Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A77379
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A Catechisme for communicants. Set forth for the benefit of the willing to be well prepared for the receiving of that great mystery of the Lords Supper. / By A wel-willer [sic] unto all the children and servants in this great citie, and the suburbs, but most especially those of the parish of Dunstans East, London.
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Bridges, Walter.
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1645
(1645)
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Wing B4483C; ESTC R173262
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50,770
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119
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time of ignorance God winked at but now admonisheth all men every where to repent Act. 17.30 31. Light is come into the world and if men love darknesse because their deeds are evill they lie under the great condemnation John 3.19 20. Secondly and sound repentance will require of you sound heart-humblings expressed in Scripture by the pricking of the heart together with a diligent and indefatigable inquiry after that which yet you doe not know yet above all things ought to desire to know that is what shall I doe to bee saved See Act. 2.37 Act. 16.31 These are the generall uses Qu. What are the particular uses An. These and 1. Forasmuch as man hath lost the Image of his God wee learne 1. How unlike a man may bee to his father wee see some children much derogating from the honesty and religion of their parents Scripture teacheth this and our owne experience too 2. Wee learne that the onely remedy is that which the Apostle sets downe 2 Cor. 3.18 to gaze upon him with open face till wee bee transformed into the same Image with him from glory to glory Moses you know had his face shone by conversing with God and so will our faces Qu. What is the second particular use An. That it is a sad thing for the mind to bee in a spirituall captivitie if the heart bee not right no helpe unlesse from heaven Psal 51.10 Prov. 23.26 2. That wee must have great regard unto the language of holy Scripture to bee renewed in the spirit of our mind Rom. 12.2 and 2 Tim. 1.7 Qu. What is the third use from the conscience An. That man hath a conscience and the reason why it rouses not and flyeth in his face is not because it is not but because it wakes not a Lyon asleepe if hee waken once can bite and roare so will conscience 2. That no man can have a good conscience till a worke of grace bee vouchsafed him from God And this appeares to bee a good conscience 1. When its accusing is according to the Word 2. When its excusing is according to the Spirit Qu. What is the fourth use in respect of the memory An. That there is as well an art as an use of memory many complaine that their memory is naught now here is a helpe the Lord gives remedy for this a present remedy Qu. What is that An. To love heartily the things which God sets before us Oh how I love thy Law Psal 119.97 No man can love that which hee knowes not nor have that which hee loves not Qu. What is the fifth use in point of will An. That the cause of all our misery is the wicked will That the cure is here and here onely to bee discerned when God gives us a will or a mind to know him that is good 1 John 5.20 Qu. What is the sixt use An. To know where the worke of grace is in every good and sound Christian in his actions yes surely but that is not all in his affections too there to the life Matth. 22.37 Mat. 10.28 Luk. 10.20 And thus much of the first part of this Catechisme viz. the fall of mankind Now for the second part namely his recovery by Christ out of that miserable condition Qu. What purpose had God toward the creature in the fall An. No purpose of the finall destruction of the creature but the illustration of his owne justice and mercy Rom. 3.26 and Rom. 9.22 23. Qu. How may the mercy of God to his elect be herein considered An. Thus If hee bee compared to the Angels which fell they had no meanes of recovery out their fallen estate Iude 6. 