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A67013
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The great charity of instructing poor children A sermon preached at St. Botolph Aldgate; upon Lord's-day, Mar. 24. 1700. On the occasion of a charity-school newly erected in that parish. By Josiah Woodward, minister of Popler.
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Woodward, Josiah, 1660-1712.
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1700
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Wing W3517; ESTC R221049
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13,866
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35
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The Great Charity of Instructing Poor Children A SERMON PREACHED At St. Botolph Aldgate UPON LORD'S-DAY Mar. 24. 1700. On the Occasion of A Charity-School Newly Erected in that Parish By JOSIAH WOODWARD Minister of Popler LONDON Printed by K. Astwood for Ra. Sympson at the Harp in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1700. TO The Right Honourable Francis Lord Guilford My LORD THAT Noble Delight and Industry wherewith your Lordship advances the Knowledge and Service of God demonstrates the Honour that Almighty God does You in making You Eminent in that Work for which He sent his Son into the World And on this Account those Schools of Charity which your Lordship together with Other Persons of great Worth and Quality have studiously Advanced in this City and other Parts those Good Books which are by these Means distributed into poor Families and those Catechetical Libraries which are about to be compiled in this Nation and our Plantations abroad will be acknowledged with sensible Respect and Gratitude by all but such as have slight Thoughts of the Benefits of God manifest in the Flesh to destroy the Works of the Devil Which is such a Pitch of Gross and Odious Insensibleness as one would hope could never have appear'd in a Christian Land but yet alas we have too many Notorious Instances of it thro' the desperate Depravity of Men in their Minds and Manners I KNOW I need not mind your Lordship tho' some others cannot be call'd upon too often to Consider it That our Adored Lord and Saviour arose as a Sun of Righteousness and Truth to give Light and Warmth to this Dark and Degenerate World And that the Splendid Beams of his Glorious Gospel excel the * Prov. 20. 27. Candles of Humane Reason and those Tapers which the best Philosophers held forth to Men as much as the Glorious Sun exceeds those Twinkling Lamps and Torches wherewith we endeavour to supply its absent Light Yet alas thro' the Depravity of Humane Understanding and Men's condemning Love of Darkness more than Light We find some like the Moles and Bats declining the Splendor of Divine Revelation and doting on the Dimness of Humane Reason Saying with Philostratus Porphirie and the Antient Humanists or rather with Julian and former Apostates Let my Soul take its Risque with Philosophers and the Followers of Natural Reason rather than with the Disciples of a Revealed Religion and the Admirers of the Book which God sent from Heaven Like the wayward Jews who were for deserting the Pillar of Heavenly Fire which led them into Canaan and conspired to make a Captain of their own who might lead them back into Egyptian Darkness again An amazing Choice and what cannot otherwise be accounted for but by what the Apostle hath told us * 2 Cor. 4. 4. Namely That If the Gospel be hid 't is hid to them that are lost in whom the God of this World hath blinded the Minds of them that believe not lest the Light of the Glorious Gospel of Christ who is the Image of God should shine into them WE see indeed with sorrowful Hearts that it pleases God to permit the Legions of the Prince of Darkness to oppose the Kingdom of his Dear Son And in this great and general Contest all Men upon Earth are engaged on one side or other For our Saviour has declared * Mat. 12. 30. that none can be considered as Neuters but that Such as are not with him are against him And tho' there be but few of the Devil 's Confederates that are hardy enough to own the side they take but call it the Defence of Humane Reason or Humane Liberty or some such Thing yet alas they busily do the Devil's Work they sap the very Foundations of the Christian Religion which is the only true and subvert the Authority of its Sacred Author IT is therefore My Lord to the great Honour of God and the great Comfort of devout Minds that we find some Persons of Eminent Rank Piety and Honour who in the Vigor of Youth in the Height of Worldly Blandishments and in the Crowds of Corrupt Examples bravely Trampling on