Corderius americanus. An essay upon the good education of children. And what may hopefully be attempted, for the hope of the flock. In a funeral sermon upon Mr. Ezekiel Cheever. The ancient and Honourable master of the Free-School in Boston. Who left off, but when mortality took him off, in August, 1708. the ninety fourth year of his age. : With an elegy and an epitaph upon him. / By one that was once a scholar to him. ; [One line epigram in Latin]

Corderius americanus. An essay upon the good education of children. And what may hopefully be attempted, for the hope of the flock. In a funeral sermon upon Mr. Ezekiel Cheever. The ancient and Honourable master of the Free-School in Boston. Who left off, but when mortality took him off, in August, 1708. the ninety fourth year of his age. : With an elegy and an epitaph upon him. / By one that was once a scholar to him. ; [One line epigram in Latin]

Table of contents

Title page

An Historical Introduction.

An ESSAY upon Well-Taught Children; And upon an Able and Faithful TEACHER of Them.

DOCTRINE. That Saving Wisdom is to be fetch'd from the Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures; and the Early Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, is the way to be Betimes made Wise unto Salvation.

GRATITUDINIS ERGO. An ESSAY on the Memory of my Venerable MASTER; Ezekiel Cheever.

EPITAPHIUM.

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Corderius Americanus.

An Essay UPON The Good EDUCATION of CHILDREN. And what may Hopefully be Attempted, for the Hope of the FLOCK. IN A FUNERAL SERMON UPON Mr. EZEKIEL CHEEVER. The Ancient and Honourable MASTER of the FREE-SCHOOL in Boston. Who left off, but when Mortality took him off, in August, 1708, the Ninety Fourth Year of his Age. With an ELEGY and an EPITAPH upon him.

By one that was once a Scholar to him.

Vester [CHEEVERUS,] cum sic moritur, non moritur.

BOSTON, Printed by John Allen, for Nicholas Boone, at the Sign of the Bible in Cornhill, near the Corner of School-street. 1708.

An Historical Introduction.

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DUTY to the Merit and Memory of my Departed MASTER, is now in its Operation. The Fifth Commandment well considered will demand such a Duty. When Quirin [...] made a Marble Monument for his Master, there was this Effect of it, Invisunt Locum Studiosi Juvenes frequenter, ut hoc Exemplo Edoc [...]i, quantum Discipu [...]i [...] praeceptoribus suis debeant, perpetuo meminisse velint. Scholars that saw it, Learnt from the Sight what Acknowledgments were due from Scholars to their Masters. I wish my little feeble Essay for Mine, may in any measure animate the Gratitude of any Scholars to their Well-deserving Tutors.

A due Care about a Funeral for the Dead, among the Jews had that Phrase for it: A Bestowing of Mercy. But the Sermon which I have Employ'd on the Funeral of my Master, must be called; A Doing of Justice. And I am very much misinformed, if this were not the General Voice of all the Auditory.

Perfection in this Life, is to be Despaired of, must not be pretended to.

I am not insensible, that the Criticks find Gross Faults even in those Classick Authors, to whom, if our Exercises be not conformed, our Masters will mark what we do. Tully himself himself will be hardly allow'd by Va [...]la and Erasmus, to have written True Latin, in his; Diutius Commora [...]s Athenis erat Animus ad te Scribere: And, Quum in animo haber [...]m navigandi. Yea, in his own Time, his Friend Attieus charged him with False Latin, and he was put upon pleading the Authority of T [...]ren [...] in his own Defence. Linacer, one of our Greatest Criticks [Page] for the Latin Tongue, never could endure the Ciceronian Style; Ciceronis dictionem, nunquam probare potuit, nec si [...]e Fastidi [...] audire. These Critical Folks, Employ their Satyrs, [And, by the way, this very word may be also criticised upon; for it should be writ, Saetir, or, Satur, and originally signified nothing but, A well-fil'd Writing:] upon Ovid. They say they find him for ever stumbling at the Threshold, and blundring in his first Verse. To mention only our Two School-books. The one begins, Parve, nec invideo; Which they say is not Good Sense; for it should have been, Parve sed invideo. The other begins, In Nova [...]ert animus mutatas dicere forma [...], Corpora, which, except you'l help it off, with calling it a Figure, they say is very Nonsense. I am sensible that Ingenious Men do take his part, against these Hypercritical Objectors. Nor would I make my self a Party to Objections that seem to have no better Foundations. I only show how ready some Folks are at Fishing for Carps. And indeed, Though his Metamorphosis has fewer Faults, than the rest of his Works, yet it is not without them; Among which, I must my self confess, his confounding the Suns Diurnal and Annual Motion, in Phaetons business, is hardly Excusable. Nor can Virgil himself altogether escape the Lash; even Virgil, of whom 'tis mentioned by Macro [...]i [...] as his Praerogative, ut nullus Laudibus crescat, nullius vituneratione minuatur. The Learned not only tax the Modesty, of his Hero, who when he comes to Speech-making, begins with S [...]m [...]pius Aeneas, but find many odd mistakes in him: and now and then such Forgetfulness; as, Al terram Hesperiam venies, and anon, [...]certi quo [...] [...]erunt. But if the Aen [...]domasti [...] of the Envious Carbilius, or H [...]r [...]nnius's Collections of the Faults in Virgil, were in our hands, we should say, Who can stand before Envy? In our Age, none was reputed a more Excellent Latinist than Milton: and yet there are those who find passages in him, which are so [Page] far from Elegant, that they are not Proper Latin; they offend against the Rules of Grammar. There was not a more Elegant Writer of the Latin Tongue in these Later Ages than Strada; and yet how severely exposed, [...] a famous, but waspish Grammarian, in a Book Entitled, Infamia Famiani Stradae?

The Grammarians have Escaped as little as their Authors. Futschius who publishes them, yet is forced sometimes to Disparage them. And Priscian himself, of whose Head we are so tender, yet in his very first Lines, hardly keeps out of Barbarisms. When Valla and Erasmus, and Li [...]a [...]er have done their best, Sanctius comes, and then Schioppius, and will have us know, they have scarce done any thing at all.

The Grammar now taught in our Schools goes under the Name of Lillies; tho' in his own time, he modestly declined the honour of it; and it is well known, that the English Rudiments were done by Colet, the Syntaxis was done by Erasmus, and other parts by other hands. Even this Grammar is not without its Faults; and besides other just Exceptions against persisting in the use of it, and thereby prolonging the Reign of the Ferula, which cannot be heard; (Inexorable Custome will not hear them!) there are those who find it not free from Solaecisms.

We must not wonder at it then, if the Best of our Masters, be thought attended with their Imperfections. Whatever mine might have, they are buried. And we generally concur in acknowledging, That New-England has never known a better. I am sure, I have as much Reason to appear for him, as ever Crito for his Master Socrates,

The Short History of his Long Usefulness, is to be comprized in the Ensuing Articles.

He was Born in London, many years before the Birth of New-England. It was Jan. 25. 1614.

He arrived into this Country, in June 16 [...]7. with the rest of those Good men, who sought a peaceable Secession in an American Wilderness, for the pure Evangelical, and Instituted Worship of our Great Redeemer; to which he kept a strict Adherence all his Days. He then Sojourned first a little while, part of a Year, at Boston; so that at Boston, he [Page] both Commenced and Concluded his American Race. His Holy Life, was a Married Life.

He began the Laborious Work of a School-master, at New-haven; where he continued for Twelve Years.

From New-haven, he removed unto Ipswich, in December, 1650. where he Laboured Eleven Years.

From Ipswich, he removed unto Charlstown, in November, 1661. where he Laboured Nine Years.

From Charlstown, he came over to Boston, Jan. 6. 1670. where his Labours were continued for Eight & Thirty Years.

He Died, on Saturday morning, Aug. 21. 1798. In the Ninety Fourth Year of his Age▪ After he had been a Skilful, Painful, Faithful School-master, for Seventy Years; And had the Singular Favour of Heaven, that tho' he had Usefully spent his Life among Children, yet he was not become Twice a Child; but held his Abilities, with his Usefulness, in an unusual Degree, to the very last.

It is a Common Adage in the Schools of the Jewes; A Just man never dies, till there be born in his room, one that is like him. So Crown a Town as Boston, is capable of honourably Supporting more than one Grammar-School. And it were to be wished, That several as Able as our CHEEVER, might arise in his room, to carry on an Excellent Education in them. Our Glorious LORD can make such men.

But, Oh! That SCHOOLS were more Encouraged, throughout the Country!

