Cure and then present them to such as are appointed to License them In the first place I humbly conceive it will be necessary to add unto the Catechism a short and plain Paraphrase upon every sentence in the Creed the Lords Prayer and Ten Commandments and particularly to explain every unusual hard word therein For those general Questions at the end of them do not so sufficiently open the understandings of the weaker or duller Youth as that they know how to apply those generals to each particular sentence but many Youths who can most readily say the Catechism to a little yet understand many words no more than if they were Greek and scarce are able to give you the meaning of any Sentence in their own words And although they have all perfectly by heart as we say yet have very little in their heads and understandings and so a Parrot may be well nigh as capable of the Lords Supper as some of those In the next place I must tell you That I fear as much Ministers of the best parts as those of the meanest for this necessary work of Catechizing lest both have the same effect though they act extreamly different the one talking non-sence the other above common sence both of them confounding the brains of the poor Youths who understand neither of them I have heard some Learned Ministers call the Youth together ask a few Catechism-questions which the Boys answering readily are commended and dismissed And then begins this learned Man a profound Lecture shaped according to his own large dimensions at which both Boys and Men also for the most part gaze as at a prodigious Monster of Learning and perchance some of them say to themselves the same that Festus said to St. Paul The Man is besides himself much Learning hath made him mad Sure he doth not know where he is not in an University-School of Divinity but in an Assembly of weak and silly Youth who must be fed with milk and are not capable of strong meat where it were better for him with St. Paut to speak five words with his understanding that by his voice he may teach others also than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue or in such English as they understand no more than an unknown tongue I humbly beseech these Men to attend to the Form and Phrase of the Gospel and mark what kind of matter and language the Divine Oracle used in Preaching it even to the learned Scribes and Pharisees and to learn of him who was lowly in heart and came not to seek his own glory but the glory of Him that sent him I desire them also to read the latter end of the first Chapter of 1 Cor. and the beginning of the second and learn from thence to speak the Wisdom of God in the weak and foolish way of Preaching to instruct and gain the weak and foolish yet wise unto God Really no Man that hath not made some experience can believe how strangely weak and dull thousands both of boyes and men also are in apprehending spiritual matters so that a man had need to study much how to fit their weak heads with a sutable discourse and hath as much need of great patience also to repeat every thing again and again and even beat it into their heads I have observed that Plato's manner of many short and plain questions and answers to effect much and likewise familiar similitudes from things within their own occupation and knowledge And now to encourage them to this toilsome work I beseech them to consider that the Souls of these weak simple ones cost our Saviour as dear as those of the Philosophers and therefore are as dear to him yea it seems dearer seeing St. Paul tells us in the place before cited that he calls more of them to Salvation and therefore they ought to be as dear to our Saviours Ministers and to be chiefly called and sought by them and then they shall be sure to have their reward from this our lowly Saviour In the last place I conceive it necessary to consider what course may be taken to bring all to Catechising for I have heard some Pious Ministers much complain that they have used their utmost endeavours yet cannot effect it and it can never be expected that many of the Youth will come unless compelled by Parents and Masters of whom many are so careless many so covetous as they think every hour lost which is not spent on their worldly affairs so that the Parents and Masters need compulsion as well as their Children and Servants And considering how this necessary work of Catechising hath been neglected for many years past it is much to be feared that the aged need it as much as the youth But would Parents and Masters well consider the great advantages that would accrue to them even in their worldly concerns they would be very zealous to come themselves and both see and hear their youth Catechized and bred up in Piety and Godliness the want whereof hath bred that great undutifulness in children that sloth and falseness of servants which we sadly behold in this degenerated age And let me mention once again the strict account Parents and Masters must give to God for so great neglect to those committed to their charge Wherefore