Spiritual Per[ef1_l_.on_._________ 6_6-.::.. ~ 3 incorrupt, diligent and faithfu l. Our Saviour inquires, Win is that wife and faithful Serv~nt ~ And the Mafier c:11ling his Servants to an ::~ccounr, fays, J!VeD doJJe go~d and ftl"ith ful Serv•nt. The wifdom and goodnefs of a Servant confifis in his Fidelity. In lhorr, The negleCt of Prayer, holy InfiruCtion, and fetting a Pattern of Holine:S to the Family, t he not watching for the Souls of Children and Servants ro l'e!lrain them from evil, and excite therri to good, will be a terrible Accufation again!l: many Parents and Mafieis at the. Day of judgment. · . , The Provifion for the Fami ly is an indifpenfable Duty upon the MaGer of it. There is a D:vinc Alliance between the Precept s of the Law, they arc all to be obeyed in their (eafan. The Duties of the fir(\ Table do not fu perfede our obedience to the Duties of the fecond. If an Eagle fl10uld only gaze on the brightnefs of the Sun, and futfer its your.g ones to Cl:arve in the Ndl:, it we re prodigiou1ly unnatural. He that by a pretence of ferving God in Ad:s of immediate Worlhip, negleCts to provide for hir; Family, ts worfe thao an Infidel. But how will tbofe, who by wafting t heir Efiates, ot Idlenefs, ruin their families, appear before the judgment-Sea t of God. . . . . \ The Superiors IO the Family mufi prefetve Order and Tranqutlity m It. The F~re of Difcord turns a Houfe in.to a httlc .Hell, full of the Tormenting Patiions, Sor:ow and:~~d guilh, Difdain and Defpight, Malice and Envy, that blafi the mofi flounfl11ng Families. But when Religion, that ts pure and peaceable,. Governs t~e Houfe, It turns it _into a ~aradife, where the God of Peace dwells, and delights, and difpenfes the mofi precious Fruits of his favour. Wtfdom and Watchfu lnefs are requtlicc toma1nta tn 20 harmontous agreement in Families wherein arc Pcrfons of different and contrary Tempers. Some are of fuch unnatural Difpolitions, t hat they love jars and dHTentions, as. fome Plants thrive on the top of the Alps, where they are continually expos'd to fiorms.. There is fuch ~n frr e.gu!arity in the d1fpotitions of fome, that between ~hofe perfons thc:c IS fierce Hatred, where um re Love is due: the difcord between Brothers tS deeply wounding, and hardly curable. The rea· fon of it is evident, for where by the Law of Nature, the dcareft Love is rcquir'd and cxpe· ded, the not obtaining it is (o injurious and provol<ing, that the hatred in one, is equal to the Love to which the other does not correfpond. The Spartan Mag ifirates, celebrated for their Wifdom and juflicc, being inform'd of frequent ~arrels between t wo Brothers, likely to end in bloody Content ions, they_fent fortheirfa~her a~d pun~lh'd h1m, as more culpable and Guilty, in not timely correCttng them. Rul~n_g Wtfdom m the Fa ther of the Fa· F•mi~"mn/u(J,; mily, fo as to conciliate Love with Refped, (everi_ty n:''x'd wid1 fweetnefs (which rarely ;~;';;[q~; ;.;;J meet) are necetTary to prevent, or compofe d!lfenuons m thofe little Cornmonwealt11s. mwu.r ardu~tm In order to this, the prime Care mufi: be to quench the firfl fparks that appear, that :ne qu~Jm_ngtr~ feeds pregna nt with Fi;e: if they are blown up and fed with Materials, they break forth in· ;~7~:~:;,; · to a fudden Flame. And in the fecond place, to ob(ervc and imploy every one in the Fa- T~c~ri a'e ~~~ ~a;h;~i~t~~~e~:~rn~h:~~the~,s ~i~~~0p~~r~0 ~~c ~~~~~1:~~~/0r~~::na~!o~:~~~~h~} £~~;~17:~r:~ Tempers, and Talents in a Fami ly, and 'ris the Wifdom of Supe riours to obferve and em· tllritnifi,.ti/11. pl~~ ~~~:~,v~~1r~~;[~;~/~~c~~et~J~iit~t~1~r:~~~~ fu bmiffion in t he Title of a father, than ~i;~':I§:~:1,:t of a Mafler. ThereforeasSeneca obfcrves, the Roma11s, ~hat they might prevent Envy to· hQtipfo;~njlj,. wards M<!flers, and Conremptof the Servants, call'd the Maficr, T/;e fat/;er of the f""amily . -1ur. ~n. 2. There is a facred Relation between Pallor and Peopl e. I lhall but glance on the Duties be l ong~ng to them. Evangelical Paflors arc compar'd to the Luminaries of Heaven, that by their ,Lighr, Heat and Influences arc fo beoeficial to the lower World. If they are clouded with Ignorance, or eclips'd by the interpofit ion of Earthly thing5, they are ufclefs. There are divers degrees of fubfiaotial Learningand fpiritual skill, but a fu lllciency of Knowl,dge fo r the great work of favingSouls1s requttite in all. Zeal United with Knowledge, is an in... difpenfable~alificat ion. When the Apofileswe re fill'd with the Holy Ghofl, defcending in thr. figoi ficant Emblem of F1ery Tongues, of what admirable efficacy \<1 as thei r Preach ~ ing .:. The fir!l: S: rmon converted three thoufand, t hat were Murthcrers of our Saviour, and had the fhins of his lllood frefh upon them. T ongues of F_leili are wi_thbur vigour, and make no lafiing lmprellion on the Hearers, but Tongues of F1re haven Divine Force and Q. perar ion to difpel the Errors or Mens Minds, and quicken their Afft·dions, ro refine and pu~ rifierheir Converfarions. They mufi be diligent and IV:lfcbful for tbe Souls rf their people, as tbofowho mu/! give an account t o the Sapreme Paj/Jr and Rtdeemer of Souls. A'ld a-; rhey mu lt teach what they learn from t he Gofpe l, fo they mun live as thty reach. If they are JCn(ua! and worldly, how can the ir Prayers afcend with acceprancc ro God, and dc:fccnd with a Bleffing to the People? There f11ould be a fingularity of Holmds, dillinguilhing rho(e who are conftcrared to infir uCl: and gove_rn the Church. Their Sms arc aggravated from the quality of their Per fons : t his is fignrfied iR the Levitical Law, that nppoioted the Expiotory
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