A Godly Form of Household Government, Title page – Dedication
A GODLY FORME OF HOVSHOLD GOVERNMENT: FOR THE ORDERING OF PRIVATE FAMILIES, according to the direction of Gods Word.
Wherunto is adioyned in a more particular manner, the seuerall duties of the Husband towards his wife: and the wiues dutie towards her Husband. The Parents dutie towards their children: and the childrens towards their parents. The Maisters dutie towards his seruants: and also the seruants duty towards their Maisters.
First gathered by R. C. and now newly perused, amended and augmented by Iohn Dod and Robert Cleuer.
ISIDORE.
Thou profitest much when thou readest, if thou practisest that which thou readest.
BERNARD.
What auaileth it thee to reade often in bookes the holy Name of our Sauiour, except thou studie and endeuour to hauehave godlinesse in thy behauiour?
LONDON,
Printed by R. Field for Thomas Man, and are to be sold by Arthur Iohnson, neare the great North doore of Pauls Church. 1621.
TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVL MAISTER ROBERT Burgaine of Roxall, one of his Maiesties Iustices of peace in the County of Warwicke: to the right worshipfull Maister Iohn Diue of Ridlington Parke, in the Countie of Rutland: and to the worshipfull Maister Edmund Temple of Temple hall in the Countse of Leicester, Esquires, as also to their religious and vertuous wiues:
R. C. wisheth with heart and minde, grace from God the Father, by Iesus Christ, and constancy in the truth of the Gospell, to the end, and in the end.
Auing collected & finished this Treatise ensuing, and deuising very carefully with my selfe to whom I might Dedicate the same: at length I resolued that none were meeter to vndertake the patronage therof, then some such meete persons, as did alreadie (in some good measure) practise within their seuerall charges, the seuerall points and duties contained therein, and so would further prosecute those other necessarie parts, which they hauehave yet in some part pretermitted. Wherupon, calling to minde the holy exercises daily vsed and exercised in all your houses, I was moued for two causes, to make you all iointly Patrons thereof.
First, for that I acknowledge my self beholden and indebted vntounto you all diuersly, since my first acquaintanoe with you; and therefore (left I should deserue the blame of vnthankfulnesse for benefits receiued) I am bold vnderunder your Names, to offer to the whole Church of God these my simple collections.
Secondly, for that as you are all ioyned and linked in kindred by reason of marriage: so also you are, and hauehave bin a long time inseparably knit in a zealous and sincere profession of Gods word and Religion. And for so much as I may not (for many respects) accomplish what good I willingly wold: yet lest I should be thought to spend the remainder of my yeares in an idle condition, or to hide my talent in a napkin; I hauehave bene no lesse carefull then willing, to labour other wayes to do what I may to glorifie God, and profit his Church.
Neither will these my labours be vtterly vnprofitable, if my purpose therein be rightly conferred with the purpose of my writings. For such Housholders as pretend to be great Protestants and sound professors of the Gospell, may long enough talke of Discipline, and still complaine of the want of Church gouernment; but all in vaine, and to no purpose, vnlesse they will begin this most necessary discipline, in reforming their owne houses according to the direction in this Treatise, and so suffer the holy religion of God to take place among their familie at home, otherwise they shall trauell much, and profite little.
For although there be neuer so good lawes in Cities, neuer so pure order in Churches, yet if maisters of families do not practise at home catechising in their houses, and ioyne their helping hands to Magistrates and Ministers, they may in truth (but vniustly as many hauehave done) complaine that their children and seruants are disordered, and corrupted abroad, when in truth, they were disordered, and are still corrupted and marred at home. And therefore it cannot be, neither is it to be hoped for, that either the father of his children, or the husband of his wife, or the maister of his seruants, should looke for that obedience, that reuerence, that faithfulnesse, and that dutifulnes, which they of right ought to hauehave, and the other in conscience, and of bounden duties are bound to performe, vnlesse they do now at length endeuour to see these orders and duties hereafter mentioned, to be practised within their seuerall housholds. For if Parents and Housholders shall performe no further dutie to their children and seruants, then to prouide for them, meate, drinke and apparell, and to pay them their wages: then Papists, Atheists, yea Turkes and infidels, do yeeld this dutie as well as they.
And seeing all men be carefull that their horses and bullockes should hauehave sufficient fodder and prouender, to the end they may hauehave their labour in lieu and recompence thereof: it doth consequently follow, that therefore a Christian housholder ought to hauehave ouer his children and seruants as much more Christian care, then he hath ouer dumbe and insensible beasts, that so he may receiue a singular comfort from the daily contēplation of their increase in spirituall graces.
Oh what a sweet and comfortable thing shall this be to the soule and conscience of such an Householder, when he hath bene so diligent and carefull in the training and bringing vp of his children and seruants in the obedience and wayes of the Lord, that he may rightly deserue to hauehave this worthy report and commendation giuen vntounto him, from the mouth and penne of the godly: Namely, that he hath a Church in his house: that is, a company of sound and faithfull Christians, such as feare God indeed? as the like report was giuen by the Apostle to those godly house-keepers, Aquila and Priscilla his wife: Rom. 16. 5. 1. Cor. 16. 19, as also to Philemon, Phil. 2.
Therefore all Parents and householders are (in the Lord) to be exhorted, that they would be carefull to bring vp their children and familie, so as they either (by some good tokens,) may see them the children of God, and heires of his Couenant, or at the least, they may be comforted in their owne consciences, notwithstanding that their children and seruants (for some cause vnknowne to them) do refuse their counsell and instruction; seeing they to the vttermost of their power and abilitie, hauehave vsed all good meanes to bring them vp well, and hauehave rightly offered them to the Lord.
