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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	add_v	holy_a	scripture_n	1,651	5	5.5616	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41788	St. Paul's catechism, or, A brief and plain explication of the six principles of the Christian religion, as recorded Heb. 6., 1,2 with some considerations of the principles of natural and universal religion, as previous, and yet subservient to the rules of revealed and positive relgion: containing also, the duties of children to their superiors, written chiefly for the instruction of young Christians, children and servants in all Christian families / by Tho. Grantham.	Grantham, Thomas, 1634-1692.	1687 (1687)	Wing G1545; ESTC R39432	35,919	64

of the Book of Creation Psal 19. 1 2 3. Rom. 1. 2. whereunto it has pleased God to add this great Blessing that we have the Divine Law as contained in the Holy Scriptures by which more excellent Things are made known which are also explain'd and confirm'd to us by Jesus Christ in the New Testament whom we are commanded to hear in all things And thus we are under the teachings of the Law both Natural Divine S. Where shall we find the Substance of the Law Natural and Divine recommended and explained to us F. In the Ten Commandments Exod. 20. which are explained in our Saviour's Sermons on the Mount c. Mat. Chap. 5 6 7. and comprised by him in the two great Evangelical Precepts that is To love God above all and our Neighbours as our selves Mat. 22. 37 38 39 40. Upon these two Commands hang all the Law and the Prophets S. How may a Man know that he is guilty of the breach of these Laws F. 1. By considering the quality of that Love which we owe to God and to our Neighbour respectively For our Love to God must be of the superlative or highest Degree less than this he will not accept 2. Our Love to our Neighbour must be of the Possitive Degree even as we love our selves and by how much we come short in these by so much we sin and come short of the Glory of God or of glorifying him as God. S. What are the true demonstrations of Love to God F. 1. When God is chiefly and most delightfully in our thoughts of all things whatsoever Psal 43. 4. Psal 25. 2. When his Word and chiefly his Commands are not grievous but delightful to us 1 John 2. 3 4 5. 3. When Sin is the Object of our hatred because it is contrary to the Nature and Will of God Psal 37. 10. Jude 23. Rev. 2. 6. 4. When we hunger and thirst for the gracious and for the glorious enjoyment of God Psal 42. 1 2. John 14. 8. S. What are the true Demonstrations of Love to my Neighbour F. They are many some are continual and some are occasional and they flow from this Spring A hearty desire of their good or constant Prayer to God for them for this keeps our Heart open in love towards them not only to avoid all things that may do them harm but also to pity and help them in their Necessities as we are able both in things Temporal and Spiritual This is that Charity without which the highest Pretences to Religion are nothing S. By these brief Rules I perceive how greatly Sin has prevailed against Men generally and against my self in particular whilst we have followed the desires of the Flesh and of the Mind neglecting both God and our Neighbour What manner of Repentance is that which you call the second Part F. It is a godly Sorrow or sorrowing for Sin after a godly sort 2 Cor. 7. 9. and arises in the Heart from this Consideration That whilst a gracious God hath been following us with Mercies from day to day we have consum'd these Days and Mercies in ignorance of God and in sinful Courses in the sight of God and against Heaven Luk. 15. 18. And the truly Penitent do often meet with David's experience Psal 51. 4. 77. 2 3 4. Against thee thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord my sore ran in the night and ceased not my Soul refused to be comforted I thought upon God and was troubled I complained and my Spirit was overwhelmed I am so troubled I cannot speak And in this Conflict the Sinner will remember his sinful Original Psal 51. 5. S. Is Original Sin cause of Humiliation F. Yes undoubtedly For all Flesh was and is defiled by it Christ only excepted Heb. 4. 15. and should have perished under it had not Christ the Lamb of God been in God's Decree slain from the Foundation of the World to take away this Sin of the World in the condemning power of it John 1. 29. Rom. 5. 