N01142:82
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.
You ought, First, To be Willing to be Taught the Fear of the Lord. When your Teachers would Learn you something of the Holy Scriptures, be willing to Learn. Be not •o•••e to wait upon their Teaching. Do not strive to get away from their Teaching. Be not so set upon your Childish & Foolish Play, as to count every minute a weary Hour under their Teaching. Rather come to your Teachers, and beg it of them, I pray, Teach me something. Oh! Count it a Privilege, to be Taught any thing of the Holy Scriptures. Prize, Prize the Sincere Milk of the Word. Prize, Prize the Word of God, as being Sweeter than the Honey and the Honey-comb. Count the Knowledge of GOD, and CHRIST▪ ⟨p. 16⟩and Heavenly Things, a more precious Thing• than any in the World
You ought, First, To be Willing to be Taught the Fear of the Lord. When your Teachers would Learn you something of the Holy Scriptures, be willing to Learn. Be not •o•••e to wait upon their Teaching. Do not strive to get away from their Teaching. Be not so set upon your Childish & Foolish Play, as to count every minute a weary Hour under their Teaching. Rather come to your Teachers, and beg it of them, I pray, Teach me something. Oh! Count it a Priviledge, to be Taught any thing of the Holy Scriptures. Prize, Prize the Sincere Milk of the Word. Prize, Prize the Word of God, as being Sweeter than the Honey and the Honey-comb. Count the Knowledge of GOD, and CHRIST▪ ⟨p. 16⟩and Heavenly Things, a more precious Thing• than any in the World
Yea, Secondly; You ought never to be Satisfied. Know as much of the Holy Scriptures as ever you can, and never count that you know enough. Get your Catechism exactly by Heart. Become able to Read the Bible. Read something of it every day. A•k abundance of Questions about what you Read. You are fond of Ornaments▪ […] Despise all Ornaments in comparison of this; To be Adorned with the Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures.
Yea, Secondly; You ought never to be Satisfied. Know as much of the Holy Scriptures as ever you can, and never count that you know enough. Get your Catechism exactly by Heart. Become able to Read the Bible. Read something of it every day. A•k abundance of Questions about what you Read. You are fond of Ornaments▪ 〈…〉 Despise all Ornaments in comparison of this; To be Adorned with the Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures.
But, Thirdly, Be sure to Do what you Know from the Holy Scriptures that you ought to do. As now; Do not you know from the Holy Scriptures, that you ought to Keep Holy the Lords Day, and to Honour your Parents, and rather suffer any thing that tell a Lye: Do not you know from the Holy Scriptures, That you ought to Pray […] Secret every day, and Pray without Ceasing? Oh! Do these Things, my Children. Be sure to Do• such Things. What have the Holy Scriptures told you, concerning Early Religion? In them you have heard your Saviour say, Prov. 8.•7. They that seek me early, shall find me. There the voice of your Saviour in, Matth. 19.14. Suffer little Children to come unto me, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven. Well then, Betimes, now in your Childhood, Oh! Come to a Glorious CHRIST put your selves into His Hands. Beg of Him, I beseech, them O Lord, to deliver my Soul, Why, why, should your Childhood be nothing but Vanity! Nothing but a Long Step in the Arms of Death and Darkness.
But, Thirdly, Be sure to Do what you Know from the Holy Scriptures that you ought to do. As now; Do not you know from the Holy Scriptures, that you ought to Keep Holy the Lords Day, and to Honour your Parents, and rather suffer any thing that tell a Lye: Do not you know from the Holy Scriptures, That you ought to Pray 〈…〉 Secret every day, and Pray without Ceasing? Oh! Do these Things, my Children. Be sure to Do• such Things. What have the Holy Scriptures told you, concerning Early Religion? In them you have heard your Saviour say, Prov. 8.•7. They that seek me early, shall find me. There the voice of your Saviour in, Matth. 19.14. Suffer little Children to come unto me, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven. Well then, Betimes, now in your Childhood, Oh! Come to a Glorious CHRIST put your selves into His Hands. Beg of Him, I beseech, them O Lord, to deliver my Soul, Why, why, should your Childhood be nothing but Vanity! Nothing but a Long Step in the Arms of Death and Darkness.
