Fides Catholica, or, The doctrine of the Catholick Church in eighteen grand ordinances referring to the Word, sacraments and prayer, in purity, number and nature, catholically maintained, and publickly taught against hereticks of all sorts : with the solutions of many proper and profitable questions sutable to to [sic] the nature of each ordinance treated of / by Wil. Annand ...

Quest. 2 Whether preaching be to be preferred before Catechizing.

There is a generation, that supposes if a minister spend one half of the sabbath upon catechizing, that it is through idlenesse and sloath, whereas if Catechizing be soundly performed there is no labour nor study saved, yea possibly more undergone. Others again, would make no account of preaching holding that a pro∣per dish for a feast, and not for ordinary fare, conjectureing they are not blame-worthy if the ordinance of catechising go for∣ward. In humble submission, it is thought they are both out of the way, and besides the truth.

It is not safe to make the ordinances strive with each other, or one to jostle out another, to the purpose in hand, let us distinguish of places and of persons.

1 Some places, are rude plaine and ignorant: without much travel we may fall into country parishes, whose ignorance is so grosse that it is incredible: there Catechizing may be of much use; and though they love it not it may do them most good.

2 Some places are more orderly, civil and knowing: there may be populous places, and parishes in which generally the people may be knowing; and by reason of schooles and other

advantages Catechizeing may go forward without much troubling the Minister. In which places there is no losse if it yeild to preaching, especially on the sabbath day, lest the gen∣rality of the people make no account of their assemb••ing to∣gether.

And as touching persons there are men whose parts, and genius are not fit for Catechizing, their excellency may ly in preaching, others there are whose excellency may ly in Catechizing: the fewnesse of ministers craves that that be done by which their genius and parts may do most good in the Church of Christ, yet by ex∣perience I know, shortnesse of dayes, infirmity of body, &c. must and will cut one short: the pre∣heminence therefore is to be given to preaching; for,

1 That is the most powerfull way for the convinc∣ing of sinners; the strength of rea••on, and the force of application in a Sermon are powerfull meanes for the opening of the heart of man and causing him to see his errour which would from a Catechist be Im∣proper.

2 That was cheifely the practise of Christ and his Apostles, he and they both went into the Synagogues and taught the people, expounding Scriptures and setting them home to the eares and consciences of their people.

3 Preaching is of most general concernment, there are sins of the age and times, wherein the Catechist may faile, but preaching disclaiming these, detecting those, is most profitable: there are providences some∣time sad, and sometimes cheerfull, which is to be observed, and noted, and people taught accordingly: these oftentimes may not fall under the cognisance of a Catechist; and if they should, he would put a block in his own way, and give occasion of stumbling to them for whose sake Catechizing is most u••ed. More∣over preaching extending it self largely meets with the

tempers, sinnes, dispositions of most, whereas a Catechisme tys up and limits the Spirits of him that teacheth by it that he can reach but a few, if any, his of∣fice being only to lay down the truth touching some head of divinity, to convince the understanding and no more.

4 It puts a greater chearfullnesse in the spirits of the most knowing, to come to Gods service, when Christians have been in the days of their minority trained up in that way by question and answer. To be kept continualy to it might flat their appetite, and blunt the edge of their devotion, especially in publick places, where, by relation, in former times, when Catechizing swallowed up preaching, halfe the sabbath was loosly, not to say prophanely kept and spent, the Ministers gifts may not be for that service, nor his parts though otherwise eminent, for such teaching, which may in time breed a slighting of him, among his own people, what gifts God gives to teachers, by which they may most advance the end of teaching which is the edi∣fication of the Church, those ought to be most exercised by them, and by this rule men may know what is best to be done.