THE Christian Tutor Or A Free and Rational Discourse OF THE Sovereign Good and Happiness of MAN AND THE Infallible Way of attaining it especially in the Practice of CHRISTIAN RELIGION Written in a Letter of ADVICE to Mr. James King in the East-Indies By HENRY JENKES Fellow of Gonvil and Caius College in the University of Cambridge and of the Royal Society And now Published for the Benefit of all others LONDON Printed for Henry Faithorne and John Kersey at the Rose in St. Paul's Church-Yard MDCLXXXIII A GENERAL VIEW Of the Principal CONTENTS Sect. I. THe Occasion of this Letter Page 1 Sect. II. The main Argument or Subject-matter of it p. 3 Sect. III. Of the Sovereign Good of Man p. 4 1. Wherein it consists p. 5 2. Wherein it cannot consist p. 7 Sect. IV. Of the Infallible way of attaining it p. 8 Sect. V. In the General way p. 9 1. By loving God p. 10 The best Expressions of that Love p. 11 2. By loving our Neighbour p. 12 The Principal Parts or Acts of this Love are two Ibid. 1. To wrong no man Ibid. 2. To do men all the Good we can p. 13 Instances of it Ibid. Our Particular behaviour towards our Superiours Equals Inferiours p. 14 3. By loving our selves p. 16 This Love consists in two things p. 17 1. In denying our selves in somethings Ibid. What these things are Ibid. 2. In making much of our selves in some other things p. 18 What those things are is here declared as for instance p. 19 1. The good Health of the Body Ibid. The best Rule for that Ibid. 2. The Perfections of the Mind p. 20 1. Vseful Knowledge Ibid. An Account of some of the best Books p. 21 An Account of the best Books in Christian Religion Ibid. Another Account of the best Books in Geography and History p. 26 An Account of some Books that Vindicate and defend the Church of England p. 31 A farther Account of some other good Books in Philosophy and Mathematicks p. 32 Some Directions concerning Reading and the Right use of good Books p. 36 The first Direction Ibid. The second Direction p. 37 The third Direction Ibid. The fourth Direction p. 38 The Author 's Political Compass p. 43 2. Vertuous Practices p. 46 Especially the due Government of our Thoughts and Passions Ibid. 1. The Government of our Thoughts p. 47 The true way of it by Avocation and Revocation Ibid. 2. The Government of our Passions p. 48 In the first Effort p. 49 Two Rules to be observed Ibid. The first Rule to determine our Passions to their proper Objects Ibid. The second Rule to regulate and order them in such a way and manner as may be proportionate to those Objects p. 50 The Vse of this Rule is shewn in most Passions p. 51 In the second Effort p. 55 Two Maxims of State must be observed and practised p. 56 The first Maxim Divide and Command Ibid. The second Maxim Trust but look well whom you trust Ibid. 3. The whole Man must be also regarded by us p. 58 4. Our good Name and Reputation p. 59 5. Our Real and Personal Estate p. 60 The Transition to the next head of Discourse p. 61 Sect. VI. The Infallible way of attaining the Sovereign Good of Man in the special way of Christian Religion p. 63 By loving our Lord Jesus Christ in Truth and Sincerity that is to say Ibid. 1. Honour him Ibid. 1. As to his Person p. 64 2. As to his Offices p. 65 1. As he is your Prophet Ibid. 2. your High-Priest Ibid. 3. your King p. 66 2. Entertain his Doctrine p. 67 1. Believe his Promises Ibid. 2. Obey his Precepts p. 68 3. Imitate his holy Life and Example p. 69 Sect. VII The Conclusion p. 72 ERRATA Page 21 line 17. for Twelves read Octavo p. 27 l. 5. r. Tabulae p. 31 l. 17. r. Ecclesiae p. 36 l. 12. for a r. or Ibid. l. 21 and 22. for at best hand r. are best secured THE CHRISTIAN TUTOR Dear Sir THE great Kindness I have for you and always had makes me at this time write to you §. 1. The Occasion of this Letter and that the rather because the good Character that has been given of late by the President Aungier a Person of great Honour and Integrity of your Honesty great Diligence and graceful Behaviour in all your Actions as it has procured you the Company 's Favour in making you one of their Factors in India so it has exceedingly rejoyced me that I cannot but with this New Year congratulate to you all Health and Happiness long may you live to Enjoy that Place to your Contentment Satisfaction c. You shall never want my good Counsel and Prayers to further you with Gods Blessing in all Well-doing Silver and Gold have I none to send you but what is above the Price of Rubies and Diamonds and above all the Riches of the East You shall not fail every Year to have a just Letter full fraught with them and that is Wise and serious Directions for the Conduct of your Life here to the Attainment of a Better hereafter Instructions that shall never hinder Business either Publick or Private such wholsom Advices that you shall be the better for them or at least never repent that you have follow'd them An Example and Proof of them this Paper-Messenger brings you by this present Shipping from one that heartily loves you and all your Relations after the highest rate of Friendship and therefore what he says you will I doubt not entertain with the like good Affection I will not long detain you with any tedious Prefaces §. 