N01142:88
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.
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.
These our SCHOOL-MASTERS, deserve a great Encouragement. We are not Wise for our Children, if we do not greatly Encourage them.
The PARTICULAR PERSONS, who have their Children, in the Tutelage of Skilful and Careful School-Masters, ought to make them suitable Recompenses. Their Stipends are generally far short of their Deserts. They deserve Additional Compensations. Their pains are not small. What they Do is very Great. And surely our Children are very dear to us, I need not quote Euripides to tell you, That they are as the very Life and Soul, unto all Mankind. I can't but observe it with a just Indignation; To Feed our Children, To Clothe our Children, To do any thing for the Bodies of our Children; or perhaps to Teach them some Trifle at a Dancing School, scarcely worth their Learning, we count no Expense too much; At the same time to have the Minds of our Children Enriched with the most valuable Knowledge, here, To what purpose? is the cry: a little Expense, how heavily it goes off! My Brethren, These things ought not so to be. Well-taught Children are certainly very much to be accounted of. ⟨p. 20⟩When the Mother of the Graechi was asked for the sight of her Ornaments, how instructively did she present her Two Sons brought up in Learning and Virtue, as the brightest of all her Ornaments! If we were duly sensible, how vast a comfort it is, how vast a Concern, to have Well-taught Children, we should study all the ways imaginable, to express our Thankfulness unto the Teachers of them. And it will not be complained, That a Mecanai is to be no where found, but in Horace's Poetry. The Christian Emperor Gratian, One of the Best men, that ever Swayed the Roman Sceptre, conferred Riches and Honours on his Master Ausonius, and he sent him that agreeable Compliment with them; Sir, I have paid what I Owed, and I still Owe, what I have paid. Language agreeable to the Spirit of Christianity! Yea, a Zeno, that was a Stranger to it, yet has this recorded in his Commendation, That he would give his Master, as much again, as the wages he asked of him. I hope, he won't be the only One, that shall have such a thing spoken of him!
The PARTICULAR PERSONS, who have their Children, in the Tutelage of Skilful and Careful School-Masters, ought to make them suitable Recompences. Their Stipends are generally far short of their Deserts. They deserve Additional Compensations. Their pains are not small. What they Do is very Great. And surely our Children are very dear to us, I need not quote E•ripides to tell you, That they are as the very Life and Soul, unto all Mankind. I can't but observe it with a just Indignation; To Feed our Children, To Cloath our Children, To do any thing for the Bodies of our Children; or perhaps to Teach them some Trifle at a Dancing School, scarcely worth their Learning, we count no Expence too much; At the same time to have the Minds of our Children Enriched with the most valuable Knowledge, here, To what purpose? is the cry: a little Expence, how heavily it goes off! My Brethren, These things ought not so to be. Well-taught Children are certainly very much to be accounted of.
And the more Liberal Provision the PUBLIC does make for Industrious, Well-accomplished, Well-disposed School-masters, the more is the Public Wisdom Testified & Propagated! Ammi•nus Marcellinus, the Historian, tho' a great Admirer of Julian & of Paganism, yet condemns his prohibition of School-masters unto the Christians: Illud autem inclemens obruendum perenni silentio, quod arcebat docere, Magistros Rhetoricos et Grammaticos, Ritus Christiani Cultores. But, Syr•, If you do not Encourage your School-masters, you do a part of Julianism, and as bad as Prohibit them. Certainly; If something of Julianism did not prevail too much among us▪ (which among a People of our Profession is highly scandalous,) we might ere now have seen, besides the petty Schools of every Town, a Grammar-School at the Head Town of every County, and an Able School-master with an am•le Salary, the Shepherd in it; a Thing so often, so often unsuccessfully petitioned for! We hear Good Words now and then spoken for the Tribe of Levi. I desire, to speak one for the Tribe of SIMEON. The Simeonites were the School-masters that were Scattered in Israel. I assure my Self, That Ours, do watch against the Anger which is fierce, and the Wrath which is cruel; and that they use not Instruments ⟨p. 21⟩of Cruelty in their Habitations; but prudently study the Tempers of the Children, they have to deal withal. Tho' Moses left them out of his Blessing; [the Tribe not having then done any thing since Jacobs dying Oracles, to signalize them.] Yet our Glorious JESUS, has a Blessing for them. They Serve Him wonderfully. His People will also Bless them, and Bless God for them. And so will I this Day do for MY MASTER, in this Congregation of the Lord.
