Whatever hath been faid already, tho' it concerns every private Chriftian that hath a foul to look after, yet, upon a double account, it concerns parents and masters, as having themselves and others to look after: Some there are, who, because of their ignorance, cannot; others because of their fluggishness, will not mind this duty. To the former we propound the method of Joshua, who firft began with himself, and then is careful of his family. To the latter we fhall only hint, what a dreadful meeting thofe parents and masters must have at that great day, with their children and fervants, when all that were under their inspection fhall not only accuse them, but charge their eternal mifcarrying upon their score. Never did any age of the church enjoy fuch choice helps, as this of ours. Every age of the gofpel hath had its creeds, confeffions, catechifms, and fuch breviaries and models of divinity as have been fingularly feful. Such forms of found words (however in these days decried) have been in ufe in the church, ever fince God himself wrote the decalogue, as a fummary of things to be done, and Christ taught us that prayer of his, as a directory what to ask. Concerning the usefulness of fuch compendiary fyftems, so much hath been faid already by a learned divine* of this age, as is fufficient to fatisfy all who are not refolved to remain unfatisfied.

Concerning the particular excellency of thefe enfuing treatises, we judge it unneedful to mention thofe eminent teftimonies which hath been given them, from perfons of known worth in refpect of their judgment, learning, and integrity, both at home and abroad, because themselves fpake fo much their own praise: gold stands not in need of varnish, nor diamonds of painting; give us leave only to tell you, that we cannot but account it an eminent mercy to enjoy fuch helps as these are. 'Tis ordinary in these days, for men to Speak evil of things they know not; but, if any are poffeffed with mean thoughts of thefe treatifes, we fhall only give the fame counsel to them, that Philip gives Nathaniel, 'Come and fee,' John i. 46. 'Tis no small advantage the reader now hath, by the addition of scriptures at large, whereby with little pains he may more profit, because with every truth he may behold its fcripture-foundation. And indeed, confidering what a Babel of opinions, what a ftrange confufion of tongues there is this day, among them who profefs they fpeak the language of Canaan; there is no intelligent perfon but will conclude that advice of the prophet especially fuited to fuch an age as this, Ifa. viii. 20. To the law and to the teftimony, if they fpeak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.' If the reverend and learned compofers of thefe enfuing treatises were willing to take the pains of annexing fcripture-proofs to every truth, that the faith of people might not Doctor Tuckney, in his Sermon on 2 Tim. i. 13.

"

be

be built upon the dictates of men, but the authority of God: So fome considerable pains hath now been further taken in tranfcribing thofe fcriptures, partly to prevent that grand inconvenience (which all former impreffions, except the Latin, have abounded with, to the great perplexing and disheartning of the reader) the mifquotation of fcripture; the meaneft reader being able, by having the words at large, to rectify whatever mistake may be in the printer in citing the particular place: Partly to prevent the trouble of turning to every proof, which could not but be very great: Partly to help the memories of fuch who are willing to take the pains of turning to every proof, but are unable to retain what they read; and partly that this may ferve as a Bible common place, the feveral paffages of scripture which are scattered up and down in the word, being in this book reduced to their proper head, and thereby giving light each to other. The advantages, you fee, in this defign, are many and great: The way to fpiritual knowledge is hereby made more easy, and the ignorance of this age, more inexcufable.

If therefore there be any spark in you of love to God, be not content that any of yours fhould be ignorant of him whom you so much admire, or any haters of him whom you so much love. If there be any compaffion to the foals of them who are under your care, if any regard of your being found faithful in the day of Chrift, if any respect of future generations; labour to fow the feeds of knowledge, which may grow up in after-times. That you may be faithful herein, is the earnest prayer of

MR. THOMAS MANTON'S

EPISTLE TO THE READ E R.

CHRISTIAN READER.

I

Cannot fuppofe thee to be fuch a stranger in England, as to be ignorant of the general complaint concerning the decay of the power of godliness, and more especially of the great corruption of youth; wherever thou goeft, thou wilt hear men crying out of bad children, and bad fervants: Whereas indeed the fource of the mifchief must be fought a little higher; 'tis bad parents and bad masters that make bad children, and bad servants; and we can

1

not blame fo much their untowardness, as our own negligence in their edu cation.

