Dr. Ashbel Green (Lecturu en the Shorter Cats' chigm, vol. i), in his Introductory Lecture, thus speaks of the advantages of catechization : ** The catechetic- al or questionary form of religious summaries renders them most easy and interesting to children and youth, and, indeed, to Christians of aU ages and descriptions. For myself,! have no reluctance to state here publicly what I have frequentiy mentioned in private, that in the composition of sermons one of the readiest and best aids I have ever found has been my Catechism. Let me add, forther, that long observation has satisfied me that a principal reason why instruction and exhorta- tion from the pulpit are so little efficacious, is, that they presuppose a degree of information, or an ac- quaintance with the truths and doctrines of divine rev- elation, which, by a great part of the hearers, is not possessed, and which would best of all have been sup- plied by catechetical instruction. It is exactiy this kind of instruction which is at the present time meet urgentiy needed in many, perhaps in most of our con- gregations. It is needed to imbue effectually the minds of our people with "the first principles of the oracles of God, "to indoctrinate them soundly and sys- tematically in revealed truth, and thus to guard them against being ** carried about with every wind of doc- trine,'* as well as to qualify them to join in the weekly service of the sanctuary with full understanding, and with minds in all respects prepared for the right and deep impression of what they hear."
The duty of catechization is enjoined in the laws of almost all branches of the Church. In the Church of England, by Canon 59, " every parson, vicar, or curate, upon every Sunday and holyday, before evening pray- er, shall, for half an hour or more, examine and in- struct the youth and ignorant persons of his parish in the Ten Commandments, the articles of the belief, and in the Lord's Prayer ; and shall dillgentiy hear, in-
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ttrnct, and teach them the Catechism set ibrth in the Book of Common Prayer. And all fothers, mothers, masters, and mistresses shall cause their children, serr- ants, and apprentices, which have not learned the Cate- chism, to come to the church at the time appointed, obediently to hear, and to be ordered by the minister until they have learned the same. And if any minis- ter neglect his duty herein, let him be sharply reproved upon tike first complaint, and true notice thereof given to the bishop or ordinary of the place. I£^ after sub- mitting himself, he shall willingly offend therein again, let him be suspended. If so the third time, there be- ing litUe hope that he will be therein reformed, then excommunicated, and so remain until he be reformed. And likewise, if any of the said fathers, moUiors, mas- ters, or mistresses, children, servants, or apprentices, shall neglect their duties as the one sort in not causing them to come, and the other in refusing to learn, as aforesaid, let them be suspended by tiieir ordinaries (if they be not children), and if they so persist by tiie space of a month, then let them be excommunicated. And by the rubric, the curate of every parish shall diligentiy, upon Sundays and holydays, after the sec- ond lesson at evening prayer, openly in the church, in- struct and examine so many children of the parish sent unto him as he shall think convenient, in some part of the Catechism. And all fatiiers and mothers, masters and dames, shall cause their children, servants, and apprentices (who have not learned their Catechism) to come to the church at the time appointed, and obe- diently to hear, and be ordered by the curate, until such thne as they have learned all that therein is appoint- ed for them to learn.** These careful rules, however, have become nearly a dead letter. In the Protestant Episcopal Church, the xxviiith Canon (of 1882) enjoins that " the ministers of this Church who have charge of parishes or cures shall not only be diligent in instruct- ing the children in the Catechism, but shall also, by stated catechetical lectures and instruction, be diligent in informing the youth and others in the doctrines, constitution, and liturgy of the Church.** The Meth- odist Episcopal Church makes it the *' duty of preach- ers to see that the Catechism is used in Sunday-schools and families, to preach to the children, and to publicly catechize them in the Sunday-schools and at public meetings appointed for that purpose'* {DiscipUne, part V, § 2). " It shall also be the duty of each preacher, in his report to each Quarterly Conference, to state to what extent he has publicly or privately catechized the children of his charge*' (part il, chap, ii, § 17). '* At the age often years, or earlier, the preacher in charge shall organize the baptized children of the church into classes, and appoint suitable leaders, male or female, whose duty it shall be to meet them in class once a week, and instruct them in the nature, design, and obli- gation of baptism, and the truths of religion necessary to make them wise unto salvation" (part i, ch. ii, § 2). The Presbyterian Church makes catechizing '*one of the ordinances in a particular church*' (Form o/Gov- emmeniy ch. vii), and enjoins the duty in its Directory for WorsMpj ch. i, § 6 ; also ch. ix, § 1 : " CTiildren bom within the pale of the visible Church, and dedi- cated to God in baptism, are under the inspection and government of the Church, and are to be taught the Catechism, the Apostles' Creed, and the Lord's Pray- er." In the Reformed Dutch Church each pastor is bound to expound the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Classis is bound to see that '* the catechizing of children and youth are faithfully attended to" (Constiiution, ch i, art. iii, § 8). The Lutheran and German Reformed churches, not only by their traditions, but also by Church law, are bound to fidelity in catechization.