A Childs Patrimony, Table of contents 1 – Part 1
THE CONTENTS OF THE BOOK.
CHAP. I. WHat the Parents dutie; when it begins; Gods gracious work upon the Childe, framing it in the wombe, and giving it its due proportion of parts; what thanks therefore, pag. 1. 2. How Sinne defaceth Gods Image; How repaired. Of Baptiſme and the ſolemnitie thereof; The Mother, the Nurſe, to pag. 4. The Mother is moſt imployed about the head of the Childe (my head, my head, ſaith the Childe; carry him to the Mother, ſaith the Father, 2 Kings 4. 19.) The Mother is charged with the head, Father and Mother both with the heart, and this work is for the cloſlet: pag. 4. What Infancy is: called an Innocent Age, but miſcalled. Something may be done even then for the rectifying the Childes body, and his heart too. Grave conſiderations preſſing to that Dutie, from pag. 5. to pag. 9.
CHAP. II. CHild-hood and youth; how they differ; wherein they agree; unhappy Ages both. The period of this Age; not eaſily defined: The Parent makes it longer or ſhorter, as their care is more or leſſe, pag. 10. Parents not diſcharged in point of care, when they have charged the Schoole with their childe; how vain that thought, pag. 12. How prepoſterous the Parents care; How much Father and Mother both, do croſſe their own ends. What a point of wiſdome it is, well to Time our beginnings. When the Seed-Time, what their imployment there, to pag. 15.
CHAP. III. A Two-fold imployment, which lyeth in the order of Nature and right reaſon: Lets hindring this twofold dutie, two; fondneſſe, fierceneſſe; extreames, yet ordinarily in one and the ſame Parent. I. Of fondneſſe, what cauſeth it; Youth more profitable, Child-hood more delightfull *Fructuoſio… eſt adoleſcentia liberorum, ſed Infantia dulcior. Sen. epiſt. 9.. What hurt fondneſſe doth. The Divels murthering engine, to pag. 18. Foure mightie conſiderations to fortifie us againſt it, from pag. 19. to pag. 22. Three examples evidencing how deſtroying it is, to pag. 24. Repeated, concluded in Mr. Boltons words, with ſome uſe of the whole to all Parents, to page 26. II. Fierceneſſe, whoſe fruit it is, and how much it hinders, to pag. 27. It helps not to unroot evill, but rather roots it more in: to pag. 29. It hinders much the Implanting of good: to pag. 30. Conſiderations, which may help to calme a Parent, when in heat of ſpirit he is about to unroot evill, are three, very worth his conſideration, to pag. 33. Conſiderations, which may arreſt a Parents hand, when he is about the implanting of good, are foure, which, being conſidered, will command an anſwerable practiſe: to pag. 35.
CHAP. IIII. OVr nature like a ſoyle fruitfull of weeds, what they are, and how unrooted. 1. Pride, the heart-ſtring of corruption: Chryſoſtomes note upon it, how cheriſhed; how the contrary grace may, and ought to be inſtilled, to pag. 38. 2. Frowardneſſe, a ſpice of the former; The Parents dutie here; how the contrary grace may be inforced, to pag. 40. 3. The way of lying; and the way the Parent muſt take to prevent the courſe of it; a great work, if it may be done; if not, the Childe is fit for no ſocietie, to pag. 41. 4. Idleneſſe, how corrupting and provoking. Labour, how naturall to a man, how he is provoked thereunto, to pag. 43. 5. A badMalignus comes quamvis candido & ſimplici rubiginem ſuam ſuam affricuit. Sen. epiſt. 7. companion, how infectious and corrupting, he will defile the beſt and moſt candid nature, with his foule example, pag. 44. 6. The evill of the Tongue, prevented by teaching the Childe ſilence, and this the Parent muſt teach himſelf, and his Childe under five notions; The briefe of that, which concernes the Childes Inſtruction, is; while it is a Childe, let its words be anſwers. Nature teacheth much at this point, and they more, who walked by an higher light, pag. 47. 7. An oath; a word cloathed with death in a Childes mouth; the Parent, as in all, ſo here, very exemplary; yea, yea; nay, nay; The Friers note upon thoſe words. No more muſt be heard from a Childe, pag. 48. 8. The Childe muſt be taught, what weight there is in thoſe words, yea, yea, &c. A good hint there-from, to teach the Childe to abhorre that religion, which gives no weight to words, nor oathes neither, pag. 51.
