A Treatise of Family Instruction, Chapter 4 · Section 20
SECT. 20. Family-Inſtruction will prevent, not ſpread Errours. How ſuch as teach others may be kept from perverting or corrupting the Word of God.
Object. 20 THis will be the way to ſpread and multiply Errors, for illiterate men to take upon them to inſtruct their Families in the knowledge of the Scriptures.
Anſw. I. It doth highly concern all Miſters of Families, as well as Miniſters of the Word, to be very careful that they do not teach any falſe and erronious Doctrine unto thoſe whom God hath committed to their charge. This would bring down a curſe inſtead of a bleſſing, yea though they ſhould ſeem like Angels, yet would they be accurſed, if they perverted the Goſpel of Chriſt, Gal. 7, 8. There be ſome that trouble you, and would pervert the Goſpel of Chriſt, but though we or an Angel from heaven preach any other Goſpel unto you—let him be accurſed.
The Apoſtle was ſo deſirous to prevent the ſpreading of falſe Doctrine, that he earneſtly beſought Timothy to ſtay on purpoſe at Epheſus, to charge in a ſolemn manner thoſe that he ſaw inclinable to Errours, to teach no other Doctrine but what was agreeable to the Doctrine of the Goſpel; 1 Tim. 1. 3, 4. As I beſought thee to abide ſtill at Epheſus when I went into Macedonia, that thou mighteſt charge ſome that they teach no other Doctrine, ſo do. Such as teach lies inſtead of truth, are accounted by God the bafeſt and vileſt of men, and therefore are compared not to the Head, but the Tail; Iſa. 9.14, 15. Therefore the Lord will cut off from Iſrael Head and Tail, Branch and Ruſh in one day: The Ancient and Honourable he is the Head, and the Prophet that teacheth lies he is the Tail. When they that are Leaders of others do cauſe them to erre, inſtead of promoting their ſalvation, they will be the cauſe of their deſtruction, Iſa. 9.16. For the Leaders of this People cauſe them to erre, and they that are led of them are deſtroyed.
If you ask,
What ſhall we do, that we may be kept from corrupting and perverting the word of God when we inſtruct our Families?
I anſwer:
1. Pray to God with humble and lowly hearts to give you his holy ſpirit; God hath promiſed his holy ſpirit to them that ask it, Luc. 11.13. If ye being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your Children, how much more ſhall your heavenly Father give the holy Spirit to them that ask him? And when God hath given you his holy Spirit, he will make and keep your minds ſound in the Faith: He is ſtiled, The Spirit of Power, and of Love, and of a Sound Mind, 2 Tim. 1.7.
2. See that your hearts be right and ſincere with God, and that you walk before God in truth and uprightneſs; do all your works, and ſpeak all your words as in the ſight of God, and then he will guide you by the Spirit of Truth into all Truth, and keep you from corrupting his holy word, 2 Cor. 2.17. For we are not as many which corrupt the word of God, but as of ſincerity, but as of God, in the ſight of God ſpeak we in Chriſt.
3. Purifie your hearts and minds from all corrupt Luſts. VVhen a man hath a corrupt mind, he will be apt to put corrupt gloſſes upon the vvord of God. VVhen he can't bring up his VVill to Gods, he will be ready to interpret Gods Mind according to his own VVill. The Apoſtle conjoyns theſe two, Men of corrupt minds, and deſtitute of the Truth, 1 Tim. 6.5. Now if you would purifie your minds, 1. Have faith in Chriſt, Acts 15.19. And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. 2. Obey thoſe Truths vvhichwhich God hath revealed to you, 1 Pet. 1.22. Ye have purified your Souls in obeying the Truth.
4. Take heed of departing from the ſimplicity of the Goſpel, under the notion of ſeeking after more ſublime ſpiritual and myſterious Truths. The Apoſtle vvas jealous leſt the Corinthians ſhould be corrupted this vvay, 2 Cor. 11.3. But I fear leſt by any means, as the Serpent beguiled Eve through his ſubtilty, ſo your mind ſhould be corrupted from the ſimplicity that is in Chriſt.
5. Keep to the Analogy of Faith, Rom. 12.6. Having then Gifts, differing according to the Grace that is given to us, whether Prophecy, let us propheſie, according to the proportion of faith: By propheſying here, moſt underſtand not the gift of fore-telling things to duplicate page duplicate page come, but the Gift of interpreting and explaining the Scriptures, as the word is uſed, 1 Cor. 14.3. He that propheſieth, ſpeaketh unto men unto edification, and exhortation, and comfort. Now the Apoſtle adviſeth that this propheſying be according to the proportion or analogy of Faith; by propheſying according to the analogy of Faith, we may underſtand that no Scripture ſhould be ſo expounded as to contradict any Article of our Faith, or Precepts of an holy godly life.
6. Be ſober-minded, and do not exerciſe your ſelves in thoſe things which are too high for you, Pſal. 131.1. Underſtand well your ſelves, what you undertake to teach your Families. The Apoſtle gives this character of ſome in his time, deſiring to be teachers of the Law, underſtanding neither what they ſay, nor whereof they affirm, 1 Tim. 1.7. When we teach our Families thoſe things which we underſtand, and fully believe upon the evidence and demonſtration of the Word and Spirit of God, and alſo thoſe things which we know experimentally to be true, we need not fear leading them into errors. See more Directions for getting a right underſtanding of the Scriptures, and preventing our wreſting of them, in the Anſwer to Object. 12. Chap. iv. Sect. 12. pag. 243, 244, 245.
II. This work of inſtructing our Families in the knowledge of the Scriptures, wiſely managed, will be ſo far from increaſing errors, that it will be a great means of preventing their falling into error, and will eſtabliſh them in the truth, that they ſhall not be ſhaken and carried to and fro with every wind of Doctrine. The Lord Jeſus, as hath been already hinted, tells us, That the errors of the Saduces did ariſe from their ignorance of the Scriptures, Matth. 22.29. Jeſus anſwered and ſaid unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God. And the ſame paſſage is recorded by another Evangeliſt, Mark 12.24. Jeſus anſwering, ſaid unto them, Do ye not therefore err, becauſe ye know not the Scriptures, neither the power of God?