THE Foundation of Christian Religion gathered into sixe Principles And it is to bee learned of ignorant people that they may be fit to hear Sermons with profit and to receiue the Lords Supper with comfort Psal. 1.19.30 The entrāce into thy words sheweth light and giueth vnderstanding to the simple Printed by Thomas Orwin for Iohn Porter 1591. To all ignorant people that desire to bee instructed POore people your manner is to sooth vp your selues as though ye wer in a most happy state but of the matter come to a iust trial it will fall out farr otherwise For yee lead your liues in great ignorance as may appeare by these your common opinions which follow 1 That faith is a mans good meaning his good seruing of God 2 That God is serued by the rehearsing of the ten commaundements the Lords praier and the Creede 3 That yee haue beleeued in Christ euer since you could remember 4 That it is pitie that he should liue which dooth any whit doubt of his saluation 5 That none can tell whether hee shall bee saued or not certainly but that all men must be of a good beliefe 6 That howsoeuer a man liue yet if hee call vpon God on his death bedde and say Lord haue mercy on me so goe away like a Lambe he is certainly saued 7 That if ani◠be strangely visited hee is either taken with a Planet or bewitched 8 That a man may lawfully sweare when hee speakes nothing but the truth sweares by nothing but that which is good as by his faith or troth 9 That a Preacher is a good man no longer than he is in the pulpet They thinke all like themselues 10 That a man may repent when hee will because the Scripture saith At what time soeuer a sinner doth repent him of his sinne c. 11 That it is an easier thing to please God than to please our neighbour 12 That yee can keepe the Commandements as well as God will giue you leaue 13 That it is the safest to doo in Religion as most doo 14 That merry ballads bookes as Scoggin Beuis of Southampton c. are good to driue away time to remoue hart quames 15 That yee can serue God with all your hearts and that yee would be sorie else 16 That a man neede not heare so many Sermōs except he could follow them better 17 That a man which cōmeth at no Sermons may as wel beleeue as he which heares all the sermons in the world 18 That yee know al the Preacher can tell you For he can say nothing but that euery man is a sinner that we must loue our neighbours as our selues that euery man must bee saued by Christ and all this ye can tell as well as he 19 That it was a good world when the old Religion was because all things were cheap 20 That drinking and bezeling in the alehouse or tauerne is good fellowship shews a good kinde nature 21 That a man may sweare by the Masse because it is nothing now and byr Ladie because she is gone out of the country 22 That euery man must be for himselfe and God for vs all 23 That a man may make of his owne whatsoeuer he can 24 That if a man remember to say his praiers in the morning thogh he neuer vnderstād them he hath blessed himselfe for all the day following 25 That a man prayeth when hee saith the ten Commaundements 26 That a man eats his maker in the Sacra 27 That if a man be no adulterer no theef nor murderer and do no man harme he is a right honest man 28 That a man need not haue any knowledg of religiō because he is not book learnd 29 That one may haue a good meaning when he saith and dooth that which is euill These and such like sayings what argue they but your grosse ignorance Now where ignorance raigneth there raignes sinne where sinne raignes there the deuil rules and where he rules men are in a damnable case Ye will reply vnto me thus that yee are not so bad as I would make you if need be you can say the Creede the Lords prayer the 10. cōmandements and therefore ye will be of Gods beleefe say all men what they will and you defie the deuill from your hearts I answere againe that it is not sufficient to say all these without booke vnlesse ye can vnderstand the meaning of the words and bee able to make a right vse of the Cōmandements of the Creede of the Lords prayer by applying them inwardly to your hearts and consciences and outwardly to your liues conuersations This is the very point in which ye faile And for an helpe in this your ignorance to bring you to true knowledge vnfained faith and sound repentance here I haue set downe the principall points of Christian Religion in sixe plaine easie rules euen such as the simplest may easily learne and hereunto is adioyned an exposition of them word by word If ye do want other good directions then vse this my labour for your instruction In reading of it first learne the six principles when ye haue them without booke the meaning of them withall then learne the