Of the Childs Portion, Preface 2

Of the Childs Portion · Preface 2

p. 1THE PREFACE; PREPARING THE EARE OF him, or her, who is a Childe in underſtanding.

My deare Childe,

HItherto thou haſt been an hearer onelyonly, growing up as my papers fill'd; and as an acceſſion of yeers, through Gods goodneſſe, gave ſome addition to thy growth and capacitie, ſo did I to the ſtrength & weight of my Inſtructions. I ſuppoſe thee now growne up, and thy knowledge anſwerable to thy yeers; for, though a Childe is made a patterne, yet we muſt not be like it in underſtanding. When we were Children, we did, and we ſpake as children, and all was comely; but when we out-grew Childe-hood, we out-grew Childiſhneſſe aaforeign. Clem. Alex: Strom. p. 51.. We had need of Milke and not of Strong Meate, for we were as Babes, unskilfull in the Word of Righteouſneſſe; but now our ſtature is increaſed, it were a ſname that we ſhould be Dwarfes in the Inward man, the man indeed. They can have no Apologie or excuſe for themſelves, p. 2who are growne up to full yeers, yet have a Childes underſtanding bbforeign. Chryſoſt. Tom. 4. quod nemo laedit, &c.. I ſuppoſe thee then of full Age, even ſuch an one, as I would have thee, "who, by reaſon of uſe, haſt thy Senſes exerciſed to diſcerne both good and evill ccHeb. 5. 13. 14.Heb 5:13Heb 5:14:

Childehood and youth are the Parents ſeedtime, when they muſt look to their dutie; The after-Age is the ſeaſon of fruit, when Parents expect an harveſt of their paines: Children then muſt look to their dutie, that Parent and Childe may rejoyce together.

But alas! how many Parents are deceived here? even they, who have not neglected their ſeedetime. They think upon the Inſtructions they have given; the Intreaties they have uſed, (what my ſon, and the ſonne of my wombe, and what the ſonne of my vowes ddProv. 3 l. 2.Prov 3?) Theſe they think on, but how many are quite loſt, how few or none take! what may make for eaſe and delight, that Children learne quickly; "ſo will the Horſe, the Mule, the Aſſe, and the Oxe; put any of theſe to the Wheele, they will quickly finde out the number of their Rounds, and never after can be deceived in their Account eeCharron of wiſdome.. This is nature ſtill, and her field is fruitfull.

But, no Earth there is, that requires more labour, and is longer before it yeelds fruit, then Mans nature; ſo decaied and wilde it is growne, and ſo rightly compared to the Sluggards field, as the perſon is to a Colt, an Aſſe-Colt, a wilde Aſſe-Colt.

The Philoſopher reaſons this caſe very pithily ffPlut. de amore prolis. pag. 157.; p. 3"He that plants a Vineyard, quickly eates the Grape; So in other graines; ſome few Moneths bring them to our hands againe, and the fruite of our labours to our Eie and Taſte: Oxen, Horſes, Sheepe, &c. they quickly ſerve for our uſe, and much ſervice they doe in Lieu and recompenſe for a little coſt. But Mans education is full of labour and coſt; The increaſe is ſlow, the fruite and comfort farre off, not within Eieſhot; perhaps the Parent may kenne this comfort, perhaps he may live to ſee it, and to rejoyce: perhaps alſo, he may diſcerne little hope; he may live to heare of the miſcarriage of his Childe, and ſee that, which, like a back winde, will put him onwards towards the pit, haſtening him with ſorrow to the grave.

