light and the glory thereof we have seen as the glory of the onely Sonne of God upon us who dwelt in the shadow of death hath this light shined Oh happy are the people then that are in such a case how blessed are they to whom the Sun of righteousnes hath appeared they are children of the day and of the light it is day with them alwayes day though neither Moon nor Starres appeare that is though they finde no influence from the earth or regions bordering thereupon But clean contrary it is with them to whom this Sunne of Righteousnesse appeareth not or against whom they shut their eyes as some will do though as the proverb is we should shew them the n Lact. 7. 1. Nec si Solem in manibus gestemus fidem commodabunt ei doctrinae Sun in our hands seeing but will not see How miserable are the people that are in such a case they sit in darknesse as they do on the other side of the globe when the Sun is with us nay worse then so they dwell in a land dark as Aegypt was even in the land of the shadow of death For though they have the Moon and Starres upon them I mean the confluence of all outward things yet they sit in darknesse in deep darknesse For as the Sun is to this outward world so is the Lord Christ the Sun of Righteousnesse to the world of beleevers without Him it is all dark with Him it is still light like the land of Goshen happy are the people that are in such a case blessed are the people whose God is the Lord Send forth thy truth Lord and thy light and through the tender mercy of our God let the Day-spring from above visit us This may take up our thoughts very seasonably when the darknesse of the night is past and the comfort of the day is come And it may set an edge upon our desires after the principall thing o Eccles 2. 13. 14. knowledge wisdome understanding For wisdome excelleth folly as light excelleth darknesse And the wise-mans eyes are in his head but the fool walketh in darknesse Knowledge in the minde is as the eye in our little world or as the Sun in the great Thus much by way of Analogie or agreement betwixt the eye or great light of the world and the true light Note we now wherein they disagree and their operation is contrary for it yeelds a great lesson The great eye of the world doth lighten those who have eyes and by a naturall power can apprehend that light They whose eyes are dark have no benefit by it But the true Light lightneth them p Lege Cal. Inst 2. 2 25. who have no principle of light within them them and them onely who are all darknesse and know themselves so to be and for such who think themselves lightsome and seeing men they are left to the vanitie of their own thoughts If q John 9. 41. ye were blinde ye should have no sinne but now ye say we see therefore your sinne remaineth It is of high g use and specially requires our consideration 2. The day is come and the sunne appeareth so the Creatour thereof hath appointed that it should know its rising and thereby to renew and and refresh the face of things The instruction is touching the might of His power and the riches of His grace creating light in the Soul who at the first brought it out of the wombe of darknesse and causing the light of comfort to arise unto His servants in the darkest night of affliction for it is He also that turneth the shadow of Death into the Morning r Amos 5. 8. And this affordeth a righteous people an hint for a glorious dependance they know that as sure as the morning follows the night so the Sun of righteousnesse will appeare with healing under his wings for if the Sun know his appointed time much more the Lord knoweth His and the Sun of righteousnesse His season when and how to comfort those that wait for Him as they that wait for the morning 3. The appearance of the Sun instructs us touching the glory of His appearance and the exceeding joy the righteous shall be filled with all at that Day For if it be so comfortable to see the light how comfortable will it be to see Him that is the Light of that light If this elementary Sun be so glorious and full of light what then is the Sun of Righteousnesse And if it be so comfortable to see this light how ravishing ſ Lege Basil Hex Hom. 6. will that joy be in beholding His face in that Day when we shall know Him as He is the Lord of glory But for the wicked it is not so with them for the morning is now unto them as the shadow t Job 24. 17. of death what then will be the morning of their resurrection when the hidden works of darknesse shall be brought to light and the secrets of all hearts opened and made cleare before all Israel and before the Sunne 4. We learne againe how sinne and sorrow can sower our blessings and make us disrelish the greatest earthly comforts Amongst them the chiefest is the light yet to him that is hurried or oppressed with his sinne this light is grievous And to him that is in paine the day is dolesome as he is wearyed with tossings in the night so is he tyred in the day complaining thereof for In the u Deut. 28. 67. morning he shall say would God it were evening God can cause the Sunne to go down at noon and darkens the earth in a cleare day Amos 8. 9. That is as the x Chrysost Ad Pop. Ant. Hom. 2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ibid. Father expounds the place He can so cloud the spirit of a man with sorrow that it cannot see the light or if he see it it shall not be lightsome to him Our cisternes of comfort are below but they are filled above All my springs of my life saith David Psal 87. 