Christian Directions, Title page – Table of contents
Christian Directions, SHEWING How to walk with GOD All the Day long.
Drawn up for the use and benefit of the Inhabitants of SEPULCHRES Parish,
By THO: GOUGE, Pastor thereof.
1 Sam. 12. 23, 24.
I will teach you the good and the right way: only fear the Lord, and serve him with all your heart, considering how great things hee hath done for you.
2 Pet. 1. 12.
I will not bee negligent to put you alwayes in remembrance of these things, though yee know them, and bee established in the present truth.
Luke 17. 10.
When yee shall have done all these things which are commanded you, say, wee are unprofitable servants, wee have done that which was our duty to do.
LONDON, Printed by R. Ibbitson, and M. Wright, at the Kings-head in the Old Bayley. MDCLXI.
TO My dearly beloved Friends and Neighbours, the Inhabitants of Sepulchres Parish.
Grace, Mercy and Peace from God the Father of Mercies, and the God of all Consolation.
My Dear Friends,
COnsidering with my self, how besides my Lords-daies Preaching, and Week-daies Catechizing, I might be further serviceable to your souls, in promoting their spiritual welfare; It pleased God to put it into my heart, to draw up some practical Directions for your better guidance in the way to Heaven, and to give to every Family in my Parish a Copy of them. Accordingly I set upon the work with all readiness and alacrity, being much perswaded in my self that some spiritual advantage might (through Gods blessing) accrew unto your souls thereby. The Lord, who is the searcher of all hearts, knoweth, that my only end and aim herein is the advancement of your everlasting salvation, which if it shall be any way furthered by this small Treatise, I shall never repent of my pains and cost: But shall very much rejoyce that the Lord hath inabled mee (in any measure) to be serviceable to him in the furtherance of the Gospel of his dear Son, especially among you my dear flock.
Two considerations, among others, have had some influence upon mee in this undertaking.
The one is of that mutual love which hath hitherto been between us. As I have you in my heart, so am I perswaded that you have mee in yours. During the whole time of my abode with you (which is now above two and twenty years) I do not remember that we have had the least difference, no not about the point of Maintenance, the usual unhappy make-bate between Minister and People. For though the value of the Living be not so much by half as is generally reported abroad (being no Parsonage, but a Vicaridge, endowed with a third part of that Tithe which the Parson doth collect) yet I cannot but with much thankfulness acknowledge, that what I have had, hath been with much love and friendliness. For when you have made any composition with mee for my part of the Tithe, you have alwaies given mee more than I could demand or expect. If then the blessed Apostle Paul were willing, and that with gladness,2 Cor. 12. 15. to spend and to bee spent for his Corinthians, and that although the more abundantly hee loved them, the less hee was loved of them; Much more ought I to be like-minded towards you, who have not at any time so ill requited my love, but alwaies been ready to answer it with reciprocal affections. That therefore I might leave to posterity some publick acknowledgement, and perpetual memor…al of your constant love and respect to mee, together with my due resentment of it, was one consideration which put mee upon this design.
Another was the gladsome reflexion upon your great and godly care of your poor, which I look upon (even as it is meet for mee so to do) as the fruit of the Gospel preached among you, and an argument of your profiting therein. And indeed it is such, as I willingly take occasion to make publick mention of it for an example to others. For though your poor bee many hundreds, yet, I think, I may say truly, without offence to other Parishes, they are in some respect better provided for than any poor in the City; For by the voluntary contribution of divers of you, with the assistance of some other charitable persons,
1 All the poor children in your Parish are taught to read and write gratis, by such School-Masters and School-Mistresses, who teach them their Catechize, whereof my self sometimes take an account.
2 All the Antient poor who can either spin or knit, may have Flax and Yarn for fetching, to set themselves on work, an are well paid for the same, immediately upon the return thereof. This consideration, as it hath very much affected mee, so have I alwaies accounted my self your debtor upon this score. And surely if our Lord and Master doth take what is done unto the poor for their relief, as done unto himself, then should wee also, especially his Ministers, in some sort, be like-minded. Your debtor therefore I have taken my self to bee, nor could I bethink my self how to discharge this debt in a way more suitable to the nature of it, and my relation to you, than by indeavouring something extraordinary for your good hereafter, as you have done extraordinarily for the present good of our poor; and as you have put your selves to special pains and charge for the succour of their bodies, so to put my self upon some special labour, and willingly be at some cost for the advantage of your souls.
