A Treatise of Family Instruction, Chapter 4 · Section 9 – Section 10
SECT. 9. The greatneſs of a Family is not a ſufficient Plea for the neglect of Family-Inſtruction.
Object. 9 SOme alſo may ſay, My Family is ſo numerous, that I am not able to inſtruct them; if I had a leſſer Family I would do it, but I know not how to carry on this work in ſuch a great Family as I have.
Anſw. 1. The more Souls you have in your Family, the more diligent you had need to be in this work of Family-Inſtruction, for you will have the greater account to give to God at the day of Judgment: The accompt we muſt give to God at the day of Judgment, is very ſtrict. He will call us to an account for every word, yea for every idle word, Mat. 12.32. I ſay unto you, That every idle word that men ſhall ſpeak, they ſhall give an account thereof in the day of Judgment. Now if we muſt give an account for every word, every idle word that we have ſpoken, ſhall we not much more give an account for every perſon whom God hath committed to our charge? Is not a man of far more value than a word?
2. If you neglect teaching your Family becauſe of the multitude of perſons that are in it, you are not like Chriſt, you are not of the ſame mind and ſpirit that Chriſt was of, for the greater the number of people was which reſorted to him, the more his Bowels of Compaſſion were ſtirred up to teach them, Mark 6 34. And Jeſus when he came out ſaw much people, and was moved with compaſſion towards them,—and he began to teach them many things. Neither are you like the Righteous, concerning whom Solomon ſaith, Prov. 10.21. The Lips of the Righteous feed many.
3. Your Family is not greater and more numerous than Acraham's Family was, for he was able to raiſe more than 300 fighting men out of the Servants born in his own houſe, Gen. 14.14. When Abraham heard that his Brother was taken captive, he armed his trained Servants born in his own Houſe, three hundred and eighteen, and purſued them unto Dan. And notwithſtanding Abraham had ſuch a numerous Family, yet he taught them all to keep the ways of the Lord, Gen. 18.19. I know him, that he will command his Children and his Houſhold after him, and they ſhall keep the way of the Lord to do Juſtice and Judgment. And thoſe three hundred and eighteen Servants whom he carried with him to reſcue Lot, mentioned Gen. 14.14. were trained (or as it is in the Margin, inſtructed) Servants, which may be underſtood of their being religiouſly trained up; that they were inſtructed in the grounds of Religion, as well as of their training to civil or military Employments, as Ainſworth and Calvin obſerve: Vatalbus his Note upon that Text is, Pueros quos (ut quidam volunt) inſtruxerat Arte Bellicâ ac etiam Lege Divinâ: And that which will confirm this expoſition, that theſe trained men were trained up in the knowledge and fear of God, is this, The ſame Hebrew word which is uſed here for trained men, is uſed for Religious Education Prov. 22.6. Train up (or as it is in the Margin, catechiſe) a child in the way that he ſhould go.
4. If your Family be numerous, you may render the work of inſtruction the more eaſie, by calling the whole Family together, when you inſtruct them, and then you may at the ſame time, with the ſame eaſe, inſtruct many as few. Iſrael being a numerous people, and they being all to be inſtructed, Moſes counſels the Levites to gather the people together, that the work might be done with the more eaſe, Deut. 31.11, 12. Thou ſhalt read this Law before all Iſrael in their hearing; gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy ſtranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the Lord your God, and obſerve to do all the words of this Law. Do you thus, if your Family be numerous, at certain ſtated times appoint your whole Family to come together, and then you may with eaſe inſtruct all of them.
SECT. 10. Great as well as mean men muſt inſtruct their Families.
Object. 10 I Am a great man, and this work is beneath me, to teach my Children and Servants.
Anſwer: 1. Art thou greater than Abraham, who was a great Prince, Gen. 23.5, 6. The Children of Heth anſwered Abraham, ſaying, Hear us my Lord, thou art a mighty Prince amongſt us—and who is ſtiled the Father of the Faithful, and a Father of many Nations? Yet he did not think it to be beneath him to teach his Family, Gen. 18.19. Art thou greater than David, who was King of Iſrael? Yet he did not think much to teach his Family; Prov. 4.3, 4. I was my Fathers Son, tender and only beloved in the ſight of my Mother; He taught me alſo: He did not only teach Solomon, but his other Children alſo, Pſal. 34.11. Come ye Children, hearken unto me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Yea, he did not think much to teach Tranſgreſſors the ways of the Lord, Pſal. 51.13. Then will I teach Tranſgreſſors thy ways.—
2. The Great GOD condeſcends to teach the meaneſt and pooreſt of men, Pſal. 25.8. Good and upright is the Lord, therefore will he teach Sinners in the way: John 6.45. It is written in the Prophets, And they ſhall be all taught of God: Iſa. 54.13. And all thy Children ſhall be taught of the Lord, Doth the Great GOD condeſcend to teach all ſorts of men, the Poor as well as the Rich, Children as well as grown Men, yea ſuch as are Sinners; and ſhall any man think himſelf too great to teach and inſtruct his Family?
3. It is an honour to be employed in doing any work or ſervice for God and Jeſus Chriſt. John the Baptiſt was a great man; Chriſt ſaith of him, Among them that are born of women there hath not riſen a greater than John the Baptiſt, Matth. 11.11. Yet this great man did not think himſelf above the meaneſt ſervice that he could be employed in for Chriſt, but thought himſelf unworthy to carry Chriſts Shoes after him, Matth. 3.11. He that cometh after me is mightier than I, whoſe Shoes I am not worthy to bear. To teach the word of Chriſt unto our Children and Servants, is more honourable work than to carry Chriſts Shoes after him. Now if John the Baptiſt thought himſelf unworthy to carry Chriſts Shoes after him, what great pride of ſpirit is it for any man to ſay or think it is a work beneath me, for ſuch a great man as I am to inſtruct my Family?
4. Riches, and Honour, and worldly Greatneſs, ſhould be ſo far from taking off any man from any good work, that they ſhould cauſe him to be more abundant in every good work, 1 Tim. 6.17, 18. Charge them that are rich in this world—that they do good, that they be rich in good works.— Jehoſhaphat, who was a good, as well as a great man, was ſo far from neglecting any of the ways of the Lord becauſe of his Greatneſs, that his heart was more elevated and encouraged to lay out himſelf for God, by the Honour and Greatneſs which God had conferred upon him, 2 Chron. 17.5, 6. The Lord ſtabliſhed the Kingdom in his hand, and all Judah brought to Jehoſhaphat Preſents, and he had Riches and Honour in abundance, and his heart was lift up (or as 'tis in the Margin) was encouraged in the ways of the Lord.