18. S. I would gladly know how to attain this Godly Sorrow which worketh Repentance unto Salvation F. 1. Consider in order thereunto That the Holy God hates those who presumptuously go on in their Trespasses Psal 7. 11 12 13. 68. 21. 2. But if any say I have sinned and perverted that which was right and it profited me not he shall deliver his Soul from going to the Pit Job 33. 27 28. 3. Think often of the Judgments of God against obdurate Sinners and of his Mercy in sparing thee so long And let his Goodness and Forbearance lead thee to Repentance Rom. 2. 4. 4. Pray much to Almighty God to be thy help herein Jer. 31. 18. Turn thou me and I shall be turned for thou art the Lord my God. S. May these Directions be blessed to me I shall then have my desire But what mean you by the third part of Repentance F. I mean 1. a holy loathing and abhorring all Sin because it is of the Devil 1 John 3. 8. And because God hates it and because Christ died for it or because of it 2. Abstain from the act of Sin in Desire Word and Deed as much as possible Jonah 3. 10. God saw their Works that they turned from their evil ways Break off thy Sins by Righteousness Dan. 4. 27. Repent you therefore and be converted Acts 3. 19. This is to bring forth Fruit meet for Repentance S. Hath Man any liberty of Will and any measure of Power thus to hate and forsake Sin F. 1. By the Bounty of God Man hath some Liberty and Power this way he is not chained to his Sin of necessity Josh 24. 19. Chuse you this day whom you will serve To day if you will hear his Voice harden not your Hearts Heb. 3. 7 8. Mary hath chosen the good part uk 10. 42. 2. Yet Man's Infirmity in the exercise of this Liberty and Power is so great that he is not to depend upon this Liberty and Power but upon the strength of God in the use of them Hos 14. 2. 2 Cor. 3. 5. S. I confess my self and all Men indispensably bound to repent and turn to God. But I desire to know whether this Repentance will justify the Sinner or how far it is available hereunto F. Though a Sinner humble himself and repent in Dust and Ashes as truly as Job did Job 42. 6. Yet is he not thereby justified but only prepared to justification for remission of Sin follows Repentance Luke 24. 47. and is made ours freely by the Grace of God through the Redemption which is in Christ Jesus For without shedding of Blood there is no Remission Heb. 9. 22. 10. 18. Rom. 5. 9. We must therefore in no wise place our Justification in our Repentance for that were to place our Justification from the guilt and condemning Power of Sin in our Duty and not in Christ

Affection in the search of the Holy Scriptures the most infallible Records of God and his Church But yet I desire a little help How I may best satisfy my self or others that the Holy Scriptures are the undoubted Oracles of God F. To satisfy thy Soul in this enquiry thou hast God's own Testimony who every-where speaks to thee in them by Doctrine and by Miracles If any deny the truth of those Records they only deprive themselves of the Authority of all Records that are extant in the World of former Ages for the truth of the Divine Scripture has the highest Testimony of all other and if these fall all must fall with them 2. Thou hast the Testimony of all the Prophets and of the Apostles and above all the Testimony of Christ and his Angels that the Old Testament is the Scriptures of truth 3. Lay aside the New Testament and then no Man can preach any thing of the Gospel respecting the Birth Life Doctrine Miracles Death Resurrection Assension or second coming of Christ 4. We have the Testimony of the first Churches that these Books are the undoubted Oracles of God and if their Testimony be not of credit the Testimony of the present Church will signifie nothing 5. These Scriptures must either be of God or of the Devil But who dare say they are of Satan They are the most destructive of his Kingdom and Designs of any Books whatsoever S. These Considerations must needs be satisfactory to all that pretend to be of the Christian Faith. I desire therefore to be instructed in the true Christian Religion especially in such parts of it as are necessary to our walking with God in a Church-way that I may have fellowship with God and his People in the orderly profession of the Christian Religion F. In the Name of God then let us begin there where our Lord Christ began to preach and let us follow him whom our Heavenly Father hath given to be a Witness to the People for a Leader and for a Commander to the People Isa 50. 