Propo[. 2· A Dijputation for Fami~,Worjhip. that .d•y """ bir ho•ft, and bt and aU hi< houjhold bclie~·cd. So that Noble man, John 4· 53· There. fore when ChriH r~·m IOJCh his DiiCipks, ht: taithJ lftbe boltfl be WfJrtby, ltt your pe.Jct c~;nu 11POII it but if it ~e. not. rvortb!, let )'t HJ' peace .ntum to yu : So t~at as it is appannrly, the Dury 0 ;· every Chnthan Sovt•ra1gn ro do whar he IS able to tnilke all h1s pe(.ple GodJ people; and {Q to dedi~ care tl".cm to God as a. Hd)' Natio1r, in a National Coi!fnant,as the Jfr:~e·litcr were: So is it the uu. qucfiionahlc Duty of Gvny Cbrijlian Ruler of a family, to improve his interclt, power, and pans ro the uttermoH, tu bring aU MI family to be the peoplt of Cbrijt in the Bapti[mal CU'I.!tnilnt, and ro ro dedicate aU ~is fumily to Chrijf. YLt luther J prove this, in that befi£vtrt thtmjilvts being all [anlti~ fied toGud, lt muft needs follow, that all ·thtir Lawful Ktli~tiuJu, and cfpeciaHy all comntandtd }law ofRelation are alfo f~mditic4 to God ; for when tbemfolvr:s are dedicated to God, it is abfolurely with· out refetve, to fer\'e him with all that rht:y h:we, ati.d in t.very Relation and Capaciry that heOull ftt them. n were a madnrfs to think, that a Chrifiian totally devoted unto God when he is a PrivJt~ MJn, it he were after made a Souldier, a Mimjtcr, a M.Jgijlr.1te, a King, were not bound by his Dedi. cation, noww ferve God as a Sotelditr;, a fl.-linijfer, a frf.,gtjtrate, a King. So he that is dtvoted to God in a Jingle ftate, is bound to ferve him as a Husband, a 'Father, a Maller when he comes into that tbte; \\"c do dtvotc aU that we have ro God, when wt dtvote our[elver to him. Morco\'erthcScripturetellsus, that.to the pure alltbingJ are p~trt. Tit. I· 15, 16. And alJtiJi;;gs dre fan{iijicd to tbcm by tbc word and prayer, 1 Tim.4, 5· which is in that thty are made theGJcdr and EnjoymoztJ, AWunt, and Rrlatiom ofa j~r.[iificd people; who are thmifrlvu devoted or {anliijied to God: So that all fmlt_ijication referreth ultimJtcly and principtllly to ~od ; fi&od fanUum Del) fanlium cjt ; though ir may be faid fubordinauly to be f:mDified to ~f· Seeing rhen it is paft all doubr, that every Chritlian is a man f;;:Uificd and devoted to Gcd, and that when tver any man is fo dtvoted to GoJ, he is devoted to ferve him to the utmoH capacity in every fio.re, Relation or Condi– tion th.u he is i11, o.nd with all the facultits he pctfdfeth ; it followtth, that thofe Rel<~timt are[anUi– jicd to God, and in them he ought ro w0101ip him and honour him. Yet further we tind in Scripture, that the particular family relations are exprdly fanctificd; The f.mlilycompleat conli!leth of three p1irs of Relations : I-/uJband and fVife, Parmts and Children, Majfcr; and Scrvanu. fltuhands mull love their lf'ives with an Ho/)' Love iu the Lord, even a.s the Lord lovid the Ch~trch, wbo gavt him[clf for it, to fon[lifie and cleanfe it by tbe wajhing of wattr by the wsrd, that he might prrfem it to hin,f~lf a gloriouJChurch, Ephcf. 5· 25, 26,27· IYivtJ mt1ji fUbmittbem– Jelvu to tbrir HusbndJ aJ unto the Lord; and be fubjetr to them, aJ the Chur.::h is to Chrijf, Ephcf. 5· 22, 23, 24· Cbildren muji ubcy tbcir ParntrJ in the Lord, Ephd~ 6. I· P.JroiiJ mujl bring up tluir chil· drcn in tbe N~trture and AdmoJ~ition of tbe Lord, Epl:tf. 6. 4· Servantt muft be obedient umo tbcir !rl.s... jlcrJ aJ umo Cbrijf, and JJ the firvantJ nf ChriJf, doing the n·ill of God from t1JCir be:zrtJ witb gootl n:iU, dt·ing fin. ice aJ to the Lord, and nst td-inan ; Jtnowing th.1t what good tbing airy malt dotb, tbt fame jh.:rU,be receive {Jf the Lord, whuhcr he ht bond or free; and MJjlcrJ mujt d4 tbefameto tbtm, k,?t1Jn-ii1J!. tiJat their Majlcr it in Heavw, Ephef. 6. 5, 6, j, 8, 9· So that it is evident that cvety difiintl: family·.Rtlarion is dedicated or holy to God, and to be ufed to the urmoH for God.l fhall have ccc.~~ tion to m•ke further ufe ~non of thefe Texts 'for the particular forts of Worrhip, though I now make ufe of them as for W0101ip in general. Argument 5· The {tvcral forts of jOicmn J/Tu1jhip in and by Cbrijlian Familiu, tJfC /o~tnd) appoint· ed, ufid, a1td commtJNdui in the Scripture, tbcrcf'ore it may well hl couchldcd ofWorO\ip in the ge~ neral ; fecing theGentu is in eachSpeciet. But this Atgumem brings me to the fecond part of my undeJ~aking: viz. to prove the point as to fome JPccial ~i11d1 of IYiJrjhip ; which 1 the more hafien to, btcaufe in fo doing, 1 prove the General aHO. 11. ConcerningGodr Worjhip in Sptcial, I fhall (peak but to two orthree of the Chief paus of it, which belong ro families. And J, Of'Icacbi,zg) under which I comprife, I• Teaching the letter of the Scripture, J, By reading it·: 2· By teaching others to read it. 3· Cauling them to learn it by memory,which is a kind ofCaucbi[tng. 2· Teaching the fwfe of.r it. 3· Applying what is fo taught by familiar E.tprgoji, Admonition/ and Exhortatioxr. Propof. •· It ir tbt TYiU ofGod tlw the Rulcrr of f'militr j!Jou/d toch thofc that art m:der them tb< Doarine offalvatio1t: i. e. the Doctrine of God concerning falvation , and the terms on which it is to be had, and the means to be ufcd fer attaining it, and all the Duties nquilite on our parts in order thc:rcunto. Before I come to the proof, rake thefe Cautions: t. Where !fay men mull rhus uacb, I itnp!y they muft be able to ttach, and not teach btfore th{y are able: And if they be not able 1t IS the1r own tin , God having vouch!Jfcd them Means for enablement. 2· Men mull me4Ure their ~caching accc.rding to their abilities. and not pretend to more than they have, nor attempt that whtch rhey cannot petform, therc:by incurring the guilt of proud fclf-conceirednefs , prophanation, or other abufe of holy thing~. For example, men that are not able judi,ioufly to do it, mull not prcf~me to interpret the Onginal, or to give the fenfe of dark Prophdies, and other obfcure Texts ot Scnpture, nor w determine Controverfies beyond their reach. 3• Yet may fuch convcnier,tly ftudy what more lcamed able men fay to f~tch cafes;· and tell their families, This is the judgement of Fathers,. or Council~,
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