All that the Usurping God of this World can offer to draw them to his Party and who in Christian Zeal for the Prince of Light oppose the pernicious Encroachments of the Spirits of Darkness and are daily instrumental in discovering to ignorant Souls the certain Paths which lead to Eternal Light and Bliss In which Glorious Work Your Lordship and the Worthy Gentlemen with You are very happily engag'd and will certainly find the Blessed Account of it in the Accomplishment of those Great and Precious Promises which are made to such as glorifie their Creator and administer to the Salvation of Men which are Things most truly Great and Noble for which a Wise Man would chiefly wish to Live and a Good Man would not grudge to Die And that your Lordship may long be successful in these Divine Enterprizes and at last reap the Immortal Glory of them Is the Earnest Desire and Incessant Prayer of My LORD Your Honour 's Most Respectful AND Obedient Humble Servant Josiah Woodward A SERMON c. PROV V. 23. He shall die without Instruction and in the greatness of his Folly He shall go astray SOLOMON Who had a very Virtuous Education and was Honour'd with Singular Communion with God in his Youth was inspired by the Holy Ghost in his Infinite Love to the Souls of Men to write this Book of Proverbs for the Instruction of Youth as he tells us in the beginning of the Book Prov. 1. 4. To teach the Young Man Knowledge and Discretion That is to shew them how blessed it is to be Religious betimes and to Embrace those Principles of Wisdom and Virtue which all that despise them in their Youth come to lament in their Age crying out in the Bitterness of their Spirit at last How have I hated Instruction and my Heart despised Reproof Prov. 5. 12. WE are therefore to Consider this Wise Prince as a Tutor to Youth in this Chapter and we see he begins it like a Grave Catechist to his Children My Son attend unto my Wisdom and bow thine Ear to my Vnderstanding Ver. 1. In which he intimates That since he spake to them from the Bowels of a Father and in the Wisdom of God all Young Persons however conceited of their own Wit and addicted to their own Will as Youth is apt to be ought to submit and bow their Minds and Hearts to his Divine and Fatherly Instructions And knowing the Unsteadiness of Youth in Virtuous Purposes to Engage them more firmly herein he shews them in the Sequel of the Chapter to what a Deplorable Condition such Young Persons usually come who slight the Counsels of their Parents and Friends and run into those Excesses to which their Youthful Lusts prompt them He instances in the Lust of Vncleanness and insists upon it throughout the greatest part of this Chapter disswading young People
of our Lord tends to lead us It comes to retrieve us from the destructive Darkness of Sin and Satan to knock off the Fetters of the Prince of Darkness who had led us Captive at his Will and to translate us to the Light and Liberty of the Sons of God We may better spare the Light of the Sun than that of the Gospel for this is the Light of our Souls and the Foundation of our Hope and the Dawning of Everlasting Light Here we have perfect Truth infinite Mercy safe Directions and strong Consolations We may challenge all the Philosophy that ever appear'd in the Word to give us so much Divinity as we can view in one Chapter of the New Testament and we are sure that all the Riches of the whole World are not of such Value as one of the Promises of that Blessed Book O that it were more frequently in our Hands more deep in our Hearts and more legible in our Lives Infer 2. SINCE the Case of gross Ignorance is thus dreadful what a constraining Argument is this to all Parents and Governours of Youth to be very Early very Conscientious and Industrious in Catechizing and Instructing their Children One would think that it were enough to drive Parents to Distraction to think of any dying Child of theirs as going to Eternal Misery for want of due Instruction If any Parents should starve their Children by denying them necessary Food when they have Plenty of it by them the whole Neighbourhood would cry Shame on such a detestable Barbarity and count them worthy of Death for it And surely the Destruction of an Immortal Soul will one Day appear as hateful and as Criminal So that the Ease of their own Minds and Consciences ought to quicken Parents to this Duty and besides they cannot reasonably expect any Comfort in their Children nor Duty from them if they be not well instructed We must carefully cultivate and manure our Fields if we would reap a comfortable Hanvest otherwise they will produce nothing but Weeds and Thorns to offend and wound us Infer 3. SINCE the Case of gross Ignorance and the want of Education is thus pernicious What greater Charity can we shew to Humane Nature than to contribute towards the Instruction of those who will otherwise very probably die without it Solomon tells us that Instruction is rather to be chosen then Silver and Knowledge rather than choice Gold Prov. 8. 