9, 10, 11, 12. Nick-names and abuſes that way, are ordinary with Children, and a fruit of corrupt nature: ſo quarrelling, uncovering their nakedneſſe, mocking, ſcorning the meaner ſort, Great evills to be corrected, and prevented in Children betimes; a notable example to preſſe us thereunto, to uſe our Inferiours kindely, to pag. 53.
13. Curſing; a great evill, ſo imprecations againſt our ſelves. Foure great examples full of inſtructions, who ſpake raſhly, and were payed home, in that they ſpake, to pag. 57. 14. As Childrens Tongues muſt be watched over, for the Tongue is a world of wickedneſſe, ſo muſt their hands; They will ſpill more then they eate, how to teach Children to prize the good creatures, pag. 59. 15. Children delight in the pain and vexation of thoſe weake creatures, that are in their power; A great evill to be looked unto and prevented betimes, conſidering our natures what they are, page 61. 16. Nature fruitfull of evills, more then can be pointed at or prevented: but that is the true and genuine order of nature, to prevent the evills thereof firſt, pag. 62. 17. Teaching by examples, the beſt way of teaching and the ſhorteſt; they make the deepeſt impreſſion, pag. 64.
CHAP. V. THe implanting of good, the order therein, The foure ſeaſons in the day ſeaſonable therefore. 1. How uncomfortable darkneſſe is, how comfortable the light; A notable leſſon there-from: wherein our light, and the true light differ, to pag. 67. The Sun knoweth his appointed Time, what that teacheth; The Sun is glorious in his riſing and refreſheth, how that inſtructeth, pag. 68. Sin and ſorrow will ſowre the ſweeteſt earthly Bleſſings; where the root of our comfort, pag. 69. The Sun a publique ſervant, teacheth man ſo to be, even to ſerve his brother in Love; and to ſhew to him the kindneſſe of the Lord; what the Idol of the world; what makes man an abomination, from pag. 69. to pag. 71. The Morning the firſt fruits of the day; our ſeaſon; what a Mercy to have it, but a greater to take it; what our firſt work, and with whom; what our engagements to ſet about it; what may be inſtilled by continuall dropping, from pag. 71. to pag. 77.
CHAP. VI. VVE eat bread at Noon; What that implieth; how fraile our bodies; what our uſe therefrom. pag. 78. Our right to the Creatures, how loſt; how regained. pag. 79. In eating we muſt uſe abſtinence: Intemperance how provoking to God; how hurtfull to man, and unbeſeeming the Lord of the Creatures to pag. 81. When the fitteſt ſeaſon to teach and learn abſtinence; how neceſſary a grace, ſpecially in theſe times, when ſo much wrath is threatned. What uſe a Parent muſt make hereof to Children. Their leſſon before and at the table, to pag. 85. When we have eaten, we muſt remember to return Thanks; The threefold voice of the Creatures; what the Taxation or Impoſt ſet upon every Creature. If we withhold that homage we forfeit the bleſſing. The memorable words of Clemens Alexandrinus. A ſtrange puniſhment upon one, who ſeldome or never returned thanks, ſo concluded pag. 90.
CHAP. VII. THe Method in reading the Book of the Creatures. Foure Objections, with their Anſwers out of the Lord Verulam, to pag. 93. How to reade the Book of the Creatures. Extreames corrected and accorded. Two primitive Trades. An Apocrypha Scripture opened and made uſefull, to pag. 97: How to teach the Childe to ſpell the Book of Nature. What is the compendious way of Teaching, to pag. 100.
