Petitions I. A. 101. II. A. 102. III. A. 103. IV. A. 104. V. A. 105. VI. A. 106. Conclusion A. 107. Principles of Christian Religion in an 107 Articles with a short and easie Explanation CHAP. I. Of things to be believed comprehended in the Apostles Creed Or a brief Sum of Christian Doctrine which ought to be received or believed Articles of Religion 1562. Artic. 8. For they may be proved by most certain warrant of Holy Scripture A. 1. MAns chief End is to glorifie God and to enjoy him for ever Homil. 3. Of Salvation Above all things and in all things to advance the glory of God of whom only we have our sanctification justification salvation and redemption Expl. 1. In which A. there are these four things to be explain'd 1. What we are to understand by a mans end And the Answer is That by a mans end we mean that which a man doth intend or aim at in all his actions or that which he does propose to himself as the reason of what he does ex gr when you see a man buâ—lding a House if you ask him the reason why he builds a House or what he intends in so doing his answer will be to dwell in it And here his dwelling in his House when he hath built it is his end in building his House So again when you see a man going to Church if you ask him what he goes to Church for he 'll presently tell you to hear a Sermon Now this being that which he does design in going to Church sc. to hear a Sermon it may very well be called his end in going to Church But then 2 dly It is next to be explained what is meant by a mans chief end Now a mans chief end is that which he doth principally aim at in all his actions As to keep to the last instance though it be a mans end in going to Church to hear a Sermon yet that is but a lower end and that which he does only design in order to his chief end which is to glorifie God and to enjoy Communion with God by hearing his word This Question therefore What is the chief end of man is q. d. what is mans chief errand into the world or what did God make man for or what is the great business that should take up the greatest part of a mans time thoughts cares affections and endeavours whilst he lives in the world or what is it that a man is principally to drive at in all his words thoughts and actions in all his duties both to God and man and in all his dealings with the world Now this is that which should be his general drift in all sc. To glorifie God and to enjoy God both in this world and a better And this is the plain meaning of those Scriptures which are here made use of as proofs But alas is it not sadly to be lamented that the corrupt generality of people have quite forgotten what errand they were sent about into the world whilst some make worldly honours and preferments their chief end as the ambitious others make worldly gain and profit their chief end and that which they mainly drive at as the covetous and others do make their carnal pleasures delights sports and pastimes their chief end as if God had put them into the world as the Psalmist reports of the Leviathans being put into water to play therein and this is the case of the younger sort generally of vain and wicked people who either do not know or will not consider that the end of their Creation was to honour and enjoy their Creator both here and hereafter 3 dly What it is to glorifie God may be thus explained namely it is to live according to his will revealed in his word or it is to think speak and do according to the Rule of his word 1. We glorifie God in our thoughts or in our hearts when we dare not allow our selves to think any thing that is not stampt with Gods authority and allowance and more particularly when our thoughts of God of his works words and all that relates to him are such as do become his excellent Greatness So when we fear love admire trust and desire him above all 2. We glorifie him in our words when our speech is not corrupt vain and idle but seasoned with grace 3. In our actions when we make his word our rule and his glory our great and general end in all our actions 4 thly What it is to enjoy God we may best conceive of it by what it is to enjoy a friend Now this is we know to have his presence company and converse and to take delight in his society So to enjoy God it is to converse with God to be well-pleased with his gracious presence and not only to have him to be our Friend or Father but to entertain this King of glory in our hearts and affections Or as wicked men do look upon the greatest part of their enjoyment to consist in that which they miscall good-fellowship so the Christians enjoying of God is to have fellowship with him Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Iesus Christ. And to maintain and keep up this fellowship with God for ever it is to enjoy him for ever which in reference to a Christians enjoyment of God in glory is called a being for ever with the Lord 1 Thes. 4.17 A 2. The Word of God which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament is the only Rule to direct us how we may glorifie and enjoy him Artic. vi In the name of the Holy Scripture we do understand those Canonical Books of the Old and New Testament of whose Authority was never any doubt in the Church Homil. 