A PRESENT FOR CHILDREN Being a brief but faithful Account of many remarkable and excellent things utter'd by three young Children to the Wonder of all that heard them To which is added a seasonable Exhortation to Parents for the Education of their Children By a Person of Quality Published by William Bidbanck M. A. But who is their Father 1 Sam. 10. 12. Out of the Mouths of Babes and Sucklings thou hast perfected Praise Mat. 21. 16. London Printed by J. D. for Jonathan Robinson at the Golden Lion in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1685. To the Reader THE end of this Publication is not private or sinister but for publick Good God's Glory that his Name may be exalted and thy Good that thou mayst reap advantage hereby is designed What has been seen or heard is thus made more manifest that you may have Fellowship with us Accept it with all Candor and be thankful to God for such wonderful Works You are not imposed upon These things were not done in a Corner especially the Relation of Mary Stubbs who had so many Visiters that can attest the Truth of what is here written And the other likewise had many Witnesses and are added that in the Mouth of two or three Witnesses we may be the more confirmed W. B. Denton Sept. 2. 1684 TO Little Children VVHat shall I say to you You have here much spoken to you it is for you especially that these Relations are thus published Here you may be taught the Fear of the Lord which is the beginning of Wisdom 1. To pray unto God betimes in whom you do live move and have your being 2. To have an high Esteem of the Word of God the Holy Scriptures which are able to make us wise unto Salvation 2 Tim. 3. 15. 3. To keep the Lord's-Day strictly 4. To love God's Servants to love the Brethren and God's Ministers greatly 5. To consider the Joy which is to be had in the ways of Wisdom 6. What need we have now without delay to prepare for Death and Eternity 7. To have Faith and Vnion with Jesus Christ who is so willing to embrace little Children Oh! put these things into Practice do not look upon them as idle Stories Dare not to live Prayer-less or to profane God's Holy-Day See the contrary in these little Ones Say not you are too young your eternal Welfare depends hereon You are capable of great things betimes your Souls are of a noble Extraction You are capable of better things than Play and mere Vanities and you are made for higher things It is the Misery of the Person when the Body overcomes the Soul It is noble indeed where Reason and heavenly Light and Knowledg overcome these bodily Pleasures There are Pleasures which are for evermore The Soul and Spirit should like the Fire ascend up to Heaven naturally but it is clouded and overcome The Soul can never have Rest till it come to God We are indeed born like the wild Asses Colt Job 11. 12. We are Vessels full of bad Liquor as a Heathen could say we are prepossessed with Evil. Oh! study the Corruption of Nature and the Necessity of Grace from above Be not discouraged in reading God can make you such as these were You may be Men and Women betimes when Children as to your Bodies by Knowledge Faith and Love If you go on in Sin you must undo all again or else for ever be miserable Follow these Examples and you shall be happy in Life the Joy of Parents and most comfortable in a dying hour to your selves and them likewise Oh! the difference between a Child that swears and lies and is profane and another that fears to lie but loves the Truth and trembles to hear an Oath sworn The former is the Child of the Devil and the latter a Child of God You might have been made Toads or Brutes and better to have been such than to live and die in your Sins The Condition of those that know God betimes is so desirable that if any are to be envied such are as Joseph Samuel and David Psal 71. 17 18. How lamentable is their Condition in the Proverbs who hate Instruction Prov. 5. 12 13. If you know God betimes if you die young and very young you shall be with God be ready for that great Change And if you live you may do great things for God you may be eminent in your Generation you may be like a Cedar in Lebanon Objection Many will say That young Saints prove very bad in Age and old Sinners Answer There is such a wicked Proverb among many and it is used by them who have a spite or hatred against Holiness If thou be sincere and right at first thou shalt be like Joseph Samuel and David who were famous in their Generations Thou shalt not be a Bungler in Religion it will be thy Trade Who knows what they do that forget God that made them and took them out of the Womb and is thy Life and the Length of thy days Deut 30. 20. Better never to have been than to wrong this good God Consider these Children read often what is here related Meditate on them pray to God you may be such He hath enough of the Spirit See what became of those Children that did mock at God's Servant 2 Kings 2. 