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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A74993	Certain select discourses on those most important subjects, requisite to be well understood by a catechist in laying the foundation of Christian knowledge in the minds of novitiates viz., First discourses on I. The doctrine of the two covenants both legal and evangelical, II. On faith and justification / by William Allen. Secondly, Discourses on I. The covenant of grace, or baptismal covenant, being chatechetical lectures on the preliminary questions and answers of the Church-Catechism : II. Three catechetical lectures on faith and justification / by Thomas Bray, D.D.	Allen, William, d. 1686.; Bray, Thomas, 1658-1730.	1699 (1699)	Wing A1055A; ESTC R172154	614,412	564

to do so too so long as they continued under the Jewish Dispensation From the several Instances that are given by Thorndicke Hammond Lightfoot and others skilful in Jewish Learning they were Vnscriptural Rites and meer Humane Inventions all those many Ceremonies that the Jews had introduced into their Worship in our Saviour's time But notwithstanding that the Blessed Jesus did not only himself conform to the Custom of the Church in the Use of 'em but commanded likewise others to be obedient likewise themselves to those who sat in Moses's Chair whose Constitutions therefore he would have to be observ'd as you may see Matth. 23.2 3. Saying the Scribes and Pharisees that is those of 'em who made up the Sanhedrim the highest Jurisdiction in Church-Matters amongst the Jews sit in Moses's Seat and therefore whatsoever they bid you observe that observe and do They had given him but little reason to favour their Authority as you may see in the Chapter immediately before They came to insnare him with their Questions and to trepan him into some mischievous Inconvenience if they could but however no sooner was he quit of their troublesome Company but he takes care to advertise his Disciples that such of 'em who were of the Sanhedrim were to be looked on by them as their lawful Rulers that had Authority over them succeeding Moses and the Seventy Numb 11.16 as our Bishops and Church Governours now do Christ and his Apostles and therefore he bids 'em to conform themselves to all their lawful Commands in all regular Subjection and Obedience which is a manifest proof what Observance our Saviour would have to be paid to the Governors of the Church in all their Constitutions that relating to the Worship of God do not thwart the Divine Commands True it is our Blessed Lord did in another Place Matth. 15.3 reprimand the Pharisees for their Superstitious Observance of their Traditions and for teaching for Doctrines the Commandments of Men Verse 9. But then it ought to be well considered what sort of Traditions and Doctrines they were whose Observance he reprov'd 'em for And what were they but such in whose Observance they did plainly violate God's express Commands or at least did undermine the force of his Laws thereby As appears by the Instance he gives which was this of denying Maintenance to their Parents in necessity under pretence of having devoted their Substance before to God by which Evasion he tells them they made the Commandment of God concerning Honour due to Parents of none effect by their Traditions Verse 6. and tells them withal that in vain they did worship him teaching thus for Doctrines the Commandments of Men. Such Constitutions indeed which did contradict or evacuate and undermine the Laws of God we see here he did reprove 'em for but what is that to the forbidding those which do no ways tend to any such thing but to the greater Order and Decency of his Worship As to such his own Doctrine of observing the Commands of those who sat in Moses's Chair and his own Practice in conforming to whatsoever they appointed of that Nature does sufficiently shew us what Power he own'd then to be in the Governours of the Church to appoint such reasonable Ceremonies and Circumstances as they should think fit for the greater Order and Decency of Divine Administrations The same Power continu'd to those else who preside in the Christian and for the better Edification of the Souls of Men. Nor did He or his Apostles afterwards retrench the Governors of the Christian Church of that Authority which then he own'd to be in ●he Jewish No He commits it to their Care that all things in the Church Assemblies should be done unto edifying 1 Cor. 14.26 or so 〈◊〉 may be most to the Benefit and Advantage of the Worshippers and Verse 40. that all things be done decently and in order which Commands being only general without particularly expressing all the ways whereby these things may be provided for must of necessity leave it to the discretion of Church-Governors to appoint what according to the Changes and Customs of Times and Places which in these things do often vary they in their Wisdom should think to be most fit decent and orderly to be observ'd And as he empower'd Governors to appoint what in their discretion they should think fit to this purpose To whose Ordinances the People are commanded to submit so he commanded the People to be obedient to 'em in such their Constitutions and Appointments Obey them that have the Rule over you Heb. 13.17 and submit yourselves to every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's sake 1 Pet. 2.13 The Apostle indeed Gal. 5.1 bids 'em stand fast in the Liberty wherewith Christ had made 'em free and not to be entangl'd again with the Yoke of Bondage that is not to impose upon themselves the necessity for God did not of observing Moses's Law which they were so addicted to and to disswade 'em from which was the main Design of that Epistle but then as he bids 'em preserve their Liberty from the Mosaical Rites so Peter 1 Epist. 