Virr{].zo: 17>e true Method of Teac/,ing a Family. ' 1 [firit, to be juflili~d, taught and Governed by Chrifl, _and by ~im to be brought again to the '~ Fnher, to Lnve btm as _our God and E_nd and to hve to htm, and with him for evet. H But whereas the temptations of the o~vtl, and the alluremcnu of this deceitful world and u the ddirts or rhc flcfh, arc: the great enemies and hindtranccs in our way, we muG • 1 ro '< confenr to renounce all thefe, and let them go, and deny our [elves, and take u wirh tc God alone, and whH he feeth meet to give us, and to take him in Heaven for all o~t por~ H tion: And he thar confenrerh unfeignedly to this Covenant, is a member of Chrill a juftif– " td, reconciled Child of God, aud an heir of Heaven, and fo continuing, £hall be r:ved : an~ H he that doth not fh dl be- damned. This is the Covenant that in ,Baptifm we folemnly entred "inro wirh _God, rht FJther, Son and Holy Ghnfl, as our i''ather and ·Ft:licicy, our S..tviour and <I 0~1r S.ltl8ihcn Thi~ in fume fuch brief explication, you mull familiarly oprn to thtm again and agJm. ~ IC· D"rcd. 10. /Yhctt you h.JVe npcned the B.Jpti{tii.Jl Covenant to them, and the E]Jemiah of Chri 1 1i mity, CJ/tP t/)fm tv /cam tbe Crud, the Lord1 Prtl)tr .Jnd tbt Ten CommandmtntJ. And tell them rh~ Vfrs of rhrm; that man having three Powers of foul, his Vnderjia;tding, /;U TY;U, and his Obctlienti.Jl er executive power, all thtfe mufl be flmtiificd, and then..fore then: mult be a Rttle fOr cacb; And that accordingty the Creed is the {ummary Rule to tell us What our V 11 derjland– ings mldl Bclirvc;,.l and the Lord1 PrcJycr is the fummary Kule to direct us what ~ur wiU1 mufi difirr, and our tongues mufi ask, and the 1ut Commandmtntl is the fomnJ.Jry Rule of our Pra[iitt: And that the Holy Scripture in general is the more large and pcrh.d- Rule of all : And thai all thac will be ukcn for true Chrifli:ms mufi ha.ve a GcMeral implicite Bditf of aU the Holy Scri– p:ur6S, and a parricul•r explicite Bclif/, Dcfire, and finccrt pra[/jce, according to the Creed 1 , LOt""dJ Prayer, and tnt Commandment!. Vircll·II9·11· DinCl.JJ, Ntxt ttacb thrm ajhorl Cttttcbi{m (by memory) wbic!J optneth tbrfe alittlt m, re {r1lj•, a1td tbcn a larger CatechifoJ : The jhorter and larger Catechifm of the Alftmbly are Vlry weU titcc..d to this ufc; I have pub\Hhed a very brief one my fdf, which in eight Articles or Anfwers conraineth all the dTdHial poims of Belkf, and in One Anfiver, the Covtnant·con– Jnu, and in fiJur Al"ticles or An(~Ycrs more, containcth all the fubJhntial pJrts of Cbriftla~ . , duty : The an(wers are COme of thnn long- fOr Children. But if I kntw of any other that had ItJ~ 111 ~vc p much in fo fc:v wurd1, I wou.ld nm off;_;r this to you, becaufe I am confcious of irs imper– ~,;~:-1:d b; 1 - fcCbonc. But there arc very fe-w Catechifms that differ io the Cilbl\ance : Which ever they il !eif. karn, let them as thly go have:: your help to underfiand it, and let them keep it in memory to Dird1.I2· th~l•fi. ~· 12· Dit(d, 12. Nrxt open to them more diftinlily the ptJrticultJr p4rl of the Coven11nt and C 4 trcbifm. And her~ I think this Method moft proh<able for a family : r. Read over to them, the bd\ expolitions that you can get on the Crttd, the Lords Prayer and the Ten Command– ments, which are not too large to confound them, nor too brief fo as to be hatdJy under– fioo.d. t'or a fummary Mr. Bri1tjleyes True watch is good ; but tlnu to retJd to the~, fuch as Mr. Pcrkjn1 on the Crud, and Dr. King on the Lordr Pra)•tr, and Dod on the Commandments, are fie: fO thac you may read oHt Article, om Petilion, and om Commandment at a time : And read thefC: over to them divers times. 2. Bdidcs this in your familiar dlli:omfe with them open to them plainly ont Head or Arlicle of Rtligion at ~ time, a~d al'lmhn tf!e next time: and fo on till you c.ome ro the end. And here, z, Opm m one d!(coutf~ the narure of man and the Creation. 2· In another ( or btforc it) the nature and attributes of God. 3· In ano– ther the fall of man, and cfpccially the Corruption of our nature, as it cor.fiflcth in an inordinate indinali'On to t:a.rthly and fl.fhly things, aud a backwardm:fs or averfentfs or enmity to God a~d Ht,!im:fs and the Life to come : and the nature of fin ; and the impoffibility of being faved t-ill rhis Jin be patdoned, and thefe natures renewed, and rdlored to the Love of God and Holintfs, from 'his Love of the world and Adhly plealiues. 4· ln the next diftK>urfe open to thtm the dod-rine of Redemption in general, and the Incarnation, and naturts and perfon of Chrifi pH! icululy. 5• In the next open the Life of Chrifi, his fullilling the Law, and his overcoming che Tempter, his humble life, and contempt of the world, wd the end of all, and how he is (Xemplary and imitable unto us. 6. In che next open the whole Humiliation and fuff..:ring of ChriH, and the pretcnfes of his pc~fccutors., an_d the Ends and Ufes of his fl-ilning, de:uh and bmial. 7: In the next open h1s Rcfurrcd-10n, the proof5, and the U.fes of ir. -8. In the next open h1s Afcenfion, Glory and lntemffion for us, and the Ufes of all. 9 . In the ntXt open his Kingly, and Prophetical offices in General, ~nd his making the Cove– nant of Grace wirh man, and the nature of that Covenant, and 1ts effeCts. 10. In the next open the Worll,J or Office of the Holy Ghofi in General, as given by Chrift to be his Agtnt in mm on rarth, and his ~rear witnels to the world ; and particularly OP_en .the extraordinary gift f?t" the (pitit to rhe Prophets and Apofiles, 10 ~l.mt the Churche~ and md1te and, feat the holy Scripture ; and (hew th~.:m the aUthority and u{c: of the holy Scnptures. I l· In the uex~,- open to rhun the ordin.1ry -work.J of the Holy Ghofi, as the Jlluminater, Renewer and SanCbfier of fouls and in whit order he doth all this, by ·the Minifiry of the Word. 12. In the ncxr, open' to them, the office aud ufc and duty of the ordioary: ~inifiry, . and their duty toward them, efpecially as H<:arers, and the nature a.nd ufc of publ1ck Worllup> and rhe nature, a_nd Comrnuruon
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