Vnto the faythfull christian flocke and congregacion of Iesus Christe, Edmonde Alen wisheth, grace, peace, and mercye from God our heauenly father, through our sauior Iesus Christe.

THe almightye
and mercyfull
God our
heauenlye, gracious,
& moste
deare father,
monisheth and warneth vs ye
dearely beloued in our sauior
Christ both by worde and also
by diuerse exaumples, that we
all should take earneste care &
sorow for our youth, that it be
wellinstructe and brought vp
in the true feare of God, & after

A.ii.

suche a godly sorte yt it myght
liue in all vertue, godlynes &
honestie. And it is a thyng
wherunto not onely the examples
of the heathen, but also
our owne naturall reaso~, dayly
experience, & the loue of the
comon wealth ought lawfully
to moue and enforce vs. For
as muche as we dayly fele and
perceiue right euidently, what
inco~uenie~ce doth insue, where
youth is neglecte & not regarded.
And agayne what a treasure,
comfort & co~moditie it is
vnto an whole comon wealth,
where youth is well brought
vp in godly learnyng & example,
and exercised in vertue &
holynesse. This I saye, myght
be sufficient to styrre vp and to
kindle our heartes toward the
right institucion & bryngyng
vp of youth, although we wer
but very heathen. But forasmuch
as we are christian men
and women, and through our
sauior Christ become the children
of God, therfore the most
holy worde of God & the example
of our sauior Christ, ought
moste specially to allure & prouoke
vs vnto this moste holy
and necessary office. For fyrst
it is euident ynough by ye euangelistes
what an high charge
our sauior Christe geueth vs
ouer youth. Math.xvii. & .xix.
and Marke.x. Where, by his
hertye and louyng imbracyng
of them, he declareth manifestly,
that no seruice can bee more
acceptable vnto him, than that
whiche is spent about them, to

A.iii.

bryng and induce them vnto
him. Lykewyse howe earnestly
doeth S. Paul commaund all
parentes to bryng vppe theyr
children in nurture and exhortation?
Ephe.vi. and Collo.iii.
For the whiche cause, all children
haue a speciall commaundement
of God to be obediente
vnto theyr fathers & mothers,
because they ought to be vnto
them, as the very deputies and
officers of God, in continually
exercisyng them to the glorye
and honor of God. And howe
highly almyghtie God regardeth
the ryght institucion of
youth, we may learne out of ye
old testamente sufficiently, and
specially out of the. xviii cha. of
Genesis. Wheras God, openyng
vnto the faythfull Abraham
his mynde and purpose againste
Sodoma & Gomorra,
sayeth these woordes. I knowe,
sayeth the Lorde, that his children shall
kepe the wayes of the Lorde, and do that
thyng whiche is ryght and iust, that the
Lorde may suffer that thyng to come to
passe vnto Abraham, whiche he hath promised
hym. &c. This holy sentence
of God ought to be alone sufficient
vnto a christen man whiche
is by faythe a childe of Abraham
to moue hym to apply
all indeuour and studye to the
christen educacion of youth.
For here we haue a singulare
comforte & a sure promyse, that
if we be founde true & faythfull
towarde these gyftes of God
our children, than wyll God
daily encrease & augmente hys
grace towarde vs, and enduce

A.iiii.

vs into further knowledge of
his godly wyll, to the glory of
his name, & welth of our soules.
And beside this, God geueth
strayght commaundeme~t
by expresse woordes in diuerse
places that we shoulde in no
wyse neglecte our youth. As
in the .vi. and .xi. of Deu. where
God commau~ded Moses that
all menne shoulde teache theyr
children and childrens children,
his lawes & commau~deme~tes.
Lykewise, through the prophete
Dauid, God speaketh these
wordes in the .lxxviii. Psalme.
The lord hath made a couenaunt with Iacob,
and hath geuen Israel a lawe, which
their posteritie and heires should knowe,
and tell it vnto their children, that they
might also put and fixe their hope and co~fidence
vpo~ God, and kepe his comaundementes
and not forget his workes. &c.
By this we must nedes confesse
and knowlege that it is an high
thyng, by god our heauenly father,
and the moste requisite &
speciall poyncte in a christen co~gregacion,
that the chyldren be
well taught and instructe in the
wayes of the Lorde, and in the
couenaunte whiche God hath
made with theyr fathers and
theyr posteritie for euer in our
Sauyour Christe. For by this
meanes only they must learne
to knowe God, to be fully persuaded
of his mercy and goodnesse
towarde them, to put all
theyr truste and confidence in
him only and to loue and feare
hym. And this foundacion once
layed, they shall afterwarde
frame and buylde theyr whole
lyfe vpon the same, and learne

A.v.

