1But perhaps thou wilt say, Every man cannot understand this Method, this is for Ministers, and learned men, every man is not able to play the Preacher. I Answer thee, First, There is not that ability required to this, as is to the work of public Preaching; here thy thoughts may serve the turn, but there must be also the decent Ornaments of Language, here is needful but an honest understanding heart, but there must be a good pronunciation and a voluble tongue; here if thou miss of the Method, thou mayest make up that in one piece of Application which thou hast neglected in another, but there thy failings are injurious to many, and a scandal and disgrace to the Work of God; thou knowest what will fit thy own heart, and what Arguments take best with thy own Affections, but thou art not so well acquainted with the dispositions of others. Secondly, I answer further, Every man is bound to be skilful in the Scriptures as well as Ministers: Kings and Magistrates, Deut. 17.18, 19, 20. Josh. 1.8. And the people also, Deut. 6.6, 7, 8. Do you think, if you did as is there commanded, Write it upon thy heart, lay them up in thy soul, bind them upon thy hand, and between thine eyes, meditate in them day and night; I say, if you did thus, would you not quickly understand as much as ⟨p. 754⟩this? See Psal. 1.3. Deut. 11.18.—6.6, 7. Doth not God command thee, to teach them diligently to thy children? and to talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, when thou walkest by the way, when thou lyest down, and when thou risest up? And if thou must be skilled to teach thy children, much more to teach thy self; and if thou canst talk of them to others, why not also to thine own heart? Certainly our unskilfulness and disability, both in a Methodical and lively teaching of our Families, and of our selves, is for the most part merely through our own negligence, and a sin for which we have no excuse: You that learn the skill of your Trades and Sciences, might learn this also if you were but willing and painful.
1BUt perhaps thou wilt say, Every man cannot understand this Method, this is for Ministers, and learned men, every man is not able to play the Preacher. I Answer thee, First, There is not that ability required to this, as is to the work of publike Preaching; here thy thoughts may serve the turn, but there must be also the decent Ornaments of Language, here is needful but an honest understanding heart, but there must be a good pronunciation and a voluble tongue; here if thou miss of the Method, thou maist make up that in one piece of Application which thou hast neglected in another, but there thy failings are injurious to many, and a scandal and disgrace to the Work of God; thou knowest what will fit thy own heart, and what Arguments take best with thy own Affections, but thou art not so well acquainted with the dispositions of others. Secondly, I answer further, Every man is bound to be skilful in the Scriptures as wel as Ministers: Kings and Magistrates, Deut. 17.18, 19, 20. Josh. 1.8. And the people also, Deut. 6.6, 7, 8. Do you think, if you did as is there commanded, Write it upon thy heart, lay them up in thy soul, binde them upon thy hand, and between thine eyes, meditate in them day and night; I say, if you did thus, would you not quickly understand as much as ⟨p. 754⟩this? See Psal. 1.3. Deut. 11.18.—6.6, 7. Doth not God command thee, to teach them diligently to thy children? and to talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, when thou walkest by the way, when thou lyest down, and when thou risest up? And if thou must be skilled to teach thy children, much more to teach thy self; and if thou canst talk of them to others, why not also to thine own heart? Certainly our unskilfulness and disability, both in a Methodical and lively teaching of our Families, and of our selves, is for the most part meerly through our own negligence, and a sin for which we have no excuse: You that learn the skil of your Trades and Sciences, might learn this also if you were but willing and painful.
- 1Object.
