To the Christian Reader; especially Heads of Families

Those Catechisms may very well be esteemed the best, which are Explanatory of the Creed, ten Commandments and the Lords Prayer; because these Summaries or Abstracts contain the Essentials of the true Religion, or those choice truths which God would have us take extraordinary notice of in our course of reading the holy Scriptures: And therefore those that begin with Catechizing, begin the most easie and profitable way for any; because the weightier matters of the Law are not hard to be understood, and such words being Spirit and Life, and the very marrow of Christianity, must needs feed and nourish us up unto eternal life. I have fixed my thoughts upon the Assemblies shorter Catechism, because the Principles in it are mostly agreed upon by all sober intelligent unprejudiced Protestant Divines. You have also something of the nature of the two Covenants superadded to, or rather enlarged upon more particularly and expresly than in the Catechism. And because Catechisms ought to contain nothing but received truths, you have mostly the Explication of Antient and Modern Divines: And therefore, where you meet with any thing that is not so elaborate and exact, you may conclude it mine, and not theirs. Hearing occasionally a Discourse of a very learned and godly Divine out of Deut. 6. 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, &c.] who recommended to Parents with the greatest earnestness the work of Catechizing; I shall make bold to transcribe a part of it, and offer it to publick view. You shall have, 1. His Reasons to prove that Parents ought diligently to Catechize or teach their Children [Servants also included.] 2. His Answers to the Objections against it. And 3. The Motives he laid down to provoke and stir up all Parents to this necessary duty.

10. Reasons for the proof of it.

1. Every man ought to promote the Glory of God, to advance the Kingdom of Christ, and to further the Salvation of others as far forth as they are able, and have opportunity to it. And can we effect these any better way? We pray, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done: Surely the coming of Christs Kingdom into our hearts is one way of his Kingdom’s coming.

2. God hath set Parents in Authority over them, and they cannot improve it to better purpose. This is the most ancient Government. Before there was King or Common-wealth, there was Parental Government. This being most ancient, afterwards was the Priest and Prophet. God hath laid a command upon Children to obedience in the fifth Commandment, Ephes. 6. 1. Only Dignity requires duty; improve your authority for God, and use it to instruct your Household in the Word of God. Do not think you have done, till you have done this.

3. Even nature it self dictates thus much. The Birds and Beasts of the field, yea the Sea-monsters take care of their young ones. If you do nothing but feed and cloath your Children, you do no more than Heathens, nay than brute beasts. ’Tis said of the Ostrich, Job 39. 16. that she is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers: And what do ignorant Parents less, who are hardened against their own Children who are parts of themselves?

4. Children have Souls to be saved or damned, therefore some must take care of them, and the soul that sinneth must die. We see Children die as well as Aged persons.¹ In Golgatha there are Skulls of all sorts: Yea, do but look into the Register of a Parish, and you shall see as many young as old have died in it. Children may die, and what if they die without knowledge, in their sins? better were it with those Children mentioned, 2 Kings 2. 23, 24. than these, Isa. 27. 11. 2 Thes. 1. 7, 8. Thus unchastised Children shall suffer; but the Parents shall not go Scot-free. If you would have them profit by the publick Ministry, you must Catechize them at home. To bring them to the publick before they be thus Catechized, is setting before them an hard loaf. You must give them milk at home, that they may be fit for higher truths in publick.

5. Your Children are Children of wrath, and you have been instruments to conveigh this to them.² They die, and that proves this. When your Children are sick, you forthwith go to the Physitian, and will you take no care of their Souls, inheriting their spiritual maladies from you? You may say as David to Abiathar, 1 Sam. 22. 22. I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy Fathers house.

6. What will become of Religion in future Ages, if Parents neglect this duty at present? If all Parents were as careless as some, the Church of God would soon cease on the earth, Isa. 38. 19. The Father to the Children shall make known thy truth, Psal. 78. 3, 4. Which we have heard and known, and our Fathers have told us; We will not hide them from their Children, shewing to the Generation to come the praises of the Lord. If we do not teach our Children how should they teach theirs? It was above two thousand years before the Scripture was written; how then was piety preserved but by one Generation teaching another? Adam taught his Children. The sacrificing of Cain, and Abel’s piety therein were both the fruit of Adam’s teaching. Noah taught his Children to Abraham, and he taught his houshold. Isa. 1. 9. Except the Lord of Hosts had left unto us a very small Remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah: We should have been as Heathenish, as Paganish as they.