7. are in Thee Some fruits of comfort we gather from the earth but the root of our comfort is in heaven And this That our heart may have no dependance but on Him and that we may feare before Him Who can turn our y Amos 8. 10. feasts into mourning and our songs into lamentations A pleasant morning into a bitter day And a day of mirth into a night of sorrow as He can also turne the shadow of death into the morning 5. The Sunne though it be in an infinite distance from us to our finite understanding yet doth it send its influence downward cleane contrary to the nature of light or fire unto the lowest of creatures Thus This great light doth as if the Great Creator thereof had charged it thus to do Send forth thy light against the nature of the same cast thy beames down towards Man to guide and direct him there do so
at the top and quickly satiated though never satisfied And contrary things become most pleasant by their vicissitude and change What is sweeter then rest to the wearied man But if the rest exceeds its proportion but some few houres this rest grows wearisome and restlesse What more pleasant then the light yet such is our frail condition here that if we should have it long in our eye it would not be delightfull What more comfortlesse then the darknesse yet as our case is ordinarily we shut out the light that it may be more dark about us So long as we inhabit flesh varietie delighteth and still the same dulleth satiates yea quickly killeth Mr Dearings words are notable to this purpose m Lect. 14. All delights must have their change and the greater the pleasure is the nearer is satietie in any whatsoever appertaineth unto the body Wouldst thou never so fain sell thy self to serve any thing thou shalt finde nothing that will give thee a perpetuall pleasure to buy thy service hunger and thirst are soon satisfied the heavy eye-lid is easily filled with sleep Labour hath wearinesse and rest is soon tedious all play and pastime which so many make the crown garland of their life this also is dulnesse in a little while and this garland is as withered hay another thing must come to take this up or rather then this should be still we would never play while we lived Blessed be God that He hath given a day and night the day maketh the night welcome and the night the day so like ringers we are best pleased with changes n 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Eur p. Orest p. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Herc. fur p. 4. or like tyred men a little refreshed with shifting their beds their sides and their postures Oh how should we avoid these paths of death which leade to that place where there is no change but from torment to torment And how earnestly should we set our faces towards those heavenly Mansions where the Saints shall with open face behold the glory of the Lord and shall have no other change but a changing into the same Image from glory to glory o Cor. 3. 18. 3. It is of use to consider what darknesse is and what the bounds of the same the resolution is short we shall finde it to be no positive thing but a meer privation and as boundlesse it is as the light was for it is but the absence thereof If I take a candle out of a room I do not put darknesse into the same room but in taking away the candle I leave the room dark Thus of the great candle of the world it doth not make this side of our globe dark but withdrawing it self from our side it leaves us in darknesse This is of use to informe us That there is no efficient cause of darknesse either in our great world or in our little but a deficient altogether p Vide Augustde civit lib 12. cap. 6 7. which cause is understood by the same way that darknesse is seene or silence is heard we heare silence by hearing nothing so we see darknesse by seeing nothing Shut the eye and behold darknesse Our enquiry is nought touching the efficient cause of an evill will or of a dark minde saith Mornaeus q Male quâ—ritur unde malâ—m efficiatur for there is no such cause thereof If light withdraw it self either from our world without or from our world within there needs no more to leave all darke r 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Basil Hex Hom 2 pag 18 19. yea and to expose us to the power of darknesse and to lead us to the houre of temptation The usefull enquiry then is Who is that fountain of Light Which lighteth every man that cometh into the world And we must acknowledge here if there be truth in us and say contrary to that which the Fathers of old said in an opinion of themselves we see not nor can we see Nay we shall ever sit in darknesse and in the very shadow of death untill this Light this Day-spring from on high shall visit us who at the first caused the light to shine out of darknesse and made the aire light before He gave the Sun And this is that Sun of Righteousnesse We must acknowledge farther That as we have many wayes to shut out of our roomes this light in the aire but no way to shut out darknesse so there is an heart in us which can oppose this fountain of Light shutting our eyes against it and thrusting it from us so resisting the Holy Ghost but for darknesse we are held and chained in it and against that we have no power A consideration if put home that will hide pride from us and humble us to the dust that from thence we may present this great request To the Hearer of prayers Lord that we might receive our sight Å¿ Mark 10. 