(which all former impreffions, except the Latin, have abounded with, to the great perplexing and difheartning 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 fcripture 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 spiritual knowledge is hereby made more eafy, and the ignorance of this age, more inexcufable.

If therefore there be any fpark 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 fo much love. If there be any compaffion to the fouls of them who are under your care, if any regard of your being found faithful in the day of Chrift, if any refpect 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 Epiftle to the Reader,

I

CHRISTIAN READER.

Cannot fuppofe thee to be fuch a ftranger in England, as to be ignorant of the general complaint concerning the decay of the power of godliness, and more efpecially 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 mischief muft be fought a little higher; 'tis bad parents and bad mafters that make bad children, and bad fervants; and we cannot blame fo much their untowardness, as our own negligence in their education.

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 publick in the affemblies of the faints; but these 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 ftriketh with the more fuccefs, because the inftitution is not fo folemn, and the practice not fo ferioufly and confcientiously regarded as it fhould be, and the omiffion is not fo liable to notice and publick cenfure, Religion was firft hatched in families, and there the devil feeketh to crush it; the fami- ' lies of the Patriarchs were all the churches God had in the world for the time, and therefore (I fuppofe) 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 ftock from whence they are fupplied both for the prefent and the future.

For the prefent, a family is the feminary of church and state; and, if children be not well principled, there all mifcarrieth; A fault in the firft 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 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 houfe, &c. and there are men bred up in fubjection and obedience, 'tis noted,

Acts xxi. 5. that the difciples 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 farewel to Paul, breed them up in a way of reverence and refpect 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 serve him when we are dead and gone; the people of God comforted themselves in that, Pfal. cii. 28. The children of thy fervant fhall continue,' &c.

Upon all thefe confiderations how careful fhould minifters and pa`rents 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 fhort fum in catechifms, as fo altogether laid in the view of confcience? Surely thefe feeds of truth planted in the field of memory, if they work nothing elfe, will at leaft be a great check and bridle to them, and, as the cafting in of cold water doth ftay 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 usefulnefs 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 fhall make bold to transcribe a part of it, and offer it to publick view.

The author having bewailed the great diftractions, corruptions and divifions that are in the church, he thus reprefents the caufe and cure: Among others, a principal caufe of thefe 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, 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 mafters of families take themselves to be almoft blamelefs. 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 eafily break it; and educate their children for the world and the flesh; altho' they have renounced thefe, 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 confider what a charge is committed to

them,

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 best that they can be. imployed in. Efpecially women fhould be careful of this duty, becaufe as they are most about their children, and have early and frequent opportunities to inftruct them, fo this is the principal fervice they can do to God in this world, being reftrained from more publick work. And doubtless many an excellent magiftrate have 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 herfelf 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 knowledge and love of Chrift, 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 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 ignorance, that yet have not the grace to feel it and lament it, nor the wit and patience to wait in a learning ftate, till they are ready to be fellow-citizens with the faints, and of the houshold of God. But now they come to us with aged felf-conceitednefs, being paft children; and yet worse than children ftill; having the ignorance of children, but being overgrown the teachablenefs of children and think themfelves 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 currs, that will fnap 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 fo ufed them to be unruly, that minifters have to deal but with too few but the unruly. And it is for want of this laying the foundation well at firft, that profeffors themfelves are fo ignorant as moft are, and that fo many, efpecially of the younger fort, do fwallow down almoft any error that is offered them, and follow any feft of dividers that will entice them, fo it be

but

but done with earneftnefs 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 muft' ftablish them, and fortify them against deceit. Upon thefe and many the like confiderations, we fhould intreat all chriftian families to take more pains in this neceffary work, and to get better acquainted with the fubftance of chriftianity. And to that end (taking along fome moving treatifes to awake the heart) I know not what work fhould be fitter for their ufe, 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-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 ftop men's ears. and the licentioufnefs of wars did fet every wanton tongue and pen at liberty to reproach them; and the profecution and event of thofe wars, did exafperate partial difcontented men, to dishonour 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 tranfmitted to pofterity.

I do therefore defire, that all mafters of families would first study well this work themfelves; 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 faft the doctrine of Chrift more firmly, than ever you are like to do by any other courfe. First let them read and learn the Shorter Catechifm, and next the Larger, and laftly, read the Confeffion of Faith.

Thus far he; whofe name I fhall conceal (though the excellency of the matter, and prefent ftile, will eafily discover him) because I have published it without his privity and confent, though, I hope, not againft his liking and approbation, I fhall add no more, but that I am

Thy fervant

In the Lord's work,

THOMAS MANTON.