( 36 )
vice of the Heathen, (Marcus Antoninus, as I remember]
THV T%v BiChiesv (P'l'^av pifov- Rid thyfelf of the Rbirjl
after Books; and to Itudy nothing at all but what ferves
to the Advancement of Piety and good Life.
I have now fpent about 13 Years in the mo ft cele¬
brated Univerfity in the World ; in purfuing both iuch
Learning as the Academical Standard requires, and as
my private Genius inclined me to. But in Truth,
when I think on my paft Intelleftual Conduft, I am as
little fatisfied with it as with my Moral; being very con-
fcious, that the greateft Part of my Time has been em¬
ployed in unconcerning Cur; hities, fuch as derive no
Degree of moral Influence jpon the Soul that contem¬
plates them. m ™
But I have now a very different Apprehenfion of
Things, and intend to fpend my uncertain Remainder
of Time, in ftndying only what makes for the moral
Improvement of my Mind, and Regulation of my Life:
Being not able to give an Account, upon any rational
and confiftent Principles, why I Ihould ftudy any Thing
elfe. *
More particularly, I fhall apply myfelf to read fuch
Books as are rather perfuaftve than inftru&ive ; fuch as
warm, kindle and enlarge the Affections, and awaken
the divine Senfe in the Soul; as being convinced by eve¬
ry Day's Experience, that I have more Need of Heat
than of Light. Tho' were I for more Light, ftill I
think this would prove the beft Method of Illumination,
and that when all is-done, the Love of GOD is the bell
Light of the Soul. A Man may indeed have Knowledge
without Love ; but he that loves, thd he wants Sciences
humanly acquired, yet he will know more than human
Wifdom can teach him, becauf'e he has that Mailer with¬
in him who teacheth Man Knowledge.
FINIS.
INSTRUCTIONS 3
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FOR
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The Second Edition.
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* e-wvv-: *** *** <: ***** *** ***** ****-: *****
Printed for M. Cooper, at the Globe in Paternojler-
Ro<w. M.DCC.XLV.
Price 3 d. or 20 s. a Hundred to thofe who give them
away.
TO ALL
Parents and Schoolmajler's.
•
i. "Y Have laid before you in the fol-
JLlowing Trad:, the true Principles
of the Chriftian Education of Children. *
Thefe fhould in all Reafon be inftilled
into them, as foon as ever they can di-
ftinguifh Good from Evil. If the Fear
of the Lord is the Beginning of Wifcfym,
then it is certainly the very fir ft Thing
they fhould learn. And why may they
not be taught the Knowledge of God,
and the Knowledge of Letters at the fame
Time ?
2. A great Part of what follows is tran-
flated from the French: Only it is here
caft into another Form, and divided into
Sentences, that it may be the more-ea-
fily underftood, either by the Teacher
or the Learners. And altho' the great
Truths herein contained, are more im¬
mediately addreft to Children, yet are
they worthy the deepeft Confideration,
both of the oldefl and wifeft of Men.
3. Let
(iv r
3^ Let them be deeply engraven in
your own Hearts, and you will fpare no
Pains in teaching them to others. Above
all, let them -not read or fay one Line,
without underftanding and minding what
they fay. Try them over and over; ftop
them fhort, almoft in every Sentence.
And afk them, " What was it you faid
" laft ? Read it again. What do you
<c mean by that?" So that, if it be pof-
fible, they may pafs by nothing, till it
has taken fome Hold upon them. By
this Means they will learn to think as
they learn to read: They will grow
wifer and better every Day. And you
will have the Comfort of obferving, that
by the fame Steps they advance in the
Knowledge of thefe poor Elements, they
will alfo grow in Grace, in the Know¬
ledge of God, and of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
I N-
■■4 4;/
Instructions for Children.
SECTION I.
Llsson I. ;tncJ II.
Of GOD.
i. T T" O W many Gods are there ?
jj, One: Who is God the' Father, God the
Son, and God the Holy Ghoft. Thefe three are One.,
z. What is God }
A Spirit.
3- What do you mean by a Spirit ?
One that cannot be feen or felt.
4. What Sort of a Spirit is God ?
One that always was and always will be-.
5. Where is God?
Every where.
6. What does God know £
Every Thing.
7. What can God do ?
Whatever he will.
8. Does God love you ?
Yes: He loves every Thing which he has made
9. What has God made ?
Every Thing, and in particular, Man.
Lesson III. and IV.
Of the Creation and Fall of Man.
1. How did God make Man ?
His Body out of Dull, his Soul out of nothing.
2. Why did God make Man ?
To know, love, and be happy in God for ever.
3. Where did God put the jftrfh Man and Woman £
In the Garden of Paradife.
4. What Command did he give them there ?
A 3 -
6 Infractions for Children.
Not to eat of the Tree in the midft of the Garden.
5. Did they keep that Command ?
No. They did eat of it.
6. What Hurt did they bring on themfelves hereby?
Sin and Guilt, and Pain and Death.
7. Did their Sin hurt any befide themfelves?
Yes, all Men that came from them.
8. How did it hurt Them?
They are all born in Sin and Guilt, and fubjed'to
Pain and Death.
9. How are Men born in Sin?
We are all born proud, felf-will'd,. Lovers of the
World, and not Lovers of God.
Lesson V. VI. and VII.
Of the Redemption of Man.
1. By whom are we to be faved from Sin?
By Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of God.
2. What did he do to fave us ?
He was made Man, and lived and died and rofe again.
3. What may we gain by his living and dying for us ?
Forgivenefs of Sins, and Holinefs and Heaven.
4. When does God forgive our Sins ?
When we repent and believe in Christ.
3. What do you mean by Repenting ?
Ecing thorougly convinced of our Sinfulnefs, Guilt
and Helplefsnefs.
6. What is Believing, or Faith ?
A Convidion of thole unfeen Things which God has
told us in the Bible.
7. What is Faith in Christ ?
A Convidion that Christ has loved mt and given
himfelf for me.
8. By whom is this Wrought in us ?
By the Holy Ghost.
9. What is Holinefs?
The Love of God and of all Mankind for God's
fake.
10. Is he that believes and loves God faved from Sin?
"es: From all finful Tempers and Words and
• • £1. How
Inftruttions for Children. 7
11. How is he faved from Pride ?
He is little and mean and bafe and vile in his o\vn
Eyes.
12. How is he faved from Self-will?
His Heart continually fays, " Lord, not as I will,
" but as Thou wilt."
13. How is he faved from the Love of the World?
He defires nothing but God.
14. How is he faved from finful Words ?
His Words always fpring from the Grace of God,
and are fit to minirter Grace to the Hearers.
15. How is he faved from finful Works?
By the Spirit of God which dwelleth in him, whe¬
ther he eats or drinks, or whatever he does, it is all to
the Glory of God.
Lf.sson VIII. and IX.
Of the Means of Grace.
1. What is Grace?
The Power of the Holy Ghost, enabling us to
believe and love and ferve God.
2. How are we to feek this?
In a conftant and careful Ufe of the Means of Grace,
3. Which are the chief Means .of Grace ?
The Lord's Supper, Prayer, Searching the Scrip¬
tures, and Fafting.
4. How often did the firft Chridians receive the
Lord's Supper ?
Every Day. It was their daily Bread.
5. How often did they join in Publick Prayers ?
Twice a Day, as many of them as could.
6. How often did they ufe Private Prayer?
Every Morning and Night, at lead.
7. How did they fearch the Scriptures ?
They heard or read them every Day, and meditated
therein Day and Night.
