THE CONFESSION OF FAITH; THE LARGER AND SHORTER CATECHISMS, WITH THE Scripture-proofs at Large: TOGETHER WITH THE SUM OF SAVING KNOWLEDGE, (CONTAINED IN THE HOLY SCRIPTURES, AND HELD FORTH IN THE SAID COVENANTS, NATIONAL AND SOLEMN LEAGUE; ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF SINS, AND DIRECTORIES FOR PUBLICK AND FAMILY WORSHIP; OF PUBLICK AUTHORITY IN THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. WITH ACTS OF ASSEMBLY AND PARLIAMENT, RELATIVE TO, AND DEUT. vi. 6, 7. And these words which I command thee this day shall be EDINBURGH: PRINTED BY SIR D. HUNTER BLAIR AND M. S. BRUCE, I. TEnglish Divines. HE Preface, by sundry II. Mr. Manton's Epistle to the III. The Confession of Faith. VI. The Sum of Saving Know- VII. The National Covenant. VIII. The Solemn League and IX. The Acknowledgment of X. The Directory for Publick XI. The Form of Presbyterial XII. The Directory for Family AS TO THE CHRISTIAN READER, ESPECIALLY HEADS OF FAMILIES. S we cannot but with grief of soul lament those multitudes of errors, blasphemies, and all kinds of profaneness, which have in this last age, like a mighty deluge, overflown this nation; so, among several other sins which have helped to open the flood-gates of all these impieties, we cannot but esteem the disuse of family instruction one of the greatest. The two great pillars upon which the kingdom of Satan is erected, and by which it is upheld, are ignorance and error; the first step of our manumission from this spiritual thraldom consists in having our eyes opened, and being turned from darkness to light, Acts xxvi. 18. How much the serious endeavours of godly parents and masters might contribute to an early seasoning the tender years of such as are under their inspection, is abundantly evident, not only from their special influence upon them, in respect of their authority over them, interest in them, continual presence with them, and frequent opportunities of being helpful to them; but also from the sad effects which, by woeful experience, we find to be the fruit of the omission of this duty. It were easy to set before you a cloud of witnesses, the language of whose practice hath been not only an eminent commendation of this duty, but also a serious exhortation to it. As Abel, though dead, yet speaks by A 2 his |