it unto Honour you may rise Tho 't be so common yet regard and prize Since Disobedience is a great Vice If to Infirmity they are subject Covering their Failings you may them protect And think not that because they 're even so To them no Observation you must owe Granting that thou art wiser than they are Yet if thou art so then thou must not dare To Mock at them or Scoffingly despise Their Persons or Commands God will those Eyes And Tongues torment But yet indeed if they Through weakness bid you Sin refuse you may Nay you incur the Guilt if you obey Then with an humble Modesty you must Shew that the Inconveniency is just And would be fatal in performing such Therefore refusing is the better much If they are Needy and thou canst relieve Thou ought'st in that thou dost repay not give Tho they are Wicked and even unkind Yet still thy Duty of Child doth bind Let nothing then by thee be left behind 4. Since Parents are bound their's for to maintain With things needful Women should not abstain From Nursing theirs themselves its only Pride And Lust which makes them daily thus deride No wonder then Children are so perverse Sucking the Milk of such a peevish Nurse Instead of Blessings needs must bring a Curse Take timely care for Baptism and prepare Their tender Minds for Piety and Prayer Instructing them by Catechising what Their Duties are to God and Man and that With a Mild Hand you them in time correct Their Faults at first but obstinate defect Calls for more Strength for as they grow in Years When their Mind's Inclination appears Then then 's the time for training up your Son To pollish in him what has been begun Which may continue longer than the Sun If he be Good give all Incouragement To that your Child If Bad betimes prevent The growing Ill before it do's obtain An Habit and is seated in the Brain Shewing them Good Examples in your Lives Vertue by Imitation fastest thrives For them provide against they to come to Age That no necessity their Minds ingage In evil Courses and be sure take heed That with no ill-got Goods you them do feed Such Wealth as that often destroys the Line And leaves a Curse intail'd on thee and thine Therefore let that Provision thou mak'st be Goods well got with unstrain'd ability And then Prosperity thou mayst expect And that thy God will them and thee protect 5. Marry them not unless in Love inclin'd They be to such an one you have a mind Also as to adopt and make your Child For if you force them you may be beguil'd Nay the Child that is Marry'd to much Pelf Is often tempted to destroy its Self 'T is too true being forc'd an Ass to take No marvel then their Duty they forsake To God and Man resolving for to stear An other Course where there Affections bear Therefore the rather yield to them to chuse As they in Old time never did refuse CHAP. XI 1. Love c. 2. Wive's Duty to her Husband 3. Husband's Duty to his Wife 4. To a Friend 5. A Servant's Duty 6. A Master's Duty 1. KIndness and Love is to your Brethren due Both Natural and Christian so true The poorest Child is Servant of the Lord And thy Kinsman with whom thou must accord And have regard to being in Friendship near A Member just of Mind and Body dear Then think him so not letting an abuse Awake thy Anger or disturb thine House In every sort of Friendship do resign Thy self in Temporals and things Divine To God in Prayers in one Commun'on meet And joyn your Praises 't is an Off'ring sweet To God for he always delights to see Brethren to live in Peace and Unity If a weak Brother doth commit a Sin Correct him mildly till by Love you win Him back to true Repentance by which way You save his Soul e'en from that evil Day 2. That in Woman is the chiefest Beauty The Husband to obey which is her Duty She must in nothing but in Sin deny With all Commands besides she must comply She must be faithful to him and so use Care at all times and no wise refuse That Duty due not striving for that Rule Which being unnatural makes him a Fool And more than that a meer despised Tool But with a tender and peculiar Love Let her obey and Houshold Joys improve Tho' perhaps by Labours may be cross Or much perplex'd at some unlucky Loss Yet ought she not to slack her Love or Hate Nor any of her former Warmth abate Because she 's bound to him her only Mate 3. Her Husband is to render Her the same Dear Love and only change the rugged Name Obedience or else he is to blame Into that Faithfulness to her he owes And Love with due respect which he well knows He promiss'd only in her chast embrace All foreign Joys for to detest and face And he a due Maintenance to allow Instructing her in all good things and how To serve the Lord and must together Pray By mutual Kindness wear their Lives away 4. Take not to Wife those which are near a Kin To thee whether second or first Cousin Them then refuse for that 's an horrid Sin 5. Be to thy Friend faithful his Secrets keep Him in distress supply now lest he Weep And by despairing take a deadly Sleep Through thy neglect To be a real Friend Is sacred and a Tie no Straits should rend 6. A Servant's Duty is for to obey And Love with diligence and not say nay He must be Faithful not inclin'd to waste His Master's Goods since