10. From which it follows That such as educate their Children well are greater Friends to them than such as leave them a Temporal Estate For indeed an Estate bequeathed to such as have neither Knowledge to use it well nor Principles to do good with it is like a Sword in the Hand of a Madman with which he will be likely to do much harm to himself and others Whereas on the other Hand Good Manners and Christian Behaviour recommends the meanest Person to all that know him and that Good Providence which orders all things will not leave them destitute of outward Necessaries Who seek the Kingdom of God in the first place Mat. 6. 33. I cannot therefore without Praise to God turn my Eyes towards those many Children before us who at once adorn the House of God and shew forth the Honour of those Persons by whose Care and Charity they are brought to Christian Education Praised be God who put so worthy a Design into the Minds of Men and who has enlarged the Hearts of any to contribute generously towards it This gives us some Hopes of the Continuance of God's Mercies to us especially that Mercy of Mercies his Holy Gospel We hope the next Generation will prize it more and practise it better than this has done That it may be well with them and with their Children THIS should prompt us yea bring us under a sort of Necessity to put forth our selves to the utmost to advance the Good Education of Children and to promote Christian Knowledge in all others that want it which we may do these three Ways First BY personal Conference Taking Pains to instruct those Children and other Ignorant People with whom we converse in the Knowledge of the Great Things of God's Law and especially in those practical and necessary Truths in which the Essentials of our Holy Religion consist Christians are to be as Salt to all that keep Company with them to season them with the Savour of Christian Doctrine This does indeed principally concern Ministers who are to be Burning and Shining Lights in their Generation whose particular Visits to the Houses of their People and personal Enquiry into their State and Manner of Life is of very great Use to the Advancement of Religion in Families and to excite that Christian Affection to their Minister which will make his Instructions the more effectual upon them Secondly ANOTHER Way of advancing Spiritual Instruction is by giving and dispersing good Books abroad in the World especially to poor Families This may in some Cases do more good than personal Discourse in that a good Book abides with the Person to whom it 's given and will lye before his Eyes at all Seasons and perhaps some Affliction or some other good Providence may be a means to awaken and soften his Heart and make it fit to receive Instruction and to prize a Book of Devotion And blessed be God we have many Honourable and Reverend Persons happily engaged in this Excellent Work which we must acknowledge to be one of the best of Charities And in this those that are Wealthy will do well to consider the Deplorable Case of our Plantations in which most Christian Work a very Pious and Reverend Dr. Bray Person has adventured his All with a sort of Apostolick Charity to the Souls of Men. In this Noble Design all that really love our Blessed Saviour and his Gospel cannot but pray to God to prosper him Surely 't is time for such as love the Kingdom of God and repeat the Second Petition of the Lord's Prayer Thy Kingdom come to set themselves in good earnest to retrench the Encroachments of the Prince of Darkness Thirdly WE may be instrumental to promote the Instruction of others by contributing according to our Ability towards the maintainance of poor Children at School who may otherwise thro' the Poverty of their Parents be too likely to Dye without Instruction And blessed be God who hath so far enclined the Hearts of many Persons to consider this that there are now in and about this City about a Thousand poor Children taught to read and instructed in their Catechisms and brought up to other Things which tend to make them useful in their Generation thro' the Christian Charity of Well-disposed Persons A most Excellent Work towards which all that duely know the Gospel cannot but be Glad to contribute that they may share the in vast Blessings that attend it I am confident I need not tell you that Christian Charity is necessary to a Christian Life since the