Corderius americanus. An essay upon the good education of children. And what may hopefully…

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 Addressed 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 Steadfastness 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 Profaneness, and Atheism: 'Tis not enough ⟨p. 3⟩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 ere 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 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