A Light to Grammar and All Other Arts and Sciences, Chapter 3
CHAP. III.
Of what uſe our ſenſes are, ſpecially the leading ſenſe; how bound to improve them; how to diſcipline, and ſpiritualize them.
THe way of working hereby is when the inward ſenſes of the child are inſtructed by the outward: And the more help I have of the outward, the ſurer and firmer the inſtruction is within, that is certain.
Therefore praiſe wee God, yea all within us praiſe His holy name, that the child can ſee and heare both ſpecially that it hath, that great Organ or inſtrument of knowledge, the eare, (though the eye helpeth moſt this way, but without the eare we could doe nothing) and that open to Inſtruction. It is true, ſome there have been who have attained a great meaſure of knowledge, yet never ſaw a letter; and one there was of full age, who plucked out his eyes, and wiſhed his eare like the deafe ſtone, that he might be the more free for meditation.Heylin G…g. p. 503.
But as I ſaid before, I ſay againe; Bleſſe we God that our children ſee, and heare, and labour wee for grace, that wee may uſe and improve theſe ſo uſefull, ſo adorning faculties to the glory of the Giver. This is a main point, for too many there are, to whom theſe excellent faculties are as uſeleſſe as i… they were not at all. Nay, they are ſo far from uſing, from improving them, that they abuſe them altogether, turning them the cleane contrary way. So many members, ſo many weapons of righteouſneſſe unto holineſſe, ſo it ſhould be; but moſt ungratefull as we are! we fight againſt God with His own weapons, and grieve Him with that, wherewith He hath comforted us; we diſhonour Him with that, wherewith He hath honoured us.
If I ſhould ſay, Thoſe Talents ſpoken of in the Goſpel are our ſenſes, I ſhould All Abilities are Talents.ſay but as ſome before me; but ſo I ſay not, yet this I ſay, God hath given us theſe to traffick, and gain withall, ſo to improve by uſe of them, that there may be a good return made to his glory; for inquired it will be, What haſt thou gained? and happy we, if we are found good and faithfull ſervants; but if wicked and ſlothfull, (mark how theſe two Math. 25. 25. ver. 23. 26.ſtand conjoyned in the Text, cloſe together, never parted) then ſhall wee be (as the expreſſion is) ſilent in darkneſſe.1 Sam. 2. 9.
I ſaid well, we are now upon a maine point; Be we circumſpect, and carefull with all our care, to improve our ſenſes, for the reaſon above-ſaid; and for this which followeth.
Our method all along holds hands with our ſenſes, The extract, the Quinteſſence of all the Simples in the world, if they could be gathered, (we ſhall pick up ſome in due place) is conveyed, is dropped into the underſtanding through no other Limbeck but theſe Mark it once for all, Every Leſſon muſt (next to God) pay tribute to the ſenſes.
God hath imprinted the Veſtigia of His power, and wiſdome, of all His attributes in the glorious Workmanſhip of the world. Why now this foreign that which may be known of God, is manifeſt in us, for God hath manifeſted it unto us, by that we ſee and feel foreign. Acts 17. 27.of Him.
The chiefe work then is, To diſcipline the ſenſes, and ſith they muſt teach us, firſt to teach them. A main and prime work this is indeed, and very hard to ſublimate our ſenſes (which needed not if we intended no other but Grammaticall learning, ſuch triviall points, but wee muſt make the world his booke) to ſnuffe the light (for very dimme it is to thoſe great purpoſes it is intended for) that it may be cleared of the ſcales, or filme there; And certainly the Snuffers muſt be of gold.
Plato ſaid well, The ſoule hath broken her wings; It hath indeed, and we may ſee it ſo, by her hovering here below, though the treaſure be above. The inferiour faculties thereof have loſt much of their activity too, our nature catched a fall, like Mephiboſheth, in the cradle of our infancy, and could never outgrow it; lame we are, and dimme-ſighted too, we cannot ſee afarre off, no nor well the ſnares before us, ſo weakſighted are we. This is the comfort, The Reſtorer of all things will reſtore even this alſo. We ſhall ſee clearly; in the meane time there is an anointing, and that will do the thing; It will clear nature ſo farre, that ſhe will be able to give us ſome light in the ſearch, even after hidden things. To them our Method will neceſſarily lead us firſt. I have been too ſhort here touching the diſciplining the ſenſes; but I have prevented my ſelfe elſewhere, and I love not to make repetitions.cChilds Patrimony Chap. 7.
Thus we have ſcoured the way, and cleared the Text, for plain it is that the ſenſes are the onelyonly medium, the means, whereby to open the underſtanding, and to let in thereby, there to leave the inſtruction ſure and ſafe as under lock and key.
We will give but one note by the way, which will be of great uſe to us all along. We muſt think all our helps loſt, which doe not help us in our way to heaven; which doe not raiſe out mindes thither-ward. We have our lanthorn in our hand, it were a ſhame to ſtumble as in the dark. That is for the man.
Now we come to the child who hath his light at his fingers ends, though he thinks not ſo; and how univerſall the uſe thereof ſhall be unto him in his way to Grammar, and higher things; how delightfull alſo, we ſhall diſcerne in our paſſage anon, but we… will well obſerve the child firſt.
Wee ſhall finde him ſtill in action, here and there, and every where with his ſticke, or with his gun, or with his caſting ſtones; perhaps i… theſe be not at hand, he is blowing up a feather; I cannot reckon up his Implements: I beleeve hee is as well ſtored for the driving his pleaſant trade, as is the beſt Merchant in the Towne for his ſo gainfull: wee ſuppoſe him well ſorted with commodities, he hath his Exchange and Warehouſe too, both his boxe and his pocket. And we ſhall ſee anon, that by his dealings in the world, hee hath learned good part of his Grammar (that dull booke, as it is taught) before he came at it. But we obſerve for preſent that the child is all for action, and very earneſt therein, never quiet▪ except in motion. It is true, hee ſhould bee better imployed, but wee muſt take things as they are, and make uſe of them as we can. Wee muſt obſerve too, or elſe wee obſerve nothing; That the child is as deſiours after knowledge, very curious and enquiting that way, What is this? what is that? All is newes to him, and thereof our nature is greedy. It is as a little Ape taken up by imitation: what he ſees the Governour doe, (hee muſt take heed what hee doth) the childe will make offer to doe the like, though he hath neither ſtrength to doe it, nor knowes hee the manner how; but ſuch is his defire, hee thinks all poſſible to him, nor can you gratifie him better, nor pleaſe him more, then to ſuffer him to try his skill by putting his hand to the work, which you muſt move altogether, but hee will think he hath done the deed, and by his owne ſtrength: he muſt enjoy his conceit, and make himſelfe merry with it; all ſuch encouragement doth good Childs Patrimony P. 99.every where: for when the child finds himſelf a party in the worke, he ſpeaks of it willingly and with delight, remembers it accurately, and much good there is in all that.