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

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!