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B07544
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The cristall of Christianitie, or looking glasse of Gods love. Containing the principles of our Christian profession, by the way of disputation betweene master and scholler, in schooles and families, fit for the profitable practise of all (especially of youth) to be vsed. / Initiated formerly by others, and amplified by R.P. minister and preacher of Gods word..
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R. P.
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1617
(1617)
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STC 6099.7; ESTC S91576
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22,101
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77
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THE CRISTALL OF CHRISTIANITIE OR LOOKING GLASSE OF GODS LOVE Containing the Principles of our Christian profession by the way of disputation betweene Master and Scholler in Schooles and Families fit for the profitable practise of all especially of youth to be vsed Initiated formerly by others and amplified by R. P. Minister and Preacher of Gods word Barnard in his Morrals Sacra scriptura mentis oculis quasi speculum quoddam opponitur ibi pulcra nostra in Christo perspicimus ibi feda nostra in nobis Cernimus ibi quantum perficimus ibi quantum a pro factu longè distamus plane sentimus Imprinted at London by Thomas Dawson dwelling neere the three Cranes in the Vinetree 1617. TO THE RIGHT VVORSHIPFVLL VERTVOVS AND Religious Gentleman master George Bostocke Iustice of his Maiesties peace in the Countie of Denbigh R. P. wisheth Grace Peace and in Iesus Christ all health and happie prosperitie LICVRGVS Right Worshipfull the LACEDEMONIAN Law-maker apointed condigne punishment for euery offendor according to the offence but for an vnthankefull person he could finde no seueritie nor seuere punishment sufficient In consideration therefore of your worship and euer approued fauours towards me as I am bound so I am moued to remember them and shew my selfe mindfull and thankful for them least I should seeme culpable of the grose sinne of Ingratitude and not haue power to performe my Gratuitie with gifts of excellencie I haue made bolde to present to your Worship in testimonie of my loue my poore labours wherein I laboured when I was the Lords labourer in that Congregation where your Worships fauours were well approued not to me alone but to all that were faithfull preachers of Gods word and conformable ministers to the commendable Lawes of our gratious kinges Maiestie Those apparant and approued giftes of grace with many other commendable gifts of nature by God planted in you hath prouoked me to present as vnto a deuout patron of pietie the fruits of my labours and arguments of my loue by Gods grace purposing and faithfully promising vpon your worshipful acceptation of this my widows mite to dedicate more ample manifestation to you and yours of my vnfained affection In the meane time humbly crauing pardon for this my boldnes and euer heartily according to my bounden dutie desiring our gratious God in your heart by his gratious blessing to increase such holy and heauenly vertues whereby the good gifts of grace and nature planted in you may flourish and bring forth such fruits of godlines whereby Gods name may more be glorified Christes members comforted our gratious Kings loyall Subiects by your godly obedience to like obedience in couraged your Worships worthinesse more illustrated the bodies soules of you and all yours with blessinges Temporall more and more inriched and with the Diadems and Crownes of glory by the glorious King of Heauen eternally Crowned I rest London the first day of September 1617. ⸫ Your worships in all loue and dutie ouer to commaund R. P. A Prayer to be sayd at the beginning of this Booke O Lord our God and in Iesus Christ our mercifull and heauenly Father we thy poore seruants assembled before thy maïestie in this Congregation by the sight of our sinnes doe acknowledge our selues to be vnworthie of the least drop of thy fauour or dram of thy mercies Therefore we beseech thee in the name of thy deare Son Iesus Christ and for his sake to pardon all our sinnes passed and by thy gratious spirit to grant vs such grace at this present that we may religiously proceede in the true vnderstanding of thy holy word And by the same thy spirit bee made more obedient to frame our liues by direction of thy Lawes that thereby we may be more apt and able to set forth thy glory by practising the precepts taught vs in thy holy word at this present and daily bee more readie by hearing the same thy holy word to receiue such increase of faith as may sustaine vs to the attayning of all godly instructions and full fruition of true and eternall felicitie world without ende through Iesus Christ thy deare Sonne our onely Sauiour Amen The Cristall of Christianitie or looking Glasse of GODS loue Question AS You doe professe to be a Christian so shewe me what estimation you haue of the diuine scriptures where on you grounde your Christian profession Answere I doe and I ought to esteeme the holy and Canonicall scriptures to bee the spirituall glasse and cleare Cristall wherein the diuine fauour and euerlasting loue of God doth appeare euen to the attaining of eternall life Iohn 3. 30. Q. Wherein may Christians principally proue and find that diuine fauour and euerlasting loue A. First that God the Father did out of his meere loue create vs to his owne Image Secondly that God the Son when that Image was defaced did of his tender loue giue himselfe to redeeme vs. Thirdly that God the holy Ghost gratiously both sanctifieth and in sanctification preserueth vs. Q. As you haue mentioned the God-head in three persons Can you proue them by the Scriptures to be one onely true God A. The Apostle Iohn doth plainely proue it in these words There are three that beare record in heauen the Father the Word and the Spirit and these three are one God Iohn 5. 