2. If with the reprobate they had meanes indeed but they had no grace to use them Rom. 11.7 Qu. Is the estate of man better in the estate of regeneration or of innocency An. It is better in the estate of regeneration surely which appeares to bee so 1. Because it is immutable and not to bee changed 2. Because his happinesse and holinesse is greater Qu. What is the first part of the mercy of God to man in his recovered estate An. Mans happinesse which is 1. Partly in this life 2. Partly or rather perfectly in the life to come Qu. Wherein doth this happinesse of man consist An. In the vision of God so Rom. 1.20 So the naturall man sees God in the creature Again Heb. 1.1 2. Spirituall men never behold him but in the face of Christ which vision is operative 2 Cor. 3.18 2. In peace pacification and accesse Rom. 5.1 for hee that sees a King a King I say as his enemy and one ready to fall upon him with an act of anger and justice had rather never see him 3. In expectation for eye hath not seene nor eare heard neither hath it entred into the heart of man to conceive what God hath prepared for those that love him 1 Cor. 2.9 A beleever sees God as the sonne seeth his father providing for him Qu. What is the second part An. Mans holinesse wherein the principal agent is God and the principal patient is man for man can stirre no more to the working of his owne holinesse without God then tooles can move without a workman to doe any peece of worke 1 Pet. 1.23 Qu. What are the considerations of mans holinesse An. These and such like 1. The miracle of it for it is no lesse in the apprehension of every naturall man John 3. 2. The meanes of it which are to be seene Rom. 10.14 3. The manner of it 1 John 3.8 as God dealt with Saul 1 Sam. 10.9 so doth hee with all his people he gives them another spirit Num. 14.24 4. The time of it Matth. 20.3.5 Men doe as Herod did they keepe their birth-day but the day of our new birth and the time thereof is not regarded 5. There are signes of it too in holy Scripture not to be neglected Qu. What is the third part An. Mans faith which is an affiance and trust in Christ Jesus for happinesse and is set purposely to repaire what infidelity hath ruined in us Qu. Whereby may this be set forth An. By this similitude A King or monarch hath many thousands of his subjects rebelling against him and refusing to performe obedience to his just Lawes the King seeing this rebellion purposeth so to deale in revenging of it as not onely his justice but that also and especially his mercy and love toward his naturall subjects may appeare and therefore hee meaneth to punish their offence in himselfe by putting to death his onely sonne who is of his owne nature and essence yea who doth raigne joyntly and equally with him being partaker of his riches glory kingdome and honour The death of this Prince being thus decreed by the King his father it is needfull that for the suffering of the course of Law together with the sentence of death he should debase him to the condition of a subject yet retayning all the aforesaid
priviledges so that there is in one person the condition and as it were the nature both of a King and of a Subject the one maketh that hee may bee put to death the other maketh that this death though it bee but the death of one person is more then a sufficient ransome for the offences of 10000. of his Subjects Even so did our great King with the Prince of peace in the worke of our redemption Qu. What is the benefit that wee reape by Christs death An. 1. By his merit wee have perfect righteousnesse 2. By his spirit wee have perfect holinesse here in part hereafter in full and perfection See 1 Cor. 6.11 Qu. How is the excellent faith of a Christian knowne An. Thus 1. It is a part of our regeneration 2. The subject thereof is the will of man 3. The meanes of working set forth 4. It cannot bee lost 5. Signes of it are as many as wee have graces Qu. But how is it that faith onely hath the power of justifying An. That question is worthy of our knowledge 1. Faith gives glory to God takes away creature boasting if for our love holinesse c. wee had beene saved man might have imputed something to himselfe but now all boasting is excluded 2. Another reason see Rom. 4.16 that it might bee sure to all the seed and not bee of works at all Qu. What is the relation betwixt faith and other graces An. It hath this qualitie to joyne us unto the Lord Jesus from and by whom wee come to bee partakers of the spirit of Christ and of the increase of all spirituall graces See Col. 2.19 Gal. 2.20 Qu. How doth faith and justification bring forth holinesse and sanctification especially seeing that to mans reason it is rather a motive to a wicked and dissolute life see such objections Rom. 3.7 and Rom. 6.1 An. 1. From the sense of the love of God in the pardon of sinne the heart is inflamed with an exceeding great love of God againe which the beleever desires to let appeare in the keeping of Gods commandements See Job 14.15 2. God doth worke upon the faithfull not as stocks and stones but acts and moves them and then they do worke out their salvation and adde grace to grace as is to bee seene plainely Phil. 2.12 13. 