moste iust Patriarch had thrée sonnes of the which one did degenerate from the pietie and godlinesse of his Parents that hée merited the cursse not onely on hymselfe but also of all his posteritie Iacob the Patriarch had twelue sonnes and but one only daughter neyther is it to bée doubted but that they were very well instructed of their Parents Notwithstanding 〈◊〉 returned home rauished his sonnes became inanquellers 〈◊〉 théeues and that of their owne brother What shall I say of Heli Samuel and Dauid whose godlinesse are abundantly commended in the holy Scriptures And this calamitie hath chaunced chiefly to noble and worthie personages so often as it were by a certain destenie that from thence hath risen this common Prouerbe Herorum filij noxae Of the noblest Parents the wickedest children haue proce 〈…〉 ed oftentimes And of the wisest the most fooles Therefore what shall Parents doe Shall they desist and leaue of their godly care of good and vertuous education God forbid For if children doe commit any sinnes or offences through the negligence of their Parentes the same offences before God shall not bée imputed only to the children but also to their Parents Therefore it is good for the Parents them selues that they diligently perfourme their dueties and that they bring vp their children as it is saide by 〈◊〉 and information in the Lorde And if their paynes a 〈…〉 uels shall take good effect and haue good successe and that 〈◊〉 children become vertuous and godly they shall account it their owne gaine and yéelde heartie thankes vnto God which hath so prospered their labours But if it shall fall out contrary to their expectation that crosse must bée borne paciently And parents ought to bée thankefull that they haue saued their owne soules For albeit this godly and painfull education and instructing of children hath gayned no profite to the children themselues yet doth it bring great and excéeding profite vnto parentes before the Lord our God Theophilus Seeing now almost all things haue beene handeled and declared which may seeme to appertaine vnto the dueties of godly fathers of families and maisters of housholdes Now it resteth that I intreat you also to shew vs how moderately paciently Christian parents ought to beare the death of their children For you shall finde many parents that take the death of their children very sorowfully and impaciently Theodidactus Examples of all times and ages doe testifie that the death of children is to bée borne and suffered with a good and pacient mind and this doeth manifestly appeare aswell by the Heathen writers as also by the holy Scriptures Wherefore Saint Paule playnely writeth that wee shoulde not mourne saying thus Non contristemini sicut caeteri qui spem non habent Be not sorowful as as others which haue no hope Moderate your mourning and doe not bewayle and lament for the dead after the manner of the Ethnickes or as the Saduces which haue no hope of the resurrection For the godly fathers doe knowe and are assured that their children die in the Lorde that they liue now with Christ in the heauens Wherfore they haue no cause to sorrow mourne and let them alwayes kéepe in remembraunce the example of Dauid the Prophet which with great wisedome no lesse patience suffered the death of his sonne Whom hee did not only loue for that he was his only sonne but because also he had begot him of Barfabe whom he loued dearly And as long as he knew that the childe was in grieuous sicknesse he besought God for the childe that hée woulde saue it hee fasted mourned and put on sackloth and â—â—ent in and lay downe vppon the earth and woulde not be comforted by any meanes But at the last when the childe was dead and that his scruauntes durst not tell him For they sayde beholde while the childe was yet aliue wée spake vnto him and hee woulde not hearken vnto our voyce Howe will hee then vexe himselfe if wee tell him that the childe is dead But Dauid perceiuing his Seruauntes whyspering and thought that the Childe was dead and sayde vnto them is the Childe dead They sayde yea And Dauid arose from the earth and washed and annoynted himselfe and changed his apparell and came into the house of the Lorde and woorshipped and after warde came to his owne house and bade that they shoulde prepare that he might eate Then sayde his Seruantes vnto him what thing is this that thou hast done Thou diddest fast and wéepe for the childe while it was aliue and assoone as it was dead thou didst rise vp leaue of thy mourning and did eate meate Hée sayde while the childe was yet aliue I fasted and wepte For this I thought who can tell whether GOD will haue mercie on mée that the Childe may liue But nowe seeyng it is dead wherefore shoulde I fast can I bring him agayne anie more I shall goe to him rather then hée shal come againe to me Héereuppon it came that mourning which profiteth the dead nothing at all grewe into a contempt among the godly that then were liuing and with this answere theÌ„ the which there could not bee founde a Wiser hée satisfied them all that were about him And also Saint Hierome sayeth Vir sapiens quum filium suum bonae indolis amittit non doleat quod talem perdiderit sed magis gaudeat quod talem habuerit A wise man wheÌ„ he loseth his sonne being vertuous and of verie good towardnesse doth not lament and mourne for that he hath lost such a one but rather reioyceth that he hath such a present