But In hope the Parent muſt doe his dutie; herein alſo like the husbandman, whoſe worke is never ended; ſomething he findes ſtill, that requires his eie, and muſt command his hand: or like the Painter, who cannot withdraw the hand from the table, before he ſees his work fully perfected. But herein the Parent and the Painter are very like; "In all his pictures (ſaith Pliny) more is to be underſtood then is expreſſed; although the skill be great, yet there is alwaies more in the mindeIn omnibus ejus operibus intelligitur plus ſemper quàm pingitur: & cum Ars ſumme ſit, Ingenium tam…n ultra Artem eſt. Pliny. l. 35. 10. of the Workman, then the penſill could expreſſe to the eie of the beholder. His Ingeny, or Idea, the proportion he hath framed in his mind is beyond his Art. It is ſo with a Parent; his care may be great, and his skill ſomewhat, and the Childe may obſerve both, and much of both; But the p. 4Childe muſt underſtand more then it can ſee, and yet underſtand it cannot the yearning of the Spirit, the turnings of the bowels, the deſire of the heart towards the Childe: It is the Parent, he and ſhe onelyonly, who know the Heart of a Parent. And this, (as one ſpeaks very feelingly hhChryſolog. de Arch…ſy. Serm 33. foreign. Hec. to her ſon Hector. Hom. Iliad. 22. p. 814.) "Should work very much with the Childe, what Care and Coſt, and Labour, and Feare, he hath put his Parents too. But alas! Children conſider it not, for if ſo, they would give all diligence, to render back their ſo due ſervice. But if all this work not upon the Childe, it ſhould work upon the Parent very much, To conſider, What a barren wild nature his Childe hath taken from him; Barren to every ſeed of Inſtruction; and, which is the griefe, but not the wonder, the more precious the ſeed is, the more barren the nature▪ is unto it, the more hard to receive it. And yet, if this precious ſeed be not received, and the nature of the ſoyle changed by it, Man will ſinke lower into miſery then a Beaſt can. And in ordinary matters here, a Beaſt may as farre exceed him, as he thinks he exceeds a Beaſt. Take a man in his pure Naturalls, and we finde it ordinary, That a Beaſt exceeds him; which might be further exemplified. For many have written very uſefully thereof, I will take that, which I know is of moſt uſe, and this it is;

Defects of Reaſon in Beaſts is ſupplyed with exquiſitueſſe of ſenſe, ſaith Baſil iiHex. hom. 9. pag. 100.. "Nay, there is ſomething more then ſenſe in Beaſts, and then vegitation in Plants, ſaith he in the ſame place: And ſo ſaith the learned Geographer kkII. Book. cap. 4. ſect. 6. pag. 229.in his Hiſtory of p. 5the world. "It is not ſenſe alone, which teacheth beaſts at firſt ſight, and without experience or inſtruction to flye from the enemies of their Lives: Seeing that Bulls and Horſes appeare to the ſenſe more fearefull and terrible, then the leaſt kinde of Dogs; And yet the Hare and Deere feedeth by the one, and flyeth from the other, yea though by them never ſeene before, and that as ſoone as they fall from their Dam's, &c.

The truth is, and there is great uſe of it, (for it tells us what a blow or wound we received by our fall) Beaſts have many excellencies, and much perfection of outward ſenſe; And (which is of uſe indeed, to hide pride from our eyes) they can make good improvement thereof for their ſafetie, and, ſome of them, for their Lords-ſervice. Only man, in his pure naturalls, is herein below the beaſts; as brutiſh as the Swine llforeign, &c. Clem. Alex. Protrep p. 44. Fiſhes cannot be tamed nor taught. Baſel▪ Hex. Hom. 7., which is the moſt brutiſh creature: As unteachable as a fiſh; and that is a creature, which you can neither tame nor teach.

But now to inſtance in a creature moſt familiar with us, and of the very loweſt ranke, A Dogge. And not to ſpeake of his logick, which they ſay, he hath, and the Huntſ-man diſcernes that ſo it is; This we muſt note, becauſe it is ſo uſefully noted to our hands. A Dog will follow mmS…e Hiſt. of the World. 1 Book. cap. 11. ſect. 6. Lege Lipſium. Cent. 3. Ad. Bel. epi 56. &c. Cent 1 epiſt. 44. Cic. lib. 2. de natura deor. paper. 323. & Scal. exerci. 202. 6.his maſters foot; he will keep of the theife, and the murtherer; he will defend his maſter if he be ſtrong enough; if not, and his maſter be ſlain (for ſo we reade it hath faln out) he will ſtay by the carkaſſe till he pine away with hunger; or he will purſue p. 6the man of bloud, and ſingle him forth, as if he would tell the beholders, That is the man that kill'd my maſter. All this a Dog will do, and more then this (though this is moſt ſtrange) as experience hath told us. And why all this? why? becauſe he hath received a dry-bone from his maſters hand, and, ſometimes, a bit of bread: Therefore will this Dog put forth his ſtrength to the utmoſt, in way of requitall, for his maſters peace and ſecuritie.

