The Principles of the true Christian religion breifelie selected out of manie good Bookes First reade and then iudge Ioh 17 2 3 3 16. The Godly ioye of a true Christian is to knowe the onely God in Christ So shall hee obtaine the eternall ioyfull life 1. Tim 4 8. Godlinesse is good vnto all thinges As a thing which hath promises in the life that is now And in the life to come 1590. ⧠To the Christian Reader EVery Christian ought to haue great care to ground him selfe in the principles of christian religion a 2. Tim 3. 16. 17. Acts 17. 11. 19. 28. Ioh 5. 39 Reue 3. 15. 16. Iam 1. 6. 7. 1. Pet 3. 15. 16. Vpon the sure rocke of the holie Scriptures that he bee not caried awaie with euery winde to a newe religion nor vnto hereticall opinions nor wauering in his faith b Mar 16. 16. Ioh 3. 18. 36. 12. 48. For except a man beleeue the Catholicke faith vndoubtedlie with an assured beleefe he cannot be saued c Act 17. 11. The consideration hereof maie stirre vppe euerie Christian to search the holie Scriptures to learne to knowe Christ and howe to attaine vnto saluation These thinges caused me to select and write this little booke for mine owne instruction Reade diligentlie this little booke â—â—d I doubte not you will acknowledge to haue receiued profite worth your paines Thus wishing the encrease of the knowledge of God to al people I commend you to his gratious protection Thine in the Lord. Swithunc Butterfeild Aprill 1590. The Principles of Christian Religion EVery Christian which desireth to attaine eternall life in heauen must knowe howe condemnation Rom 5. 18. 19. and sinne came on all men by the offence of our first father Adam from whom wee are all discended And therefore hee and his posteritie accursed And how that condemnation and curse Ioh 17. 2. 3. Rom 5. 18. 19. is put from vs and the ioyfull eternall life attained Onely by the mercye of God through faith in Iesus Christ our sauiour Mar 16. 16. Mat 16. 26. 27. Ephe 1. 4. 1. Pet 1. 15. 9. Ioh 3. 18. Therefore euerie Christian must know what hee must beleeue and howe to serue God Thereby to obtaine forgiuenes of all his sinnes in this life that hee may attaine vnto eternall life in heauen The faith in Iesus Christ which wee Ioh 17. 2. 3. Mat 22. 37. to 40. Gal 5. 14. must beleeue and the true seruing of God according to his holy will Is breifely comprised in the Creede The tenne commaundementes of almightie God the Lo 〈…〉 s prayer and the right vse of the holy Sacramentes so Religion consistes in faith and obedience The Creede teacheth what we must beleeue The tenne commaundementes sheweth vs our dutie towardes God and our dutie towardes our neighbour The Lordes prayer teacheth vs how we must praâ— and for what we must pray The holy Sacramentes are ordeined to be holy signes and assured tokens to vs of the mercy of God and forgiuenes of sinnes For the merites death and passion of Christ Iesus our sauiour These foure parts containeth faith which is the beleeuing of the Gospell The Law Praier and Sacramentes Or more shorter The Lawe and the Gospell Those articles of faith which wee must beleeue are these that followe Commonlie called the Apostles Creede The Creede I Beleeue in God the father almightye maker of heauen and earth All my hope trust and beleefe for al things I beleeue in God I shall neede either heauenly or earthly is in the same A onely very God that made the heauens and the earth B The father of our Lord Iesus Christ C and my father for Christ his sake For hee hath chosen all the faithful in Christ to bee his children And loueth them Who is so D almightie that hee made Almighty maker of