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CONFESSION OF FAIΤΗ,

The LARGER and SHORTER SHORTER

CATECHISMS.

With the Scripture-Proofs at large.

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ACTS of Affembly and Parliament, relative to, and approbative of the fame.

Deut. vi. 6, 7. And these Words which I command thee this Day, shall be in thy Heart. And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy Children, and shalt talk of them when thou fittest in thy Houp, and when thou walkeft by the Way, and when thou lieft down, and when thou rifeft up.

Printed in the Year, MDCCLXVIII.

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THE

GENERAL CONTENTS

HE Preface, by fundry English Divines.
Mr. Manton's Epistle to the Reader.

I. The Confeffion of Faith.
II. The Larger Catechism.
II. The Shorter Catechifm.
IV. The Sum of Saving Knowledge.
V. The National Covenant.

VI. The Solemn League and Covenant.
VII. The Acknowledgment of Sins, &c.
VIII. The Directory for Publick Worship.
IX. The Form of Presbyterial Church-Government.
X. The Directory for Family-worship.

THE

CHRISTIAN READER,

ESPECIALLY

HEADS OF FAMILIES.

AS we cannot but with grief of foul lament those multitudes of errors, blafphemies, and all kinds of profaneness, which have in this age, like a mighty deluge, overflown this nation; fo, among leveral other fins which have helped to open the flood-gates of all these impietes, we cannot but esteem the disuse of family instruction one of the greatest. The two great pillars upon which the kingdom of Satan is erected, and by which it is upheld, are ignorance and error; the first step of our manumission from this spiritual thraldom confifts, in having our eyes opened, and being turned from darkness to light, Acts xxvi. 18. How much the serious endeavours of godly parents and masters might contribute to an early seasoning the tender years of such as are under their inspection, is abundantly evident, not only from their special influence upon them, in respect of their authority over them, interest in them, continual prefence with them, and frequent opportunities of being helpful to them; but also from the fad effects which by woful experience we find to be the fruit of the omission of this duty. 'Twere easy to fet before you a cloud of winesses, the language of whose practice hath been not only an eminent commendation of this duty, but also a serious exhortation to it. As Abel, though dead, yet speaks by his example to us for our imitation of his faith, &c. Heb. xi. 4. So do the examples of Abraham, of Joshua, of the parents of Solomon, of the grandmother and mother of Timothy, the mother of Augustine, whose care was as well to nurse up the souls as the bodies of their little ones; and as their pains herein was great, so was their fuccess no way unanswerable.

We should scarce imagine it any better than an impertinency, in this noon-day of the gospel, either to inform or perfuade a duty 1 to exprefly commanded, so frequently urged, so highly encouraged,

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and so eminently owned by the Lord in all ages with his blessing, but that our fad experience tells us this duty is not more needful than 'tis of late neglected. For the restoring of this duty to its due observance, give us leave to suggest this double advice.

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The first concerns heads of families in refpect of themselves, that as the Lord hath set them in place above the rest of their family, they would labour in all wisdom and spiritual understanding to be above them also. 'Tis an uncomely fight to behold men in years babes in knowledge; and how unmeet are they to instruct others, who need themselves to be taught which 'be the first principles of the oracles of God?" Heb. v. 12. Knowledge is an accomplishment so defireable, that the devils themselves knew not a more taking bait by which to tempt our first parents, than by the fruit of the tree of knowledge. So shall you be as gods, knowing good and evil." When Solomon had that favour shewed him of the Lord, that he was made his own chuser what to ask, he knew no greater mercy to beg than Wisdom, 1 Kings iii. 5, 9. The understanding is the guide and pilot of the whole man, that faculty which fits at the stern of the foul: But as the most expert guide may mistake in the dark, so may the understanding when it wants the light of knowledge; ' Without knowledge the mind cannot be good,' Prov. xix. 2. Nor the life good, nor the eternal condition safe, Eph. iv. 18. 'My people are • destroyed for lack of knowledge,' Hof. iv. 6. 'Tis ordinary in scripture to iet profaneness and all kind of miscarriages upon the fcore of ignorance. Diseases in the body have many times their rife from distempers in the head, and exorbitancies in practice from errors in judgment: And indeed in every sin there is something both of ignorance and error at the bottom; for, did finners truly know what they do in finning, we might say, of every fin, what the apofile speaks concerning that great fin, 'Had they known him, they would