51. Lord that thou wouldest give unto us the spirit of wisdome and revelation in the knowledge of Him the eyes of our understanding bring enlightned that we may know what is the hope of His calling and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the Saints c. Ephes 1. 17 18 c. 4. It is considerable how small a thing doth make the place about us light supplying the want of that great body which is now with the other side of our globe What the Sun cannot do saith Chrysostome a little candle can t 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ad Ephes Hom. 12. for not to speake of the starres those great lights which then shew clearest when the night is darkest a rush-candle a Glow-worm the bones of a fish a rotten piece of wood will dart you out a light which though the faintest all the power of that darknesse we properly call night cannot withstand But here we must remember a darknesse which we reade of so thick and palpable that it over-powered the fire and candle it put both out neither could burne the while As Philo Iudeus tells us as well as the Apocrypha u Wisd 17. 5. This tells us first that He who is the God not of some but of all consolations can take away some comforts and supply us with other-some which may not be so full in our eye but yet as satisfying more contentfull He can put our acquaintance farre from us He can suffer the divell to cast some into prisons and into dungeons where the enemy thinks there is no light to be expected so wise they are in their generation and so prudently they have contrived But the enemy is mistaken for He who formeth light and createth darknesse He that made the light to shine out of the wombe of darknesse He that makes a candle supply the want of the Sun He that turneth the shadow of death into the morning He that doth these great and wonderfull things He it is
him the night is and the morning will dawn yet a night will come which shall never have morning A night when our pleasures and profits and honours all that we call good things and so dote upon when all shall set and returne no more While we live here in this world As the morning cometh so cometh the night and as sure as the night followeth day so sure sorrow follows our pleasures which may teach us not to over-joy or over-prize our worldly contentments when the candle of God shineth upon our tabernacle for they are short and momentany of small continuance As sure as the night cometh so sure a change will come And here also when it is night we know the day will dawn again in its apponted time And though sorrow may abide for a night yet joy may come in the morning It is easie with Him to make it so Who turneth the shadow of death into the morning a Amos 5. 8. And the darkest time here below may cleare up again comfort may return as the morning doth and when troubles do usher in comforts they make comforts more comfortable It is said of the Sirens that they weep in calme weather and sing in a storm b Aug. de Civil lib. 12 cap. 20. for they know that after a calme they shall have a storm and after a storm they shall have fair weather The Morall teacheth us this point of wisdome in the time of adversitie wisely to consider and to look back c Respice Trem. Eccles 7. 14. to the change of things to call to minde the time past how it hath been God hath set prosperitie and adversitie one against the other Now the day is but it will be night anon now the night is and anon the morning will be And thus I say it is while we live here just like travellers as the father spake very usefully d Basil in primum Psal p. 113. This life is a way-fare here we meet with some things which do delight us but they will away we must passe by them And here we meet with some thing which will annoy and offend us it will away too we shall quickly be past it for our course is speedy whether we wake or sleep as men a ship board we saile onward to the port Pleasant and delectable things will away our pains and griefs are of no long continuance neither though they should abide by us all our life long for our life speedeth like a post or ship on the Ocean thus while we walk like pilgrims here But a time is coming after the full period whereof e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Chrys ad Pop. Ant. Hom. 23. p. 268. there follows a day which shall never have a night and a night which shall never have a morning I mean a time in the closing-up whereof there shall not be this vicissitude and intercourse of day and night but either all day and no night or all night and no day The Fathers words will declare these f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys Ibid. Hom. ult 77. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 817. Here saith he good things and evill things have their course and turn as the day and the night now good then evill now evill then good And as here they have their changes so here they have their end I speak of things of the earth It will be said of all our earthly contentments as Abraham said to Dives we had them we were clad and we were fed gorgeously deliciously but now it is night with those contentments and with us we had them but we shall have them no more So likewise of our grievances we felt them this sorrow and that burden this pain and that losse but we shall feel them no more in this kinde For death cures all diseases and pains here But in the next world good things and evil things are everlasting There Lazarus is comforted and he shall be comforted it shall be ever light with him in the other place Dives is tormented and he shall be tormented how long The answer to that breaks the spirit and causeth the greatest torment it shall be ever night with him for ever and ever the thought hereof swallows the soul up in sorrow our very thoughts cannot reach unto the length of this night we have not a thought to measure it g Drexelius 4. 