undertaken should bring upon us much more labour or trouble to the flesh then all our Publike preaching doth We are frail sinners and have flesh and blood as well as you that would fain draw us back from such troublesome duties and perswade us to take our ease and not to lose the love of our Neighbours by molesting them But woe to us and you if this should prevail you should therefore rather encourage us and warn us to be Diligent and to take heed to our Ministery which we have received in and of the Lord and to fulfill it Col. 4.17 If we were Stewards for the supply of your bodily wants you would call to us for help and not stay till we seek to you much less would you refuse it We have all need to joyn heart and hand to help one another safe to Heaven and all little enough when we have such enemies within us and without us and so many difficulties before us to overcome We know that you will have many Temptations from Satan to keep you back from this profitable work He that is unwilling of your Salvation will be unwilling that you should learn the way to it He will perswade the Rich and worldly-wise that it is a business unbeseeming them to be Catechized or Instructed As if they were too good to obey Christ and hiâ— Officers or to be saved He will perswade the Aged that they are too old to learn and that it is only for Children or the younger sort As if they were too old to be saved or as if it were not yet time to learn how to Live when they have almost done Living or how to Dye when Death is so neer Alas that any reasonable soul should be so brutish when most of their lives is already spent in Ignorance and worldliness and living to the flâ—sh and they should speedily lament their former folly and Redeem the little time that doth remain when one would think they should day and night be afraid left Death should snatch them away in their sin and Ignorance that yet they should not only delay and loyter but wilfully refuse and say they are too old to learn When you know Certainly thâ—t you must be shortly in another world in endless Joy or Torment is it not time to know whâ—â— world it must be Or at least to use your utmost diligence that you miscarry not in a maâ—ter of such unspeâ—kâ—ble Consequence Should not â—he old that are neerest their Journeyes end be most Careful to know whither they are going and where that end will be and to see lest they have hitherto mist â—he waâ— While there is lise â—ime there is â—lopâ— of mercy if you have but willing minds to use Gods mâ—ans But if you remain unwilliâ—g till time be gâ—â—e â—here will never be the least hopâ— of Râ—mâ—dy more Truly Brethren if Christianity were a faâ—â—e and there were no such things as Heaven or Hell when this short life is ended but men dyed as Dâ—â—â— do we should never then trouble your minds wiâ—h these matters but let you live in ease and pleasure wâ—ile you may But we know that the Living God is True and Heaven and Earth shall sooner fail then one tittle of his sacred Word We know that we and you are hasting to the Judgement seat of Christ where we must be accountable for our Teaching and you of your learning and both of our Obeying and Love to the Truth and of all the time and means that we did possess We know that it is but a little while till we and you must be all gone hence and the places where we live must know us no more We know that then we shall wish we had been more diligent in Teaching and you will wish you had been more diligent in Learning and all of us in Obeying O Sirs what should you so much think on as the God whom you say you love and honour and the heaven that you say you hope for ever to enjoy and the Necessary way that leads thereto If you are Christians what should you more mind then Christ and his Benefits Col. 4.1 2 3 4 5. Math. 16.19 20 21 23. John 6.27 Will you drop out of the world before you have well Considered what you had to do in it will you lose the last hour or part of your Lives as you have done the rest yea and make that a reason for it As if you would not Learn in your Age because you learned no sooner will you live all your youth with purposes to repent and turn to God in your Age and then when Age comes will you refuse to Return because you did it not sooner What is this but to abuse Christ all your youth and then abuse him more in your Age because you abused him in your youth How will you think of this foolish wickedness when you look back upon it in Hell if your found Repentance and Returning to God by Christ prevent it not Believe it true Repentance is a through turning from the flesh and the world to God and not only a wish that you had been wiser which is meerly forced by the sight of death woe to that man for ever that dyeth before he hath done the business of his lâ—fe and that must go to Christs Judgement before Christ have had his heart We beseech you therefore rather lay by any thing then these needful works you have nothing else to mind that