A guide to godlynesse or a Treatise of a Christian life shewing the duties wherein it consisteth, the helpes inabling & the reasons parswading vnto it ye impediments hindering ye practise of it, and the best meanes to remoue them whereunto are added diuers prayers and a treatise of carnall securitie by Iohn Douname Batcheler in Diuinitie and minister of Gods Word.

§. Sect. 2 Diuers reasons which may mooue gouer∣nours to the performance of this duty.

To which end let vs consider, first, that euery family is a member and part of the whole body, which ought to resemble it in nature and gouern∣ment, and as it were a particular Church, in which, the publike duties are priuately to bee performed, as the Apostle teacheth vs, whereas hee saluteth Nymphas and the Church which was in his house; and the Master of the family representeth the Minister, and the rest of the house the people in the Congregation, who are to bee gouerned and in∣structed by him; whereof it is that the Apostle would not haue wiues and women to speake in the Church, and publikely to propound their doubts in the assembly, but to craue resolution of their husbands at home. Secondly, let vs consider, that inferiours are set vnder our go∣uernement, not as bruite creatures, but as reasonable men, and there∣fore, that not their bodies and bodily imployments alone are commit∣ted vnto our charge for gouernement and direction, but their soules likewise, that they may bee trayned vp by vs in all religious duties, and spirituall exercises, for which wee shall giue an account vnto God, hovv vvee haue indeuoured to make them to thriue vnder vs in the grovvth of Christianity, and fitted them for the seruice of God, as vvell as hovv vvee haue taught them their Trades, and in vvhat sort they should demeane themselues towards vs in our seruice. So that if vvee take no further care of them then vvee doe of our beasts, that is, onely so to gouerne, feede, and order them, as that they may bee fitted for earthly imployments, and for the aduancing of our world∣ly profit; when that their soules perish through our negligence, their blood will bee vpon our heads, and wee shall haue a fearefull account to make at the day of Iudgement. Thirdly, let vs consider that the family

is the Seminary of the Church and Common-wealth; and as a priuate schoole, wherin children and seruants are fitted for the publike assemblies, as it were the Vniuersities, to performe, when they meete together, all re∣ligious duties of Gods worship and seruice. And as it is a notable meanes to make Vniuersities to flourish, and the Students in them to succeed and prosper in their studies, when as the Masters of priuate schooles doe well fit and prepare them, teach and nurture them in learning and man∣ners, before they send them thither: So if Masters of priuate families would carefully traine vp all their houshold in the feare of God, and in the exercises of Christian Religion all the weeke, they would with more cheerefulnesse on Gods Sabbaths come vnto the publike assemblies, and with much more reuerence and attention, care and conscience set them∣selues as in Gods presence to heare his Word, and call vpon his holy Name, much better vnderstand what they heare, and lay it vp in memo∣rie, profit farre more by the vse of Gods holy Ordinances, for the conscio∣nable practice of what they know, and thriue more in their spirituall growth in one Sabbath, then others can doe in many, who, for want of in∣struction in the maine principles and acquaintance with the Scriptures by priuate reading, vnderstand not what they heare in the publike Mini∣stery; and not being seasoned all the weeke in any religious duties, can finde no taste or rellish in them, when on the Sabbath they come to per∣forme them with the rest of the congregation. Fourthly, let vs know that by this exercise, we shall not onely doe much good vnto those whom wee instruct, but also vnto our selues, seeing thereby wee doe stirre vp and in∣crease Gods graces in our owne hearts as well as in theirs. For heereby we shall mooue the Lord to impart vnto vs a larger measure of his gifts, when as wee doe so freely communicate them to the vse of our brethren; and to impart his will and counsels vnto vs, when as with Abraham wee will teach them vnto our children and houshold; wee shall learne much in teaching others, because it will giue vs occasion to set our wits more seri∣ously for the finding out of the truth, then in our priuate studies and Me∣ditations, and much cleare our iudgements, when we labour to deliuer the things that we teach plainely and distinctly, which were before confusedly heaped vp together in our vnderstandings, as it were, in the whole lumpe. Wee shall thereby much strengthen our memories, whilest by teaching others the things wee know, wee shall worke them into them, and cause them to make a deeper impression. Finally, we shall inflame our hearts with the loue of good things, by those meanes which we vse to worke the like affection in the hearts of others; and prouoke our selues vnto a con∣scionable practice of what wee know, by the same arguments and reasons which wee vse to perswade them vnto it. And consequently, in seeking to saue them, we shall also thereby much further our owne saluation; accor∣ding to that of the Apostle to Timothy, Meditate vpon these things, giue thy selfe wholly to them, that thy profiting may appeare to all; Take heede vn∣to thy selfe, and vnto the doctrine, continue therein; for in so doing, thou shalt both saue thy selfe and them that heare thee. Which priuiledges, howsoeuer they belong more principally to the publike Ministery, yet doe they in some good proportion appertaine also to those, who exer∣cise

