without the observance whereof my labour in writing this long epistle will be probably fruitless: be not wife in your own conceit; this is the unhappy error, and many times the ruin of young men efpecially: they are ufually rafh, giddy, and inconfiderate, and yet extremely confident of that which they have leaft reason to truft, namely, their own understanding, which renders them moft referved from them that are willing and beft able to advise them, impatient of reproof, love to be flattered, and fo become uncapable of good and wife counsel, till their follies have reduced them to extreme ftraits and inconveniencies: fufpect therefore your own judgment: advise often with your father, efpecially in all things of moment; be glad of his counsel, and be contented and willing to follow it, and to guide your life according to it; at least till ripenefs of age, obfervation, and experience, have enabled you better to advise yourself: This is an eafy, and ready and cheap way of attaining wildom, and avoiding of infinite inconveniencies. And thus I have in this long epiftle, given you the means how you may improve both your fickness, and recovery, to the glory of God, and your own benefit. I fhall therefore conclude with two confiderations, that may the more engage you to this ufe of both these difpenfations. 1. The danger is great, if afflictions make not a man more humble and dutiful, and the danger is yet greater, if great deliverances and mercies do not make a man more thankful and obedient to God; because it is the most obliging method that the gracious God can use, towards the children of men, for that end, in this life and the neglect of that invitation adds ingratitude and contempt to the neglect of it. 2. The benefit that you will receive by making a good ufe of these two difpenfations, in improving your dutifulness and obedience to God, will be fingular and excellent: 1. It will make you a wife man, by making you a good and religious man. Believe it from your father, R 2 who who will not deceive you, nay, believe it from a greater than your father, the very fpirit of truth, who cannot deceive you; the true fear of God, is the only true wifdom: Read Deut. iv. 6. Job. xxviii. 28. Pfalm cxi. 10. Prov. i. 7. Prov. ix. 10. Ecclef. xii. 13; and very many more declarations there are of this great truth: 2. It will make you a happy man, it will give you the favour and love of God, which is better than life itself. You shall have his mercy to pardon you, his providence to protect you, his wisdom to direct you, his goodness to bless you, and to forgive and forget whatsoever hath heretofore been done amifs by you: this will make all conditions comfortable to you, whether life or death, fickness or health. By this means you may be a comfort to your father, a fupport to your brothers and fifters, an inftrument of good to your country, and attain an honeft, creditable, and competent fubfiftence in this world, and an everlasting inheritance of glory. and immortality in the world to come. Thus I have given you a large letter of found and good counfel: fet your heart to it, and obferve and remember it: we fee how unstable our lives are? you nor I know not how foon either or both of us may leave this world: It may be, this may be the laft paper of advice that your father may give you. But however it fhall please God to deal with you or me, touching our continuance in this world, yet let me leave this with you, in the clofe of this letter. If I fhall find that thefe directions are dutifully obferved, I fhall be ready from time to time, freely to advife and direct you; and as I have paffed by your former extravagancies, fo I fhall thereby have great affurance that God hath bleffed this vifitation to you. But, on the other fide, if I fhall find that you neglect my counfels, that you make light of them, that you ftill pursue those courfes that will certainly be bitterness in the end, I must then tell you, I fhall pray for you, and be forry for you with my heart: but I fhall not eafily be perfuaded to give any more advices or counfels, where I find them defpifed or neglected. In this paper there are many many things omitted, which might have been inferted; but the constant reading of the Holy Scriptures will fupply unto you that defect: I have chofen only in this paper to mention fuch things which are feasonable for you upon this occafion. God Almighty hath not been wanting to you in admonition, correction, mercy and deliverance; neither hath your father been wanting to you in education, counsel, care and expence. I pray God Almighty blefs all unto you. This is the prayer of Your loving Father 1, MATTHEW HALE. 'From the ending of this Letter, as well as from some internal passages of it, it would rather appear to have been composed for a Son than a Grandson of Sir Matthew Hale's, as printed in the title to it, p. 223, though it is thus given in most of the old editions. |