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A84372
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Christianity in short or The way to be a good Christian· Recommended to the use of such as want either time or capacity for reading longer and learneder discourses. By C. Ellis author of the Gentile-sinner.
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Ellis, Clement, 1630-1700.
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1682
(1682)
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Wing E552aA; ESTC R229363
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19,559
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74
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CHRISTIANITY in Short OR The way to be a good CHRISTIAN Recommended To the use of such as want either time or capacity for reading longer and Learneder discourses Mat. VII 13.14 Enter ye in at the strait Gate for wide is the Gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction and many there be which go in thereat Because strait is the Gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto Life and few there be that find it Ver. 21. Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven By C. Ellis Author of the Gentile-sinner LONDON Printed for Tho. Guy at the Oxford Armes on the West side of the Royal Exchange 1682. To my Beloved Neighbours for whose Use this little Book is written My Dear Friends I Hope some of you need not much the help this little Book can afford and indeed it is a shame either for you or me that any of you should need it except Children Yet I fear it is too needful I pray God it may prove as useful to many of you I have often told you that neither an Ignorant nor a Carnal nor a Worldly nor a Formally Religious course of Life can ever bring you to Heaven I now â—ell it you again and at you love your Souls let me intreat you to believe me except you become other men than some of you yea than the most of you yet are you cannot be saved You have God's Word to read you may hear Sermons when you will you may be instructed privately when you will you have many good Books to instruct you you have so much sense as to know you are a dying you have understandings to consider what 's like to become of you you have sure the wit to know that all things here will have an end and that nothing can concern you so much as the Salvation of your Souls to all Eternity I am confident were you dying you would say so Can it be any thing then but a brutish inconsideration that keeps you in the state you are in Awake awake and see here in short what you have to do 'T is short that you may not plead you want time to read and learn it 'T is plain that you may not plead 't is above your capacity 't is cheap it shall cost you nothing but the pains of reading it for your instruction in the way of Life You will in a little room see what it is to be a Christian Practice then what here you read and then dye in Peace But if you slight these easie helps and will go on your old way I must leave you to God and comfort my self in this that I have not dealt deceitfully with you The good God make us all wise unto Salvation Amen Consider seriously Learn industriously Pray devoutly Believe firmly Repent sincerely Love unfeignedly Resolve deliberately Practice constantly Hope Patiently Receive Thankfully And Enjoy Eternally The Entrance into CHRISTIANITY I Must shortly dye and after death I must for ever be either endlesly happy or endlesly miserable It concerneth me therefore above all things in this short time of my Life so to prepare for Death that after Death I may be Eternally happy To this end two things are altogether necessary a sound Knowledge and a sincere Practice Two things are needful to be well known the End which I am to aim at and the Way which will lead me to it My daily practice must be to walk in the way in hopes of attaining the End What both these are JESVS CHRIST hath abundantly taught us in his Gospel which it therefore highly concerneth me diligently to read and learn Christ hath instituted two Sacraments the one for our entrance into the other for our confirmation and strengthning in the way of Life Baptism and the Supper of the Lord. In both these the whole substance of Christian Religion which is the way to happiness is summarily comprehended and represented Christ JESVS commanded his Apostles to go up and down in the World and by Preaching the Gospel to perswade men to be his Disciples and learn of him the way to Life He commanded them to admit men into his Church or the Society of his Disciples by Baptism or washing them with Water in the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost This Ceremony of Washing with water did signifie and assure them that as many as continued Christ's faithful followers were washed from the guilt of their past sins and should be daily more and more Sanctified and prepared for Eternal Glory Persons of years to understand were thus in Baptism to give up themselves in an Holy Bond or Covenant to God and thus my Parents when I was an Infant did give and dedicate me to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost In this Baptismal Covenant God the Father doth give himself to be our reconciled Father and God the Son Jesus Christ to be our Saviour and God the Holy Ghost to be our Sanctifier In the same Covenant we do accept of God the Father Son and Holy Ghost to be our only God submitting to him as our Owner and Governour and chusing him as our chief good and portion and heartily consenting to be taught and ruled made Holy and â—saved by him in a firm belief of his word and humble Obedience to his Lawes We do also promise and resolve not to follow nor be led by the Devil the World nor the Flesh but to watch against and resist all their temptations and to persevere so doing unto our lives end Every one that keepeth this Covenant sincerely is a good Christian and hath the pardon of his sins and Eternal Life sealed and assured unto him by God in this Sacrament of Baptism As I therefore desire to be Eternally happy and would avoid Everlasting Torments it concerneth me to see that I keep Covenant with God which I cannot do without learning and knowing what I am to believe and do If I have not already learn'd this it is no time now any longer to delay it seeing my Eternal happiness depends upon it And I know not how soon no not whether this night God may call me out of this world by death when if I be either ignorant or wicked I am undone Soul and Body for ever The Christian Faith THere is a GOD and but one God the FATHER SON and HOLY GHOST God is an infinite and most glorious SPIRIT a most pure and living substance without body parts or passions God is invisible cannot be seen or perceived by sense God is incomprehensible cannot be perfectly known by any but himself God is Immortal cannot dye Impassible and cannot suffer God is Immense not limited to place but is every where God is Eternal not limited by time but without beginning or end God is Independent not caused or governed by any other God is Immutable not subject to change but necessarily
