man turning all his desires and his will towards his GOD GOD should fill his mind with his Divine knowledge and his Soul with His Joy and with His Felicitie and Eternal Glory but man having turned away his desire and his will from GOD and so having rendred his mind ignorant and his Soul unhappy and miserable for Eternitie GOD did assume our humane nature and live and die amongst us not only to merit for us the pardon of our wickedness and the Divine Grace but also to demonstrate unto us by his Doctrine and by the examples of his Life of his Death and of his Resurrection how we ought to renounce our evil desires to forsake and make to cease and die our own will and to resume new and Divine desires a will Holy and living unto GOD the which the Holy Spirit imparts unto the soul together with an illuminated Vnderstanding and a Divine Peace and Joy whereby we are reunited with all that which is Holy as well on Earth as in Heaven enjoying in this Holy Society and Communion the Spiritual Grace and benefites of JESUS CHRIST here in time to the end that after the death of the body and then after its Resurrection we may live together Eternalie and Gloriously with GOD. § 46. 2. A second thing which we ought to oblige them particularly to remember 46. 2. Another thing they must be made seriously to observe is the conversation of Jesus Christ in our humanitie as designed for our imitation is how JESUS CHRIST in His Birth in His Actions in His Life and His Death hath managed and conducted the faculties of his Soul and particularly his desires and his Will as well in turning them from evil from the natural inclinations of our mortal humanitie from the esteem of himself from the search of pleasures of the commodities and good things of this World by self denyal by disgrace by lowness by povertie by sufferings and an unrepining acquiescence in all as in turning and yeelding unto GOD these same Desires and will of his not desiring any thing but GOD doing nothing but his Divine will in every thing and adhering alwayes to him by praises and continual Prayer by which his Vnderstanding obtained all the Divine Lights which he demanded of his Father in whose good pleasure he also placed all his Joy 47. They must be taught that the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost mentioned in the Belief are but one GOD and that this Glorious mystry is incomprehensible § 47. We may in the third place on the subject of the Holy Trinity tell them in a few words that the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost whereof mention is made in the Belief and in the Scripture are not but One only and the same GOD as in us to give some resemblance of this great Mystrie the desire the understanding and the Joy or pleasure of the Soul are but one only Soul and not three That the difference that is among them doth not hinder the Unity of the Divine Nature which is the same and one in all but that this difference is such in GOD that no reason nor humane light neither can nor ought to endeavour to comprehend it That we must believe it with reverence on the Testimony of the word of GOD without knowing it otherwayes waiting untill it please GOD to make us see something of it that will be more clear whether in this life or the other and in the mean time contenting our selves to represent unto us according to our weak capacity GOD the Father as the Author of all good things the Father and Just Judge of our Souls GOD the Son as the Redeemer of the World and the inlightener of our Souls that are ignorant and fallen into darkness and the Holy Spirit as GOD the Sanctifier of hearts and filling with the love of GOD the Souls which had been corrupted by self-love and by sin Or yet moreover GOD the Father as good and the principle of goodness who hath Created all things by the communication of his goodness GOD the Son as Just and the principle of Justice who was incarnat to render us Just who were made unjust by sin GOD the Holy Ghost as the principle of Truth who opens and who illuminates the mind that it may comprehend the truth of Spiritual and Divine things 48. What it is to know the Holy Trinity in a Divine saving maneer § 48. In fine they ought to be made remember on this occasion that the true knowledge of Divine things depends on the living operations of the Holy Spirit in the inward man as hath been already asserted and consequently that the knowledge of the Holy Trinity to the end that it may be Divine and saving must be produced by him in us after the same manner And such it shall certainly be if this knowledge issues in a living representation of the most Holy Trinitie after the image of which we were likewise Created as also if the same knowledge terminates and results in the love and imitation of GOD so vigorously recommended by St. Paul Be ye followers of GOD as being his dear Children and walk in love even as CHRIST hath loved us Eph. 5.1 2. For every one that loveth saith St. John is born of GOD and knoweth GOD But he that loveth not knoweth not GOD nor consequently the Holy Trinity for GOD is love 1 Joh 4.7 8. So that whosoever saith that he knoweth JESVS CHRIST and keepeth not his Commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him saith the same