I remember, the Jewish Masters have a Dispute about the Reasons of the Destruction of Jerusalem. And among the rest the Judgment of R. Menona, was; It had not been destroy'd, but for their not minding to bring up their Children in the School. Verily, There cannot be a more Threatning Symptom of Destruction upon us, than there would be in this thing; If we should fall into the Folly of, Not minding to bring up our Children in the School.

The Pastors of the Churches must more bestir themselves. O Men of God, Awake; And let the Cares of our ELIOT for his Roxbury, be a Pattern for you▪

An ESSAY upon Well-Taught Children; And upon an Able and Faithful TEACHER of Them.

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2 Tim. III. 15.

From a CHILD, thou hast known the HOLY SCRIPTURES, which are able to make thee WISE UNTO SALVATION.

IT was a Great CASE, which the Parents to a Son of Great Hope, once put unto a Messenger of Heaven; Judg. 13.12. How shall we order the Child, and what shall we do unto him? The Education of our Children is a point of inexpressible Consequence; of unparallelled Importance. Unworthy to be Parents, most worthy to be Esteemed rather Monsters than Parents, are they, who are not sollicitous to give their Children an Agreeable Education. There is no Serious Religion in those Parents, who are not sollicitous, that their Children should have a Religious Education. Our Children are so Numerous; The Temptations which Endanger the Ruine of our Children are so Innumerable; that we ought frequently, and earnestly to insist on this point, Their Agreeable and Religious Education. We will now therefore Enquire; How shall we order the Children; and that shall we do unto them?

[Page]I will answer in one word; Let the Children have such an Education as Timothy had. We have before us a Description of that Education; and a Direction to give you this.

DOCTRINE. That Saving Wisdom is to be fetch'd from the Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures; and the Early Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, is the way to be Betimes made Wise unto Salvation.

That we may more intelligibly prosecute this Doctrine, we will first a little Entertain our selves with the History of, A Child made Wise unto Salvation, by the Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. A TIMOTHY, and the Education of a Lovely Timothy, shall be first a little set before us.

Our Timothy is now Address'd by the Aged Apostle Paul, at this time a Prisoner at Rome; with an Epistle written by him, a little before his Martyrdom: An Epistle, which Chrysostom ingeniously calls, Our Apostles Last Will and Testament. In this Epistle, Our Apostle Exhorts his Excellent and Beloved Son Timothy; [a Son, he might well call him, having so many ways both Adopted him, and Instructed him:] He Exhorts him to Stedfastness in the Faith and Work of His Glorious LORD. One Argument, with which he inculcates this Exhortation, is his Education. For one Educated in the Way of Truth, and in the Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, to forsake the Way of God, is worse than for another to do so. From such as are Well Educated, there are Better Things expected than from others. Consider this, O Apostates from a New-English Education; Consider it, you that Forget how you have been Educated, lest the Wrath of Heaven tear you to pieces, and there who none to deliver you. When the Son and Grandson perhaps, of those that have been Faithful Servants of God shall first Go off to an Observable Degree of Bigotry, for the Superstition, against which his Progenitors had born glorious Testimonies; and then go on to a Malignity against the People of God among which, he has had his Education; and publish his Malignity with abhorred strains of Profaness, and Atheism: 'Tis not enough [Page] to call upon such an one, with the old Jewish Rebuke, [...] Thou Vinegar, the Son of Good Wine! It must be said, he is a dreadful Spectacle. He has made himself so; And one may tremble to think, What the Holy God will e'er long make of him. Friend, When the Goodness of a Young man, like the Morning Cloud, and the Early Dew, soon passes away, the Justice of God is not long upon the Deliberation, What shall I do unto thee! What shall I do unto thee!

Our Timothy was very happy in his Education. It may be Edifying for us, a little to Reflect on the Occasion of this Education, and the Influence of it.

Our Timothy had a Godly Mother, and a Godly Grandmother. He might suck in Knowledge and Goodness with his Mothers Milk. He might be Taught the Right Wayes of the Lord, while his Grandmother had him by his Leading-st [...]ings. Both of them were Jews; And probably they were Early Converts to Christianity. His Father was a Gentile! Whether a Proselyte or no, we are not informed. But he also was Converted unto Christianity at the same time with his desirable Consort. They had before this, betimes begun to give their little Son, the Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. An Early Tincture of Scriptural Piety thus took the Mind of the Child. But when the Parents were brought home to the Blessed JESUS, they wholly committed, as it seems, their Little Son, unto the Care of that Venerable Minister, who had been their Spiritual Father. Having themselves got good by a Minister of God, they must have their Child, in the way of getting the same Good. They begg'd Paul, to take the Tuition of him; Oh! happy Child, in the Hands of such a Tutor!

Well; And what was the Effect of this Education? Our Timothy did himself prove a Christian of the First Race; yea, and an admirable Minister, His Labours in the Harvest of the Lord, were Extraordinary; Every one wondred, how any one man, could ever Labour so abundantly. He was of a Feeble Constitution; and of such an Abstemious Temperance, that he was even blamed for it; but one of an Active Soul, One of a Flaming Zeal. The Great Paul could give this Testimony of him, That he did not know another man in the world, who so Naturally took to the doing of Good; [Page] Who so Readily and Chearfully Laid Hold on all Opportunities to be Serviceable An Angelical sort of a man; One highly Esteemed by John, as well as by Paul; Those Angels in Flesh Loved him dearly. He was an Angel in the Church of Ephesus; The Ancients agree to call him. An Admirable Young man. At last, he became an Old man. And then, One Day the Votaries of Diana carrying their Images about the Town, and with Masks and Clubs, and Dances, committing a thousand Insolencies, this brave man Step'd out into the Street, and would have perswaded them, to leave off their Idolatries and Impieties: Whereat the Enraged Mob, fell upon him, and Murdered him. He had the Crown of Martyrdom. He obtained a claim to a part in that Resurrection, which his Tutor once declared himself sollicitous, By any means, to attain unto. What? And will the Early Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures make such a man?

I now with some Enforcement, can tell my Hearers over again.

That they who would be wise unto Salvation, must know the Holy Scriptures: And that for Children to know the Holy Scriptures, is Early Wisdom, and Saving Wisdom.

I can demand their Attention to several Propositions; And such too, as it were to be wished, all our Children were well acquainted with.

I. To yield Obedience unto God, in the Wayes and Rules of His Holy Religion; This is to be, WISE UNTO SALVATION.

There is an Holy Religion, wherewith we are to Glorify GOD in this World. By doing so, we secure our Title to an Eternal Glory with God in another and a better World. Now there never was a Truer Assertion, than that; Psal. 111.10. The Beginning of Wisdom, [...] the Fear of the Lord. All they that give themselves to it, have a good Understanding. It must needs be our truest Wisdom, to Glorify the GOD that made us; For by doing so, we Answer the End for which He made us. There is nothing so Reasonable as to be Religious. It must needs be our Truest Wisdom, to make sure of Eternal Glory in another and better World; For we can be sure of nothing in this World; We are sure, that we [Page] shall shortly be strip't of everything in this World. There is nothing so Profitable, nothing so Necessary, as to be Religions. The Rules of Religion are prescribed by the Only Wise GOD; The GOD of whom we are assured, Psal. 145.5. His Understanding is Infinite. They must needs be Wise Rules; It must needs be our Wisdom to adhere unto them.

One main stroke in Religion is, FAITH towards our Lord Jesus Christ. Faith is in the Bible often called by the Name of, Wisdom. 'Tis most Justly called so. It Beholds, It Receives, It Enjoyes, that Glorious CHRIST, in whom there is, The Wisdom of God. And, The End of our Faith will be the Salvation of the Soul.

Another main stroke in Religion is, REPENTANCE towards God. Repentance is a Resipiscence, of Growing Wise again. It must be Wisdom, to Abhor Sin, to Avoid Sin; Sin is always Folly; To Sin, is to Do very Foolishly. And, Repentance, This will be unto Salvation.

There is no man, but what will own, 'Tis the Wisdom of every man, to Save his own Soul: For, What is a man profited, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own Soul? Now the Issue of conformity to the Rules of Religion, will be the Salvation of the Soul. We read, Heb. 5.9. CHRIST, is the Author of Eternal Salvation, unto all them that obey Him.

