07. PART III - DIRECTIONS FOR THIS DUTY
PART III - DIRECTIONS FOR THIS DUTY
It is so great a work which we have before us, that it would be a thousand pities if it were to be destroyed in its birth, and perish in our hands. And though I know we have a knotty generation to deal with, and that it is beyond the power of any of us to change a carnal heart without the effectual operation of the Holy Ghost, yet it is usual with God to work by means, and to bless the right endeavors of his servants. And so I cannot fear, but great things will be accomplished, and a wonderful blow will be dealt to the kingdom of darkness by this work, if it does not miscarry through the fault of the ministers themselves. The main danger arises from the lack of either diligence or skill. I have already spoken much about the former. As for the latter, I am so conscious of my own lack of skill, that I am far from imagining that I am fit to give directions to anyone except the younger and more inexperienced in the ministry. Therefore, I expect so much fairness in your interpretation of what I say, that you will think that I am now speaking only to such younger ministers. Yet I will say something, and not pass over it in silence, because the number of such ministers is so great. And I am apprehensive that the welfare of the Church, and of the nation, depends so much on the right management of this work. The points about which you need to be concerned are these two:
1. To bring your people to submit to this course of private catechizing or instruction; for if they will not come to you, or allow you to come to them, then what good can they receive?
2. To do the work in such a way that will most tend toward its success.
ARTICLE 1 – Bringing People to submit to Instruction
I am first to give you some directions for bringing your people to submit to this course of catechizing and instruction.
1. The primary means of all is this: for a minister to so conduct himself in the general course of his life and ministry, that he may convince his people of his ability, sincerity, and unfeigned love for them. For if they see him as ignorant, they will despise his teaching, and think themselves as wise as he; and if they think he is self-seeking, or hypocritical, and someone who does not mean what he says, they will suspect all he says and does for them, and they will not regard him. On the other hand, if they are convinced that he understands what he is doing, and they think highly of his abilities, they will revere him, and more easily submit to his advice; and when they are persuaded of his uprightness, they will less suspect his motives; and when they perceive that he intends no private gain of his own, but merely their good, they will more readily be persuaded by him. Because those to whom I write are not supposed to be the ablest ministers, they may therefore despair of being revered for their abilities. I would say to them, you therefore have more need to study, and to labor to increase them; what you lack in ability must be made up for in other qualifications. Then your advice may be as successful as others.
If ministers were content to purchase an interest in the affections of their people at the highest cost to their own flesh, and if they would condescend to meet with them, and be familiar and affectionate with them, and prudent in their carriage, and abound in good works according to their ability, then they might do much more with their people than they ordinarily do. It is not that we seek an interest in them for our own sakes, but that we might be more able to promote the interest of Christ, and further their salvation. If it were not for their own sakes, it would be no great matter whether they love us or hate us; but what commander can do any great service with an army that hates him? And how can we think they will regard our counsel much, while they abhor or disregard the person giving it to them? Labor, therefore, to grow in the estimation and affection of your people. Then you may prevail better with them. But perhaps some will say, “What should a minister do if he finds he has lost the affections of his people?” To this I answer, “If they are so vile a people, that they do not hate him for any weakness or misconduct of his own, but merely for endeavoring for their good, and they would hate anyone who did his duty, then with patience and meekness he must continue to “instruct those who oppose themselves; God may perhaps give them repentance to acknowledge the truth.”319 But if it is because of any weakness on his part, or a difference of opinion about minor things, or bias against him, let him first try to remove the bias by all lawful means. If he cannot, then let him say to them, “It is not for myself, but for you that I labor; and therefore, seeing that you will not obey the Word from me, I want you to agree to accept someone else who may do you that good which I cannot do,” and leave them there. See whether another man may be found who is a better fit for them, and this man perhaps a better fit for another. For an ingenuous320 man can hardly stay with a people against their wills; and for his own benefit, a sincere man cannot remain in a place where he is likely to be unprofitable, and where he hinders the good which the people might receive from another man, one who might elicit greater affection and esteem from them.
2. Assuming this general preparation is finished, the next thing to be done is to use the most effectual means to convince them of the benefit and necessity of this course for their own souls. The way to win the consent of people to anything that you propose is to prove that it is good and profitable for them. You must therefore preach to them some powerful and convincing sermons to this purpose beforehand. Show them the benefit and necessity of knowing divine truths in general, and of knowing the first principles in particular; and show that the aged have the same duty and need to know as others, and in some respects much more: e. g. from Hebrews 5:12 : “For when you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again which are the first principles of the oracles of God; you have become like those who need milk, and not strong meat.” This provides us with a number of observations that are suitable for our present purpose, such as:
(1) God’s oracles must be a man’s lessons.
(2) Ministers must teach these, and people must learn them from the ministers.
(3) The oracles of God have some fundamental principles, which all who wish to be saved must know.
(4) These principles must be learned first, that is, in the right order.
(5) It may be reasonably expected that people would thrive in knowledge according to the means of instruction which they possess; and if they do not thrive, it is their great sin.321
(6) If any have lived in the church long, under the means of knowledge,322 and yet are ignorant of these first principles, they need to be taught them again, however old they may be
All this is plain from the text of this Hebrews passage. Using it, we have a fair opportunity to show them, by many clear and convincing reasons:
First, the necessity of knowing God’s oracles.