all humblenes, obedience, modestie
vertue and godlynes , in
worde and dede, and dayly be
more inclyned and bente to the
true religion and knowlege of
God, and euermore increase &
goe forwarde in the same. And
thus the whole common welth
shall receyue comforte and ioy
by them: And they in processe
of time, shall learne to instructe
their chyldren in the Lorde, in
lyke maner. And thus there
shall neuer waxe any nettels,
thistles or wedes in this tillage
of the Lorde, nor they shall not
perishe through our negligence.
For God suffereth vs to remaine
in this worlde, & taketh
vs not away immediately after
we haue atteyned to the knowledge
of hym for no nother
cause, but that we should helpe
& further other vnto the same,
that the glory & perfite religion
of God myght also bee planted
& waxe in our children & posterytie.
And surely the negligence
of men in this behalfe hath hytherto
been the chefe cause of
so many and dyuers heuy plagues
of God. As christe doeth
manyfestlye declare where he
sayth: Woo vnto hym that offendeth
or hindreth youth. &c. It were better
for hi~ that he wer cast into the sea with
a mylstone about his necke and drowned.
Wherfore all they that wyll
auoyde this woe, let them apply
all their study and care with
most earnest zeale and indeuor,
that their youth be wel instruct
and brought vp.
For this can no man denye, that
the very occasion and grounde
of all the mischiefe and wycked
dissolutenes that reigneth in the
worlde at this daye, is, that the
bringing vp of youth is no better
nor diligenter regarded.
Where subiectes are not so obedient
vnto their heades and
rulers as they ought to be, it is
moste specially in suche places
where the institucion of youth
hath been neglecte. Likewise
where parentes are vnreuerently
intreated of their children, it
is through the sufferaunce of
God for a punishemente vnto
them for so euill and negligently
brynging of them vp in theyr
youth. And what hath been the
cause of the heuy blindnesse and
ignoraunce in the worlde, in the
trwe relygion and seruice of
God, of the manifold ydolatry
& supersticion, other than the
lacke of the ryght & true institucion
of youth? Wherfore yf
we will auoyde the wrath and
indignacion of God, & all manier
of inconuenience, let vs
apply more studie & diligence
that our youth maye be better
brought vp in the knowledge
and feare of God, that in theyr
younge and tender age they
maye learne the prynciples of
Christes religion and of our
christen fayth. Which shal be a
meane to avoyde all the inco~venie~ce
aboue rehersed. And if
we do not this, let vs loke for
no nother but yt theyr bloude,
perisshing through our negligence,
shall be straitly required
of our handes. And not
onely of parentes, but also of
all suche as haue any cure and
charge of youth, as Scholemasters
in theyr scholes, pastours
and ministers in theyr
cures. These should bee the
speciall instructours of youth.
These shoulde beate into childrens
heades the chiefe poyntes
and articles of the Christen
doctryne. As are, the .x.
Commaundementes, the Artycles
of the fayth, the Lordes
prayer, the institucion of the
holy Sacramentes of Babtysme,
and of the holy Supper
of the Lorde, and laste of
all, the institucion of the Ecclesiasticall
or churche disciplyne
and exercise of brotherly correccion,
&c.
These poynctes beeyng fyrste
taught vnto chyldren by theyr
parentes woorde for woorde,
whiche is the office and duty
of all christen parentes to do,
a playne and symple vnderstanding
of them, might afterward
bee taught them eyther in the
schole by the scholemaisters,
or els in the churche by the pastoures
and ministers, geuyng
them euery Sunday one shorte
article or question to learne, repetyng
it distinctlye twyse or
thryse, and requiring it of them
agayne the nexte Sunday, and
than to gyue and repete vnto
them in lyke maner another,
vntyll the whole Catechisme,
be learned out, and than begynnyng
agayne.
If but one houre were thus
spente euery Sonday of euery
pastour and minister in examining
the youthe in the churche
before the face of the whole paryshe,
or of euery scholemaister
but once a weke, theyr parentes
earnestly warning and dryuyng
theim to learne and remembre
what is taught them
we shoulde fele wtin one yeare,
what infinite profite shoulde
come thereof, and within fewe
yeares we shoulde haue a florysshing
common welth: This
doeth God moste straytely require
of vs, and we had neuer
suche occasion vnto it as we
nowe haue, consideryng howe
earnestly our moste christen rulers,
the Kynges moste excellent
Maiestie, his ryght woorthy
& noble counsailour, gouernour
of his graces person, the
lorde Protectors grace, with other
of his graces most christia~
councell, do intende and mynde
the true plantyng and settyng
foorth of Christes pure religion
in this realme. Whose feruente
and moste christian zeale,
if we should not withall pro~ptness
and thankefulnes receyue,
we should shewe and proue ourselues
not true naturall subiectes.
Lette euery one therfore,
moste faythfull christians, apply
his faythfull studie and endeuor
to further and helpe forwarde
theyr gracious prynces
moste godly trauaile and procedinges
in the kingdome of god.
So shall it in short space florish
among vs. And we shall feele

B.i.

God to be our mercyfull father
indewyng vs wt the more plentifull
grace againste ye assautes
of all our enemies: And that
men might haue some forme &
trade to instructe ye youth therby,
I haue gathered out of diuers
lerned & christian wryters
of Cathechismes, this briefe instruccion,
in suche questions as
semed vnto me moste necessary
for children to learne. Wherof
they may learne euery weke one
beyng so repeted as is aboue
wryten without any difficultie
at all. This I submit vnto the
iudgement of ye faythfull what
so euer they be, desiring all men
to interprete my faythfull indeuor
therein to ye best, and to vse
it so far as they may haue comforte
and edificacion therby.
Almyghtie God geue all men
generally grace to seke ernestly
the furtheraunce of his kyngdome
in the youth. And specially
God geue all parentes and
pastours whiche haue speciall
charge and cure of youth, grace
to instructe and bryng them vp
in his feare, as may be moste to
the glory & honor of his name.
God geue also all chyldren and
youth his holy spirite, that they
may receyue all godly & vertuous
doctryne & ensample, that
they maye become the very seruauntes
and children of God, &
after this lyfe with their angels,
maye enioy the perfite
sight and fruicion
of their heauenly
father.
Amen.