II. Our KNOWLEDGE OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES, is that by which we come to know the Rules of Religion, and be Religiously wise unto Salvation. The Rules of our Holy Religion, are all of them delivered in those Oracles of God, which we call, The Holy Scriptures. If ever we come unto Salvation, it must be by conversing with the Holy Scriptures. We are so called upon; Joh. 5.39. Search the Holy Scriptures, for in them ye think, ye have Eternal Life: and they are they who testifie of me. It was very Fit, that the Will of God, giving us the Rules of Living unto Him, should be contain'd in some Writings or other. These Inspired Writings which we have in our Old and New Testament, are the only Ones, that can pretend unto this Dignity. In these Holy Scriptures we have the Rules of Religion, and the Rules by the Observation whereof we shall be wise unto Salvation. Here, [...] i [...] the Gospel, whereof we are told; [Page] Eph. 1.13. It is the Gospel of your Salvation. If we lack the Knowledge of this Gospel, we shall miss of Salvation, and be Destroy'd for the lack of Knowledge. If we do not know the Gospel, we shall be a people of no understanding; Of such a people, how terribly it Thunders! He that made them will not have mercy on them; He that formed them, will show them no Favour. What is all the Learning in the World, without the Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures! There were (they say) two hundred thousand Books, in the Library which Ptolomy Erected at Alexandria; but it was the Addition of the Hoi Scriptures, which made it a truly Learned Library. And whatever we have Learnt from all our Books, 'tis the Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, that will bring us to the Truest, and indeed the only Learning. A Dying Grotius, or Selden will tell you so?

But what sort of Knowledge is requisite?

Be sure, A Doctrinal Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures is requisite, that we may be VVise unto Salvation. We read, 2 Cor. 4.3. If our Gospel be hid, it is hid unto them that be Lost. We must know Doctrinally the main Things that are communicated unto us in the Holy Scriptures. The Creation of Man by GOD; The Confusion of Man by SIN; The Redemption of Man by CHRIST. These are the main Things in the Holy Scriptures. If we are Ignorant of these Things our Ignorance will plunge us into Everlasting Darkness: Verily, It lays us in Chains of Darkness?

But then, a Practical Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, is also requisite, We know to little purpose, except we Do according to what we know. We read, Joh. 13.17. Since ye know these things, Happy are ye, if you do them. Knowledge must be as John Baptist was to our Saviour, only a praecursor to Goodness; and we must say, That which comes after it is preferred before it. We must know the Truth and VValk [...] the Truth. We must Know God, and Serve Him. We must Know Christ, and Grow in Grace. The Lamp is without Oyl; it will go out in Everlasting Darkness, if the Knowledge be not soak'd and dip'd in Love. It was the saying of Maximus Tyrius long ago; Scientiae quis usus esse potest, nisi ea agamus? We must Know and Hear our Duty, and we must be Doers of the Word, and not Hearers only. Else we are [Page] not VVise unto Salvation. We foolishly Deceive our selves, in our Hope of Salvation, If we do not Know practically, our Knowledge will not render us VVise unto Salvation. It will but Aggravate our Damnation; and there can be no Wisdom in That. If we Rebel against our Light, it will not be saving wisdom. No, It will be a Folly that will Damn the Rebellious. We read, Mat. 7.26. T'is the part of, A Foolish man, who builds his House on the Sand, and Great is the Fall of it. It has been well enough sometimes thus expressed, One Apple of the Tree of Life, in practice, is of more account than Ten of the Tree of Knowledge. Thus Homer makes Phaenix, the Tutor of Achilles, [...]. It is the sweet Conjunction of the Knowledge and Practice, of the Holy Scriptures, that will gain our point. A Conjunction that infallibly foretells a Salvation to the uttermost.

III. The Inference from hence is; That the EARLY KNOWLEDGE of the Holy Scriptures, is the way to be BETIMES made wise unto Salvation.

And now there is a Twofold APPLICATION to be made of this Observation. We will discourse on this Observation, by Applying it unto two sorts of persons.

I. It is the Interest of all TEACHERS to Begin Betimes, in Teaching of Children, the Early Knowledge of the HOLY SCRIPTURES, that so they may be WISE UNTO SALVATION. It is to You, O TEACHERS; unto You first, there must now come the Word of the Lord. It must come, with an Answer to Divers Enquiries.

We will, First, Enquire, and Declare, WHEN should we Begin to Teach our Children, the Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures?

BETIMES! BETIMES! Let the Children have the Early Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. That Princely Preacher, the Prince of Anbalt, would say; The Holy Scriptures, what are they but the swadling Clothes of the Holy Child Jesus? HE is to be found in every Chapter. I will then say, Let us Teach our Children the Holy Scriptures, as soon as we can after they come out of their Swadling Cloaths. This is the Direction of the Holy Scriptures, Deut. 6.7. Thou shall [Page]teach them diligently unto thy Children. And Eph. 6.4. Your Children, Bring them up in the Nurture and Admonition of the Lord. But the HOLY SCRIPTURES have not Expresly said, How Early, we shall Begin to Teach our Children, the KNOWLEDGE of them. However, we may easily Determine it.

First; How Early do the Children begin to be capable of Knowing & Minding what is in the HOLY SCRIPTURES? Most certainly we should Begin as soon as we can. As soon as the Children can know, so soon should we Teach them, what they should know. So much there is to be Learnt, it is pity any Time should be Lost. No doubt, they Began so soon with Solomon; Else he would not have said, Prov. 4.3, 4. I was any Fathers Son, a Tender and only one in the sight of my Mother, Then he Taught me.

Again; How Early do the Children begin to Know Other Matters? Why should we not begin to Teach them something from the Holy Scriptures, that may [...] them. [Laeca [...]it hic Infans,] as Early as we Teach them things Less Worthy, Less Useful! Can we Teach them, what they have to us? Methinks, we may then Teach them, what they owe to the LORD, who made both us and Them? Their Little Souls are precious Cabinets. Why should not the Best Things be First put into them? We are so called upon; Matth. 6.31. Seek first the Kingdom of God. Even so, with the First, Let them Learn the Things that Concern the Kingdom of God.

Once more; How Early do the Children Begin to Know, and to Do, what may be Hurtful to them? 'Tis very Early, that they Learn the Things Condemned in the HOLY SCRIPTURES. Why should they not as EARLY Learn the HOLY SCRIPTURES, which do condemn those pernicious and provoking Evils? Why should they not know the Precepts of God, as EARLY as they know how to Break the Precepts? Why should they not be Taught, that they must Fear God, and Love Christ, and Hate Sin, as EARLY as they can Learn to Sin? Especially since this would be the way to preserve them from Sin. A Child no sooner begins to do any thing Rational, but Satan begins to show it, how to do something that is Criminal. Methinks; [Page] I see the Image of it; Rev. 12.4. The Dragon stood to devour the Child as soon as it was born, Then say I; It becomes us to be Aforehand with the Dragon, if it be possible: To stand Ready with the Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, to rescue the Children from the Venomous Designs of the Dragon upon them.

There is a plausible Objection, against this Early Essay, to give our Children the Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures.

Will not this be to make the Children, Take the Name of the Lord in vain? Would it not be more Discretion, to stay till the Children are themselves come to some Years of Discretion?

It is Easily Answered. Will you never Teach the Children, till you see them have the Grace, that will keep them from Taking the Name of the Lord in vain? Rather Teach them, to Keep them from it. And let our Discretion Teach us to manage the matter wisely, in Teaching our Children. Teach them with all possible Gravity; And Teach them to be Gra [...]e, in every thing, that relates to God, and their Souls. Consider also the Capacity of the Children: Teach them, what shall be Good for Them; And forbear the Rest, until they shall be more Able to Bear it:

We will, Secondly, Enquire, and Declare, WHAT is that Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, which we are to Teach our Children?

Truly, AS MUCH as ever WE CAN help them to; All the Knowledge, that they can Take in, still as we find them Able to Take it in. More particularly▪

First; The HISTORIES of the Holy Scriptures; We are to Teach Them unto our Children. Children are naturally taken with Histories. Now, instead of Corrupt Stories, and Idle-Fables, Why should we not single out the Histories in the Holy Scriptures for them? Only, It would be adviseable always to clench the Histories, with some Admonitions of Piety, which are to be gathered from them. There are none of those Histories, but it may be said upon them; Psal. 19.11. Thy Servant is warned by them.

Secondly; We are to Teach our Children the PRINCIPLES of the Holy Scriptures. Tell the Children, What the Holy Scriptures have Taught us to Believe thou GOD, and [Page] His Perfections, and His Works: About the Fall of Man, and the Method of his Recovery out of that miserable Fall; About the Lord Jesus Christ, Who He is, & what He has done, and what He will do, for His Chosen People. We read, That the Principles of the Doctrine of Christ; are the Milk for Babes. That these things may be the better taught, an Orthodox CATECHISM, is to be Employ'd. They should say their Catechism, and be Rewarded when they can say it. But then, we should put Lesser Questions unto them; unto which, their YES, or NO, will give us to perceive, Whether they understand what they say. Canvas [...] the matter with them. Ask them several things about it. Cause them to take much Notice of it. See whether they have tak'n a Right Notion of it. We read, 2 Tim. 1.13. There is a Form of sound words, which they must hear from us.

