A Treatise of Family Instruction, Chapter 4 · Section 26
SECT. 26. What they ſhould do who find no ſucceſs on their Labours in teaching their Families? Several Encouragements to ſuch to continue this work of Family-Inſtruction.
Object. 26 I Have taken great pains in teaching my Family, but I ſee no ſucceſs of my Labours; I can't find that any of them are reformed and turned from their ſins, or have got any ſaving work of Grace upon their ſouls, notwithſtanding all the pains that I have taken with them: And this diſcourageth me, and makes me think ſometimes to give over this work.
Anſw. 1. If there be no ſucceſs of your Labours in your Family, ſee if the cauſe be not in your ſelves: Do you water your ſeed that you ſow with your Prayers and Tears? Do you wraſtle with God for a bleſſing? Are you fervent in prayer for the converſion and edification of ſuch as are under your charge? Do you ſhew a good example to your Family, and walk convincingly before them, and teach them by your converſation? Do you go about this work in the Name of the Lord, relying on his ſtrength, and depending on his aſſiſtance, and looking for his preſence with you? Do you watch over their Converſations, as well as teach them? Do you reprove and correct your Children when they walk contrary to the word of God? Do you inſtruct your Families diligently, ſeriouſly, frequently? Or is this work done but ſeldom, and in a ſlight manner? Do you labour to know their ſtate, and to apply that which is ſuitable to them, and profitable for them? If the ground and cauſe why you have no better ſucceſs, be in your ſelves, reform that which hinders your ſucceſs, and you ſhall ſoon find the bleſſing of God going along with your Labours.
2. If the cauſe of your Families unproſitableneſs lie in themſelves; 1. Shew them what a great ſin, and how dangerous it is, to be unprofitable under the means of grace; and turn them to ſuch Scriptures as theſe, Matth. 3.10. & 25.30. Luc. 13.6, 7. Heb. 6.7, 8. and preſs them home upon their conſciences. 2. Direct them what means they ſhould uſe that they may profit better by your inſtructions: what they are, I have hinted already in Chap. iii. Direct. 15. pag. 165.
3. There may be good ſucceſs of your Labours though you perceive it not; the Lord may have conveyed the ſeed of grace into their Souls, by your Inſtruction, though you diſcover it not; and it may grow, though you diſcern it not; Mark 4.26, 27. So is the Kingdom of God, as if a man ſhould caſt ſeed into the ground, and ſhould ſleep and riſe night and day, and the ſeed ſhould ſpring and grow up, and he knoweth not how. God many times diſtils his Grace like dew, in a ſilent inſenſible manner, Hoſ. 14.5. I will be as the dew unto Iſrael.
4. Your want of ſucceſs ſhould be ſo far from cauſing you to deſiſt from this work of Family-Inſtruction, that it ſhould ſtir you up to ply your work with greater diligence, and cauſe you to abound in actings of faith upon thoſe Promiſes where the Lord hath promiſed to bleſs and proſper his peoples labours. I will mention three or four to this purpoſe. Iſa. 65.22, 23. Mine Elect ſhall long enjoy the work of their hands, they ſhall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble: Pſal. 1.3. Whatſoever he doth ſhall proſper. 1 Tim. 4.13, 16. Give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine: Take heed to thy ſelf, unto thy Doctrine, continue in them, for in doing this, thou ſhalt both ſave thy ſelf and them that hear thee. Deut. 15.10. The Lord thy God ſhall bleſs thee in all thy works, and in all that thou putteſt thine hand unto. The leſs ſucceſs and bleſſing you find attending your labours, be the more earneſt in pleading ſuch Promiſes as theſe are, and the more abundant in acting faith upon them.
5. Though you can't ſee any fruit of your Labours either in the converſion or edification of any that are under your charge, but do apprehend that your labour hath hitherto been in vain, yet you muſt not deſiſt from this good work of teaching and inſtructing your Families, but continue therein as long as you live. And that you may not ſit down under diſcouragement and give over inſtructing your Families, becauſe you do not find ſucceſs in your work; Let me propoſe to you theſe following Conſiderations.
I. Conſider that God often renews and repeats the ſame means and ways to bring about our Converſion, though former means have not prevailed with us to lead us to repentance, Job 33.29, 30. Lo all theſe things worketh God oftentimes with man, to bring back his Soul from the Pit, to be inlightned with the light of the Living. God takes great pains with one and the ſame man, to bring back his Soul from the Pit; He worketh, He doth not only call, or counſel and perſwade, but He worketh, theſe things, all theſe things; that is, He worketh by his Word, v. 23. and by variety of Providences, Mercies, Afflictions, &c. menriety in the fore-going verſes; and not only once or twice, but oftentimes: And there is a note of attention prefixed to this, that we may give the greater heed to it, LO! Now if God taketh great pains, and worketh oftentimes by the ſame ways and means, with one and the ſame man, to bring back his Soul from the Pit, ſhall we think much day by day to inſtruct our Families, and to continue ſo doing, that we may be inſtrumental to ſave their Souls, though hitherto we have ſeen no ſucceſs of our Labours?