2.10 bids 'em not to abuse their Christian Liberty and tho' free from the burden and bondage of Moses's Law which neither they nor their Fathers were able to bear yet to take care they use not their Liberty for a Cloak of Maliciousness Verse 16. to be a pretence for maliciously opposing the Ordinances of their Superiours which in the 13th Verse he had bid 'em submit to for the Lord's sake and that they might not bring a Reproach upon the Gospel of Christ by a Schismatical and refractory Stubborness Nor do such Constitutions and Appointments as do tend only to the better Order and Decency of Divine Administrations and the better Edification of the Souls of Men bring the Church-Governors under the Imputation of adding to the Book of Life which is a thing so severely threat'ned Rev. 22.18 No it is so far from adding any thing else unto that it is the very executing no other than that very Commission the Word of Life has given ' em God had entrusted Church-Governors with such Power and Authority under him committing it to their Care by a Commission running in general Terms to appoint what shall be thought decent and orderly and tending to Edification in all Divine Administrations and their particular Constitutions to that purpose well suited to Time and Place and not contradicting by their burdensome Number nor insignificant Frivolousness the Spirituality and plain Simplicity of the Gospel but being few and grave which admirably tends to Order and Edification must needs be no other than a particular executing of what they were impower'd to do by a general Command Even as an Ambassador who has a general Commission granted him by his Prince to treat on such Matters in his Negotiation does not exceed but execute his Commission in those particular Articles he does make pursuant to su●h his

withal create in us such an humble Opinion of our own Unworthiness that when we have done all that we can to deny our selves and have proceeded never so far in our Zeal to good Works we shall nevertheless confessing that we are but unprofitable Servants depend wholly on Christ's Merits and Mediation and in the Virtue of his Satisfaction and Intercession alone expect Salvation And now such is the Doctrine of the Covenant of Grace An Enumeration of fundamental Principles particularly that part of it the Vow in Baptism wherein all do solemnly promise and vow Repentance Faith and Obedience engaging to renounce the World the Flesh and the Devil Whosoever considers this sees what Obligations lye upon him to deny himself the sinful Pleasures of the World I. The general Doctrine of the Covenant of Grace and to govern his whole Life and Conversation according to God's Commandments And whoever again understands the Constitution of this Covenant knows that it was obtain'd for him by the Mediation of Christ who is therefore Stiled The Mediatour of the New Covenant Heb. 12.24 and therefore that on his Mediation he must depend for the having those infinite Blessings made good to him which are promis'd therein to his Obedience And such fundamental Principles also in a prime Sence are the Belief of all the Articles of our Christian Faith as the Belief of God II. The Articles of our Christian Faith and of his Providence that he is our Creatour Governour and will Reward every Man according to his Works The Belief that Jesus Christ came into the World Died and Suffered to Attone for its Sins and Preach'd the Gospel to Reform it The Belief that he gives his Spirit to sanctify us and that he will hereafter come in Person to Judge us In a word The Belief of all the Articles of our Christian Faith These are indeed the true Principles of our Religion for these are all of them as I shall hereafter shew so many very powerful Motives to reform our Lives to forsake our Sins and to follow Holiness as that without which we shall never see God And these do most of them influence us as to a Good Life so humbly to rely upon God's Mercies through Christ for the acceptance of it III. The Laws of the Ten Commandments And such also are the Laws of the Ten Commandments which contain the great Instances of our Duty to God our Neighbour and our Selves and to which all others may probably be reduc'd These Ten Commandments may properly enough be stiled the Principles of Religion for as the Root is the Principle as it were out of which all the Branches Stem forth so out of these Commandments do all the Duties of a Christian grow forth like so many Branches so that whosoever shall well study and digest these Ten Summary Commands shall scarcely fail of growing up to be a Good Christian IV. The Doctrine of Prayer and of the Sacraments And if to these we add the Doctrine of Prayer and of the Sacraments which are