Thirdly; We are to Teach our Children the COMMANDMENTS of the Holy Scriptures. There are the TEN Commandments. The Children should be made to know, What is Implied in them, What is Forbidden, What is Required. How, as it has been of old noted, the First Table of the Commandments, is a Loadstone of the Second; the Second is a Touchstone for the First. There are many LESSONS, which are to be inculcated on them; Lessons by which their Manners are to be regulated▪ GOOD LESSONS FOR CHILDREN may be the Title for them.

But there is one very Great Article, which is often to be insisted on. The Children have, mostly, been Baptised. O make 'em know the Intent and Meaning of their BAPTISM. As soon as ever you can, inform them, that they have been Baptised! and beget in them an awful Sense of their Baptismal Obligations▪ Tell them, Now, my Child, you must be a Servant of a Glorious CHRIST, and be afraid of Defiling your self with [...] Sin, since you have been wasted in the Name, of the most Holy Lord. Say to them; as he, 1 Chron. 2 [...].9. My Child, Know thou the God of thy Father, and serve Him with a perfect Heart, and a willing Mind; If thou seek Him, He will be found of thee; but if thou Forsake Him, He will cast thee off for ever. You cannot imagine, how much Efficacy this Teaching may have upon them.

[Page]Fourthly; The Children should LEARN TO READ the Holy Scriptures; and this, as Early as may be. To School therefore with them. Let them not be Loitering at home, or playing abroad, when they should be at School. Be more concerned for their Schooling, than for their Cloathing. If there be any, as I suppose there cannot be many, so necessitous, as to call for it, let us in this Town go on with our CHARITY-SCHOOLS. When the Children can Read, the Holy Scriptures, charge them, and cause them, every day to Read that Book of Life. Hire them to Remember what they Read; To get Select Sentences of the Holy Scriptures into their Memories. And then; Show them, how to make PRAYERS out of what they Read. Help them to turn all into Prayers, That they may be Wise unto Salvation, Oh, Teach them to Pray! When once it comes to be said, Behold they Pray! t'is likely, that it may quickly be said, They are wise unto Salvation. The Bible was well called, by one of the Ancients, Epistola Omnipoten [...]is Dei ad Creaturam suam. A Letter from the Almighty GOD, unto His Creatures, It should be considered as a Letter from the Almighty God unto our Children. They should be taught accordingly to Read it, and Reverence it, and Answer it.

This it will be, for the Children to know the Holy Scriptures.

We will, Thirdly, Enquire and Declare, WHO it is, that it to Teach the Children, the knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. Come ALL HANDS to the Work.

In particular; The PASTORS of the Flock; They must not neglect the Children of the Flock. The Charge of our Lord unto them, is that; Joh. 21.15. Feed my Lambs. It seems proposed, as if it were, at least, one Third part of the Pastoral Charge. O men of God, How many ways may you Devise Good, in this Great Affair; to make the Children under your Charge, Wise unto Salvation! In the midst of many such Devices, I will mention one, which the Excellent Mr. White, in his Manual for Parents, has proposed; ‘That Ministers would sometimes Preach at the Schools, as well as Catechise; Because as he says, The Preaching of the Word, is the Converting Ordinance. And when Sermons are brought unto the Schools, the Children must needs hear [Page] with more Attention, and [...] of such Things as do more immediately concern them, which, in the Publick Assemblies, are not so much medled withal; and the Ministers should condescend unto such Expressions as might work most with them, which would not be so fit for a larger Congregation.’

The MASTER and MISTRESS, in the SCHOOL, may do much in this Noble Work. We read, The Little Ones have their Angels. Truly, to Teach the Little Ones, the Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, and make them Wise unto Salvation, it is a stately work; I had almost call'd it; A Work for Angels. It is an Hard Work to keep a School: and hardly ever duly Recompensed. I suppose, It is easier to be at the Plough all day than in the School. But it is a Good Work: It is Gods Plough; and God speed it! I would not have you weary of it. Melchior Adam did well to call it; Molestissimam, sed Deo longe gratissimam Functionem; A [...] work, tho' very Tiresome, and Troublesome to the Flesh, yet most highly Acceptable to God. Go on with it Chearfully; And often Teach the Children something of the Holy Scriptures; often drop some Honey out of that Rock upon them. Who can tell, but you may Teach them the Things that shall save their Souls, and they shall bless God for you and with you, throughout Eternal Ages? Every time a New Child comes to the School, Oh! why should you not think! Here my Glorious LORD sends me another Object, on which I may do something, to advance His Kingdom in the World!

No, nor will we Excuse the very SERVANTS in the Family, from this Blessed Work; Even the Handmaids in the Family, as they are Dressing and Feeding the Children, O Handmaids of the Lord How much may you do, to instlil the Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures into the Children! If our Servants would once come to take pleasure in such a thing, to keep Teaching the Children something from the Holy Scriptures, O my Children, [for such Servants are worthy to be called, Children!] How much would you Adorn the Doctrine of God your Saviour! It was certainly a good Speech, which I find written by a Person of Quality. ‘It is certainly, the Highest Dignity, if not the Greatest Happiness, [Page] that Humane Nature is capable of, here in this Vale below, to have a Soul so far Enlightened, as to become the Mirror, or Conduit or Conveyer of Gods Truth to others.’ Now, even a Domestick Servant, may arrive to this Dignity, this Happiness. Yea, Let all Ranks of men aspire of [...] it.

But; Lastly, and yet First of all, O PARENTS Arise; This matter chiefly belongs unto you; we also will be with you. None, I say, None are so much concerned, as Parents to look after it, that their Children be taught the Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. Our famous King Elfred, procured a [...], That every man who had but as much as Two Hides of La [...]d; should bring up his Children to Learning, till Fifteen-Years of Age at least; that so they might Know Christ, and Live Happily; Else he said, They were but Beasts and [...] press it, That Parents give their Children all the Learning they can; especially that which will bring them to Know Christ and Live Happily.

Parents, What Motive can you desire more than this? 'Tis the way to make the Children Wise unto Salvation. Certainly you Desire the Salvation of your Children. You have had your share among the Causes of it, that they are by N [...] [...] Children of Wrath. And would you not see them Saved from that Wrath? Did you duly Teach your Children the Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, there would be a likelihood of their being those Children; 1 Joh. 2.13. Little Children ye have known the Father. And, Oh! what would be the Fruit of this Knowledge? Truly, This is Life Eternal. You Lodge in the little Souls of your Children, the Seeds of Life Eternal; if God please to make them so. What a charming word is that? Gen. 18.19. He will command his Children, and they shall keep the way of the Lord. But if the Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures be withheld from the Children, they perish, they perish dreadfully. If the Understandings of the Children be Darkened, they will be Alienated from the Life of God; They will be Slaves to the Power of Darkness; They are in the Broad Way to Eternal Darkness: if they Know not God & the Lord Jesus Christ, their Doom from the Lord will be, Depart from me, I know your not. Oh, Look upon the Children, which you [Page] have so often set on your knees, which always ly so very near to your Hearts; How can you bear to have them thrown into the place of Dragons? They infallibly go thither, if by the Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, you do not Save them from thence. Austin says of his Excellent Mother, Toties Filios par [...]uri [...]bat, quoties a Deo eor deviar [...] [...]nebat; She fell into Travail for them, as often as she saw them fall into Folly▪ Oh! Parents, Be continually in Travail for your Children, that you may Save them from al Sinful Folly. We read of a Child; 2 King. 4.19. He said unto his Father, my Head, My Head!

PARENTS, These are the Cries, which the Souls of your Children make in your Ears; ‘My Head, my Head! Oh! That you would fill my Head with the Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures!’ My Heart! my Heart! It will be a very Dungeon of Wickedness, if you do not by the Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, purity it! It is a solemn Expression of the Martyr Cyprian. There are Parents, who so neglect their Children, that at the Last Day, their miserable Children will cry out, Parentes sensimus Purricidas; OUR PARENTS HAVE BEEN OUR MURDERERS! PARENTS, Beware of, Coming under so Bitter a Condemnation. Let the Command of GOD, and the Promise of GOD, at last prevail with you. You have it in those Terms; Prov. 22.4. Train up a Child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it. God puts these Children into your Hands. He says, Here, Take this Child; Let it be taught the Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. I will Reward all thy pains. Thy well-instructed Child, shall be thy Comfort, thy Credit, a Blessing to Others in the World. If it miss of Salvation, yet thou shalt have peace in thy mind, that thou didst thy Endeavour to make it Wise unto Salvation. But if it want Knowledge, and Saving Wisdom thro' any gross Negligence of thine, thy punishment shall be terrible, in the Day of the Lords pleading with thee.

