Exposition of the Moral Law, Book 2 · Commandment 5 · Exercitation 5
EXERCITAT. V. Of the Parents dutie to their children. Commandement V.
Deut. 6.7. Thou ſhalt teach them diligently to thy children, &c.
PArents duty towards their children is, firſt, to inſtruct them as ſoone as they are capable, Thou ſhalt teach theſe words diligently to thy children: foreign exacues ea filiis.Veſhinnantem Lebhanecha, thou ſhalt ſharpen the inſtructions to thy children, as one would ſharpen the point of a ſtake when he driveth it into the ground. Abrahams example is to be marked. Gen. 14.14. He armed all his trained ſervants, but in the originall it is,foreign armati vel foreign. [Hhanichau] his chatechized ſervants; not onelyonly trained in the diſcipline of warre, but alſo catechized in the principles of religion.foreign Catechiſmus So Gen. 12.5. Abraham tooke all the ſoules which he had gotten in Haran, the Chaldee Paraphraſt paraphraſeth it this wayes, omnes animas quas ſubjecerat legi, all the ſoules whom hee had brought up in the law: and the Hebrews ſay, that Abraham taught the men, and Sarai the women. Gen. 33.17. And Iacob journeyed to Succoth and built him an houſe, and made booths for his cattell, therefore the name of that place is called Succoth. The Chaldees call Iacob, miniſtrum eruditionis, a teacher or inſtructor; but why call they him ſo? they allude by an anticipation ad foreign. Exod. 33.7. becauſe the tabernacle was the place where the Lord taught his people; and the Chaldees tranſlate it,foreign domus doctrine. Beth Olphana, the houſe of learning. This tabernacle was a type both of the temple, and ſynagogue, therefore they ſay, that Iacob taught his familie in this tabernacle. Philo vertit, foreign, the houſe or court of the Lord. So Exod. 31.8. Thou ſhalt ſhew it to thy ſonne in that day; and this was called nox annuntiationis, when the father taught his ſonne what every thing meant in the Paſchall Lambe, when they enquired what meaneth this bread? what meane theſe ſower herbes? &c. And the Apoſtle alludeth to this, annunciate donec venerit, ſhew the Lords death untill he come againe. 1. Cor. 11.26. So Prov. 4.1. Hearken yee children to the inſtructions of a father, and attend to knowledge and underſtanding; I was my fathers ſonne, tender and onelyonly beloved in the ſight of my mother, hee taught meal ſo and ſaid unto me, let thy heart retaine my words. Who taught me? my father David; for the word in the originall is in the maſculine gender Vajoreni, and he addeth, Let my words ſtay thine heart, foreign Simile.or uphold thine hearte the wordes are borrowed from husband men, ut agricolae ſtirpibus pedimenta apponunt, as the husband men put ſtayes to the trees which they plant: So the precepts of the fathers ſtay and uphold the children. Bethſheba uſed likewiſe to inſtruct her ſonne, Prov. 30.The mothers uſed to inſtruct the children. Which chapter is ſet downe by way of alphabet, that Salomon her child might learne her precepts with his A. B. C. And becauſe the fathers taught their children firſt, therefore this name father, was given to teachers and Doctors.The name father is given to teachers. Iudg. 18.19. That thou mayſt be a father and a Prieſt to us. So 2. Sam. 2.6.
The parents muſt inſtruct their children according to their capacity. Prov. 22.6. Hhanoch lanagnar gnal pi, foreign inſtrue vel initiare puerum ad os.teach the child according to their capacity, even as we feed children with ſuch meat as they are able to digeſt, there ſhould be ſet downe to them foreign a plaine forme of doctrine. Rom. 2.20.Children ſhould bee taught according to their capacity. and the rule of Eſay would bee followed here. Eſay. 28.10. Adde line unto line, here a little, and there a little; for as a builder ſtretche…h forth his line,Simile. and then buildeth a little; and then he ſtretcheth forth his line againe, and then he buildeth a little: ſo ſhould children peece and peece be taught.
The manner how the Iewes taught their children.The manner of the Iewes in inſtructing of their children was this, when their ſonnes were five yeares old they ſet them [Lemikkra] to the text of the law;foreign and when they were ten yeares old, they ſet them [Lemiſhna] to the text of the Talmud, and when he is thirteene yeares old then he is [Bar mitzvath] filius praecepti, & jugo legis ſubijcitur, then hee is ſubject to the law as to keepe the Paſcha, and the Sabbath, and the reſt of the ceremonies; and when he is fifteene yeare old, they ſet him [Legemara] to the explication of the text in the Talmud. foreignSo when children are five or ſixe yeares old, the parents are bound to teach them the firſt principles of religion plainely; and when they are ten years old, to teach them to read the hiſtory of the Bible; and when they are thirteene yeares old,Children ſhould bee taught by degrees. to fit them for the Sacrament; and when they are fifteene yeare old, to cauſe them to read the harder places of the ſcripture, and ſo by degrees from the leſſe to the more, to traine them up in religion. When a Gentill is turned to Iudaiſme, firſt, they aske him this queſtion, What maketh thee deſire to be circumciſed?The Iewes propound queſtions to the Gentils that embrace their religion. doeſt thou not know that the Iewes of all people are the moſt hated? and if hee anſwer and ſay, I know, then they propound to him ſome of the lighter precepts of the law of Moſes, which they call [Mitzvath calloth] precepta levia, foreign praecepta levia.as Levit. 19.9. When thou reapeſt thy harveſt, thou ſhalt not reape the corners of thy field. So that law, Ye ſhall not kill the dame ſitting upon her young ones. Deut. 22.6. Then they came ad [Mitzvath camureth] precepta gravia, foreign praecepta gravia.and they tell them more concerning the puniſhments and tranſgreſſion of the law, and they ſay, before this time thou mighteſt have ſafely eaten the fat, or the blood, or broken the Sabbath; but now when thou art entred within the covenant, if thou eate the fat, or the blood, then thou deſerveſt to be cut off from the people of God, and if thou breake the Sabbath, to bee ſtoned to death. And thou muſt know moreover, that there is a time to come, and that all good is not rewarded in this life, nor all evill puniſhed here; and thus by degrees they initiate their proſelytes, as is ſet down at large in their Talmud.
