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Show ~00 r699• ~ Chap. II· Advice 19 Ch'iidret~. Vor.. I. § 29 Never meddle with·other Folks Bufinefs, and leiS with the Pub· lie~ uniefl called to the one by the Panics conccrn'd,(ln whi~h move ~utioully and Uprightly) and requir'd ro the other by the Lord m a Te!bmony for his Name and Truth; Remembrin& that ol~, but m~ft true :1~d ~x~llent Proverb, Bt1re q11i latuit,_ bene v_ix1t, He h_ves happtly t~at ltvcs htddenly or privately, for he hves qutedy. It ts a_Treafure .to them t~at pave it: Study it, get it, keep iJ; 1 r~o many mifs tt tha,r m_1ght hav~ .u: The World knows not the Value of 1t •. It doubles Mans Life· by gtvtng )lim twice the Time ro himfelf, that a large Acquamtance or much Bufi ... ~ciS will allow him. . . . §. 3o. Have a Care of Refentment or takmg Thtn$5 amtfs, a nat~ra.I, ready and moft dangero.us Paffion ; bl!t be apter to rerntr than refenr, tt ts mQreChriftian and Wtfe. For as Softnefs often .conquers, where rough Oppofition fortifies, fo Refentme~t, feldom knowtng any Bounds, mak~ many Times greater Fauhs than tt finds; for fame Peop~e hav7 out .. refe!lted their Wrong f9 far, that they made themfelvcs faulner by It, _by which they cancel the Debt through a boundlefs Paffion, overthrow theu Intereft and Advantage, and become Debtor to the Offender. §. ;r. Rejoyce not at the Calamity of any, though they be your Ene-mies, Prw. r7. S· c. 24- '7· . p G d §. 32. Envy none ; it is God that maketh Rtch and oor, reat an llmaJI, High and Low. Pjal. 37· r. Prov. ;. 31. c. 'l· 17• <. 24. r. 1 Cbron. 22. II, rz. Pf, 107- 40· 4t· N 'l • '11 §. 33· Be lntreatable. Never Aggrav~r~. ever rev1 e or gtve 1 Names : It is unmannerly as well as unchnftta_n._ Remember Mat!. 5· 22. who it was faid He that caU1 bit Brother Fool, H tn Danger of HtU Fzre. §. 34. Be ~ot Morofe or Conceited ; One is Rude, the other Trouble-rome and NaufeoUJ. . . ~-. 3s. Avoid Qpe!lions ~nd Strife 1 it fh~ws a bufy and contennous D!f-po ~$~~~-. Add no Credit to a Report upon ConjeClure, nor report to the Hurt of any. See F.~od. 23. t. Pja/. rs. ;: §. 37· Bewa1e of Jealoufy, except it be Godly, for it devours L~ve and Friend(hip. it breaks Fellowfhip, and deftroys the Peace ,of the Mmd. It is a Gtoundlefs and Evil Surmiie. . . . §. 3s. Be not too Credulous; Read Prov. 1 4· 15. Cauuon IS a Medrum, 1 ~:<commend it. f G d • r • §. 39. Speak not of Religion, neither bfe the Name o o , In a .ami-liar Manner. · h r. §. 40: Meddle not with Government , never fpeak of 1t; let ot ers 1ay ·q1 do as they pleafe. But read fuch Books of Law as relate to the Office of a Jullicc, a Coroner, Sheriff and Conl\ablc 1 alfo_ the Doaor and Student 1 Some Book of Clcrk!hip, and a Treatifc of WIlls, ~o enabl.c _you abcut your own Ptivate 6ufinefs only, or a Poor Net~hbour s. For 1t ts a Charge 1 leave with you and yours, meddle not with the Publick, neither Bufinefs 1lOt Money; but undedtand how to avoid it, ~nd defend your felves, ul)on Occalion, againft ic. Fo1 much Knowledg~ bnngs Sorrow, and much 0"' ings more. Ther~fore know God, know your fel ves ; . Love Home, know your own Bufinefs and mind it, and you have more Ttme and Peace than y9ur Ncighbcurs. , . • h §. 41. If you incline to Marry, then marry your Inchnauon. rat_ er than your Jntereft : 1 mean what you Love, rather than what IS R1ch. But Love for Virtue, Temper, Education, and Perfon, before Wealth or Qpality and be Jure you are bclov'd again. In all which be not bally, bdt ferious; lay it before the Lord, proceed in his Fear, and be you well fed vifed. And when Married, according to the _Way of God"s People, u 'd amongft Friend' out of whom only chufe, ftnftly keep <;ovenant ~ Avot Oc~fion of Mif.underfranding, allow for Weakn~tTes, and Varier~ of Con• ftitution and Difpofition, and take. Care of lbew_mg the leaft D1fguft or Mif-underftanding to others, efp~ctally yo,ur ~tldrcn. Never ~re down with any Difpleafurc ig vour Mmds, Qut avo1d Occafion of Dljpute an~ · .._ Offence; VoL. I. Ad vice to Children: 'S)OI .O~ence ; Ov~rlook and cover Failings. Seek the l.ord for one anothet J6 w~tt upon htm together, Morning and Evening,. in his f{oly feaf, which; 99· Will renew and confirm your Love and Covenant· Give Wa t h' v-v-....,; th:J.t would in the lealt violate it: Ufe all Means ~f true EndJr.:e~~t rb,~~ .. Chap.!