Catechizing Gods Ordinance, Dedication 2
To the Reverend the Provincial Aſſembly of the Churches of God within the City and Province of London.
Reverend Fathers and Brethren,
DEdications of Books, and inſcriptions of the names of men of worth and honour, are grown ſo common, that the plaineſt Truths and meaneſt Tracts diſcuſsing the ſame, cannot paſſe without them, and thereby a craved and engaged patronage: if this ſmall Tract of ſo plain a duty muſt ſeek any, for many conſiderable reaſons, it muſt ſeek you, and none but your ſelves, as its Patrons.
1. That the Author may hereby teſtifie to the world and your ſelvef his thankfull acknowledgement▪ os Gods great mercy to his Church, not only for your being in theſe times of envie and indignation at all Church order and authority; but alſo for your vigilancy over, and induſtry for the good of the Churches of God, eminently approved not only in your elaborate vindications of Government and Miniſtry, but alſo in your late grave, ſerious, and authoritative exhortation unto Catechizing; wherein by many pregnant and perſwaſive reaſons, you do provoke Miniſters as well as others to a duty, the long neglect of which, with its ſad effects, is to us in the ſight of God and his Church, matter of ſhame and ſorrow.
2. To you it is directed as authors of its reſurrection, though not firſt being, though at my firſt coming into your City (in the purſuit of the duty) I did ſome years ſince preach it to the people of whom I had the inſpection, At James Garlickhithe.yet I had laid it by me as dead, and determined it ſhould never ſee the light, nor ſound in the ears of men any more; yet the ſound of your exhorting trumpet put again life into it, and cauſed it to be preached to a more publick audience for the benefit of a much greater people, to all whoſe ears the ſound not reaching, I was conſtrained to make it thus publick, that by reading what they ſhould have heard, they might be convinced of, and counſelled unto duty; and now it is cheerfully ſubmitted to your cenſure, at whoſe command it was preached, though not the firſt yet the ſecond time.
To you it comes in obedience to your command and conformity to your order, which requires an account to be given from the ſeveral Claſſes of what proceeding is made in the work of Catechizing, to which you exhort; let this ſmall Tract aſſure you of the chearfull ſubmiſſion of the meaneſt of your brethren to your exhortation, and full reſolution to revive that ordinance of Catechizing, ſo neceſſary, uſefull, and advantagious to the Church of God; prefeſsing that the greateſt comfort that ever my ſoul enjoyed in all my miniſteriall endevours amongſt the people with whom I lately laboured, James Garlickhithe.was in the inſtruction and (ſo far as I and others of their Christian acquaintance can judge) ſanctification …f ſome young men and young women, that did with conſtancy and diligence, againſt all diſcouragements ſubmit unto and ſtudy their Catechiſm.
Laſtly, To your patronage it is commended, for that your exhortation to the duty preſſed in it, and purſued by it; gives the Author full aſſurance of your readineſſe to patronize it, and by your power to protect it againſt the common carpers and cavillers at every truth and duty, with which our age abounds, and with the clemency that becomes your aſſembly, indulge the infirmities of its author in the weak management of ſo weighty a matter.
Having given you the reaſons of my boldneſſe in this Dedication, I muſt crave leave to apologize in one thing, my not complying with your exhorting directions for carrying on the work of Catechizing: that is in reſpect of the Form to be uſed, I doe not indeed uſe, nor have I put into the hands of my people the Catechiſms of the late reverend Aſſembly, not that I do diſown, or in any thing diſlike thoſe Forms, I ſully aſſent to the Characters by you given of them, and by which you commend them; but the form I have choſen and put into the hands of my people, is that of reverend Mr. Ball, the goodneſſe, nay acceptableneſſe of which, among people is proclaimed by the very many reiterated impreſsions of it; neither doth it differ in doctrine any thing, and in form not much from the Aſſemblies. The impulſive cauſe of my uſing this form was this, In the countrey where I lived this was the Catechiſm uſed in common, in the uſe of this I had by the bleſsing of God been conſtant: ſome that had learned this under my Miniſtry in the Countrey made mention of it amongſt the people with whom I then laboured, in ſo much that they generally deſired this Catechiſm, and would admit no other: I condeſcending to their deſire in a three years uſe of it, not only did the fame of it come to the ears, but many Catechiſms into the hands of this people before your exhortation came abroad; ſo that I could not conveniently alter the form: herein I muſt beg, and cannot but hope, that none of my brethren will be offended or cenſure me as guilty of ſingularity, and the rather for that you cannot but all conclude by this Catechiſm, Exhort. to Catech.youth may be taught who made them, why he made them, how good and happy man was made by God, how evill and wretched he made himſelf, what need he had that the Lord Jeſus ſhould die for him, that the holy Ghoſt ſhould regenerate him: what priviledges he doth enjoy and may expect by Chriſt, what duties he is obliged to by thoſe priviledges, how he is to preſent his petitions to God, how to receive the ſeals of Gods gracious covenant; which being granted, I muſt expect your promiſe not too moroſely to ſtand on circumſtantial differences, where there is ſo fair an accord in material principles.
Reverend Fathers and Brethren, now that you have ſo ſeriouſly and ſeaſonably called unto Catechizing, I could heartily wiſh, that confirmation of children, which I cannot but look on as an engagement to the ſtudy of the Catechiſm, were taken into your ſerious and ſecond thoughts, and if found (as it hath been deemed) an Ordinance of God, ſome means were propounded for the reviving it in the Church: but herein I may ſeem too bold, and be thought to preſcribe matter to your conſiderate debates: I ſhall therefore forbear any further to trouble you: but aſſure you that God will counſell you in things which concern his Church: make men in place and power a bleſsing to his Church: give to brethren a ſpirit of union with and condeſcanſion to your juſt and pious reſolves, and to our people of ready and cheerfull ſubmiſsion to your exhortations and commands, and that not only becauſe you exhort and command duties, but alſo with the authority of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, is and ſhall be the hearty and conſtant prayer of
Reverend Sirs, The meaneſt of your brethren and ſervants in the work of the Goſpel,Zach. Crofton.