exposition also which being well conceaued in some measure felt in the heart ye shall be able to profite by Sermons whereas now ye cannot and the ordinarie parts of the Catechisme namely the ten Commandements the Creede the Lords praier and the institution of the two Sacraments shall more easily be vnderstoode Thine in Christ Iesus William Perkins ⧠The foundation of Christian Religion gathered into sixe Principles Question WHat doest thou beleeue concerning God I. There is one God creator and gouernour of all things distinguished into the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost Q. What doest thou beleeue concerning man and concerning thine owne selfe II. All men are wholly corrupted with sinne through Adams fal so are become slaues of Sathan and guilty of eternall damnation Q. What meanes is there for thee to escape this damnable estate III. Iesus Christ the eternall sonne of God being made man by his death vpon the Crosse and by his righteousnes hath perfectly alone by himselfe accomplished all things that are needefull for the saluation of mankinde Q. But how mayest thou be made partaker of Christ his benefites IIII. A man of a contrite and humble spirit by faith alone apprehending and applying Christ with all his merits vnto himself is iustified before God and sanctified Q. What are the ordinary meanes for the obtaining of faith V. Faith commeth onelie by the preaching of the word and increaseth daylie by it as also by the administration of the Sacraments and praier Q. What is the estate of all men after death VI. All men shall rise againe with their own bodies to the last
iudgement which being ended the godly shal possesse the kingdome of Heauen but vnbeleeuers and reprobates shal be in hel tormented with the diuel and his Angels for euer The Exposition of the Principles I. Question WHat is God A. GOD is a spirit or a spirituall substāce most wise most holie eternall infinite Q How doo you perswade your self that there is such a God A. Besides the testimonie of the Scriptures plaine reason will shew it Q. What is one reason A. When I consider the wonderfull frame of the world me thinks the silly creatures y t be in it could neuer make it neither could it make itselfe and therefore besides al these the maker of it must néedes bée God Euen as when a man comes into a strange Countrey and sees faire and sumptuous buildings and yet findes no liuing creatures there beside birds and Beasts hee will not imagine that either Birds or Beasts reared by those buildings but he presently conceiues that some men either were or haue been there Q. What other reason haue you A. A man that commits any sinne as murder fornication adultery blasphemie c. albeit he dooth so conceale the matter that no man liuing know of it yet oftentimes he hath a griping in his conscience and feeles the verie flashings of hel fire which is a strong reason to shew that there is a God before whose iudgement seate he must answere for his fact Q. How many Gods are there A. No more but one Q How doo you conceiue this one God in your minde A. Not by framing any image of him in my minde as ignorant folkes doo that thinke him to be an olde man sitting in heauen but I conceaue him by his properties and works Q. What be his chiefe properties A. First he is most wise vnderstanding all things aright and knowing the reason of them Secondly hee is most holy which appeareth in that hee is most iust and mercifull vnto his creatures Thirdly hee is eternall without either beginning or ende of dayes Lastly hee is infinite both because hee is present in all places and because hee is of power sufficient to doo whatsoeuer hee will Q. What be the workes of God A. The creation of the world and of euery thing therein and the preseruation of them beeing created by his speciall prouidence Q. How knowe you that God gouerneth euery particular thing in the world by his speciall prouidence A. To omit the Scriptures I see it by experience Meate Drinke and cloathing being void of life could not preserue the life of man vnlesse there were a speciall prouidence of God to giue vertue vnto them Q. How is this one God distinguished A. Into the Father which begetteth the Sonne into the Sonne who is begotten of the Father into the holie Ghost who proceedeth from the Father and the Sonne II. Q. Let vs now come to our selues and first tel me what is the natural estate of man A. Euerie man is by nature dead in sinne as a loathsome carrion or as a dead corps lieth rotting and stincking in the graue Q. What is Sinne A. Any breach of the Lawe of GOD if it bee no more but the least want of that which the Lawe requireth Q How many sortes of sinne are there A. Sinne is either the corruption of nature or any