Eſſayes or Lectures upon the creatures, beginning at the Foot-ſtool. Three enquiries touching the earth: 1. What form or figure: 2. Whence its dependance: 3. What its magnitude. Inſtructions therefrom, very grave and uſefull all, from pag. 100, to pag. 107. A view of the Creatures: In their variety, delightfull and uſefull. Two Creatures onelyonly inſtanced in; From a little Creature a great inſtruction. What a mercy to be at peace with the ſtones and creeping things. From pag. 107. to pag. 114.
The Waters; their Surface, barres, or bound; Their weight; II.The Creatures therein; the ſhip thereupon: Great leſſons from all; from pag. 114. to pag. 122. repeated, and mans ingratitude convinced. 123.
The Aire. The wayes and operations thereof, admirable.III. Whence changed and altered for mans uſe, ſometimes for his puniſhment. The windes; Their circuit; Their wombe, to pag. 125. The winged Creatures; Their proviſion, and dependance, greatly inſtructing man and reproving his diſtruſt, to pag. 126. The Clouds, the ballancing of them; The binding the waters within them; The making a courſe for the Rain out of them; All theſe three, the works of Him that is wonderfull in working, to pag. 127. Of Lightning, But the Thunder of His power, who can underſtand? Job 26. 14.The Snow and the Haile, and where their Treaſure, to pag. 128.
The wonderfull height of the ſtarrie Heaven. Of the Firmament, IIII. Pſal. 150.Why ſo called; and why, the Firmament of His power. The eye a curious Fabrick, of admirable quickneſſe. How excellent the eye of the ſoul, when cleared with the True eye-ſalve. The heavens outſide ſheweth what glory is within. Chryſoſtomes uſe thereof, and complaint thereupon, to pag. 134. Of the Sunne; Why I deſcend again to that Creature. Three things in that great Light require our Mark. Grave and weighty leſſons from all three. Concluded in Mr Dearings and Baſils words to pag. 144.
CHAP. VIII. THE Day and Night have their courſe here; But afterIIII. this life ended, it will be alwayes Day or alwayes Night. A great Inſtruction herefrom, to pag. 147. Our ſenſes are ſoon cloyed. We are pleaſed with changes. What Darkneſſe is. The uſe thereof. A little candle ſupplies the want of the Sun. How that inſtructeth. How we are engaged to lie down with thoughts of God, to pag. 153.
CHAP. IX. A Great neglect in point of education. Mr Calvines, Mr Aſchams, Mr Perkins, and Charrons complaint thereof. The ground of that neglect, to pag. 156. The Parent muſt fix upon two concluſions: Of the School. Whether the Childe be taught beſt abroad or at home, 157. The choice of the Maſter. Parents neglect therein. The Maſters charge, 159. His work, His worth, if anſwerable to his charge, to pag. 160. The Method or way the Maſter muſt take. How prepoſterous ours. Who have appeared in that way, to pag. 164. The School muſt perform its work througly. The childes ſeed-time muſt be improved to the utmoſt, before he be promoted to an higher place. The danger of ſending Children abroad too ſoon. When Parent and Maſter have promoted the Childe to the utmoſt, then may the Parent diſpoſe of the Childe for afterwards, to pag. 165.
CHAP. X. OF Callings. Some more honourable, as are the head or eye in the body; But not of more honour then burden and ſervice. Elegantly preſſed by a Spaniſh Divine: and in Sarpedons words to Glaucus, to pag. 169. The end and uſe of all Callings, pag. 171. Touching the choice of Callings. How to judge of their lawfulneſſe. To engage our faithfulneſſe. No excuſe therefrom, for the neglect of that one thing neceſſary. Our abiding in our Callings, and doing the works thereof. How Nature teacheth therein. The deſigning a Childe to a Calling. Parents too early and prepoſterous therein, 177. Parents may aime at the beſt and moſt honourable calling (The Miniſterie, a ponderous work, 178) But he muſt pitch upon the fitteſt. In the choice thereof the Parent muſt follow Nature, and look-up to God.