8. How often did the old Chridians fad?
Every Wednejday and Friday till Three in the After¬
noon.
9. How long is every Chridian to ufe all thefe Means
of Grace ?
To. his Life's End. Les-
i{ (j|
X
& Jnftr'udi'ions for Children;
Lesson X. and XI.
Of He!/.
1. Where do Unbelievers.go after Death?
To Hell.
2. What Sort of a Place is Hell ?
It is a dark bottomlefs Pit, full of Fire and Brimftor.e.
3. How will they fpend their Time there ?
In weeping and. wailing and gnafhing of Teeth.
4. Will both their Souls and Bodies be tormented-?
Yes; every Part of them at once.
5. How will their Bodies be tormented ?
By lying in burning and flaming Fire.
6. How will their Souls be tormented ?
By a Senfe of the Wrath of God; by Pride, Self-
will, Malice and Envy j, by Grief, Defire, Fear, Rjge,
and Defpair.
7. Who will be their Tormentors ?
Their own Confciences, the Devils, and one another.
8. But will they have no Reft from Torment ?
No, not for one Moment, Day or Night.
9. How long will their Torment laft i
For-ever and ever.
Lesson XIL
Of Heaven.
1. Where will.Believers go, after Death ?
To Heaven.
2. What fort of Place is Heaven?
A Place of Light and Glory.
3. How will Good Men live there ?
In Joy and Happinefs, greater than they can now
defxre or think.
4. Will they fufter nothing there ?
No- fbey wil1 have "O want, or Pain, or Sin.
t What lort of Bodies will they have then ;
Spiiitual Bodies, iwifter than Lightning, and brighter
than the Sun. 0 0
6., But wherein will their chief Happinefs lie ? . - -
In
Infractions for Children. 9
In the Enjoyment of God.
7. How will they enjoy God ?
They will know, and love and fee God, Face to
Face.
8. How will they fpend their Time ?
In finging Praife to God.
9. How long will this Happinefs laft ?
As long as God Jives, that is, for ever and ever.
Lord! bring me thither ! Amen.
SECTION II.
Lesson I.
Of GOD, and of the Soul of Man.
TAKE care, you do not draw nigh to God with
your Lips, while your Heart is far from him.
Never fay any thing to God which you do not
mean.
Do not dare to tell a Lie to God : for he fees all
that is in your Heart.
Do you know, what God is ?
If you do not know God, how can vcu hope to
pleafe God ?
Think on this. Mind it well. For God is here.
He minds you, if you do not mind Him.
Lesson II.
God is an Eternal Spirit, without Beginning and
without End.
He cannot be feen, nor fully known by Man.
He is Good, and all Good comes from Him.
He has Power, to do whatever he will.
He is Wife, knowing all Things and doing all Things
well.
He is Happy, and cannot want any Thing.
He Loves all Things which he has made, and Man
above all:
It
io Inftruftions for Children.
It is his Will, That all Men fhould be faved, and
come to the Knowledge of his Truth.
He is Juft, to give to every Man, according to his
Works.
He is True, in his Promifes and in his Threatnings:
He is Merciful, forgiving the Sins of thofe who truly
repent and believe^
LtSSON III.
No Man hath feen God at any Time. The Son
of God, who is in the Bofom of the Father, he hath
declared him unto us.
No one knoweth the Son of God, but the Father,
and no one knoweth the Father, but the Son, and he
to whom the Son will reveal him.
All our Reading, and the Things we hear either at
Church or any where elfe,. cannot reveal God unto us.
All the Men in the World cannot give us the lead
Spark of the true Knowledge of God, or of the Things
of God.
Only Goo himfelf can do this, hy giving us his Good
Spirit.
He gives his Grace and his Light to thofe who pr3y
carneftly for it.
He declares himfelf to thofe who do his Will, fo far
as they know it already.
LF.sson IV.
There is none Good, but One, that is God.
Every Thing that is Good, comes from God alone,
whether it be in Heaven or in Earth.
If there is any Thing good in any Man, it all comes
from God.
Ihierefore He alone ought to be praifed for it all.
All that we do without Him, without'his Grace land
his Help, is Evil.
Without God we can do nothing that is Good.
He that has not God, has nothing that is Good;
and is more unhappy than any Words can tell.
Les-
Lisson V.
I know that God has Power, to keep what I com¬
mit to him, fafe unto that Day.
Our Souls are now ipoiled and deftroyed by Sin.
No one can fave us from our Sins, but God who has
all Power.
Let us commit our Souls wholly to him, to do with
them what he will, and as he will.
Then he will keep us by his Power, and defend us
againft every Thing that would hurt us.
He is able to deliver us from all Danger, and to
keep our Souls unto that great Day.
And at that Day, he will reilore in Glory both our
Bodies and Souls, and all that we had committed to his
Charge.
Lesson VI.
Do you know, what your Soul is ?
You have in you (tho' you cannot fee it) a Soul that
will never die.
God made this, that he might come and dwell in it.
If God lives and dwells in your Soul, then he makes
it like himfelf.
He makes the Soul in which he dwells, Good, Wife,
Juft, True, full of Love, and of Power to do well.
He makes it happy. For it is his Will, that your
Soul Ihould rejoice in him for ever. He'made it, for
this very Thing.
When a Soul defires God, and knows and enjoys
him, then it is truly happy.
But when a Soul does not defire God, nor know and
enjoy him, then it is truly miferable,
SECT-
12 Injlruffiions for Children.
SECTION III.
Lesson I.
How to regulate our Defres.
TH E Gate by which God with his holy Grace
comes into us is the Dejire of the Soul.
This is often called, the Heart, or the Will
Unlefs our Defire be toward God, we cannot pleafe
him.
All our Knowledge, without this, does but make us
the more like the Devil.
The Defire is to the Soul, what the Mouth and the
Stomach are to the Body.
It is by the Mouth and the Stomach that the Body
receives its Nourifhment, whether good or bad.
That our Body may live, we muil take care to put
nothing but what is good, into our Mouth or Stomach.
And, that our Soul may live, we muft take care to
defire nothing but what is good.
Lesson II.
Defire was made for that which is Good, that is, for
God, who is the only Good, and for his Will, from
which every good Thing flows.
We ought to defire nothing but God, and that which
is according to his holy Will.
And we ought to turn our Defire from every Thing
befide:
For every Thing befide God and his Will, is evil.
Therefore no Man ought to follow his own Will.
As the Will of God is the Spring of all Good, fo our
own Will is the Spring of all Evil.
Take care, not to ufe yourfelf to do your own Will.
No Soul can ever be faved, unlefs it renounce its
own Will and its own Defires.
Father, let not my Will be done, but Thine !
We
Inftru&ions for Children. 1 3
We came into the World, not to do our own Will,
but the Will of him that fent us.
If we are already accuftomed to do our own Will,
we mull break that Cullom without Delay.
O Lord, fave us from our own Will, or we perilh.
Lesson III.
No one can do any Thing good of himfelf, without
the Help of God.
All our own Defires are only evil continually.
Therefore no Man Ihould defire to be efteemed, ho¬
noured or praifed by any Man.
And no one ought to praife or elteem himfelf.
Rather we ought to defpife ourfelves:
And we ought to defire to be thought by others,
what we really are, that is, poor, weak, foolifh, finful
Creatures.
Then Ihould we find Help from God. For he re-
fifteth the Proud, but giveth Grace to the Humble.
They who teach Children to love Praife, train them
up for the Devil.