Remember; Children; There have been many Children in the World, who have in their Early Childhood, by the Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, been Wise unto Salvation. You have in your Hands, the Narratives of many such, that have been in our Days. And such there were in the Days of Old. Origen was one▪ Little Origen, when he was hurt a Child, would Rejoice the Heart of his Father, by his Readiness to Learn the Holy Scriptures, which he set him to Learn. And while he was yet a Child, he had so much of GOD in him, that as he lay asleep, his Venerable Father would lay his hand on the Breast of the Child▪ and say with unspeakable Joy; Here's a Little Temple of God! And ⟨p. 17⟩there was a late Child at Antioch; One little more than seven years old; The Lad was Examined about what was in the Holy Scriptures, by bloody Persecutors, who stood ready to Murder him; He notably told them, There can be but One God, and our Christ is the True God; They asked him where he Learned this; He replied, I Learned it of my Mother, It was with my Mothers Milk that I sucked it in. On this, they horribly scourged the Lad, and then butchered him with hideous Torments: He smiled under his Torments, and he dyed a Martyr of the Lord. Oh! That our Children were so Disposed!
Remember; Children; There have been many Children in the World, who have in their Early Childhood, by the Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, been Wise unto Salvation. You have in your Hands, the Narratives of many such, that have been in our Days. And such there were in the Days of Old. Origen was one▪ Little Origen, when he was hurt a Child, would Rejoice the Heart of his Father, by his Readiness to Learn the Holy Scriptures, which he set him to Learn. And while he was yet a Child, he had so much of GOD in him, that as he lay asleep, his Venerable Father would lay his hand on the Breast of the Child▪ and say with unspeakable Joy; Here's a Little Temple of God! And
The Infant-Children of the Faithful, are the Children of God. God calls them; Ezek. 16.21. My Children. God forbid, That our Children as soon as they come to Act Reasonably, should be so Unreasonable, as to make themselves, the Children of Satan. Children, If you Hate that which is Good, if you Disobey your Parents, if you Speak Wicked words, and call Wicked Names, and Lye, and Curse, if you Steal, and if you play on the Lords-Day; Whose Children are you? Verily, your Spot is, that you are not the Children of God; you make Satan your Father; You do like the Children of Satan. How odious a Spectacle are you! But Serious, Gracious, Dutiful Children, always breathing after the Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, How Lovely a Spectacle!
It was the Speech of one that was Wise Betimes; Psal. 119.147. I prevented the Dawning of the morning, and I cried; I hoped in thy Word. While you are yet Children, you must have Piety Rectifying, Sanctifying, Purifying of your Childhood. While Reason is but upon the Dawning with you, there is Reason that you should mind Religion. There was once an incomparable Child, of whom we read, 1 Sam. 3.1. The Child Samuel ministered unto the Lord. A Child, which was Visited & Possessed by the Spirit of God; A Child, which quickly answered the Calls of the Holy One; A Child, that would leave his Sleep, to hold Communion with the Lord. O most amiable Child!
It was the Speech of one that was Wise Betimes; Psal. 119.147. I prevented the Dawning of the morning, and I cried; I hoped in thy Word. While you are yet Children, you must have Piety Rectifying, Sanctifying, Purifying of your Childhood. While Reason is but upon the Dawning with you, there is Reason that you should mind Religion. There was once an incomparable Child, of whom we read, 1 Sam. 3.1. The Child Samuel ministred unto the Lord. A Child, which was Visited & Possessed by the Spirit of God; A Child, which quickly answered the Calls of the Holy One; A Child, that would leave his Sleep, to hold Communion with the Lord. O most amiable Child!
Children, 'Tis your Dawning Time. It may be your Dying Time. A Child once grew very Solid, and was more for his Book than for his Play, and Prayed unto God more ⟨p. 18⟩than once every day. Being asked the cause, the Child said, Why, I was in the Burying-place a while ago, and there I saw a Grave shorter than my self! Children, Go unto the Burying-place; There you will see many a Grave shorter than your selves. 'Tis now upon Computation found, That more than half the Children of men Die before they come to be Seventeen Years of Age. And what needs any more be said, for your Awakening, to Learn the Holy Scriptures!