"Hearken unto this all ye that forget God, hearken. Will the Dog do all this, for a drybone, and an hard cruſt nnforeign, Hex. Hom. 9.? What will they ſay for themſelves, who love not the Lord Jeſus? what excuſe can they finde, who forget their Good Maſter in heaven, who feeds them, and doth cloth them every day; who doth preſerve them every moment of the day; from whoſe hands they receive all good, and nothing but good, nothing, which they can properly call evill. What will they ſay? ſo S^t. Baſill▪ reproves unthankfull man, ſo like a ſwine and fiſh; ſo untameable, ſo unteachable; ſo farre faln, even below a Dog. I know not what ſome may thinke, when they ſpie a Dog here, and that he is here for this purpoſe to inſtruct his Maſter; we may thinke him too low a ſervant (very faithfull though he be) for that purpoſe. But what ever is thought, this I think, nay this I know, and am ſure of; That there is not a Creature in the World, which doth ſo mightily convince, reprove, aſhame mans ingratitude, as the dog doth; how ſo? Becauſe he p. 7doth ſo much, for ſo little; And man doth ſo little, for ſo much. And let us obſerve it well, and make this as familiar with us as our dog is, for we ſhall have no excuſe for the neglect of our ſervice to that Lord, who gives us to reape, where we ſowed not, and to dwell were we builded not; we ſhall have nothing to ſay, why we are unmindfull of ſuch a Maſter.

The dog hath led me a little beyond my mark, but not out of my way; my ſcope here is but this, to ſhew, that (ſo we are degenerated, ſo low are we falne) the Beaſts exceed man in their Naturals; and men in their pure Naturalls make not that improvement of their ſenſes for their Maſters ſervice, their owne ſafety and mutuall comfort each with other, as the Beaſts doe; no cauſe we ſhould be proud of our Naturals.

And for Intellectuals, being without that, which the Apoſtle ſaith, our ſpeech ſhould be ſeaſoned with, the Salt of Grace, they may prove, and ordinarily doe (like Abſoloms haire) deadly. So, I remember a Knight, that ſuffered upon Tower-hill, acknowledged, who had not returned his gifts to the glory of the Giver. Nay more, for wee hope better of him; they make a man more miſerable, then the beaſts that periſh: Achitophel is a ſad example hereof, ſo is Machevil, who, (ſay the Italians) (ſo I learne out of Biſhop Andrews) rotted in p̄ſon.

Reaſon and ſpeech, they are the chiefe propertiesRatio & Or…ti…. differencing man from a Beaſt. Reaſon is the Crowne of a man; his tongue, his glory, (the ſame word in the ſacred Tongue ſignifyes both.) p. 8But if man ſhall depoſe reaſon, taking from it, Herſoveraignty (I mean in earthly matters) then will a man be carryed like a horſe, that hath caſt his rider; and he will abuſe his Tongue alſo, vilifying that which ſhould have honored him; and in ſo doing he will liken himſelfe to the moſt ſtinking place, that we can paſſe by, and to the moſt odious name, that is named under the Sunne; and ſo in the end, will fall lower then a Beaſt can. A Beaſt can fall no lower then the Earth, nor doth it apprehend any evill till it feele the ſame; and when it comes it is ſoone over, and there's an end. Which remembers me of Pyrrhoes Hog, that did eate his meate quietly in the Ship almoſt covered with waters, when all the men there were halfe dead with feare. But now, reaſonable Creatures are ſometimes perplexed with unreaſonable fears; A mans apprehenſion may preſent evils, that are not, as impendent; which may make his knees ſmite together; and with all, the apprehenſion of the time, that is paſt, and of that which to come, may torment him too before he come to the place of his torment.

Bee not like the horſe and mule then, which have no underſtanding, for then thy condition will bee much worſe and lower then theirs in the latter end.

It may be I ſhall never call thee to an account, nor live to ſee how thou haſt thriven. But conſider this firſt, what an Heathen Plut. de fraterno amore.ſpake, it is very worthy a childs conſideration; We are charged that we doe ill to none, much leſſe to a parent: but it is p. 9not enough for a child not to hurt his parents, he muſt doe them all the good he can; his whole deportment muſt be ſuch, ſuch his words and deeds, that thereby he may glad the heart of his parent, elſe it is wicked and unjuſt. Marke it, for thus much it implyes: It is not enough that the child doth not actually or poſitively give the parent cauſe of ſorrow, that were monſtrous; he or ſhe muſt not privatively rob them of their comfort, or ſtop them of their rejoycing, even this were impious and unjuſt: It is not enough, not to grieve the parent, not to give them matter of ſorrow, the childe, that doth not more, doth not his dutie; he muſt give them matter of comfort and gladding of hearts. "This a childes dutie; let a childe thinke of it, and that an Heathen ſpake it, from whom a leſſon comes double to a Chriſtian.

