TO THE

CHRISTIAN READER,

ESPECIALLY

A

HEADS OF FAMILIES.

So we cannot but with grief of foul lament those multitudes of errors, blafphemies, and all kinds of profaneness, which have in this last age like a mighty deluge overflown this nation; so, among several other fins which have helped to open the flood-gates of all these impieties, we cannot but esteem the disuse of family-instruction one of the greatest. The two great pillars upon which the kingdom of Satan is erected, and by which it is upheld, are ignorance and error; the first step of our manumiffion from this spiritual thraldom consists, in having our eyes opened, and being turned from darkness to light, Acts xxvi. 18. How much the serious endeavours of godly parents and masters might contribute to an early seasoning the tender years of fuch as are under their inspection, is abundantly evident, not only from their special influence upon them, in respect of their authority over them, interest in them, continual prefence with them, and frequent opportunities of being helpful to them; but also from the fad effects which, by woful experience, we find to be the fruit of the omiffion of this duty. It were easy to fet before you a cloud of witnesses, the language of whose practice hath been not only an eminent commendation of this duty, but also a seious exhortation to it. As Abel, though dead, yet speaks by his example to us for imitation of his faith, &c. Heb. xi. 4.; so do the examples of Abraham, of Joshua, of the parents of Solomon, of the grandmother and mother of Timothy, the mother of Augustine, whose care was as well to nurse up the souls as the bodies of their little ones; and as their pains herein was great, so was their success no way unanswerable.

We should scarce imagine it any better than an impertinency, in this noon-day of the gofpel, either to inform or perfuade in a duty so expressly commanded, so frequently urged, so highly encouraged, and so eminently owned by the Lord in all ages with his bleffing, but that our fad experience tells us, this duty is not more needful, than it is of late neglected. For the restoring of this duty to its due observance, give us leave to suggest this double advice.

a

The

The first concerns heads of families in respect of themselves, that as the Lord hath fet them in place above the rest of their family, they would labour in all wisdom and spiritual understanding to be above them also. It is an uncomely fight to behold men in years, babes in knowledge; and how unmeet are they to instruct others, who need themselves to be taught which be the first principles of the oracles of God? Heb. v. 12. Knowledge is an accomplishment so defirable, that the devils themselves knew not a more taking bait by which to tempt our first parents, than by the fruit of the tree of knowledge: So shall you be as gods, knowing good and evil. When Solomon had that favour shewed him of the Lord, that he was made his own chuser what to ask, he knew no greater mercy to beg than wisdom, 1 Kings iii. 5. 9. The understanding is the guide and pilot of the whole man, that faculty which fits at the stern of the foul: But as the most expert guide may mistake in the dark, so may the understanding, when it wants the light of knowledge: Without knowledge the mind cannot be good, Prov. xix. 2; nor the life good, nor the eternal condition fafe, Eph. iv. 18. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, Hof. iv. 6. It is ordinary in fcripture to fet profaneness and all kind of miscarriages upon the fcore of ignorance. Diseases in the body have many times their rise from distempers in the head, and exorbitances in practice from errors in judgment: And indeed in every fin there is fomething both of ignorance and error at the bottom; for, did finners truly know what they do in finning, we might fay of every fin, what the Apoftle speaks concerning that great fin, Had they known him, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; did they truly know that every fin is a provoking the Lord to jealoufy, a proclaiming war against Heaven, a crucifying the Lord Jefus afresh, a treasuring up wrath unto themselves against the day of wrath; and that, if ever they be pardoned, it must be at no lower a rate than the price of his blood; it were scarce poffible but fin, instead of alluring, should affright, and instead of tempting, scare. It is one of the arch devices and principal methods of Satan to deceive men into fin: Thus he prevailed against our first parents, not as a lion, but as a ferpent, acting his enmity under a pretence of friendship, and tempting them to evil under an appearance of good; and thus hath he all along carried on his designs of darkness, by transforming himfelf into an angel of light, making poor deceived men in love with their miseries, and hug their own destruction. A most fovereign antidote against all kind of errors, is to be grounded and fettled in the faith: Persons, unfixed in the true religion; are very receptive of a false; and they who are nothing in fpiritual know ledge, are easily made any thing. Clouds without water are driven ta and fro with every wind, and ships without ballast liable to the violence of every tempeft. But yet the knowledge we especially commend, is not a brain-knowledge, a mere speculation; this may be in the worst of men, nay, in the worst of creatures, the devils theinfelves, and that in fuch an eminency, as the best of faints cannot attain to in this life of imperfection: But an inward, a favoury,

an heart knowledge, such as was in that martyr, who, though the could not dispute for Christ, could die for him. This is that fpiritual sense and feeling of divine truths, the Apostle speaks of, Heb. V. 14. Having your fenfes exercised, &c.