to offer vnto the Lorde Theophilus These are notable worthie examples without doubt and very effectual medicines to temper moderate our vnmeasurable mourning and sorow of heart and mind conceiued by the death of our children Yet I beseech you if you haueÌ„ any other declare them vnto vs. Theodidactus With all myhearte Dion the sonne of Hipparinus one of Platoes disciples on a time whilest he was making an OratioÌ„ in a publike assembly his sonne fel down froÌ„ one of the loâ—ts on the pauements so finished his life preseÌ„tly Dion being therwithal nothing moued neither altred he his voyce nor changed his countenaunce but constantly coÌ„tinued procéeded in y e thing which he had takeÌ„ in hand The like we read of Anaxagoras who tooke the death of his children very constantly For when Clazomenâ—o had shewed him beeing in great earnest consultation with other that his two sonnes were dead hauing no moe he therwithal being nothing affrighted nor once mooued aunsweared the Messenger after this manner Sciui eos mortales natâ—â— esse I knowe they were borne to die But what shall wée saye of Pericles his constancie which when hee had lost all his children by a common infection and odious plague tooke their death very paciently And was the Author vnto the Athenians that
then in the loue of their children and therfore most easily offended when they doe any thing contrary to their liking Theophilus I maruel nothing more O Theodi theÌ„ why parents are moued with so great loue delight in their childreÌ„ wheras they ofteÌ„times on the coÌ„trary part proue very vnkind wicked vnnatural towards their parentes Theodidactus There be many causes why pareÌ„ts are so affected towards their childreÌ„ but y â— first chiefest cause of al is god which hath created put into the mindes of parentes such a most perfect true natural affectioÌ„ towards their children y â— if at any time their minds be hurt strickeÌ„ wounded w t sorrow heauines of heart for y â— calamitie of their childreÌ„ y â— same is a most preseÌ„t plague poysoÌ„ to their liues so y â— they are easily sâ—aine murdred albeit not w t sword or other weapoÌ„ yet with lamentation wéeping wailing inward sorrow griefe and heauines of hearte I my selfe haue séene many honest and vertuous Parentes vtterly consumed and pyned away with sorrowe and griefe of hearte for the wickednesse of their children But youth beeing ignoraunt and vntaught doe not consider nor vnderstand this wherefore I thinke it good that they bée admonished and that with great care and diligeÌ„ce least they become manquellers and murtherers of father and mother For they kill and murther their pareÌ„ts very often before they vnderstand the greatnesse of their sinne and wickednesse because they knowe not with what great sorrow and griefe their parents are vexed and inwarly gréened for the vntowardnes and wickednesse of their children but the parents féele it wither away languish and are consumed euen to the bones many times for the very anguish of heart vexation of minde Therfore it is not without cause that in the 5. commandement the Lord our God hath vsed this vocable word honor For he doth not say obey thy parents but honor them hée would haue this name to be accounted holy because God knowe well enough the malice of our originall sin whose force violence is so great that it moueth and vrgeth men to the slaugtter of their own natural parents as may be séene in Esau Absolon and others I would it might not be séene in our time I do exhort therefore all young men y â— they shun detest this horrible sinn and exercise their mindes vnto the reuerence of their parents and that they may performe this y â— better let theÌ„ craue instantly desire the aid and assistaÌ„ce of Almightie god in their dayly continuall prayers Theophilus I easily gather of these your wordes that in parents there is a wonderfull and an incredible loue towards their children and in children there is not only a faiâ—t and languished affection but also so great malice that no man liuing â—e he neuer so wise is able to vnderstand to search out the depth of the same as the said exaÌ„ples of Esau Absolon doe manifestly witnesse Theodidactus You gather of my wordes very wisely my Theophilus Solon that most wise lawmaker being asked at a certaine time why hee appointed no paine and punishment for him that shall kill either father or mother Answered that hée did not think that there was so great impietie crueltie and tyranny in the hearts of mortal meÌ„ that any one durst attempt and presume to kill him by through whom hée had receiued the beginning and entraunce of this life But GOD to whom only all things are manifest knowing the impietie and wickednesse of mans nature hath appointed a payne for the paracide and murtherer saying after this manerâ— Quipercusserit patrem suum aut matrem morte moriatur Who so striketh his father or mother let him die the death And he leaueth not héere but faith moreouer Qui maledixerit patri suo vel matri morte moriatur Whosoeuer shal but cursse his father or mother shall die for it Hereof let y â— children learne to know the malice of mans heart and let them pray mast earnestly vnto God their heauenly father that they may neuer fall into such horrible wickednesse To this agreeth Saint Augustine saying Gratia tua misericorâ—ia mi Deus praeuenit me liberans ab omnibus malis c. Thy grace and thy mercy O my God hath preuented