Confidence is plac'd In him 't is petty-Treason to betray His Trust by careless squandring them away With modest Carr'age and respectful Grace He must discharge the Duty of his Place Attend to good Instruction Pray and Hear And Sins of every kind he must forbear 7. The Master also to his Servants must Pay them their Wages and always be just To all them for discharging of their Trust From them withdrawing nothing that is due Doing by them as they have done by you Lest publickly they for their Wages sue He must admonish and reprove their Vice Instructing them how they may best then rise To most perfection in Goods and Mind Not to enslave them but be always kind Casting all Cruelty even behind Because if he to them no Mercy give From God he must then as little receive Masters discreetly should with Servant bear And without any Anger speak and hear That will win on the Servant and so make Him do more than he bids him for your sake And then also the Master ought to give A good Example how they ought to live For how can any Man expect to find Dutiful Servants if they do not mind To do their Duty to the King of Kings Doubtless they 'll be regardless of your things CHAP. XII 1. Charity to Brethren 2. To Enemies 3. By the Example of Christ
THE WHOLE DUTY OF MAN In all his Stages in a plain and familiar Heroick Verse with Variety of Cuts proper to the several Chapters thereof c. By W. Beck M. A. Fitted for the Pleasure and Benefit of YOUTH London Printed and Sold by J. Bradford in Little Britain ADVERTISEMENTS BOOKS Printed and Sold by J. Bradford 1. YOuth's Travels Or The Vanity of Mans Age. Represented in Seven several Stages thereof from his Birth to his Death With variety of Pictures exposing the Vanities and Follies of this Age. By A. F. Price Two-Pence 2. A Mirror for Atheists wherein they may plainly see their Prodigious Follies Vast Extravagancies Notorious Impieties and Absurdities containing a compendious account of the egregious vicious Life and Eminently and Sincerely Penitent Death of John Earl of Rochester Wherein is briefly receited his Disputes and Arguments against God and Religion as the same were used at several Meetings Also the manner of his wonderful Conversion and his Godly Expressions during his Last Sickness Abstracted from the Remarks of the Right Reverend Dr. Gilbert Burnet Price Sticht in Blue Paper Two Pence 3. The Father's Blessing Penn'd for the Instruction of his Children With a Paraphrase upon the Lord's Prayer With Motives to Prayer By William Jole Minister of Sarrat in Hartfordshire Price Two-Pence 4. A Choice Drop of Honey from the Rock Christ Or a short Word of Advice to all Christians in order to a thorough Reformation Price stitcht Two Pence 5. The Triumph of Faith manifested to the World Or Abrahâ—m offering up his Son Isaac as a sweet Burning Sacrifice upon Mount Moriah to the Lord. Being a Dialogue between Abraham Isaac and the Angel that staved his Hand from Execution With a large Cut to it Price One Penny 6. A Dialogue between a Blind Man and Death By Richard Standfast late Minister of Christ-Church in the City of Bristol Also the Great Assize or Christs Certain and Sudden Appearance to Judgment Price 1. d. 7. The Grand Question Resolved What we must do to be Saved Being Instructions for a Holy Life By Dr. Burnet Price Sticht Two Pence THE Whole Duty OF MAN In all his Stages in a plain and Familiar Heroick Verse With Variety of Cuts proper to the several Chapters thereof With several Private Prayers and Thanksgivings annexed to it both for the Pleasure and Benefit of Youth By W. Beck M. A. Prov. 22.6 Train up a Child in the Way he should go and when he is Old he will not depart from it LONDON Printed and Sold by J. Bradford in Little Britain the Corner House right against the Pump 1700. A PREFACE To the Good and Honourable But more Particularly The Courteous READER SInce this Renowned Book has been by some in part impeâ—fectly turned into Lyrick or Jambeck Verse so that I thought it necessary to give you it compleat iâ— Heroick And seeing every Body now adays haâ— an Inclination either to Read or Write Verses and some by an unhappy Skill that way taking the advantage of the general humour have exercised their abused parts in the recommending of Vice with all the flourish of Wit adding to the natural propensity to sin the sweet taking Seducements of Poetry but since the Contagion rather spreads than decreases and because it becomes me to hope that many rather love the Vice for the sake of the Verse than the Verse for the sake of Sin Therefore I thought it not unworthy the Character of a Christian nor besides my duty as such for the Reformation of Manners in Youth to make and humbly present you with this little Version of The Whole Duty of Man in a plain and familier dress to be got by Heart by the Ignorant being divided into Thirteen Chapters one quarter of which being learned every Sunday the Whole in one Year may be compassed And it is measured out in Verse only to make it go down the smoothlier and stick the better upon the Memory for as Verse has been a great occasion of the breach of most Duties contained herein and a means of drawing too many from performance so I hope