N01142:41
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]
Boston: printed by John Allen for Nicholas Boone, 1708
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
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 Ways and Rules of His Holy Religion; This is to be, WISE UNTO SALVATION.
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 ⟨p. 5⟩shall shortly be stripped 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.
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 ⟨p. 5⟩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 Enjoys, that Glorious CHRIST, in whom there is, The Wisdom of God. And, The End of our Faith will be the Salvation of the Soul.
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 testify of me. It was very Fit, that the Will of God, giving us the Rules of Living unto Him, should be contained 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; ⟨p. 6⟩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 Destroyed 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 Ptolemy Erected at Alexandria; but it was the Addition of the Holy 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?
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;
But what sort of Knowledge is requisite?
Be sure, A Doctrinal Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures is requisite, that we may be Wise 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?
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 Walk […] the Truth. We must Know God, and Serve Him. We must Know Christ, and Grow in Grace. The Lamp is without Oil; it will go out in Everlasting Darkness, if the Knowledge be not soaked and dipped 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 ⟨p. 7⟩not Wise unto Salvation. We foolishly Deceive our selves, in our Hope of Salvation, If we do not Know practically, our Knowledge will not render us Wise 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. 'Tis 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 Phoenix, the Tutor of Achilles, [Greek or Hebrew]. 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.
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
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 Anhalt, would say; The Holy Scriptures, what are they but the swaddling 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 Swaddling Clothes. This is the Direction of the Holy Scriptures, Deut. 6.7. Thou shall ⟨p. 8⟩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 Expressly said, How Early, we shall Begin to Teach our Children, the KNOWLEDGE of them. However, we may easily Determine it.
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 ⟨p. 8⟩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.