3. Sanctitie and holinesse is the onely and cleare evidence of a sound faith without and separate from which it is dead See Jam. 2.26 4. Faith without the rest of sanctification is not sufficient to attaine salvation for nothing shall bee perfect in the other world which is not carefully begun here and glorification is but sanctification perfected Qu. What is the fourth part of the mercy of God to man in his recovered estate An. Mans hope of which the use is to cure all our despaire For though it bee true that God deales with his sometimes as David did with his sonne Absolon 2 Sam. 14.24 to turne him aside and not let him see his face though indeed he love him dearely and doth intend to forgive him too yet sometimes God brings his to beleeve above yea against hope for faith cannot lose his nature which is to bee the ground of things hoped for c. See Heb. 11.1 Rom. 4. Job 13.15 Qu. What is the use of this grace in a beleeving Christian An. Threefold 1. God saith it is an anchor the use whereof at Sea wee know well enough namely to hold the ship that riding out the storme it may bee kept from splitting so hope keeps the soule among the rocks of impatience and distrust c. See it called a helmet too Ephes 6. 2. God saith it is a preservative against sinne 1 John 3.3 Hee that hath this hope purgeth himselfe as hee is pure See Job 2. Qu. What is the fift part An. Mans holy feare of God For whereas it may bee objected that feare seemes to fight with and to bee contradictory to faith and hope even in the estate of regeneration more then in the estate of innocency for there the estate was changeable and here it is not so yet it is a grace of great estimate and use as is to see Deut. 19.20 Qu. What use is this grace of now in the state of regeneration An. 1. To shew us that a great deale of corruption rests in us now after grace and beleeving and that wee had need not onely to bee constrained with the love but restrained also with the feare of God See Prov. 3.7 Prov. 14.16 and Prov. 16.6 with 2 Cor. 5.14 2. To keepe us from stripes for as it is said of the Lion that hee alwayes spares those that feare and lie prostrate before him for mercy so the Lion of the tribe of Juda Let us saith the Apostle labour to please God with reverence and feare For even our God is a consuming fire but fire never burnes the ashes that lie under it Heb. 12.28.29 Qu. What is the sixt part An. Mans filiall subjection to his God or mans son-like obedience to God as a father wherein the Lord doth for the sonnes of men two great and especiall things 1. Hee recovers them to the dignitie of sonnes and heires too Gal. 4.7 2. Endues them by the spirit of God with a disposition sanctified and sutable thereunto viz. they call him father Rom. 8.16 they love him Psal 116.1 feare him Gen. 42.18 imitate him 1 Pet. 1.15 in trouble run to him Psal 73. ult and most patiently abide his chastisement Heb. 12.5 let him doe what hee will Qu. What is the seventh part An. Mans servile feare and subjection to God as his servant which grace the Lord gives to his and of this the Scripture speakes under a twofold consideration 1. Some are such servants as are more eminent in the Lords service like Vessels of Gold and Silver in the great house serving him alwayes and in every thing faithfull in all his house Moses Noah Daniel were such yea and the Lord Jesus himself Behold my servant Esa 42.1 See Num. 12.8 Such Iosuabs now as lead his people 2. All beleevers are such they that serve him in any thing I finde that Divines delight to expresse it by that in the Epistle to Philemon Vers 10 11 12. to the 20. Qu. What more doth the Lord give unto his people An. Subjection unto the Lord God as to their teacher in which the Lord doth these two things 1. Himself teacheth all his people though not without the ministery too the wayes of God and godlinesse and therefore in Scripture wee read such places as these Mat. 23.8.10 and that excellent place in Iob 32.8 There is indeed a spirit in man but the inspiration of the Almightie giveth understanding And therefore beleevers are called Disciples Act. 11.26 And 1 Thes 4.9 yee are taught of God to love one another 2. And hee is pleased so to indue them with a dependance upon him for instruction that they heare his voyce and a stranger they will not