Praife is deadly Poifon to the Soul; therefore never
praife any one to his Face.
Do not plant either in him or yourfelf that Pride of
Heart which is an Abomination to the Lord.
Ltsson IV.
You are of yourfelf nothing but Sin, and deferve no¬
thing but Hell.
Therefore you ought to be content, tho1 you Ihould
have little or nothing in the World.
And you ought not to defire any thing more than you
have; for you have now more than you deferve.
Chufe therefore the worft and meaneil Things; for
even thefe are too good for fuch a Sinner.
To raife any other Defires in your Heart, is to pre¬
pare you for Hell-fire.
They that give you fine Cloaths, are giving your
Soul to the Devil.
They that humour you, do not love you.
If your Father or Mother gives you every thing that
B you
14 Inftrudlions for Children.
you like, they are the worft Enemies you have in the
World.
By doing this, they make you Slaves to the Flefh,
to Vanity and Corruption :
And fo keep you as far from the Spirit of Christ,
as the Devil himfelf can wilh.
lesson V.
God is Power, Wifdom, Goodnefs itfelf.
Therefore we (hould defire, to praife and honour
him as he deferves, and to pleafe him in every thing.
The End for which we are born, is to praife and
honour God.
And this we may do without ceafmg, by continually
lifting up our Hearts to him.
This is the continual Employment of the Angels of
God in Heaven.
They fing Day and Night, to Him that fitteth upon
the Throne, and to the Lamb for ever and ever,
Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God of Hofts! Let all
the Earth be full of thy Glory.
Lesson VI.
God is continually helping us, and pouring his Be¬
nefits upon us.
All Things come from him, our Soul, our Body, our
Life, our Parents, our Friends, and the good Angels
that guard us:
The Earth on which we tread, the Air we breathe,
the Sun which fhines upon us, the Food that keeps us
alive, the Cloaths that cover us, the Fire that warms
us, are all from him.
Therefore we fhould thank GOD, for all thefe
Things, and for every one of them.
We ought to be thankful, even to a Man, when he
does us any Good.
How much more ought we to be thankful to God,
who made that Man, and who does us good by him?
Thou art worthy, O Lord, our God, to receive
Glory and Honour and Power :
Becaufe Thou haft created all Things, and for thy
fleafure they are, and were created.
And
LiftruStions for Children. 1 5
And God not only has done us all this Good, but he
does us more and more Good continually.
For without his Goodnefs we and all the Worll
fhould fall into Nothing in a Moment.
We are juft like the brittle VelTel, which if it were
not always upheld, would fall at once and break in
Pieces.
Therefore it fhould be our Defire, to be always
thanking God,, becaufe he is always bleffmg us.
O God, our Father, teach us to give Thee Thanks,
at all Times, and for all Things, thro' Jesus Christ !
Lesson VII.
aasi sr
uj pr
oy cosSk
I tlX
Thus God has been helping us to this Day. And
we have no lefs Need of his Help for the Time to comc.
Above all, if we would be happy, we have Need
of his Bleffings upon our Souls.
Thefe he gives to them who truly defire them, and
to none elfe.
Therefore let us deiire of God to give us his Grace,
his good Spirit, and the Knowledge of himfelf.
Let us afk of him a meek and quiet Spirit, a content¬
ed, humble, thankful Heart.
If any Man lack Wifdom, let him afk of God, who
giveth to all Men liberally, and it (hall be given him.
Let us then take Care, not to offend him, from
- -£L" whom we hope to receive fo great Benefits.
And let us alway be ready to do his Will; for if any
Man honour God and do his Will, him he heareth.
Lesson VIII.
But we have often offended God already, and fo
" are unworthy of his Grace and Bleffings.
Therefore we ought with earneft Defire to afk of
God to forgive our paft Sins, for the Sake of his Son
who died for us, and to keep us from them for the
rfctfklf - Time to come.
Thefe Defires,
Go®,t0 1. To praife God, and his Power,. Wifdom and
Goodnefs,
]0i, ' 2. To thank him for all his Benefits,
B 2 3. To
16 Inftru&ioris for Children.
3. To alk his Grace, that fo we may pleafe him,
and,
4. To beg his Mercy, for the Pardon of our Sins j
are what we commonly call Prayer.
We never pray, but when we have really thefe De-
fires in our Heart.
If we fay ever fo many Words, without having thefe
Defires, we are but like Parrots before God.
Beware of this: of drawing nigh unto God with
your Lips, while your Heart, (that is your Defire) is
far from him.
Lesson IX.
What do you mean, when you pray to God, in the
Name of Jesus Christ ?
The bare faying thofe Words fignifies nothing. It is
only mocking God, if you do not know what you fay.
We were all under the Wrath and under the Curfe of
God, when Jesus Christ, the Son of God died for
us.
And for his Sake, if we truly believe in him, God
is now reconciled to us.
Therefore all our Trull: fhould be in Jesus Christ,
whenever we pray to God for any Thing.
For God would not hear us at all, but for the Sake
of the Blood of Christ fhed for us.
Therefore we ought to pray always, with an Eye
fo him, looking unto Jesus.
And our Defires fhould all fpring from his Grace,
and be agreeable to his Defires.
Then he offers our Defires, as his own, to God his
Father, before whofe Throne he Hands :
And'God can refufe nothing to the Defires and the
Merits of his well beloved Son.
When therefore you pray in the Name of Jesus
Chr ist, it is as if you fhould fay,
" Lord, I offer Thee the Defires which are wrought
in me by the Grace of Jesus Christ.
I pray, that Thou wilt unite them to the Defires of
thy Son, and regard them as his, who is pleading for
me:
And grant me what I thus defire, for his Sake, for
thy own Glory and my Salvation."
Les-
Inft ruff ions for Children. 17
Lesson X.
Pray to God in fuch Words as come from your Heart:
It may be, fuch as thefe:
" My God, Thou art Good. Thou art Wife.
Thou art Powerful. Be Thou praifed for ever!
Give me Grace, to love and obey Thee.
My God, I thank Thee, for making and for re¬
deeming me.
My God I thank Thee for giving me Meat and
Cloaths, and for promifing to give me thy Love for
ever.
My God, forgive me all my Sins, and give me thy
Good Spirit.
Let me believe in Thee with all my Heart, and love
Thee with all my Strength.
Let me be always looking unto Jesus Christ, who
is pleading for me at thy Right-hand.
Give me Grace not to do my own Will but thine.
Make me content with every Thing. The leaft of
all the Good Things Thou giveft me, is far more than
I deferve.
Give me, O my Lord, a lowly Heart.
Let me not think myfelf better than any one:
Let me defpife myfelf, and look upon mffelf as the
very worft of all.
Let me hate all Praife. Thou alone, O my God,
art worthy to be praifed !
Lesson XI.
The beft Prayer in the World is the Prayer which our
Lord Jesus Christ himfelfhas taught us.
Our Father which art in Heaven, i. Hallow'd be thy
Name, 2. Thy Kingdom come, 3. Thy Will be done
in Earth as it is in Heaven. 4. Give us this Day our
daily Bread, and 5. Forgive us our Trefpafles as we
forgive them that trefpafs againft us. And 6. Lead us
not into Temptation, but deliver us from Evil, For
thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory,
forever and ever. Amen!
Do you underhand what you have faid now ?
How dare you fay to God, you know not what ?
L 3 Do
j 8 Inflrudlions for Children.
Do not you know,, that this is no Prayer, unlefs you
fpeak it from your Heart?