euil actions that proceede of it as fruites thereof Q. In whome is this corruption of nature A. In all men none excepted Q. In what part of man is it A. In euerie part both of bodie and soule like as a Leprosie that runneth from the crowne of the head to the sole of the foote Q. Shew mee how euerie parte of man is corrupted with sinne A. First in the mind there is nothing but ignorance and blindnesse concerning heauenlie matters Secondly the cōscience is defiled being alwaies either benummed with sin or els turmoyled with inward accusations and terrours Thirdly the wil of man only willeth and lusteth after euill Fourthly the affections of the heart as loue ioy hope desire c. are moued stirred to that which is euil to embrace it and they are neuer stirred vnto that which is good vnlesse it be to eschewe it Lastly the members of the bodie are the instruments and tooles of the minde for the execution of sinne Q. What be those euil actions that are the fruites of this corruption A. Euill thoughts in the mind◠which come either by a mans own conceiuing or by the suggestion of the Diuell euill motions and lusts sturring in the heart and from thes◠arise euill words and deedes when any occasion is giuen Q. How commeth it to passe that al◠men are thus defiled with sinne A By Adams infidelitie and disobedience in eating the forbidden fruite◠euen as wee see great personages b◠treason doo not only hurt themselues but also staine their bloud disgrac◠their posteritie Q. What hurt comes to man by his sinne A. He is continually subiect to th◠curse of God in his life time in th◠end of his life and after this life Q What is the cursse of GOD in this life A. In the body diseases aches paines in the soule blindnesse hardnesse of heart horrour of conscience in goods hinderances and losses in name ignominie and reproach lastly in the whole man bondage vnder sathan the Prince of darkenesse Q. What manner of bondage is this A. This bondage is when a man is the slaue of the Diuell and hath him to raigne in his heart as his God Q. How may a man knowe whether sathan be his God or not A. He may know it by this if hee giue obedience to him in his heart and expresse it in his conuersation Q. And how shall a man perceiue this obedience A. If he take delight in the euill motions that Sathan puts into his heart and doo fulfill the lusts of the Diuell Q. What is the cursse due to man in the end of his life A. Death which is the seperation of bodie and soule Q. What is the cursse after this life A. Eternall damnation in hell fire whereof euerie man is guiltie and is in as great danger of it as the Traitor apprehended is in danger of hanging drawing and quartering III. Q. If damnation be the reward of sinne then is a man of all creatures most miserable A Dog or a Toade when they die all their miserie is ended but when a man dieth there is the beginning of his woe A. It were so indeede if there were no meanes of deliuerance but God hath shewed his mercie in giuing a Sauiour to mankinde Q. How is this Sauiour called A. Iesus Christ. Q. What is Iesus Christ A. The eternall Sonne of God made man in all things euen in his infirmities like other men saue onelie in sinne Q. How
was hee made man voide of sinne A. He was conceiued in the womb of a Virgin and sanctified by the holy Ghost at his conception Q. Why must our Sauiour bee both God and man A. He must be a man because man hath sinned and therefore a man must die for sinne to appease Gods wrath hee must bee God to sustaine and vphold the manhood to ouercome and vanquish death Q. What be the offices of Christ to make him an al-sufficient Sauiour A. He is a Priest a Prophet a King Q. Why is he a Priest A. To worke the meanes of saluation in the behalfe of mankinde Q. How doth he worke the meanes of saluation A. First by making satisfaction to his Father for the sinne of man secondly by making intercession Q. How doth he make satisfaction A. By two meanes and the first is by offering a Sacrifice Q. What is this sacrifice A. Christ himselfe as hee is man consisting of bodie and soule Q. What is the Aulter A. Christ as he is God is the Aulter on which he sacrificed himselfe Q. Who was the Priest A. None but Christ and that as he is both God and man Q. How oft did he sacrifice himself A. Neuer but once Q. What death did hee suffer when he sacrificed himselfe A. A death vpon the Crosse peculiar to him alone for besides the seperation of body and soule hee felt also the panges of hell in that the whole wrath of God due to the sinne of man was powred foorth vpon him Q. What profit commeth by this sacrifice A. Gods wrath is appeased for sin Q. Could the suffering of Christ which was but for a short time appease Gods wrath A. Yea for