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A26388 The Addresse of some ministers of Christ in the Isle of Wight & County of Southampton to the people of their respective charges, by way of exhortation, to discharge their parts of those two great and necessary duties, private conference and catechising 1658 (1658) Wing A545; ESTC R8217 16,345 31

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be perswaded of very many that both the Mother Nurse of their miscariages is their ignorance being never yet possessed of so much illumination as throughly to perceive the filthy and damnable nature of sin the necessity of an interest in Christ and of that work of grace by his Spirit upon their souls without which no man shall see the Lord Our Charity prevailing with us at least to think that if the generality of men were able to see the wrath of God and the torments of hell in every sinne they would not doat upon it and to see Christ exalted to be a Prince to give repentance and remission of sins they would not by their wilfull impieties send so many messages to him every day that they will not have this man to reign over them If they knew more they would live better if they did not see so little they would not sin so much they would not so constantly go out of their way did they not go in the dark Your selves Brethren are our witnesses that in the course of our Ministry we have made it much of our businesse to informe mens judgments being very sure of this that unlesse we could have a knowing people we should never have a gratious people as we are to blesse God for any the least successe of his Gospel to this purpose we are also deeply to be humbled that it hath been no more that very many are ignorant still and not able to evidence themselves owners of so much knowledge as may be presumed to let in Christ by Faith into their souls our deep sense of which hath brought us together put us upon our prayers to God and a mutuall contribution of advice and councell to one another what further course to take that by the blessing of God might promote your edification at a better rate be a way to a speedier implantation of Light and Grace in your souls and make room in your heads and hearts for the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our publick preaching To which end and purpose for every one of us to revive and constantly to practise the too long neglected duties of Private Conference and Catechizing in our respective Charges is a course which we have apprehended to promise us the most comfortable successe We have therefore unanimously agreed and resolved to adde to our more publick ministeriall labours the faithfull serious and constant discharge of these duties that by laying out our talents as many ways as they may possibly be improveable for the good of all we may by the grace of Christ going along with us be instrumentall in saving some Now our endeavours shall be to instruct By 1. Chatechizing all within our respective Charges that are under the Government of others 2. Private Conference all the rest Not that we would be understood to exclude any that are reducible to either of these ranks from the benefit of both or so much as an intimation to mean it not to be the duty of all to submit to both but have thus propounded it out of a condescention to that weaknesse of too much force upon most mens Spirits which suggesteth it to be a matter of shame for persons that are aged to be Catechized but never inclineth them to so much as the least blushing that they have need of it So your selves being able to testifie that we are in a manner necessitated to this method we shall beg the conjunction of your prayers with ours for a blessing from Heaven upon it and in as few words as we conveniently may bespeak your compliance with us in it And First as to the Catechizing of all that are under the Government we mean the domesticall Government of others We have a request to make To 1 The Governing party 2 The Governed 1. To Masters Mistresses and such as have the care of others in their families committed to them our earnest desire is that no neglect of yours may bring upon you the guilt of accessaries to the obstruction of so good a work which you will by no means be able to prevent but by contributing what you can to the promotion of it by teaching your children and servants the grounds and principles of Religion at home that they may at least remember them and by causing them to come under our publick examination at the Church that we may see whether they do and give them further instructions that they may profitably understand them That the means of bringing persons to Christ and heaven is to bring them to the knowledge of the Truth or that it s your duty to endeavour the bringing of your families by the same way to the same end We will not be so uncharitable as to think you have any need to have it proved and what fitter way can you attempt the discharge of this duty in then by Catechizing them If you were to fill t is an old a common but very pertinent similitude and perhaps may stick by you a company of exceeding narrow mouth'd Glasses the likeliest way to do it is by taking them singly in your hands and dropping into each by little and little as it will goe down and not by setting them altogether and throwing great quantities of water upon them But this together with your duty about it and the many arguments you have to discharge it we shall offer you more at large in these following Considerations which we shall crave leave to presse as the Duty concerns your 1. Whole family 2. Children 3. Servants 1. In relation to your whole family 1. Consider Whether God hath not committed unto you a guardianship over the souls of your families and it be not upon that account your duty to take care for the discharge of theirs T is a comprehensive instance which you have in Exod. 20 10. That your sons daughters men and maid-servants keep the Sabbath holy is an injunction laid immediatly upon you you must remember that they do Sanctifie it and this is not done but by spending the whole time in the private and publique exercises of Gods worship and service And how many principles of Religion must be knowne before this can be done and we cannot doubt of your easie grant of this consequence that if you must see your families doe those duties which they can never doe except they be instructed then must you be their instructors unlesse you can suppose there may lye a strict obligation upon you to accomplish such an end which leaves you under no engagement at all to use the meanes 2 Consider How speciall an eye of favour God carries towards those Heads of families who lay out their care that all under their roof may know and serve him Friendship with God is the choicest evidence of his favour communication of secrets the highest declaration of friendship and this will the Lord bestow upon Abraham a peculiar share in being a person that would command his houshold to keep
