A Childs Patrimony, Dedication 3
TO THE MVCH HONOVRED WIDOW, IOANE CROKER, a Widow Indeed: and to the Right Worſhipfull her Lady-Daughter, the Lady MARY PYE.
Right worſhipfull,
THis in your hand ſpeaks to a Childe, but a Childe growne up, no Childe in underſtanding. Such are mine yet, being yet in their Childiſh yeers. So it might have ſtaied a longer Time, but I knew not how ſhort my Time might be, and I made all ſpeed, when I was upon it, to leave ſuch inſtructions as might be of uſe to them, when I could not, and to make them Legible. They ſhould have been more contracted, for ſo I intended at the firſt, but a ſheete or two, and ſo, to have ſpoken much in a Little; but ſo I could not doe, nor was it proper if I could; for then it had been of little uſe to thoſe, unto whoſe hands it is more ſpecially commended.
It had gone forth alone, without a former Part, if ſo it could have been thought entyre; But ſo it was not thought. It was ſpecially intended, but the uſe of generall concernment, not ſo particularly any ones, but that it doth concerne every one, that will reade it. It leads on a Childe through all the Stages of his life (which are implied here, ſupplied in the Firſt Part,) and through the great occurrences, we meete with therein; And, for our clearer paſſage through them all, It ſupplieth ſuch Doctrines, which I may call, as the Apoſtle doth, Strong meat, becauſe none but a Man-Childe can digeſt them.
It ſuppoſeth a Daughter rather, as there was reaſon, and ſo goeth on in that Gender, and in ſtrict proprietie of ſpeech for matter and forme both, for (both) were to be obſerved for Gender-ſake; but yet, whether ſonne or daughter, it reſpecteth both alike, for its Scope and white is, To improove the ſoule, which hath no Sex.
The margent is ſometimes (yet as ſparingly as might be) charged with a Barbarous Language: (ſuch is that to you and me, which wee underſtand not a1 Cor. 14. 11.) One reaſon was, That it might both pleaſe and profit more then one; The other, That the line might be kept free, and not a word there to hinder the underſtanding; for I conſidered ſtill all along, whom I would teach to profit, and therefore if there be any word in the line not ſo familiar in our Language, it hath alwaies a ſecond to explaine it. I have often thought of the Apoſtles words, and very obſervable they are. If ye ſpeake with Tongues to the unlearned, will they not ſay, ye are mad bverſ. 23.? Truely I affect not words, but matter; and ſuch words too, if my heart deceive me not, which may yeeld the moſt profit.
That I have Intituled this yours, there was a kinde of inforcement, which hath not alwaies good reaſon to ſtrengthen it, but yet, as it falls out, I have reaſon too. Things of this nature are not thought comely nor well addreſſed to goe abroad, unleſſe they carrie ſome perſons In front, to whom they are ſpecially Devoted, ſo here I was inforced.
And that I made choice of the Mother, and the Daughter, I had reaſon for that, which ye ſhall heare, and, how reaſonable it is, of that ye ſhall judge.
We make choice of ſuch perſons, to whom our perſonall relations are ſtrongeſt: In this then, I am ſure, I am right, and have right good reaſon.
And of thoſe alſo, whom we moſt honour. I am right here too, and by the ſame reaſon, for there are no two in the world (for theſe perſonall and particular reſpects, ſo I muſt be underſtood) whom I more honour then your ſelves; or, who have more deſerved honour, in your private and particular waies, then your ſelves have, from all that know you. And this I ſpeake clearely without the leaſt ſhew of flatterie, which I hate, as I doe that, my ſtomack moſt loatheth.
Beſides all this, there are vertues pointed at here, which claime acquaintance with you, and ſay, ye have an intereſt in them, for they are yours. When I come to the Middle-Age, you ſhall finde the Parent Adviſing about A match for the Childe, and ſo on, where ye ſhall reade theſe particulars pointed at (for though I am verie long in the whole, I am ſhort in the parts▪ pointing at things in paſſage briefly, So giving the Reader an hint for further inlargement) pointed at, I ſay, a diſcreet Parent; a vertuous Wife; a grave Matron, an honourable Age. And, in the ſhutting up of the book, a cloſing of the eie; yeelding up all into the hands of Death, which yet is to ſuch, as Ioſephs wagons, ſerving onelyonly to convey thoſe, who are ſuch, To the place of reſt, where they would be. And ſuch ye are, I think, and an intereſt ye have in thoſe vertues before mentioned, ye may lay claime to them, and call them yours, elſe I know not where to finde a vertuous woman, a True wife, a grave Matron, an honourable Age. Therefore I conclude, ſuch ye are; And that your departure out of this life will be joyfull, for ye go to the God, whoſe ye are, and whom you ſerve cActs 27. 23., the ſtrongeſt ground for comfort that ye can ſtand on.
