Early Piety Exemplified, Introduction
THE INTRODUCTION.
MY Reader will quickly diſcern what it is that I attempt the doing of; and I ſuppoſe he will then ſee no occaſion of enquiring Why. The Apology's wherewith Writers uſually fill the Prefaces of their Books, Do come of Evil; either the Vanity of the Compoſers is diſcovered, or the Candour of the Peruſers queſtioned in them. That I Write the Life of a Chriſtian, cannot be faulted by any one who Conſiders, That the Lives of Pious Men have been juſtly eſteemed among the moſt uſeful Hiſtories which the Church of God Enjoyes; or that the beſt Pens in the World have been employ'd in thus helping the Juſt unto Eternal Memory. Our Lord will have as mean a thing as one Act of Devotion and Charity, in a poor Woman, to be mentioned wherever His Goſpel comes. That I write the Life of a Brother, will not be reckoned abſurd by them who underſtand what Patterns I have, both Ancient and Modern, for my doing ſo. James Janeway among the reſt has had our Thanks for what an Account he has given of his Brother John. Indeed; if I ſhould not thus Raiſe up for my departed Brother a Name in Iſrael, I were not worthy to Wear a Shoo, or to have a Face unſpit upon. My Natural Relation to him doth oblige me to beſtow an Epitaph upon his Grave; that the Survivers may not forget whoſe Duſt they tread upon: But I am by (that which Ambroſe calls) a Greater and Better Fraternity, concerned to Embalm the Memory of One, who maintained ſuch a Walk with God, as he did until God took him to Himſelf. It has been obſerved, That they who Live in Heaven while they are on Earth, often Live on Earth after they are in Heaven. It were lawful for me to deſire and Study ſuch a thing on the behalf of my Brother, whoſe Early Piety is at once my own Shame and Joy: But I purſue an higher End than this, deſigning rather to procure Followers, than to beſpeak Admirers of this good Example: That this is my Main Scope, in what I am now doing of, I declare ſincerely and very ſolemnly. And hence I have not here made an Oration in his Praiſe, but given barely a Narrative of his Life, and this moſtly by Tranſcribing of his own Memorials, in all affecting the plain ſtyle of a Juſt Hiſtorian. I do therefore Addreſs this Exemplary Life unto the young People of New-England, and eſpecially unto thoſe of North-Boſton, who are the Lambs that I have Received a peculiar Charge from the Lord Jeſus about the Feeding of. To you do I preſent this Mirrour, wherein you may ſee the Exerciſes of a Virtuous Youth, not only preſcribed, but alſo practiſed before your Eyes: You ſhall ſee, as what ſhould be done, ſo what may be done by a Young Perſon, in order to Everlaſting Felicity; ſee him and hear him as One come from the Dead, ſaying, Do as I have done. The Father of him whom I deſcribe has Laboured exceedingly for the Converſion of the Riſing Generation in New-England; and his CALL to them has been Printed and Reprinted here among us. Thô the News of a Sons Death muſt needs be afflictive to him, when he ſhall have the Report of it arriving to him in the other England, yet I make no doubt, but his Parental Griefs will be not a little Mitigated, when he ſhall hehold that Son thus Renewing his CALL by ſpeaking after he is Dead. This Young Man did pray much for you, while he was Alive, that you might be truly Converted unto God; he does preach now to you, from the Grave, or rather from the Sky, that you would Remember your Creator in the dayes of your Youth. I wiſh that he may (to uſe Chryſoſtoms Phraſe) become a Brother to you by Faith, as he is to me by Blood: And I extend this my wiſh with a moſt Affectionate Application to the Young Gentlemen, who belong to the Colledge which he was a Member of. As you have had in his Father a Rector, whoſe Generous and Expenſive Cares have not been for your diſadvantage; ſo you have in his Diligence and his Devotion, a Copy which is not altogether unworthy of your Imitation: I am ſetting before you the Exerciſes and Accompliſhments of a Scholar, whoſe chief Study it was, to be Wiſe unto Salvation; a Scholar, who Laboured while he was Learning all other things, not to be Ignorant of Him, Whom to know is Life Eternal. I am not without Hope, that ſome of you will now reſolve as Jerom did when he had read the Life of Hilarion, ſhutting up the Book and ſaying, Well, here ſhall be the Champion whom I will follow: When you come to Dye, you will certainly commend ſuch a Life as his; god grant that none of you may then have cauſe to ſigh, Qualis Artifex pereo! Or to complain, Surgunt Indocti & rapiunt Coelum; Nos cum nostris Doctrinis mergimur in Infernum. That Great Man Hugo Grotius near his End profeſſed, That he would gladly give all his Learning and Honour for the Integrity of a poor Man in his Neighbourhood, that ſpent Eights Hours of his Time i… Prayer, Eight in Labour, and Eight in Sleep and other Neceſſaries; and unto ſome that applauded his Marvellous Induſtry he ſaid, Ah, Vitam perdidi operoſe nihi Agendo! But unto ſome that asked, the be… Counſel which a Man of his Attainment could give, he ſaid, Be ſerious. 'Tis with this Counſel that I humbly offer you the enſuing Hiſtory.