Secondly, more especially knowing the fundamental principles.
Thirdly, how impossible it is to go the way to heaven without knowing it. This is particularly true for the aged, who have sinfully lost so much time already, and have for so long promised to repent when they were old. These are the ones who should now be teachers of the young, and whose ignorance is therefore a double sin and shame. Now they have so little time in which to learn, and they are so near to death and judgment; they have souls to save or lose as well as others do. Convince them how impossible it is to go the way to heaven without knowing these things, when there are so many difficulties and enemies in the way. Men cannot do their worldly business without knowledge, nor learn a trade without an apprenticeship. Convince them what a contradiction it is to be a Christian, and yet to refuse to learn; for what is a Christian but a disciple of Christ? How can he be a disciple of Christ, if he refuses to be taught by him? And if he refuses to be taught by his ministers, then refuses to be taught by Christ; for Christ will not come down from heaven again to teach them by his own mouth. He has appointed his ministers to keep school, and to teach them under Christ. To say, therefore, that they will not be taught by his ministers is to say they will not be taught by Christ; and that is to say they will not be his disciples, nor Christians.
Make them understand that it is not an arbitrary business of our own devising and imposing; but that the necessity is laid upon us; if we do not see after every member of the flock according to our ability, they may perish in their iniquity; and their blood will be required at our hand. Show them that it is God, and not we, who contrives and imposes the work; and therefore they blame God more than us in accusing [that it is unnecessary]. Ask them if they would be so cruel to their minister as to wish him to throw away his own soul, knowingly and willfully, for fear of troubling them by trying to hinder their damnation? Fully acquaint them with the nature of the ministerial office and the Church’s need of it; how it consists in teaching and guiding all the flock. Just as they must come to the congregation, as students come to school, so they must be content to give an account of what they have learned, and to be further instructed, man by man. Let them know how this tends toward their salvation, how it profitably benefits their time, and how much vanity and evil it will prevent. Once they find it is for their own good, they will more easily yield to it.
3. When this is done, it will be necessary to give one of the catechisms to every family in the parish, whether rich or poor, so that they may be without excuse. For if you leave it up to them to buy them, perhaps half of them will not get them. But if we put copies into their hands, receiving them will be a kind of enlistment to learn them; and if they only read the exhortation (as likely they will), it will perhaps convince them and incite them to submit to it. As for delivering them, the best way is for the minister to first give notice in the assembly that they will be brought to their houses. Then he should go from house to house himself and deliver them, and take the opportunity to persuade them to do the work. And as he goes round, he should take a list of all the persons who have come to the age of discretion in the various families,323 so that he may know who to take care of and instruct, and who to expect when it comes to their turn. In distributing other books among my people, I formerly had every family call for them; but I found there was more confusion and uncertainty that way; and so I now adopt this as the better method. But in small congregations, either way may do. As to the expense of the catechisms, if the minister is able, it would be well for him to bear the cost. If not, then the best financially situated of his people should bear the cost among them. Or, on a day of humiliation, in preparation for the work, let the collection that is made for the poor be employed to buy catechisms, and the people be encouraged to be more liberal than ordinary; and what is lacking, those with a heart for the work may make it up. As to proceeding in an orderly manner, it will be necessary that we take the people in order, family by family, beginning a month or six weeks after the delivery of the catechisms, so that they may have time to learn them. And thus, taking them together in common, they will be more willing to come, and the hesitant will be more ashamed to hold off.
4. Be sure you deal gently with them, and remove all discouragements as effectually as you can.
(1) Tell them publicly that if they have already learned any other catechism, then you will not urge them to learn this one, unless they desire it themselves: for the substance of all orthodox catechisms is the same; your only reason for offering them this one was its brevity and fullness so that you might give them as much as possible in a few words, and thus make their work easier. Or if any of them would rather learn some other catechism, then let them have their choice.
(2) As for the old people who have weak memories, and are not likely to live long in the world, and who complain that they cannot remember the words, tell them that you do not expect them to fret too much about it, but to hear it read to them often, and to see that they understand it, and get the material into their minds and hearts; then they may be borne with,324 even though they do not remember the words.
(3) Deal with those you begin with very gently, convincing and winning them, so that the report of it may be an encouragement to the others you come to later.
5. Lastly, if all this has not served to bring someone to submit, do not despise them; instead, go to them and reason with them. Learn what their reasons are, and convince them of the sinfulness and danger they invite by neglecting the help that is offered to them. A soul is so precious that we should not lose even one of them for lack of labor; but we should follow after them while there is any hope left, and not give up on them as a lost cause, until there is no remedy left. Before we abandon them, let us try our utmost, so we may experience their obstinate contempt, to warrant our forsaking them. Charity bears and waits long.325 ARTICLE 2 – How to Deal Most Effectually with Them in the Work
Having used these means to procure them to come and submit to your instructions, we next consider how to deal most effectually with them in the work. Again I must say that I think it is a far easier matter to compose and preach a good sermon, than to rightly deal with an ignorant man for his instruction in the more essential principles of religion. As much as this work is disdained by some, I have no doubt it will try the gifts and spirit of ministers; and it will more fully reveal the difference between one man and another than preaching will do. Here I will, as fits my purpose, transcribe the words of a most learned, orthodox, and godly man: Archbishop Ussher.326 In his sermon on Ephesians 4:13 given before King James327 at Wanstead:
“Your Majesty’s care can never be sufficiently commended, in ordering that the main topics of the catechism should, in the ordinary ministry, be diligently propounded and explained to the people throughout the land; which I wish were as duly executed everywhere as it was piously intended by you.”