God is not pleafed with your faying thefe Words,
unlefs there is in your Heart at the fame Time a real
Defire, that God Ihould be i. Known and efteemed,
2. Honoured and praifed, 3. Obeyed by all Men:
4. That He ihould feed your Souls with his Grace
and his Love, 5. That He ihould forgive you your pad
Sins, and 6. That He ihould keep you for the Time to
come, from all Sin and from all the Snares of the Devil.
S E C T I O N IV.
Lesson I.
How to regulate our Under/landing.
OU R Underilanding was made for Truth, that:is
for God himfelf, for his Word and his Works.
Therefore we ihould not defire to know any Thing
but God, and what he has fpoken and done for his
own Glory.
Accordingly, Lying is the moft abominable of all
Things. The Devil is a Liar and the Father of it.
We iftould not defire to know, what Men fay and
do. It is Folly and Vanity.
Curiofity is good for nothing.
It fills our Mind with Darknefs; and makes us fenfe-
lefs and unfit for the Light of God.
What a Lofs is this, to fill thofe Veflels with Filth
and Dung, which were made to receive the pure Light
of God !
Lesson II.
That Eye of the Under Handing-, which Ihould fee
God, is quite fhut in all Men fince the Fall.
We are born quite blind to God and the Things of
God.
And it is God alone who can open the Eyes of our
Soul, to fee and know fpiritual Things.
We could not fee or know'the Sun, the Earth, or any
other of the Things of this World, if God had not
given us bodily Eyes.
And
V
\
InftruBions for Children. 19
And we can never know the Things of God, if Goo
do not reftore the fpiritual Eyes of our Soul.
This he does for thofe and thofe only, who flee
from Evil, and learn-to do Good.
Give me Underftanding, O Lord, and I will keep
thy Law: Yea I will keep it with my whole Heart.
Open Thou mine Eyes, that I may fee the wondrous
Things of thy Law.
Till God opens our Eyes, to fee the Things above,
we muft believe what God has told us, tho' we fee it not.
But we muft not believe what the World tells us
about the Things of God ; for all Men who have not
his Spirit, are blind and Liars.
We muft truft in God, as to thofe Things which, as*
yet we cannot comprehend :
And wait and defire, that he would open the Eyes
of our Underftanding, and give us his Light, that we
may fee all Things clearly.
Lesson III.
A blind Man, tho' he could reafon ever fo well, yet
could not by this Means, either know or fee the Things
of the World.
And with all his Reafon he could have only very dark,
grofs, nay and falfe Conceptions of them.
In like Manner, tho' all the Men in the World Ihould
reafon with all their Might concerning them; yet could
they not by this Means know either God or the Things
of God.
Nay, with all their Reafon, they could only have
dark, foolifh, falfe Conceptions of them.
Before God can be known, he muft give other Eyes
to the Soul, and other Light than Man can give.
We may paint the Sun or Fruits in a Pi&ure; but
this painted Sun cannot warm, or give us Light:
And thofe painted Fruits cannot nourifh us, nor give
us any Strength. 1
Juft fo we may draw Pi£tures, as it were, in our
Mind, of God, and of the Things of God.
But thefe Pictures can give us no true Light: Nei¬
ther can they nourilh our Souls, or. give us any Strength
to ferve God,.
They
20 Inftruffions for Children.
They are only dead Shadows, cold and empty, bar¬
ren and unfruitful.
We can build nothing upon them but the Wind,
which ferves only to puff Men up, and to drive each
againft the other in endlefs Difputes, till they burft of
themfelves, or dalh in Pieces one againft another.
Lesson IV.
Our Underftanding or Reafon, without the Grace
and fupernatural Light of God, is like a blind Man,
who draws wild, random Pictures of Things he never
faw, nor can fee.
The Natural Man difcerneth not the Things of the
Spirit of God.
They are Foolifhnefs unto him, neither can he know
them, becaufe they are fpiritually difcerned.
No one knoweth the Things of God but the Spirit
of God ; and he to whom God revealeth them by his
Spirit.
Offer therefore your Underftanding to God, with a
fincere Defire to do his Will only.
And pray him earneftly, to give you his Light, and
to open the Eyes of your Soul.
Lesson V.
Endeavour to fee God in all Things, and to give a
Reafon for every Thing, from the Perfections of God.
For Example. Why was the World made? To Ihew
the Goodnefs, and Wifdom, and Power of God.
Why -do Men die ? Through the Juftice of God.
Men having abufed the Life he gave, it was juft to
take it away.
Why is it our Duty to obey our Parents ? Becaufe it
is the Will of God.
Why ought we not to return Evil for Evil ? Becaufe
God would have us do like him : who is continually
doing Good to us, even when we ourfelves do Evil.
Why may we not defpife or judge of our Neighbour?
Becaufe God is the Judge of all.
Thus we Ihould accuftom ourfelves to have God al¬
ways before our Eyes, and to walk continually in his
Prefence.
. Thus
Jnftru81 ions for Children. 21
Thus every Thing may fhew us the Power, Wifdom
or Goodnefs, the Truth, Juilice or Will of God.
And fo every Thing may lhew us, the Weaknefs, Ig¬
norance, Folly and Wickednefs of Men.
Lesson VI.
What do you believe of God ?
I believe in GOD the Father, Almighty, Maker of
Heaven and Earth;
And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord ;
Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of
the Virgin Mary ;
Suffer'd under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and
buried ; he defcended into Hell:
The third Day he rofe again from the Dead.
He afcended into Heaven, and fitteth on the Right-
hand of GOD the Father Almighty :
From thence he lhall come to judge the Quick and
the Dead:
I believe in the Holy Ghost,
The Holy Catholick Church,
The Communion of Saints,
The Forgivenefs of Sins,
The Refurre&ion of the Body, and the Life ever-
lafting.
You may learn from thefe Words, i. To believe in
God the Father, who is Powerful, and Wife and Good;
who made you and all Things, Vifible and Invifible,
Temporal and Eternal.
You may learn, 2. To believe in God the Son, who
lived and died to redeem you and all Mankind:
And 3. To believe in God the Holy Ghost, who
reftores fallen Man to the Image of God in which he
was made.
Lesson VII.
All which comes to this. Almighty GOD, the Ma¬
ker of all Things, made Man to this Intent, that de-
firing God alone, God might fill him with his Know¬
ledge, with his Love and Joy and Glory for ever.
But Man turn'd his Defire from God and his Will,
and fo became both guilty, wicked and miferable.
The
22 Injlrutfions for Children.
The Son of God was made Man, lived and died and
rofe again, to buy Forgivenefs for us, and to fhew us
how we ought to renounce our own Will and Defires,
and to give ourfelves up to the Holy Will of God.
This the Holy Ghost works in us, inlightning our
Underftanding, and filling our Souls with a divine Peace
and Joy.
Hereby we are joined again with all that is holy, ei¬
ther in Earth or Heaven.
We rejoice together with them in the common Salva¬
tion, in the Benefits and Graces of Jesus Christ.
And after the Body is dead and rifen again, we fhall
live together in eternal Glory.
Lesson VIII.
We cannot now comprehend, how thefe Three are
One, God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghoft.
But tho' we do not comprehend it, yet we believe
it, becaufe God has faid it.
The true Knowledge of all the Things of God is
wrought in our Souls by his Holy Spirit.
This is a Saving Knowledge, when it works by Love,
and brings us to imitate God.
So we are taught by St. Paul, Be ye Followers of
God, as dear Children, and walk in Love, as Christ
alfo hath loved us, and given himfelf for us.