Apostle Chap 2. V. 4. So then an infallible mark that we truely know the Holy Trinity and that we confess savingly the Father the Creator the good and the powerful is when we love him with fear obedience and respect when we confidently resign our selves to his Power and divine providence and when we represent and follow his Goodness towards all and in every thing We know and confess savingly the Son the Redeemer and the Just one when we live as being delivered by him from this present evil world Gal 1.4 And when we give up our selves to the practice of Righteousness 1 Joh 2.29 And we know and confess savingly the Holy Spirit the Sanctifier and the Spirit of Truth when we give up our selves to Holiness without which none shall see nor consequently ever know livingly the LORD Heb. 12.14 And when we follow the truth in Love Eph. 4.15 Such a knowledge of the Holy Trinity as this is is not an ideal operation of our Humane Reason but a true and real production of the Holy Spirit since the fruits of the Spirit saith St. Paul are goodness Righteousness and Truth Eph. 5.9 But when we reject either all these things or even some of them we do then in effect deny GOD and his Divine Trinity which we do not confess but with the mouth only or by some vain and dead acts of barren reason so as the
practice of the Parents that so by means of their Holy examples and diligent instructions and by the Blessing of GOD upon their Pious Endeavours these great Truths may be savingly imparted to and inculcated on their Children The Pious Author having been importuned by a Great and Worthy Friend of his to give directions how to mannage aright the Education of Children though for some time he declined to comply to this request Yet in end he was prevailed with to impart his Thoughts but still without any design of making them publick till at last it was concluded that it would greatly serve the interests of all Conscientious Instructers of Youth to have such an excellent Help put in their hands The Author addressed these Directions to his Friend in the Form and confined himself to the Bounds of a Letter whereby he was obliged not to draw out his Thoughts to any great length and so gives but the Elements or first principles of a Christian Education However the principles which he hath laid down as they are True and Genuine so they are Fertile and Comprehensive and capable to suggest to all attentive and penetrating Minds whatever is necessary to be known on this head But since few will be at the pains to make such Improvements of them and because some do stand in need of more dilated and ample Accounts Therefore the Reader may e're long by the Divine Blessing and Assistance expect a full and Copious System of Directions on the Subject of a Christian Education Which however are but Deductions from and Enlargements on the Principles here laid down In this larger Account the faults and miscarriages committed in the Education of Youth are declared particular Directions are given how to mannage this great Concern in all the instances of it to the best Advantage Powerful Motives are adduced to perswade Parents and all others concerned in the Religious Education of Youth to put what is recommended to them on this head in practice And in fine a great many excellent necessary and yet little observed Truths are through the whole insisted on Mean while Christian Reader Converse with these Principles read and digest them They deserve some of thy most recollected Thoughts and thou shalt never I hope have cause to repent of imploying a few of thy moments in turning over the following pages and that thy Reading may profit and edifie thee I shall begg pardon before I close to entreat a few things of thee One is That thou Read with closs Attention and not content thy self with a superficial glance Next that thou do not reject what thou dost not at first understand but vouchsafe it a review And in fine and especially that thy Perusal be attended with a serious Disposition for otherwise all will be to little purpose nay I must plainly tell thee that if thou art not resolved to deny thy self to take up the Cross and follow Christ some things here will choak thee For corrupt Nature will fly in the Face of what grates hard upon it and pinches it And the old Man cannot endure to be roughly treated But on the other hand if thou designes to be a votary of the Spirit Cross of the Holy Jesus if thou art one that worships God in Spirit and places Religion not in outward Formes and Circumstances but in Righteousness Peace and Purity in Life and Power Then what is here offered to thee will prove savory and relishing and the more the Truths here presented to thee will choak and contradict thy corrupt self Still the more agreeable they will be And thou wilt find such solid pleasure and Tranquillity in the practice of them thy self that thou will be prompted to propagate and recommend them to all others on whom thou canst hope to have any influence And O may the Good GOD turn the Hearts of the Fathers unto the Children and the Hearts of the Children to their Fathers and the Disobedient to the Wisdom of the Just * Mal 4.6 Luke 1.17 And Second with his effectual Blessing and Grace whatever is sincerly