Great scholars may possibly think it does not stand too well with their credit to stoop this low, and spend so much time teaching these rudiments and first principles of the doctrine of Christ; but they should consider that skillfully laying the foundation is a matter of greatest importance in the construction of the whole building; it is the masterpiece of the wisest building. “According to the grace of God which is given to me, as a wise master-builder, I have laid the foundation,”328 says the great apostle. Let the most learned of us try this whenever we please, and we will find that to lay this groundwork rightly (that is, to intentionally consider the average man’s capacity to hear, and to make an ignorant man understand these mysteries in some good measure) will put us to the test of our skill, and it will trouble us a great deal more than if we were to discuss a controversy, or handle a subtle point of learning in the schools. Yet Christ gave it to his apostles, prophets, and evangelists, as his ordinary pastors and teachers, to bring all of us to the unity of this faith and knowledge,329 both learned and unlearned; neglecting this will frustrate the whole work of the ministry. For, however many sermons we preach to the people, our labor is lost as long as the foundation is unlaid, and the first principles upon which all other doctrine must be built are untaught. The directions I think necessary to rightly manage the work are the following: When your people come to you, one family or more, begin with a brief preface to soothe their minds and remove all offense, unwillingness, or discouragement, and to prepare them to receive your instructions. “My friends,” you might say, “it may perhaps seem to some of you an unusual and troublesome business that I have placed on you; but I hope you will not think it unnecessary. For if I had thought so, I would have spared both you and myself this labor. But my conscience has told me – indeed, God has so solemnly told me in his Word – what it means to have charge of souls, and how the blood of those who perish will be charged to a minister who neglects them. So I dare not be guilty of it, as I have been up to now. Alas! All of our business in this world is to get well to heaven; and God has appointed ministers to be guides to his people, to help them safely there. If this is well done, all is done; and if this is not done, we are forever undone. The Lord knows how short a time you and I may be together; and therefore it concerns us to do what we can for our salvation and yours before we leave you, or before you leave the world. All other business in the world is like toys and dreams compared to this. The labors of your calling are just to prop up a cottage of clay, while your souls are hastening to death and judgment, which may even now be near at hand. I hope, therefore, you will be glad to have help in such a necessary work, and will not think it too much that I put you to this trouble, when the trifles of the world cannot be had without much greater trouble.” This, or something to this effect, may tend to make them more willing to hear you, and to receive instruction from you; and it may give you some indication of their knowledge and practice. When you have spoken to them all this way, take them one by one, and deal with them as much as possible in private, out of the hearing of the rest. For some people cannot speak freely in front of others; and some will not endure being questioned in front of others – because they fear being embarrassed if others hear their answers. Some persons who can provide better answers, will be ready, when the previous person has left, to talk about what they heard, and to disgrace those who did not speak as well as they are able to. And so people will be discouraged, and persons who are reluctant to do the exercise will have an excuse to refrain from it, or to abandon it, saying they “will not come to be made a fool and a laughingstock.” You must therefore be very careful to avoid all these pitfalls. But I have found by experience that the main reason we want to get them alone is that people will better accept plain and frank dealing with their sin, and misery, and duty, than they will accept it in front of others. If you do not have an opportunity to drive home the truth, and deal freely with their consciences, then you will frustrate everything. If you therefore have a convenient place to meet separately, let the rest stay in one room while you confer with each person privately in another. Only, to avoid scandal, we must speak to the women only in the presence of others; if we lose some advantage by this, there is no remedy. It is better to do that than to give the malicious an opportunity for reproach, and thus undermine all the work. Yet we may work it in such a way that, though some others are in the room, whatever things are less fit for them to know may be spoken in a low voice, so that they may not hear it. For example, they may be placed at the furthest part of the room; or at least, do not let anyone be present except the members of the same family who are more familiar with each other, and are not as likely to reproach one another. And then leave your most rousing examinations and reproofs for the ignorant, self-secure, and vicious, so that you may have clearer ground for your frank dealing, and so that hearing it may awaken the bystanders, to whom you do not seem to directly apply it. These small things deserve attention, because they fit the objectives of a work that is not small; and small errors may hinder a great deal of good.
Begin your work by reviewing what they have learned of the words of the catechism, and by listening to their answer to each question; if they are able to repeat only a little or none of it, then see whether they can recite the Creed and the Decalogue with you.
Then choose some of the weightiest points, and by asking further questions, test how far they understand them. In doing so, be careful of the following things:
(1) Do not begin with less necessary points, but with those which they themselves might think concern them most. For example: “What do you think becomes of men when they die? What will become of us after the end of the world? Do you believe that you have any sin; or that you were born with sin? What does every sin deserve? What remedy has God provided to save sinful, miserable souls? Has anyone suffered for our sins in our stead; or must we suffer for them ourselves? Who are those whom God will pardon; and who will be saved by the blood of Christ? What change must be made in all who will be saved; and how is this change effected? In what lies our principal happiness? And what is it that our hearts must be most set upon?” and other similar questions.
