her young ones, they are an ill-favoured lump, a masse without shape, but by continuall licking, they are brought to some form. Children are called infants of the palms, or educations,* not because they are but a span in length, but because the midwife, as soon as they are born, stretcheth out their joints with her hand, that they may be more streight afterwards. This care in the parents was quickly above expectation encouraged in the first-fruits of their young son's proficiency, more and more increasing great hopes concerning him throughout the whole time of his minority, wherein he was trained up in the grammar-school of Derby. Three ingredients Aristotle requires to compleat a man: an innate excellency of wit, instruction, and government. The two last we have by nature, in them man is instrumental: the first we have by nature more immediately from God. This native aptitude of mind, which is indeed a peculiar gift of God, the naturalist calls the sparklings and seeds of vertue, and looked at them as the principles and foundation of better education. These, the godly-wise advise such to whom the inspection of youth is committed, to attend unto; as springmasters were wont to take a tryal of the vertue latent in waters, by the morning-vapours that ascend from them.† The husbandman perceiving the nature of the soyle, fits it with suitable seed: A towardly disposition is worse then lost without education. The first impression sinks deep, and abides long. The manners and learning of the scholar, depend not a little upon the manners and teaching of the master. Physicians tell us, that the fault of the first concoction is not corrigible by the second; and experience sheweth, that errors committed in youth through defect of education, are difficultly cured in age. Mephibosheth halteth all his life-long, of the lameness he got through his nurses carelesness when he was a child. In the piety of England's Edward the sixth, and Elizabeth, history ingenuously and thankfully acknowledgeth the eminent influence of their tutors: but amongst the causes of Julian's apostacie, the same remembrancer mentioneth it as a principal one, that he had two heathenish masters, Libanius and Tamblicus, from whom he drank in great prophaneness: the best soil needs both tilling and sowing; there must be culture as well as seed, or you can expect no harvest. What son is he, that the father chasteneth not? And that our daughters may be as corner * Lam. 2. 20. † Animi nostri sunt agri animati. Clem. Alex. stones, palace-stones, and (albeit the weaker vessels, yet) vessels of precious treasure, they must be carved, that is, suffer the cutting, engraving, and polishing hand of the artificer. Since the being of sin, doctrine and example alone are insufficient; discipline is an essential part of the nurture of the Lord. The learned and famous Melancthon's words are remarkable, speaking of his schoolmaster: I (saith he) had "a master, who was an excellent grammarian: he im"posed upon me such and such exercises, not permitting any omission thereof: as often as I erred I was punished, "but with such moderation as was convenient. So he made "me a grammarian. He was an excellent man; he loved me as a son, and I loved him as a father; and I hope we shall "both shortly meet together in heaven: his severity was "not severity, but paternal discipline."* Mans Belial-heart, because such, though it cannot want, yet it will not bear the yoke of education. Children love not to take physick, though they die without it. The nonacknowledgment hereof, is the denying of our original disease; the rejection of it, is to choose transgression rather then correction. If you ask why the famous Lacedemonian state lived and flourished, when their sister-cities of Greece fell to dissoluteness, and from thence to confusion: Xenophon tells us the reason thereof was, because the Lacedemonians established the education of their youth by a law, which the other Grecians neglected.† Sure we are, that it is a statute in Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob, Fathers, bring up your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. And unto the training up of a child in the way he should go, faithful is He which hath promised, that when he is old, he will not depart from it. About thirteen years of age he was admitted into TrinityColledge in Cambridge, much about the time whereat the famous Juel was sometimes sent unto Oxford; at the hearing of whose lectures afterwards, his sometime tutor Parkhurst saluted him with this distich: Olim discipulus mihi chare Juelle fuisti: Great Juel, thou a scholar wast to me : 'Tis not youth, but licentiousness in youth, that unfits for *Mel. Adam in vita Melanct. + Xenophon in lib. de Repub. Lacedem. an academical state; such as Philostratus long since complained of, who stain an Athenian life with wicked manners. The prince of the Peripateticks describing his hearers, distinguisheth between youths in years, and youths in manners: such who are old in days, yet youths in disposition, he rejects such who are youths in age, but seniors in spirit and behaviour, he admits into his auditory. Junius telleth us, that his grandfather was wont to write to his father Dionysius, when a student in the universities of France, with this salt superscription: Dionysio dilecto filio, misso ad studendum: To Dionysius my beloved son, sent to study. Idleness in youth is scarcely healed without a scar in age. Life is but short; and our lesson is longer then admits the loss of so great an opportunity, without a sensible defect afterward shewing it Bees gather in the spring, that which they are to live upon in the winter: therefore, For bishop of Winchester, willed the students of that colledge whereof he was a benefactor, to be as so many bees. Seneca admonisheth his Lucilius, that those things are to be gotten whilst we are young, which we must make use of when we are old.