THe THe Countrey Parſon hath      not onely ou-  ly taken a particu-   lar particular Servey Survey of the faults of his own Pariſh , but a generall ge-neral alſo of the diſeaſes of the time,             that 110  The Parſon’s Surveys. that ſo ſo,             when 132  The Parſon’s Surveys. when his occaſions carry him a-broad abroad , or bring ſtrangers to him, he may be the better armed to en-counter encoun-ter them. The great and na-tionall national ſin of this Land Land, he eſteems to be Idleneſſe Idle-neſs ; great in it ſelfe , and great in Conſequence Con-ſequence : For when men have nothing no-thing to do, then they fall to drink, to ſteal , to whore, to scoffe , to revile, to all ſorts of gamings. Come, ſay they, we have nothing to do, lets go to the Tavern, or to the ſtews , or what not. what not? Where-fore Wherefore the Parſon ſtrongly oppoſeth op-poſeth this ſin , wherſoever whereſoever he goes. And be-cauſe becauſe Idleneſs is twofold, the one in having no calling, the other in wal-king walking careleſly in our calling, he firſt repreſents to every body the neceſ-ſity ne-ceſſity of a vocation. The reaſon of this aſſertion is taken from the nature of man, wherein God hath placed two great Inſtruments , Reaſon in the ſoul , and a hand in the Body, as ingagements of working: So             that   The Parſon’s Surveys.    133 that even in Paradiſe man had a calling, and how much more out of Paradiſe , when the evills evils which he is now ſubject unto, may be prevented,             or   The Parſon’s Surveys.    111 or diverted by reaſonable imploy-ment . Beſides , every gift or a-bility ability is a talent to be accounted for, and to be improved to our Ma-ſters Maſters Advantage Advan-tage . Yet is it it is alſo a debt to our Countrey Coun-trey to have a Calling, and it concernes concerns the Com-mon-wealth Common-wealth , that none ſhould be i-dle idle , but all buſied . Laſtly , riches are the bleſsing bleſſing of God, and the great Inſtrument of doing admirable good; therfore all are to procure them ho-neſtly, honeſtly and ſeaſonably , when they are not better imployed . Now this rea-ſon reaſon croſſeth not our Saviours pre-cept of ſelling what we have, becauſe when we have ſold all, and given it to the poor, we muſt not be idle, but labour to get more, that we may give more, according to St. Pauls St Pauls rule, Ephe ſ . 4.28. I The ſ . 4.11, 12. So 4.11, 12.            So134  The Parſon’s Surveys.ſo that our Saviours ſelling is ſo far from croſſing Saint Pauls working, that it rather eſtabliſheth ſtabliſheth it, ſince they that have nothing, are fitteſt to work. Now becauſe the onely oppoſer to this Doctrine is the Gal-lant , who is witty enough to a-buſe both others, and himſelf , and             who 112  The Parſon’s Surveys. who is ready to ask, if he ſhall mend ſhoos ſhoes , or what he ſhall do? Ther-fore There-fore the Parſon unmoved, ſheweth , that ingenuous and fit imployment is never wanting to thoſe that ſeek it. But if it ſhould be, the Aſſer-tion ſtands thus: All are either eitheir to have a Calling, or prepare for it: He that hath or can have yet no im-ployment imployment , if he truly, and ſeriouſly prepare for it, he is ſafe and within bounds. Wherefore all are either preſently to enter into a Calling, if they be fit for it, and it for them; or elſe to examine exa-mine with care, and advice, what they are fitteſt for, and to prepare for that with all diligence.             But   The Parſon’s Surveys.    135 But it will not be amiſſe amiſs in this ex-ceeding exceeding uſefull point to deſcend to particulars: for exactneſſe exact-neſs lyes in particulars. Men are either ei-ther ſingle , or marryed : The marryed mar-ryed and houſe-keeper hath his hands full, if he do what he ought to do. For there are two branches of his af-faires af-fairs ; firſt , the improvement of his family fa-mily , by bringing them up in the fear and nurture of the Lord; and ſecondly ſecond-ly , the improvement of his grounds,             by   The Parſon’s Surveys.    113 by drowning, or draining, ſtocking, or ſtock-ing, or fencing, and ordering or ordering his land to the beſt advan-tage advantage both of himſelf, him-ſelf and his neigh-bours neighbours . The Italian ſays , None fouls his hands in his own buſineſſe buſineſs : and it is an honeſt , and juſt care, ſo it exceeds not bounds, for every one eve-ry one to imploy himſelfe to the ad-vancement of his affairs , that hee he may have wherewithall wherewithal to do good. But his family is his beſt care, to la-bour labour Chriſtian ſoules ſouls , and raiſe             them 136  The Parſon’s Surveys. them to their height, even to heaven; to dreſſe dreſs and prune them, and take as much joy in a ſtraight -growing childe , or ſervant , as a Gardiner doth in a choiſe choice tree Tree . Could men finde find out this delight de-light , they would ſeldome be from home; whereas now, of any place, they are leaſt there. But if after all this care well diſpatched , the houſe-keepers Fami-ly Family be ſo ſmall , and his dexterity ſo great, that he have leiſure to look out, the Village or Pariſh which ei-ther either he lives in, or is neer near unto it, is his imployment . Hee He conſiders every one there, and either helps them in particular particular , or hath gene-rall gene-     I     ral 114  The Parſon’s Surveys. ral Propoſitions to the whole Towne or Hamlet, of advancing the publick Stock, and managing Commons, or Woods, according as the place ſuggeſts ſug-eſts . But if hee he may bee be of the Commiſſion Com-miſſion of Peace, there is nothing to that: No Common-wealth in the world             hath   The Parſon’s Surveys.    