in Comparison of this is worth the minding it is for this that all things else must be Used In themselves they are but as childrens toys will you play with them till they and you do fall together into the dust and that while greater things stand by It is Christ and Grace and the promised Glory that will never deceive you if you will but seek him and set your heart upon him and esteem him above these transitory things and make it the chief business of your life to Please and Enjoy him which cannot be without the knowledge of him Is it not pitty that God should have any Reasonable Creature that Knoweth not his Maker or his Laws or his own happiness it not pitty after all that Christ hath done and suffered for the world that any that call themselves his Disciples should so little know him and the salvation which he hath purchased and should set so light by him as to reject his invitations and so neglect this great salvation Math. 22.5 6. Heb. 2.3 O that you had but felt what it is to be under the bond of Gods Commands I especially the great Command of the Gospel then you would see that you refuse not him that speaketh For if they scaped not that refused Moses that spake on Earth much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven Heb. 12.25 O that you did feel but what it is to be under the power of constraining Love 2 Cor. 5.14 And to have
the Love of Christ shed abroad in your hearts by the Holy Ghost Rom. 5.5 And the Spirit to write Christs Law within you Heb. 10.16 Then would you long for more of Christ and run after him in his Ordinances with thirsting souls and delight in his Law and meditate in it day and night and love his Teaching and delight to do his will Rom. 7.22 Psal 1.2 3. Psal 10.8 119.24.77.35 40.1.2 These things would not only be your business but your Pleasure even your meat drink Job 23.12 O that you did know in this your day the things that belong unto your Peace before they are hid from your eyes Luke 19.41 42. And that you would once soberly Consider what it is to be in Everlasting Joy or Torments and that you would live as men that believe these things indeed We do yet again beseech you in the name of him that Made you and Redeemed you and for the sake of your own immortal souls that you will not be so stout or self-conceited or so careless or so contemptuous of the Grace of the God as to refuse to come to your Teachers to be Catechised and Instructed or to bestow your labour in learning these Principles You can lose but little by it and only that which however you shall shortly lose You may get that which shall never be lost O what a Glory would it be to our Parishes and to the Land if you would all joyn as with one mind to learn and study the things of Christ what a Joy would this be to the hearts of your Teachers to see you readily with one accord to come to them for Instruction and obey the word All the wealth of the world would not so glad them or do them so much good as this would do But what a Grief is it to our hearts at present to think that so many of you do live in wilful Darkness and will not use the means to get out and to think what is like to bâ—come of you for ever if death shall find you in this sad Condition Now we are neer you and fain would see your hearty change But then betwixt us and you what a gulf would there be set Luk. 16.26 The word of God will certainly be made good And he hath expresly said that if the Gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ who is the Image of God should shine unto them 2 Cor. 4.3 4. And people perish where vision faileth and for lack of Knowledge Prov. 1.22.29 29.18 Hos 4.6 And when a people have no understanding he that made them will not-save them he that formed them will shew them no Favour Isai 27.11 that the heart be without knowledge it is not good Prov. 19.2 To know God and his son Christ is Eternal life John 17.3 How sadly doth God call even to the Heaven and Earth to hear his Complaint against his people Isa 1.3 4. because he had brought up a people and they rebelled against him the Ox knew his Owner and the Ass his Masters Crib but Israel knew not God his people would not Consider Give not God cause to complain thus of you lest you prove your selves the complainers in the end It grieveth us also to see so many untaught children and families among you to see the Lords day so idly spent when you have so much of this necessary work to do To see so many of you either live without the Lords Supper and the holy Communion of the Church or else expect it when you know not what you do And it much grieveth us when we come to visit the sick and would fain speak Comfort to their departing souls and find them in so Ignorant and Carnal a state that we dare not do it O what a trouble must this needs be to our minds You look that we should speak Peace to you at the hour of Death that will nor learn the way of Peace in your life but rather abhor it and wilfully reject it But that