Seven Treatises, Treatise 4 · Chapter 19
CHAP. 19. Of the declaration of the eighth dutie, namely: Of vſing religious exerciſes in our families.
VNTOUNTO all the former duties which we muſt labour to perfourme, this is to be added (to the end we may enioy as many liberties as we can:) that with the ſame wel gouerned heart, which we hauehave bene taught to bring to the perfourming of them, we look that both in the morning and at euen, as it ſhall ſtand beſt with the well performing of other duties, we and the other parts of our familie, do reuerently worſhip God together; that is to ſay, that we ſolemnely vponupon our knees make confeſſion of our ſinnes, and requeſts to him with thankſgiuing. And becauſe it is required, that the word of God ſhould be taught by vsus to our children and charge, Gen. 18.19. therefore, that when we may conueniently, we inſtruct them as they be fit to conceiue, in thoſe things which are moſt neceſſarie for them, training them vp to anſwer to the ſame; and that they be incouraged to hauehave acquaintance with the Scriptures and to be exerciſed in them from their childhood, 2. Tim. 3.15. that ſo the word of God may dwell in them plentifully, Col. 3.16. and to edifie themſeues in ſinging of Pſalmes to the praiſe of God, & the putting of themſelues in mind of the heauenly melodie and reioycing, which they ſhall hauehave with the Lord and his Saints in his kingdome. Euen this (I ſay) is another of thoſe duties which is as oft as may be to be perfourmed in our families; I ſay, as oft as may be, becauſe no mans conſcience ſhould be accuſed for the omitting of it on ſome dayes vponupon neceſſitie which may fall out: but yet no man for all that may faine neceſſitie, to paſſe ouer a dutie of ſo great vſe, and for ſo long continuance, euen throughout his life, except he ſupply the omitting of it, in ſome anſwerable ſort otherwiſe.
And whereas by the examples of Gods holy ſeruants, this dutie of calling vponupon God is commended to vsus as to hauehave bene offered to God three times in the day; the other, of teaching their families, as a thing ordinarie and vſual:Pſal. 55.17. Dan. 6.10. what cauſe is there why we in whoſe dayes the light of the truth ſhineth more clearely then it did in theirs, ſhould be behind them in any ſuch duties ſometime by our ſelues, ſometime with our families, vntill we might ſay: that we hauehave bene ſutable to them, in teſtifying our louelove to God whome we obey in perfourming them, and the religious care of our owne good which we are ſure can neuer be enough? As for the daily continuance of this dutie from time to time throughout our life, although I doubt not but that many do it now and then, who yet will not tye themſelues vntounto it conſtantly, and therefore reape the ſleighter fruite of it; ſome reaſons I will alleadge to perſwade them.
And firſt, it may pleaſe ſuch to vnderſtand,The first reaſon concerning duties in the familie. that our neceſſities do require it one day as much and as well as another (except neceſſitie hinder, as hath bene ſaid before) ſeeing ſome are rude, ſome worldly, ſome ignorant, and the beſt are forgetfull: and we find, that eueryevery day bringeth with it ſufficient cauſe to renew our faith and ſtrength againſt ſinne, and all kinds of diſcouragements, and to honour and praiſe God (if it be well conſidered) for his daily fauours and kindneſſe. For ſuch duties being in vſe daily, do hold vsus from ſome euill, which we ſhould otherwiſe do.
Beſides, ſeeing particular families are the members and parts of the church, and eueryevery gouernour is that in the familie, that the Miniſter is in the congregation: therefore if they be not accuſtomed to worſhip and ſerue God at home, how ſhall they be able to do it with profite in the aſſembly? eſpecially ſeeing experience teacheth, that the mind being vnſeaſoned all the weeke at home, is further off from goodneſſe on the Sabbath; and yet all which is done this way both publikely and priuately, is litle enough euen in the beſt Chriſtians.
And that we come the oftener and more chearefully hereunto, as oft as it ſhall behoue vsus, we muſt know and conſider, that we hauehave therein communion and fellowſhip with the Lord, and are admitted to ſpeake and breake our minds vntounto him, and ſo hauehave our ſoules moſt ſweetly refreſhed thereby, as if we met before him publikely. And what is like vntounto ſuch libertie, that in a reuerent ſort we may be admitted to ſpeake vntounto the Lord, and to hauehave him make aunſwer to vsus againe? So that, it ſhould not be hard for vsus to be brought to enioy ſo great commoditie, but rather to count our ſtate the more happie the ofter that we may be partakers of ſuch a benefite.