2. though we know the place of this darknesse for it is utter darknesse and the furthest from light and we know the paths that leade thereunto yet we can never know the bound thereof h Job 38. 20. How can we measure Aeternitie Think we then saith the Father i Chrys Ibid. how unsufferable a burning-fever is and that thou canst not endure an hot bath for one houre heated above its proportion how then wilt thou everlasting burnings how will thy heart endure this perishing for ever And consider this with it which that Father hath in the same place here if thy body be burnt or otherwise hardly used the soul will out it will forsake its dwelling k Nemopervaldè dolere diu aut extinguetur aut extinguet Sen. ep 78. but if the body fall into these rivers of brimstone the soul must abide by it there is no getting forth as they were I mean the body and the soul joyned together like brethren in iniquitie so must they suffer together and no change shall they finde no ease in their suffering not so much as a sick man findes in changing of his bed or what a tyred man findes in changing his postures or his sides This present life is well called a vale of miserie for here are pains perils gripings c. But our death here may be as well called a shadow of death But a shadow in reference to that death where we still are dying but never die where we shall seek and wish for death but death flyeth from us But a shadow that to this Think we here-on and then we think on a short day spent in pleasures and of an eternall night to be spent in sighes And this is the first consideration which may make us well to husband and improve the day of our peace because a night must follow the day of our peace as the night follows the day and at the end of time a night which shall never have day or a day which shall never have night 2. It is very considerable that as sensuall pleasures continue not long so the longer they continue the more they satiate but the lesse they satisfie They run one after another and in their changes they are most pleasing the eare is not satisfied with the same tune be it never so sweet but quickly it desires another so the eye in seeing so our taste in relishing all our senses saith the Father l 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Chrysost Tom. 1. Hom. 30. p. 338. have their measure which will be soon
that gives His children light in darknesse and songs in their night As Peter found it for behold to him a light shined in the prison x Act. 12. 7. so shall it be with all that truely feare the Lord A light shall arise to them in darknesse * Isa 58. 10. Psal 112. There is some cranny left whereby to let in light and a way open with the Lord for deliverance from all the expectation of the enemy though all the wayes be blocked up to man both in respect of the prison and the Iron-gate y Act. 12. 11. The children of Israel children of the day and of the light ever had in despight of the enemy and ever shall have light in their dwellings z Exod. 10. 23 though these dwelling are prisons caves and dungeons which the enemy calleth and indeed seeme to be like the shadow of death This meditation may be more enlarged for if nature be so solicitous as was said * Preface p. 19. in recompensing what is wanting much more then so will the God of nature do He takes from Moses a distinct and treatable voice He Himself will be a mouth to Moses He takes away Iohn a great light to His Church He gives the Lord Christ The Light of that Light He takes away Christ His bodily presence He leaves them not orphans comfortlesse He gives His Church a fuller measure of His Spirit He takes away strength of body He gives strength of faith establishment of heart He takes away a deare childe by that sorrow as by a sanctified meanes He formeth Christ in the heart It is of high use to consider how God doth supply in one kinde what He takes away in another as He doth make the little candle to supply the absence of the great Sun Lastly when we lye down we are to be taught as to recount the mercies of the day so to call to minde the dangers of the night Houses are marked out in the day-time and broke open in the night houses also are fired in the night And how helplesse is man amidst these casualties and dangers If a sleep the theefe findes him bound to his hand and if fire take his chamber he is fewell for it such sad examples we have known our eyes have seene The destroying angel but one of Gods guard hath set forth in the night and before the morning hath executed his commission our adversary wil do that to us sleeping which he cannot waking many have gone to bed well and before morning have made their appearance before the Iudge of the whole world and then as they lay down so they rise up and so provided or so destitute there is no time for provision then when we are summoned to appeare Naturally all things seeme black unto us in the night and if we see no danger nor see any reason of danger yet our fancy can create dangers unto us The Lords second comming is often mentioned in the sacred Scripture and as often in the night which defines not the time but shews the manner of His coming As a thiefe in the night as a snare suddenly when by the most least expected All these considerations should teach us to watch over our hearts and to take a strict account of our wayes at our lying down and to lift up our eyes to the Keeper of Israel that His eyes may be upon us for good appointing a sure Guard about us in the night As we cannot tell what a day may bring forth so nor can we know how our feares may increase before the next morning we cannot no not the wisest of men look forward a few houres to tell what may happen before the day-dawn a Imminentium nescius Tac. de Paeto 15. 