OCR Text |
Show 1699· ~ tj:hap. !. Chap. Jl. Advice to Children. Vol;. I. ftim ony of your Duty and Homage to him. In which ,he Exemplary borh by Timely Coming, and a Reverent an~ Senous. Deponmcn_r dunng the AflCmhly; in which be not weary or _rhmk the T1me long .t1l1 h b.e over, as fome did of the Salhttlbs of old Ttme; but let your Eye_ he to h1m y~u come 10 waic upon and ierve, and do what you do as co. h1m , and he WJII be your Reftefhment and Reward; for you (hall return WHh the Seals and Pledges of his Love, Mercy and Bleffings. . § .. Above all Things, my dear Children, as to_ your Cornm~n1~n and Fdlo~fhip with Friends, be careful to keep the Unny of the F~uh m the Bond of Peace. Have a Care of Reftecto~s, Der~a8:ors, Backbue~s, that undenalue and undermine Brethren bebmd the•r Ba~ks, o~ fl1ght _rhe ood and wholefome Order of Truth, for the prefervmg Tl~ mgs qu1~t, fweet and honourable in the C_hurch. Ha~e a Care of ~ovclues, and auy h eable People the Concencd, Cenfonous :1nd Pufh up; who :lt lafi: ha~~g always fhevJn themfelves to. be Cloud~ without Rain, and Vi ells. without Water, that will rather dtfturb and break the ~eac~ and Fellowibip of the Church, where they dwell, than nc;)[ _have thea Wills and Ways take Place I charge you in the Fear of the Ltvtng God, that you carefully beware of ;u fuch: mark them as the ~~olUe fays, Rom. 16. q, nod have no Fel1owfhip with them\ bur to ad vile,_ exhor~, lm.rear, anJ. final_ly re· prove them, Eph. 5· 11 . For God is and w~ll b~ wah h1s People 1n th1s Ho· Iy Difi enfarion we are now under, and wh1ch IS now amongtt us, unto the End of Days: It fhall grow and increafe in Gifts, Graces, PoYver and .Lultre, for it is the laft and unchangeable. One ; And bleffed J_re your Eyes, tf rh_ey :fie it and your Ears if they hear u, and your Hearts 1f they underfiand H; ;hich I pray that you may to God's Glory :1nd your Eternal ~om fort. §. 6. Having thus exprefi'ed my fel! to you, my dear Ch1ldre~~ a~ to the Things of God, his Truth and Kmgdom, I refer Y?U to hts L1ght, Gr:tce Spirit :1nd Truth within you, and the Holy Scnprures of Truth witho~t you, which from my Youth I love~ to read, and were ever hl~!n~d rome· and which I charge you to read da1ly; !he Old Tefiament for Htlto~ ry chi;Ry, the Pfalms for Medit:J.tion and Devonon, the Prof!hcts fo_r Com~ fore and Hope, but efpccially the New Teflament for Dodn~e, _F:mh :tnd Wor!hip: For they were given forth by Holy Men of God tn dtvers Ages, as they were moved of the Holy Spirit; and are rh: decl:t.red and.revealed Mind and Will of the Holy God to Mankind under d1vers D1fpenfauo~s, and they are certainly able to make the Man of Go~ perfeEt, through F~tth unto Salvation; being fuch :1 true :1nd clear Tefi1mo~y to the S:Jlvanon rha~ is of God, through Chrill rhe fecond Adam, the Ltght of rhe World, the quickning Spirit, who is full of Grace. and Truth, whofe Ltgbt, Grau. Spirit and Tru1h bear witnefs to them t.n every Senfibl~ Soul, ~s.they frequently, plainly and folemnly bear Tefhm_ony ro the ltg h~, Spzn~, Grflce• and Truth, both in himfelf aud in ::md to b1s People, to theu San~lfic~tw~. J fi:i6carion Redemption :tnd Confol:ttion, and in all Men to t~etr Vdit:ttl~ 0~, Reproof and ConviElion in their Evil Ways . . I fay havmg ~hus ex· preffed my felf in general, 1 refer you, my dear Chtl_dren, to the L1ght ~nd Spiric (If Jefus, that is within you, :1nd tn the Scnptures of Truth w~th~ out you, and fuch other Teftimonies to the one fame ~ternal l)uth as h:~.ve been born in our Day; and fhaU now defcend to Paruculars that you. !Day more dire€Uy apply what I have faid in General both as ro your Rehgtous and Civil Diteaion in your Pilgrimage upon Earth. CHAP. II, §. 