For every one .that loveth (faith St. John) is born of
God, and knoweth God.
But he that loveth not, knoweth not God : for God
is Love.
So likewife, if any Man fay, he knows JesusChrist,
and keepeth not his Commandments,, is a Liar, and the
Truth is not in him.
We then favingly know God the Father, the Maker
of all Things, when we love him with obedient Reve¬
rence :
\yhen we confidently give ourfelves up into his
Hands, and rely on his Providence:
And when we imitate his Goodnefs in all Things
and tpward all Men.
We then favingly know God the Redeemer, when
we live as thofe whom he has bought with his Blood:
And
InJlruBiom for Children. 23
And when all our Tempers, and Words and A&ions
fhew, that he has redeemed us from the prefent evil
World.
We favingly know God the Sandifier, when we are
holy as he is holy.
When he hath purified both our Hearts and Lives by
Faith, fo that we continually fee and love God.
SECTION V.
Lesson I.
■How to regulate our Joy.
ME N are poor, ignorant, foolifh Sinners, that will
fhortly rot in the Earth.
And all that is in the World is perilhable and vain,
and will foon be deftroyed by Fire.
Therefore we ought by no Means to place our Joy
and Delight, on any of thefe Things.
Neither ought we to rejoice or delight in pleafing
Men, who will quickly turn to Dull:
Nor in being handfome, or welLdreft, or well pro¬
vided with all Things. For all this will perifh for ever.
God alone is Great, Good, and the Giver of all
Good Things.
.Therefore we ought to rejoice and delight in him
alone, and in the fulfilling of his good and holy Will.
And we fhould now accuftom ourfelves to this: to
rejoice and delight in God and his holy Will.
Lesson II.
For Example. We fhould rejoice, that we have for
our true Father, an Eternal and Almighty GOD.
We fhould rejoice, that this God has made us, to
fill us with divine and eternal Joy:
That is, if we will believe in Jesus, and do his holy
Will:
If we will love and obey him, and not love either
the Honours, Riches or Pleafures that pafs away like a
Dream.
And this we may do, by the Power of his Grace, by
the Holy Ghost which he is ready to give unto us.
We
Lessom III.
When any Thing is done according to the Will of
God, we ought to rejoice in it.
But when any Thing is done according to our own
Will, we ought not to rejoice, but to be forry for it.
Therefore we ought to be greatly troubled and deep¬
ly forry, for the Sins committed againft God, whether
by ourfelves or others:
For in finning we follow our own Will, and defpife
the holy Will of God.
Likewife, when any one praifes us, if we are wife,
we fhould be afhamed and forry; and fhould fay,
O Lord, Thou art good, and Thou alone. Thou
alone art worthy to be praifed.
O Lord, it is a Shameful Theft for a poor Creature
to take to itfelf, the Efteem and Praife which belongs to
Thee only.
On the contrary, when we are defpifed or ill ufed
or when we have not Things as we would have, we
fhould rejoice.
We fhould take all as from the Hand of God, and be
well content, faying unto him.
0 Lord, I deferve nothing but Pain and Contempt:
I rejoice that thy Juftice gives me what I deferve.
1 defire to thank Thee for it with all my Heart, and
to rejoice that thy holy Will is done upon me.
24 Injlrudlions for Children.
We fhould rejoice, that God is happy and glorious in
himfelf, that he is greater than we can think :
That he knows every Thing, and can do every
Thing:
That he is juft and good; that he is true in all his
Promifes ; and wife to teach and govern us well:
We fhould rejoice, that God alone deferves to be de-
fired, known, loved, praifed and glorified for ever.
We fhould rejoice that the Son of God took our Na¬
ture upon him, in order to take us with him to Heaven
for ever :
And that even now, he will come and dwell in our
Heart, if we defire it, and believe in him and do his
Will.
InjtruEtions jor Children. 2 ^
It is thy Will, that we Ihould be like Christ j and
he was defpifed and hated of Men.
He lived in Contempt, and Want, and Pain. O let
me rejoice to tread in his Steps.
Let me be content, let me rejoice to fuffer with him,
that I may reign with him.
Lesson IV.
One that is fick, if he is wife, will rejoice to take a
good Medicine, be it ever fo bitter.
Efpecially if he knows it is given him by a wife Phy-
fician, and that it will reftore his bodily Health.
In like manner, if we are wife, we lhall rejoice to
take what God fends us, be it ever fo bitter.
For we are fure, it is given us by the wife Phyfician
of our Souls, in order to reftore them to Health and
Life everlafting. On the contrary,
It would be Folly and Madnefs in a fick Man, to re¬
joice in taking the Things that pleafed his Tafte, tho*
they would kill him.
And the fame Folly and Madnefs it is in us, to rejoice
in taking the Things that pleafe our corrupt Will.
Becaufe the End of thefe Things is Death, even the
deftroying both Body and Soul in Hell.
Lesson V.
When you are glad of any Thing that is given
you, be fure to remember, that all this comes from
GOD.
Therefore thank him for it, and think in yourfelf,
God has a thoufand and a thoufand Times more than
this, to give to them that love and obey him.
And be ready to leave all thefe little Things, when¬
ever it is his Will.
If any fay to you, " See what a pretty Thing here
is," or, " Look, here is a fine Thing for you," they
are Fools, and know not what they do.
C
This
26 InftruSlions for Children.
This is the Way, to make you fond of fuch foolith
Things. But if you love thefe, you cannot love God.
If any one ever faid to you, " Did it hurt you ? Give
me a Blow for it." They were then teaching you to
ferve the Devil.
For this was teaching you to revenge yourfelf; and
to revenge ourfelves is ferving the Devil.
If any one ufed to fay to you, when you did any
thing, " It was not my Child, was it? Say, it was
me."
Then they were leading you the Way to Hell: For
all Liars go to Hell.
And whoever they are that teach their Children Ly¬
ing, Pride or Revenge, they offer their Sons and their
Daughters unto Devils.
Lesion VI.
Above all, beware of the Love of Money : For it is
the Root of all Evil.
Money is now the GOD of this World. The Aim
of Men is to get and keep this. And herein they place
their Welfare and Joy.
This is an Idolatry no lefs damnable, than that of
the Heathen World.
There would be little or rather no Ufe for Money,
if LOVE governed the World.
And even now, Money is good for nothing, but as it
is a Means of procuring among Men of the World, the
Things needful to fuftain Life.
Neither ought we to defire it any farther, than as
it is needful for this End.
GOD to whom it belongs (as do all Things) will re¬
quire us to give a ftrifl Account of it.
His Will is, that when we have ufed what is needful
of it for ourfelves, we Ihould give all the reft to the
Poor, and for his Glory.
Do not ufe yourfelf therefore to lay it up, but give
what you can fpare to the Poor.
Or elfe buy a little Meat or Cloaths for them, or
fome good Book for their Inftruttion.
And
Inftrucliom for Children. 27
And rejoice when you ufe your Money thus: becaufe
this is for the Glory of God.
Lesson VII.
Joy was made for God. Therefore we are taught
in his Word, to rejoice in the Lord always.
We fhould look upon God and his Grace as a great
Treafure; and thence we may learn, how to rejoice in
him.
When we poflefs a vaft Treafure, fo that we cannot
poflibly lofe it, then our Joy is perfect.
Such will be the Joy of the Saints in Heaven, be¬
caufe then they cannot poifibly lofe this Treafure any
more.
