M'oti"l1cs for tlie good Education of Children. finfoalit)',·· ;~e dwilijh pride, mali.gni~y and cruelty a,gainfi. the holy wayes of Cod, \Vhich have fo un· man'd the progeny ot Ad:mJ: Thde are the Nens. m w~1ch the Serpent doth hatch the Eggs of Co~ vetoufnefS, Envy, Srrife, Revenge, of Tyranny, D1fobedlence, Wars and Blood~he~, and aH_ the Le~ profie of lin thar had1 (o odioully contaminated humane nature, and all the I~1fcne,s by. wh1ch they make rhc world calamicous. Do you wonder that there can be perfonsand Nauons fo bhnd and bar. b 1 rous as we read of rhc '{urk.f, "fartarian.r,Indianl, and mofi·ofrhe inhabitants ofthe c:arrh? A wicked education is rhe caufe of all; which finding nature depraved, doth fublimate and increafe the ve– nome which fhould by education have been cured : And from thC: wickednefs of families doth Nati· anal wickednd Sarifc: Do .y·ou wonder that fo much ignorahce, and voluntary deceit, and obflinacy ;n errors concrary to allmens common fenres, can be found among profdfcd Chritlians, as Great and {/nail, Hi,gh and'low through all the Papal &ingdom do difcover? Though t!1e_Pride, _and Covetoufneji, and TVic/!.sdmfs of a worldly carnal Clcrgie,. is a very great caufe, yet the !mfulneghgcnce ofParem~ and MaCter~ in their families, is as great, 1f not much greater than that. Do you wonder that even in the Reformed Churches, there can be fo many unreformed finners, of bt:allly lives, that hate the f(.rious praCtice of rhe Religion which themfelves profefs? It is ill edu_ca~ion in un~od~y families that is the c~ufc ofall this. 0 therefore how great and neceffary a work IS If, eo cafi Salt mto thefe cor– rupted fountains ? Cleanfc and cme thefe vitiated Fam~!ies, and you may c.urc almo~ aiJ the calan~ides of the earth. To tell what the Emperours and Prmces of the earth m1ght do, 1f they were w1fe and good, to the remedy of this c~mmon mifery, is the idle ralk of r_hofe negligent per~ons, who condemn then1felves in condemning others: Even thofe Rulers and Pnnces that are the Ptllars and PatronS of Hcarhenifine, Mahomeranifme, Popery and Ungodlinefs in the world, did themfelves receive that venorne from their ParentJ, in their birth and education, which inclinttiJ them to all this mif.. chief. Famil;,~reformation is the tafieft and the moll: li~ly way to a CQmmonReformalion: At leilll: to fend many fouls to Heaven , and crain up multitudes for God) if it reach not to NatWnal-re· f ormatiQH· CHAP. Vi. More Jpecial Motives for a IJoly and carefill Educatio11 of C!Jildrm. BEcaufe the chlef patt ~fFamily-Cart and Governmtnt confifleth iri the right Edtication ofChil– dren, I (hall adjoyn here fame more fpecial Ni:otives to quicken conjiderate Parents to this duty: And though mofi that I have to fay for it be already faid in my Sai11tt Rej! Part 3· Chap. '4· Sdl. 1 I· &c. and ther~fore !hall be here omitted, yet fomething !hall be inferred, lefi the want here {hould appear too great. 515 ~· I. Motive t. Confider how deeply Nature it felf doth tngagt y011, to thegreateft cart and diligence MoliV< t. f or the holy education ofy our children. They are, as it were, parts of your felves: and thofe that Na· turc teacheth you to Love and provide f or, and take moll care for next your felves ! And will you be regardlefs of their chief conctr;tmcnu l and neglectivc of iheir fouls? Will you eo other Way lhew your love to your children, than every Bcall, or Bird will to their young, to ,cherHh them till they can go abroad and fhift for thernfelves, for corporal fufienance? It is not Dogs or Beaflt that you bring into the world, bur Children that have immortal foulJ: And therefore it is a care and education fuitable to rheir naturu which you owe them. Even fuch as conducerh mofi effectually to the happinefs of their fouls. Nature teacheth them fame natural things withom you, as it doth the Bird tO fly~. Butithathcommitte? it to your trufl and care to teach them the gftatrftand moft neceffary thmgs: 11 you !hould thmk that you have nothing to do but f«d them, and leave all the reil to Nature, then they would not learn to fPeak._: And if Nature it felf would condemn you if you teach them not to fpeak , it will much more condemn you if you tca£h them not to underj!a11d both what they ought to fPeak and do. They have an everlajliug iHho·itance of happinds.. to attain: and it is that which you mufl bring them up for. They have ail ei1dlefs mi· fery to efcape : and it is that which you mull diligently teach them. If you teach them not . to efcape the fi.mer of J:JrU, what thanks do they owe you for teacliin11 them to {peak._ and go ? If you teach them not the \fay to ~eaven, and how they may make fure of their falvation, what thanks do they ow~ you for tcachmg them how to g~t tbeir living1 a little while in a miferable worl~ ~ If you tcacn them n?t to kno.w~od, and how to fcrve him, and be faved, you reach them nothmg, or worfe than norhmg. lt IS m your hand1 to do them the greateH k,jndnejf or cruelty in all the world: Help them to know God and to be fav~d, and you do more for them, than if you helpeel them to ~e Lords or Prmces : Ifyou negleCt theu _fouls, and breed rhern in ignorance, worldlinefs, ungodlmefs and fin, you betray them to the Dev1l, the enemy of fouls; even as truly as if you fold them to him: You fell them to be flaves to Satan; you betray them to him that will deceive them and abufe them in this life, and torment them in the next. If ydu law but a burning Fornace; much more
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