(2) Beware asking nice, unnecessary, doubtful, or very difficult questions, even though these are matters of greatest weight in themselves. Some conceited persons will be as busy with such questions, which they cannot answer themselves, and as critical of the poor people who cannot answer them, as they would if life and death depended on them.
You may perhaps ask them, “What is God?” Think how defective your own answer must be! You may be able to tell what he is not, sooner than what he is. If you ask, “What is repentance, what is faith, or what is forgiveness of sin?” Consider how many ministers you might ask before you get a right answer, or how many might disagree about it! Likewise you could ask them what regeneration is, or what sanctification is. You might think to yourself, “If men do not know what God is, or what repentance is, or what faith, conversion, justification, and sanctification are, then how can they be true Christians and be saved?” My answer is that it is one thing to know exactly what they are, and another thing to know their nature and effects, for such knowledge is more general and indistinct. And it is one thing to know, and another thing to express it. The very name, as commonly used, means something to them, and it is expressed by them, but without a definition; they partly understand what that name means, but they cannot define it with other words. For example, they know what it means to repent, to believe, and to be forgiven. By custom of speech they know what these mean, and yet they cannot define them except perhaps with a typical rural response: “To repent is to repent; and to be forgiven is to be forgiven.” If they can say, “It means to be pardoned,” it is a fair response. Yet do I not absolutely dissuade you from asking such questions; but do it cautiously, as when you suspect some gross ignorance in the point; especially about God himself.
(3) Contrive your questions in such a way that they may perceive what you mean, and that you are not expecting a nice definition, but a simple solution. Do not look for words, but ideas; and so do not let their answer be a bare “Yes”, or “No”, or merely selecting one of two descriptions you yourself provided. For example:
“What is God? Is he made of flesh and blood, as we are; or is he an invisible Spirit? Is he a man, or is he not? Did he have any beginning? Can he die? What is faith? Is it believing the whole Word of God? What is it to believe in Christ? Is it becoming a true Christian the same thing as believing that Christ is the Savior of sinners, and trusting in him as your Savior to pardon, sanctify, govern, and glorify you? What is repentance? Is it only being sorry for sin, or is it changing the mind from sin to God, and forsaking it? Or does it include both?”330
(4) When you perceive that they do not understand the meaning of your question, you must draw out their answer by an equivalent or expository question. If that will not do, then you must frame the answer into your question, and require only “Yes” or “No” in reply. I have often asked some very ignorant people, “How do you think that your sins, which are so many and so great, can be pardoned?” And they tell me, “By repenting and amending my life,” and never mention Jesus Christ. I ask them further, “But do you think that your amendment can make amends to God or satisfy him for the sin that is past?” They will answer, “We hope so, or else we do not know what will.” One would now think that these men had no knowledge of Christ at all, since they make no mention of him. I find some who indeed have no knowledge of him; and when I tell them the history of Christ, and what he is, and did, and suffered for them, they stand wondering at it like something strange. Some say they never heard this before, nor knew of it, even though they came to church every Lord’s Day. But some, I perceive, give such answers because they do not understand the scope of my question; they assume that I take Christ’s death for granted, and that I am only asking them, “What will satisfy God as your part under Christ?” – though in this, too, they reveal sad ignorance. And when I ask them, “Can your good deeds merit anything from God?” they answer, “No; but I hope God will accept them.” If I ask further, “Can you be saved without the death of Christ?” they say, “No.” And if I ask still further, “What has he done or suffered for you?” they say, “He died for us”; or “He shed his blood for us”; and they profess that they place their confidence in that for salvation.
Many men have in their minds what is not ripe for utterance. Through an imperfect education and disuse, they are strangers to expressing things of which they nonetheless have some conception. And, by the way, you may see here the reason why you should deal very tenderly with the common people, for the matter of knowledge and defect in expression, as long as they are teachable and amenable, and willing to use the means afforded them. For many, even ancient godly persons, cannot express themselves with any tolerable propriety, nor learn even when expressions are put into their mouths. Some of the most pious, experienced, approved Christians I know (aged people), complain to me with tears that they cannot learn the words of the catechism; and when I consider their advantages – that they have enjoyed the most excellent helps, and have been in constant duty and in the best company for forty, fifty, or sixty years together – it teaches me what to expect from poor ignorant people, who never had that kind of company and discourse for even one year or a week. And so I do not reject them as hastily as some hot-headed and too lofty believers would have us do.
(5) If you find them at a loss, and unable to answer your questions, do not drive them too hard or too long with question after question, lest they think you intend only to puzzle and disgrace them. Instead, when you perceive that they cannot answer, step in yourself and take the burden off them, and answer the question yourselves. Do it thoroughly and plainly, and give a full explanation of the whole truth to them, so that by your teaching they may be brought to understand it before you leave them. And in this, it is usually necessary to take up the matter from the beginning, and take it in order, until you come to the point in question.