1. Unto a Christian man there can be nothing either more necessary or profitable than the knowledg of holy Scripture for as much as in it is contained Gods true Word setting forth his glory and also mans duty As many as be desirous to enter into the right and perfect way unto God must apply their minds to know holy Scripture without the which they can neither sufficiently know God and his Will neither their office and duty Let us willingly search for the well of life in the Books of the Old and New Testament and not run to the stinking Puddles of mens Traditions devised by mens imagination for our justification and salvation Expl. 2. When the written Word of God is here called a Rule we may understand it thus That as an Artificer suppose a Mason or Bricklayer in raising a Wall or a Carpenter in squaring a piece of Timber makes use of his Rule and by applying this to his work comes to know whether it be streight or crooked So the Christian who would order his spiritual Building or Conversation aright so as to glorifie and enjoy God he must lay every stone in this spiritual
The Main PRINCIPLES OF Christian Religion IN An 107 short Articles or Aphorisms generally receiv'd as being prov'd from Sripture Now further cleared and confirm'd by the Consonant Doctrine recorded in the Articles and Homilies of the Church of England under Four Heads VIZ. Of things to be I. Believed comprehended in the CREED II. Done in the TEN COMMANDMENTS III. Practis'd in the GOSPEL particularly TWO SACRAMENTS IV. Pray'd for in the LORDS PRAYER EXPLAIN'D By Tho. Adams M.A. sometime Fellow of Brazen-Nose College in Oxon and late Chaplain to the Right Honourable Countess Dowager of Clare LONDON Printed in the Year 1675. To the Inhabitants of Wood-Church in Wirral-Hundred in Cheshire Dear Countrymen and Friends WHiles in my retired condition I was lately devising how I might do some good to the place of my Nativity I had a strong apprehension from the affections many of you have express'd to my Fathers Family that some of the Labours of my dear Brother Mr. Thomas Adams now with God would be very acceptable to you for the edification of your souls and thereupon as most generally useful for you I resolv'd to be at the charge of Printing this Catechetical Explanation of His. 'T is well known amongst you that my Grandfather Mr. Richard Adams was Rector of your Church and then by his purchase Patron of the perpetual Advowson Six of his Line and Name since all devoted to the Ministry of the Gospel viz. Mine honoured Father Mr. Charles Adams and Uncle Mr. Randal Adams yet I hope alive in Ireland my self and three Brothers Peter Thomas and Charles Adams were born in the Personage-house My dear Mother who also bore two other of my Brothers viz. Iames and Iohn there too the Daughter of a worthy Gentleman was likewise born in your Parish My Reverend Father and Uncle did some short part of their time exercise their Ministry amongst you and all of us Brethren in the Ministry have preached an occasional Sermon or more to you though none of us could be setled with you to spend our selves and be spent amongst you However we that are alive and at a distance from you do often bear you upon our hearts and earnestly desire that you may be saved in the day of our Lord Iesus Christ. Some of you cannot but remember whiles my dear Father had the charge of your Souls he did preach the Gospel to you both in season and out of season beseeching you to be reconciled to God who soon took him off from that work with you to his eternal rest And I do assure you my Brother whose sound and wholesome fruit you may here taste was very solicitous and so are those who yet survive that you may be acquainted with the truth as it is in Iesus In order whereunto I do now present and heartily recommend to you this short Manual of Christian Doctrine I pray you be pleased to receive it kindly and entertain it friendly not only out of love to the Author or Donor but to the Truth It is proverbially said amongst you Cheshire Chief of Men there having anciently been valiant ones born and bred there Let not now any Prophet of the Lord have occasion to complain of you that none are valiant for the truth which none can be as they ought unless well-trained instructed or Cateehised as Abrahams brave ones were for the war in the mysteries of the Gospel for lack of knowledg wherein a professing people will be destroyed Being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart He that made them will not have mercy on them and he that formed them will shew them no favour To prevent this mischievous ignorance and help your understandings that you may rightly know God and do his will Such as I have give I you Let none then despise this small token of my love which I do in the name of Iesus Christ send to you Others of their plenty have formerly given to the meaner sort of you Milk and Bread for the body and lately Means for the instructing the Minds of your Children in the Rudiments of Learning now I do offer a Mite out of my penury to establish your hearts in Religion spiritual milk and bread which I know you have need of It comes not to eat your Bread but to distribute something of the bread of life to every Family I expect you should bid it welcome and not distaste it as the Gaderens for the sake of their Hogs did the company of Christ himself wishing him to leave their Coasts Lest coming in kindness to you all at this day it should be a Testimony against any of you at the great day Believe me I would not have it as the Flying Roll in the Prophets Vision to consume any House whereinto it doth enter but to warn every person and every family of you in this crooked generation to flee from the wrath to come and meet God by repentance I confess it would trouble me to come into any of your Houses or have tydings thereof and find this little Book designed for your good to be carelesly thrown up and down and given to little ones to play with and tear in pieces or the leaves cut out with a knife and burnt as the Book that Baruch wrote from the mouth of the Prophet Ieremiah was misused and mostly for the sake of those careless and untoward ones Yet if one sinner be reclaimed by it from the error of his ways built up in faith and love and brought really to obey the Gospel that will answer all my cost and be abundant matter of much joy But if our Gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost However I may in some sort say with the Apostle for his Countrymen Brethren my hearts desire and prayer to God for you is that you may be saved I shall therefore take the freedom upon this occasion to enlarge something under these three following heads viz. 1. Concerning the necessity of instructing and being instructed in the Doctrine which is according to godliness 2. The import and advantage of this Book before you and how you may particularly use and improve it 3. Some general Rules consonant to Scriptures and the Materials of this Book grourded thereon to help you all in your Practise I. The necessity of instructing or Catechising both as it respects those who Teach and those who are Taught is evident from the Injunction of the supream Lawgiver who doth frequently charge Superiours to teach and Inferiours to learn Which strongly obligeth those who have others under their authority to do it as they are able and if they cannot read themselves to put those who have learn'd to read upon the work and see them do it to the utmost of their power for edification To strengthen this charge of so great and useful importance
will be a means to come to a distinct sight of your own vileness and sinfulness as also if you are renewed how you ought to walk but that you can never merit Gods favour by the best works of the Law Yet you ought mightily to oppose the first motions and risings of any corruption in your hearts and carefully to avoid all such occasions as are likely to give advantages to those corruptions and betray you into their hands Mal. 4.4 Iam. 1.23 Rom. 7.7 Gal. 3.10 22. Iam. 2.10 3.2 1.25 Mat. 5.18 19. 1 Tim. 1.8 Rom. 4.2 Gal. 2.16 Luk. 17.10 Iam. 1.14 4.7 1 Thes. 5.22 Mat. 13.37 Mat. 26.41 7 Hereupon Enter into your Closets be convinc'd of sigh and mourn over your own impotency inability and unwillingness to come to Christ till you are effectually drawn Alas you find by comparing your selves with the Law that you are neither able nor willing of your selves to keep the Commandments but do daily break them in thought word and deed yea and with aggravating circumstances in the sight of God deserving his wrath and curse both in this and the future world Which may make you sit down and bemoan your low estate and cry out What shall we do to be saved Then Ioh. 6.44 45 65. 5.40 1 King 8.46 Ecclss. 7.20 Prov. 20.9 Col. 1.21 Gal. 5.17 2 Cor. 10.5 Isa. 46.8 Act. 2.37 16.30 8 Look up to Christ by an eye of faith trust to him alone and repent of your sinfulness which keeps you from God Consider him who hath satisfied Divine Justice as he is offered in the promises and give credit unto them which are in him Yea and Amen Put your affiance in him alone who is the Saviour for acceptance of your persons remission of your sins and obtaining of eternal life God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself your great great concern then is to receive him who saves his people from their sins resign up your selves unto him as Mediatour and through him unto God Be sorrowful after a godly sort for all that which offends him which is not only an outward forbearance of sin but a particular inward loathing and hatred of all sin as sin striving against it and endeavouring to mortifie it Act. 6.31 2.38 3.19 1 Ioh. 5.13 Phil. 3.7 8 9. Ioh. 3.14 15. 