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THE PREFACE.

N Scotland, the minifters are obliged, by their church. rules and conftitutions, to be much employed in the work of catechifing; and the good fruits of it do appear; for there the people (comparatively fpeaking) are generally knowing and orthodox: Whereas, in thofe places where catechifing is neglected, ignorance and error do wofully prevail. It is found by experience, that there is more knowledge diffufed among the ignorant and younger fort by one hour's catechifing, than by many hours preaching for, by the method of catechifing, the attention is provoked, as well as the understanding inftructed, and memory gratified; whilst many excellent fermons are loft through the non-attention of the hearers, or the weakness of their memories.

In the primitive church, catechifing was very much their work. They had many minifters fet apart for it, called Catechifts; and fundry of their most eminent lights were fo called, for their excelling and diligence in this good work. Before perfons were admitted to the full communion of the church, they were from time to time to be catechifed, and kept under trial; and, till fuch time as they were judged fit to partake of the facrament, they were called Catechumeni.

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Our Lord doth enjoin all his minifters to be careful to feed the lambs of his flock, as well as the older fheep, John xxi. 15. And accordingly we find his apoftles took care to feed the babes with milk before they were able to receive ftronger meat, 1 Cor. iii. 1. 2. Heb. v. 12. we have our catechifms, fo they had forms of inftruction, in which the young and weak were catechifed, called a "Form of knowledge," Rom. ii. 20. " a form of doctrine," Rom. vi. 17. "the form of found words," 2 Tim. i. 13. " the first principles of the oracles of God." Heb. V. 12. and "the principles of the doctrine of Christ," Heb. 6. 1. In these were both Theophilus and Apollos catechifed, Luke i. 4. Acts xviii. 25. in both which texts, the word in the Greek is catechifed, which we have here rendered inftructed. The apoftle Paul doth require the people of Galatia to give all encouragement and fupport to those who laboured in the work of catechifing among

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them, Gal. vi. 6. "Let him that is taught in the word, communicate to him that teacheth in all good things." In the original it is, let him that is catechifed, communicate to him that catechifeth: This office is not below the moft learned divines, feeing Chrift fets himself a pattern to us in it, by catechifing his difciples, Matt. xvi. 15. 16.

We in this national church, through the Lord's mercy, are provided with excellent catechifms, both Larger and Shorter, for our help in catechifing. And the Affembly's Shorter Catechifm, eftablished in this church about ninety years ago, (which both we and the body of Proteftant diffenters in our neighbour nations do receive and teach our children by) is judged the most excellent fummary we ever had, in fo fmall a compafs, of the great principles of the Chriftian religion extracted from the word of God. It hath been greatly efteemed in foreign parts allo, and upon that account hath been tranflated into Latin and Greek. In the hand of divine providence, it proves a noble fence againft error, wherever it is received; and therefore the adverfaries of truth are not a little difpleafed with it.

There was a very wild attempt lately made by an anonymous author to alter our Shorter Catechifm, which was printed at London in the year 1735, under the title of, The Affembly's Shorter Catechifm revised. But the alterations therein made, being vifibly defigned to favour seve ral errors now spread among us, feveral of the judicatories of this church judged themfelves bourd to give warning against the poifon of it. Befides, there were remarks made upon it by a very judicious author at London, (to whom we ftand much obliged) which have been difperfed both there and here as an antidote against it.

By the forefaid attempt I have been excited to confider our Shorter Catechifm more clofely than before, and muft now own, the more I view it, I am the better pleased with it, and defire to blefs God for raifing up fuch noble inftruments in the laft age to frame it for us, and fettle it among us, and do reckon it a great mercy that we have not a Catechilm of this kind to fettle and frame among us in this degenerate and licentious age.

This Shorter Catechifm being evidently founded upon the word of God, and a part of our standards to which we fland folemnly engaged; it becomes the lovers of truth to adhere firmly to it, and contend for it, as a most valuable attainment in our Reformation, and always to with and

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pray that it may be preferved entire to us and our pofte rity, and that generations to come may be trained up in the use of it to the latest a ages.

