Sill/id pernicious Travelling. 6. And it is not the fma\leO part of the guilt and danger, that they arc fent abroad without due overfight and cond~Cf, ~hey that do but get them fame fober or honcfi fcrvant to attend them, or fame tober compamon, thmk they have done well : when as they had need of fame Divine or Tutor of great Learning, Piety, Prudence and Experience, whom they will reverence and obey, that may take the ovcrfight of them, and be ready to anfwer any Sophillcr that would feduce them. But die cbargc of this is thought too great, for the fafcty of rheir own children, whom they themfelves ex.. pofe to a neceffiry of it. . I know that carnal minds ~ill dillafle all this, and have Objections enough againll it, and rea– fans of their own, to make 1t fcem a duty to betray and undo their childrcns fouls, and to break lhtir promifc made for them in Baptifm; [ u All this is but our' precifenefs : They rnufi hilvc ex.. "pcric:nce and know the world, or clfe they will be contemptible tr:nebrionts or 0\.\'Js ? When ever " they go, it will be a temptation, and fuch they mull have at home; There is no other put of their "age fa fit, 01 rhat can be fparcd, and we mull trutl: God with them where ever they are, and they 'H that will be bad, will be bad in one place as well as another; and many are as bad that thy at "home. J And thus quos pcrdere vult Jupiter b(ll dcmemat: Yea, the poor children, and the Com– mon-wealth mull fuffer by !uch Parents fotti(h folly: And well faith Solomon, Prov. z8. IJ, The Rich man is wife in his owu conceit. And becaufe it is not Reafon indeed but Pride, and che Rich difoafe and Carnality which is here to be confuted, I llull not honour them with a dillinCt particular anfwcr; But only tell them, If all companies be alike, fend them to Bedlam or to aWborc~houfe. Ifall mea 111 be alike, let them be Janizaries, and bred up where Chrill is fcorned : If you think they need but little helps, and little watching, it feems you nt.ver gave chcm more: And its pity you fhould have children, before you know what a man is, and how much nature is corrupted, and how much is needful to its recovery : And ics pity that you dedicated them to God in BJprifm, before )'OU believed Chrifi, and knew what you did ? And engaged them to renounce the: World, the :Fidh and the Devil, under a Cruciticd Chrifi, while you purpofcd like hypocrires to train them in the School and Service of the Wbrld, the Flefi• and the D<vil, and in the contempt of the Crofs of Chrifi, or of. a holy mortified life. Ar.d if all agr1 be alike, and Novices lle equal t0 experienced perfons, let the Scholars rule thtir MaHer, and let Boyes be Parliament men and Judges, and let them be your Guides at home? And if acquaintance with Courtlbip and chc cullomes of the world,and the reputation of fuch acquaintance, be worth the hazarding of their fouls, renounce God, and give up your names to Mammon, and be not fuch plultry hypocrites,_ as ,to profcfs that ypu believe the Scriptutts, and fiand to your baptifmal Vows, and place your hopes .in a Crucified Chrill, and your happinefs in Gods favour and the life to come. A9d ifthe preaching.of the Golpel, and all fuch reli– gious helps be unnccdfary to your unfetled children, diffcmble not ,by going to Church, as if you rook them to be necdfary to your felves. In a word, I fay as Elis.f, ro the Ifraelices, Why halt ye bem>ern swo opinions 1 If God be God, foPow him, If the world be..God, and Pride and Senfuality and the worlds applaufe be yobr felicity, follow it, and lct it be your childrcns portion. Do you not fee more 'f'i[t, and learntd, and ho/.r, and fCrvic.eable p~rfons among us, proportionably in Church and State, that were never fent for an educauon among the Papilts and prophane, than of fuch as were. , But I will proceed to the Directions which are necdfary to thofe that mufi or will nttds go abroad, either as Merchants, FaCtors, or as Travellers. lj5 _,, Direl'i. 1. Be fure that you g?.not.witho~u a clear warr~ntfro:n God; ~hich mu~ be (all things Direl1• I· laid together) a great probahthty, tn the JUdgement of tmparual, expcncnc:ed, wtfe men, chat you may get or do more,good than you were like to have done at home. For ifyou go fin{Hlly without a Call or Warrant, )'nu put your fdf out of Gods protection, as much as in you is, that is, you forfeit it: And what ever plague befalls you, it will arm your accufing Cunfcienccs to make it double. Direli. 2· Send with your children that ttavel fame fuch pious prudent Tutor or Overfeer :l.S is Diret1. ~.: afore de[cribcd: And get them, or your Apprentices into as good company as poffibly you can. Direl/. 3· Send them as the lajl part of all their education, when they are fctled in k_nowledge, Direl/. 3• [ou12d dolirim·and godlinefs, and have fitfi got fuch acquamtance W1th the fiate of the world, as Read. ing, Maps and Converfation and Di[courfe can help them to: And not while they arc young, and raw, and u_ncapable offctf.defence,or of due improving whatthcy fee. And thofc that are thus prepared,will have no great lufi: or fancy tq wander, and lofe thei~ time, without .neceffity; For the~ will know, that there is nothing better ( confiderably ) to be fcen abroad, than IS at home : That m all Countreys, Houfes are Houfes, and Cities are Cities, and Trees are Trees, and Beafi:s are Bealls, and Men areMen, and Fools are Fools, and Wife men are Wife, and Learned men are Learned, and Sin is Sin, and Virtue iS Virtue. And thcfe things are but the fame abroad as at home: And that a Grave is every where a Grave, and you arc travelling cowards it, which way ever you go. And happy is he that fpendeth his lirtle time fo, as may do. Go~ befi fcrvice, and befi,prcparc hi~ .for ~e flate of immortality. . , Djre[f. 4· If experience ot rhelf youthfullufi and pude, and vHlous folly, or unfetled dangerous V1rea. 4~ fiate, doth tell you plainly, that your Child or Apprentice, is unfit for travel, venture them nor upon it, either for the carnal ornaments of education, or for your worldly gain. for fouls thar coli the blood of Chrifi, are more pretious, than to be fold at fo low a rate: And cfpccially by thofe farents and Mafiers that al"e doubly obliged to love them, and to guide them in rhc way to Heaven, and mull be anfwerable for them. Sffffff2 Dirt it;
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=