23 24. You love your Fathers to live with them and to be in their Arms you have a better Creator and Father to take care of you Object Some Children will be ready to say Oh! how irksom is it to pray and read is it not better to please our selves and to do what seemeth good in our own Eyes Answ At first because of our Corrupt Nature the ways of Wisdom seem unpleasant but it is only at first but the Way and End is very pleasant There is a Way saith Solomon that seemeth right to a Man but the End thereof is Death Prov. 14. 12. We would have Joy and Peace but it is not to be had in Sin Oh! Come and see and try and thou shalt never repent The God of Heaven bless these Directions to you which is the hearty Desire and fervent Prayer of the Publisher hereof W. BIDBANCK A Word in Season to Religious Parents OR An Exhortation to them to train up their Children in the Nurture and Admonition of the Lord. I Cannot but look on it as one of the saddest Instances of God's Displeasure against his People of this Generation such as are Parents the woful Degeneracy of so many of their Children and that the Lord intends therein to rebuke and chastise the Parents for the great neglect of Duty found in most in not educating their Children more strictly according to Scripture-Rule and Precept I know these sad Effects do naturally flow from the corrupt Fountain of depraved Nature in every Child which can no way be effectually prevented but by the Grace of God in the Heart Like as the Prophet did to heal the Waters and the barren Ground
inheriting of the Blessing which the Lord requires and expects from the Parents with a Trust and Confidence in them that they will so do I know Abraham saith the Lord whatsoever others do that he will command his Children and his Houshold after him On this account of the Covenant the Lord calls them his Children and doth in a Sense spiritually give Charge to the Parents concerning them as Pharaoh's Daughter said to the Mother of Moses Take this Child and nurse it for me our Lord himself saith concerning little Children Of such is the Kingdom of Heaven and for that Reason commands them to be brought to him and he blesseth them All that Parents do in a way of Duty is but to bring them unto Christ and being come to bring them up in him The Lord declares in his Word concerning the Infant-Children of Believers They are holy that is to be esteemed really so as Dr. Goodwin interprets it in the Judgment of Faith joyned with Charity that is a Faith of Waiting and Expectation grounded on what God indefinitely promiseth and declares about them till he reveal the contrary and in the mean time to be judged as Saints so as to bind the Consciences of Parents unto a Discharge of all Duties towards them as Saints until the contrary appear 2. These Children in their Infancy received the Sign and Seal of the Covenant were baptized in the Name of the Father the Son and the Holy-Ghost therein given up and solemnly engaged to be the Lords whence the Parents must needs be obliged and ought to be encouraged as to be much in Prayer for them so diligently to teach them as they are capable the Covenant and to lay hold thereof to know the Lord and excite them to seek him to love his Name and be his Servants Like as we read David did exhort Solomon his Son 1 Chron. 28. 9. and as the Son of the Stranger is encouraged to do Isa 56. 6 7. much more the Children of the Promise 3. Young Children are capable of Divine Impressions It is rational to suppose them capable Subjects of Grace as they are of Sin and of the Operations of the Spirit if he please to work tho we know not the manner how as they are of the Motions of Sin And as they are receptive of gracious Dispositions so these is will shew themselves as the Powers of the Soul and Organs of the Body attain meetness for Action which alone were sufficient ground to encourage Parents to be early dropping Words of Instruction and Reproof for as much as the Seed of the Kingdom springs up we know not how and oftentimes before we are aware We see the Fruit of the Spirit sometimes in little Children before the use of Means or while little could be done by Man for such a Production Experience doth sufficiently confirm the Truth hereof by a number of Instances I question not in every Age there hath been not a few remarkable Instances of late Years in our own Nation some of which are noted by worthy Mr. Janeway The design of this small Tract is to present the Reader with an Account of what was very lately observed in one Child soon after it was four Years old before it could read until near seven Years of Age having lived all that time in Affliction by a Consumption whereof it died And although I suppose the one half of what was said and done in that time is not told Yet that which is reported I think is beyond any thing yet written of those Years the Truth whereof is confirmed by many Witnesses It is written that all may magnify his Work which they behold giving God the Glory that Parents may be encouraged in their Duty and Children be invited to seek the Lord while they are young and fear him from their Childhood And as for such as deny and despise the Work of the Spirit in Regeneration and effectual Grace if they be no hereby convinced they may bâ— constrained to acknowledg likâ— as the Jews said in the Apostles Time