A Sermon of Catechizing, Title page – To the reader
A SERMON OF CATECHIZING; THOUGHT FIT For affinity of ſubject to be annexed to this Treatiſe of the [Practicall uſe of INFANT-BAPTISME.]
By the ſame Authour.
Lutherus ſe profeſſus eſt Diſcipulum Catechiſmi.
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foreign.
Clem. Alex. Paedag.
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LONDON, Printed for John Rothwel. 1655.
TO THE READER.
Chriſtian Reader,
THou art here preſented with a Sermon tending to revive an Ordinance of God, almoſt grown out of date, what through the neglect of parents in private, and Miniſters and Magiſtrates in publick; and that in ſome places ſo far, that it is the great hinderance of thoſe that doe practiſe it, to be prejudiced by the example of thoſe that doe not; ſome children being apt to plead the liberty that others have, and count it an injury if they enjoy not the ſame: though it be the ſad liberty of dying without inſtruction. And this neglect is ſo much the more ſad, becauſe it is ſo viſible a compliance with the erroneous and heretical generation of this preſent Age, who firſt decryed it in theſe dayes of ſinful liberty; as knowing how far ſuch an omiſſion would be friend them. Thence thouſands of people, ſeaſoned with no principles, become eaſily infected with theirs. Multitudes of Apoſtates, concerning whom all the good we can ſay, is, that they ſpeak evil of the things they know not, and 2 Pet. 2. 2turn away from the holy Commandement, without the ſad aggravation of having known the way of righteouſneſs. However it is a grievous thing that multitudes ſhould daily (through ignorance and errour) go blindfold to Hell, and few men take any pains to lend them their helping hand to keep them from that ſad doom of periſhing for want of knowledge. If it be ſaid, This is done by conſtant Preaching; I anſwer, ſurely a man may Preach long enough to hundreds in the Congregation (if his Congregation be of any largeneſſe extraordinary) who will not be able to give any accompt of one ſentence they hear, if they live an hundred years under the Ordinance: which will not appear improbable, if we conſider, that many come to Church meerly for faſhion, and take no notice of any thing there, but gaze upon this, and that object; that others are dull of apprehenſion, and their underſtandings, in a continued diſcourſe, are like a troubled water, wherein one ring or circle drives out another; and laſtly, that all generally, except they be catechized, or extraordinarily furniſhed with parts beyond their neighbors, find it an hard matter to underſtand the very common terms, in which Preachers muſt expreſſe themſelves, and many times loſe a whole Sermon for want of underſtanding, or miſ-underſtanding of them; For though a Miniſter thinks he expreſſeth himſelf very plain, yet it is almoſt incredible what ſtrange conceits moſt ignorant people have of common notions. We that are Miniſters of the Goſpel may eaſily gueſſe at the profoundneſſe of their ignorance, by our own groſſe imaginations (worſe then Nicodemus his of Regeneration) when we were children, although we had the advantage of education beyond them; what abſurd apprehenſions we had concerning the greateſt and weightieſt points of Religion. And I am ſure moſt of our hearers are not arrived (nor ever do to their dying day arrive) unto the underſtanding of a child of twelve or fourteen years old, bred under means of Literature. Many of our words, and expreſſions in our Sermons (do what we can) are Metaphorical and Equivocal; or, if proper, yet (according to the preſent improvement of the Engliſh Tongue, which a Miniſter that hath been bred a Scholar cannot poſſibly but have ſome ſmatch of) we have many forreign words, made denizons of our language, which being grown familiar to us, we are apt to uſe, and with a general charity to all our peoples underſtandings, conceive they ſtumble them no more then they doe us, whiles yet we are to them Barbarians (do what we can many times) even in our own Mother Tongue. In a word, conſider that no Miniſter in his Preaching, let him be never ſo full, and plain, and methodical, can poſſibly, caſt all the heads of Divinity, the form of ſound words, into ſo narrow a compaſſe (conſidering the time that he muſt take up in (the principal part of Preaching) Application; but that to go through them in that way, will require a competent number of years, for a man that is but indifferently full of matter, though he forbear all unneceſſary enlargements. And (in this way) before an hearer can be throughly acquainted with a ſyſteme of Divinity, to know what he ſhould doe, the greateſt part of his doing time will be over. Beſides, to ſuch a way of principling men, by the tedious method before ſpoken of, we muſt ſuppoſe each hearer to be able to accompany a Preacher with an underſtanding and memory, ſutable to his daily progreſſe from point to point, and to be every Lords day preſent; otherwiſe what he loſeth, (either through abſence or weakneſſe of apprehenſion and memory) at one