But the main Motive which hath put mee upon this undertaking, is, the single sense of my Relation to you, that it hath pleased God of his infinite goodness and free grace to entrust mee a weak, frail, earthen vessel, with that inestimable Treasure, the Mysteries of the Gospel, and appointed mee to preach unto you in particular the Unsearchable Riches of Christ. I account it the greatest honour a poor creature can be capable of, to be made directly subservient to the glorious counsel, and gracious purpose of his Creator, for the recovery and restauration of the world by Jesus Christ; and therefore that we Ministers of the Gospel, whom God hath vouchsafed this honour, have the strongest ingagement and obligation laid upon us to preach the Gospel, both in season and out of season; and to lay out our selves all manner of waies, if by any means we may gain souls unto Christ, and build them up in him. Now this way I have here taken will have this advantage above others, above my ordinary preaching, and performance of other Ministerial duties among you, that whereas by them I can minde you of the things which belong unto your everlasting peace, only while I am in this Tabernacle: By this, as it is said of Abel, Heb. 11. 4.I may still speak to you, even when dead. Accept therefore (my dear Friends and Neighbours) this little Treatise from the hands of your loving Pastor, whose heart is exceedingly inlarged towards you, greatly longing after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. For what is my hope, 1 Thes. 2. 19.or joy, or crown of rejoycing? Are not even yee in the presence of our Lord Iesus Christ at his coming? Accept it therefore, and testifie your acceptance by reading of it, and much more by a conscionable performance of the Directions contained in it. I think they will carry their own evidence with them, that they are all agreeable to the Word of God: For I have not made it my business to mint new Notions, but to press upon you old Truths, and known duties. I have drawm them up in a plain and familiar stile and Method, studying rather to be profitable, than accurate; They are of daily use to an holy life, & therefore I hope you will daily peruse them. They are of general use to all sorts of Christians, at all times, in their several places, Callings, conditions and relations, and therefore I hope you will give the more diligent heed to them. Such whose Callings and Businesses will scarce afford them leisure on the week-daies to look into such Treatises as this, I do earnestly intreat them, that at least on the Lord-daies, after the performance of the publick duties of Piety in the Congregation, and of private in their Families, they would spend some time in reading a part of this book with their Family. And the Lord make it abundantly useful and profitable unto you.Heb. 13. 20, 21. Yea the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Iesus, that great Shepherd of the Sheep, through the blood of the everlasting Covenant, make you perfect in every good work, to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Iesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever, Amen.
Sepulchres, London. Decemb. 20. 1660. Your Affectionate, though most unworthy Minister, THO. GOUGE.
A TABLE of the particular Points contained in this TREATISE.
CHap. 1. Sheweth how to begin the day with God.
Chap. 2. Of Secret Prayer in the morning.
Chap. 3 Of Ejaculatory Prayers.
4 Of reading the Scriptures in private.
5 Of Christian watchfulnesse over our Thoughts.
6 Of watchfulnesse over our Words.
7 Of watchfulnesse over our Actions.
8 Of watchfulnesse against Sin.
9 Of our behaviour at Meals.
10 Of Sports and Recreations, & directions concerning the same.
11 Of the duties of our Callings.
12 Of our behaviour in secret, and directions concerning Divine Meditation.
13 Of our behaviour both in good and bad company.
14 Directions to the rich, how to Improve their wealth, to the glory of God, and the good of their own souls.
15 Directions to the poor, shewing how to carry themselves Christian like, in their low and mean estate.
16 Of Christian-like carriage under reproaches.
17 Of our carriage under crosses and afflictions.
18 Of Dying well.
19 Directions to such as visit the sick.
20 Directions how to cloze the day with God.
21 Of the Morality of the Sabbath, with directions how to sanctify the same.
23 Of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper, with directions for the worthy receiving thereof.
23 Of the Common mutual Duties betwixt Husband and Wife.
24 Of Husbands Duties to their Wives.
25 Of the Duties of Wives to their Husbands.
26 Of the Duties of Parents to their children.
27 Of the Duties of Children to their Parents.
28 Of the Duties of Masters to their servants.
29 Of the Duties of Servants to their Masters.
30 Of resting upon Iesus Christ alone for life and salvation.