anguish of soul and sheweth that hell pains go through a man without and within In the forementioned place there be two especial things in the torments of hell which are thrice repeated together namely the Worm and the fire the Worm that dyeth not and the fire that is not quenched And it is observable that in all the three verses the Worm is set in the first place as it were to teach us that the principal torment in hell is the Worm rather than the fire And what is the Worm but the sting or the torment of an evil conscience which shall lye eternally gnawing and griping the hearts of the damned in hell As of the putrefaction of the body there breedeth a worm which eates and consumes the body so from the corruption of the soul tainted with sin there ariseth the Worm of Conscience which gnaweth and vexeth the soul with continual anguish Men talk much of hell-fire and it were well they would talk more of it But yet there is another torment that would be thought on too and that is this Worm of an evil conscience which whilest the fire burneth this will bite and sting the soul with torment intolerable This Worm of Conscience consisteth especially in two things 1. In bringing to remembrance thy former sinfull lusts and pleasures of which nothing remaineth but thy present shame and pain Then shall thy conscience gnaw thee by bringing to thy remembrance thy former oaths and cursings thy mispent time thy cozenings and defraudings yea all thy secret impurities as well as thine open iniquities as also thy sinful omissions of good duties how seldom thou prayedst with thy family or in thy closet how little care thou hadst of thy precious soul slighting the opportunities and means of grace Ah sinner the remembrance of these things will exceedingly pierce thy soul and afflict thine heart with bitter grief and sorrow Soul how camest thou in hither ah this was mine own doing t' was my negligence and carelesness and wilfulness and wickedness A little care a little wisdom a little labour and pains might have prevented all this If I would have hearkened to God hearkened to conscience in time none of all this misery had ever come upon me Oh wretch that I was oh foolish sottish wilful wretch how have I undone my self what ever I now feel and roar under I have none to blame but my self t' was mine own doing that I am fallen headlong into this place of torment 2. In despairing of freedom and deliverance from thy present misery This is one special thing which will very much add to thy present torment that thy condition though most sad and dreadfull yet is hopeless Didst thou conceive any hope of deliverance after thousands and millions of years hell would not be hell unto thee But this is that which will lye like a mountain of lead upon thee that there is no hope of deliverance In the consideration whereof consisteth the gnawings of the Worm of Conscience These are the resemblances whereby the misery of the damned is set forth IV. The misery of the damned is further fet forth in Scripture by the place where they abide which is â—ell For that is the most usual word attributed to the place of the damned In the old Testament that word which properly signifieth the grave is oft translated hell and by way of resemblance Tophet is taken for hell because in the place called Tophet great fires were made wherein they Sacrificed their Children In the New Testament there are two words ordinarily used to express hell One implyeth a place of darkness The other translated from the name of the place where the forementioned Tophet was called Gehinnom the valley of Hinnom whence hell is called Gehenna The place of the damned is also called a bottomless pitt by reason of the unsearchable depth of it and a lake These and other like names of terrour are attributed to the place where the damned are tormented but where that place is in Scripture is not expresly revealed and therefore cannot be defined only we may know that it is out of Heaven even below it It is the most fearful place that ever was or can be and it is a great point of wisdom in this World so to carry our selves as we may never come by our experience to prove where and what it is V. The misery of the damned is likewise set forth in Scripture by the perpetuity and eternity of their torment Their Worm dyeth not and their fire is not quenched but continueth to burn without end And therefore is called unquenchable fire and everlasting fire As the Salamander is said to live
though your sins be never so great and hainous yet upon your repentance through the mercy of God in Christ they shall be so abolished as if they had never been committed 3. They exclude no time for the sinners coming unto God but whensoever sooner or later first or last so that he come in truth he shall find mercy and forgiveness Ezck. 33.12 The promise lyeth in the day that the sinner turneth Seeing therefore oh sinner God hath not excepted thy person nor thy sins no thy time of coming do not thou except thy self saying thy sins are greater than can be pardoned and thy day of grace is past Oh do not so great an injury to God as to set any bounds or limits either to his mercy or to his promises 3. The power of God to save the worst of sinners appeareth from his actual receiving the most heinous sinners to mercy The greatest sinners that we read of in Scripture have obtained mercy Who greater than Mannasseh who was a Sorcerer an Idolater a Murtherer and what not and yet was received to mercy And who greater in the New Testament than Paul who was a Blasphemer and a Persecutor of the Saints and People of God and yet was received to mercy Now what God hath done formerly he is still able to do he is still the same God his power is no whit lessened nor diminished Oh sinner what ground hast thou then to question the mercy of God to thy soul if thou dost in truth turn from thy sins unto him and earnestly beg the pardon and forgiveness of them I know indeed that before God giveth a sight and a sense of our sins we are too too