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book_n	great_a	life_n	write_v	5,211	5	5.2860	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A75970	The Agreement of divers ministers of Christ in the county of Worcester, and some adjacent parts, for catechizing or personal instructing all in their parishes, that will consent thereunto. Containing I. The articles of our agreement. II. An exhortation to the people to submit to this necessary work. III. The profession of faith, and catechism, which we desire them first to learn.		1656 (1656)	Wing A773; Thomason E1653_2; ESTC R208988	22,810	45

publike worship of God and preaching of the word with those private duties which are necessary in our Families though we reserve Catechizing at least of the aged to another day especially in the Winter when the days are short 6. By this means we shall better know the state of our hearers and better know how to speak publikely to their necessities and how to pray for them and how far either to be moan them or rejoyce over them and we shall better understand their capacity and fitness for Communion and Sacraments 7. If we appoint not a stated time and place for this work we cannot tell how to have any fit opportunity for it because we know not when to finde people at leisure together and prepared thereto nor can every weak Minister endure the attendance and inconvenience of some of their houses for so long time without apparent injury to their health or lives 8. The diligence of Papists and Sectaries will condemn us if we will not do half so much in a right way to save mens souls as they will do in a wrong way to pervert them The Papists will bring all the people to confess their most secret sins in secret to their Priests and we have heard of some that have approved of their Church rather then ours because it is more strict in such practises The Sectaries of other Sects creep into houses and lead captive the silly people by their smooth deceiving words and industry If we then that have a better work to do shall betray mens souls by lazie negligences all these might rise up against us and condemn us 9. The work that we agree upon is of unquestionable necessity it is not of the controverted matters where some godly men are of one minde and some of another we know of no party reputed sober and pious among us but are all agreed of the usefulness and excellency which is more then the lawfulness of this Catechizing and familiar instruction and we observe them all as with one minde and mouth complaining of the neglect of it and commending the performance we think it therefore a sad and unexcus●ble thing that while we contend about controversies most should neglect that necessary work which all approve of even while they thus neglect it 10. It is a work wherein we have the countenance of authority Former Rulers commanded Catechizing and the present do not discountenance it but encourage us to such works It hath been the constan● pract●ce of the Primitive Church who had oft their Catechists to teach these principles and all Ages have allowed it without any considerable contradiction And the Catechism which we agree to use was approved by the Church Assemblies of England and Scotland as a part of the Uniformity 11. We receive the publike maintenance to this end that we may be enabled to lay out our endeavour for the good of the whole Parishes from which we do receive it and therefore we are further obliged in Justice to do our best for the salvation of them all Upon these plain and pressing Reasons among others we finde our selves called to lament our former negligence and more diligently to perform this needfull work and to exhort our Parishioners to encourage us by their submission and willingness and we do resolve upon a more faithful discharge of this duty to those that shall thus submit Subscribed by RIchard Baxter Teacher of the Church at Kidderminster John Boraston Pastor of Rib●ford and Bewdly Richard Eades Pastor of Beckford Glocestershire Charles Nott Minister of Shelsly James Warwick Minister at Hanley Castle Thomas Eavans Minister at Welland Thomas Wright Teacher at Hartlebury John Nott Teacher at Sheriff Hales Staffordshire Henry Oasland Teacher of the Church at Bewdly John Hill Minister at Clifton upon Teame Thomas Baldwin Minister at Wolverley Richard Wolley Minister at Salwarp John Freeston Minister at Hampton Lovet Richard Sergeant Preacher at Kidderminster Andrew Tristram Pastor of the Church at Clent Thomas Bromwich Minister at Kemsey Thomas Franck Teacher at Nanton Beachamp John Taylor Minister at Dudley William Spicer Minister of Stone Humphry Waldern Minister of Broom Samuel Bowater Rector of Astley Benjamin Baxter Minister at Vpton upon Severn William Lole Minister at Pyrton Thomas Francis Minister at Doderhil Thomas Jackman Minister at Burrough William Durham Pastor of Tredington Thomas Easton Pastor of Batesford Glocestershire Giles Collier Pastor of the Church at Blockly George Hopkins Ministers of the Gospel at Evesham Thomas Matthew Ministers of the Gospel at Evesham John Dolphin Pastor of the Church at Honniborn Joseph Trebel Pastor at Church Lench William Willes Preacher at Littleton Richard Beeston Preacher of the Gospel at Breedon William Kimberly Minister at Ridmarley Joseph Baker Preachers of the Gospel in the City of Worcester Richard Fincher Preachers at the Gospel in the City of Worcester John Willnot Preacher a● Parshore Francis Hyat Minister at Eckington Robert Brown Minister at White-Lady Aston Jarvis Bryan Pastor of the Church at Old Swinford and Sturbridge John Dedicol Preach●r at Abbotsley Richard Dowly Minister of Stoke Pryor An Exhortation to all our Parishioners to submit to this Necessary work of Catechizing and personal Instruction which we have Agreed on for the furthering of their own Salvation To all the Inhabitants of our several Parishes Grace and Peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ DEarly beloved Brethren whose souls are precious both to Christ and us and whose Peace and Salvation we do earnestly desire It hath pleased the God of all the Earth to call out this poor unworthy Isl●nd in the utmost parts of the world to make it his garden while others remain a wilderness and a Land of ligh● while others live in horrid darkness Here hath he Proclaimed the Gospel of his dear Son and made plain to us the way to everlasting felicity He hath not dealt so with every N●tion nor have they heard and seen what we have done Most of the world do lie in the darkness of Heathenish Idolatry Infidelity and Mahometanism and too much of Christendom in the darkness of Popery and Heresie It ha●h pleased the Lord of the Harvest to send forth Labourers into this part of his Harvest though we confess too weak and imperfect yet more numerous and faithful and diligent then most of his Churches elsewhere Proportionably can shew He hath wonderfully dispelled the mists of Popery and many of his servants have laid down their lives in the flames in witness against it and with a mighty hand hath he hitherto hindred its return We have the holy Scriptures faithfully translated into our own Language and Bibles so common that every family may have one or more at a small price and may make them the matter of their daily exercise We have this Scripture weekly at least read and preached to us publikely we have the living examples of many that fear God in whose hearts his Law is written though imperfectly and in whose lives