that indeed a notable Miracle hath been done is manifest to all and we cannot deny it Yet further to evidence the Credibility of this thing I am desired to second it with a brief Narrative of what was observed in another much younger who was not full two Years and an half old when she died and that which I shall relate concerning it is of my own Knowledg It was a Child much prayed for while it was in the Womb that it might be sanctified and after it was born solemnly offered up to the Lord by the Parents as the First-Fruits of their Increase It had the Advantage of speaking very early and intelligent beyond its Years which rendr'd it the more capable of the Mothers Instructions from whom she learned many good Sentences which she would often repeat to others and sometimes to her self with seeming Pleasure She was first seized with the Rickets and afterwards languished of a Consumption being confined six Months to the Cradle chastened with much Pain and Weakness all the time notwithstanding all Means possible used for Relief which a most indulgent Mother could provide for it During the time of her Affliction she all along manifested a more than ordinary Affection to the Ordinances that is to the Word and Prayer so as she would not be satisfied if denied that Liberty to be present Insomuch as she was often carried in her Cradle into another Room for that purpose And notwithstanding her great Weakness and and Pain she would keep in her Groans and compose her self in her Cradle for some hours together at special times of Prayer attending without any seeming Weariness Yea tho her great Illness made Diversion necessary she would not permit her Maid to rock but very softly nor sing her which at other times she would by no means have forborn and the Play-things wherewith she much pleased her self for Diversion at other times she would in time of Prayer of her own accord throw from her to the end of the Cradle with dislike as if they were a Trouble to her Sometime she would be turned in the Cradle or taken up in the Arms asking to see such a Minister whom she would name Pray for Miss as she always call'd her self from hearing others so call her and when Prayer was ended she would speak in Commendation of him that prayed Such a one is a good Man and call to be taken in his Arms and kiss him many times before she ceased When any did commend her she would say Naught naught she was so earnestly desirous to be present at Family-Prayer that they could not satisfy her tho in other things it was seldom but the giving her a Reason would do it But once in a day the Family came up to prayer in her Chamber which was done with that Pleasure and Satisfaction as if she had been much older and when the Occasions of the Family would not admit it
afterwards she had much Joy and would triumphantly say I am my Beloved's and my Beloved is mine She knew she should go to Heaven and it was asked her What was done there she answered There was singing Hallelujahs with the Saints and Angels to all Eternity These Expressions were often uttered by her to the Admiration of all that heard them This was an Expression she uttered O that I were in my Fathers House and one answered You are in your Fathers House but she replied I mean my Fathers House in Heaven And O said she that the Angels would conduct my Soul to Glory She was asked whether she had not a desire to live she said No but was willing to die to be with Christ She complained of the Illness of her Body Yet saith she it is better to endure this than the Pains of Hell That her Patience might hold out was her request to the Lord and would say Lord Give me Faith and Patience for Heaven will quickly sweeten all When her Mother thought she had been ready to die she did ask her Whether she did clearly see that she had an Interest in Christ she answered It must be in my Heart and if the Lord did open her Eyes she should see clearly her Interest in Christ and that she was a new Creature O Mother said she if you had been willing to part with me I had been in Heaven before this time I am not gone but I am going to Heaven When she was under great Pain she was asked whether she had rather be without the Pain and forsake Christ or bear the Pain and enjoy Christ O said she I had rather have the Pain than forsake Christ for he hath made me a new Creature and fit for Heaven she should be unwilling to do that for he was a good Christ to her Her Body was like to an Anatomy yet then and to the end unless for some time when her bodily Weakness did cloud her her Spirit was lively and she had between times as much Joy as her Heart could hold and it was her own Expression more than she could bear She did much admire the rich Grace of God to her that he should chuse her and she said O Mother praise the Lord for his Goodness and her Heart was so ravished with Joy that she could not be thankful enough and said O magnify the Lord O magnify the Lord And then she was desirous that her Father and Mother Brother and Sister should mind Heaven that they might come thither after her She declared it was her longing desire to go to her dear Jesus and her