designed to serve the Interest of Souls AMEN THE Authors Advertisement TO THE READER FAthers and Mothers and all you to whom the Education of Children is intrusted if you understood well the Importance of that Charge you would easily discern that all your other Affairs your Imployments your Businesses your Concerns your Goods and your Care to get them and to keep them are but nothings or but meer triffles in comparison of it The least of these Souls whereof you are oblidged to take care is of such a Value that the Son of GOD hath esteemed it more than his own Life Your work is to educate them for Heaven or for hell and accordingly if you educate them well you shall together with them as a Recompence of your Labours enjoy a happy Eternity or endless miseries if you neglect them even though otherwise you may have lived unblameably as to your own Persons without mentioning any thing of the curses of this Life which fall on such as do not fairly acquite themselves of this duty The holy Scripture lets us see that the high Priest Eli though otherwayes a Good Man yet not having effectually enough resisted and curbed the wicked inclinations of his Sons was punished for it with Death both he and his Children the whole people routed the Ark taken and all his priestly Family exterminated It is to be feared that the Callamities which overwhelm Christendome owe their Original also to this For Men do not take care to educate their Children by any other principle but that by which they have begotten them I mean by the impulse of a purely carnal Concupiscence whereas they ought to be acted in the whole from a Principle of Divine Love which prompts and influences us to desire that there may be yet other Creatures with us which might joyn and unite with us in Eternally Loving and Honouring the Majesty of GOD. But alace this is it of which Men take but very little thought and there are but few who seriously design to form Creatures who professing and living agreeably unto the great Name of Christian in this World should be worthy of GOD and his Eternity here after Since the following Letter Aims only at this design it was believed that to render it publick would be a beneficial Performance and greatly tend to the Advantage of whosoever will incline to make the designed Use and Improvement of it whether with respect to Children or also with respect to themselves how aged soever they may be Because in effect the Truths that are contained in it are of so comprehensive and extended an Use that at the bottom they do no less agree to the adult and aged for all their Life throughout than to Children for their first years And since according to the Words of JESUS CHRIST We must become little Children in order to inherit the Kingdom of GOD Since the Perfection which the
LORD the understanding of thy Law and I shall keep it yea I shall observe it with my whole Heart Psal 119.34 32. We must believe what we do not yet Divinely see § 32. As long as GOD hath not yet opened the Eye of our Soul to see by his Divine supernatural Light the Things above the grea◠Mysteries and Truths of our Religion it is necessary that we believe though we do not yet see all that GOD hath said to us of them or all that which the Saints who have the Spirit of GOD have told us of them But we must not believe what the Men of the World talk of them for they are blind and liars In this every man who hath not the Spirit of GOD is a liar said David Psal 116.11 § 33. This is the Principle or ground work of Faith 33. The Principle and Light of Faith Namely to believe and rely on that which GOD hath revealed to us of Divine Things which we do not as yet see and which we do not understand in the mean time waiting patiently and desiring that he would open unto us the Eyes of the Mind and give us his Light that by it we may see clearly when it shall please him This Light being come into the Soul is called The clear Light of Faith But when we have not as yet obtained particular clear discoverie of Divine Things and that nevertheless we believe them in confideing to the Testimonie and to the Conduct of GOD blindly and without comprehending any thing in them this is called the Obscuritie or the dark light of Faith which oftentimes is the most sure and most saving for us as being less subject to presumption and to pride To this may be applyed that Word of the Son is of GOD Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed Joh 20.29 § 34. 11. Although Young Ones be incapable to make use of Reason 34. 