A preparative to marriage The sum whereof was spoken at a contract, and enlarged…A preparatiue to mariage The summe whereof was spoken at a contract, and inlarged…

The next duty is, Catechize ¹child in his youth, and he will remember it when he is old. This is the right blessing which fathers and mothers give to their children, when they cause GOD to bless them too. The wrong mother cared ²not though the child were divided, but the right mother would not have it divided: so wicked parents care not though their children be destroyed, but godly parents would not have them destroyed but saved, that when they have dwelt together in earth, they may dwell together in heaven. As ⟨p. 102⟩the Midwife frameth the body when it is young and tender, so the parents must frame the mind while it is green and flexible, for youth is the seed time of virtue. They which are called fathers, are called ³by the name of God, to warn them that they are in stead of GOD to their children, which teacheth all his sons. What example have children but their parents? And sure the providence of God doth ease their charge more than they are aware; for a child will learn better of his father, than of any other. And therefore we read of no Schoolmasters in the Scripture ⁴but the parents: for when Christ saith to the Jews, If ye be the sons of Abraham, ye will do the works ⁵of your father Abraham. He showeth that sons use to walk in their fathers steps whether they ⟨p. 103⟩be good or bad. It is a marvellous delight to father & mother when people say that their children are like them: but if they be like them in goodness, it is as great a delight to other as to the parents: or else we say that they are so like, that they are worse for it. Well doth David call children arrows, for if ⁶they be well bred they shoot at their parents enemies, & if they be evil bred they shoot at their parents. Therefore many fathers want a staff to stay them in their age, because they prepared none before; like old Eli which was corrected himself for not correcting