heauen and earth the heauens and the earth and all thinges therein with his word And doth still so preserue rule and gouerne them that nothing happeneth in this world but by his determination will and foreknowledge It is God onely that giueth faire weather and foule weather plentye and all things else as pleaseth him There is not any thing that happeneth to me in blessings or punishments but by the appointment and foreknowledge of almightie God Whereby I knowe that the deuill is not able to doe any hurt to me vntill God suffer him for my punishment and that only so farre as he giueth the deuell leaue The wicked spirites the wicked people and the wilde beasts are the messengers of God to execute his iudgementes and punishmentes C This almighty God is so wonderfull mighty and incomprehensible that my minde nor any man whatsoeuer is not able to conceiue what hee is But Christ hath taught vs that this our good God and father is a spirite a Of God Gen 1. Ioh 1 17 3. 1 Tim 2 5. 1. Cor 8 6. Eph 4 5 6. Deu 6 4. Ier 10 10 11 1 Tim 1 17. Ier 23 24. Ioh 4 24. b The father of Christ Iesus Math 1 18 20 3 17. Luk 1 32 35. Ioh 1 14. Rom 15 6. c And my father Rom 8 15 Gen 1 27 2 7 Ioh 1 12. Gal 4 6. Eph 1 5 6. Ioh 20 17 1 Ioh 3 1. Rom 5 8. D Ephe 1. Leui 26. Psal 89. 10. 91 His almighty prouidence so that nothing happeneth but by his appointment Heb 1. 3. Math 6. 31. c. Luke 21. 15. 1. Pet 5. 18. Pro 8. 15. Esay 3. 2. 1. Cor 2. 7. Ro 9. 20. Deu 11. 14. 15. 25. 32. 39. Ma. 10. 29. 30. 31. Psal 34. 7. Math 18 10. Gen 19. 22. 2. Sam 24. 1. Kings 22. 22. Math 8. 31. Iob 1. 7. 8. 12. Psal 104. 14. Acts 17. 25. c Iob 37. 5 38. 27. Exo. 21. 13. 2. Sam 17. Gen 45. 7. 8. Exod 3. 21. 4. 23. 20. Iudg 6. 7. 1 King 17 20. 22. 2. Kings 6. 7. Psal 34. 37. 127. 1. Cro 29. 11. 12. Dan 6. 22. Act. 12 Eze 14 9 Amos 3. 6. Psal 76. 2. Esay 3. 47. 5. Zach 8. 10. Esay 44. 24. 25. 45. 6. 7. Leui 19. 31. Deut 18. 10. 11. 12. Ier. 10. 2. 23. Pro 16. Eccle 11. 4. Deut 32. 39 Pro 20. 24. Act 17. 26. 27. 28. Exod 21. 13. Deut 19. 5. Iosua 11. 20. Ionas 1. 4. 1. King 12. 15. Iud 9. 23. 24. 1. Sam. 16. 14. 1. King 22. 21. 22. 2. Kin 17 26. 24. 3 2. Cor 4. 4. 1 Sam 2. 25. 2. King 7. Ier 43 11. 2. Thes 2. 9. 10. 11. Iob 1. 10. 12. Ro. 8 27. Esay 57. 1. 54. 16. Pro. 16. 3. 7. Iere. 42. 11. 12. â— Iere 23. 24. Acts 7. 48. 50. Ioh. 4. 24. What God iâ— 2 ANd in Iesus Christ his onely sonne our Lorde And I beleeue in Iesus Christ that hee And in
shal we bee Iohn 14. 2. 17. 24. Phil 3. 21. Heb. 4 ◠14. 9. 24. 1. Cor 15. 57. Titus 9. 2. 14. 2. Cor. 5 1. Ephes 2 18 19 Hebr. 10. 19 20 1 Thes 4. 14. c. e Christ is our aduocate and intercessor to God his father for vs. Rom. 8. 34. Hebr. 7 25. and 9 12 15 24. Iohn 17. 1. Iohn 2 1 2. f Christ giueth to vs his holy spirit to comfort defend keepe vs. Iohn 14. 14 to 27. and 16 17 3 Acts 17. 28. Iohn 17. and 7 39. Acts 2. 2 4 17. 18. Rom. 5. 5. 1. Cor. 12. Ephes 1. 13 14 and 4 30 Heb 3 14. and 10 14 to 19 Rom 8. 9. 11. 16. ANd sitteth at the right hande of God the father Almightie A Christ Iesus ascended into heauen and there sitteth at the right hande of God And sitteth ◠his father That is hath all power giuen him in heauen and earth ouer all things Hee is our Lorde and ruleth all things This is the meaning of the right hand That is hath equall power to rule God is a Spirite and hath no handes as wee haue But Christ our Sauiour hath the shape of man in whom the fulnes of the God head dwelleth bodily And al power is giuen him in heauen and earth ouer all things a Christ hath all power and is Lord ouer all Mat. 28. 18. 17. 5. Iohn 3. 35. and 5 22 23. 13. 3. Col. 1. 15. 