apt to presume but our understandings are no sooner inlightned to see our sins and our consciences awakened to feel the burden of them but we are very apt to despair it being the great design of our adversary the Devil either to make us dye in a senseless calm or else to perish in a desperate storm Oh saith the awakened sinner my sins are many for number and heinous in their quality having aggravated them by many amplifying circumstances Certainly there is no hope of mercy for such a wretched sinfull creature as I am whose sins are greater than can be forgiven But take notice I beseech thee of these two things 1. Though in thy self there is nothing but ground and matter of despair yet in the mercy of God through the merits of Jesus Christ there is ground enough of comfort and encouragement 2. How many and heinous soever thy sins have been yet if thou canst find an heart to turn from them unto God and in good earnest set upon the practice of an holy life and so become a new creature God will receive thee to mercy But still beware thou abuse not mercy by making it thy encouragement to sin turn not this cup of Salvation into a cup of deadly poyson let not the doctrine of infinite mercy be thy damnation abuse not mercy as thy encouragement to sin but improve mercy as thy encouragement to repentance 2. For the Willingness of God to save poor sinners even the worst of them it doth appear 1. From Gods description of himself Exod. 34.6 7. The Lord God merciful and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity transgression and sin Why should the Lord proclaim himself merciful and gracious to forgive all manner of sins but for the encouragement of poor penitent sinners to come unto him with hope of acceptance There is not a letter in this name of God not a word in this description of him but fully and adequately answers all the objections which may be made by poor sinners against their own souls Obj. 1. Wilt thou say that thy condition is as bad as the worst having been as great and hainous a sinner as ever lived upon the face of the earth A. To answer this God here declareth himself to be the Lord merciful The Lord therefore able to save thee to the utmost Though thy sins be never so many and hainous yet he is able to save thee from them all And he is merciful therefore willing to save thee for in him there are bowels of mercy pitty and compassion and he delights in mercy Obj. 2. Wilt thou say thou art in thy self most unworthy to partake of any mercy from God having nothing in thee to commend thee to him or to move him to extend his mercy unto thee A. To this the Lord answers in the next place that he is gracious and therefore what he doth he will do freely without any respect of works or worthiness in us for grace is to shew mercy freely The mercy God ever shewed to any of his people was originally founded in himself alone in his own goodness and loving-kindness The Apostle therefore calleth it the good pleasure of his goodness Whereupon saith the Lord himself I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy Obj. 3. Wilt thou further object and say thou hast mispent the flower of thy youth and the strength of thy age in vanity and pleasure thy whole life hath been a continued course of sinning against God so that thou hast cause to fear that God hath given over looking after thee and that his patience towards thee is expired and thy day of grace past A. To this the Lord answers in the following words that he is long-suffering Not only merciful and gracious but likewise long-suffering to thee-ward not willing that thou shouldst perish but that thou even thou shouldst come to repentance He still waiteth for thy repentance and reformation that he may be gracious unto thee Obj. 4. Wilt thou say that though the Lord hath shewed himself merciful gracious and long-suffering unto others yet thou art so destitute of all grace and goodness that thou hast little hope of partaking thereof A. To this the Lord answers in the next words that he is abundant in goodness as he hath extended his grace mercy and patience unto others so he hath enough and enough for thee his store is no whit diminished by what he hath given out but as he is an ever-flowing so an over-flowing Fountain of all grace mercy and goodness for the supply of his people he is abundant in goodness Obj. 5. Wilt thou say that though the Lord be abundant in goodness yet thou art fearfull whether he will extend his goodness unto thee A. To this the Lord answers that he is abundant as in goodness so in truth God having in his word promised to receive all poor penitent sinners unto mercy who will in truth turn from their sins unto him his truth and faithfulness ingageth him to shew mercy unto thee and to receive thee into the arms of his free grace upon thy true and unfeigned repentance Obj. 6. Wilt thou say God is indeed
yet was he received to mercy Hast thou been a Blasphemer or a Persecutor of the Saints and servants of God So was Paul and yet he obtained mercy Hast thou been a Filthy unclean person wallowing and delighting like a Sow in the filth of sin and mire of sinfull filthiness So did Mary Magdalea and many of the Corinthians yet were they washed with the blood of Iesus Christ justified and sanctified Hast thou been an Oppressor and Extortioner who hast got thine estate by over-reaching thy neighbours and grinding the faces of the poor So did Matthew and Zacheus who yet found mercy Why then is there not hope of mercy for thee when grace hath embraced such great and heinous sinners Q. Wilt thou say thou art a greater sinner than any of these forementioned A. 1. This is scarce credible But suppose thy sins do exceed the proportion of any one thou canst find pardoned in Scripture yet this were no just ground of despair because the depth of Gods mercy was never yet fathomed God never acted his mercy so far but he is able to act it farther Greater sinners than ever yet were pardoned may be pardoned And therefore though thy sins were more and