2. The main Argument or subject matter of it for Time is short and precious but immediately betake my self to that Argument of Discourse I have proposed to my self to enlarge my good Will upon with the best Understanding I have of it You know very well that It is the great Desire of all men to be Happy For no man would be Miserable Every one of us takes care to establish his Happiness in some good thing or other which he judges will most Contribute to that End but in the several Ways and Means that are made Choice of all Men but the Wise and Virtuous are mistaken and therefore I will God willing for your Information and my own give you my Choicest Thoughts about this matter And that we may proceed Methodically herein I shall first paint out unto you what I judge to be a Man's Sovereign Good that can only render him Happy and then shew you the most Direct and Infallible Way of Attaining it First §. 3. Of the Sovereign Good of Man By the Sovereign Good of Man I mean the Acquisition and Possession of such a thing as is most Beneficial to him and all others in the whole World that which gives him full Content and Satisfaction of Mind the greatest Peace and Tranquillity a permanent Joy sincere and unmixed that
which he can never Lose but by his own Default nor be deprived of by any outward Force or Violence a Good that is commensurate to the great End of mans Creation as he is a Free and Rational Agent and for which he was made by God and sent into this lower World that he might Live according to the Tenor of his Nature a Good that is of it self sufficient to gratifie all our Reasonable Appetites and Desires a Good that is Perfective of our Nature that improves our Rational Powers and Faculties that every one of them may attain their Chief End for which they were given us by God Almighty the Liberal Donor of all Good Things in a word it is the General Good of all the Vniverse that which does not only procure our Real Profit Pleasure and Satisfaction but also the greatest Pleasure to all others of the same Community with us Vt universis singulis bene sit That it may fare well with all and every one of us Now 1 Wherein it consists that this can be nothing else but Virtue or the most Heavenly Life that Man can lead here upon Earth You may easily make out to your self from the Description I have just now premised for he that endeavours to Live Vertuously and really doth so reaps thereby the comfortable benefits of this Life and that which is to come and so do all others too by this good man's Intention and Provision He enjoys the truest Pleasure Content and Satisfaction of Mind the serenest Peace and Tranquillity of a good Conscience attend him perpetually and nothing is of that sufficiency as this to gratifie all his Reasonable Appetites and Desires Here is a Good that is Perfective of our Nature that Improves and Advances all our Rational Faculties and Powers for it makes us truly Wise and truly Good it is infinitely conducive to our Happiness it is our very Happiness and nothing else so much This was that great and excellent Good for which God Almighty made Man and gave him a Nature suitable to this very End and Purpose that he should make it his main Business and Work in this World to Live Vertuously and do all the Good be can For in so doing he approves himself a True Citizen and Worthy Inhabitant of the World and all the World is the better for him for not only my own Pleasure is hereby Procured but also the Pleasure and Satisfaction of all others by me the General Good I mean of our Community we Live in This I say is the Sovereign Good of Man's Happiness All other things without this can never make us Happy This 2 Wherein it cannot Consist and this only can do it That which the men of this World so much Admire and Hunt after is Riches Honors and Sensual Pleasures but upon an impartial Review and Examination none of these Idle Toys can ever pretend to make the Owners of them Happy for they are all at the Best but Vain and Momentary and Perish in the Enjoyment they do not only not make us Good or Better but they neither make us truly Rich truly Honourable or truly Joyful as they may be well Used and Employed by us in the Way of Vertue they are good Tools or Instruments but in disjunction from Vertue they are stark naught and so can be no Ingredients of Happiness Besides they reach not the Mind of Man the better Part in us they are common and trivial things few are ever the Better for them but most are the Worse for the greatest Enjoyment of them But this can never be said of Divine Vertue all the World is the better for it and every Man in particular may be so too if he will but List himself under her Colours and therefore to conclude this point The Sovereign Good of Mans Happiness consists in the Acquisition and Possession of this Great and Everlasting Good Secondly §. 