7. God is highly pleased with piety in younger ones. The Lord had respect to Abel the younger; and Enoch of all the Patriarchs before the Flood the youngest, is said to please God. How was God pleased with the piety of Samuel and Josiah? And we read of Jehojachin that began very young to Reign; and did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, 2 Kings 24. 8, 9. God takes notice of the evil as well as the good. Children might sing Hosanna,³ as well as cry bold-head, if they were taught. Iesus said, Mat. 19. 14. Suffer little Children, and forbid them not to come unto me: for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven. Of such, not untaught Children.

8. You cannot expect the blessings of the Covenant, except you teach them the Commandments of God Ps. 103. 17, 18. Dan. 9. 4.

9. Assure your selves, if you neglect this duty, God will require their blood at your hands, Gen. 9. 5. with Acts 20. 26. It is here with Parents as with Ministers; if you do not warn and teach them, God will require their blood at your hands. Ezek. 3. 18.

Object. But teaching is the work of the Minister?

Answ. It is not only his, but yours; his in publick, yours in your Families.

10. Sin and corruption is so inherent in Children in their nature, that all the care of Ministers in publick, and Parents at home will be little enough to heal this plague of original corruption.⁴ This plague is like the Leprosie. There must be scraping, and if cleansing will not do, there must be pulling down. So that you see all is little enough: without teaching, your Children may perish, and you smart for it.

Object. 1. But Children may do well that are not thus carefully instructed.

Answ. 1. They may do well as to the outward man, they may prosper in the world. God may cause his Sun to shine upon the unjust and the unthankful. But Parents are to wish that their Children may do well as to the inward man, and prosper in their Souls, as John for his friend Gaius, 3 Joh. 2.

2. They may perish eternally for want of Knowledge. Hos. 4. 6.

3. If some Children happen to come to good, no thanks to such careless graceless Parents that neglect instruction at home.

Object. 2. But we have known them that have been taught well enough to have made bad proof?

A. 1. This is too sadly true, to be denied; But the fault may be in one of the Parents by their bad example: And Children as well as the conclusion in syllogizing will follow the worse and weaker part; yet this is blameworthy in Parents.

2. Good Parents have severely smarted for their neglect of strict Discipline in their Families, and their over great fondness in cockering their Children, as you may read in Eli and David. 1 Sam. 3. 13. 2 Sam 13, and 14, and 15. 1 Kings 1. 6.

3. But if the Children of good Parents prove bad, this should make us more diligent. If a Garden well weeded and kept down prove thus ill; Is this any encouragement to sloth, but rather a spur to double diligence?

Two or three Motives to excite to the Duty of Catechizing.

Let it be remembred that you are not perswaded to invade the ministerial office, or to become of this or that Opinion or Party, but to fall forthwith upon the practice of a manifest, yet indispensable Duty.

1. How doth the love of God dwell in your hearts, when they are hardened against your Children? Simon, lovest thou me? then feed my Lambs. They are Gods Children, and therefore you must bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The Children of any in Covenant with God are called his Children, Ezek. 15. 21. When the woman of Samaria knew Christ, she desired that all her Neighbours might also know him.

2. Are they not your Children? You shall diligently teach them to your Children; they are bone of your hone, and flesh of your flesh. Are we to instruct one another, and not our own Children?

3. What a comfort will this be to you, if you faithfully discharge this most profitahle Duty! For,

1. Such Parents shall have joy of their Children, Prov. 23. 24. Ruth 4. 15. David and Bath sheba had much comfort of Solomon, which they had not of their other Children.

2. You shall have spiritual rejoycing, 2 Joh. 4.

3. You will gain a good evidence of the truth of grace in your hearts.

4. You that thus propagate piety shall sow good seed that will endure to many Generations, Jer. 33. 18.

5. You may avoid many crosses and heart-breaking sorrows which negligent Parents ordinarily meet with. Abraham taught his Children, and see what comfort he had of them: He had a numerous Family 318. instructed Servants born in his own house [Gen. 14. 14.] and yet no disorder or disturbance there: He had a numerous Family, and yet a peaceable Family.