But many men do initiate and offer their children to the devill: They who offered their children to Moloch, The manner how they uſed their children who offered them to Moloch.firſt they carryed them round about the fire, and theſe were called foreign, and it was called foreign. Secondly, They cauſed their children to paſſe through the fire, 2. King. 17.17. and this was called luſtratio. And thirdly, they put them in the belly of Moloch and burnt them quick.Many parents offer their children and initiate them in the devils ſervice. So many parents firſt initiate their children to the devill when they correct them not; this is to make them runne about the fire. Secondly, when by their evill example they teach them villany, even as the young lion learneth from the old lion to catch the prey, Ezek. 19.6. thus they make them paſſe through the fire.foreign. Thirdly they not onelyonly teach them evill by their evill example, but they applaud them and allow them in their wickedneſſe, Rom. 1.32. then they put them into the armes of the devill.
There is a great neceſſity of this duty that parents inſtruct their children;The neceſſity of correcting children. for by nature we are borne blinde and ignorant, therefore parents ſhould take paines to bring their children to knowledge. The beares when they bring forth their young ones they are an evill favoured lumpe, and a maſſe without ſhape;Simile. but by continuall licking of them, they bring them to ſome ſhape and forme:By good education children are brought to ſome good faſhion. ſo thy child who is by nature the child of wrath, by continuall inſtruction and good education may be brought to ſome good forme and faſhion, that hee may ſee and underſtand the principles of religion. And as the midwifes when the child is borne,Simile. ſetteth the joints of the child right,foreign Cur dicūtur infantes palmarum apud Hebraeos. and ſwadleth him that hee be not vacius (therefore they are called gnolole tippuchim, Lament. 2.20. Infantes palmarum, not becauſe they are but a ſpan in length, but becauſe the midwife, when they are new borne, ſetteth their joints with her hands, that they may be the more ſtreight afterwards) ſo ſhould the parents teach their children when they are young,Mori in pueritia quid. and frame their minds aright: It is a great judgement Quando moritur anima in adoleſcentia, Morietur in pueritia anima ipſorum, id eſt, in ſtoliditate & inſipientia.as Iob ſpeaketh, cap. 36.14. They dye in their youth, that is, in their fooliſhneſſe, then the ſinnes of their youth lie downe in the duſt with them.
The Lord accounteth highly of this, when the parents begin to teach their children in their tender yeares, children are the ſeed-corne of the Church and commonwealth, and if they be corrupted in the family, what hope is there of them when they come to the Church, and policie: the phyſitian ſaith, that vitium primae concoctionis non corrigitur in ſecunda, the faults of the firſt digeſtion are not helped in the ſecond: ſo errours committed in youth for lacke of education, can hardly be helped in old age.
Adam the father of this life, and Chriſt the father of the life to come.When the Prophet Eſay ſpeaketh of Chriſt, he calleth him Pater futuri ſaeculi, the everlaſting father, cap. 9.6. Adam was the father of all the children of this life, and Chriſt the ſecond Adam is the father of the life to come: when they beget their children, they beget them onelyonly for this life; but when they inſtruct them, they may be called Patres futuri ſaeculi, fathers of the life to come.
When children are young they are fitteſt to be taught.The youngeſt yeares are the fitteſt yeares to teach children, Prov. 20.11. A child is knowne by his doings whether his workes be cleane and right, the boyes that mocked Elias were devoured by the beares 2. King 2.24. and the Hebrewes ſay that there are skuls of all ſiſes in Golgotha: the tree which the Lord made choice of Ier. 1.11. was the almond tree; why made hee choice of the almond tree? becauſe it bloſſometh firſt: ſo the Lord made choice of Ieremiah from his infancie;foreign. the Lord liketh children when they begin to flouriſh in their young yeares, the Lord liketh not of theſe autumnales arbores Iud. 13. which begin to bud about the latter end of harveſt; the Church ſaith omnes fructus ſervavi tibi tam veteres quam novos, Can. 7.13. it is a happy thing when both the firſt and the latter fruits are reſerved for the Lord.
Crates the Philoſopher ſaid that he would goe up to the higheſt place of the city,Many have a care to gather riches for their children, but no care to traine them up well. and cry in the audience of of all the people: O men whither goe ye? why take yee ſuch paines to ſcrape riches together for your children, and have no care to traine them up who ſhould enjoy them? And Plutarch ſaid,Simile. hee would adde but this one word, that ſuch men as theſe are very like to them who are very carefull for the ſhooe, but have no care for the foote.
Laſtly,Parents ſhould make choiſe of good maſters to their children. as parents ſhould have a care to teach their children, ſo ſhould they make choiſe of good maſters to inſtruct them; Pharaohs daughter cauſed Moſes to be brought up in all the ſciences of Egypt, Act. 7. Iehoaſh had Iehoiada for his maſter, 2. King 12.2. And wee ſe what care Theodoſius had to make choice of good maſters for his ſonnes, Arcadius and Honorius. Nicephorus lib. 3. c. 23.And what care had Constantine of a tutor to his ſonne Criſpus. Amongſt the cauſes of Iulians apoſtaſie, the hiſtory ſheweth us, that this was one; that hee had two heatheniſh maſters, who taught him, Libanius & Iamblichus, from whom he dranke in great profaneneſſe.