5. When you have finished with the trial of their knowledge, proceed next to instruct them yourselves, and this must be according to their varying capacities. If it is a believer who understands the fundamental principles of religion, move to something which you perceive he most needs, either explaining further some of the mysteries of the gospel, or laying the grounds of some duty which he may doubt, or showing the necessity of what he neglects, or pointing out his sins or mistakes, whichever may be most convincing and edifying to him.
If, on the other hand, it is someone who is grossly ignorant, then give him a plain, familiar recital of the sum of the Christian religion in a few words. For although it is already in the catechism, a more familiar way of expressing it may better help him to understand. For example:
“You must know that from everlasting there was one God, who had no beginning and will have no end, who is not a body as we are, but a most pure, spiritual Being. He knows all things, and can do all things, and has all goodness and blessedness in himself. This God is one God, yet Three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, in a way that is above our understanding. And you must know, that this one God made all the world by his Word; he made the heavens the place of his glory, and he made a multitude of holy angels to serve him. But some of these, by pride or some other sin, fell from their high estate and have become devils, and will be miserable forever.
“After he had created the earth, he made man as his noblest creature here below, even one man and one woman, Adam and Eve. He made them perfect, without any sin, and put them into the Garden of Eden. He forbid them to eat of one tree in the garden, and told them that if they ate of it they should die. But the devil, who had first fallen himself, tempted them to sin. They yielded to his temptation, and thus fell under the curse of God’s law. But God, in his infinite wisdom and mercy, sent his own Son, Jesus Christ, to be their Redeemer. In the fullness of time, he was made man, being born of a virgin, by the power of the Holy Ghost. He lived on earth among the Jews, about thirty-three years, during which time he preached the gospel, and worked many miracles to prove his doctrine. He healed the lame, the blind, and the sick, and he raised the dead by his Divine power. In the end, he was offered upon the cross as a sacrifice for our sins to bear that curse which we should have borne.
“And now, if sinners will only believe in him, and repent of their sins, he will freely pardon all that is past, and will sanctify their corrupted nature, and at length he will bring them to his heavenly kingdom and glory. But if they make light of their sins and of his mercy, he will condemn them to everlasting misery in hell. Christ, having risen from the dead on the third day, appointed his ministers to preach this gospel to all the world. And when he had given this charge to all his apostles, he ascended into heaven before their eyes, where he is now in glory with God the Father, in our nature. At the end of this world, he will come again in our nature, and he will raise the dead to life again, and bring them all before him, so that they may ‘give an account of all the deeds done in the body, whether they are good, or whether they are evil.’331 Therefore, if you are to be saved, you must believe in Christ as the only Savior from the wrath to come; you must repent of your sins; you must, in short, be a wholly new creature, or there will be no salvation for you.”
Some such short recitation of the principles of religion, in the most familiar way you can devise, with a brief touch of application in the end, will be necessary when you deal with the grossly ignorant. And if you see that they do not understand you, then go over it again, and ask them whether they now understand it, and try to fix it in their memories.
6. Whether they are grossly ignorant or not, if you suspect they are unconverted, endeavor next to make some prudent inquiry into their state. The best and least offensive way of doing this will be to prepare them for the inquiry by saying something that may soothe their minds, and might convince them of the need for the inquiry. Then use some article in the catechism to touch their consciences. For example:
“You see that the Holy Ghost, by the Word, enlightens men’s minds, softens and opens their hearts, and turns them away from the power of Satan to God through faith in Christ, and that he ‘purifies for himself a special people;’332 and you see that only these will be made partakers of everlasting life. Now, though I have no desire to needlessly pry into any man’s secrets, yet, because it is the office of ministers to give advice to their people in matters of salvation, and because it is so dangerous to be mistaken about points which involve everlasting life or everlasting death, I entreat you to deal honestly with me, and tell me whether or not you ever found this great change in your own heart? Did you ever find the Spirit of God, by the Word, come in upon your understanding, with a new and heavenly life, which has made you a new creature? The Lord, who sees your heart, knows whether it is so or not; I pray you, therefore, see that you speak the truth.”
If he tells you that he hopes he is converted (for all are sinners) but he is sorry for his sins, or something similar, then tell him more particularly, in a few words, of some of the plainest marks of true conversion. Renew and enforce the inquiry like this:
“Because your salvation or damnation is involved in this, I want to quickly help you a little in regard to it, so that you will not be mistaken in a matter of such importance, but so that you may find out the truth before it is too late. For just as God will judge us impartially, so we have his Word before us by which we may judge ourselves. This Word tells us most certainly who will go to heaven, and who will go to hell. Now the Scripture tells us that the state of an unconverted man is this: he sees no great comfort in the love and communion of God in the life to come, which may draw his heart there and away from this present world; but he lives to satisfy his carnal self, or the flesh; and the main bent of his life is that it may go well with him on earth. Whatever religion he has is just incidental, to keep him from being damned when he can no longer keep the world; so that the world and the flesh are highest in his esteem, and nearest to his heart. God and glory stand below them; all his service to God is just giving him what the world and flesh can spare. This is the case of every unconverted man. All who are in this condition are in a state of misery.
