A Treatise of Family Instruction, Chapter 4 · Section 17 – Section 18
SECT. 17. Heb. 8.11. explained: It doth not imply Family-Inſtruction, or Miniſterial Teaching, to be needleſs.
Object. 17 IT ſeems a needleſs thing for Parents to teach their Children, or Maſters their Servants, ſeeing the Lord hath promiſed in the times of the Goſpel, And they ſhall not teach every man his Neighbour, and every man his Brother, ſaying, Know the Lord: for all ſhall know me, from the leaſt to the greateſt, Heb. 8.11.
Anſw. I. The ſenſe and meaning of this Scripture, They ſhall not teach every man his Neighbour, &c. is much perverted, when it is brought to prove either Miniſterial Teaching, or Family-Inſtruction, to be needleſs, and of no uſe in the days of the Goſpel: For,
1. As to the preaching of the Word, the Lord Jeſus will have that continued, and will afford his preſence with this Ordinance till the end of the world, Matth. 28 19, 20. Go ye therefore, and teach all Nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Ghoſt, teaching them to obſerve all things whatſoever I have commanded you, and lo I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Till all that belong to the Election of Grace are brought home to Chriſt, and till all that are brought to Chriſt are made perfect, and are arrived unto the meaſure of the ſtature of the fulneſs of Chriſt, God will have the work of the Miniſtry continued, and Paſtors and Teachers to carry on this work, Epheſ. 4.11, 12, 13. He gave ſome Apoſtles, and ſome Prophets, and ſome Evangeliſts, and ſome Paſtors and Teachers, for the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the Miniſtry, for the edifying of the Body of Chriſt, till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the meaſure of the ſtature of the fulneſs of Chriſt. Now this work will not be fully done till the end of the world.
2. Neither doth this Scripture make void Family-Inſtruction, for the ſame Apoſtle who wrote this Epiſtle to the Hebrews, wherein he ſaith, They ſhall not teach every man his Neighbour, and every man his Brother, &c. chargeth Parents in the days of the Goſpel to bring up their Children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, Eph. 6.4. yea, in this very Epiſtle to the Hebrews, he ſaith of ſuch as are dull of hearing, Ye need that one teach you again which be the firſt Principles of the Oracles of God, Heb. 5.12. which he would not have done, if he had thought teaching by men to be needleſs under the days of the Goſpel.
II. When it is ſaid, They ſhall not teach every man his Neighbour, &c. The meaning is, they ſhall not only be taught by men, but they ſhall alſo have the teaching of Gods Spirit, whereby the teachings they have from men ſhall be bleſſed, and be made effectual for the conveying of the knowledge of God. Many Examples may be given, where this word Not, is not an abſolute negation, but ſignifies not only; take one or two: Hoſ. 6.6. I deſired mercy, and not ſacrifice; and the knowledge of God, more than burnt Offerings: Sacrifice was commanded under the Law, and therefore the meaning cannot be, that God did not at all deſire Sacrifice, but that he did not deſire Sacrifice only, but mercy alſo; or that he deſired mercy more than Sacrifice, as the following words intimate, And the knowledge of God more than burnt Offerings: John 7.16. Jeſus anſwered them, My Doctrine is not mine, but his that ſent me: That is, It is not only mine, but alſo his that ſent me.
III. This Scripture may be underſtood comparatively, of the abundance of knowledge that ſhould be in the times of the Goſpel, above what was in the times of the Law: Knowledge doth ſo abound under the New Teſtament Adminiſtration, that ſome mean and weak perſons, in the time of the Goſpel, know as much of Chriſt crucified, and God reconciled in Chriſt, and other Goſpel-Myſteries, as they that were Teachers of others knew under the Law; Zach. 12.8. He that is feeble among them at that day ſhall be as David. Knowledge ſhould ſo abound, that there ſhould ſeem to be no need of teaching every man his Neighbour, in compariſon of what was under the Law, when the Doctrine of the Goſpel was wrapped up in ſo many Types and Shadows, that it was a very hard matter to come to the knowledge of Chriſt Crucified.