4. Of the Infallible way of Attaining it Now to Attain this Happy State of Life to live in a constant and uninterrupted Fruition of the best Pleasures of the Mind to have true Peace Content and Satisfaction and that all others for whom we are concerned may have it too by our means This can only arise from the Conscience of doing well and always better and better that is to say if you would be truly Happy as you and I desire to be Let us once for all resolve to Live according to the Rules of Vertue and the Laws of our Holy Christian Religion and I can assure you that we cannot but be exceeding Happy What those Rules and Laws are that set out to us the Divine and Heavenly Life of Vertue I will now lay before you I mean the Chiefest of them for the Holy Scriptures especially of the New Testament which I hope you diligently Read with Erasmus his Excellent Paraphrase will inform you better in the particulars and all other things relating to this Affair than I can do and here tho' I could be Large and Copious yet for your sake and my own I will be as brief as I can in the Enumeration and Explication of them He that Desires § 5. The General Way and Heartily Endeavours to be truly Happy must make it his Principal Care to lead a Life of Holiness and Vertue correspondent to those Laws which Reason and Revelation have made known unto us They are for our singular Advantage not Many and Burthensome but Few Easie and Pleasant Injunctions as for Instance To Love God our Neighbour and our Selves in the last place after the best manner For Love is the Fulfilling of the whole Law it is that which the Royal Law of Liberty The Everlasting Gospel of our Saviour Jesus Christ above all Duties most strictly Enjoyns us and as Effectually recommends unto us all other Particular Commands are but so many Parts of this General Law of Love this contains them all and is indeed the true Source and Vital Principle of the Divine Life of Vertue and Doing Well which can only render us Happy First 1 By Loving God By Loving of God I mean nothing else but what any body may easily understand that Loves Vertue Namely that we always have Worthy Thoughts of him in our Minds becoming the Perfection of his Divine Nature and his Sovereignty over us that we Reverence Esteem him Infinitely for his Wisdome Goodness and Power that we Magnifie and Praise him for his Benefits The best Expressions of that Love that we constantly Depend upon him and Pray unto him for the Supply of all our Wants that we heartily thank him for every Good Thing we enjoy and look upon it as an Effect of his Grace and Bounty that we be always willing to Trust our selves with him to submit to his Wise Disposals â—hat we fear nothing so much as to displease him nor love any thing so Affectionately and Devoutly as to Obey him Universally and Constantly in the most perfect
truth and reality by a constant practice of this holy self-denial of your self Secondly 2 In making much of our selves in some other things I say you must also make very much of your self in some other things I mean 1. Such Internal Excellencies and Perfections must be minded by you besides 2. Some other external good things as will in the way and in the end make you truly happy Now these Internal Excellencies and Perfections of your Nature either relate to the body or the mind What those things are is here delared as for instance or to the whole man The external good things without you but very convenient for you to have them also are such as relate either to your good Name and Reputation or real and personal Estate Therefore what concerns your body 1 The good health of the body must be minded you must chiefly mind the good health and constitution of it For a sickly and crasie body is not fit for action nor a good Servant for the Soul The best way of attaining it under the Divine Blessing The best Rule for that is to use moderate and wholsome Diet good Exercises and innocent Recreations to live always temperately soberly and according to Rule for they that do so sleep quietly in utramque aurem they are seldom overcharged with noxious humours or arrested by any satal distempers their heads are clear and their hearts sound their blood moves briskly and vigorously in their Veins and wherever they go they carry about with them a chearful mind in an healthful body Mentem sanam in corpore sano and that surely is a great happiness not to be parted with for all the voluptuous man's most sumptuous Cheer and extravagant Jollity for that commonly ends in pains lingring diseases and a miserable death Secondly 2 The Perfections of the Mind The perfections of your mind which must be looked after and for which you may justly love your self and make much of your self in the enjoyment of are such as these viz. 1. To acquire as much useful knowledge as you can 1 Vseful knowledge for as light is pleasant to the Eye so is truth to the Understanding above all knowledge therefore labour to attain that which is most beneficial to you which really will make you wise unto Salvation as certainly the knowledge of the true Religion of our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is An Account of some of the bâ—st Books and that you may easily learn from those good Books I have formerly re-commended to you when you went to the East-Indies I think they were such as these tho' I shall add some few more that have been publish'd since to perfect this Account An Account of the best Books in Christian Religion I. Bishop Wilkin's Principles and Practices of Natural Religion in Octavo Hugo Grotius of the Truth of the Christian Religion of Dr. Patrick's Edition in Twelves Dr. Patrick's Witnesses in 2 Octavo's and Dr. Parker's Demonstration of the Divine Authority of the Law of Nature and of the Christian