themselues in this priuate dutie of teaching their family. Fifth∣ly, let vs consider that it is the best meanes to make our children and seruants faithfull and conscionable in performing their duties vnto vs, when they are first made carefull and conscionable in Gods seruice. For when their hearts are seasoned with the true feare of God, then doe they performe their dutie as vnto God in vs; not out of seruile feare, but for conscience sake; not for temporall rewards, but in hope and assurance of those that are heauenly and eternall; not with eye-seruice as men-pleasers, but with singlenesse of heart, as in the sight & presence of God, whom they labor to please in all things; seeing from him they expect the chiefest and best part of their wages and reward. Which meanes if masters and parents neglect, let them neuer complaine of bad seruants and vntoward children: for it is iust with God, that these should neglect their duties toward them, when as they, by neglecting their duties in trayning them vp in his feare, doe cause them to neglect their duties towards him. Sixthly, let vs remem∣ber, that if we will thus set vp Gods Kingdome in our families, he will go∣uerne together with vs, and so by his wise and powerfull prouidence guide and prosper all our indeuours, as that they shall wholy tend to his glory and our good. For thus performing our dutie, he will double and redouble his fauours vpon vs, blessing our seruants and children for our sakes, and vs for their sakes, by causing all their labours to prosper in their hands, as wee see in the example of Abrahams seruant, Iacob, Ioseph, and the Souldiers and seruants of Cornelius, who being trayned vp in the feare of God, either by their masters or their own parents, prospered in their proceedings, and so brought a blessing vpon them & the whole fami∣lies. Whereas contrariwise, the neglect of these religious duties bringeth Gods wrath vpon the gouernours▪ & those likewise that belong vnto him; according to that of the Prophet; Powre out thy fury vpon the heathen that know thee not, and vpon the families that call not on thy Name. Lastly, it would bee a notable incouragement to make vs diligent in performing these religious duties in our families, if wee would but consider that wee should heereby bee speciall meanes of gayning many vnto Christ, which shall heereafter bee the Crowne of our reioycing; that wee shall much more comfortably trauell in the way of holinesse and righteousnesse, and in our tedious pilgrimage towards our heauenly home, when wee goe not aboue, but haue those that belong vnto vs to beare vs company, who will be ready at hand to assist vs in our iourney, to admonish vs when wee are going out of the way, to keepe vs from falling, and when we are falne, to put to their helping hand for the raising of vs vp againe, and to fight on our side against those spirituall theeues, that come to rob vs of the rich treasures of Gods graces, and the malicious enemies of our saluation, when they incounter vs in the way, that they may foyle vs in the fight, or force vs with their fury to desist from our course, and to returne backe againe into the wayes of sinne and death. Finally, that we shall, with vn∣speakeable ioy and rauishing comfort, appeare before the Lord at the lat∣ter day, when being accompanied with those (who hauing beene by God committed vnto our charge, we haue carefully gouerned and guided in the wayes of saluation) we shall resigne and re-deliuer them vnto God, to

be crowned with the same happinesse which our selues shall inioy; saying with our Sauiour, of our families, as he of his Church; Behold mee and the children which thou hast giuen me: which will infinitely more reioyce our hearts at that day, then if hauing beene Monarchs of the whole world, we should haue left it to our posterity, as an inheritance after vs.

Notes

• Col. 4. 15.
• 1. Cor. 14. 35.
• Gen. 18. 19.
• Eph. 6. 5, 6, 7, 8. Col. 3. 22, 23, 24.
• Gen. 24. 52, 56. Gen. 30. 27. & 39. 3, 22. Act. 10. 2, 7, 23.
• Ier. 10. 25.
• Heb. 2. 13.