unless some fitter expedient can be found I humbly conceive it would have some effect if such careless Parents and Masters were not admitted themselves to the Holy Communion who were faulty in this kind for though many of them are not very zealous of the Holy Communion and could easily pass it by yet for reputation sake they would not easily incur the being rejected and doubtless many of them would be moved thereby and the example of some would be followed by others and so by degrees the number would encrease and when Catechizing by this means begins to grow in fashion it would quickly be taken up by all God be merciful to us that Religion in many is chiefly for fashion sake yet I hope by Gods assisting grace Religion begining though but in fashion would end at last in true Devotion at least in many if not in all However it is good that God should publickly be glorified the publick would sdeed the better for it though the private hypocrites suffer punishment in the end God in his mercy turn their hearts that they may escape Of Church Government MY last particular which remains yet to be handled is that of the Authority of Bishops to govern as well as to ordain And in the first place who can but wonder to see men so zealous in assuming to themselves the sole power of Ordination so much neglect and even wholly abandon the power of the Keys that of Excommunication so high and so dreadful which though by great abuse in latter times is made very contemptible yet in the original institution and Primitive practice was very terrible A power to deliver men over unto Satan that Prince
the Vniversity with all his Sciences and Languages be fit for this or rather a grave sober person of age and experience having a a good natural capacity illuminated by Scripture Instruction and Prayer using also the help of grave and sound Interpreters Really 't is most evident that the Church is run into great contempt by the slightness and giddiness of many Ministers who intend nothing but to make a handsom School-Boyes Exercises in the Pulpit on Sunday but never attend the other Parochial duties no nor their own advance in Spiritual knowledge but give themselves wholly either to idle Studies or idler Recreations and are very children in Divine knowledg and behaviour I do affirm this in the presence of God as a truth and I have known some pass for very good Preachers that could not give a good account of the Athanasian Creed nor scarce of the Childrens Catechisme Masters of Art but School-Boys in true Divinity and so their Parishoners continue very Babes all their life long It would make any true Christian's heart bleed to think how many thousand poor souls there are in this Land that have no more knowledg of God then Heathens thousands of the mendicant condition never come to Church and are never lookt after by any likewise thousands of mean husbandry Men that do come to Church understand no more of the Sermon then Bruites perchance in their infancy some of them learnt a little of their Catechisme that is they could like Parrots say some broken pieces but never understand the meaning of one line this is the common way of Chatechising but afterwards as they grow up to be Men grow more babes in Religion so ignorant as searce to know their Heavenly Father and are admitted to the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper before they are able to give account of the Sacrament of Baptisme This it is generally in the Country and in the City as bad partly for the reason before specified and partly by reason the number in many Parishes is far greater then any one Pastor can have a due care of he cannot know half the Names or Faces of them much less their Faith and Behaviour which is requisite that he may both instruct and reprove where there is need Wherefore I humbly conceive 't is necessary to divide these numerous Parishes into several parts but wiâ—hal to provide means out of them for several Ministers for there is no hope to gain it from their Charity or Piety which is plain Hypocrisy seeming so zealous to hear the Word but to contribute nothing towards it the Minister may Preach his heart out and yet not get out of their purses any tolerable Maintenance a poor Husbandman in the Country of twenty pound a year that gets his bread by the swear of his brows pays more to his Minister than a Citizen that gets hundreds a year sitting at great ease in his Shop and spends more in Ribbonds Laces and Perriwigs in one year then he pays to his Minister in ten or twenty I beseech them to consider what account they will give to their Lord and Master at that day But I return to the requisite qualities of a Minister who according to St. Paul is to be a Governor as well as a Preacher to admonish and rebuke as well as instruct and therefore of two evils choose the lesser rather Men defective in parts to preach which may be supplied by Homilies then defective in Wisdom and Discretion to govern which can't be supplied by other means But would Men be content with the true Gospel and Apostolick