And the more Liberal Provision the PUBLICK does make for Industrious, Well-accomplished, Well-disposed School-masters, the more is the Publick Wisdom Testified & Propagated! Ammi•nus Marcellinus, the Historian, tho' a great Admirer of Julian & of Paganism, yet condemns his prohibition of School-masters unto the Christians: Illud autem inclemens obruendum perenni silentio, quod arcebat docere, Magistros Rhetoricos et Grammaticos, Ritus Christiani Cultores. But, Syr•, If you do not Encourage your School-masters, you do a part of Julianism, and as bad as Prohibit them. Certainly; If something of Julianism did not prevail too much among us (which among a People of our Profession is highly scandalous,) we might ere now have seen, besides the petty Schools of every Town, a Grammar-School at the Head Town of every County, and an Able School-master with an amle Salary, the Shepherd in it; a Thing so often, so often unsuccessfully petition'd for! We hear Good Words now and then spoken for the Tribe of Levi. I desire, to speak one for the Tribe of SIMEON. The Simeonites were the School-masters that were Scattered in Israel. I assure my Self, That Ours, do watch against the Anger which is fierc, and the Wrath which is cruel; and that they use not Instruments
SCHOOL-MASTERS that have Used the Office well, purchase to themselves, a Good Esteem to Out-live their Death, as well as Merit for themselves a good Support while they Live. 'Tis a Justice to them, that they should be had in Everlasting Remembrance; And a Place and a Name among those Just men, does particularly belong to that Ancient and Honourable Man; a Master in our Israel; who was with us, the last Time of my Standing here; but is lately Translated unto the College of Blessed Spirits, in the Mansions, where the FIRST RESURRECTION is Waited and Longed for. Allow me the Expression; For I Learned it of my Hebrew Masters, among whom 'tis a phrase for the Death of Learned and Worthy men, Requisite •unt in A•na•miam C•lestem.
SCHOOL-MASTERS that have Used the Office well, purchase to themselves, a Good Esteem to Out-live their Death, as well as Merit for themselves a good Support while they Live. 'Tis a Justice to them, that they should be had in Everlasting Remembrance; And a Place and a Name among those Just men, does particularly belong to that Ancient and Honourable Man; a Master in our Israel; who was with us, the last Time of my Standing here; but is lately Translated unto the Colledge of Blessed Spirits, in the Mansions, where the FIRST RESURRECTION is Waited and Longed for. Allow me the Expression; For I Learn't it of my Hebrew Masters, among whom 'tis a phrase for the Death of Learned and Worthy men, Requisit •unt in A•na•miam C•lestem.
Perrius the Master to the Nephews of Augustus, had a Statue Erected for him; And Antoninus obtained from the Senate, a Statue for his Master Fronto. I am sorry that Mine has none. And Ca•o counted it more glorious than any Statue, to have it asked, Why has he None? But in the grateful Memories of his Scholars, there have been and will be Hundreds Erected for him.
Under him we Learnt on Oration, made by Tully, in praise of his own Master; namely that, Pro Archad Poeta. A Pagan shall not out-do us, in out Gratitude unto our Master. There was a famous Christian in the Primitive Times, who wrote a whole Book, in praise of his Master Hierotheus; Entitling it, [Greek or Hebrew] Concerning the Blessed •ierotheus. And if I now say a few things, Concerning the Blessed CHEEVER, no man who thinks well of Gratitude, or likes well to see the Fifth Commandment observed, will confuse it.
Under him we Learnt on Oration, made by Tully, in praise of his own Master; namely that, Pro Archad Poeta. A Pagan shall not out-do us, in out Gratitude unto our Master. There was a famous Christian in the Primitive Times, who wrote a whole Book, in praise of his Master Hierotheus; Entituling it, 〈non-Latin alphabet〉 Concerning the Blessed •ierotheus. And if I now say a few things, Concerning the Blessed CHEEVER, no man who thinks well of Gratitude, or likes well to see the Fifth Commandment observed, will confuse it.
