do! How many that never received the sacrament of the Lord's Supper in their whole lives! How few that receive it above two or three times in the year, how often soever they are invited to it! How many are the proud, the passionate, the covetous, the intemperate, the incontinent, the unjust, the profane and impious, in comparison of the humble, and meek, and liberal, and sober, and modest, and righteous, and holy among us! The disproportion is so vastly great, that none but God himself can make the comparison; so little of Christianity is now to be found amongst Christians themselvesto our shame be it spoken.

It is indeed a matter of so much shame, as well as grief, to all that have any regard for the honour of Christ their Saviour, that they cannot but be very solicitous to know how it comes to pass, that his doctrine and precepts are so generally slighted and neglected as they are in our days, and how they may be observed better for the future than now they are. Both which questions may be easily resolved; for we cannot wonder, that of the many which profess the Christian religion, there are so few that live up to it,

when we consider how few are duly instructed in the first principles of it.

The religion which Christ hath revealed to the world is, by his grace and blessing, settled and established among us, so as to be made the religion of the kingdom in general; and therefore all that are born in it are, or ought to be, according to his order or institution, soon after baptized, and so made his disciples or Christians by profession. And the Church takes security of those who thus bring a child to be baptized, that when it comes to be capable of it, it shall be instructed in the Catechism which she for that purpose hath set forth, containing all the principles of that religion into which it was baptized. But, notwithstanding, this hath been neglected for many years, whereby it is come to pass that the far greatest part of the people in this kingdom know little or nothing of the religion they profess, but only to profess it as the religion of the country where they live. They may perhaps be very zealous for it, as all people are for the religion in which they are born and bred, but take no care to frame thei lives according to it, because they were never rightly informed about it, or, at least,

not soon enough, before error or sin hath got possession of them, which one or other of them commonly doth before they are aware of it; for they are always as children tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. And whatsoever sin gets dominion over them, there it reigns and domineers in their mortal bodies, so that they obey it in the lusts thereof, in spite of all that can be said to them out of God's own word; for they are no way edified by any thing they hear, in that the foundation is not first laid, upon which they should build up themselves in that most holy faith that is preached to them. The word they hear is as seed that falls by the way side, or upon a rock, or else among thorns, and so never comes to perfection; their hearts not being prepared beforehand and rightly disposed for it, by having the principles of the doctrine of Christ first infused into them.

This therefore being the great cause of that shameful decay of the Christian religion that is so visible among us, we can never expect to see it repaired, unless the great

duty of catechising be revived, and the laws that are made about it be strictly observed all the kingdom over, as most certainly they ought to be, not only as they are the laws both of the Church and State under which we live, but likewise for that they are grounded upon the word of God himself, who expressly commands the same thing by his apostle, saying, Fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. For here, by nurture we are to understand, as the Greek word signifies, that discipline which parents ought to exercise over their children, to prevent their falling into or continuing in any wicked course; and by the admonition of the Lord is meant the catechising, or putting them in mind of the Lord Jesus Christ, and of what he would have them believe and do, that they may be saved; for the original word which we translate admonition, properly signifies catechising. And therefore to catechise or instruct children in the knowledge of God and our Lord Jesus Christ, is a duty here laid upon all parents by Almighty God himself; and all that neglect to educate or bring up their children in the

admonition of the Lord, by catechising or teaching them the principles of his religion, they all live in the breach of a plain law, a law made by the supreme Lawgiver of the world; and must accordingly answer for it at the last day.

Wherefore all that are sensible of the great account which they must give of all their actions, at that time, to the Judge of the whole world, cannot but make as much conscience of this as of any duty whatsoever, so as to use the utmost of their care and diligence, that their children may grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and so be wise unto salvation.

Neither is this any hard matter for those to do, who live in the communion of the Church, having such a Catechism or summary of the Christian religion drawn up to their hands, which is easy both for parents to teach and for children to learn, and yet so full and comprehensive, that it contains all things necessary for any man to know in order to his being saved; as you may clearly see if you do but cast your eye upon the method and contents of it, which may be all reduced