1. Abraham Circumciseth Ishmael,⁵ and yet it was a painful Sacrament.

2. Isaac makes no opposition when to be made a sacrifice to the Will of God.⁶

3. You have a religious Servant. Gen. 15, and 24.

4. At his death he gives what portions he pleaseth, and yet you find no discord among them, Gen. 25. 5, 6. As you therefore desire peace in your Families, and in after Generations, bring them up in the fear of the Lord.

On the contrary, you Parents that teach your Children Arts and Trades, and not Gods Commandments; why, you are making way for your own cross and vexation; what heartbreaking will they be to you! As,

1. In their matching. Prov. 17. 21, 25. Gen. 26. 34. 35.

2. Their sins will be put upon your score; and have you not sins enough of your own?

3. Their perishing will be put upon your account. Oh what fretting and cursing will there be at your meeting your Children in Hell! Have you not heard of Children that have cursed Parents upon the Gallows? Oh, when the Word of God tells you that some evil will befall your Children, how should this trouble you! As it was said of Jeroboam, that he made Israel to sin (for all that succeeded pursued his sins) even so you, by your cursed ignorance, negligence and sloth may propagate sin and misery from Generation to Generation, to your Children.

We are to look upon this duty as one of the prime Ordinances of divine institution: there was Family teaching before there was any other teaching. ’Tis the opinion of an eminent Divine, that more Children are seasoned with grace by instruction of Parents than by preaching. Towns are made up of Families, and where they are wicked in Towns, Kingdoms cannot be righteous. Our misery begins in bad Families. This duty of Catechizing therefore is of as great weight, as any which is commanded in the word of God. Thus far he whose name I shall conceal, because I have published it without his privity and consent, though I hope not against his liking and approbation. If any of you shall please diligently and impartially to examine Concordances, and most Catechisms; you will soon find that the former do furnish us rather with sounds than sense; and that in the latter, upon comparing the truths and the alledged Texts together, there is so wide a distance, that you will the better perceive the difficulty of our present undertaking (notwithstanding all the forementioned helps) than at first, possibly, you have imagined. If you find any pertinency of the Scriptures produced for confirmation of the truths they refer unto in this Explication, I know it will be acceptable to you, and it is no less than what I have endeavoured after. If you espie many proofs under any Principle of Religion, it is either because that the truths there are more weighty, or that the cavils against them are more than ordinary. If you expected the Scriptures at large, the numerosity of them gives you the reason against that.

I had once some thoughts of illustrating the mysterie of the Trinity of Persons, by some apt Figure or Resemblance, and of placing it in the Catechism; but for the avoiding of all occasion of offence to the weak I have affixed it here: And of all Figures, Keplers Circle seems most artificial and correspondent with this glorious mystery.

IN this Scheme or Figure you have a Center, and a Circumference, and an Inter space, and yet but one Circle: So that there are three Persons, and yet but one God. These three are not divided; For it is not a Center, or Interspace, separate from the Circumference: But these are distinguished in their incommunicable properties in their order, and in their operation (upon a supposition of motion) The Center is the beginning (as is easie to be observed in drawing the Circle) the Circumference is a resultance from the Center alone, the Interspace from the Center and the Circumference.

These are Co-equal; the Center and the Circumference, and the Interspace are equidistant every where, each one from other: And the Center is no more a Circle without a Circumference, than the Circumference and Interspace without a Center.

Consubstantial; The Center is constituent of the Circle, not a part from but together with the Circumference and the Interspace.

Co-eternal; It is no Center without a Circumference; and no sooner is the Circumference drawn, but you find the Interspace.

Doubtless there is Vnity in Trinity in all things, had we but light and eyes to espy it.

You will find annexed to the Explication a Discourse out of Acts 8 30. where you will meet with some Rules (which have obtained in Divinity) for your better understanding, and more profitable reading the holy Scriptures: If you be of that select number that cannot content your selves with bare reading, but labour to understand what you read; they are chiefly and more especially designed for you. And that you may understand what you read, and remark in your course of reading the Sacred Scriptures, those truths more distinctly which will make you wise to Salvation, is the main purport and intent of this little piece, and intense desire of its Composer,

Your Friend for Eternity.

Footnotes

1. 2 Cor. 5. 10 ↩

2. Psal. 51. 1, 5 ↩

3. Mat. 21. 15. ↩

4. Levit. 14. 41, &c. ↩

5. Gen. 17. ↩

6. Gen. 22 ↩