Religion in Quarto These good Books will acquaint you with the true Grounds and Principles of all and of Christian Religion in general II. Bishop Pearson upon the Creed in Folio Here this worthy Author gives you a most rational Account of the Fundamental Articles or Doctrines of our Christian Faith as to the Verity and Necessity of them to a good Life III. Doctor Hammond's Practical Catechism in Octavo The whole Duty of Man in Octavo Doctor Taylor 's Holy Living and Holy dying in Octavo The Grand Exemplar in Folio Mr. Scot's Christian Life in Octavo These five most useful Books thus put together will instruct you in all the worthy Practices of our holy Christian Religion Whatever concerns a pious and vertuous life you may learn from hence As for the Historical part of Christianity that you may know what manner of men the Primitive Christians were you shall do well to read Doctor Cave's Primitive Christianity in Octavo The Lives of the holy Apostles and primitive Fathers by the same Author in two Folio's IV. Doctor Patrick's Devout Christian in Twelves Next to the Common-Prayer-Book this excellent Treatise will be a good help to you in your Devotions with this you may entertain your self upon all Occasions to very good purpose V. Doctor Patrick's Parable of the Pilgrim in Quarto A most excellent Book in its kind This will always put you in mind what you are by Profession and should be in very deed a Christian Pilgrim Here you have a Guide that will instruct you in the true way to Heaven and direct you so to steer your course of life that by the Blessing of God upon your good endeavours you shall not fail to come thither in God's own due time VI. Dr. Tillotson's Sermons in Octavo This is one of the best Sermon-Books that I know and therefore I would have you read it frequently and make the best use of it as also Bishop Wilkins's Sermons lately published and Doctor Isaac Barrow's Sermons all Octavo's VII Doctor Henry More 's Grand Mystery of Godliness and Iniquity in two Folio's Divine and most excellent Books to inform you in all the great things of Christian Religion or the grand Mystery of Godliness and how some people have apostatized from it by advancing the grand Mystery of Iniquity VIII Mr. Will. Chillingworth's Protestant Religion the safe Way to Salvation in Folio I know you are a good Protestant Christian and therefore to secure you in your Religion I commend this incomparable good Book to you Next to this most useful Knowledge which so much conduces to your own Happiness and the Way of attaining it and is in the aforesaid Books very well explained and demonstrated if you have any time of leisure hereafter you shall do well to study History and Geography Studies that are both Pleasant and Profitable and will fit you for Discourse and ingenious Conversation The best in that kind I have also heretofore named unto you and given you my advice how to proceed methodically in the reading of them Another Account of the best Books in Geography and History I think for your memories sake they were such as these and may be with some new ones ranged in this Order I. Abbot's Geography in Twelves A Book for young Beginners that contains a great deal in a little room and will give you a very good description of all Countries and the most remarkable things in them II. Doctor Heylyn's Cosmography in Folio This Book gives you a larger Account of all Countries as appears by the Title Page thereof In subsidium for a farther help and direction in your Geographical Studies you shall do well to take in these viz. Varneii Geographia Absoluta in Octavo P. Bertii Tabula Geographicae in Quarto G. Fournier Geographica Orbis Notitia in Twelves Mercatoris Atlas Bleau's or the English Atlas All in several large Folio ' Goth-fredi Archontologia
of Judgement and Probity of Will at best hand The second Direction Observe a due Order and Method in your Studies that is pass on leisurely and surely from one thing to-another from what you know certainly from Self-evident principles proceed to the knowledge of other things that you may know them as certainly too Never Assent to any thing that is doubtful and questionable Assensum Cohibe till you meet with something of Certainty that approves it self to the mind either by the clearest conviction of Reason or the best Attestation of others in matters of Fact if you do so you are then and not till then in a Good and Safe Way of Knowledge The third Direction For the Relief of your Memory that you may the better remember what you have read and well consider'd commit that to writing especially what you meet with in any Author that is Great and Considerable and therefore to that purpose make to your self an Alphabetical Common-place Book especially for Archaeologys and curious Notions relating either to Persons or Ancient Customs The fourth Direction In all your Particular Studies mind the main Drift and Vse of them as for instance according to our former Account of Books 1. Christian Religion îs the most useful knowledge the best Learning in all the World in order to a better and therefore cannot be minded and studied enough For it makes us Truly Wise and Truly Good Happy here and Eternally Happy hereafter In the studying of which that your profiting may appear to all men