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iii

TO THE

Right Reverend Father in God,

Sir Jonathan Trelawny, Bar

Lord Bishop of Winchester, and Prelate of the most noble Order of the Garter.

My LORD!

T

HE enfuing Exercifes on the ChurchCatechifm humbly crave your Lordfhip's Favour and Protection; not that they deferve, but because they need fo great a Patronage.

For tho the Catechifm of the Church of England be juftly reputed the best Composure of that kind in the Chriftian World; yet the Ignorance of fome, and the corrupt Designs of others, have unhappily occafion'd too great a Neglect and Contempt of it: And nothing less than the Countenance and Authority of the Fathers, as well as the Diligence and Application of the Sons of the Church, are fufficient to recover its antient Honour and Ufe.

'Tis this has embolden'd me once more to prefix to the following Discourses fo Great and Ho

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nourable

nourable a Name, which is able at once to adorn the Work, and protect its Author.

And this I have the rather done, to recommend them to the World with greater Advantage, and the better to promote the great End and Design of them; which your Lordship's known Zeal, and firm Adherence to the Church, may give abundant Encouragement to expect.

This known Zeal is too warm and wellgrounded to degenerate into Lukewarmnefs and Neutrality: And tho Envy and Malice may raife a Mist before the clearest Integrity, yet like the Sun it will foon get out of the Cloud, and after fhine the brighter.

My Lord! This Edition comes to congratulate your Lordship's happy Tranflation to a higher Dignity; which may ferve to banish all Fears of the Church's Danger, and to give us wellgrounded Hopes of its fafe and flourishing Condition.

May your Lordship long continue to adorn your High and Honourable Station, and support the inferior Order committed to your Care and Charge; that your Miter here on Earth, may be at laft exchang'd for a Crown of Glory in Heaven, is the hearty Wish and Prayer of,

My Lord!

Your Lordship's most humble

and devoted Servant,

MATTHEW HOLE.

The PREFACE.

READER,

HOV art here prefented with an A bridgment of fome Catechetical ExerT cifes, deliver'd in a Country Congrega tion; and therefore futed to the Capacity of the meanest Understanding. Some that have been either pieas'd with, or profited by them, would fain perfuade themfelves, that others might receive the fame Benefit and Satisfaction, if they were made more publick. This hath difpos'd the Author, who is unwilling to decline any thing for the Service of his Church and Country, to venture them abroad and try the Ex-\. periment: If they shall be found any wife ufeful, either to the informing the Judgment, or exciting the Affections, or helping any forward in their Chriftian Courfe, he has all that he aims at, and will reft abundantly fatisfy'd in the Success of his Adventure. And accordingly the First Part being found, in the Judgment of the World, ufeful and ferviceable to thofe Ends, I have gone for. ward to all the other Parts of the Catechifm in the fame Method: And being now compleat, I humbly fubmit all to the Wisdom and Authority of my Superiors, and to the candid and favour

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able Construction of all judicious and impartial Readers:

What doleful Evils have proceeded from the Lack of Catechifing, our prefent Age is an unhappy Inftance; in which many being bred up in the Times of the Civil War, and more in the Confufions that have thereby happen'd fince, have, thro' the fad neglect of this great Duty, been depriv'd of the Benefit of early and well-grounded Inftructions; and thereby loft thofe Principles of Religion and Virtue, which, if imbib'd fooner, might have continu'd longer with them, and made them more fteddy in their Duty both to God and Man.

'Tis much to be fear'd, that the many difmal Evils that have enfued from this Neglect, are hardly to be cur'd in the prefent Age; which, for want of being well-principled in the beginning, is too much over-run with Atheism, and all manner of Impiety.

All our Hopes must be in the next Generation, by well-training up thofe that are to live to it: that is, by laying a good Foundation in the Minds of Children and Youth, and feafoning their tender Tear's with more lafting Principles of Religion and Virtue.

Long accuftom'd and habituated Sinners, like overgrown Oaks, are sturdy and inflexible: Whereas Children and Youth, like tender Twigs, are more pliable, may be bent any way, and are capable of any Impreffions. This fhould teach all Parents, as they tender the Welfare of their Children, above all things to take care of their timely and pious Education.

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Mafters likewife, Tutors, Guardians, and all others that have the over fight of Youth, should build

Ne upon

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