2. which should engage our heart to Him who changeth not And that it may be so we must remember our prayers and our praises these being performed in a right manner do secure us touching protection in the night prayer will help us against carefulnesse notwithstanding our dangers are so many as we have heard it will suck out the heart of our feares and sorrows b Preces hirudo curarum Melanch so as they shall not hurt us nor dismay us but that we may lye down in peace But then we must remember what prayer is It is saith Luther The unutterable groaning of those who despaire of any strength in themselves c Precatio est gemitus inenarrabilis desperantium dese Luther in Gen. It is not every prayer which secureth us there is a prayer which more provoketh uttered only from the lips in such a manner as would not be accepted before our Governour d Melac 1. 8. We must remember our tribute of praise too great reason That we should praise the Lord who hath yet spared us in the night of our ignorance when we could not enquire after Him and in the night of our vanitie when we cared not for Him and in the night of our sorrow when our spirits were overwhelmed that we remembred Him not Thus hath He patiently spared and hitherto watched over us to shew mercy when we were secure and carelesse in our duties towards Him which engageth us the more to give the more praise to His name And so much may teach us to keep sound wisdome and discretion that when thou lyest down thy sleep may be sweet so I have done with those foure seasons in the day so seasonable for instruction CHAP. IX An ordinary and great neglect in point of education The ground of that neglect For the helping thereof the Parent is advised to fix upon two conclusions what they are Of the Schoole and School-master and the way he must go THus farre as my method or way led me touching the good culture of the childe It prescribes a way to no man no matter what way he takes so he doth his dutie and so the work be done and the end attained which is The tilling over the whole man by the well improving of this seed-time A season very much neglected willingly or ignorantly let slip and passed-over by the most Parents too many make but a waste of those so precious houres as was said e Preface pag. 20. and as it were an emptie space which yet being improved would serve to fill and store up that which would be of more use to promote the childe then the Parents purse though therein he puts more confidence Thus I say it is for the most part and we cannot easily believe how much the Family the Common-wealth the Church how much all suffer for this neglect herein And which is the losse indeed The higher the persons are and the more promising their parts the more for the most part they are neglected in point of culture and due manurance It was Mr. Calvins complaint f Hoc erat summū decus nobilibus nibil prorsus tenere doctrinae gloriati sunt etiam nobiles hoc
Prefal readily willingly freely As the Emperour said of money It will prove but copper if it be pressed out from the teares of the people The same may be said of our offerings They are counterfeit for the most part and profit not if they be squeezed forth by some pressuâ—es upon the spirit It is a free-will-offering that finds acceptance with the Lord. And this I added for three mightie Reasons 1. That we may not make Time of Eternitie and Eternitie of Time as was said before and explained 2. To awaken and quicken up our carelesse and dilatory spirits well to husband our opportunities while our Bow abides in strength and our Armes are strong before old age hath degraded us of our former vigour and activitie so as our outward and inward faculties are bound up as in chaines of Iron and brasse I mean before the keepers of the house tremble and the strong men bow themselves and those that looke out of windows are darkned and the Grashopper is a burthen 3. That we may not make as the most do an Idoll of that last prayer which we think to put up when we are at point of dissolution and parting away hence for that hope to be heard then is the Sanctuary and Place of refuge which the most thinke to flie unto as Ioab to the hornes of the Altar in hope to finde safety But their hope is like to deceive them as it did Ioab f 1 King 2. 28 29. and as it hath deceived others Who cryed but there was none to save even unto the Lord but He answered them not then did I beat them small as the Dust before the Winde I did cast them out as the dust in the streets g Psal 18. 