give your self very much to serious Meditations Devout Exercises of Piety and Vertue and reading of sound Books in Religion and when you do so always have your recourse to the Holy Scriptures for the ultimate Resolution of all your Doubts and Difficulties entertain no Opinions or Sentiments in Religion but what are consonant to this Infallible Rule of Faith and all good Manners For the better understanding of them you shall do well to have at hand Sebastian Castellio his Latine Version with Hugo Grotius his Annotations upon the Holy Bible And Dr. Henry Hammond's Paraphrase and Annotations upon the New Testament all in Folio Books that will acquaint you with the True and Rational Sense of the Holy Scriptures The Book of Books 2. Geography a very Delightful and Profitable Study by this kind of Learning you may converse with the Inhabitants of our little World tho' never so remote from you by this you will be no Stranger to any Place or Country whatsoever from all which you may Learn something or other that is very useful and well-becoming you as you are a Traveller especially if you take Notice all along as you go of the Choicest Productions of Nature and Art the main End of this Study 3. History Most useful in its kind for by this you may acquaint your self with all the Grand changes and revolutions of the world that have happened before you were born and since your time Here as in a great Theater you may behold humane Nature under several Persons Acting its several Parts exercising its Vigour in the greatest and most Heroick Actions of Life and that under the Conduct of Divine Providence whatever therefore you meet with of Note in your reading the History of several Ages or of Persons in Every Age I mean that is Truly Vertuous and Praise-Worthy transform it to your own Vse and make the best Improvement of it Consider your self not only as a bare Reader or Spectator that stands by to look on whilst others are a Doing But as One that is an Actor in every Scene of Human Life as One that is really concern'd in every thing that is said and done by others Always taking the right side and adjoyning your self to those Hero's and Worthy Men that have appeared in Publick and upon the Stage in the behalf of Truth Honesty and Justice The Rule and Solid Foundation of all History as also the proper Use and Result of it 4. Philosophy and Mathematicks very pleasant and delightful Studies Studies for Minds and Abstracted Souls from worldly Business that desire to know the Nature of things with all their Affections and Phaenomena and that from their Immediate Causes This is the Standard and Great Rule in this kind of Learning and to this you must make your Appeal not to the Authorities of Men but the Vncontroulable Reason of things the Constans Invicta ratio rei whereever it resides either in your own mind or in the minds of others that judge aright from clear and distinct perceptions without Prejudice or Partiality But I consider that you are now Secretary to the Council in the East-Indies and so that Part of Philosophy which relates to Politicks will be most proper for you to mind the Maxims of which you will find in those Books I have reckoned under the Head of Moral Philosophy for that is the true Source of Politicks and consequently must Govern all Political Learning in its utmost Extent for you may take it for an infallible saying Nemo nisi vir Probus Bonus est Civis aut esse potest The Best man in Morality is certainly the Best Citizen and truest Polititian For your Conduct herein I shall only recommend to you my own Political Compass by which you may steer your Course in all Human and Civil Affairs as I have done before you very evenly and steddily and notwithstanding all the blustering winds and storms in the State come at last to your Port and attain your Sovereign Good The Author 's Political Compass It consists but of Eight Points and therefore may be easily remembred they are these Verity Probity Liberty Sovereignty Property Charity Unity Piety Words of great Moment and Imporâ—ance so duly connected and consequent one after another That if they were made the Imperial and Standing Laws of Politicks nothing could conduce more to the Publick Peace and Tranquillity of all mankind than they Truly and Really do for Verity by its kindly and effectual Persuasions inclines the minds of well disposed men to Piety and Probity and they in Conjunction to Vnity if that may not easily be obtained which to me seems somewhat hard that it should not be so Liberty and Charity will certainly adjust it and procure it too among rational and good natur'd men But if these Lovely Graces should do it neither because some men are unreasonable in their pretensions and ill natur'd in their deportment towards others Sovereignty must at last determine all our unhappy Differences and Establish every man in his just Rights and Beloved Property so it should be and there is very great reason for it That by those Eight Words of Wisdom we should Govern all our Political Transactions the Great Concerns of Human Life and Conversation I am sure King Charles the First the Martyr of Blessed Memory Governed himself and â—his People committed to his Charge by all these Points and tho' he met with hard Usages and an Untimely Death