Conſider again what the Lord ſaith, It is a people of no underſtanding, therefore He that made them will not have mercy on them ppEſa. 27. 12.Isa 27:12Conſider with that Scripture, what the Apoſtle ſaith, qq2 Theſ. 1. 8.2 Thess 1:8In flaming fire taking vengeance of them that know not God, &c. "If this and that be conſidered, Thou wilt cry rrProv. 2. 3.Prov 2:3after knowledge; and lift up thy voyce forunderſtanding: wiſdome is the principall thing, therefore thou wilt get wiſdome, and with all thy gettings thou wilt get underſtanding ſſProv. 4. 7.Prov 4:7, which only conſolidates a man, making him like armour of proofe, or like a rocke, for it fixeth the heart on Him in whom is everlaſting ſtrength.

Thou muſt conſider alſo; That an account muſt be given, and the greater thy receits have been, the greater thy accounts muſt be. Line upon line, p. 10and precept upon precept, fills up the ſcore apace. A man looks to reape liberally, where he ſowes liberally: And as God did bountifully reward the faithfull ſervant, ſo did He ſeverely puniſh the unfaithfull and negligent. In the laſt place, conſider this, and it ſufficeth; "That a worthy name is called upon us, even the name of Chriſt, of whom the whole Family in Heaven and Earth is named. Eph. 3. 15.Eph 3:15A name, which will honour us, if we honour it; which will highly exalt us, if we exalt it. And this we do, when our converſation is honourable, and as becommeth, in heaven, though amidſt the things of the earth. If there be a preciſe walking, a good and ſuteable converſation, worthy that name The Scripture acknowledgeth them Chriſ…ians, or the anointed of the Lord, who live Chriſtian-like, according to Chriſt. foreign, &c. Nazian. Oral. …1. p 378, then the Chriſtian is the honourable perſon, as the fruitfull vine, the beſt amongſt the trees; or as thoſe, which were very good xxJer. 24. 5.Jer 24:5; But if we defile yyRead page 36.that name, by an unworthy converſation, then are we the baſeſt of men, like the barren vine zzEzech. 15. 4.Ezek 15:4, fit for nothing but the fire; or unſavoury ſalt, very bad, and to be caſt out aaChriſtians are the worſe, the better they ſhould be; the more ſacred their name, the more accurſed their guilt, &c. Read Salv. de Gub…r. l …. the end. and Li. 4. within two leaves of the end. Chriſtiani deteriores ſunt, &c. Reatus impii eſt p…m crimen.. It is a good converſation, which commends a Chriſtian, and that only, and which proves him ſo to be: not miracles if a man could work them; not revelations, if a man could ſee them; not ſignes and wonders, if ſuch a power were given from above. It is the converſation, which is all in all, and juſtifies before men.

If I do not the works of my Father, beleeve me not bbJohn 10. 37.John 10:37. Our Lord ſaid thus of Himſelf; His work ſhould teſtifie of Him, ccLuk. 7. 21.Luke 7:21and be a foundation of their faith; works are the ſtandard, by which we muſt be meaſured alſo, whether we are in Chriſt, and Chriſt in p. 11us. If we do not the works of Chriſt, ſuch as He hath propoſed for our example, It is a vain beliefe, a conceit only, To think we are Chriſtians. Our works tell the world what we are, for thoſe, the world ſees and heares, and by them we either glorifie our Father in heaven, or give cleare evidence, that we have denied the Lord, That bought us, dd2 Pet. 2. 1.2 Pet 2:1Redeeming from a vain converſation ee1 Pet. 1. 18.1 Pet 1:18.