Consider what I say, and the Lord give you understanding, to do your part, that your Children may not want Understanding, or Die without Instruction. 'Tis the wish of Heaven ever you; Deut. 32.29, O that they were wise, [Page]that they understood this, that [so some render it] they would consider their Posterity.

But then, it is the Interest of all CHILDREN, to Learn the Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures Betimes, that so they may be Wise unto Salvation. We have many Children in the Auditory. I wish the Little Ones would now give a great Attention.

This Country once had a Brave man in it, whose Name was Mr▪ Giles Firmin. That man was pious, from his Early Childhood. And that which brought him to his Piety was this. When he was a School-Boy, he with other Lads went unto the Lectures of the famous Rogert; where they could not get into the Thronged Auditory. The Zealous Preacher saw them in the Porch, and lifting up his voice, he call'd unto them. Children, I hope you are come hither for a Christ; Remember what I say unto you; If you will have a Christ for your Saviour, you shall have him. This word struck little Firmin to the Heart; By this Word, God Quickened him; he became a Godly Child, and he dyed not long since, a very Old man, and one of the best men in the World.

I will now say, Children, I hope you are come hither that you may be made wise unto Salvation. And if any of them, are not Attentive, I hope you that are their Tutors, will afterwards Repeat unto them the Admonitions which are now provided for them.

Come, ye Children, Hearken to me, I will teach you, what you ought to do.

You ought, First, To be Willing to be Taught the Fear of the Lord. When your Teachers would Learn you something of the Holy Scriptures, be willing to Learn. Be not [...]o [...]e to wait upon their Teaching. Do not strive to get away from their Teaching. Be not so set upon your Childish & Foolish Play, as to count every minute a weary Hour under their Teaching. Rather come to your Teachers, and beg it of them, I pray, Teach me something. Oh! Count it a Priviledge, to be Taught any thing of the Holy Scriptures. Prize, Prize the Sincere Milk of the Word. Prize, Prize the Word of God, as being Sweeter than the Honey and the Honey-comb. Count the Knowledge of GOD, and CHRIST▪ [Page] and Heavenly Things, a more precious Thing [...] than any in the World

Yea, Secondly; You ought never to be Satisfied. Know as much of the Holy Scriptures as ever you can, and never count that you know enough. Get your Catechism exactly by Heart. Become able to Read the Bible. Read something of it every day. A [...]k abundance of Questions about what you Read. You are fond of Ornaments▪ [...] Despise all Ornaments in comparison of this; To be Adorned with the Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures.

But, Thirdly, Be sure to Do what you Know from the Holy Scriptures that you ought to do. As now; Do not you know from the Holy Scriptures, that you ought to Keep Holy the Lords Day, and to Honour your Parents, and rather suffer any thing that tell a Lye: Do not you know from the Holy Scriptures, That you ought to Pray [...] Secret every day, and Pray without Ceasing? Oh! Do these Things, my Children. Be sure to Do [...] such Things. What have the Holy Scriptures told you, concerning Early Religion? In them you have heard your Saviour say, Prov. 8. [...]7. They that seek me early, shall find me. There the voice of your Saviour in, Matth. 19.14. Suffer little Children to come unto me, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven. Well then, Betimes, now in your Childhood, Oh! Come to a Glorious CHRIST put your selves into His Hands. Beg of Him, I beseech, them O Lord, to deliver my Soul, Why, why, should your Childhood be nothing but Vanity! Nothing but a Long Step in the Arms of Death and Darkness.

Remember; Children; There have been many Children in the World, who have in their Early Childhood, by the Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, been Wise unto Salvation. You have in your Hands, the Narratives of many such, that have been in our Days. And such there were in the Days of Old. Origen was one▪ Little Origen, when he was hurt a Child, would Rejoice the Heart of his Father, by his Readiness to Learn the Holy Scriptures, which he set him to Learn. And while he was yet a Child, he had so much of GOD in him, that as he lay asleep, his Venerable Father would lay his hand on the Breast of the Child▪ and say with unspeakable Joy; Here's a Little Temple of God! And [Page] there was a late Child at Antioch; One little more than seven years old; The Lad was Examined about what was in the Holy Scriptures, by bloody Persecutors, who stood ready to Murder him; He notably told them, There can be but One God, and our Christ is the True God; They ask'd him where he Learn't this; He reply'd, I Learn't it of my Mother, It was with my Mothers Milk that I suck't it in. On this, they horribly scourg'd the Lad, and then butchered him with hideous Torments: He smiled under his Torments, and he dyed a Martyr of the Lord. Oh! That our Children were so Disposed!

The Infant-Children of the Faithful, are the Children of God. God calls them; Ezek. 16.21. My Children. God forbid, That our Children as soon as they come to Act Reasonably, should be so Unreasonable, as to make themselves, the Children of Satan. Children, If you Hate that which is Good, if you Disobey your Parents, if you Speak Wicked words, and call Wicked Names, and Lye, and Curse, if you Steal, and if you play on the Lords-Day; Whose Children are you? Verily, your Spot is, that you are not the Children of God; you make Satan your Father; You do like the Children of Satan. How odious a Spectacle are you! But Serious, Gracious, Dutiful Children, always breathing after the Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, How Lovely a Spectacle!

It was the Speech of one that was Wise Betimes; Psal. 119.147. I prevented the Dawning of the morning, and I cried; I hoped in thy Word. While you are yet Children, you must have Piety Rectifying, Sanctifying, Purifying of your Childhood. While Reason is but upon the Dawning with you, there is Reason that you should mind Religion. There was once an incomparable Child, of whom we read, 1 Sam. 3.1. The Child Samuel ministred unto the Lord. A Child, which was Visited & Possessed by the Spirit of God; A Child, which quickly answered the Calls of the Holy One; A Child, that would leave his Sleep, to hold Communion with the Lord. O most amiable Child!

Children, 'Tis your Dawning Time. It may be your Dying Time. A Child once grew very Solid, and was more for his Book than for his Play, and Pray'd unto God more [Page] than once every day. Being asked the cause, the Child said, Why, I was in the Burying-place a while ago, and there I saw a Grave shorter than my self! Children, Go unto the Burying-place; There you will see many a Grave shorter than your selves. 'Tis now upon Computation found, That more than half the Children of men Dy before they come to be Seventeen Years of Age. And what needs any more be said, for your Awakening, to Learn the Holy Scriptures!

We read of such a thing as that; Isa. 65.20. The Child shall dy an hundred years old. You may Dy in your Childhood: But you should be ambitious, that if it should be so, you may dy an hundred years old; have as much Knowledge and Vertue, as many men of an hundred years old. It was a brave stroke in an Epitaph, on a Child; Praeterquam aetatem nil puerile fuit. Some of you can Construe it. I will do it for them that can't.

Except his Age, the Lovely Lad

Nothing that look'd like Childhood had.

The Small as well as the Great, are to Stand before the Judgment-Seat of God. Oh, That while you are yet Small, you would be Greatly Affected with the Day of Judgment. If you go on to do amiss, think, I know that for this, God will bring me into Judgment. The Holy Scriptures give you the Knowledge of such a thing.

Children. You may by your Piety, approve your selves the Regenerate Children of God, while you are yet Children. Cry unto God, My Father! Ah, Children; Be afraid of going Prayerless to Bed, lest the Devil be your [...]-fellow. Be afraid of Playing on the Lords-Day, lest the Devil be your Play-follow. Be afraid of Telling Lies, or speaking Wickedly, lest that Evil Tongue be one Day tormented in the Flames, where, A drop of water to cool the Tongue, will be roared for.

We read Matth. 18.10. The Little Ones have their Angels. Dear Children; Behave your selves, as having the Angels of God looking upon you, the Angels of God looking after you!

Oh! That our Glorious LORD, would set home such Thoughts as these, upon the Hearts of our Children; And Give perfect Hearts unto them.

[Page]If they don't mind these things, in this more publick Dispensation of them, will you that are their Teachers, more privately inculcate such Things upon them? I had the Happiness of an Education under a School-master who was Exemplary for doing so! Before we part, I am to tell you more concerning him.

¶ You shall give me leave to conclude with a very Reasonable COROLLARY.

Worthy of Honour are the TEACHERS that Convey Wisdom unto our Children; Worthy of Double Honour the Happy Instruments that Convey Saving Wisdom to them! There are some whose peculiar Profession it is, to assist the Education of our Children; and it is therefore their Endeavour to give them a Religious Education. Their Employment is to bestow Useful and Various Learning on our Children; but they make their Employment, a precious Advantage to Learn them the Holy Scriptures, and make them Wise for Eternity.

