A Treatise of Family Instruction, Chapter 4 · Section 13 – Section 14
SECT. 13. How to taſte the ſweetneſs that is in Gods Word. The feeling of a dry unſavoury Spirit will not excuſe the neglect of Family-Inſtruction.
Object. 13 I Do not find my own heart affected with the Word of God, and how then can I hope that God ſhould accept my work, or that I ſhould edifie my Family by inſtructing them? If I could reliſh and ſavour the ſweetneſs that is in Gods Word my ſelf, I ſhould delight to inſtruct my Family; but becauſe I find my heart in an unſavoury frame, this diſcourageth me from this work.
Anſw. I. There is an exceeding great ſweetneſs in the word of God; it is, as David expreſſeth it, ſweeter then honey, and the honey-comb, Pſal. 19.10. And we ſhould labour to taſte and feel the ſweetneſs thereof, and to keep always the ſavour and reliſh thereof upon our ſpirits.
If any ſay, How may this be done?
I anſwer: 1. We muſt put away all our ſins, for ſin vitiates the Palat of the Soul, that it cannot find any delight in the word of God. Jeremiah ſpeaking of the Jews that had greatly corrupted their ways, ſaith of them, Jer. 6.10. Behold the word of the Lord is unto them a reproach, they have no delight in it. As long as a man remaineth in the band of iniquity, he is in the gall of bitterneſs, Acts 8.23. I perceive thou art in the gall of bitterneſs and in the bond of iniquity: And it is no wonder that a man who is in the gall of bitterneſs, doth not taſte the ſweetneſs of the word of God. When we do ſeriouſly ſet our ſelves to reform our hearts and lives, and do refrain our ſelves from every evil way, we ſhall find unexpreſſible ſweetneſs in the word of God, though we found none at all before; Pſal. 119.101, 103. I have refrained my ſelf from every evil way—How ſweet are thy words unto my taſte? Yea ſweeter than honey to my mouth: No earthly thing excels Honey in ſweetneſs, Judg. 14.18. What is ſweeter than honey? Now David who did refrain himſelf from every evil way, did find a ſweetneſs in Gods word, not which was equal to, but ſuch as did far exceed the ſweetneſs of Honey; Yea ſweeter then Honey to my mouth.
2. We muſt by the help of the word labour to find out Jeſus Chriſt, which we may ſoon do, if we be diligent in ſearching the Scriptures, John 5.39. Search the Scriptures—they are they which teſtifie of me. And when we have found Chriſt, let us through the help of the word reſt and repoſe our Souls upon him, then ſhall we find great ſweetneſs and joy in his word, Cant. 2.3. I ſate down his under ſhadow with great delight, and his fruit was ſweet to my taſte. When Philip preached Chriſt to the City of Samaria, they that heard him found great joy in the word of God, Acts 8.5, 8. Philip went down to the City of Samaria, and preached Chriſt unto them, and there was great joy in that City.
3. We muſt feed upon the word of God by faith and meditation, and make applications of the precious promiſes to our own Souls, and then we ſhall find great joy and delight in the word of God, Jer. 15.16. Thy Words were found, and I did eat them, and thy word was unto me the joy and the rejoycing of my heart. As the way to find and taſte the ſweetneſs which is in God, is, to have our hearts and thoughts much exerciſed in meditating on him, Pſal. 104.34. My meditation of him ſhall be ſweet—So meditation on the Scriptures will cauſe us to delight and taſte ſweetneſs in the Scriptures; delight in the Law will accompany a diligent and ſerious meditation on the Law of God, as we may ſee Pſal. 1.2. His delight is in the Law of the Lord, and in his Law doth he meditate day and night.