time, will make ſuch a wide gap and breach in the reſt of notions, that he is rendred uncapable of underſtanding, and improving many other points, to which the knowledge of that or thoſe wherein he ſo fails, neceſſarily leads. I might adde here the uſuall conſinement of many practicall Preachers, by the inclination of their own ſpirits, or the ſecret determination of Gods Spirit, to ſuch a ſeries of Truths, as tends moſt to ſome end which they are moſt fitted to purſue; the main ſtream of one Miniſters labours running in the channel of convincing Truths. Anothers labours are moſt directed to work upon the hearts of ſinners for converſion; anothers to apply cordials to the hearts of Saints for conſolation; another ſtudies, and Preacheth for the moſt part in a Theological determination of Caſes of Conſcience, and moſt of the ſtrength of their labours, is ſpent in thoſe reſpective wayes, to which their ſtudies moſt bend. Now, how ſhall an hearer from ſuch a mans Preaching, if he wait only on his Miniſtery, be rendred (as he ſhould be) throughly furniſhed for every good work? Theſe things I have (in brief) preſented to ſuch of my reverend Fathers and Brethren, as (among other Readers) ſhall think any thing of mine worthy their condeſcenſion to look upon it; concerning hundreds of whom in this Land, I ingenuouſly and from my heart acknowledge, that I am not worthy to carry their Books after them; and therefore confeſſe my ſelf too weak to adviſe them. Only, for the glory of God, and the ſalvation of poor ſouls, and (in the preſent courſe which they are to run in this erroneous and ſeducing generation) for their grounding, and ſettling upon neceſſary foundations of faith and godlineſſe; I think my ſelf bound to be a remembrancer unto ſuch of our Miniſtery, as have too much (of late) neglected this Ordinance of God; and eſpecially to thoſe who are of the judgement of Infant-Baptiſme, who cannot but know that the very admiſſion of Infants as Church-members by Baptiſme, renders the whole Church, and themſelves principally (as Officers thereof) indebted to them for their education. Men, Fathers, and Brethren, I beſeech you bear with a few affectionate expoſtulations with you, on the behalf of the moſt innocent, moſt hopeful, moſt teachable part of your Congregations, thoſe I mean, of the yonger ſort. It may be they are yet, (for the moſt part) diſ-engaged in their affections: Did they underſtand grace, and Chriſt, and Religion, theſe might prepoſſeſſe them, and gain their firſt love. You may preach out your lungs and heart to them, when they are ſet upon their ſinful way, and marching furiouſly in it like ſo many Jehu's, or ſettled upon their lees. When their luſts have gotten the protection of a rivetted ignorance, and it may be poſſeſſed them with a deſire of continuing in it.
Surely (me thinks) you ſhould leave your young candidates of holineſſe, whom you have waſhed in Baptiſmall water, pleading with you thus:
Sirs, by your Miniſtery, we are devoted to the ſervice of one God, in a glorious Trinity of perſons. How ſhall we ſerve him whom we know not? Think you, we can ever own it for a mercy, or a priviledge, to be admitted into a Covenant, which we underſtand not? And will it not be the greateſt temptation to us, to renounce that Ordinance, becauſe we cannot tell what good it doth to us? Our preſent Age, renders us waxy and ductile, eaſily moulded into any form. Why do you not foreſtall the market of Satan and Seducers, by prepoſſeſſing us for God? Why are we dedicated to God in our Infant-age, if not to engage us to be his betime? And how can we be ſo, except we give our ſelves a ſacrifice voluntarily, as once we were offered by our parents: And how can we offer our ſelves a ſacrifice, but in a reaſonable ſervice, Rom. 12. 1? Did you then only admit us to the empty name of Chriſtians, and Church-members, that we might afterwards (for want of knowledge, of our duty) live and dye the veryer Heathens? You preach truth, and we hear it, but our bottles are too narrow mouth'd, to take in ſo much at once; nay, ſo great a ſtream ſtriving for admiſſion at once, cauſeth all to run beſide. You preach to work upon our Conſciences, but work upon our underſtandings firſt, and deal with us according to our capacities. Give us milk as babes, and that will ſtrengthen our ſtomachs to digeſt ſtronger meat in time. Our parents, (many of them, moſt of them) are ignorant, or careleſs of the performance of ſo neceſſary a duty. We are therefore devolved upon you, as our ſpiritual Fathers. Let it not ſeem much to you to deſcend beneath your ſelves, & the heights of your learned Nations & high ſpeculations, to liſp principles a little with your babes in Chriſt; The great Apoſtle did ſo, and was never the leſſe for it. And it will be no whit to your diſcomfort at the laſt day, that you have denyed your greateſt excellency, which makes you taller by the head and ſhoulders then other men, for the glory of Chriſt, and the ſalvation of ſouls, by becoming all things to all perſons, and ages, that you might win ſome.