(._ you ma_y re_comme~d and pleafe one another; rememhring your Relation and ~mon ts the Ftgure of Chrift•s to his Church ; Therefore let the A_u .. ~honty of Love only bear fway your whole Life. §. 4"·. If God ~ive you Children, Love 1hem with Wifdom, Correa them _wtth AffeEhon; Never ftnke m Paffion, and fuit the Correflion to rh:tr Age as well as Faul_r. Convince them of their Error before you chafttfe t~em, and try th~m, tfthey fhe~ Remorfe before Severity, never uCe that but m. Cafe of Ohfhnacy or lmpenttency. Punilb them mQte by their Un~erftandm~s r~an the Rod, and rhew them rhe Folly, Sh;tme ~nd Unduufulnefs. of thetr Faul!s rather with a grieved than an an~tY Countenance, an~ Y?u wtll fooner aft~E\: their Natures, 3nd With a Nobler Senfe, tbaJl .a ferv1le 3nd rude _Chafbfcmenr can produce. I know the MerhO(ls of fo111e are fevere. Cor.retltons for Faults! and artificial Praifes when they do well, and fomettmes Rewards ; But th1s Courfe awakens Paffions worfe than their Fa~lcs; for one beg~ts bafe Fear, if not Hatred 1 the other Pride and vam Glory, both whtch fho4ld he av9ided in a Religious Education of Youth ; for they equally va~y f~om it and deprave Nature. There fho!lld be the greareft Care_ tmagt~Jble, what Jmpreffions a~e Jiiven to Chtldren: That ~ethod whtch earlieft awakens their Underfta.nq.ings to L ove, pury, Sohnety, full: . and. Hono~rable Things, is to he preferred. 'Educanon 1s the Stamp Parents giVe thett Children; ttrey pafs for that they breed them, or lefs value ~rhaps, all their Days. The World is in nothi,ng mo!e wa~ting and ~eprova_ble, both in Precept and Example; they do with thetr Ch1ldren ~s wnh the1r. Souls, put them out at LiVery for fo much a Year. Th~y wtll truft rhetr ~atcs or Shops with none bur themfel ves, but for thetr Souls and. Poftenry they have le£5 Solicitude. Bur- do 70u b~eed your Children your felves, I mean as to their Morals, and be their Btfhops and Teacher~ in the Princi\'les of Converfation : as they are inftru£\ ed fo they arc bkely to be qualified, and your Pol\erity by their Precepts and Examples which they receive from yours. And were Mankind herein. more cautio~s t~ey would better difcharge their Duty to God and Poftenty; ~nd rhe_tr Children would owe them more for their Ed,ucation than for thell ~nhemances. Be nor unequal in yoa,r Love to your Children, at leaft In the Appearances of it: It is both uojuft ~nd indifcreer: It leifens Love to Parents, aod _provokes En vie amongft Children. Let them wear the fame Clothe3, eat of the fJme Dilh, have the ,fame Allowance as to Time and Expence. Breed them to fame Employment, and give a11 E· qual but the Eldell: and to the·Eldeft a double Porrion is very weU. Tea.ch them .alfo Fru~ali_ry, an~ they will not want Suhftance for their Po. ftenty. A little Bcgmmng wtth lndul\ry and Thrift will make an F.ftatc 1 but there is srear Difference between Saving a.nd Sordid. Be not fcanty any n;~ore tha.n iupe~fl.uOlJS; but rather make bQld with your felv.;s, than be ftra~ghr to o~liers; therefore let your ~harity temper ypur Frugality and the us, What I have writ to you, I have writ to your Children, and theirs. §. 4~· Servants you will have, but rep1ember, the fewer the better, and thofe rather Ag~ than Young l yon muft mal;l:e them fuch, or difpofe of tbe(ll oftc;n. Change is not good, therefore chufe we11, and the rarh,er becaufe of your Children 1 for Children, thinking they q~.n rake more u .. berty with Senan~s than with theit Parents, often chufe the Servants Comp: tny, and if they are idle, wanton, ill Examples, Children are in great daP.gfir of bein~ ~rverte4. Let them thC)'efore he Friends, and fuch as are well recofllmended.; let them know their Bufinefs as well a~ their Wages; and as they do the one, pay them honeftly the other. Tho' ~rvants yet r-ememher they are Brethren in Chrift, and t~at you alfo are but Stewards and mult secount to God. Wherefore let your Moderation appear untb them, .. I- |