dear Saviour O when shall the time come and O precious Jesus I cannot be thankful enough for the Joy thou givest me O admire admire him and she could not declare the Joy she had And at another time O admire the Lord for ever for ever that he should pass by others and chuse me O praise the Lord O praise the Lord. And she declared that she had Joy in the Covenant of God an everlasting Covenant that could not be broken and cried out several times O sweet Jesus O blessed Jesus he is sweet and she then said her Joy was very great and she lay admiring the Lord that he should love such a poor Creature as she was and that he should die for her These things were uttered by her freely of her self without any prompting by others And at another time she said The Lord had told her she was one of his dear Children and she knew she should go to Heaven as sure as she lay there O I am full of Joy There were some present that discoursed of Worldly Matters and she said A sight of Christ a sight of Christ is worth ten thousand Worlds There was one did ask her What was the ground of her Joy and she answered She did believe that Christ was her Porâ—ion and that Christ was her's and she was his And when she had further Pains upon her she would pray in the Night for Patience and that she might not grumble O when shall I be with my dear Jesus O that I might wait till my time come In her times of great Trouble she would speak to her Mother O speak of Heaven nothing but Heaven will satisfy me It was usual with her to desire her Visiters and Watchers that they would speak of Heaven O speak of Heaven O speak of Heaven and she did not like to hear any speak of Worldly Matters When she was musing one day her Mother asked her what she was thinking of she answered I am thinking of the Joys of Heaven Sometimes the Lord did hide his Face from her yet then she could trust him when she could not see him And after waiting a while she had usually great Consolation When she spake so much of her Joy her Mother would tell her that she feared lest it should not be true Joy or that it was naught but she answered I am sure it is not I am as sure as I lie here it is not She did continually admire the Love of God and his free Grace and would say What am I more than another that he passes by others and thus manifests himself to me When the Lord's-Day was come she did often tell them that were with her that they should then mind nothing but Heavenly Things Many good Books were read to her but she did much delight in Mr. Janeway's little Book called A Token for Children When her Troubles were greatest she would then rejoyce for she then did think her Rest was at hand And she was comforted in this Consideration that her Affliction here would make Heaven the sweeter in the Enjoyment of it When any looked upon her pined Body she would say I see a better sight The Sting of Death was taken out and she did familiarly speak of it without being afraid of that great Change yea with exceeding great Joy She would say to her Friends concerning her Affliction that if it had not been sanctified to her and been made a good Affliction it would have been a sad and uncomfortable one indeed Towards her latter end she had a great sense of the Body of Sin and Death which she did complain of and made her vile in her own Eyes but yet she did rejoyce that in Heaven she should be freed from it And O said she that I might never sin one Sin more and that I could do as Christ said to the Woman Sin no more and O said she nothing but Christ nothing but Christ can satisfy me Her Love to her Relations was so great that she would always desire they might live together in Heaven She would say she could not tell how to bear the Thoughts of her Brothers perishing for ever The World to come and the Glory which is to be revealed of which she had many Foretasts were frequently before the Eye of her Faith as if they had been within the view of her Sense She
believed stedfastly and without wavering It was a long and sore Trial above two Years and very great to her dear Mother who was continually with her for she was unwilling to have her from her But the Grace of God appearing so eminently in her Child the sweet Words which she uttered and the well-grounded Hopes of her Future Happiness did support her in her most sinking times And indeed they were both upheld by the Mighty Power of God She would comfort her Mother and say to her Do not mourn for me for you shall come to me and we shall be in Heaven together I shall want nothing when I come there I love you but I love Christ better It was asked her how she could love Christ who did so afflict her she quickly answered Because he hath loved me She told a Friend that came to see her without any previous Discourse There are two things I dare not do Commend my self nor murmur against God She was very thankful for every Kindness shewed her she did often make mention of the Kindness of a worthy Gentlewoman Mrs. Tyrrell of Mendham and would say how kind she had been to her who sent many sutable Restoratives for her weak Body and when she came to visit her she would desire her to