is a thing that we may not do and if we should do it we should but deceive you Brethren take time and mercy while the God of mercy doth offer it you Think not a little labour too much to learn that which must be Learned upon pain of Damnation and which may make you Happy for ever It is the highest the noblest and sweetest work that you can mind or be imployed in Other things are drudgery to this and must give place to it Harden not therefore your hearts against the Instruction and help that is offered you It is none of our purpose to question you in matters of Scholarship but of meer Christianity nor to shame the Ignorant but to teach them nor to puzzle you with hard unnecessary Questions but to speak to you according to your several Capacities You can learn a trade to live by And could you not leaâ—n the way to Heaven if you were as willing and diligent you pray that the will of God may be done and will you not learn to do it you pray that his Kingdom may come and his Name be Hallowed and will you not learn to Know the nature and dignity of his Kingdom and how to hallow his blessed Name God is willing to Teach you and therefore hath sent his Son to be your Teacher All Christians are his Disciples or Schollars and it s an ill Schollar that Refuseth to Learn or be taught Christs way of Teaching is joyntly by his Ministers Word and Spirit If you Refuse these you refuse Christ And though you may think it is but a man that you despise yet God himself saith He that despiseth despiseth not man but God 1 Thes 4.8 And he that despiseth you despiseth me Luke 10.16 And he that despiseth him shall be lightly esteemed and despised by him in the day of his Necessiâ—y 1 Sam. 2.30 Prov. 1.24 to the end And he that deâ—piseth Knowledge shall be destroyed Prov. 13.13 O how much better would it seem to us if you would go along with us Cheerfully in the way of Salvation then to force us to be witness against you to your Condemnation For Christ hath said that if people receive not his Mâ—ssengers and hear them not they must depart shake off the dust of their feet as a testimony against them And he haâ—h assured us that it shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of Judgement then for that City Mark 6.11 Math. 10. 14 15. Finally Brethren we conclude with the repetition of our former request that if God have so much interest in you if Christ and the holy Ghost have so much Interest in you if your own Salvation be any of your Interest or if we your Teachers and friends have any Interest in you we earnestly beseech you that not one
family nor one person old or young would deny us this request which we make to our own Labour but for your Good First that you would take some pains to Learn over the Creed with out Expository Profession the Ten Commandments and the Lords Prayer our small Catechism and the Assemblies shorter Catechism Secondly that you would see that all your Children and Servants that are capable learn them especially on the Lords day Thirdly that you would not refuse to come when you are called to give your Teachers an account of your Knowledge and how little soever you have learned yet to receive Instruction by them And think it not too much that we desire you to come to us for as you know it is a more regular and certain way for all to come to one place then for us to go seek after every person not knowing where and when to find them so is it no more then you owe to your Teachers in order to your own good when God hath made them Stewards of his household to give them their meat in due season Luke 12.42 Tit. 1.7 1 Cor. 4.1 2. and hath Commanded you to obey them that have the Rule over you for they watch for your souls as those that must give account that they may do it with Joy and not with Grief for that is unprofitable for you And Mal. 2.7 For the Priests lips should keep Knowledge and they should seek the Law at his mouth for he is the Messenger of the Lord of Hosts If the Lord bow your hearts sincerely to yield to this our advice it will be the Joy of your Families the honour of your Towns Parishâ—s and Country a good example for the whole Nation to imitate and it will be the Comfort of your Teachers and a good preparative to your own everlasting Peace so great Benefits will follow a Small a Certain a Reasonable duty But if after all that we can say or do you unthankfully and obstinately refuse the help that is freely offered you your Blood will be upon your own heads and your Consciences shall bear us witness that we made you this offer and this our Exhortation shall rise up in Judgement for a witness against you And then Christ will have the glory of his Justice on all that set so light by the Riches of his Grace May 4th 1655. These are the Testimonies Warnings and Requests of us the servants of Christ for the saving of your souls whole names are before written The Ancient Western CREED I Believe in God the Father Almighty Maker of Heaven and earth