CHAPTER IX.

THE PARSON'S STATE OF LIFE.

THE Country Parson, considering that virginity is a higher state than matrimony, and that the ministry requires the best and highest things, is rather unmarried than married. But yet, as the temper of his body may be, or as the temper of his parish may be, where he may have occasion to converse with women, and that amongst suspicious men, and other like circumstances considered, he is rather married than unmarried. Let him communicate the thing often by prayer unto God; and as his grace shall direct him, so let him proceed.

If he be unmarried, and keep house, he hath not a woman in his house; but finds opportunities of having his meat dressed and other services done by men servants at home, and his linen washed abroad. If he be unmarried and sojourn, he never talks with any woman alone, but in the audience of others; and that seldom, and then also in a serious manner, never jestingly or sportfully. He is very circumspect in all companies, both of his behavior, speech, and very looks; knowing himself to be both suspected and envied. If he stand steadfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart, that he will keep himself a virgin, he spends his days in fasting and prayer, and blesseth God for the gift of continency; knowing that it can no way be preserved, but only by those means by which at first it was obtained. He therefore thinks it not enough for him to observe the fasting days of the church, and the daily prayers enjoined him by authority, which he observeth out of humble conformity and obedience; but adds to them, out of choice and devotion, some other days for fasting and hours for prayer. And by these he keeps his body tame, serviceable and healthful; and his soul fervent, active, young and lusty as an eagle. He often readeth the lives of the primitive monks, hermits and virgins; and wondereth not so much at their patient suffering, and cheerful dying under persecuting emperors (though that indeed be very admirable), as at their daily temperance, abstinence, watchings and constant prayers and mortifications, in the times of peace and prosperity. To put on the profound humility and the

exact temperance of our Lord Jesus, with other exemplary virtues of that sort, and to keep them on in the sunshine and noon of prosperity, he findeth to be as necessary and as difficult, at least, as to be clothed with perfect patience and Christian fortitude in the cold midnight storms of persecution and adversity. He keepeth his watch and ward, night and day, against the proper and peculiar temptations of his state of life; which are principally these two, spiritual pride and impurity of heart. Against these ghostly enemies he girdeth up his loins, keeps the imagination from roving, puts on the whole armor of God; and, by the virtue of the shield of faith he is not afraid of the pestilence that walketh in darkness, (carnal impurity,) nor of the sickness that destroyeth at noonday, (ghostly pride and self-conceit). Other temptations he hath, which, like mortal enemies, may sometimes disquiet him likewise; for the human soul, being bounded and kept in her sensitive faculty, will run out more or less in her intellectual. Original concupiscence is such an active thing, by reason of continual inward or outward temptations, that it is ever attempting or doing one mischief or other. Ambition, or untimely desire of promotion to an higher state, under color of accommodation or necessary provision, is a common temptation to men of any eminency, especially being single men. Curiosity in prying into high, speculative and unprofitable questions, is another great stumbling-block to the holiness of scholars. These, and many other spiritual wickednesses in high places doth the parson fear, or experiment, or both; and that much more being single, than if he were married; for then commonly the stream of temptations is turned another way, into covetousness, love of pleasure or ease, or the like. If the parson be unmarried, and means to continue so, he doth at least as much as hath been said.

If he be married, the choice of his wife was made rather by his ear than by his eye; his judgment, not his affection, found out a fit wife for him, whose humble and liberal disposition he preferred before beauty, riches or honor. He knew that (the good instrument of God to bring women to heaven) a wise and loving husband could, out of humility, produce any special grace of faith, patience, meekness, love, obedience, etc.; and, out of liberality, make her fruitful in all good works. As he is just in all things, so is he to his wife also; counting nothing so much his own, as that he may be unjust unto it. Therefore he gives her respect both before

her servants and others, and half at least of the government of the house; reserving so much of the affairs as serve for a diversion for him, yet never so giving over the reins, but that he sometimes looks how things go, demanding an account, but not by the way of an account. And this must be done the oftener or the seldomer, according as he is satisfied of his wife's discretion.

CHAPTER X.

THE PARSON IN HIS HOUSE.

THE Parson is very exact in the governing of his house, making it a copy and model for his parish. He knows the temper and pulse of every person in his house; and, accordingly, either meets with their vices, or advanceth their virtues. His wife is either religious, or night and day he is winning her to it. Instead of the qualities of the world he requires only three of her. First, a training up of her children and maids in the fear of God; with prayers, and catechising, and all religious duties. Secondly, a curing and healing of all wounds and sores with her own hands; which skill either she brought with her, or he takes care she shall learn it of some religious neighbor. Thirdly, a providing for her family in such sort, as that neither they want a competent sustentation, nor her husband be brought in debt.

