A Light to Grammar and All Other Arts and Sciences, Table of contents
The Contents of the firſt Part.
CHap. I. Serving for an Introduction: The difference in children: That the ſtrongeſt but weak; ſo are all the ſons of Adam; in their beſt eſtate, vanity; in their worſt and in themſelves conſidered, vile: How neceſſary the conſideration hereof, and how conducting to our ſcope.
Chap. II. How to order the childe: order muſt be kept: what danger in inverting that order: Love feeles no wearineſſe; feare tires preſently, and works unnaturally: The candle in the hand, how to walk by it. What we meane by Precognition.
Chap. III. Of what uſe our ſenſes are, ſpecially the leading ſenſe; how bound to improve them; how to diſcipline, and ſpiritualize them.
Chap. IV. Every Science hath not precognitions or preparatories making way for the more eaſie underſtanding thereof, grounded in Nature; yet Nature improved helps much towards the knowledge of God; nothing at all to the knowledge o… God in Chriſt, that high and excellent Science: Notwithſtanding we muſt not neglect the Aids, which Nature affords, though, by our fall, all our Spirituals are loſt, our Naturals weakned.
Chap. V. When to begin with the Childe in the learning of languages: the childe will help us there: The Engliſh Schoole how ill ordered; how it ſhould be: i and j with u and v to be noted: how fundamentall the Mother tongue is: what our care thereabout.
Chap. VI. Neceſſary the childe ſhould be taught to write. Objections againſt it anſwered. It helps the underſtanding very much; but as it is commonly abuſed, hurts more then it helps. The Writing-Maſter might heare a twofold leſſon, but that his eare is ſtopt; His copy doth the greateſt good, or the moſt hurt, though he thinks of none of all this.
Chap. VII. Of Grammar, the practiſe thereupon through the ſeverall parts thereof.
Chap. VIII. Of the Figures and Tropes. The childes eye, and naturall Logick, cleares all there.
Chap. IX. Rules of practiſe, declaring the Method; the tenth clearing the ſame. The fourth and ninth Rules of infinite uſe to the Catechiſt, whether Maſter in Iſrael, or Doctor there.
Chap. X. What eſteeme the Grammar hath; how little eſteeme the Grammarian. The Dignity of the underſtanding. The concluſion of the firſt, a Tanſition to the ſecond part.
The Contents of the ſecond Part.
CHap. I. The ſcope herein; the excellency of the underſtanding: preparatories thereunto: of what uſe our ſenſes are; what our care over them: to diſcourſe of Generals is to beat the winde.
Chap. II. Singulars beſt fit a childs underſtanding; how to ſupply their want. Pictures how uſeful: 'they will tell the child great matters, what the f…rme of godlineſſe, what the power; for they increaſe not, nor doe they change: In ſummer and winter, youth and age, ſtill the ſame. But where life is, there is power and growth, yet the countenance ſomtimes more cleared, ſometimes more clouded. They tell alſo, how empty a thing the forme is, if no more: it feeds the eye onelyonly, never fils the ſtomach, no more then painted bread can: of ſuch uſe are pictures, but that they may doe the child no diſſervice, (we fear not the man) we give two maine Cautions touching them.
Chap. III. To converſe in Generalities is to keep a child upon the Pinnacle; the word is familiar; what it teacheth: what alſo the deſcent there-from: where we meet with the ſtaires. the bell, and the chilled flie; mighty inſtructions from all theſe. The laſt cleares and ſweetneth alſo our way through the Church-yard by the chambers of death; ſo leading to ſingulars, and the chiefeſt of them, the Man.
Chap. IV. Mans body a curious Fabrick, but fallen much into decay, and, by all uſage, more decayes every day; yet as now it is, venerable. In what conſiderations to bee cheriſhed, and had in honour: In what caſes to be neglected and deſpiſed; after their example, who lived in the body as out of the body.aIncorp…re ſin corpore, Hier. Ep. ad Laet. & Gaud. Read our Juels life: I rejoyce that my fleſh …s worn and exhauſted in the Labon…s of my calling. His laſt words.
Chap V. The ſoule, how precious; yet how vile in Mans eſteeme while he is himſelfe: when he is changed, his judgement changeth, and then he gives us mighty leſſons, and of univerſall uſe.
Chap. VI. Two propoſitions cleared: 1. All Creatures ſerve man; Mighty Concluſions there-from: how we may ſerve our ſelves of the Creatures, and their Creator in the uſe of them. 2. Art as well as Nature ſerves man; he ſets all Trades on work, which concludes hee muſt have a Trade alſo; What that muſt be; How he may proſper in it. Sincerity makes mites to paſſe for, and to hold waight with Talents.
Chap VII. Occaſionall Inſtructions from obſervations of things within …oores, and without.
Chap. VIII. The Milſtone, a very precious ſtone; a precious inſtruction there-from. A few obſervations taken up firſt from the Creatures in our way thither, from the Toad, the Serpent, the worme, the ſtones.
Chap. IX. The Church ſacred, in reference to the great works done there: what they are. We muſt be at coſt, if we look to know them, for they are chargeable works. Joſhuahs counſell explained, cleares all this, and is of the ſame uſe unto us now, as to his people of old; To inform Maſters, and correct ſervants, that all may walk by their rule, and know their duty.
Chap. X. A childe muſt eſcape for his fault: A diſcreet Maſter that can judge there of alwayes, and correct it thereafter. Haſte makes waſte; we ſteere our right way by heaven, eEâdem …atione hant vi…ae viam quaeri opor…et, quâ in …lto iter navibus. Lact. 6. 8.wee ſee it lighten firſt before we heare it thunder. Sloth, how corrupting: The Father muſt doe his office. Diligence muſt be both in the Teacher, and the Learner. Nature teacheth ſo, but the Mid-wife beſt of all. The Maſters copy muſt be moſt exact before the child, the onelyonly way to make them both fit, the one to give, the other to receive inſtruction.