II. Though you ſee no fruit of your labours for the preſent, yet you may do before you die, Gal. 6.9. Let us not be weary of well doing, for in due ſeaſon we ſhall reap if we faint not. Yea though you ſhould ſee none whilſt you live, yet after you are dead, your Children may remember what you taught them whilſt you lived, and may thereby be brought to believe in Chriſt, and repent of their ſins. After Chriſt was dead, his Diſciples were much helped in their faith by calling to remembrance what he had taught them in his life-time: John 2.22. When therefore he was riſen from the dead, his Diſciples remembred that he had ſaid this unto them; and they believed the Scriptures, and the word which Jeſus had ſpoken. Though the Seed of the Word ſeem to lie dead in their hearts for the preſent, yet poſſibly God may quicken it by ſome affliction. Manaſſeh was Hezekiah's Son, and ſo doubtleſs had good inſtructions from his Father, but yet he proved very vitious, till he came into affliction; he ſhed much innocent blood, he dealt with a familiar ſpirit, and with wizards, and uſed inchantments and witchcrafts, he was a great Idolater, and built Altars for all the hoſt of Heaven, &c. But when the Lord brought him into affliction, he humbled himſelf greatly before the God of his Fathers, and was brought to Repentance, 2 Chron. 33.11, 12, 13. It is probable that there is mention made of his humbling himſelf before the God of his Fathers, to ſhew that his Fathers Inſtructions were inſtrumental to bring him to Repentance, when he was in his affliction.
III. Though you ſhould not convert your Children or Servants by the inſtructions which you give them out of the word of God, yet poſſibly what you do may prepare them for the Miniſtry of the Word; the Seed you have ſown may be quickned by the Miniſtry of the Word to their converſion and ſalvation. And this is no ſmall mercy to be inſtrumental to plow up the fallow ground, and to prepare the hearts of your Children and Servants, for the publick Miniſtry of the Word. All that heard John Baptiſt were not brought to believe in Chriſt, yet was not John the Baptiſt's labour in vain, for John's Labours did prepare them for Chriſt; and when they came to hear Chriſt, the remembring what they had heard from John, did help them to believe in Chriſt, as we may ſee John 10.40, 41, 42. And Jeſus went away again beyond Jordan, into the place where John at firſt baptized, and there he abode; and many reſorted to him, and ſaid, John did no miracle, but all things that John ſpake of this man were true. And many believed on him there.
IV. Conſider what pains the Husbandman takes in tilling the Earth, and what long patience he exerciſeth before he reaps any fruit of his Labours: He ploweth often in order to the fitting and preparing the Earth to receive the Seed, and after his Seed is ſowen it lieth buried under the ground, and for a ſeaſon nothing appears; after his Seed cometh up, it is a long time to the Harveſt; and many times by unſeaſonable weather, either immoderate Rain, or Drought, or Blaſting, or Mildew, all his Labour is loſt: Yet he renews his labour again year after year, as long as he liveth, and ploweth and ſoweth his ground, in hope of the bleſſing of God. The Apoſtle puts us in mind of the Husbandmans patience, to make us patient in waiting for better things, James 5.7. Be patient therefore Brethren, unto the coming of the Lord; Behold the Husbandman waiteth for the precious Fruit of the Earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter Rain. What though you ſee no fruit after much pains taken with your Families? And after ſome appearance of fruit, there comes a blaſting of your hopes, yet you muſt renew your Labours day after day, hoping that at length God will bleſs your endeavours. The fruit of inſtruction in the converſion and edification of your Families, is much better than the fruits of the earth, and is worthy of more pains and patience than the Husbandman exerciſeth for obtaining the fruits of the earth. Remember therefore and follow the counſel of Solomon, Eccleſ. 11.6. In the morning ſow thy ſeed, and in the evening with-hold not thy hand; for thou knoweſt not whether ſhall proſper, either this or that, or whether they both ſhall be alike good.
V. Though you ſhould not convert the Souls of your Children and Servants, yet you muſt go on to inſtruct them, for in ſo doing you ſhall deliver your own Soul, Ezek. 3.19. If thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedneſs, nor from his wicked way, he ſhall die in his iniquity, but thou haſt delivered thy Soul: And ſhall be clear from their blood, Acts 20.26, 27. I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men; for I have not ſhunned to declare unto you the whole counſel of God.
VI. Though you ſhould take much pains in inſtructing your Families, and ſhould be inſtrumental to convert none of them, yet your labour ſhall not be in vain in the Lord; for you ſhall have a great Reward from God: Your Reward ſhall be according to your work and pains that you have taken, not according to your ſucceſs, Rev. 22.12. Behold I come quickly, and my Reward is with me, to give to every man according as his work ſhall be. As it is with the Miniſters of Chriſt, if they have taught the people diligently and faithfully the good word of the Lord, though they have not converted them, they ſhall have their Reward from God, and be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, Iſa. 49.4, 5. Then I ſaid, I have laboured in vain, I have ſpent my ſtrength for naught and in vain; yet ſurely my Judgment is with the Lord, and my Work (or as it is in the Margin, my Reward) with my God—Though Iſrael be not gathered, yet ſhall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God ſhall be my ſtrength. So alſo it ſhall be with Maſters of Families.
Wherefore do not give over this work through any diſcouragement, but be ſtedfaſt and unmoveable, always abounding therein, inaſmuch as you know that your labour ſhall not be in vain; according to what you find recorded, 1 Cor. 15.58. Therefore my beloved Brethren, be ye ſtedfaſt, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord: foraſmuch as you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.