Two Treatises, Title page 1 – Commentary on verse
TWO TREATISES.
THE ONE, A moſt fruitfull Expoſition vponupon PHILEMON: THE OTHER, The Schoole of Affliction.
Both penned, By the late faithfull Miniſter of Gods Word, DANIEL DYKE, Bachelor in Diuinitie: Publiſhed ſince his death by his Brother, I. D. Miniſter of Gods Word.
LONDON, Printed by G. P. for Robert Mylbourne.
1618.
TO THE RIGHT Honourable and moſt vertuous Lady, the Lady LVCIE, Counteſſe of BEDFORD.
Right Honourable:
NEuer did any time afford ſo great a multitude of Bookes, ſo great a throng of Writers, as theſe preſent daies wherin we liue: So that no leſſe wiſedome ſeemes to be required of a Reader in the choice of his Author, then of a Writer in the choice of his matter. I would not be ſo conſtrued as if I taxed any for their writing: for what if all the Lords people could prophecie? And how were it to be wiſhed, that many worthy ones, who confine their gifts within their parochiall bounds, would giuegive their labours the liberty of the ayre, and walke of the whole Church? But if in this great variety any ſhould be puzzeld, and at a ſet where to bestow his time, and reading, if my poore counſell were worth the giuing, I ſhould aduiſe ſuch, whoſe callings and conditions giues them not the leaſure to turne ouer eueryevery mans leaues, to make choice of ſuch who may helpe and direct them in the vnderſtanding of the Booke of God. Like to that of our Sauiour to Martha, it may be ſaid to many, both Writers, & Readers, They trouble them ſelues about many bookes, but One booke is neceſſary: that Booke which is able to make vsus wiſe to ſaluation. If Luthers louelove to this booke, and the reading of it, made him hate his own Ego odi meos libros, et ſaepe opto cos interne, quod metuo …e morentur lect…es a lectione ipſius Scripturae, quae ſola onmis ſapientiae ſons eſt: Luther in Geneſ. 19.bookes, and wiſh them loſt, which yet were of ſo excellent vſe, and for which the Church ſtands ſo much bound to God, then how much more would hee not onelyonly hauehave hated, but accurſed, not onelyonly thoſe bald, and baſe pamphlets, the ſcurſe of ſcald & ſcabby heads, but euen a number of Authors, who though they hauehave haply their vſe, yet their huge voluminous compoſitions ſwallow and drink vp, either all, or too much of that time which were to be redeemed for the Scriptures vſe, and ſearch. Surely, if the Scripture be that onelyonly booke vponupon vvhichwhich our day and nights▪ſtudies muſt be ſpent, Ioſh. 1. 8. then ſhould ſuch Authors as vnclaſpe the ſame, be moſt welcom to vsus, and hauehave the precedency in our choice. Of this nature is this booke wherewithall I am bold to preſent your Honour, preſuming in that reſpect vponupon ſo much the greater acceptance. In the peruſall whereof, as you ſhall meet with diuerſe paſſages not vnprofitable, ſo amongst others with one ſhort one, the tedder of the text not giuing larger liberty, concerning the right, and religious gouernment of a family. A point of great conſequence, and vſe for all, but for none more then great perſons, whom God hath betruſted with the gouernment of great families. Philemons houſe is here honoured with the title of a Church. To the Church that is in thine houſe. Moſt great houſes hauehave the ornaments of Chappels, but few the honour of Churches. So irreligious and irregular are the followers of many great perſonages, that they ſeeme to metamorphoſe their Maſters houſes, as the Iewes did the Lords Houſe, which ſhould hauehave been an houſe of prayer, into a den of thieues. Yea ſo prodigiouſly inordinate are the courſes, and carriages of ſome families, that a man in regard of their retinue, may iudge the Prophets curſe to be fallen vponupon them. Namely: That Ziim doe lodge there, and that their houſes are full of Ochim, or of dolefull creatures, Oſtriches dwell there, and Satyres dance there, Iim and Dragons are in their pleaſant Palaces, Eſay 13. 21, 22. And this plague, that great houſes are haunted with ſuch vncleane ſpirits, whence comes it, but from a double neglect in Gouernours, either in the chuſing, or ordering their ſeruants? In the choice of ſeruants, what is leſſe regarded then the Truth and Power of Religion? Moſt chuſe as Salomon did Ieroboam, 1. King. 11. 