A41668:689
The young man's guide through the wilderness of this world to the heavenly Canaan…
The young man's guide through the wilderness of this world to the heavenly Canaan showing him how to carry himself Christian-like in the whole course of his life / by Tho. Gouge ...The young man's guide through the wilderness of this world to the heavenly Canaan shewing him how to carry himself Christian-like in the whole course of his life / by Tho. Gouge ...
London: printed by S. and B.G. for Nevil Simmons, 1676
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
A. 1. Let your houses be daily perfumed by a Morning and Evening Sacrifice of Prayer and Praise unto God. Both which were appointed under the Law, Exod. 29. 38, 39. and this shadowed what was to be performed under the Gospel. God renews his mercies to you every Morning, and protects you every night from manifold dangers whereunto you are subject: and can you be so ungrateful and unmindful of him, who is every moment so mindful of you, as not to offer up unto him a Morning and an Evening Sacrifice?
2. Let the Word of God be frequently read in your Families, which is not only the Foundation of Faith, and the Well-spring of Saving Wisdom, but also the ground of Godliness, and the Guide of Practice, able to make you wise unto Salvation, 2 Tim. 3. 15. We cry out against the Pope and Popish Clergy for locking up the Scriptures in an unknown Tongue from the Laity, not suffering them to have a Bible in their Mother-tongue: whereas many Masters amongst us deal much alike with those under their charge, who if they do not lock up the Scriptures from them, yet neither do they unlock them to them, by causing them to be read among them. Certainly did you seriously consider the benefit that might redound to your servants by a frequent hearing the Word read, you could not but be more frequent therein. Are any of them addicted to Drunkenness, Lying, or Swearing? who knows but upon hearing the threatenings in Gods Word denounced against those sins, they m•y for the •ime to come abhor and avoid ⟨p. 154⟩the same? Or are any of thy servants unprofitable, and disobedient unto thee? who knows but upon hearing the duties of servants read out of the Word of God, where they are commanded to be obedient to their Masters in all things, and to serve them not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but as the servants of Christ with singleness of heart; as