Againe, it is meete that we ſhould in this ſort hauehave our recourſe to him daily, to the end that our whole conuerſation may ſauour of him; that as all aboundance of heauenly odours (that is, of ſpirituall grace) do flow from his Maieſtie to all that are about him and by the prayer of faith come neare him, more fragrant then Aarons ointment: ſo we being conuerſant with him in this heauenly manner, may hereby, as by a ſweet preſeruatiue, keepe our ſelues from all annoyance of Sathan and the world. And therefore it is no wiſedome for vsus to be long from him in this manner, eſpecially hauing ſuch free acceſſe vntounto him whenſoeuer we liſt. This reaſon ſhould the eaſilier perſwade vsus, becauſe we ſee how by occaſion of earthly dealings, our earthly minds draw vsus to be altogether earthly: in our talke one to another, churliſh, hote, bitter, or light, prophane, raſh: and ſo in our behauiour teſtifying nothing elſe but a worldly mind. And is any thing more to be deſired then the chaunging of this courſe? But what is fitter then this, when we ioyne daily together in ſuch holy manner againſt it, euen there where the faults are committed? And thus I hauing ſhewed, that there is no cauſe why we ſhould thinke much to tye our ſelues daily as we ſhall be able to theſe duties, weigh now a litle what companions we hauehave in the Scriptures in the performance of them.Examples. Abraham. Gen. 18.19. Abraham is renowned of God for his diligence and faithfulneſſe in the perfourming of theſe exerciſes of religion in his familie: for inſtructing them, and therefore (no doubt) praying with them, ſeeing all things are ſanctified by the word and prayer,Ioſua. Ioſ. 24.15. 1. Tim. 4. Ioſua alſo who profeſſed openly that he and his houſhold would ſerue the Lord, did, not darkely, declare therein, that the chiefe parts of Gods ſeruice were not neglected, that is, prayer,Act. 10.2. Cornelius. thankes, and the teaching them their duties. And Cornelius hauing this commendation in the Scripture, that he feared God with all his houſhold: and beſides, that he was giuen much to prayer; hath left ſufficient teſtimonie, that both he prayed with his houſhold as well as priuately by himſelfe alone, and alſo that he laboured and vſed the meanes of inſtructing the ſame, whereby he might bring them to that feare of God which was in them. Therefore ſeeing ſuch worthy ſeruants of God hauehave gone before vsus in the performance of theſe duties in their families; and ſo hauehave continued them (as there is no doubt) as they hauehave ſeene their daily neceſſitie to require, and that they reaped ſingular fruite thereby: therefore it ſhall be neceſſarie for vsus, oft and vſually to meete together for the priuate worſhipping of God in our familie the whole together, be it ſmall or great.
For this may all ſee and eaſily know, that God hath commanded that parents and fathers of families ſhould rehearſe his lawes continually vntounto their children,Deut 6.7. and (as it were) whet their memories with them by talking of them in their houſe, and when they lye downe, and when they riſe vp, and to bring the word of God into familiar acquaintance with them: which is no more then he ſaw neceſſarie for them.
By the which commandement we may ſee, how this latter age of ours is degenerated from the holy cuſtome of religious exerciſes in our families, which were in vſe ſo many thouſand yeares agone. For there can be no time found throughout the day, nay the whole weeke, in many Chriſtians houſes, to be occupied about ſuch matters; and yet (which maketh their ſinne the greater) how are they letted from them? by more weightie occaſions? No: but partly through ignorance, ſo that they could not; through the trifling out of the time in idle and vnneceſſarie talke or folly: and partly through continuall taking vp of it in one worldly thing or other, or nouriſhing teachineſſe and ſuch like;1. Pet. 3.7. by which their prayers (as well as all other good things) are broken off: whereas they ſhould do it by themſelues alone alſo, rather then neglect it with their houſhold; the Lord ſo requiring of vsus the one, that we ſhould do the other alſo; and not ſo tyed vsus to one time, that we ſhould looke after it at no other, (for it ſhould be oft times, as we heard in Deuteronomie:) but thereby teacheth vsus in wiſdome to appoint to our ſelues ſome certaine time or other for that his ſeruice, leſt we ſhould obſerue no time but omit it altogether.
And as for the fruite of this dutie, if it be perfourmed with reuerence of vsus as the Lord himſelfe hath taught vsus,Ioh. 16.24. it is an opening of the doore of his treaſurie vntounto vsus; as we who hauehave any experience, can truly ſay: That by it we hauehave not bene meanely enriched. So that ſuch prayer and holy exerciſe is ſutable and anſwerable to the other parts of chriſtian dutie which are to be perfourmed throughout the day, as by the other duties before mentioned may appeare. And ſo our prayer (as I ſaid before of the vſe of it in the morning) ſhall be an helpe to godly life, to make vsus liue better: and our good life an helpe to our prayer, that we may pray more feruently.
Therefore (to ſay no more of this point) becauſe I hauehave before ſet downe after what manner we ought to pray, and preſent our ſelues before God in eueryevery Chriſtian exerciſe, if we purpoſe and indeuour conſtantly to continue the ſame about euening and morning; there remaineth no more but this, that we take heede to our couenant indeed, and that we breake it not off by eueryevery light occaſion: neither giuegive place to ſuch lets as Sathan will raiſe vp in our way; as, by the vntowardneſſe of our heart, by ſleepe and ſlouthfulneſſe, the comming in of ſtraungers, and occaſion of ordinarie buſineſſe; neither vſe it for faſhion: yea and this let vsus know, that if the ruler of the family performe not this dutie, yet is the Chriſtian familiſt to perfourme it by himſelfe. And of the eighth rule thus much.