A Treatise of Family Instruction, Chapter 3 · Section 3
SECT. 3. What manner of Inſtruction is moſt edifying? What are edifying Duties?
Direct. 3 IF you would convert, edifie and ſave the Souls of ſuch as are under your charge, by thoſe Inſtructions which you give unto them, do not only teach them ſound and Soul-ſaving Doctrine, but teach them in an edifying manner: The manner as well as the matter of Inſtruction, conduceth much to edification: Act. 14.1. They SO ſpake, that a great multitude both of the Jews, and alſo of, the Greeks, believed: There is an emphaſis in the word ſo, which reſpecteth the manner of their teaching; the manner of their teaching was ſuch, that it became ſucceſsful for the converting of great multitudes to the Faith of Chriſt.
If any ſay, In what manner ſhould we teach our Families, ſo as to promote their Edification?
I anſwer:
1. Search out ſuitable and pertinent Scriptures for proving and explaining thoſe points wherein you purpoſe to inſtruct them, and digeſt them into a good method. Such a courſe as this the Preacher took in teaching the people, Eccleſ. 12.9. Becauſe the Preacher was wiſe, he ſtill taught the people knowledge, yea, he gave good heed, and ſought out and ſet in order many Proverbs. And by his ſelecting choice portions of Scripture, and ſetting them in order, his words became like Goads and Nails, that pierced deep, and ſtuck faſt in the hearts of his Hearers, verſ. 11. The Word of God aptly and rightly applied, hath great force to work upon the Conſcience; Job 6.25. How forcible are right words?
2. Explain the ſence and meaning of thoſe Scriptures which you teach your Families, if they contain any difficulties that are above their underſtandings, Neh. 8.8. So they read in the Book in the Law of God, and gave the ſence, and cauſed them to underſand the reading. The Lord commanded the Jews not only to train up their Children in the uſe, but to teach them the meaning of his Ordinances, Exod. 12.26, 27. It ſhall come to paſs when your Children ſhall ſay unto you, What mean you by this ſervice? That ye ſhall ſay, It is the Sacrifice of the Lords Paſſover, who paſſed over the Houſes, &c. The plainer you make the Truths which you teach your Families, the greater efficacy they will have upon their hearts to produce Faith and Obedience: John 16.29, 30. Lo now thou ſpeakeſt plainly, and ſpeakeſt no Proverbs: Now are we ſure that thou knoweſt all things.—By this we believe.—
3. Teach them that the Scriptures are the word of God, and adviſe them to receive thoſe Counſels, Reproofs, and Exhortations, which you give them out of the Scriptures, not as yours, but as the Counſels, Reproofs, and Exhortations of God. Exhort them to look upon the Doctrines, Precepts, Threatnings, Promiſes, &c. which are contained in the Scriptures, to be as truly and really the word of God, and to be embraced with the ſame Faith and ready Obedience as if they heard God ſpeaking the ſame things with an audible Voice from Heaven. This perſwaſion will make thoſe Inſtructions which you give them out of the Scriptures to take place, and work effectually upon their hearts, 1 Theſ. 2.13.—When ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but (as it is in truth) the word of God, which worketh effectually in them that believe.
4. Teach them to make a particular application to their own Souls of thoſe Inſtructions which you give them out of the Scriptures. As the Prophet Malachy made a particular application of what he taught the Prieſts, Mal. 2.1. And now, O ye Prieſts, this Commandment is for you: So muſt Parents deal with their Children: O my Children, this Commandment of keeping holy the Sabbath day, of loving God with all your heart, and your Neighbour as your ſelf, &c. is for you: And this Threatning, If you live after the fleſh you ſhall die, the Companion of Fools ſhall be deſtroyed, &c. is for you; you ſhall die as well as any perſons in the world, if ye live after the fleſh, and if ye will keep evil company, &c. And this promiſe is for you, They that ſeek the Lord ſhall want no good thing, &c. If you will ſeek the Lord he will give you all good things: And the example of Gods Judgments on ſuch as murmured, and ſuch as committed fornication, &c. was written for your admonition, to deter you from committing thoſe ſins, 1 Cor. 10.8, 10, 11. When Eliphaz had been inſtructing Job in ſeveral things concerning the miſery of wicked men, the nature of afflictions, the bleſſings that God beſtoweth on godly men, &c. he concludes his diſcourſe thus, Job 5.27. Lo this we have ſearched it, ſo it is, hear it, and know it for thy good; (or as it is in the Margin) for thy ſelf. From the different rendring of the laſt clauſe of this Verſe, we may draw this note, That then a man knows Divine Truths for his good, when he knows them for himſelf; that is, the way for a man to get good by the knowledge of Divine Truths, is to make a particular application of them to his own Soul.
