Man ashiv le-Yahoweh, or, A serious enquiry for a suitable return for continued life, in and after a time of great mortality, by a wasting plague (anno 1665) answered in XIII directions / by Tho. Doolitel.

SECTION VIII.

[ III] * 1.1SUch whom God hath spared alive (in this time of great Morrality) may be consi∣dered in an Oeconomical capacity, as Persons con∣stituting of Families; and these may be consider∣ed as Governours, or those that are Governed:

and surely all our Families are concerned to in∣quire what Improvement those that are left in Fa∣milies should make of Gods Signal preservation of them: Hath God swept away some Families wholly, not a person left, and spared yours? doth not this call for some return you should make to God? Hath not God visited your Family, and ta∣ken away some of your Children, or some Ser∣vant, or some Friend out of your house, and hath spared you; hath given life to so many whom he hath so eminently preserved: When God hath sent the Plague into your house, he gave it Com∣mission to fetch such a one (in your house) to his or her eternal state; but, gave it a Charge, it should not seize upon you, or, if it did, it should not kill you: and, doth not this call aloud to you, in all your Families, for speedy thorough Re∣formation? Consider the dismal devastations made in some Families; the total subvertion of others: and yet, that God should keep any Families in the midst of his burning wrath; should not this make every person inquire, What would the Lord have me to do? Now, the Governours should be∣think themselves, What is our Duty? and, the Children whom God hath continued to their Pa∣rents, What would God have us to do? &c. There is not a Member in a Family but is greatly concerned to study what is the Duty which he should excel in, according to the capacity and re∣lation he standeth in, in that Family: And that, after such Family-Visitation there may be Family-Reformation, I shall consider,

(1.) The Duties of the Family in general, in reference to their joynt-Worshipping of God.

(2.) Their Duties in particular, in the relation in which they are considered. For, when the Family in general, and every Mem∣ber in particular Live up to the following Duties, they will live in some measure answerably to so great Preservation.

First, After your Families have been in such danger, and yet so many of them, and so many in them are preserved; it must be your care to set up the Worship of God in your Families; else you cannot [as a Family] walk answerably to so great Preservation: What, hath God not turned you out of your House by Death, and will you turn the Worship of God out of your House? hath God spared you (think you) for this end, that there should be eating and drinking in your Houses, and not Praying and Reading in your Fa∣milies? That there should be Working, and La∣bouring early and late, and no calling upon God? Is this to make a Family-return to God? is this to give to him the Praise of his safe-keeping of you in time of danger and distress? And, this is chiefly incumbent upon you that are the Go∣vernours of Families, to call your Children and Servants together (every Morning and every Night) to Worship the God of your Salvation; the God that hath wrought so great Deliverance for you. I beseech you in the fear of God, nay, in the Name of the eternal God I charge you, that you carefully, constantly keep up the Worship of

God in your Families. And, that I may follow this, I shall shew you

• ...Why,
• Wherein, and
• ...How,

you must Worship God in your Families.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Governo••s of families must set up Gods Worship in their hou∣ses.