the necessary Means and appointed us by God of our procuring and conveying unto us his Assistance to enable us to mortify and forsake our Sins and to become Holy I do not know any other Principles that are Fundamentally necessary either to the promoting of a good Life here or an happy One hereafter at leastwise so far as to be the Matter of Catechetical Instruction and the Business of a Catechist to inform you of them And indeed as these Doctrines are every One of them necessary to be Known Believ'd and Practic'd by every Christian that may have the Means of Knowing them and may be taught them being no other than the Covenant of Grace it self or those particular Articles contain'd in it and which are expresly Enjoyn'd upon us by the Word of God to be Believ'd and Practic'd by us so our Church does account them the only Fundamental and Necessary Principles that are to be the Matter of a Christian Catechism There are it must be confest many other useful Truths contain'd in the Scriptures and those who having first laid the Foundation in these already mention'd would go on to Perfection should endeavour by Reading the Bible and other good Books and by Attending to the Preaching of the Word A Catechism ought not to be crouded w th any thing more than what is purely Fundamental to a good life here and Happiness hereafter to gain the Knowledge of them But a Catechism ought not to be crouded with any thing more than what is purely Fundamental to a Good Life here and Happiness hereafter And if other Churches have fill'd their Catechisms either with many Unscriptural Tenets as the Church of Rome has hers or with any doubtful and nice Doctrines concerning God's Election and Reprobation as many others have done theirs they have no reason to brag of their Abundance It is the Glory of our Church that she Imposes no other Doctrine as necessary to be Learnt by her Children than those already mention'd which are plainly declar'd in Scripture to be Fundamental and Necessary Principles whereon we may securely build a Good Life and the certain Hopes of eternal Happiness and which are so firm a Rock that the Religion and Hopes of Happiness founded upon it will not easily be destroy'd by the most violent and boistrous Temptations that the World the Flesh and the Devil shall Assault it withal thereby to Ruine it Thus have I Adventured in as few Words as the Difficulty of the Argument would give me leave to shew you the Nature of Fundamental Principles and to declare to you what Doctrines are to be accounted such so far at least as they are the Matter of Catechetical Instruction and the Business of a Catechist to inform you of them I have done this Point when I have told you A Catechism is a General Instruction in the Fundamental Principles of Christianity That a Catechism is A General Instruction only in the fundamental Principles of Christianity As a Catechism ought not to be crouded with any thing more than what is purely Fundamental to a Good Life here and Happiness hereafter so even those Fundamental Truths it ought to deliver in as short and comprehensive a manner as possible for a Catechism is an Instruction that must be fitted to all even the weakest Capacities and therefore it ought to be such a Form of sound Words as all can retain And the more explicite and enlarged Knowledge of these things is to be sought for in the Expositions and Comments that are given of them in Catechetical Discourses of which Nature I design by God's Grace to Present you with some until I have gone through your Catechism In a word and to conclude this First Point Such were the Ancient and Apostolical Catechisms Such a General Instruction in the Fundamental and most Necessary Points of Religion as we have given you an Account of was the

hereunto do our Antinomians teach their Disciples That saving Faith is nothing but our Perswasion or absolute concluding within our selves That our Sins are pardoned and that Christ is ours But this is a most false and dangerous account of Divine Faith False because God has no-where in Scripture told any Man amongst us that he in particular is Justified and shall be certainly Saved And Dangerous also because it tends to nourish Presumption in Men's Hearts and to make 'em Believe better of their State than it is God does indeed declare in his Word to all Men in General and Conditional Terms Mark 16.16 That whosoever believeth shall be saved and That Blessed are they who keep his Commandments that they may have right to the Tree of Life Rev. 22.14 And all Christians are to examine themselves whether they be in the Faith and to prove their own selves 2 Cor. 13.5 and if upon strict search he finds himself to have Repented throughly to have Believed practically and to have Obey'd sincerely he may have strong Hopes that his Sins are pardon'd and his Righteousness through Christ accepted only because the Heart is deceitful above all things so that no Man knoweth it Jer. 17.9 Let him be careful he does not deceive himself with false shews of Faith and Repentance and let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall 1 Cor. 10.10 But as for a Divine Faith which is a full Perswasion founded upon the Testimony of God in Scripture no Man can be said to have that concerning his own