Chryſoſtome ſpeaks uſefully to this point, where he ſpeaks concerning the title of Lukes ffTom. 5.ſecond Treatiſe. "Thus he ſpeaks, It will not profit, though we could ſay; In thy name we have propheſied, caſt out divels, cleanſed Lepers, wrought miracles, &c. neither this, nor that commended the Apoſtles, but their Acts, their Doings. And theſe are, To be chaſte, modeſt, temperate, meeke, gentle, kinde, pitifull; To bridle our anger, to ſubdue our paſſions, to mortifie our affections: In a word, to exerciſe all grace. This is Action, this Doing; this tells us we are Chriſtians in deed, living Chriſtians. And it takes of that great objection, which is put in our way (ſaith the ſame Father, and it is of infinite uſe) when we ſtirre up our people to follow Paul, as he followed Chriſt: we ſay unto them, ye muſt imitate Peter, ye muſt follow Paul; ye muſt be like Iohn, and ye muſt doe as Saint Iames did. What? even ſo; juſt to that Coppy? will our people ſay. We cannot; it is not poſſible we ſhould; there is no ſtrength in us to do as they did: They made the lame to go; They raiſed the dead; cleanſed the lepers: ſo they did, we p. 12cannot do ſo, we cannot follow them. Say not ſo (replyes the Father) ſay not, that we perſwade to impoſſibilities, things above all ſtrength; we tell you not, That you muſt restore the ſick; worke miracles, &c. If ſo you could do, it would do you no good, it could give you no boldneſſe before the Lord in that day: A miracle doth not bring unto Heaven, but a converſation heaven-ward. Imitate the converſation of the Apoſtles, and ye ſhall have no leſſe then the Apoſtles did receive. Follow peace with all men, and holineſſe; go about doing good, abounding in the worke of faith, in the labour of love, in the patience of hope ggforeign, &c Naz…aaz. Orat 3 p. 77.. So the Apoſtles did, do ſo, and ye ſhall have an Apoſtles reward. For ſignes and wonders made not the Apoſtles happy, but a pure life.

The ſumme is, and this our great leſſon, we have a worthy name, our converſation muſt be anſwerable; we muſt live, act, do, worthily. We muſt by a good converſation, build up our ſelves and others. If we anſwer our name, we will to our power do worthily in Ephrata, and be famous in Bethlehem hhRuth. 4. 11.Ruth 4:11.

I conclude with a ſhort prayer, and a ſhort expoſition on the ſame. It is Hierom's prayer for his friend: and his expoſition upon it too iiHier epiſt. l. 1. ep. 35. p. 47..

"My prayer and heartie deſire is, That the Lord would in that day acknowledge the childe amongſt thoſe his children, who are very good kkIer. 24. 5.Jer 24:5. That's the prayer; his expoſition, this; "The Lord loveth thoſe who are upright in their way, who p. 13are hot; that is, who are burning and ſhining lights; who are ſeething hot, fervent in prayer, zealous of good works: ſuch He loves, in ſuch He rules, with ſuch He dwells, and delights. And He turns not away from thoſe that are cold, ſinners of the Gentiles, publicans, notorious ſinners, key cold, dead in treſpaſſes and ſinnes; from ſuch cold wretches, (ſuch we were all) He turnes not away. But there are middling perſons, of a middle temper, halting betwixt two; or, like a cake halfe baked, neither good nor bad; neither hot nor cold, ſuch the Lord hates, He ſpeweth them out; that is, they are an abomination; His eyes can be no more towards ſuch, then ours towards our vomit, which our overcharged ſtomacks have caſt up, and now our eye doth loath xxBright. on Revel. cap. 3. 15. 16. Mediocritas hic eſt peſſima. Nihil in te mediocre eſſe contentus ſum, totum ſummum, totum perfectum deſidiero. Hier. Lib. 2. Epiſt. 15. …. pag. 187.Rev 3:15Rev 3:16.

My prayer is, thou maiſt be very good, upright in thy wayes; hot, fervent in prayer, zealous of good workes; elſe better thou wert cold, key cold: for a middle Temper, as it is moſt deadly, ſo it is moſt abominable.

Thus (as a learned man writeth to his great friend) I could have written unto thee things more pleaſing, nothing more profitable. But what I have or ſhall write, nothing will profit unleſſe the feare of God awes the heart and inclines it; unleſſe He teacheth inwardly, words cannot outwardly. Waxe takes an eaſie impreſſion from Iron; Iron not ſo, but very hardly; an Adamant takes no impreſſion at all, by all our force, becauſe of its hardneſſe; (ſo Nazianzen Epiſt. 130.) And p. 14ſuch hearts we have; underſtand but ſo much, and it will humble thee, it will hide pride from thine eyes, and then thy eare is prepared, and heart too. And ſo much as a preparative to the eare, but the Lord bore it; and to incline thy heart to underſtanding, but the Lord open it.

This is all the parent can doe, and his maine duty at this point, even to ſpread this peremptory bent of nature, (as was aaPreface to the firſt part.ſaid) before the Lord, whoſe worke it is to turne the heart, and to open the eare to inſtruction, which now followes.