4. If we would reliſh and taſte the ſweetneſs that is in Gods word, we muſt practice what we read and hear, we muſt take counſel from the Scriptures how to order our Converſations and all our affairs according to the mind and will of God, and walk according to the counſels and directions which are given us in the word of God, and then Gods Teſtimonies will be delightful to our ſouls, Pſal. 119.24. Thy Teſtimonies are my delight and my Counſellours. After David had ſpoken of his obedience that he yielded to the word of God, he ſpeaks of the ſweetneſs he found in it, verſ. 102, 103. I have not departed from thy Judgments, — How ſweet are thy words unto my taſte!
II. Though you can't get your hearts into ſo good a frame as you deſire, but are ſenſible of much drineſs, coldneſs, deadneſs, and unſavourineſs, yet you muſt not neglect the inſtructing your Families, becauſe you do not find ſuch ſweetneſs and delight in the word of God as others do, and that for ſeveral Reaſons: As,
1. God can convey the water of life through a dry and barren Reed. He makes uſe of earthen Veſſels to convey the heavenly treaſure of knowledge and grace, that the glory may not be given to the Inſtruments, but that it may appear that it is his excellent power whereby the Sons of men are enlightned and ſanctified: 2 Cor. 4.7. We have this treaſure in earthen Veſſels, that the excellency of the Power may be of God, and not of us.
2. Though you find your hearts out of frame before you go to your work, God may come in with his ſpirit, and move and warm your hearts whilſt you are opening or rehearſing ſome portion of the Scriptures to your Children, Luke 24.32. And they ſaid one to another, Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the Scriptures. If you endeavour to water your Families with the dew of heaven, God will water your ſouls, Prov. 11.25. He that watereth, ſhall be watered alſo himſelf.
3. If you do this work out of obedience to the command of God, and act your faith on the Lord Jeſus for the pardon of the imperfections that attend this work, though you do not find ſo much comfort and delight in the doing thereof as you wiſh you could, but are ſenſible of ſome drineſs and flatneſs of ſpirit, yet your work ſhall be accepted of God, Acts 10.35. In every Nation he that feareth him and worketh Righteouſneſs, is accepted of him.
4. If you apply your ſelves to Jeſus Chriſt, he will take away your drineſs, and refreſh and repleniſh your Souls with the Graces of his Spirit. It is ſaid of Jeſus Chriſt, That he ſhall be as Rivers of Water is a dry place, Iſa 32.2. And he hath promiſed ſuch of his Servants as find their Souls to be like the dry ground, that he will pour out his Spirit like flouds of water upon them; that is, in an abundant meaſure, Iſa. 44.3. I will pour water upon him that is thirſty, and flouds upon the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit upon thy Seed, and my Bleſſing upon thine Off ſpring.
SECT. 14. The Plea of ſuch as ſay 'Tis the Miniſters work to inſtruct their Children, anſwered.
Object. 14 THis is the Miniſters work, not mine, to catechiſe and inſtruct my Servants and my Children, and why then ſhould I take it in hand?
Anſwer: Beſides what the Miniſters of Gods word are to do in this kind, it is the duty of Parents and Maſters of Families to teach and inſtruct their Children and Servants, as hath been proved already by many clear Texts of Scripture; I ſhall re-mind you of ſome of them: Iſa. 38.19. The Father unto the Children ſhall make known thy truth: Pſal. 78.5. He eſtabliſhed a Teſtimony in Jacob, and appointed a Law in Iſrael, which he commanded our Fathers that they ſhould make them known to their Children: Epheſ. 6.4. And ye Fathers provoke not your Children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Deut. 6.6, 7. And theſe words which I command thee this day, ſhall be in thine heart, and thou ſhalt teach them diligently unto thy Children.— This Precept is not given only to the Prieſts or Levites, but to the whole Houſe of Iſrael, verſ. 4. So that it is a frivolous excuſe for any man to think to put off this work from himſelf, by ſaying, it is the Miniſters work to catechiſe his Children; for God commandeth all Parents to teach his Word to their Children: Yea, it is a notorious falſehood for any man to ſay, This is none of my work to inſtruct my Family, whenas the Lord hath given ſo many and ſuch ſtrict Precepts to every man to inſtruct his Children.