Children, 'Tis your Dawning Time. It may be your Dying Time. A Child once grew very Solid, and was more for his Book than for his Play, and Pray'd unto God more ⟨p. 18⟩than once every day. Being asked the cause, the Child said, Why, I was in the Burying-place a while ago, and there I saw a Grave shorter than my self! Children, Go unto the Burying-place; There you will see many a Grave shorter than your selves. 'Tis now upon Computation found, That more than half the Children of men Dy before they come to be Seventeen Years of Age. And what needs any more be said, for your Awakening, to Learn the Holy Scriptures!
We read of such a thing as that; Isa. 65.20. The Child shall die an hundred years old. You may Die in your Childhood: But you should be ambitious, that if it should be so, you may die an hundred years old; have as much Knowledge and Virtue, as many men of an hundred years old. It was a brave stroke in an Epitaph, on a Child; Praeterquam aetatem nil puerile fuit. Some of you can Construe it. I will do it for them that can't.
We read of such a thing as that; Isa. 65.20. The Child shall dy an hundred years old. You may Dy in your Childhood: But you should be ambitious, that if it should be so, you may dy an hundred years old; have as much Knowledge and Vertue, as many men of an hundred years old. It was a brave stroke in an Epitaph, on a Child; Praeterquam aetatem nil puerile fuit. Some of you can Construe it. I will do it for them that can't.
Except his Age, the Lovely Lad Nothing that looked like Childhood had.
Except his Age, the Lovely Lad Nothing that look'd like Childhood had.
The Small as well as the Great, are to Stand before the Judgment-Seat of God. Oh, That while you are yet Small, you would be Greatly Affected with the Day of Judgment. If you go on to do amiss, think, I know that for this, God will bring me into Judgment. The Holy Scriptures give you the Knowledge of such a thing.
Children. You may by your Piety, approve your selves the Regenerate Children of God, while you are yet Children. Cry unto God, My Father! Ah, Children; Be afraid of going Prayerless to Bed, lest the Devil be your […]-fellow. Be afraid of Playing on the Lords-Day, lest the Devil be your Play-follow. Be afraid of Telling Lies, or speaking Wickedly, lest that Evil Tongue be one Day tormented in the Flames, where, A drop of water to cool the Tongue, will be roared for.
Children. You may by your Piety, approve your selves the Regenerate Children of God, while you are yet Children. Cry unto God, My Father! Ah, Children; Be afraid of going Prayerless to Bed, lest the Devil be your 〈…〉-fellow. Be afraid of Playing on the Lords-Day, lest the Devil be your Play-follow. Be afraid of Telling Lies, or speaking Wickedly, lest that Evil Tongue be one Day tormented in the Flames, where, A drop of water to cool the Tongue, will be roared for.
We read Matth. 18.10. The Little Ones have their Angels. Dear Children; Behave your selves, as having the Angels of God looking upon you, the Angels of God looking after you!
Oh! That our Glorious LORD, would set home such Thoughts as these, upon the Hearts of our Children; And Give perfect Hearts unto them.
If they don't mind these things, in this more public Dispensation of them, will you that are their Teachers, more privately inculcate such Things upon them? I had the Happiness of an Education under a School-master who was Exemplary for doing so! Before we part, I am to tell you more concerning him.
If they don't mind these things, in this more publick Dispensation of them, will you that are their Teachers, more privately inculcate such Things upon them? I had the Happiness of an Education under a School-master who was Exemplary for doing so! Before we part, I am to tell you more concerning him.
¶ You shall give me leave to conclude with a very Reasonable COROLLARY.
Worthy of Honour are the TEACHERS that Convey Wisdom unto our Children; Worthy of Double Honour the Happy Instruments that Convey Saving Wisdom to them! There are some whose peculiar Profession it is, to assist the Education of our Children; and it is therefore their Endeavour to give them a Religious Education. Their Employment is to bestow Useful and Various Learning on our Children; but they make their Employment, a precious Advantage to Learn them the Holy Scriptures, and make them Wise for Eternity.
