A Childs Patrimony, Title page 1 – To the reader
CHILDES PATRIMONY LAID OVT VPONUPON THE GOOD CVLTVRE OR TILLING OVER HIS WHOLE MAN.
The firſt Part, Reſpecting a Childe in his firſt and ſecond Age.
Whom thou haſt borne unto me. Ezek. 16.
In the feare of the Lord is ſtrong Confidence, and his Childr… ſhall have a place of refuge. Prov. 14. 26.
Filium pater, &c. A Parent muſt offer his Childe to th… Lord, he muſt not deferre; that as he hath b…n a means to give it a life here, he may conferre ſomething toward the obtai…ing for it a better life hereafter. Chryſolog. Serm. 10.
foreign. Nazianz. orat. 20. p. 323.
London, printed by I. Legatt. 1640.
Imprimatur
Tho. Wykes. June 28. 1639.
TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL AND MUCH HONOURED Knight, Sr. ROBERT PYE.
SIR,
ATriviall Buſineſſe hath made an Intruſion upon yours of weight: A very Schoole point (ſo in account) but worthy a very Wiſe Mans Conſideration, even yours. I need ſay little of it, it is big-enough and can ſpeake for it ſelfe. An old and ordinary ſubject it is, but newly handled, and in no ordinary way. I will ſay no more of it but this, and it is enough; It but ſeldome or never when the Elder are diſinherited.
Your hand was put forth to uphold this pillar, that was not Subſtantive enough to ſtand of himſelfe, nor had ſo much wiſdome as to cleave to a Nother; ſo, though he had your hand, yet he ſtood not, he is falne: So it muſt needs be ſooner or later with every man, who hath not a ſingle eye to that inviſible Hand, who is the Great Supporter of a Man, and onelyonly makes the houſe a Bleſsing: The low Cottage, as well as the high Throne, is eſtabliſhed by Righteouſneſſeb, it is ſpoken more then…rov. Chap. …verſ. 12. …verſ. 28. …verſ. 5. …verſ. 14. …n. 41. 32. once, nay Twice doubled, as the c Dreame, for the thing is certaine.
Since he fell we have been in our Ruines, and in them, ſome of us, having recourſe to your ſelfe, found you as ready and active as you were able; you ſaid you would doe it, and what you ſaid was done, your word was your deed. This and more, whereof none can ſpeake more then can my ſelfe, renders you honoured, I think of all, that in a faire and cleare way (elſe you will not heare of it,) have had occaſion to uſe you: And my intendment here, is but to tender my acknowledgement thereof, and you cannot be offended that I ſhew my ſelfe thankfull.
I could give you Titles of reſpect, &c. and not flatter neither, as the manner is, and as ſome doe, who feare not their Maker dJob. 32.. But what are Mans eulogies in a wiſe Mans eſteeme? Nothing: They, whom the King of Kings will honour, are honoured indeed; and they who honour Him, ſhall be ſo honoured, that's certain. You will give me leave then to leave the common way of complements, a way I could never comply with, and to be your Remembrancer in two things; they are very grave and weighty both.
1. God hath given you a rich portion in things below; It is a point of your excellent wiſdome, not to think theſe The portion (It was, and is the Righteous Mans Sinne eHe received his good things not as he ſhould, as a pledge of Gods further favour, but as a full and compleate reward: as a propriatory not as a Steward and an Accountant: he accounted his life as his, and as if there had been no other; Biſh. Andr. pag. 316.) either during or ſatisfying: not During; of ſuch portions it will be ſaid, as once it was, In the Time-paſt, Thou had'ſt them; pleaſures, profits, honours; They were, now they are not; And when they were, and thou had'ſt them, They were not ſatisfying; They filled, They wearied thee, They did not ſatisfie, no more then the Eaſt winde doth ſatisfie an hungry ſtomack. There are three markes upon the Rich-mans folly, which makes it very remarkable.
1. He ſaid to his ſoule, Thou haſt much goods; That was a great miſtake; They were the goods of the Body, not of the ſoule: Barnes full, and Coffers full, and yet the ſoule not the fuller, not the richer; perhaps the poorer, the leaner; The more emptineſſe, the more of that fulneſſe.
2. Laid up for many yeers; A cleere miſtake that too; for, that Night, the ſoule was pluckt away. But grant a continuance for many yeers, a thouſand twice told; yet an end comes at laſt; They muſt be eternall good-things, which an eternall ſoule can reliſh and enjoy, being ſutable and proportionable thereunto.