And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord which was Conceived by the Holy Ghost born of the Virgin Mary suffered under Pontius Pilate was Crucified dead and buryed he descended into Hell The third day he rose again from the dead he ascended into Heaven and sitteth on the Right hand of God the Father Almighty from thence he shall come to Judge the quick and the dead I believe in the Holy Ghost the holy Catholike Church the Communion of Saints the forgiveness of sins the Resurrection of the Body and the Life everlasting The Lords Prayer Math. 6. OVR Father which art in Heaven Hallowed be thy Name Thy Kingdom come thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven Give us this day our daily bread And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from Evil For thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory for ever Amen The ten Commandments Exod. 20. GOD spake all these words saying I am the Lord thy God which have brought thee out of the Land of Egypt out of the house of bondâ—ge Thou shalt have no other Gods before me Thoâ— shalt not make unto thee any grauen Image or any likeness of any thing that is in Heaven above or that is in the eaâ—â—h beneath or that is in the water under â—he earâ—h â—hou shâ—lt not how down thy self to them nor â—erve hâ—m Fâ—â—â—â—he Lord â—hy God am a jealous God visitâ—ng â—he iniquiries of the Faâ—hers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my Commandments Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain For the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy six daies shalt thou labour and do all thy work but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God in it thou shalt not do any work thou nor thy son nor thy daughter thy man-servant nor thy maid-servant nor thy cattel nor the stranger that is within thy gates For in six daies the Lord made heaven and earth the sea and all that in them is and rested the seventh day wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it Honour thy Father and thy Mother that thy daies may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee Thou shalt not kill Thou shalt not commit adultery Thou shalt not steal Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour Thou shalt not covet thy neighbours house thou shalt not covet thy neighbours wife nor his man-servant nor his maid-servant nor his ox nor his ass nor any thing that is thy neighbours The fuller profession of our Faith taken out of Scripture for the better understanding of the Creed I Believe that there is One only God * or in three Persons the Father The Son and the Holy Ghost The Father Infinite in Being the Father The Son Wisdom Goodness and Power the Maker Preserver and Disposer of all things and the most Just and Merciful Lord of all I Believe that Mankind being fallen by sin from God and Happiness under the wrath of God the curse of his Law the Power of the Devil God so loved the world that he gave his only son to be their Redeemer who being God and one with the Father did take to him our nature and became man being conceived of the Holy Ghost in the Virgin Mary and born of her and named Jesus Christ and having lived on earth without sin and wrought many Miracles for a witness of his truth he gave up himself a sacrifice for our sins and a Ransome for us in suffering death on the Cross and being Buried he rose again the third day and afterward Ascended into Heaven where he is Lord of All in Glory with the Father And having Ordained that all that truly Repent and Believe in him and love him above all things and sincerely Obey him and that to the death shall be saved and they that will not shall be damned and commanded his ministers to preach the Gospel to the world He will come again and raise the bodies of all men from Death and will Judge all men according to what they have done in the body and the Righteous shall go
into life eternal and the rest into everlasting Punishment I Believe that God the Holy Ghost the Spirit of the Father and the Son was sent from the Father (*) or and by the Son to inspire and guide the Prophets and Apostles that they might fully reveal the doctrine of Christ and by multitudes of evident miracles and wonderful gifts to be the great witness of Christ and of the truth of his holy word and also to dwell and work in all that are drawn to believe that being first joyned to Christ their head and into one Church which is his body and so pardoned and made the sons of God they may be a peculiar people sanctified to Christ and may mortifie the flesh and overcome the world and the Devil and being zealous of good works may serve God in Holiness and Righteousness and may live in the special Love and Communion of the Saints and in Hope of Christs Coming and of Everlasting life I do heartily take this one God (*) In the Trinity of Persons for my only God and my chief good and this Jesus Christ for my only Lord-Redeemer and Saviour and this Holy