Dear and honoured Sirs, what ſhall any of us reply to ſo rational a plea? Yea, how much ſhall we come ſhort of our duty, if we do not grant it, and act accordingly? If we be Shepherds, like Chriſt the great Shepherd, we muſt carry the Lambs in our boſome, as well as drive the elder ſheep before us. If we be Fathers indeed, we muſt teach our children to goe by the formes, and walls, and goe-cart, who cannot goe alone, till they gather skill and ſtrength enough to dee ſo. For my part, I had not made ſo bold with you, but upon a principle (I hope) of ſelf-denial, chuſing rather to adventure the cenſure of my reverend Fathers and elder brethren, then to ſuffer the ſonls of ſo many of my younger brethren and ſiſters in the Lord, as are daily born into the Church by Baptiſme, to be ſtarved at nurſe for want of milk. As for the means of redreſſing theſe ſad miſchiefs, I know none like the conſcionable practiſe of Catechizing, fortified with the Magiſtrates concurrence, to command both the Miniſtry to do their duty therein, and all Parents and Maſters to preſent their children and ſervants under ſome ſevere penalty thereunto. For truly the Miniſters are not altogether to blame in this thing. Many of them would do more in it, could they prevail with their people to put to their helping hands: but this is many times the lot of induſtrious Miniſters, they would Catechize willingly, but that they can prevail with very few to be milling to be Catechized. Is there no balm in Gilead? no power in the Magiſtrates hand to heal this evil diſeaſe of ſpiritual ſloth and careleſneſſe of attending upon publick Ordinances? Honourable Patriots! we deſire not you ſhould for the conſciences of any to conſent to what it ſees not ground for from the Scriptures; but we deſire, you ſhould bring them where they may be informed, and then let God work. We would teach them their duty to you, together with their duty to God, as well, and (I hope better then thoſe private Teachers, whom they have yet (by a publick allowance) liberty to follow; we act in the face of the Sun, we infuſe no principles in corners, but what we preach publickly; you know our doctrine and our converſation. Do the levelling Anti-Magiſtratical doctrines that fly all abroad about the Land flow from our Congregations or theirs? Is it not ſafer to have children principled by us in a publick way, by Catechiſmes appointed by Authority, then by others in private, who (ſome of them) teach either the Raccovian, or the Munſterian principles, or (which are worſe then both) the horrid Gallimaufrey of Errours and Hereſies, raked up out of all the kennels and dunghils of the former and preſent Ages, lately penned, and Printed by John Bidle. For my part, I think publick Catechizing, yields the greateſt ſecurity to the Magiſtrate that can be, of his ſubjects, eſpecially the very prime, and cream of them, the youth; who if they be poiſoned by ſuch principles as dare not abide the light, may create unknown dangers to him, when he thinks himſelf moſt ſecure. And I think, that was the Politique ground of that project (ſome years ſince) of taking the children of Papiſts out of their hands, and giving them Proteſtant education.
The Lord in his time convince us all of our duty, and quicken us to it: that we may by laying the ſound grounds of Religion in the youth of theſe Nations, provide for the maintenance of Truth and Holineſſe in ſucceeding generations. Mean while I have done my endeavour to the furtherance of this work, and (I hope) removed all rational impediments thereunto, in the following Sermon; which I leave in thy hands, Chriſtian Reader, wiſhing it may work upon thee whoever thou art in thy capacity, to yield a ready aſſiſtance to the furtherance of ſo eminently uſeful an Ordinance. Vale & fruere.
From my ſtudy at Reading, Octob. 25. 1654. Thy affectionate friend, and ſervant in the Goſpel. SIMON FORD.