6.29 47. Act. 13.38 39. Isa. 28.12 Prov. 3.5 2 Cor. 5.19 Ioh. 1.12 Rom. 5.11 17. Mat. 1.21 Zach. 12.10 c. Act. 5.31 Psal. 119.104 97.10 Iam. 4.8 9 10. Act. 8.22 Col. 3.5 9 Be careful to observe the institutions of Christ and all his Ordinances as he hath prescrib'd Hear Read Receive the Sacraments as he hath appointed waiting for the Spirit who makes all means effectual Oh! delight to meet God in publick Ordinances and give up your selves to be ruled and directed by him therein And therefore take a very especial care for the due observance of the Lords-day which is appointed for the more solemn worshipping of God and the benefit of man to refresh him with heavenly things This you should spend in the Lords-work and not in worldly pleasures or profits I can assure you the Author of this Explanation did make great conscience hereof and express'd much distaste of those who did sleight or prophane it The last Sermons he preach'd were to urge a due observance of the Lords-day And on the Lords-day-morning a little before he departed hence He told us He was going to keep a Sabbath in heaven and here strangers did not intermeddle with his joy Mat. 28. ult Isa. 63.5 Psal. 19.8 Ioh. 5.39 Act. 26.18 Rom. 10.13 1 Cor. 3.7 12.13 Ier. 31.31 c. Col. 3.16 Mark 16.16 Luk. 22.19 20. Mark 2.27 Isa. 56.6 58.13 10 And lastly Be much in prayer to God through Christ in the Spirit which indeed should go before accompany and follow after daily mercies other duties and enjoyments You should constantly perform this Duty with all intention of mind and heartiness both in publick and your Families at all praying-seasons and more especially in secret which if you rightly do from a pure heart a good conscience and faith unfeigned according to the Rule to measure our requests by to the honour of God in the Name of his beloved Son will keep up the life of Religion and be prevalent for a blessing upon all you take in hand and enjoy Mat. 26.41 42. Col. 4.1 Phil. 4.6 Mat. 6.6 Ioh. 15.16 16.23 26. Psal. 66.18 1 Ioh. 5.14 Heb. 4.16 Rom. 8.26 27. Psal. 92.1 2. 50.15 Thus My Friends I have as briefly as I could laid before you these Ten Directions to help you in your Christian practice agreeable to the materials more largely spoken to in the Book it self I earnestly intreat you to work them upon your hearts and set in heartily to practise by the prudent use of these Helps I have unto them affixed Texts of Scripture which do abundantly prove them It may be some of you will not only turn to them in your Bibles and read therein the proofs confirming each direction grounded for the main upon the Articles as these are upon Scripture but will take the pains to write out the Scriptures at large in a Paper-book as they fall under the general heads which would be a notable means to imprint them in your minds and deeply affect your hearts with the things and engage you to do as God in his word requires That you may all consent to wholesome words even the words of our Lord Iesus Christ and to the Doctrine which is according to godliness Fear God and keep his Commandments Be happy in knowing and doing of these things is that I aim at And believe it Friends If I my self do not in some measure endeavour through Christ enstrengthening me to live agreeable to these Directions I have now given to you I must expect the wrath of God should abide upon me And if you remain heedless and careless after you have received or rejected this Token of my love to your Souls it will be a Witness against you But Beloved I am perswaded better things of you That the God of Heaven may make you all wise unto salvation and bless these and all other endeavours for your spiritual temporal and eternal welfare is the unfeigned Prayer of Your Friend and Remembrancer from and unto God Ri. Adams Aug. 3. 1675. To the Reader Christian Reader TO promote that knowledg without which the mind is not good and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord I acknowledg my self to lye under the greatest obligations In order whereunto considering the necessity and usefulness of instructing souls distinctly in the Principles of Christian Doctrine i. e. those fundamental Truths on which life or death doth depend and wherein the very essentials and vitals of Christianity do consist and having by me this short and easie Explanation of those Catechetical Articles of Religion most generally received amongst us I thought good to publish it More especially