137 hath a braver better Inſtitution then that of Juſtices of the Peace: For it is both a ſecurity to the King, who hath ſo many diſperſed Offi-cers Officers at his beck throughout the Kingdome Kingdom , accountable ac-countable for the publick good; and alſo an honou-rable honourable Imployment imployment of a Gentle, or Noble-man in the Country he lives in, inabling him with power to do good, and to reſtrain re-ſtrain all thoſe , who elſe might both trouble him and the whole State. Wherefore it behoves all, who are come to the gravitie, gravity and ripeneſſe ripeneſs of judge-ment judgment for ſo excellent a Place, not to refuſe , but rather to pro-cure procure it. And whereas there are uſually three Objections made a-gainſt againſt the Place; the one, the a-buſe abuſe of it, by taking petty Countrey bribes petty-Coun-trey-bribes ; the other, the caſt-ing caſting of it on mean perſons per-            ſons,  The Parſon’s Surveys.    115ſons , eſpe-cially eſpecially in ſome Shires : and laſt-ly laſtly , the trouble of it: Theſe are             ſo 138  The Parſon’s Surveys. ſo far from deterring any good man from the place, that they kindle them rather to redeem the Dignity either from true faults, or unjuſt a-ſperſions aſperſions . Now, for ſingle men, they are either Heirs, or younger Brothers: The Heirs are to prepare in all the fore- mentioned points a-gainſt againſt the time of their practice . Therefore they are to mark their Fathers diſcretion in ordering or-dering his Houſe and Affairs ; and alſo al-ſo elſe-where elſewhere , when they ſee any remark-able re-markable point of Education or good husbandry, and to tranſplant it in time to his own home, with the ſame care as others, when they meet met with good fruit, get a graffe graff graft of the tree Tree , inriching their Orchard, and negle-cting neglect-ing their Houſe . Beſides , they are to read Books of Law, Law and Ju-ſtice Juſtice ; eſpecially, eſpecially the Statutes at large. As for better Books of Di-vinity Divinity , they are not in this Conſide-ration Conſideration , becauſe we are about a Cal-            ling,  The Parſon’s Surveys.    139ling Calling , and a preparation prepa-ration thereunto. But chiefly , and above all things, they are to frequent      I2     Seſſions 116  The Parſon’s Surveys. Seſſions and Sizes Aſſizes ; for it is both an honor which they owe to the Reverend Reve-rend Judges and Magiſtrates , to attend at-tend them, them at leaſt in their Shire; and it is a great advantage to know the pra-ctice practice of the Land; for our Law is Practice . Sometimes he may go to Court, as the eminent place both of good and ill. At other times he is to travell travel over the King’s Domini-ons Dominions , cutting out the Kingdome into Portions Por-tions , which every yeer year he ſur-veys ſurveys peece-meal piece-meal . When there is a Parliament Parlia-ment , he is to endeavour by all means to be a Knight or Burgeſs there; for there is no School to a Par-liament Parliament . And when he is there, he muſt not only on-ly be a morning man , but at Committees Commit-tees alſo ; for there the particulars are exactly diſcuſſed , which are brought from thence to the Houſe but in generall ge-neral . When             none 140  The Parſon’s Surveys. none of theſe occaſions call him a-broad abroad , every morning that hee he is at home he e muſt either ride the Great Horſe , or exerciſe ſome of his Military geſtures Poſtures . For all Gen-tlemen Gentle-men , that are now weakned not weakned , and diſ-armed with ſedentary lives, are to             know   The Parſon’s Surveys.    117 know the uſe of their Arms: and as the Husbandman labours for them, ſo muſt they fight for, and defend them, when occaſion calls. This is the duty of each to other, which they ought to fulfill : And the Par-ſon is a lover of lover and exciter to juſtice in all things, even as John the Baptiſt ſquared out to every one (even to Souldiers ) what to do. As for younger Brothers, thoſe whom the Parſon finds looſe , and not ingaged into ſome Profeſſion by their Pa-rents , whoſe neglect in this point is intolerable, and a ſhamefull wrong both to the Common-wealth , and their own Houſe : To them, after he hath ſhew’d ſhewd the unlawfulneſs of ſpen-            ding  The Parſon’s Surveys.    141ding ſpen-ding the day in dreſsing dreſſing , Comple-menting , viſiting , and ſporting , he firſt commends the ſtudy of the Ci-vill Ci-vil Law, as a brave, and wiſe know-ledg , the Profeſſours Profeſſors whereof were much imployed by Q Eliz. Qneen Eliza-beth, becauſe it is the key of Com-merce Commerce , & and diſcovers the Rules rules of forraine forrain Nations. Secondly, he commends the Mathematicks , as the only wonder-working wonder working know-ledg, knowledg      I3     and 118  The Parſon’s Library. and therefore requiring the beſt ſpirits ſpi-rits . After the ſeverall ſeveral know-ledg knowledg of theſe , he adviſeth to inſiſt and dwell chiefly on the two noble branches therof thereof , of Fortification , and Navigation Navi-gation ; The one being uſefull uſeful to all Countreys , and the o-ther other eſpecially to Ilands Iſlands . But if the young Gallant think theſe Courſes dull, and phlegmatick phleg-matick , where can he buſie himſelf better, then than in thoſe new Plantations, and diſcoveryes diſcoveries , which are not only a noble, but alſo as they may be handled han-dled , a reli-            gious142  The Parſon’s Library.gious religious imployment imploymeut ? Or let him travel into Germany, Germany and France, and obſerving the Artifices , and Manu-factures Ma-nufactures there, tranſplant them hi-ther , as divers have done lately, to our Countrey ’s advantage.