But, alas, we may fay of most mens religion, what learned Ri. vet* speaks concerning the errors of the fathers, "They were not " so much their own errors, as the errors of the times wherein they " lived." Thus do most men take up their religion upon no better an account than Turks and Papists take up theirs, because it is the religion of the times and places wherein they live; and what they take up thus flightly, they lay down as easily. Whereas, an inward taste and relish of the things of God, is an excellent preservative to keep us fettled in the most unfettled times. Corrupt and unfavoury principles have great advantage upon us, above those that are spiri. tual and found; the former being fuitable to corrupt nature, the latter contrary; the former springing up of themselves, the latter brought forth not without a painful industry. The ground needs no other midwifery in bringing forth weeds, than only the neglect of the husbandman's hand to pluck them up; the air needs no other cause of darkness, than the absence of the fun; nor water of coldness, than its distance from the fire; because these are the genuine products of nature. Were it so with the soul, (as some of the philosophers have vainly imagined,) to come into the world as an abrasa tabula, a mere blank or piece of white paper, on which neither any thing is written, nor any blots; it would then be equally receptive of good and evil, and no more averse to the one than to the other: But how much worse its condition indeed is, were scripture filent, every man's experience does evidently manifest. For who is there that knows any thing of his own heart, and knows not thus much, that the suggestions of Satan have so easy and free admittance into our hearts, that our utmost watchfulness is too little to guard us from them? whereas the motions of God's Spirit are so unacceptable to us, that our utmost diligence is too little to get our hearts open to entertain them. Let therefore the excellency, neceffity, difficulty of true wisdom ftir up endeavours in you, fomewhat proportionable to fuch an accomplishinent; Above all getting, get understanding, Prov. iv. 7. and search for wisdom as for hidden treasures, Prov. ii. 4. It much concerns you in respect of yourselves.

Our fecond advice concerns heads of families, in respect of their families. Whatever hath been faid already, though it concerns every private Christian that hath a foul to look after; yet, upon a double account, it concerns parents and masters, as having themselves and others to look after: Some there are, who, because of their ignorance, cannot; others, because of their fluggisiness, will not mind this duty. To the former we propound the method of Joshua, who first began with himself, and then is careful of his family. To the latter we shall only hint, what a dreadful meeting those parents and masters must have at that great day, with their children and fervants, when all that were under their inspection shall not only accuse them, but charge their eternal miscarrying upon their score,

• Rivet. Crit. Sacr,

Never

Never did any age of the church enjoy fuch choice helps, as this of ours. Every age of the gospel hath had its creeds, confeffions, catechisins, and fuch breviaries and models of divinity as have been fingularly useful. Such forms of found words, (however in these days decried,) have been in use in the church, ever fince God himself wrote the decalogue, as a fummary of things to be done, and Chrift taught us that prayer of his, as a directory what to afk. Concerning the usefulness of fuch compendiary systems, fo much hath been faid already by a learned divine * of this age, as is sufficient to fatisfy all who are not refolved to remain unsatisfied.

Concerning the particular excellency of these enfuing treatises, we judge it unneedful to mention those eminent teftimonies which have been given them, from persons of known worth in refpect of their judgment, learning, and integrity, both at home and abroad, because themselves spake so much their own praise; gold stands not in need of varnish, nor diamonds of painting: Give us leave only to tell you, that we cannot but account it an eminent mercy to enjoy fuch helps as these are. It is ordinary in these days, for men to fpeak evil of things they know not: But if any are poffefsed with mean thoughts of these treatises, we shall only give the fame counfel to them, that Philip gives Nathanael, Come and fee, John i. 46. It is no fimall advantage the reader now hath, by the addition of scriptures at large, whereby with little pains he may more profit, because with every truth he may behold its scripture-foundation. And indeed, considering what a Babel of opinions, what a strange confufion of tongues there is this day, among them who profess they speak the language of Canaan; there is no intelligent perfon but will conclude that advice of the prophet especially fuited to fuch an age as this, If. viii. 20. To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, because there is no light in them. If the reverend and learned composers of these ensuing treatises were willing to take the pains of annexing scripture-proofs to every truth, that the faith of people might not be built upon the dictates of men, but the authority of God; so some confiderable pains hath now been further taken in tranfcribing those scriptures, partly to prevent that grand inconvenience (which all former impreffions, except the Latin, have abounded with, to the great perplexing and disheartning of the reader,) the misquotation of scripture; the meanest reader being able, by having the words at large, to rectify whatever mistake may be in the printer in citing the particular place: Partly to prevent the trouble of turning to every proof, which could not but be very great : Partly to help the memories of such who are willing to take the pains of turning to every proof, but are unable to retain what they read; and partly that this may serve as a Bible common-place, the several passages of Scripture, which are scattered up and down in the word being in this book reduced to their proper head, and thereby giving light each to other. The advantages, you fee, in this design, are many and great: The way to spiritual knowledge is hereby made more easy, and the ignorance of this age more inexcufable.

If therefore there be any spark in you of love to God, be not content that any of yours should be ignorant of him whom you so much admire, or any haters of him whom you so much love. If there be an compaffion to the fouls of them who are under your care, if any regard of your being found faithful in the day of Chrift, if any refpect to fur ture generations; labour to fow these seeds of knowledge, which may grow up in after-times. That you may be faithful herein, is the earnest prayer of,