THE GENERAL CONTENT S. HE Preface, by fundry English Divines. TH Mr. Manton's Epiftle to the Reader. I. The Confeffion of Faith. II. The Larger Catechifm. VI. The Solemn League and Covenant. TO A S we cannot but with grief of foul lament thofe multitudes of errors, blafphemies, and all kinds of profanenefs, which have in this laft age like a mighty deluge overflown this nation; fo, among feveral other fins which have helped to open the flood gates of all these impieties, we cannot but esteem the difufe of family inftruction one of the greatest. The two great pillars upon which the kingdom of Satan is erected, and by which it is upheld, are ignorance and error; the first step of our manumiffion from this fpiritual thraldom confifts, in having our eyes opened, and being turned from darkness to light, Acts xxvi. 18. How much the ferious endeavours of godly parents and mafters might contribute to an early feafoning the tender years of fuch as are under their infpection, is abundantly evident not only from their special influence upon them, in refpect of their authority over them, intereft in them, continual prefence with them, and frequent opportunities of being helpful to them; but alfo from the fad effects which by woful experience we find to be the fruit of the omiffion of this duty. 'Twere eafy to fet before you a cloud of witneffes, the language of whofe practice hath been not only an eminent commendation of this duty, but alfo a ferious exhortation to it. As Abel, though dead, yet fpeaks by his example to us for imitation of his faith, &c. Heb. xi. 4. So do the examples of Abraham, of Joshua, of the parents of Solomon, of the grandmother and mother of Timothy, the mother of Auguftine, whofe care was as well to nurse up the fouls as the bodies of their little ones; and as their pains herein was great, fo was their fuccefs no way unanfwerable. We fhould fcarce imagine it any better than an impertinency, in this noon-day of the gofpel, either to inform or perfuade in a duty fo exprefly commanded, fo frequently urged, fo highly encouraged, A 2 and and fo eminently owned by the Lord in all ages with his bleffing, but that our fad experience tells us this duty is not more needful than 'tis of late neglected. For the reftoring of this duty to its due obfervance, give us leave to fuggeft this double advice. The firft concerns heads of families in refpect of themfelves, that as the Lord hath fet them in place above the reft of their family, they would labour in all wifdom and fpiritual understanding to be above them alfo. 'Tis an uncomely fight to behold men in years babes in knowledge; and how unmeet are they to inftruct others, who need themfelves to be taught which be the firft principles of the oracles of God?' Heb. v. 12. Knowledge is an accomplishment fo defireable, that the devils themfelves knew not a more taking bait by which to tempt our firft parents, than by the fruit of the tree of 'knowledge. So fhall you be as gods, knowing good and evil.' When Solomon had that favour fhewed him of the Lord, that he was made his own chufer what to afk, he knew no greater mercy to beg than Wisdom, 1 Kings iii. 5, 9. The understanding is the guide and pilot of the whole man, that faculty which fits at the ftern of the foul But as the moft expert guide may miftake in the dark, fo may the understanding when it wants the light of knowledge: Without knowledge the mind cannot be good,' Prov. xix. 2. Nor the life good, nor the eternal condition fafe, Eph. iv. 18. . My people are deftroyed for lack of knowledge,' Hof. iv. 6. 'Tis ordinary in fcripture to fet profanenefs and all kind of mifcarriages upon the score of ignorance. Difeafes in the body have many times their rife from diffempers in the head, and exorbitancies in practice from errors in judgment: And indeed in every fin there is fomething both of ignorance and error at the bottom; for, did finners truly know what they do in finning, we might fay of every fin, what the apoftle fpeaks concerning that great fin, Had they known him, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory;' did they truly know that every fin is a provoking the Lord to jealoufy, a proclaiming war against heaven, a crucifying the Lord Jefus afrefh, a treafuring up wrath unto themselves against the day of wrath,' and that, if ever they be pardoned, it must be at no lower a rate than the price of his blood, it were scarce poffible but fin, inftead of alluring, fhould affright, and, inftead of tempting, fcare. 'Tis one of the arch devices and principal methods of Satan to deceive men into fin; thus he prevailed against our first parents, not as a lion but as a ferpent, acting his enmity under a pretence of friendship, and tempting them to evil under an appearance of good; and thus hath he all along carried on his defigus of darknefs, by transforming himfelf into an angel of light, making poor deceived men in love with their miferies, and hug their own deftruction. A moft fovereign antidote against all kind of errors, is to be grounded and fettled in the faith: Perfons, unfixed in the true religion, are very receptive of a falfe; and they who are are nothing in fpiritual knowledge, are easily made any thing. Clouds without water are driven to and fro with every wind, and fhips without ballaft liable to the violence of every tempeft. But yet the knowledge we efpecially commend, is not a brain-knowledge, a mere fpeculation; this may be in the worft of men, nay, in the worst of creatures, the devils themfelves, and that in fuch an eminency, as the the best of faints cannot attain to in this life of imperfection: But an inward, a favory, an heart-knowledge, fuch as