mee and deliuered me from euil sauing mée from all euils past raysing mée vp from those that are present and desending me from the euils to come cutting in sunder also before mée the snares of sinne taking away the occasions and causes and if thou hadst not done this for mee O my God I had surely committed all the sinnes in the worlde For I know O Lorde that that there is no sinne that euer any man hath done at any time that another man cannot do if his Creator dâ—e faile him of whom hee was made man but what did I not it was only thy dooing what I haue abstayned from it was thy commaundement And that I haue giuen credite vnto thée it is thy grace working in mée only for thou O Lorde hast gouerned mée that I did not commit a dultery and any other kinde of sinne and wickednesse thou hast giuen mée thy grace and illuminated my hearte with vnderstanding Sée how truely Saint Augustine vnderstandeth the wickednesse and peruersenes of mans heart which Solon albeit hée was accounted the wisest man amoÌ„g the Grecians could not perceiue nor vnderstand Theophilus Is not God wont for the sinnes and wickednesse of children to take away counsel from the aged and often time also old men themselues Theodidactus I beléeue it hath chaunced very often and y â— almost innumerable examples doe teach and haue taught vs. Among others the Prophet Ezechiel complaineth in this wise saying Et quaerent visionem de Propheta lex peribit a sacerdote consilium à senibus And they seeke a vision of the prophet and the law shal perish from the Priest and councell from the old men From which place may easily bée gathered that God for these gréeuous sinnes wil punish both parents and children with vnspeakable plagues insomuch that hée doth depriue them of their visions propheâ—ies lawes and councels of their elders then the which plagues there is none more cruell none more horible Wherfore children ought to take great heede that they commit no gréeuous offeÌ„ce but diligeÌ„tly performe their duties remember that old age ought not to bée contemned vnto which wée all doe desire to come But let them thinke that it is to be loued reuerenced and obeyed with all diligence They shall heare them and yéeld all honor reuerence vnto them neither let theÌ„ depart from their sides or wind theÌ„selues out of their companies who for their greater experience of things greater wisdome more stayednesse in life they may folow their steps vse their counsels be delighted in their studies that they may haue the fight of those
handle hym too sharpely or rigorously saying Et illum adolenscentulum esse te fuisse cogita atque in hoc quod pater es enitere vt memineris te hominem hominis patrem Way and consider this that hee is a young man and also that thou hast beene one thy selfe And further in as muche as thou art a father call to thy minde that thou art nowe a man and the Father of one that may bee a man heereafter Theophilus A very excellent and wise way surely to pacifie and quiet the furious and raging mindes of Parentes when they shall correct theyr children And in my iudgement there is no man that coulde haue giuen more wholesome or better counsel concerning this matter wherefore it is worthie of all men to bee followed Not withstanding I my selfe haue knowne sume furious parentes a brode which haue vsed to strike and buffet their children about the face and head and to lay vpon them like Mault sackes with cudgels staues forke or fire shouel or whatsoeuer came nighest their handes yea and very often also haue cast them on the grounde and spurned and kickt them like dogs which maner of correcting I iudge is vtterly to bee detested and abhorred neither do I think it lawfull by any meanes that they should vse them after such order Wherefore I pray you tell vs how should they bee admonished and perswaded that heereafter they doe not vse and handle their children and seruants after suche raging furious and beastly maner Theodidactus First and chiefly wée must shewe them and set before them the most pure and sacred worde GOD for these men peraduenture béeing so waywarde fierce and cruell as you haue saide woulde vtterly contemne and despise mens reasons wisdome and counsell But y ◠Lord our God of his vnspeakeable good will and fauour towardes vs doeth so dearely loue parents and so tenderly prouide for their children that hée doeth not onely commaunde them to correct their children but being very desirous and willing to cure and remedie suche rage and furie deeth also shew vnto vs what instrument is méete and what wée ought to vse and exercise in correcting Theophilus With what matter or instrument I pray you ought children to bee corrected Theodidactus The Lord our God by Solomon doth teache euery where that children shoulde bée beate with the rodde saying after this maner Withholde not correction from thy Childe for if thou shalte smite hym with the rodde hée shall not die thereof Thou smitest him with the rodde but thou shalt deliuer his soule from Hell And againe who so spareth the rodde marreth his childe Loe héere not that wise Solonion doeth teache that children ought to bée corrected with the rodde but the Lorde our God himselfe which hath spokē by the mouthes of his holy prophets whose worde abideth for euer Theophilus If these foolishe harebrayned and rashe Parents woulde heare and willingly obey and followe this little admonition then shoulde they not