We have had many Explanatory Catechisms upon it published, which have been most useful for increafing knowledge among us: but having obferved, in those which I have feen, that either the anfwers are too prolix for the memories of learners, or elfe too fhort to explain the nature and reafon of things, I have humbly made an essay in. the following Catechifm, to obferve a medium between the forefaid extremes, and likewife to take in many things omitted by others.

It is highly the concern of us all to be well feen in the knowledge, and fixed in the belief, of the great truths of our holy religion, fummed up in the Shorter Catechism; especially in this fhaking time, when the winds of error are blowing, and the most facred fundamental truths are openly attacked by Deifts, cocinians, Arians, and others. As it is furprising to obferve how faft erroneous books are fpread and bought up at this day, fo it is aftonishing to behold to what height infidelity and damnable herefies are arrived in our age; while we who profefs Christianity do wrangle with one another, alas, infidelity doth prevail against us all! and it may caufe us tremble to think what shall be the iffue, if the God of truth do not in mercy arife and ftop its career.

Whence is it that infidelity abounds, and the Chriftian revelation hath fo many enemies? Alas! many are fo bent to indulge themselves in vicious practices, that they can't endure Chrift s holy laws, which check them therein; and therefore study by all means to darken thofe truths and fact, upon which thefe laws are founded; that they may render Revelation doubtful and uncertain; and further, that they may make it quite needlefs, they labour to advance reafon as a fufficient guide in matters of religion, and as that which may conduct us in the way to happiuefs.

But if the bias of fuch perfons to fenfual lufts and pleafures would allow them freely to think upon this fubject, and impartially to view the noble defign and convincing proofs of Chriftianity, the more fully would they be fatisfied of the neceffity and excellency, as well as of the truth and certainty, of the gofpel-revelation, and of its divine original. And, if my teftimony thereunto could have any weight, I can fay, after the mod fellous enqui

ry, I have full freedom to give it, and which I here offer with all humility upon the following grounds:

Although my natural light or reafon be fadly corrupted, yet the remains of it tell me that there is a God, and that he ought to be believed in what he faith, and obeyed in what he commands. And by the cleareft evidences I am affured, that the mind of God, with refpect to my falvation, is only now difcovered to me in the Christian revelation, which I fee is the completion of the Jewith inftitution. And this revelation, I find, doth confirm and perfect the religion of nature, feeing it correfponds with the dictates of natural reafon and religion, and comes feafonably unto me to fupply the great defects thereof.

Though the light of nature intimates to me, that my life should be juft and virtuous, and that I fhould fhun what is offenfive to God, and that he ought to be worshipped and glorified by me his creature, yet it leaves me ignorant of the right way and manner of doing it: But the Chriftian revelation doth both inform me how God is to be worshipped and ferved, and alfo with the strongest arguments inforces that which is the defign of natural religion, namely, the abandoning of fin and vice, and the practice of virtue and piety. This is the fcope and aim of all its mysteries, precepts, promifes, threatenings, examples, miracles, &c.

I find those who have had no more but reafon to guide them, had but faint difcoveries of divine things, and these notices had but fmall influence on their minds and practices; hence they generally entertained unworthy notions of God, and run into grofs idolatry, and the practice of the greatest abominations: But the Chriftian revelation. gives us a noble defeription of the perfections of God, and: of the worthip and fervice he requires as fuitable thereunto; and withal offers us grace to conform our fouls unto them.

Natural reafon can give no fatisfying account of the creation of the world, the original of mankind, nor in what ftate cur first parents came out of their Maker's hands; nor can it tell us how human nature fell from its original rectitude into the prefent ftate of guilt and impurity, nor how it can be recovered from it; nor can it account for the conduct of divine providence in the government of the world: But in the Chriftian revelation we find all thefe duly accounted for.

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