this may and will be as prevalent for the reclaiming as many since according to the Poet A Verse may find him whom a Sermon flies And turn Delight into a Sacrifice So if all Dignity and Renown and Parts and Vnderstanding of Birth and Fortune would but freely and conspicuously offer themselves for Patterns of Education and Conversation they must and would undoubtedly entice and make others to be good and the Honour of our Religion would soon be retrieved and brought again into Credit and our Off-spring be as promising and hopeful as our deceased and much Lamented Duke But since that there are too many Proud Covetous and Malicious Pluralists and also incroaching and intruding Vnnaturalized Foreigners which having ingrossed the Inheritance being more for the Fleece than the Flock Lording over it So that I as well as others in this Iron Age having nothing to support us but a feeble Quill are almost ready to be Interred in the Ruins of a low Fortune yet being desirous of giving a publick Testimony of the value I have for all that are good and more particularly for you which soars above the rest being unbyassed by the Customary Opinion of the World and so far from believing any to be undeserving because unfortunate that their very Indigency in a great measure entitules them to your Protection So humbly beseeching to accept of my weak Endeavours Prayers and Good Wishes in reliance â—n your Goodness I assume the boldness to subscribe my Self Your most Humble and Devoted Servant Will. Beck ADVERTISEMENT THe Author being Master of Arts of a long standing now either at his Lodgings at the Kings-Head and Grammar-School in Jermain-street St. James's or at any one 's own House if desired doth and will in a few Years exactly tho' not pedantickly teach Young Ladies and Gentlemen the Tongues and Sciences he having lately contrived and made a Compendious yet exact English Accidence Grammar and Rhetorick c. By which any of an ordinary capacity with the Author's assistance without a Miracle in a few Months may learn that which is so much wanting and desired to accomplish Ladies viz. to Write True English and good Sense either with or without the Latin Tongue The Accidence he promises God willing to publish the beginning of the New Year But the other will be dictated only to those that can write to be got by Heart against the next Day THE Whole Duty of Man c. CHAPTER I. 1. The Necessity of caring for the Soul 2. The Worth of the Soul 3. The Misery of the Soul 4. The danger of the Loss of the Soul 1. THE chief Intent of this Book is to show Those things which each Person is now to do Being in as plain and familiar way That Old and Young should never go astray And in the end of all most happy be And from Eternal Burnings then set free
above the Starry Sky In Joys to live which ne'er was seen by Eye So now what Christ commands you must obey Thanking Infinite Goodness that you may So happy be Faith being the first Command That is enjoyned see to it then you stand 8 Behold Mankind now posting down apace And can of nothing boast but Love and Grace Which God has freely set before his Face So needs must he on his dear Word relie And willingly obey it till he dye If he would live the Life he must believe The Bible is God's Word and must receive It all for Truth Testament Old and New God cannot lye 't was given us all for true Let 's then perform what 's there injoyn'd throughout And not dispute omit nor yet to doubt But with such Sorrow for our Faults Repent Bathing in Tears even till our Life is spent 9. For if we Sin and after don't repent But at our black Ingratitude relent The Threatnings of God's Book do aim at all Whâ—ch by Transgressions oftentimes do fall The Great shall have their due as well as Small God promising to those that do obey Glorious Rewards and can you thâ—nk that they Which disregard his Threatnings shall be Partakers of the same Felicity If th' promise you expect then hâ—s Threats â—ear A Faith in both begets true Love and Fear For whilst with a firm Faâ—th a Man believes The Promises and dreadful Threats he gives He will not dare to Sin but rather chuse To hope in God and Sin and Vice refuse 10. Love is an innate Duty which we owe To God from whom all Goodness now do flow Being so good so merciful and kind So apt to pardon ought he not to find Returns of Love He that with Love began Should he not have returns of Love from Man Yes it s a Duty which we ought to pay With all our Hearts to him and not say nay Making't our business and our whole imploy If that we would that blessed Place enjoy 11. A Second Duty which to him we owe Is filial Fear which we must bestow Let this our daily care lest we offend Be to commit no Sin at Man's command But let God's Fear the fear of Man withstand 12. You must relie on God and in him trust Being both knowing powerful good and just If Dangers threaten or Temptations smile Hope still in him and let them not beguile But to your utmost power their force resist Then God will with his Grace and Strength resist And in all Troubles which you shall be in To be deliver'd must not act one Sin 13. Endeavours use lawful in case of want If that woun't do no doubt but God will grant His Spirit to