[ 1184] Catechizing, an excellent way to instruct Youth.
THe Iewish Rabbies observe a very strict method in the instruction of Chil∣dren and others according to their age and capacity; At five years old they were ••ilii Legis,* 1.1 Sons of the Law to read it; At thirteen they were call∣ed ••ilii Praecepti, Sons of the Precept to understand the Law, then they recei∣ved the Passeover as a Sacrament, (for even Children did eat it, as a remem∣brance of their deliverance out of Egypt) and then also they were purified; At fifteen years old, they came to be Talmudistae, and went to deeper points of the Law, and Talmudick doubts: Thus did the Iews, and let no Christians lagg behind them, in propagating the truths of Iesus Christ their Master: Let Chil∣dren be well instructed, principled, and catechised, in the Fundamentals of Chri∣stian Religion; For without Catechising, the People perish in the want of know∣ledge, and become fit matter for every Priest, Jesuite and Sectary to work up∣on. The Papists have confessed,* 1.2 that all the ground we have gotten of them is by Catechisme; and the little ground they have gotten of us, is by a more dili∣gent requiring and practising of it; In a word, Catechising is as well a Family, as a Church-duty; were but the Family well-instructed, the Minister would have lesse work to do; there would not be so many uncatechised heads, nor so many Weather-cock Christians, as now are to be found amongst us.