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felf conceited men) I verily think, as ever England faw. Tho' they had the unhappiness to be employed in calamitous times when the noife of wars did stop men's ears, and the Licentioufnefs of wars did fet every wanton tongue and An at liberty to reproach them; and the profecution and erent of thofe wars, did exafperate partial discontented men, to difhonour themselves by feeking to dishonour them: I dare fay, if in the days of old, when councils were in power and account, they had had but fuch a council of bifhops, as this of prefbyters was the fame of it for learning and holiness, and all minifterial abilities, would with very great honour have been transmitted to posterity.

I do therefore defire, that all mafters of families would firft study well this work themselves, and then teach it their children and fervants, according to their feveral capacities. And, if they once understand thefe grounds of religion, they will be able to read other books more understandingly, and hear fermons more profitably, and confer more judiciously, and hold fast the doctrine of Chrift more firmly, than ever you are like to do by any other course. First let them read and learn the shorter Catechifm, and next the Larger, and lastly, read the Confeffion of Faith.

Thus far he; whofe name I shall conceal (tho' the excellency ofthe matter,andprefentftile,will eafily difcover him because I have publifhed it without his privity and confent, tho', I hope not against his liking and approbation. Ifhall add no more, but

that I am

Thy Servant

In the Lord's work,

THOMAS MANTON.

An

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church and common wealth; there is the first Making or Marring, and the prefage of their future lives to be thence taken, Prov. xx. 11. By family difcipline, officers are trained up for the church, 1 Tim. iii. 4. One that ruleth well his own house, &c. and there are men bred up in fubjection and obedience. 'Tis not d, Acts xxi. 5. that the disciples brought Paul on his Way with their wives and children; their children probably are mentioned,to intimate, that their parents would, by their own example and affectionate farewell to Paul,breed them up in a way of reverence and refpect to the pastor of the

church.

For the future, 'tis comfortable certainly to fee a thriving nursery of young plants, and to have hopes that God shall have a people to ferve him when we are dead and gone; the people of God comforted themselves in that, Pfal. cii. 28. The children of thy fervants fhall continue, &c.

Upon all these confiderations, how careful fhould minifters and parents be to train up young ones, whilft they are yet pliable, and, like wax, capable of any form and impreffion, in the knowledge and fear of God; and betimes to instill the principles of our most holy faith, as they are drawn into a Short Sum in Catechifms,and fo altogether laid in the view of Confcience? Surely thefe Seeds of truth planted in the field of memory, if they work nothing elfe,will at least be a great check and bridle to them, and, as the cafting in of cold water doth stay the boiling of the pot, fomewhat allay the fervours of youthful lufts and paffions.

I had upon intreaty refolved to recommend to thee with the greatest earneftness the work of catechifing,and, as a meet help, the usefulness of this book as thus printed with the fcriptures at large but meeting with a private letter of a very learned and Godly divine, wherein that work is excellent ly done to my hand, I fhall make bold to tranfcribe a part of it, and offer it to public view.

The Author having bewailed the great diftractions, corrup tions, and divifions that are in the church, he thus represents the cause and cure: Among others, a principle cause of these mifchiefs is the great and common neglect of the governors of families, in the difcharge of that duty which they owe to God for the fouls that are under their charge, especially in teaching them the doctrine of chriftianity families are.

