A sons patrimony and daughters portion payable to them at all times but best received in their first times when they are young and tender : laid-out without expence of money only in the improving time and words with them contained (in an answerablenesse to their ages) in two volumes ...

THE CONTENTS OF THE BOOK.

CHAP. I.

WHat the Parents dutie; when it begins; Gods gracious work upon the Childe, framing it in the wombe, and giving it its due propor∣tion of parts; what thanks therefore, pag. 1. 2. How Sinne defaceth Gods Image; How re∣paired. Of Baptisme and the solemnitie thereof; The Mother, the Nurse, to pag. 4. The Mother is most imployed about the head of the Childe (my head, my head, saith the Childe; carry him to the Mother, saith the Father, 2 Kings 4. 19.) The Mother is charged with the head, Father and Mother both with the heart, and this work is for the closset: pag. 4. What Infancy is: called an Innocent Age, but miscalled. Something may be done even then for the rectifying the Childes body, and his heart too. Grave considerations pres∣sing to that Dutie, from pag. 5. to pag. 9.

CHAP. II.

CHild-hood and youth; how they differ; wherein they agree; unhappy Ages both. The period of this Age; not easily defined: The Parent makes it longer or shorter, as their care is more or lesse, pag. 10. Parents not dischar∣ged in point of care, when they have charged the Schoole with their childe; how vain that thought, pag. 12. How preposterous the Parents care; How much Father and Mo∣ther both, do crosse their own ends. What a point of wis∣dome it is, well to Time our beginnings. When the Seed-Time, what their imployment there, to pag. 15.

CHAP. III.

A Two-fold imployment, which lyeth in the order of Nature and right reason: Lets hindring this two-fold dutie, two; fondnesse, fiercenesse; extreames, yet ordi∣narily in one and the same Parent. I. Of fondnesse, what causeth it; Youth more profitable, Child-hood more de∣lightfull * 1.1. What hurt fondnesse doth. The Divels mur∣thering engine, to pag. 18. Foure mightie considerations to fortifie us against it, from pag. 19. to pag. 22. Three ex∣amples evidencing how destroying it is, to pag. 24. Repea∣ted, concluded in M^r. Boltons words, with some use of the whole to all Parents, to page 26. II. Fiercenesse, whose fruit it is, and how much it hinders, to pag. 27. It helps not to unroot evill, but rather roots it more in: to pag. 29. It hinders much the Implanting of good: to pag. 30. Consi∣derations, which may help to calme a Parent, when in heat of spirit he is about to unroot evill, are three, very worth his consideration, to pag. 33. Considerations, which may arrest a Parents hand, when he is about the implanting of good, are foure, which, being considered, will command an an∣swerable practise: to pag. 35.

CHAP. IIII.

OVr nature like a soyle fruitfull of weeds, what they are, and how unrooted. 1. Pride, the heart-string of cor∣ruption: Chrysostomes note upon it, how cherished; how the contrary grace may, and ought to be instilled, to pag. 38. 2. Frowardnesse, a spice of the former; The Parents dutie here; how the contrary grace may be inforced, to pag. 40. 3. The way of lying; and the way the Parent must take to prevent the course of it; a great work, if it may be done; if not, the Childe is fit for no societie, to pag. 41. 4. Idlenesse, how corrupting and provoking. Labour, how naturall to a man, how he is provoked thereunto, to pag. 43. 5. A bad * 1.2 companion, how infectious and corrupting, he will defile the best and most candid nature, with his foule example, pag. 44. 6. The evill of the Tongue, prevented by teaching the Childe silence, and this the Parent must teach himself, and his Childe under five notions; The briefe of that, which concernes the Childes Instruction, is; while it is a Childe, let its words be answers. Nature teacheth much at this point, and they more, who walked by an higher light, pag. 47. 7. An oath; a word cloathed with death in a Childes mouth; the Parent, as in all, so here, very exemplary; yea, yea; nay, nay; The Friers note upon those words. No more must be heard from a Childe, pag. 48. 8. The Childe must be taught, what weight there is in those words, yea, yea, &c. A good hint there-from, to teach the Childe to abhorre that religion, which gives no weight to words, nor oathes neither, pag. 51.

9, 10, 11, 12. Nick-names and abuses that way, are ordina∣ry with Children, and a fruit of corrupt nature: so quarrell∣ing, uncovering their nakednesse, mocking, scorning the meaner sort, Great evills to be corrected, and prevented in Chil∣dren betimes; a notable example to presse us thereunto, to use our Inferiours kindely, to pag. 53.

13. Cursing; a great evill, so imprecations against our

selves. Foure great examples full of instructions, who spake rashly, and were payed home, in that they spake, to pag. 57. 14. As Childrens Tongues must be watched over, for the Tongue is a world of wickednesse, so must their hands; They will spill more then they eate, how to teach Children to prize the good creatures, pag. 59. 15. Children delight in the pain and vexation of those weake creatures, that are in their power; A great evill to be looked unto and prevented betimes, considering our natures what they are, page 61. 16. Nature fruitfull of evills, more then can be pointed at or prevented: but that is the true and genuine order of na∣ture, to prevent the evills thereof first, pag. 62. 17. Teach∣ing by examples, the best way of teaching and the shortest; they make the deepest impression, pag. 64.

CHAP. V.

THe implanting of good, the order therein, The foure seasons in the day seasonable therefore. 1. How un∣comfortable darknesse is, how comfortable the light; A notable lesson there-from: wherein our light, and the true light differ, to pag. 67. The Sun knoweth his appointed Time, what that teacheth; The Sun is glorious in his rising and refresheth, how that instructeth, pag. 68. Sin and sorrow will sowre the sweetest earthly Blessings; where the root of our comfort, pag. 69. The Sun a publique servant, teach∣eth man so to be, even to serve his brother in Love; and to shew to him the kindnesse of the Lord; what the Idol of the world; what makes man an abomination, from pag. 69. to pag. 71. The Morning the first fruits of the day; our season; what a Mercy to have it, but a greater to take it; what our first work, and with whom; what our engagements to set about it; what may be instilled by continuall dropping, from pag. 71. to pag. 77.