41. These words shew us clearely what will be the issue of this last prayer and call upon the Lord which is the great Idoll of the world what I say will be the issue thereof to all those who turne unto Him at their Death even confusion of face for evermore a Treading downe and a casting out aâ— the durt in the streets This is of great and universall use and instructs us to encline the eare while we can heare to apply the eye while we can see to frequent the Assemblies of the Saints while we have strength and can goe and to take the occasion the smallest point of time while we may for it is soone passed and then we may send our sighes and groanes after it but cannot recall what we carelessely slighted In a word It teacheth to seeke to knock while there is Time for many shall seeke and not finde and knock and it shall not be opened shall strive and shall not be able And all this because they discerned not their season they knew not the Day of their Visitation h Quod primum est dicendum postremum soleo cogitare de Orat. Lib. 2 Pag. 131. Fol. Exvâ—sâ—eribus Causae I remember a pretty inversion of order used by Cicero in point of Oratory An allusion unto it may instruct us in a speciall point of wisdome We begin first and then wee end But he made an end first and then he began I use saith He to his Oratour to make my beginning the Latine calls it an Exordium When I have ended my oration for I must fetch that out of the Bowels of the other Parts The true Christian makes an inverson of order also and upon the same ground Death is the last great work which we are to doe and the true Christian thinks of that first First I say so soone as he is able to think any thing and to purpose And he so disposeth his life as one that knowes that his life must yeeld him marrow and fatnesse when he lyeth upon his death Bed in a time of drought We commonly live first and then we dye A true Christian dyes first and then lives He is borne and he goes on in the great work of Mortification and so dyes daily And then when he must yeeld up the spirit how willing how ready how prepared is he He is dead already to the World to the flesh Hee is crucified to both and both crucified to him An easie matter now and a matter of the greatest comfort to depart hence now now that His eyes can behold His Salvation Now He chooseth Death rather then life for to Him the nature thereof is changed He hath so walked all His life so contended for and kept the Truth so clinged to Christ in obedience and Faith Who tasted Death for him i Heb. 2. 9. that now He shall neither see Death nor taste Death He shall not see Death He shall see the face of Death changed lovely and pleasant now as Esau's face to Iacob He shall see through the vaile and shadow of Death through the darke Grave and behold Him who hath swallowed up Death and the Grave in victory He shall not Taste Death The sharp and bitter relish of Death is quite allayed and taken off to Him now He tasteth nothing but sweetnesse in Death but joy and peace in Death a peace passing understanding He is swallowed up now not of Death but of very Rivers and Flouds the Brookes of Honey and Butter k Iob 20. 17. He doth not see Death nor doth He taste thereof such are the expressions l John 8. 51 52. and they are to the heart of the Beleever in Death now He seeth life accompanied with an eternall waight of Glory He lookes upon Death now as Iacob upon Iosephs wagon m Gen. 4. 5. which shall convey Him to a place where He shall have Enough so as He regards not the stuffe and baggage of the world for the good I say not of all Verse 20. the land of Egypt is His but Heaven is His and all the good that Christ hath purchased is His. And now at this Brunt much like the straight that David was in but a little before the putting on of His Crowne at this brunt I say now that Death seemes to make His Conquest it doth this Servant of the Lord the best good service for it shall open Him the way to the Crowne it shall set free the prisoner of Hope it shall be as a Waggon to convey Him unto the possession of All good even to Christ Himselfe and now I have said All. And all this this Servant of the Lord seeth in Death and then how can this person Taste of Death since it must needs be that He can have no other relish in His heart now but of honey and butter of Pleasures of Gods right Hand for evermore Thus it is with that person who doth that work first who in mortifying the deeds of the flesh doth Dye Daily When Death commeth he seeth it not he tasteth not of it But for the wicked it is not so with them They see death They taste of death They see death and the horrour of it they see it over-powring
drunken servant he bids him leade his horse to the water when the horse had drunk and had sufficient he bids his servant make the horse drink again which when he assayed but could not do he thereby corrected his servant as the verier beast And so the old man in i Lib. 1. Ser. Sat. 4. insâ—â—vit pator optimus hoc me c. Horace deales with his young sonne for disswading him from the vices and sinnes of the time he proposeth such unto him whose sinne had been their ruine See childe yonder poore ragged fellow it is very truly observed of him that he was a very bad husband of his time and purse he cast away his time as a worthlesse commoditie and his money as if it could never be spent now he would recall both but cannot Learn thou by his example to account time pretious and well to husband both it and thy purse Learn also to put a fitting esteem upon those creatures which are appointed for thy nourishment and refreshing for this fellow whom you heare crying out for one bit of bread and