2. I will begin here alfo, with the Beginning of Time, the Mor~iog; fo foon as you wake, retire your Mind inco a pure Silence, from all Thoughts and Ideas of Worldly Things, and in th~t F carne, wait_ upon God, to feel his gqod Prefrnce, tO lift up your He:uts tolnm, and comma yourw~~~~ • VoL. I. Advice to Children; 897 felf, inro his blell'ed Care and ProteElion. Then rife, If well, immediately; 1699. be1l!g drcft, read a Chapter or more 10 the Scnptures, and afterwards dif- ~ pofe your felves for the Bufinefs of the Day; e\•er remembri ng that God Chap ... IL ts prefenr, the Overfeer of all your Thoughts, Word~, and AtHans. and demean yo~r fe~ves, my dea~ Children, accordingly ' and do not you' d:ne to do that 1n hiS holy all-Seemg Prefence which yoU would be afhamect Man, yea a Child, fhould. fee you do. And as _you havt Inrerve~ls, ir~fu your lawful Occ~fions, delight to ft:ep Home, Within your felves, I mean af!d commune wuh your own Hearts, and be fiill; and (as l\'ehutbadnez:;t1; fa~d on anoth~r Oecafion) One like rbe Son of God, you jhall find and enjoy fJJIIb yo11 an_d m )lOll; a Treaj11re tb' World ~no~s nor of, b11t H rbt iJ · End and [>1adem of the Children o/God. This will be:1r You up againft':Ji Temptations,_ and carry you f~eetly_ and evenly through your Day's Bufi .. nefs~ f~pportmg you under ~Ifappotmment~, and moderaring your SJdS" fa~ton tn Succefs and Profp~nty. The.Evemng come, read again the holy Scr~pture, :tnd ~ave your T1mes of Reurement, before you clufC: your Eyes as m the Mor~1ng; that f? the Lord may be the Alpha and Omrga of t1·er/ Day of your L1~es. And 1f God blefs you with Families, remember good Jofhut?s Refoluuon, ]ojh. 24. J). B11t a1 for me and my Ho11jt we wiO ferve the Lord. ' §. 2. Fear God, fhe'! it in Defir~, Refraining and Doing: keep the inward W~tch, keep.a clear Soul and a light Heart. Mind an inward Seufe, upon domg any Th1~g_; when you read the Scr!pture, remark the norableft Pia~ ce.s, as your Spmts are D?Ofi to~chc and affeaed, in a common~place Book, WI!h that S:nfe or Openmg whtch you receive; for thry come not by Study ortntheWtllofMan, no more t~an the Scriptured ·d; and they may be lo~ by Car.elefncfs, and ovet~grow1ng Thoughts and Bufineffes of this Life; fo tn putfutng any other_g_ood or profitable Book; yet rather 'inedit:.ue than re.ad much .. ~or the Spun of a Man knows the Things of a Man, and wu~ that Sptnt, by Obfervauo_n of the Tempers and A8:ions of Men you fee In the Wo!ld, :tnd looking JO[O your own Spirit, and meditating there~ 11pon, you will have a deep and firong Judgment of Men and Things. For {rom what may be, what fhould be, and what is mofi probable or likely to be, you c:tn hardly mifs in your Judgment of hum:1ne Affairs; and you have a better Spirit than your own, in Referve for a Time of Need to paii the final Judgment in important Matters. ' §. 3· _In Converfa~ion, mark well what others f:t y or do, and hide your o'Yn Mmd, at lea~ t11l laft; and then open ir as fparingly as the Matter ~tlllet_you. A ju!l Obfervance :1nd Refleaion upon Men, and Things, gtve Wtfdom, thofe are the great Books of Lear,iflg, feldom read. The laboriou~ Be~. draws Honey from every Flower. Be always on your Watch, but ch1efiy tn Company, then befure to have your Wits about you and yo~r ~rmour on; fpeak laft and little, but to the Poinr. InterrUpt 'none, lntJClpate n~ne. re~d Prov. Jo. 8. 13. & ']llick to bear, flow tofpfttk, Prov. 17. 27. It gtves Ttme to underflanil, aitd ripM.r an ilnj'liJer. Affea not Words, but Matter, and chiefly to be pertinent and plain: Trueft Eloquence is pl:tineft, and brief Speaking, I mean, Brevity :1nd Clearnefs, to make your felves eafily underft:ood by every Body, and in as few Words as the Mauer wiiJ admit of, is the heft. §. + Prefer the Aged, the Virtuous and the Knowing; and chufe rhofc that exceUJor your Company and Friendfbip, but defpife nor others. §. >· Ret~rn no Anfwer to Anger, unlets with much Meeknefs, whicli often turns H away: But rarely make Replies, lefs Rejoinders; for rhac adds Fuel to the Fire. It is a wrong Time to vindicate your felves, the true Ear being then never open to hear h. Men are not themfelves, and know not well what Spirits they are of: Silence to Paffion, Prejudice and Mockery, is the heft Anfwer, and often conquers what ltefilb:ncc inftamel'. §. 6. Learn and teach your Children fair Writing, and the moft ufeful Pans of Marhematicks, and fome Bufinefs when Young, what ever elfc thc:y are taught. s y §. 7· Call |