But when we pofiefs a vaft Treafure in fuch a man¬
ner that we may lofe it every Moment, it is plain that
our Joy therein fhould be tempered with a very ferious
Fear.
And fo it is with us. We may lofe the Grace of
God, yea every Moment, by divers Ways.
We may lofe it by our own wilful Sins, by our Neg¬
ligence, or by our Prefumption.
To thefe we are tempted continually, by an infinite
Number of malicious and fubtle Enemies.
Thefe furround us at all Times and in all Places, and
they never reft Day or Night.
Day and Night the Devil goeth about as a roaring
Lion, feeking whom he may devour.
Therefore blefled is the Man that feareth always.
And accordingly the fame Apoftle who teaches us tq
rejoice in the Lord always;
Teaches us at the fame Time, to work out our own
Salvation with Fear and Trembling.
And fo St. Peter, fpeaking to thofe who rejoiced in
Christ, with Joy unfpeakable and full of Glory :
Advifes them to remember Him, who would judge
them according to their Works, and to pafs the Time
of their fojourning in Fear.
Les.
28 InftruBions for Children.
LtSSON VIII.
If we have loft this great Treafure by oar own Fault,
we have nothing in its Place but Poverty and Mifery.
But God has promifed, to give it to us again, if we
are throughly fenfible of our Lofs:
If we repent, bring forth Fruits meet for Repentance,
and truly believe in Jesus Christ.
So there is room for us, ftill to rejoice in Hope : yet
with a lively Senfe of our paft Sins, and prefent Mifery.
For to fuch alone is the Promife made : Thus faith
the Lord, to this Man will I look; even to him that
is poor, and of a contrite Spirit, and that trembleth at
my Word.
And our Lord fays, Bluffed are they that mourn,
for they {hall be comforted.
A broken and a contrite Heart, O God, Thou wilt
not defpife.
Lhsson IX.
Even Religious Joy, if it be not thus mix'd with
Fear, will foon be a mere Neft of Self-love.
It will cover the Greatnefs of our Corruption, and fo
hinder us from feeking to be cured of it.
It will make us carnally prefume, that we have the
Treafure of Grace, while indeed we are far from it.
So the Church of I.aodicea faid, I am rich and in-
creafed in Goods, and have Need of nothing.
But Christ anfwered, Thou knoweft not that Thou
art wretched and miferable, and poor and blind and
naked.
And it is to fuch that he fays, Wo unto you that are
rich ; for ye have received your Confolation.
Wo unto you that are full; for ye {hall hunger.
Wo unto you that laugh now ; for ye {hall mourn
and weep.
Thefe are they to whom St. James fays, Be afRifted
and mourn and weep :
Let
Lift rudl ions for Children. 29
Let your Laughter be turned to Mourning, and your
Joy to Heavinefs.
Blefled is the Man that feareth the Lord j for the
Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wifdom.
Therefore, learn to ferve the Lord in Fear, and to
rejoice in him with Reverence.
SECTION IV.
Lesson I.
How to regulate our Praitice.
OUR Body and our Life belong to God. There¬
fore we ought to difpofe of them according to his
Will, not according to our own.
Our own Will naturally inclines to our own Profit,
our own Honour, and our own Pleafure. And thus it
begets in us the deadly Vices of Covetoufnefs, Pride
and Senfuality.
Thefe hinder the Workings of God in us, and the
Salvation of our Souls.
Therefore we ought to accuftom ourfelves, with
GOD's Help, to deny ourfelves in all Things:
We fhould accuftom ourfelves to do all we do in a
Spirit of Charity, and for the Good of others:
In a Spirit of Humility, without any Defign or De-
fire of being efteemed :
And in a Spirit of Penitence, without any Regard to
our own Pleafure either of Body or Mind.
In all Things we Ihould aim at being made conform¬
able to our crucified Saviour.
This is the true Spirit of the Chriftian Life and Prac¬
tice. This is true Chriftianity.
But it is wholly oppofite to the Spirit of the World,
and of corrupt "Nature :
By which, alas! one fullers one's felf to be fo foftly
drawn into Hell, and drop fmiling into everlafting
Perdition,
C 3 Lf.S-
Inflrit&ions for Children.
Lesson II.
It is the Will of God, that we fhould do nothing but
to pleafe him.
It is his Pleafure, to be glorified by our Salvation.
His Glory fhould be our Supreme, abfolute and uni-
verfal End.
The Glory of God is advanced in this Life, when
we give ourfelves up to Jesus Christ.
Then his Power works through us many holy Acti¬
ons ; for which he alone is to be honoured and praifed.
Without me, faith our Lord, ye can do nothing.
But he that abideth in me bringeth forth much Fruit.
Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much
Fruit.
This is to be underllood of all Sorts of Aflions and
Things ; for every Thing we do, is to be done to the
Glory of God.
And nothing can be done well but in the Name, that
is, in the Strength and through the Bleffing of Jesus
Christ.
Whether ye eat or drink, or whatever ye do, do all
to the Glory of God.
Whatfoever ye do in Word or Deed, do all in the
Name of the Lord Jesus.
Le sson III.
So for Example, you eat and drink, to the Glory of
GOD, and in the Name of Jesus Christ, when we
are enabled by him to do it, on a right Principle and in
a right Manner, fo as to fay to him from the Heart,
Suffer me not, O Lord, to eat and drink, like a
brute Beaft, only by a brutal Appetite:
Much lefs do Thou fuffer me to follow herein the
Motions of my corrupt Nature,
But grant me through the Spirit of thy Son, to eat
and drink fo much as is needful to fupport my Life.
And let me fpend that Life wholly in bleffing Thee,
and in loving and obeying Thee.
So
InjlruBtons for Children. 31
So likewife you fpeak to the Glory of God, and in
the Name of Jesus Christ, when by his Strength you
fay nothing but what is guided by him, and directed ac¬
cording to his Will:
When you fpeak nothing but what is needful, and
proper to give Men good Thoughts, and turn them
from fuch as are wicked and vain.
And thus, in all Things, let this be your fingle Aim,
That God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.
Lesson IV.
What are the Ten Commandments of God ?
1. Thou (halt have no other Gods but me.
2. Thou fhalt not make to thyfelf any graven Image,
nor the Likenefs of any Thing that is in Heaven above,
or in the Earth beneath, or in the Water under the
Earth. Thou fhalt not bow down to them nor worlhip
them: for I the Lord thy God, am a jealous God,
and vifit the Sins of the Fathers upon the Children, un¬
to the third and fourth Generation of them that hate
me; and fhew Mercy unto Thoufands in them that
love me and keep my Commandments,
3. Thou fhalt not take the Name of the Lord thy
God in vain ; for the Lord will not hold him guiltlefs
that taketh his Name in vain.
4. Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath Day,
Six Days fhalt thou labour and do all that thou haft to
do; but the Seventh Day is the Sabbath of the Lord
thy God : In it thou fhalt do no manner of Work,
thou and thy Son and thy Daughter, thy Man-fervant
and thy Maid-fervant, thy Cattle and the Stranger
which is within thy Gates. For in fix Days the Lord
made Heaven and Earth, the Sea and all that in them is,
and refted thefeventh Day; therefore the Lord blefled
the Sabbath Day and hallowed it.
5. Honour thy Father and thy Mother, that thy
Days may be long in the Land which the Lord thy
God giveth thee.
