And therefore we earnestly beseech and intreat all Parents, and Masters of Families, that they would make conscience of this great duty of catechizing their children and servants. And oh that the Lord would make our words to take impression upon your hearts. In the Old Testament God commands Parents to teach diligently their children. The word in the Hebrew[189] is, to whet the Law upon their children. The fourth Commandement is directed not to children, and servants, but to Parents and Masters; And they are there commanded, not only in their own persons, to keep the Sabbath; but to see that their children and servants do it also. It is not, Thou, or thy son, or thy daughter; But thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter. It doth not say, (as Zanchy well observes[190],) Remember thou to keep holy the Sabbath day, and to perswade thy children and servants to keep it holy: But remember thou to keep it holy, and thy son, and thy servant, implying thereby, that it is the Duty of the Master and Father, to compell his servant and children to the keeping of the Sabbath day. For doing of this, God exceedingly extols Abraham, Gen. 18.19. I know that he will command his children, and his household after him, that they keep the wayes of the Lord: upon which words, a learned Divine wrote thus; [191]Abraham did not leave his children and servants to their own genius, their own counsels, their own lusts, though it is certain, divers of them would have thanked him for such a liberty; for they had been nursed up in superstition and idolatry, as Abraham was, and might have pretended, that they were not satisfied in point of conscience. But Abraham knew how to distinguish between liberty of conscience, and liberty of lust, and therefore would not allow them such a liberty as would have enticed them into the worst kinde of bondage. The New Testament also calls upon Parents, not only to bring up their children, but to [192]nurture them up in instruction and admonition of the Lord. Old Eli was grievously punished for neglect of this duty: And let his severe chastisement be as a warning-piece to all Fathers and Masters; And let them know, That if their children and servants perish for want of instruction, through their negligence, their blood will be required at their hands.
And if Parents and Masters, much more ought Ministers to be very conscientious in the diligent discharge of this duty. Our Saviour Christ layeth an express command upon them, not only to feed the sheep, but also the lambs of Christ. It is no disparagement to a Peter, to be a feeder of Christs lambs. Oh that Ministers would unanimously and universally set to this duty! We commend it to them, as a most Soveraign Antidote, to preserve their Congregations from the errours of these times. It is reported of Julian, that amongst other subtile plots he used for the rooting out of Christian Religion; One was the suppression of all Christian Schools, and places of catechizing. [193]And as one saith, If he had not been as a Cloud that soon passeth away, it had been to be feared, lest within a short time he had overshadowed all Religion. For when Catechizing was taken from the Church, it was presently all overspread with ignorance. And it is further added by the same Author, That the Papists themselves acknowledg, that all the advantage the Protestants got of them in the beginning of Reformation, was by their catechizing; because they began sooner to catechize, then they did. And it is to be feared, saith he, if ever the Papists get once again advantage of Us, it will be by their exacter catechizing, then ours. And therefore, if ever you would prevent the further corruption of mens Judgments, and secure them from the infection of errour, and preserve Religion from ruine. We exhort you in the bowels of our Lord Jesus Christ, to practise this duty; and intreat our people with all readiness and constancie, to submit unto this Ordinance of God, which with so much publique prejudice, hath been so long neglected.
And to perswade people thereunto, let them consider further,
1. If Ministers are bound to catechize; then people are bound to be catechized.
2. That they are baptized, and thereby consecrated unto Christ, and obliged by promise, to give up themselves unto instruction.
3. That ignorance, though it be not the greatest, yet it is a most dangerous sin: All sin is wrapt up in ignorance, as a child in swadling clouts. The Scripture saith, [194]That Christ will come in flaming fire to render vengeance upon all those that know him not, &c.
It makes the ignorance of God to be the cause of all sin, 1 Sam. 2.12. 1 Joh. 2.4. Eph. 4.19. And David prayeth unto God, [195]To pour out his wrath upon the heathen that know him not; how much more upon the Christians that know him not? As toads and Serpents grow in dark and dirty sellars: so all sin and wickednesse in an ignorant and blind soul. Now there is no ordinary way for young people to gain the knowledge of God, but by Catechizing.
4. That the time of youth is the golden Age, the seasoning age, and a time in which men are apt to receive abiding impressions of evil, or good. And if they can learn to say to Elisha, Bald-pate, why should they be unwilling to learn to sing to Christ, Hosanna?
5. That it is not so great a shame for young people to be ignorant, as to be wilful and obstinate in ignorance. And if they refuse to be Catechised, they shall perish in their ignorance; but the Minister is free from the blood of their souls.
The second sort are such as live within the bounds of our Province, and come to our Congregations, and yet are wicked and prophane, and such, as if they should come to be examined by the Minister and Elders, would not be received to the Sacrament. These are Christians in name, but they are a shame to the name, and bear it (as Urijah did a letter to Joab) for their ruine and destruction. We beseech and intreat them to consider, what a sinful and cursed condition it is to live ungodlily and unrighteously under the abundance of Gospel-Ordinances.