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milies. Whatever hath been faid already, tho' it concerns every private Christian 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 first began with himself, and then is careful of his family. To the latter we shall only hint, what dreadful meeting those parents and masters must have at that great day, with their children and fervants, when all that were under their inspection thall not only accuse them, but charge their eternal miscarrying upon their score. Never did any age of the church enjoy fuch choice helps, as this ofours. Every age of the gospel hath bad its creeds, confeffions, catechisms, and such breviaries and models of divinity as have been singulary useful. Such forms of found words (however in these days decayed) have been in use in the church, ever fince God himself wrote the decalogue, as a summary of things to be done, and Christ taught us that prayer of his, as a directory what to ask. Concerning the usefulness of such compendiary systems, so much hath been faid already by a learned divine * of this age, as is sufficient to fatisfy all who are not resolved to remain unsatisfied.

Concerning the peculiar excellency of these ensuing treatises, we judge it needful to mention those eminent testimonies which hath been given them, from persons of known worth in the respect of their judgment, learning, and integrity, both at home and abroad, because themselves speak so 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 such helps as these are. 'Tis ordinary in those days, for men to speak evil of things they know not; but, if any are possessed with mean thoughts of these treatises, we shall only give the fame counsel to them, that Philip gives Nathaniel, 'Come and fee,' John i. 46, 'Tis no small advan tage 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 scripture foundation. And indeed, confidering what a Babel of opinions, what a strange confufion of tongues there is this day, among them who profess they speak the language of Canaan.; there is no intelligent person but will conclude that advice of the prophet especially suited to such an age as this, Ifa. vii. 30. To the • law and to the teftimony, if they speak not according to this word, • it is because there is no light in them, If the reverend and learned composers of these ensuing treatises were willing to take the pains of annexing scripture proofs to every truth, that the faith of people might not be built upon the dictates of men, but the authority of God; so some considerable pains hath now been further taken in tran fcribing those scriptures, partly to prevent that grand inconvenience, (which

* Doctor Tuckney, in his Sermon on 2 Tim. i. 13,

(which all former impressions, except the Latin, have abounded with, to the great perplexing and disheartning of the reader) the misquotation of scripture; the meanest 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 gerat; 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 several passages of scripture which are scattered up and down in the word, being in this book reduced to their proper heads, and thereby giving light each to other. The advantages, you fee, în this design, are many and great: The way to spiritual knowledge is hereby made more easy, and the ignorance of this age, more inexcusable.

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

MR. THOMAS MANTON's Epistle to the Reader.

CHRISTIAN READER,

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I Cannot suppose 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 goest, thou wilt hear men crying out of bad children and bad fervants: Whereas indeed the source of the mischief must be fought a little higher; 'tis bad parents and bad masters that make bad children, and bad servants; and we cannot blame so much their untowardness, as our own negligence in their education,

The devil hath a great spite at the kingdom of Chrift, and he knoweth no such compendious way to crush it in the egg, as by the perversion of youth, and supplanting family duties. He striketh at all duties, thase which are public in the affemblies of the faints; but these are too well guarded by the folemn injunctions and dying charge of Jesus Chrift, as that he should ever hope totally to fubvert and undermine them; but at family duties he striketh with the more fuccefs, because the institution is not so solemn, and the practice not fo feri oufly, and confcientiously regarded as it should be, and the omiffion is not fo liable to notice and public cenfure. Religion was first hatched in families, and there the devil seeketh 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 said 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 societies and communities will not long flourish and fubfift with any power and vigour; for there is the flock from whence they are supplied both for the present and the future.

For the present, a family is the seminary of church and state; and, if children be not well principled, there all miscarrieth: A fault in the first concoction is not mended in the second; 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 presage of their future lives to be thence taken, Prov. xx. 11. By family difcipline, officers are trained up for the church, I Tim. iii. 4. One that ruleth well his own house, &c. and there are men bred up in subjection and obedience, 'tis noted, Aus

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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 thall 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 fervants shall ' continue,' &c.

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 impression in the knowledge and fear of God; and betimes to inftil the principles of our most holy faith, as they are drawn into a short fum in catechisms, and so altogether laid in the view of confcience? Surely these feeds of truth planted in the -field of memory, if they work nothing else, will at least be a great check and bridle to them, and, as the cafting in of cold water doth f the boiling of the pot, fomewhat allay the fervors of youthful lufts and paffions.

I had upon intreaty refolved to recommend to thee with the greatest carneftnets the work of catechifing, and, as a meet help, the ufefalness 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 tranfcribe a part of it, and offer it to public view.

The author having bewailed the great diftractions, corruptions and divisions that are in the church, he thus represents the caufe 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, especially in teaching them the doctrine of chriftianity. Families are focities 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 thy promise to teach them the doctrine of the gospel, and bring them up in the nurture of the Lord; but they eafity promife, and easily 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 lie heavy on them here or hereafter. They beget children, and keep families, merely for the world and the fleth: but little confider what a charge is committed to them,

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them, and what it is to bring up a child for God, and govern a family as a fanctified society. O how sweetly and fuccessfully would the work of God go on, if we would but all join together in our feveral 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. Especially women should be careful of this duty, because as they are most about their children, and have early and frequent opportunities to inftrust them, so this is the principal service they can do to God in this world, being restrained from more publick work. And doubtless many an excellent magistrate have been fent into the common wealth, and many an excellent pastor 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 useless and unserviceable 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 substance of the doctrine of Chrift, and when they find in them the knowledge and love of Chrift, would bring them then to the paslors of the church to be tied, confirmed and admitted to the further privileges of the church, what happy, well ordered churches might we have! Then one pastor 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 so many miferable ignorant fouls, that be not prepared by education to understand us; nor should we have need to shut 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 the houshold of God. But now they come to us with aged self-conceitedness, being past children; and yet worfe than children still; having the ignorance of children, but being overgrown the teachableness of children, and think themselves wife, yea, wise enough to quarrel with the wisest 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 instructions, till they are prepared for them that they may do them good; like fnappish 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 so used them to be unruly, that ministers have to deal but with too few but the unruly. And it is for want of this laying the foundation well at first, that profeffors themselves are so ignorant as most are, and that so many, especially of the younger fort, do fwallow down almost any error that is offered them, and follow any sect of dividers that will entice them, so it be

but