18. 19. 2. 9. 3 1 2 Fphes 1 20. c. 1 Pet 3. 22. Phil. 2 9 10. Marke 16 19. Actes 7. 55. and 10 36. Rom. 8. 34. and 14 19 Hebr. 1 13 6. and 8 1 and 10 12 and 12 2. Psal 110. 1. and 2. 9. 1. Cor. 1 24. Iohn 4. 24. FRom thence shall hee come to iudge the quicke and the dead A Christ Iesus in the end of the world From thence c shall come visibly and corporally in the same bodie that hee departed hence with great glorie and multitude of Angels to iudge the quicke and the dead Christ by his Power shall raise to life againe all the bodies of all mankinde to doe and execute the last iudgement on them at the general resurrection for he is ordeined of God to bee the Iudge of the quicke and the dead Then shal the faithful which beleued in him be gathered into the heauen receiue euerlasting ioy glory And thē the reprobate and vnbeleeuers shall depart◠into hel with the deuill there to remaine in euerlasting paine and torments B This is a singuler comforte to all the faithfull to knowe assuredly that none shall be their iudge but hee that is theyr sauiour a Christ Iesus onely shal be our iudge and receiue the elect to glory and the reprobate shal to hell and bee in euerlasting tormentes Act 1. 11. Math 16. 27. 24. 31. 25. 31. c. 19. 28. Iohn 5. 22. 23. 27. 12. 48. Luke 21. 25. 26. 27. Act 10. 42. 17 31. Rom. 2. 16. 14. 10 2. Pet. 3. 10. to 14. 2. Cor. 5. 10. Hebr. 9. 28. Phil 3. 20. 2. Tim. 4. 1. 8. T it 9 2. 13. 1. Cor. 15. 51. 2. Thes 1. 6. to 11. 1. Thes 4. 16. 17. Apo. 20. 12. Math. 8. 12 22. 13. Iude. 14. 15. b It is a singuler comfort that Christ shal be our iudge Hebr. 9. 28. Rom 8. 1. Col. 3. 4. Ioh 3. 36. 2. Tim. 4. 8. Iohn 12. 48. I Beleeue in the holy ghost a I beleeue in the holy ghost I beleeue and am fully perswaded that the holy I beleeue in the holy ghost spirite of God which proceedeth from Christ dwelleth in me and all the elect people of God and sanctifieth and preserueth vs to euerlasting life and defendeth vs here from the power of the deuill and our wicked enemies So by the gouernement and defence of the holy ghost nothing shall happen to mee but as my sauiour Christ Iesus appointeth and suffereth For our playner vnderstanding of the power of the holy ghost behold the sun in the firmament beeing one thinge in substaunce how all thinges in the world haue of the light and heate therof Wonderfull much more and more then any tongue can expresse dooth the power and vertue of the holy spirite of God spread ouer the whole world to gouerne and rule the same Whatsoeuer benefits wee receiue from Christ the same is giuen vnto euery of vs by the working of the holy ghost The wicked haue some giftes of the holy ghost as Iudas and others haue had the gifts of knowledge But they had not the gifte of sanctification regeneration faith and conuersion The holye ghost filleth heauen and earth and is in euery place and yet worketh saluation but to the faithfull only So the gifts of the holy Ghost to saluation are proper onely to the faythfull and elect B So I beleeue in God the Father God the Sonne God the holy Ghost Of the Trinitie and yet not three Gods but one God In these three persons it pleased God to open him selfe to our fayth in their seuerall woorking For vnto the diuine The Father essence or substaunce which we call God the Father who is a spirite is attributed the creation of all things And yet the Almightie power and Godheade of the Sonne and the holy Ghost was then also at the beginning before all worldes and all one in substaunce all three beeing the whole incomprehensible diuine substance and yet the same substance is not diuided Vnto the Sonne