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- 1 An Explanation of the most material words and things in the
Church Catechism.

2. An Explanation of the Two Covenants; the great Feasts and Fasts
of the Church; and some Religious Terms designed to prepare
People for understanding Sermons, the Holy Scriptures, and other
good Books.

To which are Added,

FORMS OF PRAYER, &c. FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS.

By H. CROSSMAN, M.A.
Rector of Little Bromley, Essex.

NEW EDITION.

London:

PRINTED FOR JOHN SOUTER,

SCHOOL LIBRARY,

No. 73, St. Paul's Church Yard.

Price One Shilling, neatly bound.

16.5 131

.

THE great duty of Family Instruction is, doubtless of the utmos importance to Religion, and the best foundation for a Christian belief and practice; but as necessary and beneficial as this duty is, it is most notoriously neglected in many places, especially country parishes where people mind only the putting poor children and servants to work for their bread, but take no care about their precious and immortal souls. How many children are there of ten, twelve, and thirteen years, who scarcely know the God that made them? How ma ny young persons, apprentices and servants, are there, (as well as children) who know but very little of the Saviour that redeemed them, and seem not so much as to have heard whether there be any Holy Ghost? Nay, how many grown people are there, people in years too, who have lived all their days without knowing these first Principles of Religion! Perhaps it will hardly be believed, that there is so much ignorance in a Christian nation, where the Gospel is daily preached, and the light of it has shined so long. But if a strict and particular enquiry was made, I fear the Truth of what I say would appear in too many sad instances.

And surely it highly concerns us, who are the Ministeis of Christ to look well to an affair of so much consequence to Religion, to watch over the souls of the ig norant, and to open their eyes, that they may see the wondrous things of God's law. It is our duty to warn Parents and Masters of Faniilies of their carelessness and negligence of the souls under their charge, and to admonisl them to take a more diligent care for the future, to teach their children and servants the knowledge of God and their duty. But here is the misfor tune; many Parents and Masters are themselves ig norant of the most common things in the Christian Doc

trine, and then no wonder that their children and servants are so too. How many are there who come to Church every Lord's Day, yet know not the meaning of several sentences in the Lord's Prayer, the Belief, and other parts of our daily service! neither do they understand many expressions that are commonly used in Preaching; who are ever hearing and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth; And all for want of proper instruction in the time of their youth.

There can be no building without a foundation: and it is necessary that young persons should be well grounded in the principles of our Most Holy Faith, if ever we desire they should make any progress or improvment in it. In all arts and sciences some consi. derable time and pains are spent in learning the terms, or first principles of them; and ought not the same and greater care to be taken in the things pertaining to the kingdom of God? ought not our children to be well in structed in the meaning of the terms and words that are generally used in the Christian Doctrine, before they can make any proficiency in the knowledge or practice of it? Neither are instructions of this sort designed only for children, but for all, who, through the carelessness of their Parents and Governors, and the misfortune of a low education, are ignorant of what is necessary for them to believe and know, in order to their Salvation. Here also such may be taught the meaning of the Creed and the Lord's Prayer, the nature and ends of the Sacraments, and may learn to understand such words and expressions as they commonly hear in Sermons. And I trust that all honest and sincere Christians, who need instuction will gladly embrace an opportunity of informing themselves in the knowledge of God and their duty.

And to prevent for the time to come all such shame. ful ignorance as is justly complained of in country parishes, let me earnesly entreat all you who are Parents →d Masters of familes, not to neglect the children and

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servants under your care, but to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Use all possible endeavours to teach them to read, and to instruct them in the first principles of our most Holy Religion: It is as much your duty to feed their souls as it is to feed their bodies and to call them to Prayers, and to instruct them in the Catechism and other religious knowledge, is as much required of you by God, as to give them their meat in due season. Upon you, who are the Governors of families, the future welfare and happiness of your children and servants chiefly depend; for if they be not furnished with a competency of Christian knowledge in their early years, it is much to be feared that they will continue utterly ignorant of Religion and their duty all their days, and will carry the misc ble effects of an uninstructed youth to grey hairs a the grave. And shall these poor souls perish for lack of knowledge, and you be blameless? Shall you not be called to an account for this negligence and uncharitableness at the judgement seat of Christ, that your chil dren and servants were ignorant and you instructed them not! Know of a surety, that what God says to the careless watchman in Ezekiel, chap. iii. verses 17, 18, shall be the portion of every careless Parent and Master of a family; and if any soul perish through your negli gence, that soul will God require at your hands.

I shall only add here my earnest Prayers to Almighty God, who can make the meanest instruments effectual to His glory, and the good of souls, that He would be pleased to give a blessing to this litt.e work, that it may be successful to the implanting in the minds of young and ignorant persons a worthy sense of God and Religi on, and to laying a good foundation for the Christian knowledge, that they may increase therein ever more and until they come into the everlasting Kingdom of Heaven, through the merits of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

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