A Light to Grammar and All Other Arts and Sciences, Chapter 1
CAP. 1.
Serving for an Introduction: The difference in children: That the ſtrongeſt are but weak; ſo are all the ſonnes of Adam; in their beſt eſtate but vanity; in their worſt, and in themſelves conſidered but vile: How neceſſary the conſideration hereof, and how conducting to our ſcope.
SOme have compared children to the Earth, their common Mother; different moulds there: All muſt be tilled, which we would have fruitfull, but notwithſtanding all our tillage, all are not alike fruitfull.
Some have compared them to flowers, ſoone up, as ſoone down; quickly flouriſhing, as quickly fading: This compariſon runs well, and inſtructeth us in our ſhort courſe; for the whole courſe of things under the Sun run from us, as upon wheeles, aforeign. James 3. 6.(then children are not behinde, nor are out of the number) and then good reaſon why we ſhould not ſet our hearts upon them.
Some have compared them to fruits of the earth, ſome early-ripe, ſome not yet, ſome yet later: every thing is good in its ſeaſon; we follow the laſt compariſon.
Some children (for their uſe this is intended) are, as Sophocles ſaid, foreign, Men-boyes, like Summer fruits, quickly ripe, commonly as quickly rotten. 2. Other ſome (they the moſt) not ſo quick for ſpeed, but more ſure for uſe. 3. Some alſo, whom we miſcall, (and miſuſe too, the more ſhould be the pity) dullards, hard-heads, &c. what not? many abuſive words, and all for that they cannot help. And yet if we could have patience (a chiefe vertue even at this point alſo) and wait their full time and growth, we may taſte them good, very good in their ſeaſon.bBloſſoms there be in children of future hopes; ripeneſſe not yet; nor tyed to one time, no more then all com is ripe for one reaping. Some be Haſtings and will on; ſome Hardings and draw back. Some, &c. Mulc. poſit. p. 19.
Looke wee over againe theſe formes or ranks of children, and obſerve them every one; we ſhall finde them all, even the quickeſt of all, like their age, weak and tender: As the Vine, very fruitfull, as the ground is, or the care about it muſt be; but muſt have a ſtrong prop, which it runneth up by, ſpreadeth it ſelfe upon, moſt lovingly embracing; take away that, you ſee where it lieth; ſuch a thing is childhood and youth both.Trem.
Shall I ſtop here? No. And Enos cMortalis infeſtus aerumnis dolo…ibuſque.alſo, he that writes himſelfe, as he thinks, a ſtrong, and well growne man; even he is but a poore, fraile, weak man dGen. 4. 26. Pſal 9. 20.; though he thinks none of all this, but is it not even thus? eAmos 2. 11.Hearken what one ſaith, and no ordinary one; Man in his beſt ſtate is but altogether vanity fPſal. 39. 5. Heare what another ſaith, an excellent Pen-man alſo; eBernard Ochinus, Preface to his 25. Ser. 2 Pet. 1. 9His wits are drowned in the body, occupied of pbanſies, weak of ſight, (he cannot ſee farre off, ſeldome farther then the preſent) ſicke and impotent through the fall of Adam, and his own ſins; dead therein. What is this man now, he that boaſteth great things? he will goe hither, and thither, and there he will doe that and this, and all this to morow. Theſe are his proud thoughts. Poore man! he may bee in good readineſſe for his grave by to morrow. And this day knowes hee not, hee can doe no not the eaſieſt thing without an influence from Him, in whoſe hands is his breath, and all his wayes. gDan. 5. 23.Nay, man muſt know more then ſo; He that hath great gifts, yet wants the great, and ſpeciall gift, is but like a ſtately Ship ready rigged, and ſet out for a Voyage, but wants a winde. I tremble rather then ſpeak, (ſaid the Greek Father hChryſ. de Spir. ſanct. Tom. 6.leſt I ſhould lanch forth into (any buſineſſe) and want the gale of the good Spirit. His compariſon is; What though my Ship bee ready fitted; Pilot good; Marriners skilfull; Cables ſtrong; Anchors firme, and faſt; all things in all readineſſe, but no breath of winde ſtirring; that fits not, it doth not blow; What uſe now of all theſe preparations? you muſt wait the winde till that be, ſtir you cannot: juſt ſo it is, though great proviſion of words, depth of underſtanding, quick invention, ready expreſſion; If all theſe, yet if the holy Spirit bee not there, Who is All, and Mat. 7. 11. Luke 11. 13.doth all in all; if the gale of this Spirit breath not, all is nothing, and to no purpoſe: ſo weake and fraile a thing is man, even when he is at the beſt.