Ordinances with my heart and affections I must use the sacred name of God with all due reverence not profaning it by blasphemous idle or impertinent talk or by false common or needless swearing or by breaking my Holy Vows and Covenants nor any way giving occasion by my insincere profession of his name unto others to blaspheme or profane it I must honour the Lord in his day by spending it in his Worship meditating on and praising him for his wonderful works of Creation and Redemption Especially in the Publick Assemblies bearing my part devoutly in the Prayers of his Church attending to his word Preached and Read and Communicating in his Sacraments I must not think too highly of my self nor be proud of any thing I am have or can do seeing all is the undeserved gift of God I must not humour my passions but labour to be of a meek and quiet and docible Spirit I must make use of my reason in considering what I am and whence I came and whither I must go why I live and how I must dye and what shall become of me after death what I owe to God and men and my self and how I pay it I must often examine the state of my Soul and whether I be converted from the state of sin into the state of grace and all my thoughts words and actions whether they be conformable to the will of God I should often think of the vanity of this World and sinful pleasures the certainty of death the impartiality of judgment the glories of Heaven the terrors of Hell the comforts of a good Conscience and what I must do to be saved with the necessity of a Godly Life I must be heartily contented with my present lot and portion not murmuring or repining at God's dealings not ambitiously seeking a more high or plentiful condition not fretting at my wants or sufferings nor vexing my Soul with Worldly cares nor envying the more flourishing condition of others but conclude that best which God chuseth for me I must be a good husband of my time industriously improving it to the good of my self and others not wasting it unprofitably in idleness sports and vanities but labouring in an honest calling I must be chast and clean in Mind and Body entertaining no wanton thought or desire or look or dress shunning all lasciviousness and obscene discourse books gestures and enticements to lust and uncleanness I must be temperate and moderate in eating drinking sleeping recreations and apparel not pleasing my Appetite or wasting my Estate or loosing my time in any of them but using them onely in such a measure as may best preserve my bodily health to serve my Soul in serving God I must love my Neighbour as my self and do to all men as I would they should do to me that is all the good I can rendering to every man his due Especially I must love and do good to those that are of the Houshould of Faith and love every man the more by how much I see more of God's image upon him Above all I must labour to do good to mens Souls by teaching reproving exhorting comforting and Praying for them Not hurting grieving scandaâ—izing or tempting them to evil by advice countenance or example Parents must dedicate their children to God instruct and educate them in the knowledge and fear of God correct all vice in them and give them good example maintaining them and providing honest callings for them as they are able Children must love honour obey serve and as there is need relieve their Parents with all thankfulness Husbands and Wives must live in an holy mutual conjugal love to each other helping one another in serving God Educating their Children well Ruling their Servants and managing their necessary Affairs the Wife living in a quiet subjection to her Husband Masters must be kind and just to their servants instructing them in God's service as well as in their own and servants must obey and be faithful to their Masters All Superiors are to rule in Justice and Holiness seeking God's Glory and the publick good and all inferiors are to be subject to the higher powers paying tribute and obeying their just Lawes for Conscience sake not resisting but to taking it Patiently though they suffer wrongfully Ministers must fced and rule and watch over the Souls of their flocks and their flocks must freely contribute to their maintenance honour them in love and be obedient to them I must not take away anothers Life nor hurt his Body nor so much as be angry with him without a cause but must preserve as much as in me lyeth his bodily welfare even as my own I must not defile another's Wife nor be guilty of Fornication nor so much as look on any woman to lust after her but do all I can to preserve the chastity of all I must not wrong another of any part of his Estate by theft robbery fraud or deceit of any kind but must secure his right as much as my own pay my debts duely bargain honestly and make restitution and amends for every wrong I must not wrong another's good name or credit by false-witness slandering false-accusing tale-bearing reproaching back-biting but I must vindicate it as far as with truth I can acknowledging all the good I see in every man groundlesly suspecting no man I must not make or speak any lye but speak the truth plainly I must utterly cast off all selfishness and not be tempted by any desire of pleasing my self to covet any thing that is another mans I must love pray for and do good to my enemies not rendring evil for evil or seeking revenge but forgiving as God for Christ his sake hath forgiven me The matter of our Desires and Prayers I AM not able naturally either to understand the mysteries of Faith or to do the Spiritual duties which I am bound as a Christian to believe and do I must not therefore trust to my self but by frequent fervent and humble Prayer apply my self to God in the name of Jesus Christ for the help of his Holy Spirit to quicken my deadness enlighten my ignorance and strengthen my weakness Of my self I know not how to pray or for what to pray I must therefore learn of Christ who hath taught me thus to Pray Our Father c. I must with all Humility as an undone sinner approach unto God in a true sense of his right in me and dominion over me as my Owner and Governour and of his love to me as my Father so far reconciled unto all men in Jesus Christ that he pitieth us and hath as a gracious Father provided all things needful to make us happy and that he delighteth not in our death but would have us turn and live as his children happy in our Father's love and providence I must draw near unto him as a penitent dutiful and loving child heartily sorry that ever I offended him restlesly longing to be reconciled unto