6. Thou
32 Injlrufitions for Children.
6. Thou lhalt do no Murder.
7. Thou fhalt not commit Adultery.
8. Thou lhalt not Heal.
g. Thou lhalt not bear falfe Witnefs againft thy
Neighbour.
io. Thou lhalt not covet thy Neighbour's Houfe,
thou lhalt not covet thy Neighbours Wife, nor his Ser¬
vant, nor his Maid, nor his Ox, nor his Afs, nor any
thing that is his.
LtSSON V.
Confider. The Law of God is a fpiritual Law.
Therefore all thefe Commandments are to be fpiritually
underltood.
The firft Commandment means, Thou lhalt not
think, believe, or own any Thing to be God but me.
Thou lhah not fear any Thing but me.
Thou lhalt not feek after Witches or Wizards, or
pradtife any fuch Abomination.
Thou lhalt not put thy Trull in any Creature.
Thou lhalt not love any Thing but me, or for my
Sake.
God likewife herein commands thee, to believe in
him, and to acknowledge him in all thy Ways.
He commands thee, to thank him for all thou haft,
and to make him thy only Fear and thy only Dread :
To be in the Fear of the Lord all the Day long,
and to trull in him with all thy Heart:
To delire Him alone; to rejoice in Him always, and
to love Him with all thy Heart and with all thy Soul.
The fecond Commandment teaches us, not to fancy
that God is like the Thoughts or Imaginations of our
dark Reafon:
It teaches us alfo, not to worlhip or bow to any
Image or Pidture, but to glorify God both with our
Bodies and with our Spirits.
Les-
Tnftruffions for Children. 33
Lesson VI.
If we will keep the third Commandment,
We mull never fwear falfely; and if we have fworn
to do any Thing, we muft furely do it.
We muft never ufe the Name of God at all, but
with Reverence and godly Fear.
We muft not value ouflelves upon his Name, his Co¬
venant, or the Knowledge of him, in vain ;
That is, without profiting thereby, without bringing
forth fuitable Fruits.
We muft not cover over our own Will, or Paffions,
or Defigns, with the holy Name of God, of his Truth,
or his Glory.
By the Fourth Commandment you are taught, to do
r.o worldly Bufinefs on the Lord's Day:
But to fpend it wholly in Prayer, Praife, "hearing or
reading the Word of God, and other Works of Piety
and Charity.
The Fifth Commandment teaches you thefe Things:
Shew all Lowlinefs and Reverence to your Father
and Mother, and do whatever either of them bids
you.
If Need be, relieve them, and never let them want
any Thing you can help them to.
Efteem the Minifters who are over you in the Lord,
very highly in Love for their Work-fake.
Obey them, and fubmit yourfelves to them; for they
watch over your Souls.
Honour the King. Obey Magiftrates. Pray for
Kings, and all that are in Authority.
If you have a Mafter or Miftrefs, be obedient to
them in Singlenefs of Heart, as unto Christ.
Lesson VII.
The Sixth Commandment forbids not only the Kil¬
ling or Hurting any one, but all Anger, Hatred, Ma¬
lice or Revenge:
~ It
34 Injlniutions for Children.
It forbids all provoking Words, all Strife and Con¬
tention ; all Gluttony and Drunkennefs.
The Seventh Commandment forbids, not only all
outward Uncleannefs, but even the Looking on a Wo¬
man to lull after her.
It forbids alfo the ufing any Thing, merely to pleafe
ourfelves. For this is a Kind of fpiritual Fornication.
The Eighth Command forbids not only the taking
from another what is his, either openly or fecretly:
But likewife the Healing from God (to whom they
all belong) either our AfFedtions, or our Time, or our
Goods, or our Labour, by employing any of them
any otherwife than for him.
The Ninth Commandment requires us, to put away
all Lying, and to fpeak the Truth from our Heart.
It requires us, to fpeak Evil of no Man, but to put
away all Back-biting and Tale-baring.
It requires us alfo, to judge no Man, that we be not
judgedi but to leave every one to God, the Judge
of all.
The Tenth Commandment requires us to be content
with what we have, and to defire nothing more.
Lesson VIII.
Thefe are thofe Laws of God, fo wonderful and
holy, of which David fpeaks fo often with fuch Love
and Admiration.
Thefe all the Scriptures recommend as the Spring of
Life, the Light of the Heart, the Treafure of Souls:
Yea, our Lord calls them Life everlafting, John xii. 50.
Thefe the Holy Spirit has promifed to write in the
Hearts of thofe that truly believe in Jesus.
They may all be fumm'd up in three.
1. To love God j 2. To love Jesus Christ him-
felf, his Crofs and his Tribulations, his Reproach, the
Fellowfhip of his Sufferings, and the being made con¬
formable to his Death.
3. To love our Neighbour.
Our Heart therefore fhould always be full of Reve¬
rence for thefe. The Love of them fhould be fix'd
in the very Marrow of our Bones.
We
Injlru&ions for Children. 3 5
We fhould labour after this, by earneft Prayer, by
reading, and by meditating on thoie deep Words;
The Law of the Lord is an undefiled Law (the Law
! -of Love) coverting the Soul : The Teftimony of the
Lord is fure, and giveth Wifdom to the Simple.
The Statutes of the Lord are right, and rejoice the
Heart, the Commandment of the Lord is pure, and
KK giveth Light unto the Eyes.
rat The Fear of the Lord is clean and endureth for ever,
- the Judgments of the Lord are true and righteous alto-
K,-gether.
ifoij More to be delired are they than Gold ; yea than
much fine Gold; fweeter alfo than Honey and the Ho-
3p ney-Comb.
Moreover, by them is thy Servant taught; and in
keeping them there is great Reward.
wit' Lesson IX.
Ojtkji'
In a Word: With Regard to God, always live and
ituhee as being in the Prefence of God.
•nt Remember, he is continually looking upon you.
And he will bring into Judgment, all that you have
done, faid or thought, whether it be Good or Evil.
For all which you will be either rewarded or punifh-
*caii ed everlailingly.
Never fail to pray to God, Morning and Evening,
as well as before and after you eat or drink.
Often lift up your Heart to God at other Times,
particularly before any Work or Bufinefs.
Defire his Bleffing and Help, and afterwards give
T . him Thanks, and offer it up to God and his Glory.
Hear the Truths of God with Attention and Reve-
-
rence, whether at Home or at Church.
But do not think you have ferved God, barely be-
caufe you have heard them, or have got them by
* Heart. .
^ Pray to God to give you a true Underflanding of
them, and to enliven them by the Working of his Spirit.
Pray him to give you an humble, fubmiffive, fimple
and obedient Heart.
^ *' As to your Father and Mother, and Superiors,
Pray
36 Injlruffions for Children.
Pray to God for them, love and reverence them,
obey them without murmuring, even in thofe Things
which do not pleafe you, unlefs they are plainly Sins.
Do nothing without their Knowledge, or without
their Leave.
Lesson X.
With Regard to your Neighbours, and your Compa¬
nions,
Pray to God for them alfo, wilh them well as you
do to yourfelf; and do to them, as you would have
them do to you.
Think every one better than yourfelf.
Live in Peace with them, help them; if they have
done you Wrong, forgive them, and pray heartily to
God for them.
With Regard to yourfelf,
Pray to God that you may always think meanly of
yourfelf.
Eat nothing between Meals.
At your Meals eat moderately, of whatever is given
you, whether you like it or not.
Defire nothing fine. Do not Defire Abundance of
any Thing. Be content with a little.
Employ your Time as you are directed. Never be
doing nothing. Idlenefs tempts the Devil to tempt you.