But what is he at the worſt, in himſelfe conſidered, or as delivered over to himſelfe? I cannot well expreſſe that. Better it were, he were delivered over to the Devill, for ſo he might be for his after good, k1 Cor. 5. 5.his ſalvation; but to bee delivered over to himſelfe, to be left for ever in his own lap, this is damnation ſure, to periſh for ever. O hold Pſal. 81. 11, 12. Acts 14. 16. Rom. 1. 26.us back, Lord, from that we moſt deſire, To walk on in our own way; It tendeth ſtraight to the bottomleſſe pit. Wee cannot but run thither-ward; All our canning in good things is gone, we cannot ſerve the Lord, lJoſh. 24. 19.but we can doe wickedly as we can, mJer. 3. 5.that is, with all our might, then wee can rejoyce too; nJer. 11. 15.ſuch a thing is man left to himſelfe, to every good work reprobate. oTit. 1. 16Such a thing is man, a very carcaſſe, no life in him, (properly ſo called) for dead he is, (as wee truly call dead) p1 Tim. 5. 6. Rev. 3. 1.and ſo he hath been three dayes, yea foure, (that is all his dayes) and then we may more then ſuppoſe that hee ſtinketh, having lien ſo long in his grave. Have I ſaid too much now, either for the vilifying my ſelfe, or any other? No ſure not enough. Lord make us more vile then this, more baſe yet in our owne ſight, q2 Sam. 6. 22.even as hee whoſe reſolution it was ſo to bee, and theſe his words, r1 Sam. 24. 14 Facis quod eſt tanto Rege indignū, cum me …enuiſſimum, infimum et infirmiſſinum, &c. Jun. ibid.What is thy ſervant? What honour wilt thou have in purſuing or taking away my life? A dogge, (then fit to lie under the table, to picke the crummes there) A dead dogge? (then fitteſt for the ditch) ſo ſaid he, who was afterwards a King, precious in Gods eyes: a likely man to be ſo, and to bee raiſed high, who was ſo vile in his own eyes, ſo baſe and low there.
The voyce of the Tall men of the world (who are not raiſed to a life higher, and out of themſelves) ſounds higher, Am I a dogge r1 Sam. 17. 43.? Is thy ſervant a dogge s2 Kin. 13.? Yes, thou art a dogge, thou maiſt be ſure, though thou thinkeſt not ſo; old nature thou art, and nothing elſe; and thou art thy ſelfe ſtill, and not in another, and that will blaſpheme the Living God; It will rend and teare more then any dogge can; ſuch a thing our old nature is; ſuch is man, ſo cruell, ſo fierce, while hee walketh by himſelfe, and hath no b…ter leader. But ſo vile though he is, ſo as wee have heard and read, yet ſo he is not in his owne eye, but of great and high account there, A man of name and renowne; nay hee that is better then either of thoſe two, may bee wonderfully deceived in the thoughts of himſelfe, while hee is but himſelfe; hee may thinke himſelfe ſome great one, when he is nothing; A…s 8. 9.hee may have a name that he liveth, and is dead; hee may think himſelfe rich, and to have need of nothing, and Rev. 3. 1.know not that hee is wretched, and poore, and miſerable, and blind, and naked.aRevel. 3. 17.
But when this man ſhall be able to bottome himſelfe, to ſee clearely within (the anoynting will teach him:) when hee can diſcerne what a thing himſelfe is, what God is; Now heare him what he ſaith, Surely I am more Proverbs.brutiſh then any man, and have not the underſtanding of a man. There remained no ſtrength in me: for my comelineſſe was turned in me into corruption, Dan.and I retained no ſtrength. When I ſay, The man doth clearely ſee how vile himſelfe is, and yet …w highly exalted by David his Prince, the… heare him what he ſaith, What is 2 Sam. 9. 8.thy ſervant, that thou ſhouldſt looke upon ſuch a dead dog, as I am? Making me eate bread at thy Table alwayes, ſo accounting me thy friend? It is not my theame now to dilate upon mans weakneſſe, or wickedneſſe, or his miſery from both; when he is put in feare, when paines are upon him, when his words are fighes, & his complaints teares, then he may know himſelfe to be but a man cPſ. 9. 20., a poore fraile man, a very nothing, yea worſe then ſo, hee would count it his happineſſe he were reduced to his firſt principles and were as if hee had never beene. Thus it will be with him, when he is put in feare, when hee lyeth languiſhing, and thinks the howers over long and cannot command his breath.
O that the Lords counſell might take hold of us now in the day of our peace! Remember this, and ſhew your cEſay 46. 8.ſelves men; Bring it againe to mind, ô yee tranſgreſſors. And this is not from our ſcope, but mightily advancing the ſame. My end is the childs good, his inſtruction is at hand: Wee can make no worke therein, unleſſe wee take downe his proud heart firſt; A proud child, (that is the foole all along the ſacred Scripture) will not heare inſtruction aforeign. Naz. Ep. 10.: And ſuch naturally we are all. It is our very Mother-ſin, the firſt that putteth forth it ſelfe; (as hath been ſaid dChilds Patrimony p. 36.) our firſt care muſt be, how to keepe downe the working thereof, and to weed it out what we can. It is a ſure leſſon, the beſt that can bee taught, but the hardeſt learnt. And I thought it fitteſt to begin with it, and to ſpeake of it in the mans eares, for in the childs it had beene much of it loſt. To contract all; the ſumme, and purpoſe hereof is; we muſt looke up to God in the uſe of all meanes, whereby Iob 34.to hide pride from our eyes, elſe wee cannot hide the Law of God in the heart; inſtructions cannot find entertainment there, ſuch an oppoſite or enemy this mother-luſt is to all good. It is the valley which is fruitfull oforeign. Baſil. Iames 4. 6. 1 Pet. 5. 5. Pſal. 25. 9. Pſ. 149. 4., for there the drops ſtay. Hee giveth grace to the humble. The meeke will hee teach his way. He will beautifie them with ſalvation. They are the ſimple ones of the world, the little ones (ſo in their owne account, and ſo the world accounts of them too) who waite at Wiſdomes doore, and ſhall be remembred. And thus I thought moſt fit to dedicate my firſt entrance upon this high ſervice, in all points promoting the Child.