These our SCHOOL-MASTERS, deserve a great Encouragement. We are not Wise for our Children, if we do not greatly Encourage them.

The PARTICULAR PERSONS, who have their Children, in the Tutelage of Skilful and Careful School-Masters, ought to make them suitable Recompences. Their Stipends are generally far short of their Deserts. They deserve Additional Compensations. Their pains are not small. What they Do is very Great. And surely our Children are very dear to us, I need not quote E [...]ripides to tell you, That they are as the very Life and Soul, unto all Mankind. I can't but observe it with a just Indignation; To Feed our Children, To Cloath our Children, To do any thing for the Bodies of our Children; or perhaps to Teach them some Trifle at a Dancing School, scarcely worth their Learning, we count no Expence too much; At the same time to have the Minds of our Children Enriched with the most valuable Knowledge, here, To what purpose? is the cry: a little Expence, how heavily it goes off! My Brethren, These things ought not so to be. Well-taught Children are certainly very much to be accounted of. [Page] When the Mother of the Graechi was ask'd for the sight of her Ornaments, how instructively did she present her Two Sons brought up in Learning and Vertue, as the brightest of all her Ornaments! If we were duly sensible, how vast a comfort it is, how vast a Concern, to have Well-taught Children, we should study all the ways imaginable, to express our Thankfulness unto the Teachers of them. And it will not be complain'd, That a Mecanai is to be no where found, but in Horace's Poetry. The Christian Emperour Gratian, One of the Best men, that ever Sway'd the Roman Scepter, conferr'd Riches and Honours on his Master Ausonius, and he sent him that agreeable Compliment with them; Sir, I have paid what I Ow'd, and I still Owe, what I have paid. Language agreeable to the Spirit of Christianity! Yea, a Zeno, that was a Stranger to it, yet has this recorded in his Commendation, That he would give his Master, as much again, as the wages he ask'd of him. I hope, he won't be the only One, that shall have such a thing spoken of him!

And the more Liberal Provision the PUBLICK does make for Industrious, Well-accomplished, Well-disposed School-masters, the more is the Publick Wisdom Testified & Propagated! Ammi [...]nus Marcellinus, the Historian, tho' a great Admirer of Julian & of Paganism, yet condemns his prohibition of School-masters unto the Christians: Illud autem inclemens obruendum perenni silentio, quod arcebat docere, Magistros Rhetoricos et Grammaticos, Ritus Christiani Cultores. But, Syr [...], If you do not Encourage your School-masters, you do a part of Julianism, and as bad as Prohibit them. Certainly; If something of Julianism did not prevail too much among us▪ (which among a People of our Profession is highly scandalous,) we might ere now have seen, besides the petty Schools of every Town, a Grammar-School at the Head Town of every County, and an Able School-master with an am [...]le Salary, the Shepherd in it; a Thing so often, so often unsuccessfully petition'd for! We hear Good Words now and then spoken for the Tribe of Levi. I desire, to speak one for the Tribe of SIMEON. The Simeonites were the School-masters that were Scattered in Israel. I assure my Self, That Ours, do watch against the Anger which is fierc [...], and the Wrath which is cruel; and that they use not Instruments [Page] of Cruelty in their Habitations; but prudently study the Tempers of the Children, they have to deal withal. Tho' Moses left them out of his Blessing; [the Tribe not having then done any thing since Jacobs dying Oracles, to signalize them.] Yet our Glorious JESUS, has a Blessing for them. They Serve Him wonderfully. His People will also Bless them, and Bless God for them. And so will I this Day do for MY MASTER, in this Congregation of the Lord.

SCHOOL-MASTERS that have Used the Office well, purchase to themselves, a Good Esteem to Out-live their Death, as well as Merit for themselves a good Support while they Live. 'Tis a Justice to them, that they should be had in Everlasting Remembrance; And a Place and a Name among those Just men, does particularly belong to that Ancient and Honourable Man; a Master in our Israel; who was with us, the last Time of my Standing here; but is lately Translated unto the Colledge of Blessed Spirits, in the Mansions, where the FIRST RESURRECTION is Waited and Longed for. Allow me the Expression; For I Learn't it of my Hebrew Masters, among whom 'tis a phrase for the Death of Learned and Worthy men, Requisit [...]unt in A [...]na [...]miam C [...]lestem.

Perrius the Master to the Nephews of Augustus, had a Statue Erected for him; And Antoninus obtained from the Senate, a Statue for his Master Fronto. I am sorry that Mine has none. And Ca [...]o counted it more glorious than any Statue, to have it asked, Why has he None? But in the grateful Memories of his Scholars, there have been and will be Hundreds Erected for him.

Under him we Learnt on Oration, made by Tully, in praise of his own Master; namely that, Pro Archad Poeta. A Pagan shall not out-do us, in out Gratitude unto our Master. There was a famous Christian in the Primitive Times, who wrote a whole Book, in praise of his Master Hierotheus; Entituling it, [...] Concerning the Blessed [...]ierotheus. And if I now say a few things, Concerning the Blessed CHEEVER, no man who thinks well of Gratitude, or likes well to see the Fifth Commandment observed, will confuse it.

[Page]In the Imperial Law, we read, that Good Grammarians, having taught with diligence Twenty Years, were to have Special Honour conferr'd upon them. I Challenge for MY MASTER, more than a Treble portion of that Special Honour. But, Oh, Let it all pass thro' him up to the Glorious LORD, who made him to be what he was!

His Eminent Abilities for the Work, which rendred him so long Useful in his Generation, were universally acknowledged. The next Edition of, Tranquillus de Claris Grammatitis, may well enough bring him into the Catalogue, and acknowledge him a Master. He was not a Meer Grammarian; yet he was a Pure One. And let no Envy Misconstrue it, if I say, It was noted, that when Scholars came to be Admitted into their Colledge, they who came from the Cheeverian Education, were generally the most unexceptionable. What Exception shall be made, Let it fall upon him, that is now speaking of it.

He flourished so long in this Great Work, of bringing our Sons to be Men, that it gave him an opportunity to send forth many Bezaleels and Aholiabs for the Service of the Tabernacle; and Men fitted for all Good Employments. He that was my Master, Seven and Thirty Years ago, was a Master to many of my Betters, no less than Seventy Years ago; so long ago, that I must even mention my Fathers Tutor for one of them.

And as it is written for the Lasting Renown of the Corderius, whose Colloquies he taught us; That the Great CALVIN had been a Scholar to him; So this our AMERICAN Corderius had many Scholars that were a Crown unto him; yea, many that will be his Crown in the Presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his Coming; yea, many that were got into the Heavenly World before him. And the mention of the Heavenly World, leads me to that which I would principally take notice of▪ His PIETY, I say, His PIETY; and his care to infuse Documents of Piety into the Scholars under his Charge, that he might carry them with him to the Heavenly World, When Aristotle set up a Monument for his Master Plato; he inscribed upon it, this Testimony, HE WAS ONE WHOM ALL GOOD MEN OUGHT TO IMITATE, AS WELL AS TO CELEBRATE. [Page] MY MASTER went thro' his Hard Work with so much Delight in it, as a Work for GOD and CHRIST, and His People: He so constantly Pray'd with us every Day, and Catechis'd us every Week, and let fall such Holy Counsels upon us; He took so many Occasions, to make Speeches unto us, that should make us Afraid of Sin, and of incurring the fearful Judgments of God by Sin; That I do propose him for Imitation.

Verily, If all School-masters would Watch for Souls, and wisely spread the Nets of Salvation for the Souls of their Children, in the midst of all their Teaching; Or, if the wondrous Rules of Education, lately published and practised, in that Wonder of the World, the School of Glaucha near Hall in the Lower Saxony, were always attended; Who can tell, what Blessed Effects might be seen, In very many Children made wise unto Salvation? Albertus, who from his Great Learning had the Syrname of Magnus, desired of God some years before he died, That he might forget all his other Learning, and be wholly Swallow'd up in Religion. I would not propose unto you, My Masters, That you should Forget all other Learning. By all means furnish the Children with as much Learning as ever you can. But be not so Swallowed up with other Learning, as to Forget Religion, & the Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. Look upon other things to be (as a Speech in Parliament once elegantly called them,) only the Et Caetera's, to Religion. Why should not a School-master be to his Children, A School-master to bring them unto Christ? This was the Study of our CHEEVER. The famous Dr. Reynolds, in a Funeral Sermon on an Excellent School-master, in the City of London, has a passage worthy to be written in Letters of Gold. Says he, ‘If Grammar-Schools have Holy and Learned men set over them, not only the Brains, but the Souls of the Children might be there Enriched, and the Work of Learning and of Conversion too, be Betimes wrought in them!’