5. When you inſtruct them in the performance of any duty, either towards God or their Neighbour, teach them how and in what manner to perform that duty; ſhew them alſo the neceſſity of it, and the advantages and benefits that will come to them if they follow your counſel, and the evils that will befall them if they neglect it. Thus David inſtructed Solomon, he exhorts him to know and ſerve the Lord, 1 Chron. 28.9. And thou Solomon my Son, know thou the God of thy Father, and ſerve him— Then he ſhews him in what manner he muſt ſerve the Lord, willingly and ſincerely, Serve him with a perfect heart, and with a willing mind: He tells him why it was neceſſary that he ſhould ſerve the Lord with a perfect heart, and with a willing mind: For the Lord ſearcheth all hearts, and underſtandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: He acquaints him alſo with the benefit that he ſhould receive if he would ſeek and ſerve the Lord—If thou ſeek him, he will be found of thee; and with the evils that would come upon him if he forſook the Lord—But if thou forſake him, he will caſt thee off for ever. It is ſaid of Solomon, Eccleſ. 12.10. The Preacher ſought out acceptable words, or as ſome render it, verba deſiderii, words that might ſtir up deſires after thoſe things which he taught the people, words that might win and gain upon their affections. Follow Solomon's example in teaching your Children, ſeek out ſuch Scriptures as may put an edge upon their affections, and inflame them with a deſire to practiſe thoſe things which you teach them to be their duty. Conſider alſo what may dicourage or hinder them from the performing thoſe Duties which you preſs upon them, and endeavour to remove thoſe hindrances: for what the Apoſtle ſaith in another caſe, 2 Theſ. 2.7. the ſame is true here, That which now letteth, will let, until it be taken out of the way.
6. So teach them their duty, as alſo to direct them where they may have ſtrength to perform it. And to that end guide them to Chriſt, without whom they can do nothing, John 15.5. Without me ye can do nothing; and by whoſe help they ſhall be able to do all things, Phil. 4.13. I can do all things through Chriſt which ſtrengthneth me. By which means, when they find no ſtrength in themſelves, they ſhall be able to ſay they have it in Chriſt: Surely ſhall one ſay, In the Lord have I Righteouſneſs and Strength, Iſa. 45.24. And ſeeing Chriſt conveys his ſtrength to us in a way of Reliance upon him, (for it is through faith that out of weakneſs we are made ſtrong, Heb. 11.34.) and ſeeing faith is helped much by the promiſes, when you inſtruct them in their duty, guide them to ſome promiſe of the Covenant of Grace, where God hath promiſed to inable them to perform that duty; that ſo by the help of the promiſes they may truſt in Chriſt to work all their works in them and for them, and may through faith in him receive ſtrength to walk before God in newneſs of Life. Thus when the Apoſtle taught the Romans that they ſhould not let ſin have dominion over them, Rom. 6.12. Let not ſin therefore reign in your mortal Bodies, that ye ſhould obey it in the luſts thereof: He preſently puts them in mind of a promiſe, wherein the Lord hath promiſed ſo to over-rule us by his grace, that ſin ſhall not have the Dominion over us, verſ. 14. Sin ſhall not have the Dominion over you. for ye are not under the Law, but under Grace.
7. If you would ſo inſtruct your Families as to edifie them in your Teaching, then ſtir them up to the practiſe of thoſe Duties which make for their edification: As,
Firſt, To walk in the fear of the Lord, Act. 9.31. The Churches were edified, walking in the fear of the Lord.
Secondly, To live in love and peace: 1 Cor. 8.1. Charity edifieth: Epheſ. 4.16. — Maketh increaſe of the Body, unto the edifying of it ſelf in love: Rom. 14.19. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith we may edifie one another.
Thirdly, To get Faith, and to live by Faith after they have gotten it, 1 Tim. 1.4. Godly edifying, which is in faith.
Fourthly, To pray in a fervent, gracious, ſpiritual manner: Jude 20. But ye Beloved, building up your ſelves, in your moſt holy faith, praying in the holy Ghoſt.
Fifthly, To meditate often on what you have taught them: 1 Tim. 4.15. Meditate upon theſe things, give thy ſelf wholly to them, that thy profiting may appear unto all.