was in that martyr, who, tho' he could not difpute for Chrift, could die for him. This is that fpiritual fenfe and feeling of divine truths, the apoftle speaks of, Heb. v. 14. Having your fenfes exercifed,' &c. But, alas, we may fay of moft mens religion, what learned Rivet* fpeaks concerning the errors of the "Fathers, they were not fo much "their own errors, as the errors of the times wherein they lived." Thus do mofl men take up their religion upon no better an account than Turks and Papifts take up theirs, becaufe 'tis the religion of the times and places wherein they live; and what they take up thus flightly they lay down as eafily. Whereas an inward tafte and relifh of the things of God, is an excellent prefervative to keep us fettled in the most unfettled times. Corrupt and unfavory principles have great advantage upon us, above thofe that are fpiritual and found; the former being fuitable to corrupt nature, the latter contrary; the former fpringing up of themfelves, the latter brought forth not without a painful induftry. The ground needs no other midwifery in bringing forth weeds, than only the neglect of the husbandman's hand to pluck them up; the air needs no other caufe of darkness, than the abfence of the fun; nor water of coldnefs, than its diftance from the fire, becaufe thefe are the genuine products of nature: Were it fo with the foul (as fome of the philofophers have vainly imagined) to come into the world as an "ab rafa Tabula," a mere blank or piece of white paper, on which neither any thing written, nor any blots; it would then be equally receptive of good and evil, and no more averfe to the one than to the other: But how much worfe its condition indeed is, were fcripture filent, every man's experience, does evidently manifeft. For who is there that knows any thing of his own heart, and knows not thus much, that the fuggeftions of Satan have fo eafy and. free admittance into our hearts, that our utmost watchfulness is too little to guard us from them? whereas the motions of God's Spirit are fo unacceptable to us, that our utmot diligence is too little to get our hearts open to entertain them. Let therefore the excellency, neceffity, difficulty of true wisdom ftir up endeavours in you, fomewhat proportionable to fuch an accomplishment; Above all getting, get understanding,' Prov. iv. 7. And fearch for wifdom as for hidden treafures,' Prov. ii. 4. It much concerns you in refpect of yourfelves. Our fecond advice concerns heads of families, in refpect of their fa A 3 milies Rivet. Crit. Sacr. milies. Whatever hath been faid already, tho' it concerns every private Chriftian that hath a foul to look after, yet, upon a double account, it concerns parents and mafters, as having themselves and others to look after: Some there are, who because of their ignorance, cannot; others because of their fluggifhnefs, will not mind this duty. To the former we propound the method of Joshua, who first began with himfelf, and then is careful of his family. To the latter we fhall only hint, what a dreadful meeting thofe parents and mafters must have at that great day, with their children and fervants, when all that were under their infpection fhall not only accufe them, but charge their eternal mifcarrying upon their score. Never did any age of the church enjoy fuch choice helps, as this of ours. Every age of the gofpel hath had its creeds, confeffions, catechifms, and fuch breviaries and models of divinity as have been fingularly ufeful. Such forms of found words (however in thefe days decryed) have been in ufe in the church, ever fince God himself wrote the decalogue, as a fummary of things to be done, and Chrift taught us that prayer of his, as a directory what to afk. Concerning the usefulness of fuch compendiary fyftems, fo much hath been faid already by a learned divine * of this age, as is fufficient to fatisfy all who are not refolved to remain unfatisfied. Concerning the particular excellency of these ensuing treatifes, we judge it unneedful to mention thofe eminent teftimonies which hath been given them, from perfons of known worth in refpect of their judgment, learning, and integrity, both at home and abroad, because themselves fpake fo much their own praife: gold ftands not in need of varnish, nor diamonds of painting; give us leave only to tell you, that we cannot but account it an eminent mercy to enjoy fuch helps as thefe are. 'Tis ordinary in thefe days, for men to speak evil of things they know not; but, if any are poffeffed with mean thoughts of these treatifes, we fhall only give the fame counfel to them, that Philip gives Nathaniel, Come and fee,' John i. 46. 'Tis no fmall advantage the reader now hath, by the addition of fcriptures at large, whereby with little pains he may more profit, because with every truth he may behold its fcripture-foundation. And indeed, confidering what a Babel of opinions, what a ftrange confufion of tongues there is this day, among them who profefs they fpeak the language of Canaan; there is no intelligent perfon but will conclude that advice of the prophet especially fuited to fuch an age as this, Ifa. viii. 20. To the law and to the teftimony, if they fpeak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.' If the reverend and learned compofers of thefe enfuing treatifes were willing to take the pains of annexing fcripture-proofs to every truth, that the faith of people might not be built upon the dictates of men, but the authority of God: So fome confiderable pains hath now been further taken in tranfcribing thofe fcriptures, partly to prevent that grand inconvenience * Doctor Tuckney, in his Sermon on 2 Tim, i. 13. (which |