Christ Iesus is attributed The Sonne our redemption The almightie power and Godheade vniting or taking to it the manhoode which was borne of the holy virgine Saint Marie and in the same manhoode the fulnesse of the Godheade and almightie power dwelleth and abydeth bodily The same twoo natures Vnited together wee call Christ who is God and man c The vertue and almightie power The holy ghost which proceedeth from Christ working his good pleasure the same is God the holy Ghost As the spirit of man which is in man is of the substāce of man So the spirit of God which is in God is of the essence and substance of God and with God before the creation of the worldes So wee bee compelled by the christian veritie to acknowledge euery person by himselfe to be God Lord. And yet not three Gods nor three Lordes For in this Trinitie none is before nor after other none is greater nor lesser then another but the whole three persons be coeternall together coequall The vnitie in Trinitie and the Trinitie in vnitie is to be worshipped He therefore that wil be saued must thus think of the Trinity And beleue and confes that our Lorde Iesus Christ the sonne of God is God and man God of the substance of the Father begotten before the worldes and man of the substaunce of his mother borne in the world
liued here on the earth vntil the thirtie three yeere of his age Hee hungred and thirsted slept and was werie of trauell Thereby shewing that hee was perfect man And also by his wonderfull miracles shewed him selfe to bee perfect God C Christ as concerning his diuine nature is very God he descended merueilously Iohn 1. 14. from heauen and yet his diuine nature left not heauen His diuine power and maiestie filled the whole worlde as God And where it is said the word was made fleshe that is to bee vnderstoode That Christ vnited and ioyned the manhoode to the Godheade So as the Godhead had his seuerall propertie and was not infused or turned into fleshe nor mingled with the bodie but had his seate in the manhoode As my soule hath in my bodie For my soule is not my body nor my body is not my soule But either of them haue their seuerall properties remaining So is Christ one God in substance with the father and the holy ghost And perfecte man also as I am in all thinges sinne excepted It was his wil to be merueilously conceiued in the virgins wombe and to dwell in her wombe for a time and of her to be borne and to be conuersant heere on earth vntill the thirty three yeere And so was the sonne of God as begotten of the father almightie and the sonne of man and seede of Abraham by being borne and nourished in the wombe of the holy Virgin Sainte Marie a Christ Iesus was conceiued by the holy Ghost Math 1 18. Luke 1 35. Ioh. 1 14. b Christ is the seed of the woman and of Abraham in whom we are blessed And is very man Gen 3 15 22 18. Esay 7 14. Ma. 1 18. Luke 1 31 2 7. Acts 3 25. Gal 3 8 4 4. 5. Gen 12 3 18 18. Ioh 4 6. Mat 4 2. Luke 2 40 19 41. c Christ is very God and very man vnited together Ioh 1. 10 8 42 17 5 21 10. 30 Rom 1 4 9 5. Heb 1 3 5 8. Col 1 13 2 9 Math 3. 