Now if parents and maisters hauehave iust cause to bewaile and lament, when (thus trauelling in good education & information) they cannot yet see good effects, and godly fruites in their children and seruants: how much more cause of griefe may they hauehave, when they hauehave vsed & bestowed no labor at all, (either by themselues, or others for them) to bring them vp in the nurture and feare of the Lord? And yet alas, many will be grieued for the one, that will not be any thing moued for the other. Wherefore let all parents and maisters of families know and learne, that if they will conuey Gods blessings to their posterities, then they must do and performe the duties belonging thereunto. Yea, let them (if they be loath to conuey Gods iudgements to their children) carefully auoyd the meanes vntounto it.
And surely as it is a blessed thing in the houre of death, with Simeon, to depart in peace, leauing their Luke 2. 29.wiues, children, and seruants members of Christ, spouses to Christ, children to God, and seruants to the Lord: so in extremitie of death, no one thing will be more grieuous vntounto parents and housholders, then (the Lord hauing giuen them the charge of so many soules to be furthered to saluation) that … owne tormented consciences shall presse them, in as much as they hauehave helped their children and seruants forward to their damnation; and so (which is more fearefull) they shall hauehave them spewing and foming on their faces, continuall curses in hell, then accusing them for euer to be the murtherers of their soules, and cutthroats of their saluation.
Is it any maruell, if housholders many times find small obedience, & lesse dutifulnesse and faithfulnesse at the hands of their children and seruants, seeing they omit and leaue vndone the performance of these so Christian duties towards them herein expressed, and enioyned of the Lord? For so doth God often leaue manifest tokens of his wrath, in punishing disobedience with disobedience.
How can any maister of a houshold, whatsoeuer he be, looke to hauehave his familie trustie and faithfull vntounto him, and yet he himselfe is faithlesse to God? Doth he maruell, that his children and seruants feare not him, whereas he himselfe feareth not the Lord? Will he maintaine his authoritie ouer those vnderunder his charge, and he himselfe doth not yeeld obedience vntounto the authoritie of God his Creator?
Moreouer, it is manifest, that the good man of the house, by planting Gods religion in his familie, shall not a little aduance and set forward his owne priuate profit and commoditie. For wicked and vngodly seruants, are for the most part loyterers, pickers, and deceitfull: whereas on the other side, godly seruants are iust and faithfull, whom in his absence he may trust to Gen. 30. 30. and 39. 5. &c.do such businesse and worke as he willeth them to do.
If maisters of families be carefull and desirous (as in conscience they ought) that their wiues, children, and seruants, should reforme themselues, and endeuour to practise such duties as do appertaine and belong vntounto them; then they must likewise be diligent and carefull to reforme themselues, both inwardly and outwardly, in such points and duties as hitherto they hauehave left vndone: otherwise, they may iustly say vntounto them: Phisitian healc your selfe: er, why do you will vsus Luke 4. 23. & 22. 32. Rom. 2. 21.to do that which you do not practise your selfe? For as one candle cannot light another if it selfe be out: euen so a maister of a houshold shall not reforme those of his charge, and inflame them with the louelove of God and godlinesse, if he himselfe be voyde of the same.
Let eueryevery maister of a houshold therefore say and performe with Ioshua: I and my familie will serue the Lord: Ios. 24. 15. And likewise let eueryevery Christian Ladie, Mistris, and Dame, say with Hester: I and my maides will do the like: Hest. 4. 16. And so no doubt, God will powre his blessings on them and theirs in this life, and euerlasting happinesse on them in the life to come.
Touching the Booke it selfe, I will not say any thing to the commendation thereof, but onelyonly this: That I am assured, that if such duties as are mentioned therein, were duly and carefully practised of all such as are named in it, then (no doubt) vertue and godly religion would greatly flourish, to the aduancement of Gods glory; and also sinne and wickednesse would then decrease and fall downe, to the vtter subuersion and ouerthrow of Sathans kingdome.
This Treatise I confesse is not garnished with eloquence, nor full of great cunning, nor beautified with flowers of mans wisedome, neither yet doth it discourse or treate of high or darke things, neither is it stuffed with subtill questions and arguments, nor indited with Rhetoricall and eloquent stile, as those commonly be, which are propounded and set forth to the world, rather for boasting and vaine-glory sake, then for any desire to edifie, and to do others good: but it is plaine, and without any great gaynesse; yet so full of good, necessary, The profit of this booke.and wholesome instructions, that whosoeuer readeth, and marketh it with a right disposed minde, and willing to practise it, without respect to any other things, then God, the reformation of his life, and the … of his … (which is the onelyonly worke which Christians must leuell at) he may reape singular, profit thereby.
And vndoubtedly, it may well be said, that vntounto Good books … to climbe vp to heauen.true Christians, good and holy bookes are as ladders to climbe vp vntounto heauen: as sparkes to kindle the … of the Spirit, when it is quenched, or waxen cold in them; and as props to stay vp their faith, that it may increase.
Praying therefore your Worships, to accept of my dutifull good will, and to pardon my boldnesse, I ceasse to adde any further things: beseeching God of his endlesse mercy for Christs sake, to strengthen you still in that good and happie course of his word, and all other good learning: to furnish you all abundantly with all spirituall and heauenly knowledge, to the carefull practising of the same, in the fruits of your most holy and blessed callings, to the aduancement of the glory of our God, and to your owne euerlasting comfort in Christ Iesus. So be it.
Your Worships in all Christian dutifulnesse, most willing, R. C.