greater than the sins of others yet there is hope of mercy for thee unless by thine infidelity thou dost exclude thy self from the same 2. Consider that there was no more in Manasseh Mary Magdalen Paul nor any of the Saints now in Heaven to move God to have compassion on them than there is in thee The Apostle saith that there is no difference for all have sinned The true cause of any mans Regeneration is the free grace and love of God For saith the Apostle we were all by nature the Children of wrath even as others But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins hath quickned us And immediatly addeth By grace ye are saved Now seeing the free grace and love of God is the true cause of mans Regeneration and Salvation why shouldst thou imagine there is less love in God for thee than there was for them Obj. 5. Others object they fear their time and day of grace is past and gone having long stood out and rejected many offers of grace and that it is now too late to seek after the grace of God A. To this I answer that the slighting and rejecting the many offers of grace is very sad yea an heinous sin which calls for thy deepest sorrow and humiliation This made our Saviour to weep over Ierusalem because they neglected the day of their visitation But yet know 1. Though thou hast often refused and rejected the offers of grace yet is not thy condition hopeless in that it is not the sin against the Holy Ghost which alone cannot be pardoned but it is a sin though heinous yet pardonable Many have obtained mercy even for this and so mayest thou upon thy true humiliation and repentance For such is the mercy of God as he both can and will pardon even sins against mercy 2. It 's a question whether there be any Saint on Earth or in Heaven who before their closing with Christ by faith did not stand out against and reject many of his gracious invitations excepting such as were sanctified from the Womb. 'T is the Devil that puts it into thy mouth to say I have slighted many offers of grace therefore my day of grace is past and gone Do we not see by daily experience how Christ brings home some to himself in their old age who questionless in their youth and riper years turned many a deaf ear to his gracious invitations And that Christ is still willing and ready so to do appeareth by this that he continues his offers of grace though formerly neglected How oft would I have gathered thee saith Christ of Ierusalem 3. Christ hath several seasons of Conversion and Regeneration all come not in at the first hour of the day nor at the sixth hour Christ brings home some to himself in the latter end of their lives who have all the former part slighted and rejected his gracious invitations And therefore he will have them often renewed and tendred to poor sinners because though the time of some be to come in at the first offer yet the time of others is to come in upon renewed and multiplyed offers so that often renewing thy refusals is not an eternal prejudice 4. If thou art heartily sorry for thy former refusals and dost now unfeinedly desire to close with Christ I may with confidence say thy day of grace is not past For those affections wrought in thee by the Spirit of God are gracious hints that he intends thee good if yet thou wilt accept Such who have outstood their day are usually given up to a feared Conscience and reprobate mind and are hurried by the Devil to the committing of all manner of sin and wickedness and that with greediness and delight 5. Thou who fearest thy day of grace is past know this that if thou now findest in thy self a willingness to abandon thy former lusts and corruptions and to become a new creature to cast off the Devils service and to become the servant of the Lord Jesus thy day of grace is not past 6. It is evident thy day of grace is not past because the Lord hath not yet given over to strive with thee Is he not yet woing and beseeching thee by the Ministry of his Word by the motions of his Spirit to accept of the reconciliation purchased by the blood of his Son And doth not Christ himself stand knocking at the door of thine heart telling thee that if thou wilt open to him he will come in and sup with thee and thou with him It is yet the acceptable time and day of Salvation if thou wilt accept thou maist be accepted Say not foolishly my day is past but prove it is not so by coming in this day Harden not thine heart this day and thou shalt find God will not harden his ear against thy cry 7. Though thou hast long stood out yet know that God will not presently take the forfeiture of thee neither will Christ suddenly take his advantage against thee If the Lord were as hasty to punish sinners as they are forward to commit sin there would suddenly be an end of all And if Christ should be as forward to reject sinners as they are to reject him what hope of mercy were there But Christ is not so severe he is of great goodness and of great patience he makes tenders of grace and peace over and over again and waits our acceptance In which respect he is said to stand at their door and knock As knocking is usually a repetition of strokes so standing at the door and knocking implyeth his waiting for our opening Ah sinner doth Christ continue to renew his offers of grace and mercy unto thee and wilt
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