“But someone who is truly converted, has had a light shining into his soul from God, which has shown him the greatness of his sin and misery, and made it a heavy load on his soul; it showed him what Christ is, and what he has done for sinners, and it made him admire the riches of God’s grace in Christ. Oh, what glad news it is to him: that there is still hope for such lost sinners as him; that so many and such great sins may be pardoned; and that pardon is offered to all who will accept it! He gladly entertains this message and offer! And for the time to come, he relinquishes himself and all that he has to Christ, to be wholly his, and to be disposed of by him, in accord with the everlasting glory which he has promised. He now has such a sight of the blessed state of the saints in glory that he despises everything this world has as dross and dung by comparison. There he lays up his happiness and his hopes, and he considers all the affairs of this life as just so many helps or hindrances in the way to that glory; so that the main care and business of his life is to be happy in the life to come. This is the case of everyone who is truly converted and who will be saved. Now, is this the case with you, or is it not? Have you experienced such a change as this upon your soul?”
If he says that he hopes he has, then get down to some particulars this way: “I ask you then to answer me these two or three questions:
(1) Can you truly say, that all the known sins of your past life are the grief of your heart, and that you feel everlasting misery is due you for them; and that, under a sense of this heavy burden, you have felt yourself a lost man, and have gladly entertained the news of a Savior, and thrown your soul upon Christ alone, for pardon by his blood?
(2) Can you truly say, that your heart is so far turned from sin, that you hate the sins which you once loved, and love that holy life which you once had no mind for; and that you do not still live in the willful practice of any known sin? Is there no sin which you are not heartily willing to forsake, whatever it may cost you; and no duty which you are not willing to perform?
(3) Can you truly say that you have so far taken the everlasting enjoyment of God for your happiness, that it has most of your heart, your love, desire, and care; and that you are resolved, by the strength of Divine grace, to let go of all that you have in the world, rather than risk it; and that it is your daily and your principal business to seek it? Can you truly say, that though you have your failings and sins, yet your main care, and the bent of your whole life, is to please God, and to enjoy him forever; and that you give the world God’s leftovers, as it were, and not God the world’s leftovers; and that your worldly business is like a traveller seeking provision for his journey, and heaven is the place that you take for your home?”
If he answers in the affirmative to these questions, tell him how great a thing it is for a man’s heart to abhor his sin, and to sincerely store up his happiness in another world; and to live in this world for another that is out of sight. Therefore, express your desire to see that it is so indeed. Then turn to some of the articles in the catechism which address those duties which you most suspect him of omitting, and ask him whether he performs that duty; for instance, prayer in his family, or prayer in private, and spending the Lord’s day in consecrated fashion.
I would, however, advise you to be very cautious about passing too hasty or final a judgment on those you deal with; it is not as easy as many imagine, to discern whether a man is certainly lost; you may do this work just as well without such an absolute conclusion, as you can with it.
7. If, however, you have discerned an apparent probability that the person is still unconverted, either by prior discovery of gross ignorance, or by these later inquiries into his spiritual state, your next business is to employ all your skill to bring his heart to a sense of his condition. For example:
“Truly, my friend, the Lord knows I have no intention to make your condition worse than it is, nor to bring you any fear or trouble without cause. But I assume you would consider me a treacherous enemy, and not a faithful minister, if I were to flatter you, and not tell you the truth. If you were to seek a physician in your sickness, you would want him to tell you the truth, even if it were the worst kind. Much more so here! For the knowledge of your physical disease may, by your fears, increase it; but here you must know it, or else you can never recover from it. I greatly fear that you are still a stranger to the Christian life. For if you were indeed a Christian, and truly converted, your heart would be set on God and the life to come, and you would make it your main business to prepare for everlasting happiness; and you dare not, you would not, live in any willful sin, nor in the neglect of any known duty.
“Alas! What have you done? How have you spent your time until now? Did you not know that you had a soul to be saved or lost; and that you must live in heaven or in hell forever; and that you had your life and your time in this world mainly for the purpose of preparing for another world? Alas! What have you been doing all your days that you are still so ignorant, or so unprepared for death, if it should find you now? If you had only minded heaven as much as you did earth, you would have known more of it, and done more for it, and inquired more diligently after it, than you have up to now. You can learn how to do your business in the world; and why could you not learn more of the will of God, if you had just attended to it? You have neighbors who could learn more, who have had as much to do in the world as you, and who have had just as little time. Do you think that heaven is not worth your labor? Or that it can be had without any care or pains, when you know you cannot have the trifles of this world without them, and when God has bid you to seek first his kingdom and its righteousness?333 Alas! My friend, what if you had died before this hour in an unconverted state? What then would have become of you, and where would you now be? Alas! That you were so cruel to yourself as to risk your everlasting state as wantonly as you have! What were you thinking? Did you not know all this while that you must die shortly, and be judged as you were found? Did you have any greater work to do, or any greater business to tend to, than your everlasting salvation? Do you think that anything you can get in this world will comfort you in your dying hour, or purchase your salvation, or ease the pains of hell?”
Drive these things home with particular earnestness; for if you do not get to the heart, then you can do little or nothing; what affects the heart not is soon forgotten.