The devil hath a great fpite at the kingdom of Chrift, and he knoweth no fuch compendious way to crush it in the egg, as by the perverfion of youth, and fupplanting family-duties. He ftriketh at all duties, thofe which are public in the affemblies of the faints; but thefe are too well guarded by the folemn injunctions and dying charge of Jefus Chrift, as that he fhould ever hope totally to fubvert and undermine them; but at family-duties he striketh with the more fuccefs, because the inftitution is not fo folemn, and the practice not fo seriously and confcientiously regarded as it fhould be, and the omiffion is not fo liable to notice and public cenfure, Religion was firft hatched in families, and there the devil feeketh to crush it; the families of the Patriarchs were all the churches God had in the world for the time, and therefore (I suppose) when Cain went out from Adam's family, he is faid to go out from the face of the Lord, Gen. iv. 16. Now the devil knoweth that this is a blow at the root, and a ready way to prevent the fucceffion of churches: If he can fubvert families, other focieties and communities will not long flourish and fubfift with any power and vigour; for there is the stock from whence they are fupplied both for the prefent and the future.

1

For the prefent, a family is the feminary of church and ftate; and, if children be not well principled, there all miscarrieth: A fault in the first concoction is not mended in the fecond; if youth be bred ill in the family, they prove ill in church and common-wealth; there is the firft 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. ii. 4. ' One ⚫ that ruleth well his own houfe, &c.' and there are men bred up in fubjection and obedience, 'tis noted, Acts xxi. 5. that the disciples brought Paul on his

way

way with their wives and children; their children probably are mentioned, to intimate, that their parents would, by their own example and affectionate farewel to Paul, breed them up in a way of reverence and respect to the paftors of the church.

For the future, 'tis comfortable certainly to fee a thriving nursery of young plants, and to have hopes that God fhall 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 fervant fhall conti'pue.'

Upon all these confiderations how careful should ministers and parents be to train up young ones, while they are yet pliable, and, like wax, capable of any form and impreffion in the knowledge and fear of God; and betimes to inftill the principles of our most holy faith, as they are drawn into a short fum in catechifms, as fo altogether laid in the view of confcience? Surely these feeds 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 earpestress 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 excellently done to my hand, I shall make bold to transcribe a part of it, and offer it to publick view.

The author having bewailed the great diftractions, corruptions and divifrons that are in the church, he thus represents the cause and cure: Among others, a principal cause of these mischiefs is the great and common neglect of the governors of families, in the discharge of that duty which they owe to God for the fouls that are under their charge, efpecially in teaching them the doctrine of chriftianity. Families are 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 paftors have of the churches. But, alas, how little is this confidered or regarded! But, while negligent minifters are (defervedly) caft out of their places, the negligent masters of families take themselves to be almost blameless. They offer their children to God in baptifm, and there they promife to teach them the doctrine of the gofpel, and bring them up in the nurture of the Lord; but they eafily promife, and cafily 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, muft ly heavy on them here or hereafter. They beget children, and keep families, merely for the world and the flesh: but little consider 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 several places to promote it! Men need not then run without 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 beft that they can be employed in.

Especially women should be careful of this duty, because as they are most about their children, and have early and frequent opportunities to instruct them, fo this is the principal fervice they can do to God in this world, being restrained from more publick work. And doubtless many an excellent magistrate 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 ufelefs and unferviceable to the church. Would parents but begin betimes, and labour to affect the hearts of their children with the great matters of everlasting life, and to acquaint them with the fubftance of the doctrine of Christ, and when they find in them the knowledge and love of Christ, would bring them then to the paftors 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 governors of families; even to teach their children those principles which they should have taught them long before: Nor should we be put to preach to fo many miferable ignorant fouls, that be not prepared by education to understand us: Nor should we have need to fhut out fo many from holy communion upon the account of ignorance, 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-conceitednefs, being paft children; and yet worfe than children ftill; having the ignorance of children, but being over-grown the teachablenefs of children and think themselves wife, yea, wife enough to quarrel with the wifest 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 snappifh currs, that will snap us by the fingers for their meat, and snatch it out of our hands; and not like children, that stay till we give it them. Parents have fo used them to be unruly, that ministers have to

deal