assist if strength you want In all Affairs observe a moderate Care And second thy Endeavours still with Prayer And for support God will then nothing spare CHAP. III. 1. The Duty of Humility 2. The Fruits of it 3. The Duty of Honour to God 4. Of Baptism 5. Of the Covenant 1. HVmility is another Duty Which is any Christians chiefest Beauty Without which Grace the greatest cannot be So happy here or in Eternity And that Humility is a true Sense Of our own weakness and God's Excellence 2. The thoughts of which should make us more submiâ—â— And fearful how we act or think amiss 'T will keep us from Conceit both vain and proud Of our own Works and not cry out aloud Making us patient till our God should please To lay aside his Rod and give us ease Making us thankful for his Chastisement And under every Providence content When it has these Effects then all may be Assur'd that they have true Humility For without it none can a Christian be As to partake of true Felicity 3. Honour to God with Tongue 's an other due Which we must give with Hearts and Hands most true At all times in his Church and on his Day In every Time and Act and Place and Way By Learning Reading following God's words And practising the Rules which it affords By Catechizing of the Ignorant As Servants Children and all such as want Instructing them to live in the true fear Of God taking them with you when you hear Sermons making them practise what they 'r taught That when they come from Church they be not naught 4. Inform your selves be sure of the Intent Of Baptism and the other Sacrament They being Covenants of God's free Grace Between himself and Adam's sinful Race Wherein he promises to pardon Sin And all the Trespasses we have been in To sanctifie us and at last to save Our Souls from Hell and raise us from the Grave And on condition to Eternal Life If Faith in Christ we use with holy strife With true Repentance and all Submission Of three things promised to have Fruition If th' Remnant of our Days we truly do That we promised solemnly and vow At Baptism to renounce Flesh World Devil Th' Articles to believe t' abstain from Evil The days to come and that with all our heart If we expect God to perform his part CHAP. IV. 1. Of the Lord's Supper 2. Examination before 3. Humility Repentance and Confession 4. Faith and Charity 5. Thanks 1. 'T IS every Christians Duty to receive The Sacrament to strengthen his belief That oftentimes the Death of his dear Lord He calls to mind even that which ' tdoth afford That purchas'd and also to renew The Covenant between the Lord and you In Baptism by Proxies but at Age You promise for your self so must ingage That Promise to perform lest for fear Even at the Lord's Supper you should appear To come unworthily with no intent That 's good for to receive that Sacrament 2. Therefore before you ' proach the holy place Examine well your self and know your case What Sins are unrepented of and what You have committed or may have forgot 3. For there you must confess both great and small And bending Knee be sorry for 'em all With grief for having forfeited your Word In all Humility before your Lord And then resolve a better Life to live For time to come and against Sin to strive 4. Having so done you firmly may believe Your Sins then pardoned and so receive The blessed Bread and Wine even with all Love To Men on Earth and to your God Above That Bread and Wine are symbols of his Blood And Body which he gave when here he stood These all must receive often and not some And must be so doing e'en till he come Which is but the performing of his Will Which till his Coming is our Duty still 5. Having received let 's thank God that permits Us to partake of such rich benefits CHAP. V. 1. Honour to God's Name 2. Worship 3 Prayer 4. Confession to him c. 1. THere 's always Honour due to God's great Name Which thou must not by Word or Thought prophane By Swearing falsly or by needless Oaths His Name prophane and on Mankind impose When Passions boyl and
Anger smarts forbear Both if thou canst even with thy Tongue not swear Such boyling of thy Soul 's but empty froth Which God and all good Men do always loath It will no profit or yet pleasure bring Nor Honour when it in all Ears do ring But rather Horrour and a great Disgrace Both to the Person and so to the Place 'T is silly then for any to sin gratis As to prophane God's Name having satis It s Sin you know to quarrel with thy Fellow And greater much against thy God to Bellow Such horrid Oaths and Imprecations too As will thee here and afterwards undo Therefore refrain that foul and ugly Sin By which the Devil often enters in And then the state of that Man's worse than first So his Damnation must be deemed just 2. Worship's next thing that 's naturally due In private publick to our God most true It must be payed with Body and with Mind 3. By Prayers Confessions and our selves resign'd To his disposal begging holy aid To mend our Lives and pardon what is said Or done Praying with or for others praise Giving for Blessings all and quiet days Yea for every benefit we receive Must sincere Thanks and humble Praises give It s a small matter I think twice a day To lay aside the World fall down and Pray No Man I 'm sure can better use his Time Than to implore a Pardon for his Crime CHAP. VI. 1. Man's Duty towards Himself 2. Humility in opposition to Pride 3. Vain-glory. 