IV. That this Scripture doth not make void either Miniſterial Teaching, or Family-Inſtruction, beſides what hath been already ſaid, may further be proved,
1. Becauſe God teacheth in the uſe of means. God could have revealed Himſelf and his Son in an immediate manner unto Cornelius, but he puts him on ſending for Peter to inſtruct him, Acts 11.13, 14. Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whoſe ſirname is Peter, who ſhall tell thee words whereby thou and all thy Houſe ſhall be ſaved. And it is his Covenant to teach his People, not by his Spirit only, or by his Word only, but by his Word and Spirit, and that as long as the world ſtands, Iſa. 59.21. As for me, this is my Covenant with them, ſaith the Lord, My Spirit which is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, ſhall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy Seed, nor out of the mouth of thy Seeds Seed, ſaith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.
2. We ſee by ſad experience the great ignorance, and rudeneſs, and dulneſs of thoſe Children and Servants, and of thoſe Families and Places that have no inſtruction: Though they live in Goſpel-times, and in the days of the New Covenant, yet if they have no inſtruction, they are as ignorant as they were that lived under the time of the Old Teſtament.
SECT. 18. Though ſome Perſons are nothing bettered by inſtruction, yet we muſt continue to inſtruct them.
Object. 18 WE ſee many Children and Servants that have good inſtructions, prove very vile and corrupt, and are never a whit the better, but rather the worſe for all the pains that is taken with them, and therefore it is to no purpoſe for us to inſtruct our Families.
Anſw. 1. Though ſome are never a whit the better for the inſtructions and good counſels which are given them, yet others are converted to God, and edified thereby. And who can tell but God may bleſs your labour unto the Converſion and Salvation of thoſe that are under your Charge?
2. If any means under Heaven will do them good, inſtructing them out of the word of God, is the moſt likely way and means to lead them to Repentance: We think if a damned Soul ſhould come out of Hell, and declare what torments it hath felt in Hell, or a Saint ſhould come out of Heaven, and declare what Joys he hath poſſeſs'd in Heaven, this would work wonderfully upon our Children, towards the leading of them to Repentance; but the word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures, will do more towards the bringing men to Repentance, then the riſing of one from the dead would do, Luc. 16.29, 30, 31. They have Moſes and the Prophets, let them hear them: And he ſaid, Nay father Abraham, but if one went to them from the dead, they will repent. And he ſaid unto him, If they hear not Moſes and the Prophets, neither will they be perſwaded though one riſe from the dead. If the Scriptures will not perſwade men to repent and believe, ſuch men would not repent and believe, though Jeſus Chriſt himſelf were on earth to ſpeak to them; John 5.46, 47. Had ye believed Moſes, ye would have believed me, for he wrote of me; but if ye believe not his writings, how ſhall ye believe my words?
3. If you ſhould not convert your Children and Servants, but they ſhould ſtill go on in their evil ways, yet it is worth your time and pains to inſtruct and warn them of the danger they are in by reaſon of ſin, for hereby you ſhall deliver your own ſouls from being guilty of their Blood, 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.
4. The word of God is to ſome men the ſavour of death unto death; yet the Miniſters of Chriſt muſt not ceaſe to preach the word, becauſe all that hear them are not converted from their evil ways. And when they diſcharge their work and duty faithfully, they are a ſweet ſavour unto God in thoſe that periſh, as well as in them that are ſaved, 2 Cor. 2.15, 16. We are unto God a ſweet ſavour of Chriſt in them that are ſaved, and in them that periſh; to the one we are the ſavour of death unto death, and to the other the ſavour of life unto life. So it is with Maſters of Families, they muſt not deſiſt from Family-Inſtruction, though they ſhould ſee their Children or Servants continuing in their ſins, for if they diſcharge their duty faithfully, and with diligence, though they ſhould have no ſucceſs, they ſhall be accepted of God in Chriſt Jeſus.