A Gospel Glass, Treatise · Chapter 28
CHAP. XXVIII. The ſins of Family-Governours.Profeſſours miſcarriages in their Families, As Governours, Not commanding their houſhold to ſerve God. Gen. 18.19.
1. HOw guilty are ſuch of you, as have families to govern, of not commanding your houſhold to ſerve God? Of how few can God ſay, as he did of Abraham by way of approbation, I know him, that he will command his children and his houſhold after him, and they ſhall keep the way of the Lord, to juſtice and judgement, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath ſpoken of him. By your Authority you ſhould command them to ſubject their hearts, wills, and conſciences, to the will and pleaſure of Jehovah; but alas! how many of you have been careleſs in this? your Children and Servants, yea Wives, muſt know your Authority upon worldly accounts, you command them (imperiouſly enough) to fullfill your will and pleaſure, to ſerve you, but how Gallio-like are you, little caring whether they obey the Lord?
2. Being Zealous againſt diſobedience to themſelves, not to God.How much paſſion have you diſcovered when Children, and Servants, yea and Wives too, ſubmit not to your will and pleaſure? But when do they ſee ſo much Zeal againſt their neglects of Gods work, as they find in you, when they neglect your ſecular commands? Theſe paſſions are of a ſcandalous nature, and may make your inferiours to believe, that you value more your Authority, than Gods, the having your own will to be obeyed, than that Gods requiries ſhould be obſerved.
3. Not caring for the Souls of their Families.How many Profeſsing-Governours are there, that ſhew great care for the bodies of their Families, but not for their Souls? Meat, and drink, and clothes, or money to buy them, they ſhall have, but none, or little, inſtruction.
How little do you Chatechiſe your Families? Not Chatechiſing them. Heb. 6.1. Prov. 22.6.How ſeldome do you ask them any queſtions concerning the firſt Principles of the Doctrine of Chriſt? If you do Chatechiſe your Children, as you ought in obedience to thoſe Divine commands: Train up a Child in the way wherein he ſhould go. Bring up your Children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Epheſ. 6.4.Yet how few of you do Chatechiſe the reſt of your houſhold, your Servants and Wives, Heb. 6.1.though they be but Babes in Religion, Children in Underſtanding, and this Milk is appointed for Children in Underſtanding as well as Age? Neither doth the work of Chatechiſing them, belong only unto Miniſters (to them indeed it doth belong as ſuch as watch for their Souls) but unto you; Heb. 13.17.for it belongs to all that have the charge of Souls, and you are charged not only with your Children's, but with your Servant's, and with your Wives Souls. Whatever any of you may fancy, there never comes a Wife, a Child, or Servant into any of your Families, but with this warrant from the great Lord of Heaven and Earth; keep the Soul of this Wife, this Child, this Servant; for if it be miſſing amongſt the number of my ſheep at the great day through thy neglect in instructing, &c. thy Soul ſhall go for it. Hence not only ſhould your Children be taught by you, but your Wives and Servants. The Wife is commanded to learn of her Husband at home, and the Husband to walk with her as a man of knowledge: and your Servants ſhould be trained by you in Religion, Gen. 14.14.as Abrahams Servants were by Abraham, thus ſome of the Hebrew Rabbins think that Abraham's trained Servants are therefore ſo called.Not converſing perſonally with them ab…ut their Souls.
How ſeldome do you converſe perſonally with every one in your Families concerning the practical part of Religion? How ſeldome do you ask them any queſtions, how it is with their Souls? and what they think will become of them to all Eternity? Are you not as great ſtrangers to the inwards of their Souls, as you are to the Souls of the Indians? If their bodies be in danger, meat, phyſick, attendance are procured; but their Souls may periſh in formality and careleſsneſs for any help you will afford them. Some Profeſſing-Governours never treat with their houſholds about their Spiritual Eſtate from one year to another: Hence comes the great Apoſtaſy of our times. The Lord humble us, and deliver us from bloud-guiltineſs. Many an Husband may cry out, O my Wife's Soul is like to periſh, through my default: many a Parent may ſhriek, O! I am verily guilty of the bloud of my Child: and many a Maſter may impute to his own account all the diſorders of his Servants; for that they have no perſonal conference with them about Original Corruption, Regeneration, Juſtification, Sanctification, Glorification, &c. Perhaps thou prayeſt in thy Family every day, but not knowing the inward luſts and workings of their hearts towards God or Sin, thou knowſt not, how to pray as thou oughteſt: thou knowſt not what to confeſs, and what to pray for, nor what to bleſs God for.