haue so many deafe blockishe foolishe bleere eyed and also oftentimes madde children as they haue which discommodities we see come very often by the continuall and vnreasonable beating and buffetting of them about the heads as I said before Theodidactus You gather and apply all thinges very rightly For if Parentes woulde not beate their young and tender children with their harde fistes vpon their eares and heades but in stéede thereof and of their Cudgels Staues and suche like according to the counsell of Solomon woulde take and vse the rodde then shoulde they haue wherein they might reioyce and become the parents of wise and worthie children whereas contrary wise they are compelled will they nill they to haue the gouernment of deaf lumpishe ignorant and foolishe children all the dayes of their life to their great sorrowe and griefe very often Theophilus Whereas I haue nowe begunne to mooue you with my questions I knowe not yet where or howe to make an ende seeing therefore you haue alredie shewed vnto vs the instrument where with children should be corrected and admonished that they shoulde not bee beaten about the heads Nowe I beseeche you shew vs where and on what part of the body they should be beaten Theodidactus I teach nothing héere neither woulde I perswade or councell you that you shoulde followe mine opinion and minde in this thing but rather the godly opinion of the holy Ghoste which by Solomon speaketh after this maner Tonde latera eius dum infans est Hit him vpon the sides whilest hee is yet a childe c. Beholde here the clemencie and prouidence beholde héere I say the excéeding great mercy of God which also hath vouchsafed to shewe and manifest vnto vs that part of the body which hee would haue beaten least at any time either wée our selues or our little children shoulde sustaine any losse perill or displeasure by meanes of our correction Theophilus Wherefore are parents compelled to bee so diligent carefull and prouident in the instructing and chastening of their children and what is the ende of this so great labour and trauaile Theodidactus They shall instruct nurture and chasten their children not to the ende that they might set them forwarde and promote them to worship and great honours or that they shoulde excell others in humane knowledge wisedome and science or that they shoulde gather together and heape vp great riches and treasure for them But they ought chiefly to respect this that they may bée made vertuous and godly And this end and maner of training vp of youth is most profitable and excellent of all others wherein all godly parents ought to haue their chiefest pleasure and felicitie For Parents ouer and besides that naturall loue affection which nature hath ingraffed into al liuing creatures towards their young ones besides those sorrowes griefes which they often sustain in their bringing vp yet ought they to haue their chiefest care for their godly education as wée haue often saide And this let them do not with angrie bitter and raging minde towards them when they finde them not so apt and forward as they wish least they begin to refuse hate and detest instruction and vertuous discipline before they shall féele the profite and commoditie thereof Let them temper and bridle the austeritie sharpnesse and rage of their authoritie and power with such affection and desire of lenitie gentlenesse and mildnesse and so rebuke and chide the offender that they had rather to haue them corrected and amended then punished or tormented and let them rather endeuour to withold and draw them from future faultes and offences than rigorously to execute punishment of their faultes presently committed Theophilus The greatest part of the welfare and prosperitie of children doeth depend as farre as I perceiue of the good instruction and diligent and wise chastening of parents Theodidactus It is very true for the Lorde our God hath commaunded that children shoulde honour and obey their parents and in
by his example they coulde more easily tollerate and beare the death of their déerest friendes with greate pacience and constancie These examples doe admonishe vs that wée doe beare paciently and with good mynds the death of our children For séeing that the heathen men haue excelled in so greate constancie of mind I pray you what shal not wee suffer which haue professed our selues to be Christians We I say which are ingraffed vnto Christ vnited vnto him through that most sacred holy baptisme know that our children haue not onelie a Father héere vpon the earth but also in the heauens which hath prepared his Angelles that they should kéepe and take charge of our children in the stéede of Nurses Wherby also by many examples he hath declared and made manifest vnto vs that hée careth for them and preserueth them farre better and in more happy state and condition then parentes can eyther hope or wishe when vnto them it may séeme they vtterly perish and are most infortunate Which by the example of the Patriarche Iacob wee may plainely sée For when hée mourned and lamented for his sonne Ioseph being lost and as hée thought was miserably deuoured of the wilde beastes yet God in the meane time did exalt and promote him vnto great honour and dignitie in Aegypt and made him the instrument and meane to comfort his father and brethren and prolonged their dayes whereas other wise they were al in danger to haue perished with famine