A Light to Grammar and All Other Arts and Sciences, Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII.
The Milſtone, a very precious ſtone; a precious inſtruction therefrom.
IT ſhall not bee ſaid, that the Child hath lived in a Tub, and never was ſo farre as his Fathers Wind-mill, Thither I will carry him, from thence to Church, then I ſhall make towards a Concluſion.
If in our way now, we chance to ſee or heare a Toad, let it inſtruct us; it doth better ſervice then wee, and is leſſe poyſonfull, if wee are as we were, in our blood aEze. 22. 16., and in our owne way, the way of ſin, and death: which conſideration is enough to ſmite to the earth the wiſdome of man, and to make him all humble, and ſubject to God. The ſight thereof remember us alſo of that perſon, who being at the laſt point of time, which he had throwne away, and feeling his heart ready to breake, his eye-ſtrings alſo, then ſaid, Oh that I had beene made a Toud, even ſuch a Creature! for then I had gloriſied my Maker in ſuch a being; but I have diſhonoured him altogether, and ſo making my ſelfe vile. aSam. 3. 13., I muſt looke now to be lightly eſteemed b1 Sam. 2. 30..
If the little Worme be at our foote, it teacheth us, That ſo low the Lord bringeth even His Church, His owne people, ſo as they have bowed downe, and laid their body as the ground, or as the ſtreet to them, that went over cEſay 51. 23.. And when her eſtate is ſo low, ſhe is called Iacob, a poore Worme, one that ſaw very much evill in a few daies, but it never hurt him: therefore hee muſt not feare *Eſay 41. 14.for all that, nor doubt, but that, ſmall though he be, yet he ſhall riſe againe and be exalted, he ſhall, like a Prince, have his Charrets and Horſemen, ſo he ſhall prevaile with God, and ſhall bee called Iſrael. So much the Worme in our way may teach us. The ſtones yeeld us a good leſſon alſo; if wee looke upon them wee ſee our hearts, as face in water anſwers face. Iron will melt in the fire, ſo will braſſe, ſo will not a ſtone. Neither mercy nor miſery can melt the heart; If the premiſſes are true, then ſay what they will, the concluſion is cleare, That in point of converſion we are us dead as a doore naile. The voyce of the Sonne of God. that onelyonly makes us heare and live. And now we are come as farre as the Windmill, where, againſt all expectation, we ſhall finde a very precious ſtone, nor ſhall the Millar doubt thereof, by that time we have viewed it well. There Guilliam diſp. of Herauld. p. 136.is a ſtone, ſaith the Herauld, more precious then that wee weare upon our finger, though it be too heavy to be appendant at the eare; And this is the Milſtone: he gives good reaſon for what he ſaith, and better Scripture. The Milſtone, ſaith he, brings in many a man his living. It was noted long ago, Advanc. …. 1. 86.that Homer hath given more men their livings, then either Sylla, or Ceſar, or Auguſtus ever did, not withſtanding their great largeſſes, and donatives, and diſtributions of lands to ſo many legions: ſo wee may ſay of this ſtone, it hath done more this way then all the precious ſtones in the World; for it maintaines that precious thing, which we call life, therefore the Mil-ſtone is put for any thing that brings in a mans livelihood aQuicquid …ni…is …itam ex…e…eſſita…e …erat. lu…us. Dcut. 24. 6.. What leſſon learne we hence? for therefore came weehither. A mighty leſſon; fitter for men of more account, and higher place in the World, but for every man a very fit leſſon.
It teacheth us to beware we meddle not with that, which is a mans living, which brings him in his bread, though it ſeeme never ſo meane, and contemptible in our eyes as the Milſtone doth, ſo contemptible though it be, yet, it is dangerous to heave at it, it may prove a burdenſome ſtone: For if I take it away from the man, (wee Deut. 24. 6.know what it doth import, for it is his living) I take away his life with it alſo, that I doe. The words are expreſſe; No man ſhall take the nether, or the upper Milſtone to pledg, for he taketh life to pledge. Life is a precious thing; then ſo is that, which maintaines life. If I take away lively hood, life is taken away too. Nay it is the higheſt degree of cruelty againſt the body, that wee reade of.
I will relate a ſtory touching as bloody a perſon, as any our modern Hiſtories make mention of. D. Alva was his name. imployed by Philip the ſecond for the regaining the Low Councries to the Crown of Spain; In proſecution of which great deſigne, he ſpent as the King ſpake, or rather ſighed on his death-bed, a great treaſure, a maſſe of money, but made no other returne thereof to his great Maſter, but in Barrells, Grimſton. Hiſt. p. 413or Tuns of blood. Amongſt other his nororious, and bloody practiſes, this is ſcored up in the reddeſt letters. Hee had beſieged the town of Harlem, and ſhortly after parling with the poore people there, it was compounded, they ſhould yeeld the Town, and have their lives: The peeled people were well apaid, life is well bought at any reaſoble rate. One day paſſed, and a ſecond came, all that while they were pent up from livelihood. They call out for bread, bread, for they thought that was included in the bargaine; if life, then meanes to ſupport life; No, ſaid the Generall, yee were miſtaken, I gave you your lives, I told yee not you ſhould have bread too. This I ſay is ſcored up in red letters amidſt a thouſand more his bloody executions, but exceeding all in bloody cruelty. Indeed with our good God, life is more the food, but with man, food is more then life. It more then ſeems then, if I take away life, I am a murtherer; but if I take away the Milſtone, that is bread, I am ſuch an one, a murtherer I meane, but in an higher degree, and more notorious. Deliver us from blood, good Lord; for though life is very precious, yet to man, that which maintaines life, is yet more precious.
And now we have ſo touched this ſtone, that we finde it to be a very precious ſtone. The fineſt rubie is not to be compared to it, for God accounts it as precious as life, and man accounts it more precious; ſo we leave the Milſtone, for we have ſeene into it, and through it. We goe now towards the Church, for that is the way to make the leſſons wee have heard profitable.