seeing Christ suffered GOD suffered and that is more than if all men in the world had suffered for euer Q. Now tell mee the other meanes of satisfaction A. It is the perfect fulfilling of the Lawe Q. How did he fulfill the Lawe A. By his perfect righteousnes which consisteth of two partes the first the integritie and purenesse of his humaine nature the other his obedience in performing all that the lawe required Q. You haue shewed how Christ dooth make satisfaction tell mee likewise how he doth make intercession A. Hee alone dooth continually appeare before his Father in Heauen making the faithful all their praiers acceptable vnto him through the merits of his owne perfect satisfaction Q. Why is Christ a Prophet A. To reueale vnto his Church the way and meanes of saluation and this hee dooth outwardly by the Ministerie of his word and inwardlie by the teaching of his holy Spirit Q. Why is he also a King A. That hee might bountifullie bestow vpon vs and conuey vnto vs all the foresaid meanes of saluation Q. How dooth hee shew himselfe to be a King A. In that being dead and buried he rose from the graue quickned his dead body ascended into heauen and now sitteth at the right hand of his Father with full power and glorie in heauen Q. How else A. In that he doth continually inspire and direct his seruants by the diuine power of his holy spirit according to his holy word Q But to whome will this blessed King communicate all meanes of saluation A. Hee offereth them to all mankinde and they are sufficient to saue all mankinde but all shall not bee saued thereby because by faith they will not receiue them IIII. Q. What is Faith A. Faith is a wonderfull grace of God by which a man doth apprehend and applie Christ and all his benefits vnto himselfe Q How dooth a man apply Christ vnto himselfe seeing we are on earth and Christ in heauen A. This applying is done by assurance when a man is verily perswaded by the holy spirit of Gods fauour towards himselfe particularly of the forgiuenesse of his owne sinnes Q. How dooth God bring men trulie to beleeue in Christ A. First he prepareth their hearts that they might bee capable of faith and then he worketh faith in them Q How doth God prepare mēs harts A. By brusing them as if one would breake an hard stone to pouder and this is done by humbling them Q. How doth God humble a man A. By working in him a sight of his sinnes and a sorrow for them Q How is the sight of sin wrought A. By the Morall law the summe whereof is the ten commandements Q. What sinnes may I finde in my selfe by them A. Ten. Q. What is the first A. To make some thing thy God which is not God by fearing it louing it so trusting in it more than in the true God Q What is the second A. To worship false Gods or the true God in a false manner Q. What is the third A. To dishonour God in abusing his titles words and workes Q. What is the fourth A. To breake the Sabaoth in dooing the works of their calling and of the flesh and in leauing vndone the workes of the spirit Q. What be the sixe latter A. To do any thing that may hinder thy neighbours dignitie life chastity wealth good name though it be but in the secret thoughts and motions of thy heart vnto which thou giuest no liking nor consent Q. What is sorrow for sinne A. It is when a mans conscience is touched with a liuely feeling of Gods displeasure for any of these sinnes in such wise that hee is wholly out of heart with himselfe acknowledging that hée hath deserued shame and confusion eternally Q. How doth God work this sorrow A. By the terrible curse of the law Q. What is that A. He which breakes but one of the commandements of God though it be but once in all his life time that onely in one thought is in danger of eternall damnation thereby Q. When mens hearts are thus prepared how doth GOD ingraft faith in them A. By working certaine inwarde motions in the heart which are the seeds of faith out of which it breedeth Q. What is the first of them A. When a man humbled vnder the burden of his sinnes dooth acknowledge and feele that he stands in great neede of Christ. Q. What is the second A. An hungring desire and a longing to be made partakers of Christ and all his merits Q. What is the third A. A flying to the throne of grace from the sentence of the law pricking the conscience Q. How is this done A. By praying with sending vp lowde cries for Gods fauour in Christ in the pardoning of sinne and with feruent perseuerance herein till the desire of the heart be graunted Q. What followeth after all this A. GOD then according to his merciful promise lets the poore sinner feele the assurance of his loue wherewith hee loueth him in Christ which assurance is a liuely faith Q. Are there diuers degrees and