28. he ſaw that the young man was meet for the worke, and therefore entertained him into his ſeruice. But with what iſſue? He wrought a miſchiefe to and againſt his houſe. It had beene happy for Salomons houſe, that a man of more conſcience, though of leſſe skill, had been retained. How many ſcruple not to entertaine very Ieroboams, ſo be it they be meet for their worke, though otherwiſe their religion be either a Popiſh, puppet and calfe-worſhip, or a flat irreligion? The world is not ſo empty and barren, but it is poſſible if care were had, to finde Skill, and Conſcience, Ability and Honeſtie, matcht in one and the ſame ſcruant. But in the ordering of families is as foule a neglect, whilſt most maſters are of Sallioes faith, that matters of faith and religion belong not to their cure. Hence is it that they neither conſtraine them to the true ſeruice of God, nor reſtraine them from Popery, profaneneſſe, diſſolute & diſordered life. Ioſhuaes reſolution, I and my houſe vvill ſerue the Lord, is growne out of credit with the world. Let a ſeruant faile in the careleſſe performance of his place, in the neglect of his Maſters profit; nay, if but a paltry dog, or hawke be vnfed, or miſdieted, oh the tragedies, oh the blusters, and terrible thunder-cracks of fierce and furious language that enſue! But let a ſeruant be ignorant, a neglecter or deſpiſer of Gods worſhip, a ſwearer, a Sabbath-breaker, a drunkard, an vncleane perſon, yet, I will not ſay againſt ſuch there is no law, but againſt ſuch there is no anger, no rebuke, no cenſure, no making the family Church-like in the excommunication, and eiection of theſe Satyres, and Oſtriches. All ſuch Gouernors are as farre from the honour, as the practice of Philemon. Whoſe example if happily any great Ones ſhould conceit to be too lowe for their imitation (though the meaneſt of the Scripture-Saints are patternes for the greateſt) may they be pleaſed to remember not onelyonly thoſe ancient Precedents, Abraham, Ioſhua, and Dauid, all three honourable in this particular, but to looke a little neerer their owne dayes, to a man of their owne ranke, I meane, that right religious, and worthy Prince of Anhalt, of whom Melancthon reports, That his Chamber Cubiculū eius erat Templum, Academia, Curia. Nam ibi haec fiebant quotidie, pre…io, lectio, ſcriptio, et deliberationes de gubernatione. Melanct. de Georgio Principe Anhaltino, in praefat. 5. Tomi oper. Lutheri.was a Church, an Vniuerſity, and a Court. Beſides the diſpatch of ciuil buſineſſes, there was daily praying, reading, writing, yea, and Preaching too. For ſo Scultetus reports of him. I doe not thinke that this noble Earle, hauing a Church for God in his Chamber, ſuffered a Temple to Bacchus in his Celler. In too many families Venus hath her Altars in the Chambers, & Bacchus his Sacrifices in the Butteries: which two, hauing made their diuident in the family, & ſhared their Deuotoes, alas, what poore thirds wil be left for God? Whatſoeuer diſorders are in publike, they will neuer be redreſſed, ſo long as families, eſpecially great Ones, are vnreformed.
The Family, the Common-wealth, the Church, are Sunt igitur tres coeleſtes Hierarchiae, de quibus Aſini Sophiſtae tam multa nugā tur, aliud nihil quam vita Oeconomica, politica, Eccleſiaſtica. Luther in Gene.the three heauenly Hierarchies, as Luther termes them. But ſurely, the firſt is not heauenly, vnleſſe the laſt be in it. If the church be not in it, it wil proue but an helliſh Hierarchy, yea and will poyſon both the other. If families were Churches, and religiouſly gouerned, what great eaſe would Gouernours of the Church, and Common-wealth finde? The way to heale the naughty waters, is with Eliſha, 2. King. 2. 21. to goe to the ſpring, & to caſt in the ſalt there. It is but a folly to complaine of miſorders elſe-where, while our own families are miſordred.
Now R. H. as you graced, and gaue countenance to the firſt of this Authors works, printed ſince his death, ſo may you be pleaſed to accept this laſt as a teſtimony of all thankefull acknowledgement, of your great, and vndeſerued fauours. As it was the Authors deſire in the handling of this holy Scripture (the firſt fruits of his conſtant miniſteriall labours) to perfect that noble, and honourable family of your Fathers, where it was opened, as in many other points of Chriſtianity, ſo in the knowledge of family-duties, that it might be brought to greater perfection: ſo is it my deſire by publiſhing the ſame, to further the common good of all good Chriſtians, in awakening, & ſtirring them vp to the conſcionable diſcharge of teaching, and right ordering their families, to the honour of God, their owne, and the endleſſe good of many ſoules: And that by your diligent reading hereof, you would be pleaſed to obſerue & practiſe all ſuch rules, & directions, as may any way tend to the bettering of your iudgement and family. For it is with Families as with Churches on earth, none completely perfect, during our pilgrimage here. The which while you ſhall doe, you ſhall bring vponupon your ſelfe Abrahams bleſſing, promiſed for his wel-ordered houſe, and Philemons honour of a Church in your family, and in the end, peace and happineſſe to your own ſoule. The which vnfainedly wiſhing you from the God of peace, I humbly take my leaue, and rest,
Epping in Eſſex, Auguſt 15. 1618. Your Honors to be commanded in all ſeruice in the Lord, IER. DYKE.