* Accordingly God, who had set apart our student to be a Junius, not a Dionysius, inclined his heart unto such attractive diligence, and effectual improving of opportunities: whence his profiting in the arts and languages above his equals, so far commended him unto the master and fellows, as that he had undoubtedly been chosen fellow of that colledge, had not the extraordinary expence about the building of their great hall at that time put by, or at least deferred their election until some longer time. From Trinity he was removed to Emanuel, that happy seminary both of piety and learning. The occasion I cannot now learn: howsoever, it may call to minde that maxim of the herbalists, Plantæ translatio est planta perfectio; the transplantation of a plant, is the perfection of a plant. In that society the Lord gave him favor, so that in due time he was honoured with a fellowship amongst them, after a diligent and strict examen, according to the statutes of that house. Wherein this is not unworthy the taking notice of; that when the poser came to examine him in the Hebrew tongue, the place that he took trial of him by, was that Isaiah 3. against the excessive bravery of the haughty daughters of Sion; which hath more hard words in it, then any place of the bible within so short a compass; and therefore though a present construction and resolution thereof might Juveni parandum, seni utendum est. have put a good Hebrician to a stand, yet such was his dexterity, as made those difficult words facil, and rendred him a prompt respondent. This providence is here remarkable concerning him; that whereas his father (whose calling was towards the law) had not many clients that made use of his advice in law-matters before, it pleased God after his son's going to Cambridge to bless him with great practice, so that he was very able to keep him there and to allow him liberal maintenance: Insomuch that this blessed man hath been heard to say, God kept me in the University. He is now in the place of improvement, amongst his ipápilo, beset with examples, as so many objects of better emulation: If he slacken his pace, his compeers will leave him behind; and though he quicken it, there are still those which are before. Notwithstanding Themistocles excelleth, yet the trophies of Miltiades suffer him not to sleep. Cato that Heluo, that devourer of books, is at Athens. Ability and opportunity are now met together; unto both which industry actuated with a desire to know, being joined, bespeaks a person of high expectation. The unwearied pains of ambitious and unquiet wits, are amongst the amazements of ages. Asia and Egypt can hold the seven wonders; but the books, works, and motions of ambitious mindes, the whole world cannot contain. It was an illicit aspiring after knowledge, which helped to put forth Eve's hand unto the forbidden fruit: the less marvel if irregenerate and elevated wits, have placed their summum bonum in knowledge, indefatigably pursuing it as a kind of deity, as a thing numinous, yea, as a kind of mortal-immortality. Diogenes, Democritus, and other philosophers, accounting large estates to be an impediment to their proficiencie in knowledge, dispossessed themselves of rich inheritances, that they might be the fitter students; preferring an opportunity of study before a large patrimony. Junius, yet ignorant of Christ, can want his country, necessaries, and many comforts; but he must excell. Through desire a man having separated himself, seeketh and intermedleth with all wisdom, Prov.18.1. The elder Plinius lost his life in venturing too neer to search the cause of the irruption of the hill Vetruvius. "Tis true, knowledge excelleth other created excellencies, as much as light excelleth darkness: yet it agreeth with them in this, that neither can exempt the subject thereof from eternal misery. Whilst we seek knowledge with a selfish interest, we serve the decree; and self being destroyed according to the decree, we hence become more able to serve the com mand. The treasure which man irregenerate travelleth for, as intending it for themselves, man regenerate expends for God. As he was a lover of labor, so he was communicative, a diligent tutor, and full of students committed to his care. He was a didactical man, both able, and apt to teach. Ability to instruct youth, argueth a wise-man. To guide man, Nazianzen accounted the art of arts.* To be willing to teach, argueth a good man; good is communicative. Such was his academical dexterity, that he could impart (as Scaliger speaks) the felicities of wit to his hearers, so accomodating and insinuating the matter in hand, as his pupils might both perceive their profiting, and taste the sweetness of that wherein they profited. Thus by schoole-stratagems, he won the hearts of his scholars both to himself, and to a desire of learning; they were as Socrates and Alcibiades,† or rather as the prophets, and the sons of the prophets: his pupils were honorers, and lovers of him; he was a tutor, friend and father unto them. The manner of his conversion take in his own words (as neer as can be remembred) thus. During his residence in the university, God began to work upon him under the ministery of Mr. Perkins of blessed memory. But the motions and stirrings of his heart which then were, he suppressed; thinking that if he should trouble himself with matters of religion, according to the light he had received, it would be an hindrance to him in his studies, which then he had addicted himself unto. Therefore he was willing to silence those suggestions and callings he had from the Spirit inwardly, and did wittingly defer the prosecution of that work until afterwards. At length, walking in the field, and hearing the bell toll for Mr. Perkins who then lay dying, he was secretly glad in his heart, that he should now be rid of him who had (as he said) laid siege to and beleaguer'd his heart. This became a cause of much affliction to him, God keeping it upon his spirit, with the aggravation of it, and making it an effectual meanes of convincing and humbling him in the sight and sense of the natural enmity that is in mans nature against God. Afterwards, hearing doctor Sibbs, (then Mr. Sibbs) preaching a sermon about regeneration, where he first shewed what regeneration was not, when opening the state of a civil man, he saw his own condition * τέχνη τεχνῶν, καὶ ἐπισήμη ἐπισημῶν ἄνθρωπον ἄγειν. |