pray for her She told a Neighbour that came to see her a little before her Death that she was now hasting to Heaven apace now the joyful time was near at hand which she longed for as the wearied Traveller for the refreshing Shade and the labourious Husbandman for the Night of Rest after the scorching Day And so her time was come to enter into the Joy of her Lord and died in Peace She had her Infirmities and Fits of Passion for which she would be grieved and very sorry but it was no wonder considering her violent Pain and long Affliction But she held fast her Integrity and loved Christ more and more O what a Feast had they that often conversed with her Had you but beheld a little poor pined Body and heard such great things declared by her it would have been far more wonderful than to read these things O the sight of Glory that she had The Conquest of Death and the daily longing to be with Christ Her Life was continued as a great Example to others and it will be well if she never may be forgotten She is now dead yet speaketh And may this small Account which is but the Fragments of what might have been gathered be for the Glory of God'â— rich Grace and to extol the Teachings of his Spirit and to declare the Excellency of an Immortal Soul and what it is capable of then we shall answer so great a Work of God which was so publick and not done in a Corner She might have been as a stupid poor ignorant and insensible Creature but by the Spirit of God quickning and enlivening of her was like the Box of Ointment poured out upon Christ which caused a sweet Savour throughout the whole House O may this never be forgotten by her Father nor Mother Brother nor Sister nor any of her Visiters Glory to God in the highest She died about the tenth of April A. D. 1683. Some memorable Passages of Joseph the Son of Joseph and Margaret Scolding of Middleton in the County of Suffolk aged about six Years and an half died the 4th of June 1678. 1. ABout a Year and an half before he died being very ill so as he could not sleep his Father asked him if he could not sleep he answered his Father that he could not sleep but said he I shall sleep a long Sleep How long saith his Father he replied Till Christ shall come to awake you and me and all the World His Father asked him how he knew that How saith he do you not believe that the Word of God is true At the Resurrection then shall Christ awake every one 2. At another time he had a little Potion of Physick to take which he was very unwilling to do but saith his Father If you love me take it Well Father saith he to satisfy you I will take it and when he had taken it saith he I pray God bless it to me And saith he The Angel gave John a little Book to eat which was sweet in his Mouth but bitter in his Belly This saith he is bitter in my Mouth but if God please he can make it sweet in my Belly 3. His Mother had often begged of God that if there were any means further to be used he would direct to it There came a bad Man to the House pretending Skill and was to take him in hand and had begun The Child 's usual way was continually to seek to God for a Blessing upon whatever he took but then he refused having these Expressions I care not whether he do or not Do you think God will bless such a wicked Man's Physick 4. He having heard Mr. Wincop preach did repeat some of the Sermon wherein was expressed how a Christian should examine himself concerning three things 1. Whose am I 2. Where am I 3. Whither am I going If I be in the narrow way to Heaven well and good but if in the broad way to Ruine and Destruction then I am undone for ever The Child would speak it in the House and privately to himself with much Affection and sometimes with many Tears Whose am I Where am I Whither am I going And also would speak it to his Fellows Whither are you going To be sure you are in the broad way to Ruin 5. If at any time he saw any thing amiss among the Servants or Children he would say If you will not keep God's Commandments you shall never come to Heaven and if they loved God they would keep his Commandments When they would reply We do but as others he would answer If you sin with the Multitude ye must perish with the Multitude It were better to go to Heaven alone than to Hell with Company 6. His extraordinary care concerning the Lord's-Day was such that he would watch over the the whole Family and would say You should not do so and so but spend the Day in Prayer Reading and other Religious Exercises He did make Conscience of praying by himself three or four times in the day 7. He would often be enquiring what Souls should do in Heaven his Father would tell him There is nothing but praising of God He would then reply Then they shall also leave sinning O it is a rare thing to be in Heaven 8. At another time he said If I were sure I should go to Heaven I should be glad to die at this present Age at the present His Mother replied And wouldst thou leave thy Father and me to which he answered I have a good Father and Mother but God is a better Father you make me eat and drink but if I get to Heaven I shall need no Light of the Sun nor Candle nor