4. Of the First Principle of St. Paul's CATECHISM Or Repentance from dead Works Son. I Desire to know what were the first Things preached by Christ and his Apostles and to be learned by their Followers Father The first Things which Christ preached were Repentance and Faith as it is written Matth. 4. 17. Mark 1. 14. Whose Heavenly Doctrine is more fully set down and gathered into six Principles by St. Paul. Heb. 6. 1 2. and thus declared Repentance from dead Works and of Faith towards God of the Doctrine of Baptisms and of laying on of Hands and of the Resurrection of the Dead and of eternal Judgment S. Seeing these are the Foundation-Principles how must I understand the Apostle when he saith learning the Principles F. They are words respecting the order of Discourse and bear this sence that St. Paul would leave at that time to speak further of these Principles and go on to more perfect or higher Mysteries and so he ●roceeds to discourse of the excellency of Christ's Priesthood above the Aaronical Priesthood Chap. 7 c. S. I confess if we should otherwise leave these Principles we should leave God himself for without Faith and Humiliation we cannot please God. But does not Faith go before Repentance F. We must distinguish of Faith. There is the Faith of Mankind who generally do believe there is a God that will punish the Wicked and reward the Just This Faith must go before Repentance Heb. 11. 6. But the Faith here spoken of is the Faith of actual Justification and this Faith must needs follow Repentance Rom. 3. 25. and 5. 1. thus God is the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus Impenitent Sinners are so far from Justification that Christ tells them Except they repent they shall all perish Luke 13. 2 3 4 5. S. I thank you for this distinction I see the necessity of Repentance Pray shew me the true Nature of Repentance and how I may obtain Repentance unto Life And whether it be the Gift of God F. That Repentance unto Life is the Gift God is very clear Acts 5. 31. 11. 18. It is a special Mercy flowing from the goodness of God to all Sinners Rom. 2. 3. for he might in justice have denied the Riches of his Grace to the Rebellious which yet he hath not Psalm 68. 18. Acts 17. 30. Thus God gives Repentance both graciously and preceptively S. But does not God also give Power with his gracious Precept to repent F. That God gives Repentance potentially is true Jer. 31. 18 19. Turn thou me and I shall be turned surely when I was turned I repented Yet this Power is not irresistible but it is sufficient either to effect Repentance or to leave the Sinner without excuse Ezek. 24. 13. Rom. 1. 32. compared with Rom. 2. 1. Christ was sent to turn every one of the Jews from their Iniquities and there was a sufficiency of Power in the means which he used to do it But yet they resisted the Holy Ghost and the Holy Jesus and were destroyed in their Iniquities Acts 3. 26. 7. 51. see Mat. 12. 41. S. I see plainly we may not look for in irresistibl● Power to convert us to God. F. The Gospel as it is the ministration of the Spirit is to us the Power of God to Salvation as well as it was to the Jews Rom. 1. 16 17. S. I desire to know what are the Parts of Repentance unto Life F. The Parts of Repentance unto Life were principally three 1. A thorow or due sense of Sin in the sinful Nature of it 2. A godly sorrow for our Sins chiefly because we have committed them against the Will and Commandment of that gracious God by whose Mercy and Goodness we live and enjoy all good Things 3. It consists in a holy resolution and endeavour to forsake all sinful ways S. Pray explain the first part of Repentance by shewing me what Sin is that I may have a due sense of it F. The Scripture tells us That St. Paul had not known Sin but by the Law Rom. 7. 7. And that by the Law is the knowledg of Sin Rom. 3. 20. and that Sin is the Transgression of the Law John 3. 4. And where no Law is there is no Transgression And that the substance and work of this Law is so far revealed to all the World that all the World is under it and that by the breach of God's Law every Mouth shall be stopped and all the World be found guilty before God Rom. 3. 19 20 23. S. I confess if all the World be not under some Law of God they could not be guilty of Sin against God. But my desire is to know what Law we are under who have the Holy Scriptures amongst us F. We are under the Law of God as it is given to Mankind universally being of the Gentile Race that is the Principles of Right Reason and the Instructions