Acceptance because no Man has any Scripture-Revelation testifying it to him in particular And if Persons of Antinomian Principles shall say that the Assurance kindled in the Heart by the Spirit of God is a Divine Testimony to them and therefore may be sufficient to denominate such Assurance a Divine Faith then it must be granted by 'em that the written Word of God is not a sufficient Rule of Faith as not containing all Truths necessary to be Believed in order to Salvation amongst which they count this particular Assurance to be the chief which Persons of Protestant Principles will not own Nor indeed can any so far derogate from the Perfection of Scripture as to say that other Truths are necessary to be Believed in order to Salvation besides what are contained therein except it be such who are not afraid of those Words wherewith the Holy Canon is closed Rev. 22.18 If any Man shall add unto these things God shall add unto him the Plagues of this Book So that those Revelations only which are contained in Scripture are the proper Object of a Divine Faith But whatever is revealed in the Word a Christian must Believe And whatever is revealed in the Word a Christian must Believe as true for the Authority of God who declar'd it such And in the Holy Writings are contain'd Declarations of Divers kinds some of less others of greatest Consequence whereof the first need not to be so expresly apprehended but the latter must be both clearly Apprehended and firmly Believed A very great part of these Scripture-Truths of Consequence to be Believed are those various Precepts of Holy Living and Duties to God our Neighbour and our selves declared in the Gospel as necessary to be discharged by us in order to Salvation And it is as necessary an Act of Faith as any to Believe that our sincere Obedience to all the Divine Commandments is an indispensable Condition of Life and Happiness Again in the Holy Scriptures as we have Promises of inestimable Rewards to those who shall walk uprightly in the fear of God and on the other side Threatnings of the severest Punishments and that to all Eternity to all such as shall persist in Rebelling against Him So as to both these Promises and Threats we are to be undoubtedly perswaded of the Truth of 'em and that God's Veracity and Sincerity in the delivery therein is such that not a tittle of either shall fail But since neither the Fear of God's Threatnings nor the Encouragements of his Promises can prevail upon us in this our corrupt State to perform a perfect and unsinning Obedience to all God's Commands so that the best of Men will be found Sinners before God and will need a Mediator to compass their Reconciliation with him amongst all the Divine Revelations 3. Therefore 3. The Articles of our Christian Faith the chief amongst Scripture-Truths necessary to be Believ'd because 1. Therein are declar'd the only Method of Reconciliation betwixt God and Man through Jesus Christ and especially we are to be thus undoubtedly perswaded of the infallible Truth and Certainty of those main and fundamental Truths of Scripture the Articles of our Christian Faith wherein are declared the only Method of Reconciliation betwixt God and Man through our Saviour Jesus Christ as well as the strongest Motives to a Holy Life The Articles of our Creed do import as has been already spoke and shall hereafter by God's Assistance be fully explain'd and prov'd this comfortable Scheme of Divine Truths viz. That a God of infinite Perfection and most Glorious Attributes did at first create and give us our Being and that the same Almighty Father has from the beginning and will for ever exercise a Wise Just and Gracious Providence over all his Creatures that Man the work of his hands having rebell'd against his Maker God the Father did in his wise and good Providence so order it that His only Begotten Son taking our Nature upon him and being God-Man should come into the World amongst us and afterwards return to our Father which is in Heaven to mediate a Reconciliation betwixt him and us And to the end his Mediation might be effectual to salve the Dishonour done to God by our Revolt and reduce us to our Allegiance and Obedience to him that this Second Person in the Glorious Trinity did take upon him to discharge a Threefold Office viz. that of Prophet Priest and King By the first whereof he declar'd to us that Covenant and those Conditions on which God would receive us to Mercy By the second that of Priest he made way through the satisfaction he gave for the breach of our first Covenant for the Divine Goodness to receive us to Favour according to the Terms of the second and does still interceed with the Father for our Acceptance in the performance of such Conditions And by his Kingly Office he so governs by his Holy Spirit and Righteous Laws those who abandoning the Kingdom of Satan are admitted into his Kingdom the Holy Catholick Church that they shall be made meet for the Inheritance of the Saints in Light And in the Execution also of this his Royal Office having by his Almighty Power rais'd all Men from the Dead he will come again to judge 'em according to their Works forgiving the Offences of those who are penitent and allotting them to an Everlasting Life of Happiness and dooming the Impenitent to