17. Ephe. 4 9 10. Math 28 20. HE suffered vnder Pontius Pilate was crucified dead and buried A Christ suffered vnder Pontius Pilate He suffered vnder Pontius Pilate when hee was gouernour ouer the Iewes in Iurie Christ then suffered his manhood to be most wickedly betrayed by Iudas his own disciple and to be most falsely and malitiously accused by the Iewes condemned and scourged with other vile abuses And finally suffered his manhode or mans nature To be put to death on the crosse as a malefactor Because it was so appointed by God from the beginning of the world that the same manhoode or mans nature should be put to death and suffer those iniuries for a sacrifice and redemption for the sins of all the world Christ was crucified hee in all his lyfe Was crucified time heere on the earth suffered paine and greife for our sinnes Christ yeelded himselfe in our place and steed to satisfie God his father for our sins and by his death and extreame torments he appeased the wrath of God towardes vs and reconciled vs to God and so by his death hath deliuered vs from the tiranny of the deuill and from eternall death if wee beleeue in him God was displeased with vs for the offence of our first father Adam and in his iustice he would not leaue that sinne vnpunished euen to Adams whole posteritie For that we were not able to satisfie his wrath therefore Christ Iesus came pure and innocent and obeyed God his father in all thinges and fulfilled the lawe and suffered his manhoode to bee put to a vile death on the crosse that his obedience and death might bee a raunsome for our sins to God his father And that the sinnes of all that truely beleeue and trust in him might be laid vpon him and forgiuen them And so by faith in Christ Iesus and trust in Gods mercie for his sake we are absolued obteine remission of our sinnes and be reconciled to God ANd buried A Christ his manhood being dead was And buried buried after the common maner of men And his bodie lay in the graue till his resurrection The stone ouer the graue where Christ was buried vntill his resurrection was kept with souldiers whereby appeareth euident the very death of his manhoode and the separation of his soule from his body And so by his death the mysterie of our redemption was accomplished the wrath and anger of God appeased and peace made betweene God and vs. Our redemption dependeth wholy of the death of the manhood of Christ for the ransome for our sinnes is his death and passion A Mat 27 24 c Luk. 23 Iohn 19. Christ suffred his manhood to be put to death for to be a sacrifice attonemēt for the sinnes of all the elect and faithfull Acts 2 23 4. 27 28. Luk. 24 26. 2. Cor. 15 18 c. Ephe. 2 16. Col. 1 20. Esay 53 Gal. 3 13 14 4. 4 5. Deu. 21 23. Gal. 1 4. Eph. 1 2. 11. c. Col. 1 2. 1. Pe. 2. 24. 3 18. 4 1. Ro. 5 8 c. Heb. 2 14 15 7 24 c. 9 11 c. 10. 12 c. Ro. 8 1 2 33 34. 1. Ioh. 1 7. Apo. 1 5. 1. Tim. 2 5. 2. Tim. 1 9 10. 1. Iohn 2 1 2 4. 10 Ioh. 3 16. 6 51. Rom. 1 16. 17 3 24 25. Act. 4 10 12 5 31 10 43. 1. Cor. 15 3. Mar. 10. 45. b Christ his manhoode being dead was buried Mat. 27. 5 7 c. Mar. 15 43. c. Lu. 23 52 53. Ioh. 19 40 41. Mat. 12 40 Act. 13 29. 1. Cor. 15 4. Lu. 22 37. Ioh. 20 31. HE descended into hell A Christ suffered for me all mankind He descended into hell in his soule and manhood The paines and torments of hel which is due vnto the wicked therby to redeeme me and all those that beleeue in him from hell and from the eternal death Also he suffred the punishment due to our bodies and soules both by death of his manhood and by the torments and anguish of his soule B Christ by his death hath vāquished and ouercome the deuil sinne death And by the vertue of his death he stroke a great terror into the deuils wicked wherby they knew that christ in his māhood hath vāquished ouercom them a Christ his sufferings and torments Esa 53 6 10 Mat. 26 38. 27 46 50 Luk. 22 42 44. Ioh. 12. 27. Luk. 23 43 46. Mat. 12 40. Lu 11. 29 30 Act. 2 31. Ps 19 10. ◠Hebr 2. 14. 15. Col 2. 15. 1. Cor 15. 24 25. 1. Pet 3. 18 19. 20. 2. Tim 1. 9. 10. THe third day hee rose againe from the deade A Christ the third day after his death The third day