Baxter - BJ1441 B3 1673

'DireFl.ions for young Students horv to order their Studies. §· 4· Nor that any lXad: or rull Body or Mcthcd of D.vinity is robe LcJrnr fi> early·. But 1 • T he Baptihnal Covcnatlt mull be wc:ll opfned bctime, and fHquently tnged upon thc1r hea.ns. 2. Thtre~ fore the Creed, the Lords PruJ•t'r and Dtcalogue, mull be opened to fuch buimc; rhac is, They mull be wifely C.uechifed. 3· They mufi be rau~ht the Scripture H1ftory, tfpcciJJiy Geurfi,ar.d d1c Gofod of ChriH. 4· T~ey muH _wirh the otherScript\lrcs, read the moli plain and tultlhk BoC'ks of p~d· d:ical Divines (after named). 5· They mufi be kept in rhccvmp.1ny of ]"i«it.Jb!e, n·ifeand rxem· pL.uy Chrifi1ans, whofc whole convcrfarion will help thtm to the feJJje and Luve of Ho!inds; Atld rnult De kept fhidly from perverting wi7kcd ccm~my.. 6. l:'ht y mull be frtqut.ndy, lovingly, farni.. 1iarly yet ft.:rioufly, treated with about the H:~.tc of thur own tculs, and made to know their need of Cbrijt and of his IJoly fpirit, of Juilificarion and Renovation. 7· TIHy mull be trained up in the Prl~ dice of GodlindS,in Puycr,pious fpecchcs, and obedience: to God and tna11. 8. Tfuy muH be Hcpt under the moft p3wcrful and profitable MiniiJers of Chrill rhac can bt had. 9· ThLy muH be much urged to the: Hudy of their ownhearts; To know themfdvc.s; what iris to be a MJn, 1o have Reafoo, .hee· will and an Immornl foul : what it~ is to be a Child of L1pfLd Adam ; ar.d an Ull're– generate unpardoncd finncr; what it is tu be a L<.edeemed, and a fJn6blicd, Jullihcd pe1f• ..m, and an adopted heir of life eternal. And by clofc examination to know which ot t1.eli: cvnJnions is their own; To know what is thtir daily duty; and what thtir danger a"nd wh.lt th~ir Temptations and impedimePr!, and how to efcape? §. 5· for if once the foul be truly f1nCbfied, then J. T heir falvation is much fecurcd, and rhe main work of their lives is happily brgun, and they are ready to Die f.&ly when ever God fltall call thr111 hence. 2· It will poJT.f; them with a right md, in all the jhrdics anJ b.bours of their livts; whic~l is an unfP.cakab1e advantage, both for their pie"ling ot God, and profiting the::mfclves and others; withou( which they will but prophanc Gods name and wo1d, and turn the Minillry into a worldly Ae01Iy life, and fiudy and Preach for Riches, PrLfi:rmenr, or applaufc, and live: as he Luk_: 12. 18, 19. Soul, rake thy eafe-, car, drink :md be rneny; .and tht.y will make Theology the way ro hell, and (ludy and preach their own condemnation. :3· A Holy hcur will b::: a\waycs under the Grewujt Nlutivn; and therefore will be confhntly and po.vutU!ly impelled ( as well in {ccrrt as be– fore others) to diligmce in Jludits and lll good cndcavnurs. 4· A~d it will make aH jP.Jtet and eajic ro 1hcm, as bting a noble work, and relilhing of Gods Love, at_HL the endk[s Glory to which it tend– erh. A holy foul will all the year long be llmploycd in f.1cred ft~1dic!s and works, as a good Ho– mach at a feall, withconfiant pleafure! And then 0 how happily, will all go on; When a carnal pcrfon with a dull, lln'Willing, weary mind, taketh now and then a little-, w~.en his carnal intercH ir felf doth prevail <~gainH his more: flothful fenfual inclinations; but he never followcth ir \\·ith heany affections, and therefore fe!dom with good fuccLfs. 