3. Take thy eaſe; That was a third deceit exceeding all; for ſuppoſe, The ſoule continue with the Body, and the Body with the Goods: Soule with Body; Body with Goods, wife, children, riches, health, honours, all continued together, there were no parting: ſuppoſe it ſo; yet we know, for ſo we read, that the Mountaine (it contains all the fore-mentioned) may be ſtrong, yet the Man weake upon it; The Mountaine may continue, yet the Man may be troubled; It was Davids caſe: All is in Gods face towards us: if that ſhine upon a Man, all is well and Lightſome; if that be clouded or hid, all is nothing; The Man will be troubled. God can, without Taking the ſoule away, or goods away, He can put the Spirit of a Man into ſuch a condition of darkneſſe, as that all thoſe comforts ſhall be to a Man, but as the white of an egge, no more reliſhing. As there be joyes the world gives not; ſo are there afflictions, the world inflicts not, ſaith a Learned Divine fMr. G. Childe of Light. 6.. There is a breaking of the bones, whereof David complained, when there is not a bone in the body out of joynt: The ſoule may be broke with ſorrows, vvhen there is a confluence of vvorldly comforts round about us. And this requires our Marke for mighty reaſons: for it is as difficult a thing to goe-out of our ſelves to God aalone for comfort; as to goe-out of our ſelves to Chriſt alone for Righteouſnes. The Rich-mans Tower is as ſtrong now as ever it was, in his conceit g… Prov. 18. 11., and he is as firmely bottomed upon his Mountain; and he ſpeaks as confidently now to his ſoule, Take Thy Eaſe, as ever he did; for though the Hiſtory be old, the practice is new. But this is our wiſedome, and for this we ſhall be counted underſtanding Men, if looking for eaſe and Comfort, we look up to God with a ſingle eye and truſt perfectly on Him; for enquire from one end of the heaven to the other: Aske of the Barnes and Winepreſſes, they are the fulleſt and fatteſt places under the Sunne, aske them or any Creature elſe, whether they can give eaſe to the ſoule? They will anſwer, no, it is not in them: though yet they can contribute a great deale, But then the light of Gods countenance muſt ſhine through them, if not, they contribute Nothing; That He may be known and acknowledged to be the God of all comfort and the Father, not of ſome, but of all conſolations. What ever outward comforts we have, the comfort of our ſpirits is from God. So then we are driven to this concluſion; God onelyonly makes the ſoule to Reſt, and gives it eaſe; and that is never, till He deales bountifully with it hPſal. 117. 7., till He ſatisfies it with Himſelfe a ſutable and proportionable-good both During and Satisfying.
The ſoule is ſcattered and loſt, when it is parcelled-out to variety of things: It cannot fixe now, It doth but roule like a Ship at Anchor in a Tempeſt; It muſt be brought to the Vnity of one Deſire and one love; Till then, it will be as unſtable as the water; as reſtleſſe as a Meteor, ſtill toſſed, and in doubtfull ſuſpence: So Truth it ſelfe Aſſureth by that very Metaphor iforeign. Luk. 12. 29. Pſal. 9. 112.. But, ô the peace, the ſecuritie of that perſon, whoſe heart is fixed truſting in the Lord! he hath left Ciſterns, Creature-comforts, and is gone to the Fountaine, where he ſhall be ſatisfied; he is got to the Rock of his ſalvation, where is an abiding; and now he ſhall ſtand fixed and firme upon his foundation, like the Rock, againſt which the raging waves may beat, but ſhall be broken; Nay, more fixed is he then ſo, faſter he ſtands then the hills or mountaines, yet, becauſe of their ſetled ſtanding, are they called perpetuall hills, everlaſting Mountaines k…b. 3. 6.. So fixed is this perſon; and it muſt needs be ſo, for he findes underneath the everlaſting Armes lDeut. 33 27..
I know, I have tranſgreſſed my Rule at this point, for I have been too long upon it; Yet I pray you, doe not think ſo, becauſe it is an high point, and I ſhould ſay yet more unto it, becauſe it is ſo high, and of ſuch mightie concernment; for this is it which, being well obſerved, will hold-up a mans Spirits, when the body muſt fall aſunder from it ſelfe; and make the heart rejoyce, when the eie-ſtrings muſt break: But I conſider your perſon and place, therefore I wil winde up all and your thoughts together in one word, which you often meet with; I will onelyonly annex Selah here, a word, which ſounds high and gives an elevation to the minde anſwerable to the matter; ſo your thoughts are raiſed now, reaching after good-things, which ſhall endure as long, as Eternitie is long, for ever; And this is to be Truely exalted; This, in a True ſenſe, to be highminded.
II. God hath given you a Name upon earth: He hath given you to know too (and you bleſſe His Name for it) that herein is the leaſt degree of your glorie. A Name upon earth is nothing, though it ſhould endure while the earth endures; Nothing that, to eternity, after which the ſoule is Biaſed.
