A Childs Patrimony, Addenda
Inſert this page 48. laſt line but one.
The ſeaſon fits very well: For I ſuppoſe thee grown up, and in the ſtrength and vigourof thy Age; a ſlippery aVicina lapſibus adoleſcentia.ſeaſon, ſubject to falling; therefore never more need of the greateſt circumſpection and watchfulneſſe. Weeds, through corruption of nature, ſpring-up apace, while we are children; and if we ſuffer them now to gather ſtrength, and to take yet deeper root, they will domineere bInfelix lolium & ſteriles dominantur avenae.over the good ſeed that is ſowen in us, and choake it. Thinke now on the evill dayes, that are coming, the winter of thy life; let the Ant inſtruct thee (Prov. 6. 6.) What thou ſoweſt now, thou ſhalt reape in Age. If thou layeſt in good proviſion now (for now is the Time to ſtore up and furniſh thy inward▪ houſe) ſuch will be the benefit and comfort of it hereafter. Now ſtudy this Art of improving time, meanes, graces; Thou canſt not imagine how rich it will make thee, how the increaſe will come in upon thee (as one ſaith dA plea for age.) uſe upon uſe, in this only lawfull kinde of uſury eProfuſiſſimi i… eo, cujus unius honeſ…a avaritia, Sen. de brevi…. vitae. cap. 3.. Now put forth thy ſtrength, and pluck up thy feet, and run the race that is ſet before thee, with all thy might. And the Lord put forth His Arme, even His mightie Arme; and carry thee in His right hand, even His ſtrong and high hand fPſal. 89▪ 13., that thou mayeſt have power againſt thy enemies in thy way, for they are mightie; and without divine aſſiſtance, will over▪ power thee, for they are the enemies of thy own houſe. What they are, how mighty, how enſnaring, I ſhall now ſhew unto thee, and treate of them in thy eares as followes.
An inſertion to the ſecond part. pag. 188. line 16.
To put a full period hereunto, it will be neceſſary to take of an unjuſt imputation caſt upon Old-Age, by pleading her cauſe, and informing againſt her informers. Theſe are the precedent Ages, for thus they accuſe and deride this withered and decayed Age, telling us; It is like a weatherbeaten houſe dropping down, wherein none would dwell under ſuch Ruins.
True it is, ſuch a kinde of thing Old-Age may ſeeme to be, but ſhe retorts the blame and cauſe thereof upon her predeceſſors; it is they, who have thruſt her into ſuch a decayed houſe, and now they aggravate their fault very much, in that they blame the old-building, which themſelves have made ſo ruinous. They have been as violent winds, and ſtormes often beating upon this houſe of clay, and ſo have brought it out of reparations. Youth will pleaſe his appetite, that he will, come what will come; he will ſatisfie his youthfull deſires, though, in ſo doing, he doth exhauſt Nature, and ſpends upon the principall ſtock of life; which yet he thinks not of, for youth can beare it out, but it will fall to the Lot of the old man to want and ſmart for this profuſe aErigere durum eſt, qui cadit▪ juvenis, ſenem. A hard thing it is to make him ſtand firme in old age, that fell in youth. Quis ullam ſpe… habebit in t…, cujus primum tempus aetatis ſuerit ad omnes libidines divul gatum? who can have hope of any good in him, whoſe firſt yeers have been ſpent in all manner of luſts and luxury. Cic. ad ſenatum poſt reditum.ſpending. The Man *Nuſqu…m pejus quàm in ſa…o corpore aeger animus h…bitat. A corrupt heart dwelleth no where worſe or more dangerouſly then in an healthy Body., him I mean, who is in his foreign, the vigour and May-tide of his life; this man is as profuſe, and laviſh of his ſpirits, as the youth was, as if there would be no need of them hereafter; he puts forth his ſtrength, and doth evill things, as he can bJer. 3. 5., and when he doth ſo, then he rejoyceth cIta eſt non accepimus brevem vitam, &c. Senec. de brevit. vitae. cap. 1. &c.: Not at all conſidering, what infinite wrong he doth to the old-man his very next neigbour, for whom the man now treaſures up with both hands, paines, aches, diſeaſes, ſighes and wrath to boote: and they lye as ſealed-up in a bag, which the old-man, when he cometh, ſhall open, finde and feele both, that it is even ſo. Such diſ-ſervice theſe predeceſſours do to their Succeſſour old-Age. Therefore neither the youth, nor the man have cauſe to blame old-age; But the Old-Age hath great cauſe to complain of them. And ſo having cleared the objection, and layed the blame where it is due, I paſſe on to the ſecond period.
An inſertion to the ſecond part pag. 201, line firſt. viſitation.
It is notable, which we read, Ioſh. 2. Rahabs preſervation, her peace, and the peace of her houſe was ſecured unto her by this token, The line of ſcarlet threed bound in her window, verſ. 18. upon this now we muſt ſet our marke, which wec Jer. 11. 15. read, verſ. 21. And ſhe ſent them away and they departed: and ſhe bound the ſcarlet line in the window.
It is very notable ſure, That the diſmiſſing the men, and thea Poſtea c…mcommodum & neceſſarium viſum eſt. hanging- out the line, ſtand conjoyned in the Text; though perhaps, if Tremellius his interpretation be right, we cannot thereby conclude the preciſe …ime, when ſhe did hang it forth. But thus we conclude, for ſo we are taught; That ſhe uſed no delay, none at all, but when the time was fitting and convenient, then ſhe did it; and that might be preſently, at that inſtant, time as is ſpecified in the Text, for ought we can or may gather to the contrary. But what needed ſo much haſte? ſhe might have delayed the binding the line to the window, ſome dayes, for the Spies were not yet returned; I…ſhua was not yet upon his march; Iordan was betwixt; ſome time there muſt be in marching towards Iericho; and ſixe dayes they were compaſſing the Citie. Time enough to hang out the Threed, when ſhe heard, That the Trumpets blew, and, becauſe they were but ram's hornes, ſhe might have delayed yet longer, till the laſt day, when ſhe ſaw the walls fall down flat, and then ſhe might haſten to the window, and do that worke ſoone enough. Thus fleſh and bloud might reaſon the caſe, and very well ſatisfie a dilatory ſpirit. But it is of infinite uſe to conſider, That thus Rahab did not reaſon, but then, when ſhe ſent away the men, ſhe bound the ſcarlet line in the window. We cannot be too quick and ſpeedy in caſe of life and ſalvation. Here, delayes are dangerous, perhaps deadly. I may deferre this day and the next till my enemy be approaching and ſurpriſing me, and I finde my ſelfe falling down flat; this I may do, and yet do well. But it is very hazardous. It may, nay it is moſt likely, ſo it will be, if I ſtay till dangers have beſet me, and incompaſſed me, my feares will be ſuch, as that they will betray all my ſuccours. bWiſd. 17. 12▪And therefore ſith in this ſcarlet colour lyeth the peace, ſecuritie, ſalvation of our bodies and ſouls too, we muſt do quickly what we do, we muſt not delay in hanging forth this flag of peace. Now, now while our dayes are departing (they are ſtill paſſing away as the waters) now hang we forth this ſcarlet line at our windows, and delay not. What it implyeth is of eaſie conſtruction, and of infinite uſe.
End of the text · Hezekiah Woodward, A Childs Patrimony (1640)