CHAP. VI.

VVEeat bread at Noon; What that implieth; how fraile our bodies; what our use therefrom. pag. 78. Our right to the Creatures, how lost; how regained. pag. 79. In eating we must use abstinence: Intemperance how provo∣king to God; how hurtfull to man, and unbeseeming the Lord of the Creatures to pag. 81. When the fittest season to teach and learn abstinence; how necessary a grace, specially in these times, when so much wrath is threatned. What use a Parent must make hereof to Children. Their lesson before and at the table, to pag. 85. When we have eaten, we must remember to return Thanks; The threefold voice of the Creatures; what the Taxation or Impost set upon every Creature. If we withhold that homage we forfeit the bles∣sing. The memorable words of Clemens Alexandrinus. A strange punishment upon one, who seldome or never re∣turned thanks, so concluded pag. 90.

CHAP. VII.

THe Method in reading the Book of the Creatures. Foure Objections, with their Answers out of the Lord Verulam, to pag. 93. How to reade the Book of the Crea∣tures. Extreames corrected and accorded. Two primitive Trades. An Apocrypha Scripture opened and made usefull, to pag. 97: How to teach the Childe to spell the Book of Nature. What is the compendious way of Teaching, to pag 100.

Essayes or Lectures upon the creatures, beginning at the Foot-stool. Three enquiries touching the earth: 1. What form or figure: 2. Whence its dependance: 3. What its magni∣tude. Instructions therefrom, very grave and usefull all, from pag. 100, to pag. 107. A view of the Creatures: In their variety, delightfull and usefull. Two Creatures one∣ly instanced in; From a little Creature a great instruction.

What a mercy to be at peace with the stones and creeping things. From pag. 107. to pag. 114.

The Waters; their Surface, barres, or bound; Their weight; [unspec II] The Creatures therein; the ship thereupon: Great lessons from all; from pag. 114. to pag. 122. repeated, and mans ingratitude convinced. 123.

The Aire. The wayes and operations thereof, admirable. [unspec III] Whence changed and altered for mans use, sometimes for his punishment. The windes; Their circuit; Their wombe, to pag. 125. The winged Creatures; Their provision, and dependance, greatly instructing man and reproving his distrust, to pag. 126. The Clouds, the ballancing of them; The binding the waters within them; The making a course for the Rain out of them; All these three, the works of Him that is wonderfull in working, to pag. 127. Of Light∣ning, But the Thunder of His power, who can understand? * 1.3 The Snow and the Haile, and where their Treasure, to pag. 128.

The wonderfull height of the starrie Heaven. Of the Fir∣mament, [unspec IIII] Why so called; and why, the Firmament of His * 1.4 power. The eye a curious Fabrick, of admirable quicknesse. How excellent the eye of the soul, when cleared with the True eye-salve. The heavens outside sheweth what glory is within. Chrysostomes use thereof, and complaint thereupon, to pag. 134. Of the Sunne; Why I descend again to that Creature. Three things in that great Light require our Mark. Grave and weighty lessons from all three. Con∣cluded in Mr Dearings and Basils words to pag. 144.

CHAP. VIII.

THE Day and Night have their course here; But after [unspec IIII] this life ended, it will be alwayes Day or alwayes Night. A great Instruction herefrom, to pag. 147. Our senses are soon cloyed. We are pleased with changes. What Darknesse is. The use thereof. A little candle supplies the want of the Sun. How that instructeth. How we are en∣gaged

to lie down with thoughts of God, to pag. 153.

CHAP. IX.

A Great neglect in point of education. Mr Galvines, Mr Aschams, Mr Perkins, and Charrons complaint thereof. The ground of that neglect, to pag. 156. The Pa∣rent must fix upon two conclusions: Of the School. Whe∣ther the Childe be taught best abroad or at home, 157. The choice of the Master. Parents neglect therein. The Masters charge, 159. His work, His worth, if answerable to his charge, to pag. 160. The Method or way the Master must take. How preposterous ours. Who have appeared in that way, to pag. 164. The School must perform its work througly. The childes seed-time must be improved to the utmost, before he be promoted to an higher place. The dan∣ger of sending Children abroad too soon. When Parent and Master have promoted the Childe to the utmost, then may the Parent dispose of the Childe for afterwards, to pag. 165.

CHAP. X.

OF Callings. Some more honourable, as are the head or eye in the body; But not of more honour then burden and service. Elegantly pressed by a Spanish Divine: and in Sarpedons words to Glaucus, to pag. 169. The end and use of all Callings, pag. 171. Touching the choice of Callings. How to judge of their lawfulnesse. To engage our faithful∣nesse. No excuse therefrom, for the neglect of that one thing necessary. Our abiding in our Callings, and doing the works thereof. How Nature teacheth therein. The designing a Childe to a Calling. Parents too early and preposterous therein, 177. Parents may aime at the best and most honou∣rable calling (The Ministerie, a ponderous work, 178) But he must pitch upon the fittest. In the choice thereof the Parent must follow Nature, and look-up to God.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Fructuosior est adolescentia liberorum, sed Infantia dulci∣or. Sen. epist. 9.
• * 1.2

  Malignus comes quamvis candi∣do & simplici rabiginem suam suam affricuit. Sen. epist. 7.
• * 1.3

  Job ••6. 14.
• * 1.4

  Psal. 150.