11. Young Ones are to be guarded against the abuse delusions of corrupted Reason much less of Reasoning we must nevertheless endeavour as soon as if possible to inculcate on them a Principle which will secure them from the Impostures and the Idolatrie of humane reason which is the grand evil the capital and common Idol And the almost universal Atheism of this Age especially among those who make profession of Learning and Science 35. How this may be best done is declared by a significant comparison § 35. This Principle may be rendred intelligible unto them by this comparison That as a blind man though he may think and discourse and reason the best in the World yet can he not by that mean either know or see either the Sun or other Creatures for at this rate he could not have but dark thoughts gross and wholly false apprehensions of them Just so though all the men of the World should think discourse and reason of Divine Things by all the force of their Spirit yet notwithstanding they could not know by that mean either GOD or the Things of GOD But only have wholly dark and even wholly impertinent thoughts of them It will be necessarie that GOD to the end he may be well known give other Eyes to the Mind as also another Light then that which comes to us from our own activity and as long as he doth not give them Humane Reason with respect to Spiritual Things is nothing but a very shop of ridiculous Chimera's and the pure Fictions of blind Men. § 36. But further that we may continue our comparison as when we have made a Sun or fruits in Effigie 36. The discoveries that corrupted reason makes of Divine things are languid faint in effectual these pictures of the Sun and of the fruits cannot enlighten us nor warm us nor nourish us nor give us any strength or vigor so as the true Sun and the real Fruits do Just so though by our reason we represent unto our selves God and Virtue and Divine things yet these Ideas these representations and these discourses of our Reasons touching God and the things of GOD cannot at all give us true Lights nor true Virtue nor administer nourishment and strength to our Souls to live according to God and to practise his Divine Will These are but cold empty lifeless and wholly barren and unfruitful images on which we cannot raise any other superstructure but wind and vanity which serve to no other purpose but to puff up the minds of Men and which put them in commotions the one against the other by dissentions by disputes and by continual combats until such time as they burst of themselves or split one against another 37. That the spirit of Man without the illuminations of GOD cannot discern Divine things is a truth that betimes must be setled and ever cherished in all hearts § 37. To prevent these inconveniencies behold the principal which we ought to ingrave betimes and preserve tenderly in all hearts The Spirit or reason of Man without the grace or supernatural light of GOD is but a blind man which makes vain and fantastick images of things which it hath not seen and which it can never see The natural man saith St. Paul cannot know the things of GOD He holds them for foolishness and he cannot comprehend them beeause they are known by a Spiritual light No man knows the things of GOD but the Spirit of GOD and he who hath received this Spirit 1 Cor 2.11 12 14. § 38. We must not then so much 38. And therefore renouncing the dark and glimmering notions of our own reason we must in ardent Prayers offer up our ingenuous and evacuated souls to GOD to be Enlightened by him and with such solicitous care endeavour to cultivate and dress our mind by our own force and by our own industrie as to turn it away from the fictions of our reasonings and from vanity and offer it up to GOD in simplicity and wholly emptied and naked with a vehement desire to do his will alone and with sincere Prayers beseeching him to give unto us his light to open our eyes For saith the Scripture It is GOD that gives eyes to the blind that opens them to see the wonders of his Law and of his will and enlightens the eyes of our understanding Psal 146. and 119. Eph 1. § 39. If we would nevertheless exercise in some sort the reason of young Ones 39. The right method of exercising the reason of Young Ones recommended and illustrated by some instances as in effect this we may and ought to do and if we incline to make them understand things by reasons or oblidge them to give a reason of any thing that we would we must accustom them to give on every particular Divine reasons My meaning is reasons drawn from the Power of GOD from his Wisdom from his Goodness from his Justice from his Will from his Felicity from his Glory as also from our
own nothingness from our weakness from our own injustice wickedness ignorance and such like For example wherefore did GOD Creat the World To manifest his Power his Wisdom and his Goodness Wherefore did he make Man For that very same end and withall to shew him and give him his Felicity and his Glory Wherefore doth man die By the Justice of GOD It being Just that since man did abuse his life it should be taken from him Wherefore are the good afflicted by sickness or any other way Because since they have been formerly guilty of some sins the Justice of GOD so orders it that they should be rather corrected for them in this temporal life then in the other which is Eternal Wherefore on the other hand doth good oftentimes befal the wicked here below By the goodness of GOD who sweetly invites them to his love or also by his Justice who will give them in this life the recompence of any little good they may have done in it Whereas in the other life they shall be Eternally punished for the sins in which they have lived without forsaking them And so as to all other things even the most material and visible We must make them understand for example that wars fall out because that GOD is Just and that men and their wickedness deserve to be punished We must tell