You may reade of one, who had a Crown ſet upon his head, conſiſting of many Crowns, for he was an Emperour mAug. de Civ. de…i lib 5. 26., yet he would not make that the Crowne of his rejoycing; but this was it, That the Name of Chriſt was called upon him; that he accounted his honour. An honour indeed, which reacheth from earth to heaven, there to be perpetuated; and ſuch honour have all His Saints. And this Name you account your chiefe honour alſo, for it is called upon you; And you muſt count it your chiefe work too: For I muſt tell you this with it, and then I have told you all; It is the hardeſt thing in the world, To be a Chriſtian indeed, and Indeed to anſwer that Name, for it is an hard thing for ſelfe to crucifie ſelfe; To offer a holy violence to ones ſelfe, even to the plucking out, or cutting off that, which is moſt pleaſing to Nature: yet ſo we muſt doe (ſaith one nforeign, &c. Cl…m. Alex. Stro. li. 7. pag. 500.) if we wil be Chriſtians Indeed: And we muſt believe him, for he aſſureth us ſo, from the mouth of Truth it ſelfe, The violent take it by force. We muſt labour here, if we look to reſt hereafter; if any think other wiſe, he is deceived: We cannot think to goe-in at a narrow gate, and finde no ſtraitneſſe. A harder matter it is to tread the way of vertue, then to keep a narrow path in the darkeſt night oBook of providence. chap. 4. 5. foreign, &c. The fleſh muſt not live now that it may live hereafter: It muſt die now, that it may not die. Chryſ. on Rom. 8. Hom. 13.. Theſe are Chryſoſtomes words engliſhed, and they make cleare demonſtration, That, though it be a matter of eaſe and no labour to be a Chriſtian In Name; yet it is a point of difficultie requiring labour and ſtrife both, to be ſuch an one Indeed. Herein then is your ſtrife, and work (wherein you will be Abundant, becauſe of the Abundant reward) to anſwer this worthy Name worthily; And I pray heartily to the God of power to lead you by the hand, and ſtrengthen you in the work, for it is a Mighty work; But if He put forth His hand, and your eye be upon the recompence of reward, you will breake through all difficulties (as is ſaid of Abraham pChryſ. upon Gen. Chap. 12. Hom. 31.) like Spiders web's: for you are called, not, as was he, from one Land to another, but from earth to heaven, yet he plucked up his feet and ſo ranne: That you may doe ſo, even ſo runne, that you may obtaine the end of your race, your Crown, is the prayer of him, whom you have engaged, St. to print my ſelfe
Your much obleiged kinſman: EZEKIAS WOODVVARD.
To the Reader.
THis Treatiſe tendeth to the erecting of faire Edifices to the Lord, which are the children of children of men. The Author ſheweth himſelf herein, a skilfull builder: in that he firſt layeth a ſure, ſolid foundation, and then reareth thereupon his goodly edifice. This the Lord Himſelfe noted to be the part of a prudent builder (Luk. 6. verſ. 48.) He wiſely ſheweth, when, and by whom eſpecially, this foundation is to be laid, even by Parents ſo ſoone as their children attaine any competent capacitie. Young and tender yeares are flexible, and may eaſily be bowed this way, or that way. They are like a—Argillâ quidvis imitaberis udâ. Hor.the moiſt potters clay, which may readily be faſhioned into any ſhape: and like ſoft waxe, which ſoone receives any print; Nor ſo only, but alſo long retains what it firſt receiveth: like bQuo ſemel est imbuta recens ſervabit odorem Teſta diu▪ Idem.a veſſell, which long holds the ſavour which it firſt tooke while it was new. Old men are ſaid to remember in their elder yeares, what they learned in their younger. I ſhall not need to preſſe this further, it being ſo plentifully and pithily preſſed by the Author himſelf, who layes his foundation very deep, even in the mothers wombe: and goeth along from infancy to childhood, thence to youth, and ſo on, till he bring his childe to a growne, yea, an old man, full of dayes, going to the grave in a full age; like as a ſheafe of corne cometh in, in his ſeaſon cJob 9. 26..
In every eſtate and degree of theſe Ages, even from the wombe to the grave, he preſcribeth pertinent and profitable directions, not to children only, but alſo to Parents, Guardians, Schoole-maſters, Tutors, Governours of all ſorts of Societies, yea, and to Miniſters too, whom he fitly ſtyleth, Inſtructo…s of Inſtructors. So full he is, as he hath paſſed nothing over in this long journey without a due obſervation, whether it concerns the mothers care of the childe in her wombe, or after in the infancy, or both Parents care about a new birth, or initiating it in pietie, good manners, good literature at home, at ſchoole, at Vniverſity, or any other good Seminary; Yea alſo about calling, marriage, carryage to Parents, to their ſuperiours, equalls, and inferiours, in all ages, times, and places. This is that faire Edifice, whereof intimation was made before: fairer then the Edifices which have formerly been erected by Xenophon in his dforeign.Inſtitution of Cyrus; by Plutarch in his Treatiſe eforeign.of training up children; by Clemens Alexandrinus in his fforeign.Inſtructour of children; by Hierome, in his Epiſtle to Laeta concerning the gDe inſtitutune fi…iae.educating of her daughter; by Eraſmus, in his Diſcourſe hDe pueris ſlatim & libe…aliter inſtituendis.of timely and liberall training up of children, or by others in like Treatiſes.
This Author hath more punctually and pertinently, handled all kinde of duties from ones firſt entrance into this world, to his going out thereof, then any of the fore-named Authors, or any other that have written of the like ſubject. Such varietie of matter is here couched, as it will prove uſefull to all of all ſorts, that will reade and heed it. The Lord give a bleſſing to this and all other like labours of his faithfull ſervants.
Amen. William Gouge.