The inconwniences of a Married ]late ejpecially to Minijlers. rcquire of them, forrhe fadtifyi;;g and faving of their Childrcns fouls I Confider your fitnefs for fo great a work before you undertake 1r. §. 37· 17.lc is abundauc(;: of aiRiction that is ordinarily to be expctl:ed, in the mifcJrriJgcs of Childrc.n, when you have done y~ur beH, much more if you neglect your duty, as even godly Parents too often do. After all your plms, and care, and labour, you mull look that the foolifhnefs of fame, and the obfimacy of others, and the unthankfulncfs of rhofe that you h~ve loved beti fhould even pierce your hearts. You mull look that rn~ny vices fhould fpring up and trouble you;' and be the more gric.vous by how much your children are the more dear: And 0 what a grief it is to brc:ed up aCh~ld to be a fervant of the Devil, and an enemy of God and godiinefs, ar.d a pcrfecutor of rhc Church of God 1 And to think of his lying in Hell for ever? And alas how great is the number of fi1ch? I~· And it is not a little care and trouble that fcrvanu wi_ll put you .to: fo_ difficult is it to get thofe that arc good, much more to mak! them goed; fo great 1s your duty m teachmg them, and mind~ ing thtmOf the matters of their falv<ition; fo ftequent will be the difplcafures about your work and worldly bufinefs; and every one of tho[c difpleafures will hinder them for receiving your iniiru~ Cl ions; that molt families are houles of correCtion or affliCtion. §. 39· 19. And thefe rnaniage Croffes are not for a )'tar, but during lift: They deprive you of all hope of relief while you live together : There is no room for repentance, nor calling about for a way to cfCapc them. Death. only mufi be your relief. And therefore fuch a change of you.r condition lhould be ferioutly tore-thought on, and all the troubles be forefeen and pond(nd. §. 40. 20. And if Love make you dear to one another, your parting at dtath will be the more grievous: And when you firfl come together, you know that fuch aparting you mufi have; Through all the ceurft of your lives you may forefce it: One ofyou muf\ fee the Body of your beloved, turned into a cold and ghafily clod: You muit follow it weeping to the grave, and leave ic there in duft and darknefS: There it mufi lye rotting as a loathfome lump, whofe light or fmell you cannot en~ dure ; till you 010rtly follow ir,. and lye down your {df in the fame condition. All thc:fe are the ordinary concomitants a11d confcquents of Marriage; eaiily and quickly !pokcn, bur long and hard to be endured ! No fitfions, but realities, at1d k[s than mail: have rea[on to expect. And fhould filCh a life be ralhly ventured on in a pang of lufi? or fuch a bu1dcu be undemkm without fore– thought? ~;~~~;um §. 4'· But cfpccial!y the Minij/trs of the Gofpellhould think what they do, and .think again, b~- forc [hey enter upon a married life... Not th;.>t it is fimply rmlawfitl for them, or that they arc to be tycd from it by a Law, as they are in the Kingdom of Rome, for carnal end1 and with odiouJ rf– feat: But fo great a hinderance ordinarily is this troubleforne flare of lift: to the Sacred Minifhation which they undertake, chat a very clear call fhould be expected for their farisfaCbon. That I be not tedious, conlidcrwcll but of d1Lfc four things. J, How well will a life of fo much care and bufi- .· ndS, agree to you that have time little enough for the greater work which you have undertaken? Do you know what you have to do in publick and private? in reading, meditating> praying, preaching, infirud-ing perfonally, and from houfe tO houfc? And du you know of how grelt imporrance it is? even for the faving of mens fouls ? And have you time to fpare for fo much worldly cares and bufinefs? Are you not charged, 1Tim. 4· I 5· Mtditatc on tbefe things: givt tby[tlftrbolly to thtm. 2 Ttm.2·4• No man that rvarreth entangleth himfelf with tbe affairt of this life> that he nuy plesfc him that b:~tb chofeH him to bc a Souldier. Is not this plain? Souldiers ufe not to look to :Farms a.nd Servants. If )'OU are Faithful Minifiers, l dare contidently fily, you will find all your time fo little for your proper work, that many a time you will groan and fay, 0 how jhorl and {wi.ft is time! and 0 bowgreat and jlqw is nry worJt a1:d duty. 2. Con{ider how well a life of fo greJt divcrfionJ, avocatiom and di~ jlratlionJl doth fuit with a Mind devoted to God, that ~1ould be alwaycs free and ready for his fer· vice. Your fiudies are on fuch great and mytlerious fubJ~o:ds, that they require the whole mindl and all too little: To rcfolve tbc m:my difficultits that arc beiOJe you, to prepare thofe fuitableconvincing words, which may pierce and pcrfwade the hearers hearts, to get within the bofom~of an hypocrite, w follow on the Word till it attain its elled", and to deal with poor fouls according to their great ne· N bene fi crffiry and handle Gods Word according to its Holinefs and Majdty, thefe are things that require qu:J occur~- a wbolt man, and are not employments for a divided or dijlr.zl1cd mind: The talking ofWomen, and to_3nimo ~t. the crying of children, and the cares and bufincfs of the world, arc ill preparations or attendams on Hl:rond ~pf1: thcfc ftudics. 3· Confider well whether a life of fo great diflurbance be agreeable to one whofe .Affe· sn.a ~ lllllm. [ii 0111 (hould be taken up for God : and whofe work mull be all done, not formally and atfect~diy wit]! the lips alone, but ferioufly with all the heart ? If your Heart and warm Ajfel1iuns be at any tlme left behind, the life and power, 'the beauty and glory of your work is loft. How dead will your fiudies and praying, and preaching, and conferencebe ? And can you keep thofe AffeCtions warm and vigo~ reus for God, and taken up with HC:aven and Heavenly things, which are diflurbed with the cares and croffes of the world, and taken up with carnal matters? 4· And confider alfo how well r~at indi.... gent life will agree to one that by charity and good works lhould fecond his Doctrine, and wm m.ens Iouis to the love of holinefs: If 'you feed not the bodies of the poor, they willlefs ~e!iO> the food of A Gngle life ~i:~Cwh~:~ch-men: for Charity-willlmdl w2u~r the ground, where it mull 611 3 pool. L, r,\ Bate~ EjJ.;y 8.. The g~eareft works ;thd founda; ions h;ne b!Cil from child le~ men, who h:~.ve fought to e>~prdS the image of rheir m:nds, that I :t1·e none of. rhe1t body:_So the care of poHerity, hath been moH in tl>.tm that h:.d no pollerity. Lord llacoilEffay 'J. Hr t~ac h3th 3 \V_ 1ft: :1:1d Ch1l~r~n bath£lvrn holhgcs to Forlune: For they arc impediments togreat Enterprife~.--Tb.e be1t W<'rks and ofgrearcfi merit, loT t¥" puo-hck, bavt: prd: ceeded from unmarried and childlefs men. Id. JbJd, Effay ~. the
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