So

focieties that must be fanctified to God, as well as churches; and the governors of them have as truly a charge of the fouls that are therein, as pastors have of the churches. But, alas, how little is this confidered or regarded! but, while negligent ministers are (defervedly) caft out of their places, the ne gligent mafters of families take themselves to be almost blamelefs. They offer their children to God in baptism, and there they promise to teach them the doctrine of the gofpel, and bring them up in the nurture of the Lord; but they easily promise, and easily break it; and educate their children for the world and the flesh, altho' they have renounced these, and dedicated them to God. This covenant-breaking with God, and betraying the fouls of their children to the devil, must lie heavy on them here or hereafter. They beget chil dren, and keep families, merely for the world and the flesh; but little confider what a charge is committed to them, and what it is to bring up a child for God, and govern a family as a fanctified fociety. O how fweetly and fuccefsfully would the work of God go on, if we would but all join together in our feveral places to promote it! men need not then run with. out fending to be preachers; but they might find that part of the work that belongeth to them to be enough for them, and to be the best that they can be employed in. Efpecially wo men should be careful of this duty, because as they are most about their children, and have early and frequent opportu nities to instruct them, fo this is the principle fervice they can do to God in this world, being restrained from more public work. And doubtlefs many an excellent magiftrate hath been fent into the common-wealth, and many an excellent paftor into the church, and many a precious faint to Heaven, through the happy preparations of a holy education, perhaps by a woman that thought herself useless and unferviceable to the church, Would parents but begin betimes, and labour to affect the hearts of their children with the great matters of everlafting life, and to acquaint them with the fubftance of the doctrine of Chrift, and, when they find in them the know. ledge and love of Chrift, would bring them then to the pastors of the church to be tried, confirmed and admitted to the further privileges of the church, what happy, well-ordered churches might we have? then one paftor need not be put to do the work of two or three hundred or thousand gover. nors,

nors of families; even to teach their children thofe princi ples which they should have taught them long before: nor fhould we be put to preach to fo many miferable ignorant fouls, that be not prepared by education to understand us: nor fhould we have need to fhut out fo many from holy communion upon the account of ignoraifce, that yet have not the grace to feel it and lament it, nor the wit and patience to wait in a learning state, till they are ready to be fellow-citizens with the faints, and of the houfhold of God. But now they come to us with aged felf-conceitedness, being paft children, and yet worse than children ftill; having the ignorance of children, but being overgrown the teachablenels of children; and think themselves wife, yea, wife enough to quarrel with the wifeft of their teachers, because they have lived long enough to have been wife, and the evidence of their knowledge is their aged ignorance: and they are readier to flee in our faces for church-privileges, than to learn of us, and obey our inftructions, till they are prepared for them that they may do them good; like fnappifh curs, that will snap us by the fingers for their meat, and fnatch it out of our hands; and not like children, that stay till we give it them. Parents have so used them to be unruly, that ministers have to deal but with too few but the unruly. And it is for want of this laying the foundation well at first, that profeffors themselves are fo ignorant as most are, and that fo many, especially of the younger fort, do fwallow down almost any error that is offerred them, and follow any fect of dividers that will entice them, fo it be but done with earnestness and plaufibility. For alas, though, by the grace of God, their hearts may be changed in an hour, (whenever they understand but the effentials of the faith) yet their understandings must have time and diligence to furnish them with fuch knowledge as must stablish them, and fortify them against deceits. Upon these and many the like confiderations, we should intreat all chriftian fa milies to take more pains in this neceffary work, and to get better acquainted with the fubftance of christianity. And to that end (taking along fome moving treatises to awake the heart) I know not what work fhould be fitter for their use, than that compiled by the affembly at Westminster; a fynod of as godly, judicious divines, (notwithstanding all the bitter words which they have received from difcontented and

felf

felf conceited men) I verily think, as ever England saw. Tho' they had the unhappiness to be employed in calamitous times when the noife of wars did ftop men's ears, and the Licentiousness of wars did fet every wanton tongue and pen at liberty to reproach them; and the profecution and eFent of thofe wars, did exafperate partial difcontented men, to difhonour themselves by seeking to dishonour them: I dare fay, if in the days of old, when councils were in power and account, they had had but fuch a council of bifhops, as this of prefbyters was the fame of it for learning and holiness, and all minifterial abilities, would with very great honour have been transmitted to pofterity.

I do therefore defire, that all mafters of families would first study well this work themselves, and then teach it their children and fervants, according to their feveral capacities. And, if they once understand thefe grounds of religion, they will be able to read other books more understandingly, and hear fermons more profitably, and confer more judiciously, and hold fast the doctrine of Christ more firmly, than ever you are like to do by any other course. First let them read and learn the fhorter Catechifm, and next the Larger, and lastly, read the Confeffion of Faith.

Thus far he; whofe name I fhall conceal (tho' the excellency ofthe matter,andprefentftile,will eafily difcover him because I have published it without his privity and confent, tho', I hope not against his liking and approbation. Į shall add no more, but that I am

Thy Servant

In the Lord's work,

THOMAS MANTON.

An

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