Whatever you do, do it as well as you can.
Do not diipute, do not contradict any one, do not
talk unlefs there be a Neceflity.
Do not feek to excufe yourfelf when you have done
wrong, but be always ready to confefs your Fault, both
to God and Man.
For God will not forgive your Sin, fo long as you
drive to excufe it.
Lesson XI.
If you do any Thing well, thank God for it, and
fay,
I praife thee, O Lord, for giving me Grace to do
this. Without Thee I can do nothing but Evil.
And take Care not to value yourfelf upon it. If
you do, it deflroys your Soul.
When
Inftrudlionl for Children. 3 7
When you do wrong, without knowing it, perhaps
it may be excufed: especially, if you are glad to be
taught better.
But whatever Fault you commit wilfully, knowing
it to be a Fault, that cannot be excufed.
So, you mull always be punifhed for Lying, for call¬
ing Names, for Difobedience, or for ftriking any one.
For you know, this is a Sin againft God : And you
mull be punifhed for it, out of Love to you, and for
your Good.
You deferve Punilhment, both in the Sight of GOD
and Man.
If this Fault was not punifhed now, it would grow
upon you, and carry you to Hell.
To prevent this, it is good to let you fuffer a Punifh-
ment now, a hundred thoufand Million of Times lefs
than that.
If you do this again, you mull be punifhed again.
But pray to God that you may do it no more.
That foolifh Love which fhould fpare you now, would
be indeed the moft cruel Hatred.
Lesson XII.
Some may think the Rules before laid down, to be
either impoffible or ridiculous.
They would not appear impoffible to us, but bccaufe
we have not been accuilomed to them.
If we had, we fhould find, by the Grace of God,
that nothing can be eafier.
Neither can any think them ridiculous, unlefs it be
thofe to whom the Crofs of Christ is Foolifhnefs.
They are indeed ridiculous to the World, becaufe the
World is an Enemy to GOD.
But the Wifdom of the World is Foolifhnefs with
GOD, as the Wifdom of GOD is Foolifhnefs to the
World.
Therefore the Apoftle faith, Know ye not, that the
Friendfhip of the World is Enmity with God ? Who-
foever therefore will be a Friend of the World, is the
Enemy of GOD.
~ D Be
38 Inflructions for Children.
Be not conformable then to this prefent World. And
love not the World, nor the Things of the World. If
any Man love the World, the Love of the Father is not
in him.
How unhappy therefore are they, who bring up their
Children according to the Rules of the World?
They who train them up, as it is called, to make
their Fortunes in the World!
That is indeed, to perilh with the World, to be
turn'd into ttell, with all that forget God.
They will be reproached and curfed to all Eternity,
by thofe whom they thus trained up for the Devil, to¬
gether with whom they will have their Lot in everlaft-
ing Burnings.
But happy are thofe who defpifing the Rules of the
diabolical and antichriftian World,
Train up the precious Souls of their Children, whol¬
ly by the Rules of Jesus Christ.
They fhall be blefled by them for ever in Heaven,
and ihall together blefs God to ail Eternity.
Swear not at all,
Saitb the Lord God of Heaven and Earth.
ART thou without God in the World? Haft thou
no Knowledge of God ? No Concern about him ?
Is not God in all thy Thoughts ?
Doft thou believe, There is a God? Where? In
Heaven only ? Nay: He filleth all in all. Am I a
God at Hand, faith the Lord, and not a God afar
off ? Can any hide himfelf in fecret Places that I fhall
not fee him ? Do not I fill Heaven and Earth ?
Whither wilt thou go then from his Spirit ? Or whi¬
ther wilt thou flee from his Prefence ? If thou go up in¬
to Heaven, God is there. If thou go down into Hell,
he is there alfo. If thou take the Wings of the Morn¬
ing, and remain in the uttermoft Parts of the Sea; even
there his Hand fhall touch thee, and his Right Hand
fhall hold thee.
God feeth thee now. His Eyes are upon thee; he
obferves all thy Thoughts. He compaffeth thy Path.
He counteth all thy Steps. He is acquainted with all
thy Ways. By him Aftions are weighed; nor is there
a Word in thy Tongue, but he knoweth it altogether.
And does not Power belong unto God? Yea, all .
Power in Heaven and in Earth ? Is he not able, even
while thou readeft or heareft thefe Words, to crufh thee
into nothing ? Can he not juft now crumble thee into
Duft ? Or bid the Earth open and fwallow thee up ? O
do not fet him at nought 1 Do not provoke him thus.
Do not fly in his Face ! Can he not in a Moment, caft
forth his Lightnings and tear thee ? Shoot out his Ar¬
rows and confume thee ? What hinders him from cut¬
ting thee off this Inftant ? Sending thee, now, now,
quick into Hell ?
Would God do thee any Wrong therein ? What? In
giving thee the Requeft of thy own Lips ? What Words
were thofe thou fpakeft but now ? Did not God hear ?
Why, thou didft pray God, to fend thee to Hell.
Thou didft aik him, To damn thy Soul. How! Art
thou
thou in Love with Damnation? Art thou in hafte t»
-dwell with everlafting Burnings ? To be Day and Night
tormented in that Flame, without a Drop of Water to
cool thy Tongue ?
Doft thou pray for this ? I pray God, it may never
be either my Lot or thine! Alas, my Brother! What
if God take thee at thy Word ? What if he fay, Be it
unto thee even as thou wilt ? What if he give thee thy
Wifh, and let thee drop into everlafting Fire, prepared
for the Devil and his Angels ?
I had rather, thou ihouldfi: go to the Paradife of
God! Hadft not thou? Is not Heaven better than
Hell ? Art thou not convinced of this in thy own Con-
fcience? Why then, amend thy Prayer. Cry to God,
" Save my Soul, for I have finned againft thee: Save
me from all my Sins. Save me from all my evil Words
and evil Works; from my evil Tempers and evil De¬
fires ! Make me holy, as thou art holy ! Let me know
thee, and love thee, and ferve thee, now, and for ever!"
And is not God willing to do this? Surely he is.
For God loveth thee. He gave his only Son, that
thou mighteft not perilh, but have everlafting Life.
CftRisT died for thee. And he that believeth on him,
hath everlafting Life. Mark that Word. He hath it.
He hath it now. He hath the Beginning of Heaven
even upon Earth. For his Soul is filled with the Love
of God: And the Love of God is Heaven. He that
truly believes on Jesus Christ, hath a Peace which
Earth cannot give. His Mind is always calm ; he hath
learned in every State therewith to be content. He is
always eafy, quiet, well-pleafed; always happy, in
Life and in Death. For a Believer is not afraid to die,
he defires to bediflolved, and to be with Christ. He
defires to quit this Houfe of Clay, and to be carried of
Angels into Arahaniz Bofonl: To hear the Voice of the
Archangel, and the Trump of God, and to fee the Son
of Man coming in the Clouds of Heaven : To Hand at
his Right Hand, and hear that Word (which I earne%
beg of God, you and I may hear) " Come ye Blefled,
receive the Kingdom, prepared for you from the Begin¬
ning of the World!
F i N i
A N
4
EXTRACT
OF THE
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uni'.
IB!
yk,
itii
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Chriftians Pattern:
OR, A
TREATISE
OF THE
C- Imitation of Christ.
cits
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Written in Latin by Thomas a K e m p i s.
■f- ,
'afciiJ
Puulish'd
By JOHN IV ES LET, M. A.
.Vet Fellow of Lincoln-College, Oxford.
Jtf.
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