Motiws for the Holy ·Gowming of Families. pe 10rs, and "':'here the:c is ~o revi~ing fc~rr.(~ at Godiinefs,_ nor n~ prophat·lc and fcur,rilous r.alk, whar a fweet and happy life JS this? Is 1t nor hkch ~o Heaven ot any dung upon ~arth :> But to l;vc where worldlincfs aild prophanencfs, and wantonndS, and fcnfu:diry bc:ar all the {way, and where ~od is unknown, ~nd holincfs a~d all religious txerCii(s :ne matter of courcmpt and t~orn, :tnd where he that will not {Wear and live proph1mly doth malu: himfclf the hatred and de1ihon of the rcft, and where men arc known bu.t by their fhapt, and fpra/l,jng·f;~cufty to be men, nay whtrc men tak,j! 1tot thcmfdvCI for mw but for bruits, and live as if .d~ey had no rationJ!.{ouls, nor any expeCb.tions of another Jifr, nor any higher employmcms or dd1ghts, tlnn rhe t'tan!Jrory concernmcms of the fUh, what a ford id lothforn, tihhy, mi!Crable life is this? made up by a mixwrc of BEASTLY and DEVIL1S H. To live where rhe1c is 110 communiun with God, where the marks of Death and Damnation arc w~itten, as it wen:, up0n the doors, in the face of their impiotls worldly lives, and where no man underllandeth the holy language ; and where there is not the leafi forerafl of the Heavenlyeverlaf\ing joys; what's this but to liv~ as the Serpents_fc:ed, t~ ft:ed on_ dull, and to ?e ex– communicated from rhe face and favour of God, and robe chamed up m the pnfon ofcqncup1fcen'e · and milignity, among his enemies, till the judgement came that is rn:1king haHe, and will render to all men according to their works. , . §. 4· Motive 4• A holy aJtCt p.;eU-govemcd fan:ily, dot? tend to makt aHo~y Pofleritj•, and_fo tQ propa- Motive 4• gate t!Je fear of God from Gemration to Gc~eratzon• . It JS more comf?rta_blc to have no children,, than to beget and breed up chil4rcn for the devil. .The1~ natural corruptiOn IS advamagc e!lough to Satan, ro engage them to himfdf, and ufe them for h1s fervJce : But when PJre_nts !hall alro take the DeviJs part, and teach their children by precepts or example, how to ferve h1m, and !hall efirange them· from God ancl a holy life., and fill their minds with falfe conceits and prejudice againll the means of their falvation, u if they had fold their children to the Devil; no wonder then if they have a black poflerity that are trained up to be heiiS of Hell. He that will train up children for God, mutl begin betitnes, before fenfirive objects take too deep poffellion of their hearts, and cuftom increafe the pravity of their nature. Original tin is like the arched Indian Fig~tree,whofe branches turning downwardS and taking root, do all bccorne as treCs themfelves: The acts which proceed from this habitu.Jl vici:. oufi1tfs, do turn again into vicious habits: And thus finful nature dmh by its fruits incre2.fc: it felf: And when other things confitme the,.fe/vrs by breeding; all that fin breedetb is ·added to it felf, and its breeding is its feeding, and every aCt doth confirm the habit. And therefore no means in all the worlJ, doth more elfet'cually tend to the happinefs of fouls,than wife and holy education.This dealeth with fin before it hath taken the dtepefi roor,and boweth nature while i.t's but a twig:It prcvenrcth the increafe ofnatural pravity, and kcepeth out thofe deceits,corrupt opinions, and carnJ.\ fanu.fics and lulls, which clfe would be fcrviceablc ~o fin and Satan, ever after. It dclivereth up the heart to Chrifi hetime, or at leaf\ doth bring him a Difciple to his School to learn the way to life eternal ; and to fpend thofe years in acquainting himfclf with the ways of God, which others fpend in growing worfe, and in learning that which mull be again unlearned, and in fortifying Satans garrilOn in their hearts, and defending it againft Chritl and his faving grace. But of this more anon. ~- 5· Motive 5· A huly wtU-govemcd family is the preparative to a holy and weU-governtd Church. tfMaiters of families did their parrs)aud fent ii.tch poli!hed materials to the Chur_ches, as they ought to Mo:jve 1i do, the work._ and life of the Paftors of the Church, would be unfpeakably more eafie and delightful: · It would do one good to PrCach to fuch an auditory, and to Catcchife them, and inllruct them, and examine them, and warch over them, who arc prepared by a wife and holy education, and underHand and love the doctrine which they hear. T p lay fuch polill1cd Hones in the building is an eafic and delightful work: How teachable and traClabi.e will fuch be ? And how profpcroufly will the labours of their Patlors be laid out upon them? And how comely and beautiful the Churches be,which are cornpofcd of fuch pcrrons? And how pure and comfortable will their communion be? But if the Churches be flies of u_nclcan bcafis ; if they are made up of _ignorant and ungodly perfons, that favour nothing but the thmgs· of the fle£h; and ufe to wor!h1p they know not what, we may thank ill-governed families fer all tl~is. It is long of them that Mini!lers preach as to idiots or barbarians that Cilnnot undcr~and them : and that they mull be always feeding their auditors with milk, and teaching them the principles, and Catechizing them in the Church, which fhould have been done at home : Yea it is long of them that thete 'are fo many Wolves and Swine among the Sheep of Chrifl, and that holy things are adminillrcd to ·the enemies of holinefs, and the godlY live in communion with the haters of God and Godlinefs ;_ and that the Chritlian Religion is dilhonoured before the heathen world, by the worfe-than-heathemlh ltves of the Profeffors; and the pollutions of the Churches do hinder the <onverfion of the u~believing world ; while!l they that can judge of our Rdigion no way but by the people that profefs tt, do JUdge of it by the lives of them that are in heart the enemies of it: when the haters of Chrifii'lnity and Godlincfs are the Chriflians by whore converfations the Infidel wotld mufl judge of Chritlianity, you may eafily conjet'cure what judgement they are like to make. Thus Pafiors ~re difcouraged, the Churches defiled, Religion difgraced, and lnhdels hardned, through the impious diforder and negligence offamilies! what Univerfities were we like to havt, if all the Gram– ?'ar-Schools lhould neglet'c. their duties,and fend up their fcholars untaught as they received them?and 1f all Tutors mufl teach their pup1ls firfi to fpell and read?Even fuch Churches we are like to have when every Patlor mull firfl do the work, which all the Matlers of families lhould have don< · and the part of many fcore, or hundreds, or thoufands, muft be performed by one.- ' ilu·u. 2
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