them that the fire is warm by the reason that GOD is good and that knowing that man hath need of heat that he may live he hath by his goodness given him the fire with such a quality that the fire burns and causes pain by the Justice of GOD who makes use of this creature as a Rod for the chastising of men who have sinned And as to moral things we ought to do the same and tell them for instance that we must obey our Parents and Superiors in this and in that because it is the will of GOD That we must not value our selves nor desire that others should esteem us because GOD only deserves that as being only Wise and only good and that we are but Weakness but ignorance but folly and wickedness of our selves that we must not wish nor render evil to those who do evil to us because GOD wills that we should do as he doth who alwayes doth us good and even then when we offend him that we must not disesteem Judge nor dishonour our Neighbour because GOD alone will be his judge and that it is his Will that we should love others as our selves that we are too ignorant to know the hearts of others and too perverse to Judge favourably of them or without passion and so of the rest 40. The happy advantages of this Method § 40 If we did imploy every day some moments to exercise after this manner the reason of young Ones we would very soon accustom them to see GOD in every thing to have him alwayes before their eyes and to walk continually as in his presence There is nothing in this World whether Divine Humane Natural or Political Histories whether Sacred or prophane whereof we might not very easily make them reduce all the causes and all the particular events with their reasons to these admirable Principles of the Power Wisdom Goodness truth Justice Felicity Glory Holiness and Will of GOD and to the weakness ignorance inconstancie and malignitie of Man This besides that it would render GOD alwayes present to us would moreover wonderfully serve to rectifie reason after a most solid and saving manner providing that we did it imploring with sincerity and humility the Grace and Blessing of GOD. We might begin to make some Essay of it on an History of the Scripture For instance on the Historie of the selling of Joseph which is in the Book of Genesis or on some Historical Chapter of the Gospel § 41. III. Since the Imagiination 41. III. The imaginatione of Young Ones must be early improven as well as the Memorie is that which hath most strength and most activitie in Young Ones we shall do well to improve them very soon that by this way also we may communicate unto them as much of the knowledge of the things of their Salvation as is possible and as they are then capable of 42. A necessarie caution All the notices of Divine things which we receive by the imagination are but verie dark and imperfect images § 42. But it is good to let them understand before hand that all the knowledge they shall acquire after this manner is but very gross and very obscure Pictures of Divine things whereof they do not know by that the hundred thousandth part not even the least part as realie it is in it self because that the things of GOD have by millions of times more perfections then we are able to comprehend of them untill that in process of time and after that we have constantly prayed unto GOD and done his will he dispel and chase away our gross and dull way of knowing and then make us see the pure beautie of his truth This shall hinder these little Spirits from curuing their first thoughts unto obstinate prejudices and it will dispose them to teachableness and to the expectation of the Light of GOD. § 43. 43. This may be exercised in Young Ones three wayes 1 By reading and leting them see the resemblances of Sacred histories We may exercise their minds in this respect 1. By reading and even by the sight of some representations of the Histories of the Holy Scripture to the end that so their memorie and their imagination may be filled with Holy Images And we must at the same time accustom them to reduce that which they shall read or see at least the principal heads to the Divine principles which we have alreadie recommended § 44. 2. By the explication of the Creed 44. 2. By acquainting them with the importance and meaning of the Belief which they ought to learn by heart and on which we ought to discourse with them according to their capacitie 1. Of GOD the Father and the Creatour of his Perfections Power Wisdom Goodness and the rest of his Works as well Spiritual as Corporal as well these that are dureable and Eternal as these that are Temporal and transient 2. Of GOD Incarnat or of the Son of GOD JESUS CHRIST of his works which concern our redemption And 3. of the Holy Spirit whose works regard the restitution of man to his first Estate 45. Where three things must be recommended to their notices § 45. And on this head it will be profitable to oblige them to remarke two or three things of great importance 1. GODS Gracious designs and conduct with respect to man both in his Creation and Redemption which is the substance of the whole One is that all that is in the Creed doth issue and result in this principle Viz. that GOD the Almighty and the Creator of all things did make man to the end that