4. Not walking with gravity.Have you walk'd with that gravity before your Wives, Children, and Servants, as ye ought? Have you not made your ſelves vile by lightneſs, frothineſs, and unſeemly carriages? Governours of Families are the Viceroy's of God: they are in the place of God; and therefore ſhould keep up their Authority, and not ſinfully run into ſuch vanity and familiarity with their inferiours, as to breed in them contempt of the Ordinance of God.
5. Not giving them time to ſerve God in.You have given your Children and Servants time to work for your ſelves, but have you afforded them time to ſerve their God in? Too too many uſe their Inferiours, juſt as they uſe their Beaſts; they work and feed their Beaſts, but never inſtruct: no more do they inſtruct their Inferiours. When do you call your Wives, Children, Servants, into your Cloſet, and not only preſs them to look after their Souls, and in order thereunto, to ſpend ſome time in Prayer, Reading, Meditation, &c. but tell them how God wrought on you, how he awakened you, what corruptions prevail'd with you, and how God help'd you to cruciſie them: How do you know, but the ſame motives might melt, reduce, and turn their hearts too?
6. Have not you miſcarried, as to the time, Taking undue time for Family-Duties. In the Morning, too early.for the management of your religious work, in your houſes? Some Governours Pray in the Morning too early: ſo early, with a ſmall part of their Family, whilſt others are in Bed, or in the ſervice of the World, ſo that they worſhip not God together, as they ought: and this is paſt over with ſilence; but if they miſs of their Servant in the Shop or Field, O! how doth the fire of Hell break forth at their lips? How angry is the Governour? he cries out, O! I ſhall be undone by the unfaithfullneſs of my Wife, Children, Servants; but ſees not a greater danger, a more probable ruine falling on him for not having his Family to worſhip God with him.
Others deferr Morning Prayer till it be almoſt Noon. Too late.They will adventure into all worldly imployments, (as we ſay) without fear or wit: they ſee no need of God to protect them from outward or inward dangers, no need of Gods bleſſing, till they are ready to fill their panch, and then ſome Collects muſt be ſaid, ſome ſhort Prayers; it is the Cuſtome of their fore Fathers, it is the Religion of their Anceſtours, or Conſcience will trouble at the total neglect of the Morning Sacrifice, and therefore the Prayer ſhall be run over with more haſt, than the boy that ſaith his leſſon; that they may riſe up to eat, drink, and play.
And as ſome are unſeaſonable in their duties in the Morning, At Evening too late.ſo at Evening. Whilſt their ſtrength laſts to ſerve the world, they attend it, ſome 'till even midnight, and then; come let us go to Prayer; when the poor Wife, Children, and Servants, had rather be in bed, than on their knees. The Governour Prays dully enough, 1 Sam. 2.17. Putting off family Prayer with a long grace.and that while the poor family ſleep, or nauſeate the duty; and ſo like Elies Sons, theſe Sons of Belial cauſe their people to abhorre the offering of the Lord.
Are there not alſo ſome Profeſsing-Governours (unworthy of the name of Chriſtian) who think to pleaſe God and the family with a long grace before meat, which ſhall be in lieu of all the ſervice of the day?
7. Not reading Scripture and good books.How few are there that read the Scriptures and good books in their houſes? O! this will take up too much time; as if God had given men all their time to neglect him in, and to indulge to the ſervices of the Fleſh, World, and Devils.