so you do for your Swine and are servants indeed of no more value than these have they not souls capable of blessednesse as well as you you differ not in stuffe but in use and that only by Gods ordinance from the poorest servant in your Family Ob. Our servants will not submit and what then shall we do Sol. 1. We hope they will we cannot think that any persons will be so base and low as to serve you that will by no means be perswaded to serve God or will submit to learn a Trade to live by but not to be saved by we hope at least better things Sol. 2. Have you Tryed have you set it before them and pressed it seriously frequently earnestly upon them as a duty if you have not we beseech you now to begin let them see what they owe to God to their own souls yea what obedience they owe to you Take the Scriptures in the margine and lay them home upon their consciences and in a way of prayer from God expect the issue Sol. 3. What are you wont to doe to make your servants comply in other things use the same authority in this if any will tell you though you have a coercive power over your servants in other matters yet you have none in this that you may compell them to learne how you may be served but not how themselves may be saved pray take Time to beleeve them till they have told you by what authority Abraham commanded his houshold to keep the way of the Lord and whether a Civill authority to command without a power to cause obedience be of any signification What commission Jacob had to reforme his whole family or how Josua will be excused from rashnesse in that resolute undertaking that He and his House would serve the Lord And untill they have offered you an expedient how you shall observe that Law of seeing the Sabbath sanctified by your men servants and maid servants if God that hath made it your duty shall account it your sin to cause it to be put in execution But we hope as we said you will finde no such difficulty in a work of so much consequence and that you may not wee have a request 2. To all in our respective Parishes that are under the family-Government of others children and servants of both sexes of what age soever if capable of being instructed and our request is for the Lords sake for your souls sake and as you wi●l answer the contrary at your perill when the dead both small and great shall stand before God and Christ shall come in flaming fire to take vengeance on them that doe not know him When He that made you will have no mercy on you and He that formed you will shew you no favour in case he finde you a people of no understanding when every despiser of knowledge shall be eternally destroyed that you would constantly use all Helps at home and present your selves in the methode and order we shall appoint you to us your respective Ministers in the Congregation to be Catechized and instructed in the necessary Grounds of Religion Consider 1. We are not setting up a New way of Teaching you but reviving an old one a way that the Church of God hath walkt in many ages before we were borne the Church of God both Jewish and Christian and in the Christian Church men of the choicest Character for learning and piety have discharged the office of Catechizers as Clemens Alexandrinus Origen Optatus Basil Augustine Ambrose Cyrill c. whose names we beleeve many of you have heard of as of men famous in their generations 2. It s a way of Teaching that Christ himselfe in his child-hood was pleased to Honour with his presence when he was Twelve yeares old his parents found him in the Temple sitting in the midst of the Doctours both hearing them and asking them Questions Luc. 2. 46. This as Learned men observe was a meeting for Catechizing and we will but offer it to your observation whether the 47 verse and all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers affordeth not ground enough to beleeve that Christ himselfe was Catechized and gave answers to the Questions that were propounded to him Dare you entertaine so much as a d●eame of salvation by this Christ and yet despise that ordinance which he hath Honoured 3. How Honourable it is to remember your Creator in the dayes of your youth to know God betimes It is mentioned to the great credit of Mnason that he was an old Disciple one that had knowne and followed Christ a long time of Obadiah that he feared the Lord from his youth of Timothy that he had knowne the holy Scriptures from a childe of David that he made hast and delayed not to keep Gods Commandments of Andronicus and Junia that they were in Christ before Paul and it will be your Honour and happiness to be instructed in the wayes of God betimes Ob. But some of us are very young and we may stay a while it will be Time enough to learne what belongs to Relig●on and the wayes of God hereafter Sol. 1. A child is to be Trained up in the way that he should walk P●o 22. 6. Sol. 2. If you that can make this objection be not too young to be damned you cannot be too young to be Catechized those that are old enough to sin are old enough to perish and there 's no life eternall but to know God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent Joh 17. 3. Ob. Some of us are at men and womens estate ready to be married and we are ashamed to come and stand among the little children to be Catechized Sol. 1. If you are ashamed that you have at this age need to be Catechized t is a good signe it proceeds we hope from a sense of your ignorance and a conviction of your sinne in neglecting this meanes of instruction all this while and we shall look upon it as an Argument that you will not goe on to sin against your consciences in neglecting it any longer 2. If you be ashamed to own and learne the Doctrine of Christ see what impressions will be upon your spirits after you have laid to heart that resolution of Christ which you finde recorded Luke 9. 26. Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words of him shall the Son of man be ashamed when he shall come in his own glory and in his Fathers and of the holy Angels 3. Whether doe you think it more advisable to goe to Hell with graver company or to Heaven with children or doe ye beleeve you shall ever meet them at the end with whom you are ashamed to be seen in the way 4. That you are ready to be married is an Argument that we would borrow of you to perswade you to be the readier to be Catechized will you