it is exprest We have very great Numbers of excellent Books expounding this Scripture and plainly directing us in the way to Salvation so that we know no Nation that in their own tongue hath the like And among the rest we have the summ of Christian Religion in Catechisms in so small a room that the weak may learn understand and remember it Yet after these wonderful mercies and means we must needs confess it to the grief of our souls that many thousands in this Land of light do wilfully live in darkness And whereas they might all for the time and means have been able to teach others they have need to be taught again the very principles of Gods Oracles and to be fed as babes with milk and not with strong meat as being unskilful in the word of Righteousness Heb. 5.12 13 14. It astonisheth us many times when we have occasion to talk with some of our hearers to perceive that they know very little of the Doctrine which we have been preaching to them so many years as plainly as we could speak If we could speak plainer to them we would for we know it is a matter that they must understand or perish It is sad to us to hear many men that can talk understandingly about matters of the world that can scarce speak a word of sense about the matters of their Salvation or scarce give us any reasonable answer if we Q●estion them about the very Fundamentals of Christianity without the knowledge of which they cannot be saved Upon this sad experience of mens Ignorance we have been brought to a deep Consideration of our own Neglects and the Lord hath partly set it home upon our hearts and in the apprehension thereof our souls have been brought low to think how we have wronged Christ and you and lest God should require your blood at our hands For though we have frequently and faithfully taught you in publike which is enough to leave you without excuse yet perceiving that it must be a more familiar course that must help the extreamly ignorant to understand we lament that we have done no more in it then we have done And though some of u● have hitherto excused our selves by our bodily weakness or other pressing business of our calling and from your neglect of coming to us according to your duty yet da●e we no longer be guilty of these excuses while we discern any further means to be used for your good Having therefore sought Gods direction and Consulted together with his word before our eyes we do all with one mind Agree and Resolve to set upon the practice of Constant Catechizing and personal familiar Instruction of All that shall not obstinately refuse our help and this we shall do by Gods assistance according to the Rules which we have hereunto adjoyned And because we cannot expect that the Aged and Rich should be perswaded to be Catechiz●d in the open Congregation and because it is many waies inconvenient that we should go from house to house if we can avoid i● and it is your unquestionable duty to seek to your Teachers and obey them in as great a thing as this we do earnestly intreat you that you will submit to this order and willingly come to the place which the Minister shall appoint even your whole families in their turns when they are called both old and young and that Parents and Masters will lead their Children and Serva●ts and give them a good example and not Condemn themselves by refusing that duty which they confess their children should perform especially seeing ●gno●ance in the Aged is a double sin and shame We intreat you also that you will bestow some time and labour to learn by memory the Common Creed with our Expository Profession and the ten Commandments and the Lords Prayer and this small Catechism and the shorter Catechism of the Assembly of Divines And if you cannot read get some to read them to you that can We intreat you also to take some pains to see that your families do all learn the same and especially bestow all that time on the Lords day in this exercise which can be spared from the greater parts of Gods service As also that you would bring all your family with you except the children who are catechized in the Congregation at the time and to the place that shall be appointed there to render some account of what you learn and to entertain some familiar conference about it that you may be further Instructed in the way to life If you know never so much already we suppose you will not lose your labour and the most Judicious should be the most humble Obedient and exemplary to the weak If you have learned never so little and find it hard to remember the words yet we intreat you to come with the rest for some familiar Conference and Instruction For the less you know and remember the more help you need Now the Lord hath awakened us his unworthy Messengers to the sense of our duty O do not you discourage us and please the Devil and frustrate all our work and hopes by your wilful refusal especially when we call you to no Controverted work but that which all the sober Christians in the world will confess to be your duty In some other matters some are of one mi●d and some of another but through the great merc● of God it is not so here You can have no such excuse to cover your refusal but if you will not Learn and Obey you must even speak out and say you will not and tell God plainly so to his face and so let your nakedness appear to all Now God hath put it into our hearts to do you good and caused us to thirst after the welfare of your souls we beseech you take heed of Refusing your mercies If you come to us to enquire the way to salvation we dare not for all the world refuse to teach you for then how should we meet the Lord in Judgement and look him in the face that made us watchmen for mens safeties How then Dare you refuse to be Taught or to bestow your time and Labour for to Learn Dear Brethren the Lord who is our Judge and yours knows that it is not a desire to domineer over your Consciences nor any pleasure that we take in needless troubling you much less any ill will to you that caused us to take up this Resolution and to call you to this work But it is the sense of our former sin and present duty and of the great Necessity hereof to your Salvation Alas flesh and blood hath kept us from this duty too long already and if we would hearken to it we should not so much trou●le our selves or you but let you alone in your sinful Ignorance you m●y q●ickly understand that it is far easier to us to please you and let you alone Indeed we cannot but expect that this work which we have now