Ghost for my Sanctifier and the Doctrine by him revealed and witnessed by his Miracles and now contained in the holy Scriptures I do take for the Law of God and the Rule of my Faith and Life And Repenting unfeignedly of my sins I do Resolve through the grace of God sincerely to obey him both in Holyness to God and Righteousness to men and in special love to the Saints and Communion with them against all the temptations of tht Devil the World and my own Flesh and this to the death Note that the first eight Articles of the following Caâ—echism do contain â—he foregoing Profession and the four last do express the particulars â—ontained in the two words Holiness and Righteousness and in the ten Commandments The CATECHISM Qu. 1. What do you believe concerning God 1. There is one only God in three persons the Father 1 Cor. 8.4 6. Mat. 2â— 13 1 Joh. 5.7 1 Tim. 1.17 Psal 1. â—9 7 8 9. Isa 40.17 Rev. 4.8 Psal 147.5 Neh. 9.6 Psal 135 6. Rev. 15.3 Exo. 34 6. the Son and the Holy Ghost Who is infinite in Being Power Wisdom and Goodness the maker preserver diâ—poser of all things and the most Iust and Merciful Lord of all Qu. 2. How did God make man and what Law did he give him 2. Pro. 16.4 Gen. 1.26 27. 2.16 17. Rom. 6.23 God made man for himself in his own image and gave him a righteous Law requiring perfect obedience upon pain of Death Qu. 3. Did man keep or break this Law 3. Man being tempted by Satan Gen. 3. Rom 5 1â—.28 3.23 6.23 Eph. 2.12 Hos 14.1 Eph. 2. â— 3 5. Gal. 3.10 â—â— Act. 26.18 Gen. 6.5 2 Tim 3 15. Hos 11.7 13.2 Psal â—8 17 did wâ—â—fully sin and so fall from God and Happiness under the wrath of God the Curse of the Law and the Power of the Devil so that a e are bâ— nature dead in sin and prone to do more evil continually to grow worse â—o depart yet further from God Qu. 4. How was man Redeemed 4 God so loved the world Joh. 3.16 â—7 1 Joh. 2.2 Ioh. 4.22 Rom 9.5 10.12 Joh. 10.30 17.11 Heb. â— 14 16. 1 Tim. â— 5 Luâ— 1 2â— â—1 35. Mat. 1.22 25.20 Heb. 4.15 7 26. Heb. 2 3.4 Act 2.22 7.36 T it 2.14 Heb. 9.26 1 Tim 2.6 Mat. 27.31 35. â—0 1 Cor. 15 3 4 5 6 7 12. Act. 1.9 Eph. 4 8 9 10 11. Act. 10.56 2.36 Râ—m 14.9 Mat. 28.18 Eph. 1.20 21 22 that he gave his onlâ— son to be their Redeemer who being God and one with the Father did take to him our nature and became man being conceived by the Holy Ghost in the Vâ—râ— in Mary and born of her and called Iesus Châ—ist and having lived on earth without sin and wrought many Miracles for a witness of his truth he gave up himself a sacrifice for our siâ—s and a ransom for us in suffering death on the Cross anâ— being buryed he rose again the third day and afterward ascended inâ—o â—eaven where he iâ— Lord of all â—n glory with the Father Qu. 5. How and on what â—e â—â—s is â—alâ—ation offered in the Gospel 5 Our Lord Iesus Christ hath ordained in his Testament that all they that receive him by a tine effectual faith 1 Cor. 9.14 Heb 9.15 Col. 2 6. Joh. 1.12 Mar. 16.15 16. Gal. 5.4 Jam. 2 24. Act. 26.18 â—n 24 47. Act. 5.31 11.18 20.21 3.19 2.38 8 2â— 26.10 〈◊〉 13.3 Mar. 4.12 Isa 55.7 2.16 Ezeâ— â—8 21 â—0 â—2 33 11. to 20. Mat. 19 2â— 29. â—0 3â— Lâ—k â—4 26 27 3â— Tâ—t 3 â— 7 Heb. 3 14. Câ—l â— 23 Joh. 15 â— to 12. 8 31. Roâ— 1.22 Heb 10.26 38. Rev. 2 1â— â—â— Mar. 16.15 16. Mat. 28.19 20 21. and that by true Repentance do forsake the Devil the world and the Flesh and heartily turn from them unto God shall freely receive the Pardon of their sins and become the sons of God and Heirs of everlasting life * The conditionality of the promise denyâ—th not the certainty of faith and perseverance and that if they sincerely love and obey him to the death they shall be glorifyed and that they that will not do all this shall be damned And this he hath commanded his Ministers to preach to all the world Joh. 14.26 15.26 1 Pet. 1.10 11 12. 2 Pet. 1.21 2 Tim. 3.16 Joh. 16.13 Ep. 3.3 5. 2.20 4.11 12 13. Mat. 28.20 â— Tim. 6.14 Isa 8 20. Rev. â—2 18 19. Heb. 3.2 â— 2.3.4 Acts 2.22 19.11.10 19. Gal. 3.1.2 3 5. Joh. 14.12 3.2 10. 25 37 28 1 Cor. 14. Qu. 6. How did Christ reveal and prove his doctrine 6. The Holy Ghost was sent by the Father and the son to inspire and guide the Prophets Apostles and Evangelists that they might truly and fully reveal the Doctrine of Christ and deliver it in Scripture to the Church as the Rule of our Faith and Lise And by multitudes of evident uncontroled miracles to be the great witness of Christ and of the truth of his holy word Act. 26.18 Joh. 6.44 Rom. 8. â— 10 11 Act. 16.14 Ezeâ— 36.16 Act. 15.9 1 Cor. 6.11 19. Col. 1.18 2.19 Eph. 5.30 31.32 3.17 1 Cor. 12. 13.27 Rom. 3.24 Gal. 4 6. Joh. 1.12 Gal. 6.26 Tit. â— 14 1 Pet. 2.9 1 Cor. 6.11 Rom. 8.1.10 14. Gal. 5.17 24. 1 Joh. 2.15 Gal. 6.14 1 Joh. 3.8 Luk. 1.74 75. 1 Pet. 1.22 Joh. 12.34 35. Eph. 2. â—9 Heb. 10 25. â— Cor. â— 9 â— Pet. 3 11 12. Tit. 1.2 3.7 Qu. 7. How are men brought to partake of Christ and life 7. The same Holy Spirit doth by the word enlighten mens