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not have crucified the Lord of glory;' did they truly know that every fin is a provoking the Lord to jealousy, a proclaiming war against heaven, a crucifying the Lord Jesus afresh, a treasuring up wrath untó themselves against the day of wrath,' and that, if ever they be pardoned, it must be at no lower a rate than the price of blood, it were scarce possible but fin, instead of alluring, should affright, and instead of tempting, scare. 'Tis one of the arch devices_and principal methods of Satan to deceive men into fin: thus he prevailed againft our first parents, not as a lion but as a ferpent, acting his enmity under a pretence of friendship, and tempting them to evil under an appearance of good; and thus hath he all along carried on his deigns of darkness, by transforming himself into an angel of light, making poor deceived men in love with their miseries, and hug their own destruction. A most sovereign antidote against all kind of errors, is to be grounded and fettled in the faith: Persons, unlixed in the true religion, are very receptive of a falfe; and they who

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are nothing in spiritual knowledge, are easily made any thing. Clouds without water are driven to and fro with every wind, and ships without ballast liable to the violence of every tempest. But yet the knowledge we especially commend, is not a brain knowledge, a mere fpeculation; this may be in the worst of men, nay, in the worst of creatures, the devils themselves, and that in such eminency, as the best of faints cannot attain to in this life of imperfection: But an inward, a favory, an heart-knowledge, such as was in that martyr, who, tho' The could not dispute for Chritt, could die for him.. This is that spiritual sense and feeling of divine truths, the apostle speaks of Heb. v. 14. "Having your senses exercised, &c.

But, alas, we may fay of the most mens religion what learned Rivet *fpeaks concerning the errors of the Fathers, " they were not fo much " their own errors, as the errors of the time wherein they lived." Thus do most men take up their religion upon no better an account than Turks and Papists take up theirs, because 'tis the religion of the times and places wherein they live; and what they take up thus flightly they lay down as eafily. Whereas an inward taste and relish of the things of God, is an excellent preservative to keep us fettled in the most unfettled times. Corrupt and unfavory principles have great advantage upon us above those that are spiritual and found; the former being suitable to corrupt nature, the latter contrary; the former springing up of themselves, the latter brought forth not without a painful industry. The ground needs no other midwifry in bringing forth weeds, than only the neglect of the husbandman's hand to piuck them up; the air needs no other cause of darkness, than the absence of the fun; nor water of coldness, than its distance from the fire, because these are the genuine products of nature: Were it so with the foul (as some of the philosophers have vainly imagined) to come into the world an "ab rafa Tabula," a mere blank or piece of white paper, on which neither any thing written, nor any blots; it would then be equally receptive of good and evil, and no more averse to the one than to the other: But how much worfe its condition indeed is, were scripture filent, every man's experience does evidently manifest. For who is there that knows any thing of his own heart, and knows not thus much, that the fuggeftions of Satan have fo eafy and free admittance into our hearts, that our utmost watchfulness is too little to guard us from them? whereas the motions of God's Spirit are so unacceptable to us, that our utmost diligence is too little to get our hearts open to entertain them. Let therefore the excellency, neceffity, difficulty of true wildom ftir up endeavours in you, fomewhat proportionable to fuch an accomplishment; ' Above all getting, get understanding,' Prov. iv. 7. • Aud search for wisdom as for hidden treasures,' Prov. iv. 4. It much concerns you in respect of yourselves.

Our fecond advice concerns heads of families, in respect of their familics

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* Rivet, Crit. Sacr.

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