I shall not presume to Dictate, upon this matter, or to Enquire, Why Castalio's Dialogues, be not Look'd upon as one of the best School-Books, for the Latin Tongue, in all the World? Or, Why for the Greek, there is no more Account made of Posselius? Or, indeed why (to express my [Page] self in the Terms of a Modern Writer) ‘there should not be North-west Passage found, for the Attaining of the Latin Tongue; that instead of a Journey, which may be dispatch'd in a few Day, they may not wander like the Children of Israel, Forty years in the Wilderness. And why they should so much converse with the Poets, at that Age, when they read them, with so much Difficulty, and so little Relish.’ But I will venture upon it, as neither a Tedious Parenthesis, nor a needless Digression, to single out only Two passages of many this way which in my small Reading I have met withal.

The first is this; I have seen this Experiment among others recorded of one that had a Number of Little Folks under his Charge.

‘Moreover, He made it his Custome, that in every Recitation, he would, from something or other occurring in it, make an occasion, to let fall some Sentence, which had a Tendency to promote the Fear of God in their Hearts; which thing sometimes did indeed put him to more than a little study; but the Good Effect sufficiently Recompenced it.’

Another is this. A late Writer ha's these words; ‘Many Children are sooner taught what Jupiter, Mars, & such Pagan Gods were, then what, Father, Son, and Spirit is. Augustine of old complain'd of this; of Learni [...]g in the Schools, Joves Adulteries; and for giving an Account of such things, saith he, ob hoc bonae spei puer appellabar. Luther also complained, That our Schools were more Pagan than Christian. I refer the unsatisfied Reader, to Pasors Preface to his Lexicon. I knew an aged and famous School-master; that after he had kept School about Fifty years, said, with a very sad countenance, That it was a great Trouble to him, that he had spent so much time in Reading Pagan Authors to his Scholars, and wish'd it were customary to read such a Book as Duports Verses upon Job, rather than Homer, and such Books. [...] God, put it in the Heart of a Wise Parliament, to Purge our Schools; that instead of Learning vain Fictions, and [...]ilthy Stories, they may be acquainted with the Word of God, and with Books containing Grave Sayings, and [Page] things that may make them truly Wise and Useful in the World.’

Ye have heard, what MY MASTER was, In the School. Sir Walter Ra [...]leign commends it as a piece of wisdom, to use great moderation when we are treating men with Commendation. I will not forget the Rule, in carrying on my Commendation of my Master. But I will say very much in a Little. Out of the School, he was One, Antiqua [...]; A Christian of the Old Fashion: An OLD NEW-ENGLISH CHRISTIAN: And I may tell you. That was as Venerable a Sight, as the World; since the Dayes of Primitive Christianity, has ever look'd upon.

He was well Studied in the Body of Divinity: An Able Defender of the Faith and Order of the Gospel; Notably Conversant and Acquainted with the Scriptural Prophecies; And, by Consequence, A Sober Chiliast.

He Lived as a Master, the Term, which has been for above three thousand years, assign'd for the Life of a Man; he continued unto the Ninety Fourth year of his Age, an unusual Instance of Liveliness. His Intellectual Force, as little abated as his Natural. He Exemplified the Fulfilment of that word, As thy Days, so shall thy Strength be; in the Gloss which the Jerusalem Targum has put upon it; As thou wast in the Dayes of thy Youth, such thou shalt be in thy Old Age. The Reward of his Fruitfulness! For, Fructus Liberat Arborem! The product of his Temperance; Rather than what my Lord Verulam assigns, as a Reason for Vivacious Scholars.

DEATH must now do its part. He Dy'd, Longing for Death. Our old SIMEON waited for it, that he might get nearer to the Consolation of Israel. He Dyed Leaning like Old Jacob, upon a Staff; the Sacrifice and the Righteousness of a Glorious CHRIST, he let us know, was the Golden Staff, which he Lean'd upon. He Dyed mourning for the Quick Apostasie, which he saw breaking in upon us; very easie about his own Eternal Happiness, but full of Distress for a poor People here under the Displeasure of Heaven, for Former Iniquities, he thought, as well as Later, Ones. To say no more: [Page] He Dyed, A CANDIDATE FOR THE FIRST RESURRECTION. And Verily, our Land is Weakened, when those Fly away, at whose Flight me may cry out, My Father, My Father, the Chariots of New-England, and the Horsemen thereof.

GRATITUDINIS ERGO.
An ESSAY on the Memory of my Venerable MASTER; Ezekiel Cheever.

Augusto perstringere Carmine Laudes.

Quas nulla Eloquij vis Celebrare queat.

YOU that are Men, & Thoughts of Manhood know,

Be Just now to the Man that made you so.

Martyr'd by Scholars the stabb'd Cassian dies,

And falls to cursed Lads a Sacrifice.

Not so my CHEEVER, Not by Scholars slain,

But Prais'd, and Lov'd, and wish'd to Life again.

A mighty Tribe of Well-instructed Youth

Tell what they owe to him, and Tell with Truth.

All the Eight parts of Speech he taught to them

They now Employ to Trumpet his Esteem.

They fill Fames Trumpet, and they spread a Fame

To last till the Last Trumpet drown the same.

[Page] Magister pleas'd them well, because 'twas he;

They saw that Bonus did with it agree.

While they said, A [...]o, they the Hint improve

Him for to make the Object of their Love.

No Concord so Inviolate they knew

As to pay Honours to their Master due.

With Interjections they break off at last,

But, Ah, is all they use, Wo, and, Alas!

We Learnt Prosodia, but with that Design

Our Masters Name should in our Verses shine.

Our Weeping Ovid but instructed us

To write upon his Death, De Tristibus.

Tully we read, but still with this Intent,

That in his praise we might be Eloquent.

Our Stately Virgil made us but Contrive

As our Anchises to keep him Alive,

When Phaenix to Achilles was assign'd

A Master, then we thought not Homer blind:

A Phaenix, which Oh! might his Ashes shew!

So rare a Thing we thought our Master too.

And if we made a Theme, 'twas with Regret

We might not on his Worth show all our Wi [...],

Go on, ye Grateful Scholars, to proclame

To late Posterity your Masters Name.

Let it as many Languages declare

As on Loretto-Table do appear.

Too much to be by any one exprest:

I'll tell my share, and you shall tell the rest.

Ink is too vile a Liquor; Liquid Gold

Should fill the Pen, by which such things are told.

The Book should Amyanthus-Paper be

All writ with Gold, from all corruption free.

[Page]

A Learned Master of the Languages

Which to Rich Stores of Learning are the Keyes;

He taught us first Good Sense to understand

And put the Golden Keyes into our Hand,

We but for him had been for Learning Dumb,

And had a sort of Turkish Mutes become.

Were Grammar quite Extinct, yet at his Brain

The Candle might have well been lit again.

If Rhet'rick had been stript of all her Pride

She from his Wardrobe might have been Supply'd.

Do but Name CHEEVER, and the Echo straight

Upon that Name, Good Latin, will Repeat.

A Christian Terence, Master of the File

That arms the Curious to Reform their Style.

Now Rome and Athens from their Ashes rise;

See their Platonick Year with vast surprize:

And in our School a Miracle is wrought;

For the Dead Languages to Life are brought.

His Work he Lov'd: Oh! had we done the same [...]

Our Play-dayes still to him ungrateful came.

And yet so well our Work adjusted Lay,

We came to Work, as if we came to Play.

Our Lads had been, but for his wondrous Cares,

Boyes of my Lady Mores unquiet Pray'rs.

Sure were it not for such informing Schools,

Our Lat'ran too would soon be fill'd with Owles.

Tis CORLET's pains, & CHEEVER's, we must own,

That thou, New-England, art not Scythia grown,

The Isles of Silly had o're-run this Day

The Continent of our America.

Grammar he taught, which 'twas his work to do:

But he would Hagar have her place to know.

[Page]

The Bible is the Sacred Grammar, where

The Rules of speaking well, contained are.

He taught us Lilly, and he Gospel taught;

And us poor Children to our Saviour brought.

Master of Sentences, he gave us more

The we in our Sententi [...] had before.

We Learn't Good Things in Tullies Offices;

But we from him Learn't Better things than these.

With Cato's he to us the Higher gave

Lessons of JESUS, that our Souls do save.

We Constru'd Ovid's Metamorphosis,

But on our selves charg'd, not a Change to miss.

Young Austin wept, when he saw Dido dead,

Tho' not a Tear for a Lost Soul he had:

Our Master would not let us be so vain,

But us from Virgil did to David train,

Textors Epistles would not Cloathe our Souls;

Pauls too we heard; we went to School at Pauls.