one drop of drink was wont having plenty of both to tread his bread under foot and to cast his drink in the street Behold another he goes creeping by the wall nothing but skin and bone a loathsome carkeise he rots above ground It is truly observed of him that he minded nothing but his pleasure he would do whatsoever was pleasing in his eyes and now that his light is consumed to the socket and going out in a snuffe and pains are upon him he mourns But now behold a third see how well furnished he is every way accomplished a companion for the best man in the parish he hearkened to instruction and was wise After this manner the old man instructed his sonne by way of example and that way Exemplis vitiorum quaeque notando we may take nay we must if we intend the information of children Thus much touching a parents first work with his childe which is the watching over him for the rooting out of evils what these evils are and the way to prevent them CHAP. V. The implanting of good The order therein foure seasons in the Day very seasonable for this work THe childe is yet in his flower and first spring And that is the season of sowing and planting the seed of instruction which is the next work and now followeth The Preacher gives us a good lesson and incouragement both In k Eccles 11 6. the Morning sow thy seed and in the Evening withhold not thine hand for thou knowest not whether shall prosper either this or that or whether they both shall be alike good In this hope the parent proceedeth and according to his rule and charge Deut. 11. 19. Foure seasons there are in the day very seasonable for instruction according as they shall minister matter so a parent may fit his occasionall instructions These seasons are as we finde them lie in the Text though not in the same order I. In the morning when thou risest II. At noon or the season when thou sittest at the table III. When thou walkest by the way IIII. At night when thou liest down § 1. In the morning when thou risest There is no season in the day fitter for instruction then is the morning nor fuller thereof Now the Sunne is returning and begins to appeare on this our side of the Globe making all light and lightsome about us oh how comfortable is it to see the light and how safe to walk by it Before darknesse covered the earth and masked the face of the same and then we could not discern in what order things lay nor what way to settle about them Many doubts we have and feares in darknesse some reall though the most imaginary for it is our nature in darknesse if we finde them not there to frame them there Our way in the dark is uncertain and hazardous full of danger Learn hence What darknesse is to the outward man so is ignorance the key of some mens l Reade our Jewell 27. Art Religion to the inward I know not whereat I may stumble nor wherein I may fall nor falling how dangerously I may fall nor how irrecoverably Onely this difference there is and it is a great one betwixt him that walks in darknesse and him that lives in ignorance the darknesse of the minde He that walks in darknesse walks charily and cautelously feeling his way with one hand and fencing his face and the choice ornament thereof with the other because he hath no light to guide himself by and he knows he is in darknesse and is sensible of the danger Therefore it falls out ordinarily that he scapeth and preventeth danger because he is so sensible of the same what I feare most is like to do me least hurt for it is likely I am prepared for prevention It is not so with a man walking in ignorance and darknesse of minde He goes on boldly and confidently according as the proverb is he discernes no danger he cannot fear it The former by his carefulnesse may not fall The latter by his ignorant carelesenesse must needs fall it is not possible to be otherwise The former if he fall he will surely rise again for he knoweth he lieth not where he would The other falling lieth still and can never rise again till a light appeare unto him the one knoweth where he is and what he doth the other knoweth nothing as he ought to know There is one we may call that one as Satan called himself Legion for that one is many who holdeth ignorance to be the mother of devotion but that one is the mother of fornications and thence it is that she prevaileth with them and deceives so many for as she hath gained so she holds all she hath gained by the tenure of ignorance There is a farre greater difference betwixt a well knowing and conscientious man and an ignorant person then is betwixt a man walking in the Sun and working by it and another walking in the night when neither Moon nor Starre appeares The one clearely setteth forth the other he that worketh by the Sunne seeth all cleare about him where he is and what he doth and why he doth it he that is in darknesse discerneth nothing nor can do any thing as he ought to do and yet which is much worse living in the darknesse of ignorance he discerneth not his danger He that doth in any part understand what ignorance is and the fearfull effects of the same this ignorant man doth not will pray for himself and his as they who were upon the sea and in great danger They wished for the day m Acts 27. 29. Send forth Lord thy light and thy truth through thy tender mercie let the Day-spring from on high visit us Thus he wisheth for the day And now This Day-spring from above hath visited us we that once walked in darknesse have seen a great