8. Conclude the whole thing with a practical exhortation, which must contain two parts: first, the duty to believe in Christ; and secondly, using the external means of grace for the time to come, and avoiding former sins. For example:
“My friend, I am heartily sorry to find you in so sad a condition, but I would be more sorry to leave you in it. Therefore let me entreat you, for the Lord’s sake, and for your own sake, to regard what I will say to you concerning the time to come. It is of the Lord’s great mercy that he did not cut you off in your unconverted state, that you still have life and time, that there is a remedy provided for you in the blood of Christ, and that pardon and sanctification and everlasting life are offered to you as well as to others. God has not left sinful man to utter destruction as he has the devils; nor has he made an exception in the offer of pardon and eternal life to you any more than to any other.
“If only you had a bleeding heart for sin, and could come believingly to Christ for recovery, and resign yourself to him as your Savior and Lord, and would be a new man for the time to come, then the Lord would have mercy on you in the pardon of your sins, and the everlasting salvation of your soul. And I must tell you that, just as it must be the great work of God’s grace to give you such a heart, so if ever he means to pardon and save you, he will make this change upon you: he will make you feel your sin as the heaviest burden in the world, as the most odious thing in itself, and he has rendered you liable to his wrath and curse; he will make you see that you are a lost man, and that there is nothing for you but everlasting damnation, unless you are pardoned by the blood of Christ, and sanctified by his Spirit; he will make you see the need you have of Christ, and how all your hope and life is in him; he will make you see the vanity of this world and all that it can afford you, and that all your happiness is with God, in that everlasting life in heaven where you may, with the saints and angels, behold his glory and live in his love, and be employed in his praises. Let me tell you that, until this work is done upon you, you are a miserable man; and if you die before it is done, you are lost forever. For now, you have hope and help before you, but then there will be none.
“Let me therefore entreat you, as you love your soul, first, that you will not rest in the condition you are presently in. Do not be quiet in your mind until a saving change is worked in your heart. When you rise in the morning, think, ‘Oh, what if this day were my last, and death were to find me in an unrenewed state?’ When you are about your labor, think, ‘Oh, how much greater a work have I yet to do to get my soul reconciled to God, and sanctified by his Spirit!’ When you are eating, or drinking, or looking at anything that you possess in the world, think, ‘What good will all this do me, if I live and die an enemy to God, and a stranger to Christ and his Spirit, and so perish forever?’ Let these thoughts be upon your mind day and night until your soul is changed. Secondly, I entreat you to think to yourself seriously what a vain world this is, and how shortly it will leave you to a cold grave, and to everlasting misery, if you do not have a better treasure than that. Consider what it means to live in the presence of God, and to reign with Christ, and be like the angels. This is the life that Christ has procured for you, and is preparing for you, and offers you, if you will only accept it. Think whether it is not madness to slight such an endless glory, and to prefer these fleshly dreams and earthly shadows above it. Accustom yourself to considerations such as these when you are alone, and let them dwell on your mind. Thirdly, I beg you to accept this happiness, and this Savior, now, without any more delay. Draw near to the Lord Jesus who offers you this eternal life: joyfully and thankfully accept his offer as the only way to make you happy; and then you may believe all your sins will be extinguished by him. Fourthly, resolve now to put away your former sins; find out what has defiled your heart and life, and cast it from you, as you would cast poison out of your stomach, and abhor the thought of taking it again. My last request to you is that you will apply yourself to the diligent use of the means of grace until this change is worked in you, and then continue the use of these means until you are confirmed, and at last perfected.
(1) Because you cannot effect this change on your heart and life yourself, take yourself to God in prayer daily, and beg earnestly, as you would for your life, that he will pardon all your sins, and change your heart, and show you the riches of his grace in Christ, and the glory of his kingdom. Follow after God day and night with these requests.
(2) Fly from temptations and opportunities for sin, and forsake your former evil company; take yourself to the company of those who fear God, and will help you in the way to heaven.
(3) Be especially careful to spend the Lord’s day in holy exercises, both public and private, and do not lose even one quarter of an hour of your time; but especially do not lose that most precious time which God has purposely given you so that you may set your mind on him, and be instructed by him, and prepare yourself for your latter end.
What do you say to these things? Will you do this now – or at least as much of it as you can? Will you give me a promise to this effect, and be studious to keep that promise from now on?” And here be sure, if you can, to get their promise, and obligate them to their amendment, especially to use the means of grace, and to change their company, and to forsake their sins, because these are more within their reach. In this way they may wait for the accomplishment of the change that has not yet been worked in them. And do this solemnly, reminding them of the presence of God who hears their promises, and who will expect their performance. Afterward, when you have an opportunity, you may remind them of their promise.
9. As you dismiss them, do these two things:
(1) Soothe their minds again by a few words, diminishing anything like an offense. For example: “I pray you, do not take it badly that I have put you to this trouble, or dealt freely with you in this way. It is as little pleasure to me as it is to you. If I did not know these things to be true and necessary, I would have spared you this labor and myself; but I know that we will be here together only a little while. We are almost at the world to come already. Therefore it is time for all of us to look around us, and see to it that we are ready when God calls us.”