His children he first makes Christians, and then commonwealth's men; the one he owes to his heavenly country, the other to his earthly, having no title to either, except he do good to both. Therefore, having seasoned them with all piety-not only of words, in praying and reading; but in actions, in visiting other sick children and tending their wounds, and sending his charity by them to the poor, and sometimes giving them a little money to do it of themselves, that they get a delight in it, and enter favor with God, who weighs even children's actions, 1 Kings, 14: 12, 13,—he afterwards turns his care to fit all their dispositions with some calling; not sparing the eldest, but giving him the prerogative of his father's profession, which happily for his other children he is not able to do. Yet in binding them apprentices, (in case he think fit to do so,) he takes care not to put them into vain

trades, unbefitting the reverence of their father's calling, such as are taverns for men, and lace-making for women; because those trades, for the most part, serve but the vices and vanities of the world, which he is to deny and not augment. However, he resolves with himself never to omit any present good deed of charity, in consideration of providing a stock for his children; but assures himself that money thus lent to God, is placed surer for his children's advantage, than if it were given to the chamber of London. Good deeds and good breeding are his two great stocks for his children; if God give anything above those, and not spent in them, he blesseth God, and lays it out as he sees cause.

His servants are all religious; and were it not his duty to have them so, it were his profit; for none are so well served, as by religious servants; both because they do best, and because what they do is blessed, and prospers. After religion, he teaches them that three things make a complete servant: -truth, diligence, and neatness or cleanliness. Those that can read, are allowed times for it; and those that cannot, are taught; for all in his house are either teachers or learners or both; so that his family is a school of religion, and they all account, that to teach the ignorant is the greatest alms. Even the walls are not idle; but something is written or painted there, which may excite the reader to a thought of piety; especially the 101st Psalm, which is expressed in a fair table, as being the rule of a family. And when they go abroad, his wife among her neighbors is the beginning of good discourses; his children, among children; his servants, among other servants. So that as in the house of those that are skilled in music, all are musicians; so in the house of a preacher, all are preachers. He suffers not a lie or equivocation by any means in his house, but counts it the art and secret of governing, to preserve a directness and open plainness in all things; so that all his house knows that there is no help for a fault done, but confession. He himself, or his wife, takes account of sermons, and how every one profits, comparing this year with the last. And, besides the common prayers of the family, he straitly requires of all to pray by themselves, before they sleep at night and stir out in the morning; and knows what prayers they say, and, till they have learned them, makes them kneel by him; esteeming that this private praying is a more voluntary act in them than when they are called to others' prayers, and that which, when

they leave the family, they carry with them. He keeps his servants between love and fear, according as he finds them. But, generally, he distributes it thus; to his children he shows more love than terror; to his servants, more terror than love; but an old good servant boards a child.

The furniture of his house is very plain, but clean, whole and sweet;—as sweet as his garden can make; for he hath no money for such things, charity being his only perfume, which deserves cost when he can spare it. His fare is plain, and common, but wholesome. What he hath is little, but very good. It consisteth most of mutton, beef and veal; if he adds anything for a great day or a stranger, his garden or orchard supplies it, or his barn and backside. He goes no further for any entertainment, lest he go into the world; esteeming it absurd, that he should exceed, who teacheth others temperance. But those which his home produceth, he refuseth not; as coming cheap and easy, and arising from the improvement of things which otherwise would be lost. Wherein he admires and imitates the wonderful providence and thrift of the great Householder of the world. For, there being two things which, as they are, are unuseful to man, the one for smallness, as crumbs and scattered corn, and the like; the other for the foulness, as wash, and dirt, and things thereinto fallen,-God hath provided creatures for both; for the first, poultry; for the second, swine. These save man the labor; and, doing that which either he could not do, or was not fit for him to do, by taking both sorts of food into them, do as it were dress and prepare both for man in themselves, by growing themselves fit for his table.

The parson in his house observes fasting days. And particularly as Sunday is his day of joy, so Friday his day of humiliation; which he celebrates not only with abstinence of diet, but also of company, recreation and all outward contentments, and besides, with confession of sins, and all acts of mortification. Now fasting days contain a treble obligation; first, of eating less that day than on other days; secondly, of eating no pleasing or over-nourishing things, as the Israelites did eat sour herbs; thirdly, of eating no flesh,— which is but the determination of the second rule, by authority, to this particular. The two former obligations are much more essential to a true fast, than the third and last; and fasting days were fully performed by keeping of the two former, had not authority interposed. So that to eat little, and