And now that I have concluded ſo, I have excluded none from partaking with you in the ſame vertues, and reward, and wiſh that all were even ſo, and more abundant. So it puts you on to ſtrive, to improve, to grow, to increaſe. It is the Apoſtles inocuragement often, none more often, and to thoſe, who had gone verie farre, even to perfection; where note our perfection here, is our ſtrife after perfection.
And after this ye ſtrive too, as the Apoſtles wiſh was, even your perfection d2 Cor. 13. 9.. O how good and bleſſed a thing it is, to ſtirre up, to encourage one the other, the husband the wife, the wife the husband; the Parent the Childe, the Childe the Parent, &c. Let us go on to perfection eHeb. 6. 1.: ye doe, I doubt not but ye doe, ſtrive after this, ye doe labour (it is a grave word, but itf 2 Cor. 5. 9. looſeth of its weight in our Language, for it implieth ſuch paines, as a man will take to climbe up to the pinnacle of honour gSee the Book, page 9., leſſe labour will not ſerve, for we intend an higher place, ſo ye ſtrive) That ye may be accepted of the Lord, that ye may live for ever with Him. Oh, it is good to ſtrive here, and not to faint; It is for eternitie, and for a crowne laſting ſo long, and (unlike other crownes) ſtill flouriſhing, even to everlaſting. Gird up your loines; That is, put to all your ſtrength, and the Lord ſtrengthen your hands to lay hold hereon; and ſtrengthen you the more, the more feeble Age hath made you, and the nearer you are to the putting it on. Be as ye have been, and be more abundant, Eies hJob 29. 13,to the blinde, feete to the lame; that the bleſsing of them, that are ready to periſh, may come down upon you, as the Dew upon the graſſe; and your praiers may aſcend as Incenſe, coming up in remembrance before the Lord.
But above all, look to the root of all, Faith, Gods great work iJohn 6. 29.and gift; reſtore that, renew that, the fruit kSee the Book pag. 46, 47.will be, and be alwaies greene, like a Watered garden, wch doth not fear the yeer of drought lJer. 17. 8.. Quicken the Mother-grace, it will quicken you and every grace, that ye cannot be unfruitfull; ye cannot but adde one grace to another, ſo building upwards ſtil towards heaven, where we hope to ſee our Parents againe, our yoak-fellows againe, our children againe, &c. This is ſomewhat quickning; but where we ſhall ſee our Lord Chriſt againe, even as He is mJohn 3. 2.. Lord, what a joyfull viſion will this be! Thou knoweſt, we know not, nor know how to expreſſe it, for it paſſeth all underſtanding.
Be abundant therefore in the work of the Lord, in the labour of love, work of faith, patience of hope; none of this can be in vaine in the Lord. In vaine? more is underſtood then ſpoken: An Abundant recompenſe there ſhall be, preſsing down, running over.
For Temporalls, eternalls; for a ſprinkling of mercy, a weight of Glory; for reſpecting His Chriſts here, ye ſhall be ever with Chriſt and with His Chriſts hereafter; where there ſhall be All peace, (and peace is all) paſsing underſtanding; where ye ſhall ſee the glory of His Inheritance, and partake with the felicitie of His Choſen; When all the Crannies of your right precious ſoules ſhall be filled with joy unſpeakably glorious.
Our thoughts are too ſhort to reach here, much more ſhort are our words; Their ſcope is, to ſet your hope before you, and to make it precious in your eies; that in this earthly Tabernacle, ye may have your converſation in the higheſt heaven, from thence looking for a Saviour, Who ſhall change this corruptible body, to make it like to His glorious body, in that bleſſed Time, which ſhall ſcatter away all afflictions, and ſeale within you the happy aſſurance of immortalitie, therewith cloathing a weake body, and recompenſing a few ſorrowfull daies, with everlaſting peace. In which hope, ſay now and alwaies, Lord encreaſe in us our faith, and hope, that in aſſurance of Gods love, our conſciences may be at peace, and in the revelation of Gods glory, our hearts may be filled with joy in the Lord. Yee ſee now the full ſcope of my words, even to leade you to hopes on high, for they will ſend your thoughts on high, they will purge, quicken, ſtirre up, they will elevate and advance the ſoule to a wonderfull height. And now that my words have attained this end, as I hope they have, even to ſet your affections, hearts, heads, hands, all a work, (ye labour to be accepted of the Lord) my words ſhall here end alſo, ſo ſoone as I have onelyonly mentioned the Apoſtles fare-well; I commend you to God, and the word of his Gracen, and have ſubſcribed my ſelfe,
Your worſhips in a double obligation, EZEKIAS WOODVVARD.