which fell ouer al the Landes there adioyning The like happened of Saule séeking his Fathers Asse which by the commaundement of GOD by Samuell was annoynted king of Israell Read the nienth and tenth chapters of the first booke of the kinges otherwise called the first booke of Samuell The like was in Christ which at the last was founde in the middle of the Doctors reasoning and disputing amongest them and posing them Therefore those Parentes more sorrowful then néede and bearing the fortune and death of their Children too vnpaciently if they beholde and consider the promises of God and these examples they shall easily sée and learne that these their vnfaithfull sorowes and cares for their Children are not onely wicked but also vayne and foolishe and so shall they confirme their fayth that afterwarde they shall more easily performe their dueties towardes their Children according to their vocation and moderately sustayne and with patience beare the fortune of their Children though it were accompanyed with death it selfe And they ought to beléeue and haue sure confidence that although they were lost or dead that yet neuerthelesse the Lord our GOD hath chiefe regarde and care of them if they liue in his feare And thus shall they more easily moderate and qualifie their immoderate sorrowes and mourninges Theophilus O immortal GOD who can sufficiently maruel and commende the constancie and pacience of these Ethnickes Againe if wee woulde faithfully beleeue that our Children are so carefully kept and preserued of GOD and that all thinges depende vpon his prouidence wee woulde with greater confidence commit all things vnto him which doe appertayne eyther to the bodies or soules of our children And wee woulde not bee so sorrowfull and discouraged when any aduersitie shall chaunce either to our selues or our children but woulde farre exceed those Ethnickes in constancie of minde When I reade so many and so notable thinges among the Philosophers of fortitude and constancie I am ashamed of the inconstancie of those men which seeme to bee adourned and garnished with so rare and singuler erudition and knowledge of God But nowe my good Theodidacte I woulde at the last know this one thing of you whether is it the duetie of godly Parentes to elect and choose for their sonnes beeyng once growen to mans state and stayednesse of life godlie wiues according to the example of Abraham Theodidactus Godlie Parentes before all thinges shall haue speciall regarde and care that they ioyne not their Sonnes in marriage vnto Lawelesse and vnbeléeuing wiues without anye difference but shall followe the example of the Patriarche Abraham which woulde not haue his sonne Isaac to be coupled in matrimonie vnto a wise from among the Chanaanites giuing his seruaunt charge after this manner Put thine hande vnder my Thigh that I may sweare thée by the Lorde GOD of Heauen and earth that thou doest not choose and take a wife for my sonne of the daughters of the Chanaanites amongst whom I now dwell but thou shalt goe vnto mine owne countrie kinred frō thence doe take a wife for my sonne Isaac Without doubt this so godly an example of Abrahā ought to admonish earnestly moue vs which haue either sōnes or daughters ready to marry to haue great care of them For except Abraham had feared some greate perill and daunger and had knowen some great secrete mischief to be hid and lurking therin certainly he woulde neuer haue giuen so earnest charge to his seruaunt That he should not take a wife of the daughters of the Chanaanites For it was not to be doubted but that some of their daughters were of good towardnes nature inclination also tractable which happily might haue béen drawne vnto Abrahams religion but hée would not haue his sonne to aduenture and make triall of so great a danger and in so weightie a matter Now forasmuch as Abraham did séeke to eschue this perill with what face boldnes or example dare we presume to attempt the same But hereof if God will wée will treate more at large in some other place of our next booke The second Booke of the dueties of Children towardes their Parents FOrasmuch as I haue alreadie spoken and that you haue so willingly heard from mée and my good friend Theophilus many things concerning those dueties which are required of Parentes towardes their Children nowe is it méete and conuenient that wée procéed to the other part of this our worke and purpose For I promised that to the vttermost of my simple skill and slender capacitie I would shew and declare vnto you those things which did apperteine to the dueties of Godly obedient children that is to wit what honour reuerence and obedience euery childe oweth to their Parents But my good Amusus before wée treat of this thing at large I woulde all your children were here present and that you woulde counsell them as I saide in the beginning of our talke that they may be silent and verie attentiue and bring with them pennes incke and paper to the ende they might note the most principall matters and worthie examples and so the better commit them to memorie Amusus Beholde here they are readie Elizabeth Anne Leuinus Charles Frauncis Paule Marie Katherine and Barbara and according to your commaundement I haue admonished them that they might hearken with all reuerence and marke euerie thing diligently Theodidactus What other thing should I wish to these your swéet childrē than that y e God