4. Meekness 5. The Fruits of it 6. Consideration 1. HUmble thou must be having a low esteem Even of thy self tho' others do thee deem As little too as thou dost think thy self Be not deceived tho' thou abounds in self 2. For God hates Pride and therefore will not love Thee till thou dost that hateful Sin remove What tho' thou art Hansome Active Strong or Wise And thy clear Soul shine through thy sparkl ng Eyes Thou hast no cause thy self for to disguise And make deformed what God made otherwise Such great Advantages even for to stain And spoil by Pride which is a cruel Bain To Happiness therefore when it begins To spring up in thy Mind from gilded things Which thou hast got or done sink down thy Knee And contradict it with Humility Quench thy vain Thoughts with Tears expell with Pray'r The Wind of empty Praise and swelling Air. 3. For God will not accept those Deeds you do Out of Vain-glory and external show 4. Meekness also is our bounden Duty Which is a Christian's Excellence and Beauty To have an even Calmness in ones Soul That can the Passions surly Wrath controul 5. That Man of Men and God is the delight Submiss and quiet both doth never Fight Nor ever Quarrels nor yet hatches Strife But in a Knotless Thread spins out his Life Such a good Christian's like his blessed Lord Which never utter'd an impatient Word 6. Consideration makes an other part Of a good Christian Life to search the Heart And to consider of its present State Whether it doth incline to Love or Hate Of Sin that according as it is bent Whether to approve or else in time repent Then every Night consider what you 've thought Or done in the Day past which if it 's nought Or any ill appear that has been wrought Strait ask God's pardon for the unwary Sin Before it wholly slips or enters in And that before next Morning doth begin CHAP. VII 1. Contentedness 2. Chastity 3. Temperance 1. in Meat 2. in Drink 3. in Sleep 4. in Recreations 5. in Cloaths c. IT is our Duty to be still Content With Providence and not for to Relent However bad or harsh proves the Event Tho' thou be Sick in Slavery or Poor Yet never set thy Heart to covet more Do not by means unlawful in the least Your needy wishes practise It 's a Feast To be content with Rayment and with Food Such Moderate Desires are always Good So set your Self with Industry to watch And Diligence lest unawares you catch A Fall to avoid which always imploy All Graces and all Gifts you do enjoy 2. And keep thy self so pure and always Chaste Thy Strength on Women be sure not to waste Nor give thy self that fatal Liberty To look at random with a glancing Eye Restrain thy Thoughts thy Hands thy guilty Words Take all the Helps that this wise World affords But above all being pure see that thou fly Idleness and all Wanton Company 3. Be Temperate in every thing you Eat And make judicious choise of Harmless Meat 1. In Drinking also see there ben't Excess To stain thy Mind by filthy Drunkenness Which is a Sin so loathsome to the sight Of God and Man committed but by night At first so odious murthering Reason Making the Body reel or act some Treason Then is confin'd into some loathsome Cell Whose Soul at last is plunged into Hell Make no Man Drunk for whatsoer's Sin Thou must not act thy self nor draw Men in Be not concern'd then when Sots thee upbraid If thou be Sober be not then afraid Of such Mad-men which can as little move Thy Reason as their Persons draw thy Love 2. Be moderate in Sleep lest thou offend Thy God and quite destroy that Christian end 3. In Recreation be temperate also For tho' thou may'st divert thou yet must know Not to engage thy Heart in them most deep Neglecting God's Laws and Statutes to keep Play â—â—t for Money but for Exercise In one the Use in th' other the Mischief lies For by the Use of them thou shew'st to man Which way thy Soul is biass'd do what thou can 4. Be temperate also in the Cloathes you wear Only in such as suits thy Rank appear If Rich don't put a value on such Cloathes If Poor let not their Meanness discompose Thee at no time 't is alike to be proud And Fret for want as Strut for having good CHAP. VIII Man's Duty towards his Neighbour 1. Justice 2. Charity 1. Not to seduce him 2. Not to Murther 3. Nor to Beat. 4. Nor Slander 5. Nor to commit Adultry 6. Nor Spight 7 To do no Injustice 8. Not to Rob. 9. But be Fair in Dealings 10. To make Restitution and how to make it 1. LET these two Duties to your Neighbours be 2. Strict Iustice with good natur'd Charity Not Spightful as to gall or vex his Mind But with a Disposition always kind 1. Do still what Good you can never begin T' intice nor yet provoke him unto Sin But if it has been your Misfortune sad To make him Err yea or to make him bad Strive all you can then him to Vertue win And to an Holy Life or else you sin And answer must for his as well as yours Which were contracted at such certain hours Since your Counsel and Practise made him Sin See Sorrow true with him you enter in 2. Be sure that Blows and Murther thou forbear These always God and