4· And .a holy foul will be a continual Trufory ar;d fuuntaiu of holy matter, to pour out to others, when they come to the S1crcd Miniiirf; to that fuch a one cm fay more from the feeling and experitnce of his foul. than :motht·r can in a long time gather from his Books. 5· And that which he faith will come nMtnJ to the hearlrs in a more livtly experimental manner, than u{ual carnal Preachers fp~ak. 6. And it is li!{( r to be a!tended by a greater bleffing from God. 7· And there arc many Controverlic:s in tht: Church, which an expe– rienced holy perfOu, ( cLtcrUp.~ribJH) ·bath great advanuge in abov~ all othus) to know the righr, and be prc.fcrvcd from errours. • . 9· 6. Diru~t. 2· Letymmg memtime (till aboul I 8, 19, (lr 20,) bt {port in, the improumem of tbei 1· Z..l£moriu, ro~ther th.m iu JfudieJ that rc~nirc wucb j1tdgcment : Thcrdnrt.: let thLm rake tlut time to gee Organiwi knowltdgt; fuch as arc the Latinc ar.d .Greek rong~res llrlt and ehidly, and then che Hebrew, Cluldce, Syriack and Arabick; with the <x1Clc1l a(.quainrance with tht: true Prt:ccpts of Lo... gick : And let them learn {Orne Epitome of Logid< withour Book. In rhis time f.liO kt them be much converlant in B!fiory; borh Civil, .SdlOlaHical ( ot Philofopher!l, Outor~, Po~ts, e_...c.) and Ecclcfiafiical. And then cake in 4S much of the Mlth~maticks ::!S their more nccdfuy lludics will al– low them time for (I~ill valuing Kuow!cdge accoxding to the various degrees of uf~fulnefs.J §. 7· Dire~. 3· When you ~omc ro feek after more. abjfotje and rcwl r:rifdom, joyn rogerher the fiudy of PhyfJCk~ and Thwlogtc; and take not your Phyllck-; as fepararcd trom or indrpendant on Theologie, But as the Hudy of God in his works, and of his rviJrfzJ as leii.ding to him!elf. O.her~ wife you will·be but like a Scrivener and Printer, who makcth his Letters well, bur knoweth nor what they tignifie. 9· 8. DiHCl-. 4· U11itc all Ovla),o,_i.s or knowledge of 1\.ul tntitiu intO one {cicncr ; hoth fpiritr and Bndiu ; God bei11g Ui{en in as the Fir/land /~Jf, theOrigin.tt, Dzrc[lor and E11d of all : And tludy r.ot rhc doltrinc of DoditJ alone, as fe-puatcd from fpiri ts : for it is bur an imaginary feplration, and a delufion to mens minds. Or if you will call them by the mme of {tvtral fcicnctJ, be fure you fo link thofc ftverals together that the due dependance of ,bodies on fpirits, and of the p,ffive natures on the Active npy Oil\ be l<cpt difcernable : And then th~y will bt our while you c,JJ tbem divtrJ. 9· 9· Direct. 5· when you tludy only to knowwhat u True, you mull brgin at the Prim'um cog– nofcibile, and fo rife in ordhtc cug,ro]Cendi.: But when you would come tO fCe rl~ings in tbtir prope1· Or– der, by a more perfdt fatis(ying knowledge, you mutt draw up a [yn:boical fcbeme, juxta urdi.m:m tjJmdi wl~cre God mu/1 be rhe Firft and Lafl ; rhc fi1fl Effi~icnt Govrmour and End (Jf aU. · 9· IO· Dircd. 6. Your'tirfl lludy of Philofophy therdore flwul.d be, of your j(lvo; To know a n11m. And the Knowledge of ma.n1 foul is a put fo ncceftc~ry, (o nccr, [q ufdul, thar it t11culd takt: up both the fir!\ and large!\ worn in all your Ph)·fi,ks, OF lcnowkdge of Gods works; Labour there· fore to be accurate iO this. ~· rr. 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