beginning it is said Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy And in the close it is added The Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it that is sanctified it and set it apart to be wholly consecrated to him and to his worship and service That Parents and Masters of Families may the better discharge their duty herein observe these directions 1. Look that your Children and Servant go with you to the Ministry of the Word and let none be left behind without necessary and urgent occasion It being the ordinary means God hath sanctified for the reforming of their lives and the saving of their souls When Iacob went to Bethel to Worship he took his whole houshold with him When Elkaâ—ah went up to offer unto the Lord his Sacrifice all his house went with him In like manner do thou carry thy houshold with thee to the house of God 2. After the publick Ordinances be carefull to call together all under thy charge and let there be a repetition of the Sermons Preached either by thy self or some one of thy Family who can write best And then examine them one after another What they remember of the Sermons they have heard labouring to make them plain unto them and to apply them also Thus did our blessed Saviour with his beloved Disciples for after his Preaching when he was come home he said unto them Have ye understood all these things which ye have heard And Mark saith When they were alone he expounded all things to his Disciples Whereupon one observeth That Christ by his example doth instruct every Master of a Family how to carry himself in reference to those under his charge on the Lords dayes after their departure from the publick Congregation And truly much good will hereby redound as unto your selves so likewise unto all under your charge For 1. It will make them give better attention unto the Ministry of the Word when they know they shall be called to an account and examined what they have heard 2. It would much help and confirm as your selves so your Children and Servants in the understanding and believing of what hath been delivered publickly by the Minister if you would repeat and search the proofs of Scripture which were brought for the confirmation of the doctrine III. Another duâ—y to be performed in and with your Families for the better sanctification of the Lords day is singing of Psalms which as it was much practised by the Saints and people of God of old under the Law so is it both a lawfull and a meet thing to be used by Christians now under the Gospel and that as publickly in the Church so privately in the Family 1. We find it was an ancient custome of the people of God to sing Psalms in their Families according to that of the Psalmist the voice of rejoycing is in the Tabernacle of the righteous that is in the dwelling places and houses of good men 2. We have our Saviour herein for a pattern of whom it is recorded that after the eating of the Passeover which was in a private house he sung a Psalm with his Family IV. Another duty to be performed in and with your Family for the better â—anctification of the Lords day is Reading some part of the holy Scriptures whereof before Chap. VII As also some good Sermon or Treatise of practical truths V. Another duty is Family-prayer Whereof before Chap. VI. VI. Another is Catechising those under your charge whereof see Chap. VIII A conscionable performance of these will exceedingly help forward the sanctification of the Lords day and that without tediousness VII Another duty incumbent on Parents and Masters is godly conference Conferring before your Children and Servants about some good and profitable matter especially of the Sermons you have heard The counsel which the Apostle giveth concerning our words and discourses as it ought to be carefully observed and followed by us at all times so especially on the Lords day Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouths but that which is good to the use of ediâ—â—ing that is to the winning of them who are not converted or to the further building up of those who are already converted And the Prophet Isaiah forbiddeth the speaking our own words on the Sabbath day that is all discourses which are meerly Worldly and about earthly things more than charity and necessity requireth Under which prohibition of not speaking our own words is implyed a direction to speak the word of God or those things which tend to the honour of God and the spiritual good of others VIII That you may the better discharge your duty in looking to the sanctification of the Lords day Be sure you suffer none under your roof to spend any part thereof either in idleness or in sports and pastimes 1. Not iâ— idleness it being not a day of idleness but of spiritual action 2. Not in sports and pastimes especially such as tend to carnal and sensual delight For the Lord hath forbidden every man the following his own pleasure on his holy day And the truth is sports and pastimes are greater impediments to the worship and service of God than the ordinary works of our calling in that they do more subtilly steal away the heart from holy duties than those do Whereupon St. Austin thought it better to plow on the Lords day than to dance and sport Obj. Some Object and plead the hard labour their servants have undergone the week before and thence think they may be allowed a little recreation on the Lords day A. 1. The rest of the Lords day is the best and fittest recreation for the refreshing of their bodies who have been tired with labour the six dayes before And if they be spiritually minded the best and fittest recreation for the refreshing of their souls is singing of Psalms the perusing their spiritual evidences for Heaven the solacing themselves in the meditation of Christ of what he hath done and suffered for them holy conference and the like 2. If you think bodily recreations necessary for your servants health why do you not rather allow them some part of your own time on the week-dayes than to rob God of any part of his day which he hath wholly appropriated to the duties of his Worship and service Whereas the Lord might have reserved six dayes for himself and allowed but one unto us he hath dealt so bountifully and graciously with us as to reserve but one to himself and leave six for our business And shall we be so ungratefull as to encroach upon it and Sacrilegiously steal away some part of that small time which he hath reserved to himself for our Servants recreation CHAP. X. Of Exemplary lives in Parents and Masters of Families V. ANother duty incumbent on Parents and Masters of Families is To shew themselves patterns of piety and Godliness unto their Children and Servants by an holy