(2) Because soon you may not have an opportunity to speak with the same persons, set them on their way toward finishing what you have begun. Engage the head of each family to call all his family to repeat, every Lord’s day, what they have learned of the catechism; and to continue this practice until they have all learned it perfectly: and when they have done so, to continue to hear them recite it regularly, so that they may not forget it; for even to the most judicious, it will be an excellent help to have in memory a Sum of the Christian Religion,334 as to its matter, method, and words. As for the rulers of families themselves, or for those who are under heads who will not help them, if they have learned only some portion of the catechism, then engage them either to come to you again when they have learned the rest (though before their course of instruction), or else to go to some able experienced neighbor, and repeat it to him. And take the assistance of such persons when you cannot have time to do it yourself.
10. Have the names of all your parishioners by you in a book; when they come to repeat the catechism, note in your book who came, and who did not; and which are so grossly ignorant as to be unfit for the Lord’s Supper and other holy communion, and which are not. And as you perceive the needs of each, deal with them appropriately for the future. But for those who are utterly obstinate and will not come to you, nor be instructed by you, deal with them as obstinate despisers of instruction should be dealt with in regard to sealing and confirming ordinances. That is, avoid them, and do not hold holy or familiar communion with them in the Lord’s Supper or in other ordinances. Though some reverend brothers are in favor of admitting their children to baptism (and offended with me for contradicting it), yet I cannot, nor will I dare to do it upon any reason of their ancestors’ faith, or of the dogmatic faith of these rebellious parents.
11. Through the whole course of your conference with them, see that the manner as well as the matter is suited to the desired end. Concerning the manner, observe these particulars:
(1) Make distinctions based the character of the persons with whom you have to deal. To the youthful, you must lay greater shame on sexuality, and show them the nature and need of mortification. To the aged, you must do more to disgrace this present world, and make them apprehensive of the nearness of their change, and the aggravations of their sin if they want to live and die in ignorance or impenitence. To inferiors and the young, you must be more free; to superiors and elders, more reverend. To the rich, you must show the vanity of this world; the nature and necessity of self-denial; the damnableness of preferring the present state to the next; together with the necessity of improving their talents in doing good to others. To the poor, you must show the great riches of glory which are offered to them in the gospel, and how well present comfort may be spared when everlasting joy may be had. You must also emphasize those sins which each one’s age, or sex, or temperament, or calling and employment in the world, most inclines them to; as in females, loquacity,335 evil speech, passion, malice, pride; in males, drunkenness, ambition, etc.
(2) Be as affable, familiar, and plain as possible, with those who are of weaker capacity.
(3) Give them Scripture proof of everything you say, so that they may see that it is not just you, but God who speaks to them by you.
(4) Be as serious as you can in the whole exercise, but especially in the application part. I scarcely fear anything more than that some careless ministers will do the work sloppily, and do it all superficially and without life, and destroy this as they do all their other duties, by turning it into a mere formality: putting a few cold questions to their people, and giving them two or three cold words of advice, without any life and feeling in them, which is not likely to produce any feeling in the hearers. But surely one who values souls, and knows what an opportunity is before him, will go through the exercise with deep seriousness, and will be as earnest with them as for life or death.
(5) To this end, I think it necessary that, both before and during the work, we take special pains with our own hearts, to excite and strengthen our belief in the truth of the gospel, and in the invisible glory and misery that are to come. I am confident this work will test the strength of our belief exceedingly. Someone who is only a Christian superficially, and who is not sound at the bottom of his faith, will likely feel his zeal failing him, especially when the duty has grown commonplace; for he lacks belief concerning the very things he must address. A pretended and hypocritical fervency will not hold out long in duties of this kind. A pulpit will permit more of it than a conference with poor ignorant souls. For the pulpit is the hypocrite’s stage: there, and in the press, and in other public acts, where there is room for ostentation,336 you have the minister’s best, perhaps his all. Another kind of man must effectually do the work which we now have in hand.
(6) It is, therefore, very fitting that we prepare ourselves for it by private prayer; and if time permits, and there are many together, it would be good to begin and end with a short prayer with our people.
(7) Carry on everything, even the most serious passages, with a clear demonstration of your love for their souls; make them feel through the whole of it, that you aim at nothing but their salvation. Avoid all harsh and discouraging language.
(8) If you do not have time to deal so fully with each individual as is here directed, then do not omit the most necessary parts. Take several of them together who are friends, and who will not seek to divulge each other’s weaknesses, and speak to them in common of those things which concern all. Only the examinations of their knowledge and state, and of their convictions of sin and misery, and special directions to them, must be used with regard to individuals; but take heed of slopping it over with an unfaithful laziness, or by being too brief, without a real necessity.
12. Lastly, if God enables you, extend your charity to the poorest sort, before they leave. Give them something for their relief, and for the time that has been taken from their labors, especially to encourage those who do best. To the rest, promise them something when they have learned the catechism. I know you cannot give what you do not have, but I speak to those who can. And now, brothers, I am done with my advice, and I leave you to the practice. Though the proud may receive it with scorn, and the selfish and slothful with distaste, or even indignation, I have no doubt that God will use it to awaken many of his servants to their duty, and to promote the work of right reformation. He will do so in spite of the opposition by sin and Satan. And his blessing will accompany the present undertaking to save many a soul, to the peace of you who undertake it, to excite his servants throughout the nation to get behind you, and to increase the purity and unity of his churches.
Amen.