Syrs, Do you not Remember well the Times,

When us he warn'd against our Youthful Crimes:

What Honey dropt from our old Nestors mouth

When with his Counsels he Reform'd our Youth:

How much he did to make us Wise and Good;

And with what Prayers, his work he did conclude.

Concern'd, that when from him we Learning had,

It might not Armed Wickedness be made!

The Sun shall first the Zodiac forsake,

And Stones unto the Stars their Flight shall make▪

First shall the Summer bring large dri [...]ts of Snow,

And beauteous Cherries in December grow;

E're of those Charges we Forget [...]ul are

Which we, O man of God, from thee did hear.

[Page]

Such Tutors to the Little Ones would be

Such that in Flesh we should their Angels see,

Ezekiel should not be the Name of such;

We'd Agathangelus not think too much,

Who Serv'd the School, the Church did not forget;

But Thought, and Pray'd, and often wept for it.

Mighty in Prayer: How did he wield thee, Pray'r!

Thou Reverst Thunder CHRIST's-Sides-piercing Spear?

Soaring we saw the Bird of Paradise;

So Wing'd by Thee, for Flights beyond the Skies.

How oft we saw him tread the Milky Way,

Which to the Glorious Throne of Mercy lay!

Come from the Mount, he shone with ancient Grace.

Awful the Splendor of his Aged Face

Cloath'd in the Good Old Way, his Garb did wage

A War with the Vain Fashions of the Age.

Fearful of nothing more than hateful Sin;

'Twas that from which he laboured all to win,

Zealous; And in Truths Cause ne'r known to trim;

No Neuter Gender there allow'd by him.

Stars but a Thousand did the Ancients know;

On later Globes they Nineteen hundred grow:

Now such a CHEEVER added to the Sphere;

Makes an Addition to the Lustre there.

Mean time America a Wonder saw;

A Youth in Age, forbid by Natures Law.

You that in t'other Hemisphere do dwell,

Do of Old Age your dismal Stories tell.

You tell of Snowy Heads and Rheumy Eyes

And things that make a man himself despise.

You say, a frozen Liquor chills the Veins,

And scarce the Shadow of a Man remains.

[Page] Winter of Life, that Sapless Age you call,

And of all Maladies the Hospital:

The Second Nonage of the Soul; the Brain

Cover'd with Cloud; the Body all in pain.

To weak-Old Age, you say, there must belong

A Trembling Palsey both of Limb and Tongue;

Dayes all De [...]repit; and a Bending Back,

Propt by a Staff, in Hands that ever shake.

Nay, Syrs, our CHEEVER shall confute you all,

On whom there did none of these Mischefs fall.

He Liv'd, and to vast Age no Illness knew;

Till Time, Scythe waiting for him Rusty grew.

He Liv'd and Wrought; His Labours were Immense▪

But ne'r Declin'd to Praeter-perfect Tense.

A Blooming Youth in him at Ninety Four▪

We saw; But, Oh! when such a sight before!

At Wondrous Age he did his Youth resume,

As when the Eagle mew's his Aged plume.

With Faculties of Reason still so [...]ight,

And at Good Services so Exquisited;

Sure our sound Chiliast, we wondring thought,

To the First Resurrection is not brought!

No, He for That was waiting at the Gate

In the Pure Things that fit a Candidate.

He in Good Actions did his Life Employ,

And to make others Good, he made his Joy.

Thus well-appris'd now of the Life to Come,

To Live here was to him a Martyrdom:

Our brave Macrobius Long'd to see the Day

Which others dread, of being Call'd away.

So, Ripe with Age, he does invite the Hook,

Which watchful does for its large Harvest look▪

[Page] Death gently out the Stalk, and kindly laid

Him, where our God His Granary has made.

Who at New-Haven first began to Teach,

Dying Unshipwreck'd, does White-Haven reach.

At that Fair Haven they all Storms forget;

He there his DAVENPORT with Love does meet.

The Luminous Robe, the L [...]ss whereof with Shame

Our Parents wept, when Naked they became;

Those Lovely Spirits wear it, and therein

Serve God with Priestly Glory, free from Sin.

But in his Paradisian Rest above,

To Us does the Blest Shade retain his Love.

With Rip'ned Thoughts Above concern'd for Us,

We can't but hear him dart his Wishes, thus.

'TUTORS, Be Strict; But yet be Gentle too:

'Don't by fierce Cruelties fair Hopes undo.

'Dream not that they who are to Learning slow,

'Will mend by Arguments in F [...]io.

'Who keeps the Golden Fleece, Oh, let him not

'A Dragon be, tho' he Three Tongues have got.

'Why can you not to Learning find the way,

'But thro' the Province of Severia?

'Twas Moderatus, who taught Origen;

'A Youth which prov'd one of the Best of men.

'The Lads with Honour first, and Reason Rule;

'Blowes are but for the Refractory Fool.

'But, Oh! First Teach them their Great God to fear;

'That you like me, with Joy may meet them here.

H' has said!—

Adieu, a little while, Dear Saint, Adieu;

Your Scholar won't be Long, Sir, after you.

In the mean time, with Gratitude I must

Engrave an EPITAPH upon your Dust.

[Page]'Tis true, Excessive Merits rarely safe▪

Such an Excess forfeits an Epitaph.

But if Base men the Rules of Justice break,

The Stones (at least upon the Tombs) will speak.

Et Tumulum facite, et Tumulo superaddite carmen. (Virg. in Daphn.)

EPITAPHIUM.

EZEKIEL CHEEVERUS:

Ludimagister;

Primo Neo-portenfis;

Deinde, Ipsuicensis;

Postea, Carolotenensis

Postremo, Bostonensis

cujus

Doctrinam ac Virtutem

Nostri, si Sis Nov-Anglus,

Colis, si non Barbarus;

GRAMMATICUS,

a Quo, non pure tantum, sed et pie,

Loqui;

RHETORICUS.

a Quo non tantum, O [...]ate dice [...]

coram Hominibus,

Sed et Orationes coram Deo fundere

Efficaci [...]imas;

POETA,

a Quo non tantum [...]

Sed et

Caelestes Hymnos, Odas (que) Angelicas,

canere,

[Page]Didicerunt,

Qui discere voluerunt;

LUCERNA,

ad Quam accensa sunt,

Quis queat numerare,

Quot Ecclesiarum Lumina?

ET

Qui secum Corpus Theologiae abstulit,

Peritissimus THEOLOGUS,

Corpus hic suum sibi [...]nus Cha [...]um,

deposuit.

Vixit Annos, XCIV.

Docuit, Annos. LXX.

Obijt, A.D. M.DCC.VIII.

Et quod Mori potuit,

HEIC

Expectat Exoptat (que)

Primam Sanctorum Resurrectionem

ad

Immortalitatem.

Evuvijs debetur Honos. [...]

FINIS.

Information about this book

Title statement

Corderius americanus. An essay upon the good education of children. And what may hopefully be attempted, for the hope of the flock. In a funeral sermon upon Mr. Ezekiel Cheever. The ancient and Honourable master of the Free-School in Boston. Who left off, but when mortality took him off, in August, 1708. the ninety fourth year of his age. : With an elegy and an epitaph upon him. / By one that was once a scholar to him. ; [One line epigram in Latin]

Mather, Cotton, 1663-1728.

Publication

Publisher

Text Creation Partnership,

Place of publication

Ann Arbor, MI :

Date

2011-05.

ID [DLPS]

N01142

ID [TCP]

N01142

ID [STC]

Evans 1361

ID [NOTIS]

APX1933

ID [IMAGE-SET]

1361

ID [EVANS-CITATION]

99018633

Availability

This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal. The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.

Series

Early American Imprints, 1639-1800 ; no. 1361.

Notes

(Evans-TCP ; no. N01142)

Transcribed from: (Readex Archive of Americana ; Early American Imprints, series I ; image set 1361)

Images scanned from Readex microprint and microform: (Early American imprints. First series ; no. 1361)

Source

— Corderius americanus. An essay upon the good education of children. And what may hopefully be attempted, for the hope of the flock. In a funeral sermon upon Mr. Ezekiel Cheever. The ancient and Honourable master of the Free-School in Boston. Who left off, but when mortality took him off, in August, 1708. the ninety fourth year of his age. : With an elegy and an epitaph upon him. / By one that was once a scholar to him. ; [One line epigram in Latin], Mather, Cotton, 1663-1728..

Extent

[6], 34 p. ; 15 cm. (8vo)

Printed by John Allen, for Nicholas Boone, at the Sign of the Bible in Cornhill, near the corner of School-Street.,. Boston, :: 1708.. (Running title: A funeral sermon, upon Mr. Ezekiel Cheever.) (Attributed to Cotton Mather by Holmes.)

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