preaching doubtless there might persons be found out fit for both to Govern and to Preach to preach one God the Creator of all one Christ the Redeemer of all one Holy Ghost the Sanctifier of all to preach the Baptisme of Repentance and the Saâ—rament of the Lord's Supper to preach Godliness Justice Mercy Charity Sobriety Chastity c. All which will be far better performed by a grave and godly conscientious Man well Catechized though he never saw University though he knew no other Language but his Mother Tongue then by any Aristotelist Scotist Aquinatist with all their knacks of quiddities and qualities Syllogismes and Enthymems distinctions and subsumptions c. Not one Greek or Italian or French of a thousand knew any Language but his Mother Tongue when the Gospel first flourished there not one Indian of hundred thousand where St. Thomas planted the Gospel ever heard of Plato or Aristotle and so I may say of many other Nations where the Gospel was planted and Priests ordained When God instituted Aaron and that Priesthood when Christ instituted the Apostles and this Priesthood not a title mentioned of School Sciences or Forreign Languages 'T is true the Apostles by the Holy Ghost received the gift of Tongues because they were to preach to all Nations but we find not any infusion of School learning by the Holy Ghost nor any more gift of Tongues after the Gospel once spread over the world God thought it then needless I pray let 's be no wiser then God and his Christ who converted the world by the foolishness of Preaching but I never yet heard of any one Nation converted by the wisdom of Philosophical Rhetorical Preaching Mistake me not I say that Sciences and Languages are no way necessary for common Parochical Preachers yet I grant that Sciences especially Historical and Languages especially the Oriental are very useful to the perfect understanding of Scripture and very fit for some Ministers to study to whom God hath given parts and means to acquire them who may be helpful to others and the Universities are very good places to train up youths to this purpose but still these faculties are no way necessary to a parochial Cure a small proportion of Learning with a great deal of Piety and Discretion is much better Besides there is another thing much to be considered Were there such grave conscientious persons admitted into the Ministry as the Apostles ordained such Preaching set up as they practised and all other decryed such double honor paid unto the Ministry as St. Paul commanded and primitively was rendred such grave persons would scarce ever fail of it then we might find thousands in the Nation that having means of their own would preach the Gospel to the poor for conscience sake The maintenance for Ministers in most parts is so wretchedly small and so like to be the Tythes being in the hands of Lay-men without hopes of recovery that there is no convenient support for men of Worth and Gravity and therefore Youths and striplings as wretched are put into them of meer necessity that they lye not wholly void whereas if men that had some Estate to help to maintain themselves being persons of conscience and convenient Knowledge were put into the Ministry and such preaching the Gospel accepted of as the Apostles and Primitive Disciples used the Cures wou'd be served with far more edification of the
people and honour to the Church then now they are I most humbly beseech all in the spirit of meekness and humility to consider these things laying aside the veil of pomp and vanity which blinds their eyes and hinders them from discovering the naked truth and simplicity of the Gospel I call the Searcher of all hearts to witness I wish unto all Clergy-men both double honour and double maintenance also I can't think any thing too much for those who conscienciously labour in the Ministry But seeing as I said there is no hopes of regaining the Church maintenance we in prudence should seek out such helps as may be had And truly I have great reason to hope that were this rule observed of putting only grave discreet and consciencious persons into the Ministry whether University men or not it matters not so as fully instructed in the Doctrine of the Gospel by sound Commentators many persons of good rank and Estate would think it no dishonour but rather a high honour to enter into it as they did in the Primitive time Iulian neerly related to the Roman Emperour and afterwards Emperour himself thought it an honour to be admitted a Reader one of the lowest Offices in the Church And for the better advancing this business and fitting all sorts of men with convenient Knowledge for the Ministry I humbly conceive it very fit there should be one good and brief English Comment of Scripture selected and compiled out of those many voluminous Authors laying asid all impertinent criticismes abstruse questions nice speculations and the like setting down only the plain and most obvious sence in matters of Faith and good life necessary to salvation such a book to be set forth by Authority with a command that no man in Sermons Exhortations or Catechisings teach any thing contrary to it and what ever Learning beyond that is brought into the Pulpit let it rather be exploded then applauded for if any countenance be given to excursions there will be no end the itch men have to shew their Learning will soon bring us again into the vain unedifying practice we now are in I humbly conceive it fit also that the book of Homilies be reviewed not to correct any thing in them for they are most excellent sound Exhortations containing the true Primitive Spirit but to add to them what ever is wanting to the necessary Doctrine of Faith and good manners to teach every person how to behave himself in his several vocation and these commanded to be read once over every year for I have observed several even good and conscientious Preachers to take quite another method and preach on this or that Chapter and so in the whole year yea perchance in two or three years never preach on the duty between Man and Wife Parents and Children Masters and Servants Magistrates and Subjects or omit to treat of Pride or Malice or Cheating or the like by reason of which omissions several in the Congregation are ignorant in necessary duties though rightly instructed in many things unnecessary I expect that many will cry out of this as a means to introduce laziness into the Ministry and a hindrance from exercising those Talents God hath endowed them with To this I answer First That I had rather the Ministers should be lazie then the People ignorant in their duty But secondly I answer That besides Pulpit Preaching the Minister may find enough to do to keep him from laziness and exercise the best that is the most useful Talents of a Minister to visit and comfort the Sick and Afflicted to compose Differences and reconcile Janglers to examine and instruct the meaner and duller part of his Flock who are not capable of Pulpit preaching to whom they must inculcate both Doctrines and Admonitions ten times over and scarcely so make them apprehend any Spiritual matters Experience only can raise a belief how extreamly dull the common people are in the mysteries of Faith and but little quicker in the principles of a good life Christ dyed to save these poor vulgar Souls as well as those of the Gentry and more learn'd yet the labour of most Ministers is to entertain those that know enough and are very lazy in Catechising those poor souls that know nothing let these be fully instructed and then for me let them shew their Talents by preaching as often as they please to others All that I labour for is that those may have it who most want it either by injoyning such Homilies as I mentioned to be yearly read or such Sermons to be yearly preached I am no enemy to true Apostolical preaching God forbid I should but to vain Scholastical useless preaching to have the Pastor who should daily watch over his Flock sit in his Study all the Week long picking from that or this Quaint Author a few beautiful Flowers and then come on Sunday with his Nosegay in his hand to enterâ—ain Ladies and Courtiers for my part I count this far more sinful laziness then to read a Pious Homily on Sunday and all the Week after go up and down from house to house taking pains to instruct and exhort such as I mentioned But these shall be called dumb Dogs yet surely by none but barking Curs who are wholly ignorant in true Apostolick Preaching Pardon me if I return them their due who speak evil of that they understand not They will Object The Apostles and Primitive Disciples did not read Homilies but Preach'd themselves Neither do I desire that any one Homily should ever be read so as we had the true Apostolick preaching both oâ— Sundays in publick and Week-days also in private where there is need But I am sure such pious Homilies as I mentioned are no ways contrary to the Apostolical and primitive practice and are far more useful then such preaching as we have now adays And I am also sure that in the purest and most primitive time Homilies under another name were read in the Churches that is the Epistles of Apostolick godly Bishops written to other Churches were read in the Congregation with great Veneration Shall the name of Epistle make the one applauded the name of Homily make the other reproached the contents and the intent being the same to stirr up the people to godliness If this will satisfy let the Homilies be styled Epistles to such or such a Church and then I hope they will pass for current But you will say The Compilers of our Homilies are not of equal authority to those primitive Epistlers Let that pass but I am sure they are of far more authority then most of our Preachers I pray consider how many giddy Youths are of our Ministry how many of greater age but of as little gravity or discretion how many that vainly preach themselves and their own abilities not Christ and his Gospel how many that preach piously and yet not usefully but as I said before many things unnecessary omitting many necessary Summ up all these