17. Q. Wherefore hath God Created Redeemed Sanctified and in sanctification preserued Christians A. First that we in this life should liue to the glory of God Secondly in the life to come wee should receiue glory euerlasting with God Q. How may Christians learne to glorifie God in this present life A. By ordering this life according to the rule of Gods holy word in the Scriptures reueiled Q. What rules of life are in the scriptures reueiled to guide vs to the glory of God A. The first is the rule of Gods holy precepts and Commandements The second is constant faith in Gods fatherly promises The third is religious Celebrating the holy Sacraments The fourth is the practise of holy faithful feruent and deuout prayers Q. How many are the precepts by God commanded A. The Commandements are ten in number and in two Tables they were written for our instruction Q. What things are in those two Tables principally contained A. In the first a Christians dutie to God And in the second our duties to our neighbour are both taught contained and commaunded Q. What are the words in the first Table mentioned Q. I am the Lord thy God which haue brought thee out of the land of Egypt out of the house of Bondage Exod. xx Q. Are these words a part of the ten Commaundements A. These words are not of the Commaundements but are a profitable preface before the precepts Q. What learne christians by this preface A. A Christian by the word Lord may learne the Law-giuer to be the chiefe Lord and gouernour And by the word God a louing Father and most mercifull deliuerer of his people from bondage distresse
and in his glorious Ascension rightly and religiously and on these and such benefits spiritually feeding by beleeuing are nourished with the benefits of his bodie and bloud effectually Q. What must we consider and beleeue in Christ his Incarnation A. A Christian must consider the cause of Christ his Incarnation to proceede from Gods loue for mans restauration or restoring againe into the fauour of God for the benefite of all that truely beleeue And must constantly be perswaded that beleeuing in the Sonne of God by this his faith he shall liue eternally and shall neuer perish Q. What must a Christian man consider and beleeue of Christ his Passion A. A Christian must consider that Christ in his passion did suffer all things requisite for remission of the sinnes of all faithfull beleeuers And must beleeue that Christ redeemed his by his passion from all manner of sinne both concerning Adams sinfull transgression and also concerning his daily sinfull corruption and vaine conuersation Q. What must a Christian consider and beleeue in Christ his powerfull Resurrection A. A Christian must consider that as Christ Iesus dyed for the saluation of the faithfull he namely a Christian must fully be perswaded that thereby he is effectually risen and shall thereby eternally both in bodie soule be saued Q. Nowe concerning Christ his glorious Ascension shew me what must bee a Christians consideration faithfull beleife and full perswasion A. First a Christian must consider Christ Iesus being heyre of all things and hauing shewed all power in heauen and earth to be giuen vnto him and hauing led Captiuitie captiue is ascended into heauen to take reall and royall possession of heauen in his holy humane soule and bodie And secondly a Christian must beleeue that where Christ is euery beleeuer shall be and also bee fully perswaded that from the right hand of God where Christ nowe sitteth in glory Celestiall Iesus Christ shall come to Iudgement and after a ioyfull sentence sounded all that beleeue in Christ shall ascend with him to receiue the fulnesse of ioy and peace perpetuall Q. You haue shewed me what consideration and examination is fit before and at the feeding in the Lords supper Expresse vnto me now what becommeth a Communicant to consider of after hee hath receiued the bodie and bloud of Christ A. That which a Christian must consider after hee hath receiued the Supper of the Lord is a right spirituall disgestion of that spirituall foode Q. What meane you by a spirituall disgestion A. First I meane a feeling of Gods fauour Motion in Christ when the will is so bent by force of the loue of God in sending his owne Sonne that those which beleeue in Christ should not perish That he will with the Prophet say I will loue the Lord which hath deliuered my soule from a second death Mine eyes from wayling in the lake of eternall death and my feete from finall falling into the endlesse damnation of them which taste the torments of a second death Q. What is the second opperation of spirituall disgestion A. The second is a diuine apprehension of Inclination Gods spirit moouing the minde to an holy inclination by desiring and louing of that which may most here on earth please Gods Maiestie And aboue all things earthly to bend and set our affections on thinges heauenly and to say I desire to bee with my Sauiour of whose sweets sauour I haue in this banquet tasted by faith Q. What further feeling of diuine fauors is in spirituall disgestion of these holy misteries A. The third opperation of holy disgestion Hope of fruition is a liuely hope of full and firme fruition of these heauenly thinges that by holy defires a true Christian member hath set his affection vppon and by this liuely hope he is fully assured that when Christ which is our life shall appeare in glory hée shall by his bodie full of glory so powerfully rayse our mortall bodies from death that both body and soule of the faithfull shall receiue life immortall and glory eternall Q. Are there any farther comforts to bee found or felt by spirituall disgestion A. The celestiall comforts that the faithfull doe finde in disgesting these diuine graces daintie dishes and purified wine of Christ his bodie and bloud are vnaccountable I will conclude with a fourth disgestion and although set last yet is it not the least for thereof this banquet hath of the disgestion and opperation a true right title and denomination Q. What name hath this feast by opperation of the same A. This feast by famous Fathers of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Church was named by a word that signifieth a feast of thankesgiuing in the gréeke tongue Q. What is signified by that denomination A. Thereby is expressed a fourth spirituall and holy disgestion when the feeling of Gods grace filleth the soule with such fulnesse of true gratuitie that as with Marrow and fatnesse of meate the bones and bodie are filled so with prayse and heartie thankesgiuing the minde and mouth of the faithfull are filled and thereby forced to prayse God the Father Sonne and holy Ghost by feeding on that spirituall sustentation and drinking of the cup of saluation in remembrance of Christ This grace of thankesgiuing is giuen to all the faithfull Q. You doe meane by the faithfull all the members of the true Church which are entertained into the loue of God by effectuall Baptisme and freed with the Sonne of God spiritually in the Lords supper here on earth Tell me what are their triumphs in Heauen A. I confesse my powers are vnable to apprehend the least part but this the Scriptures testifieth with faithfull Abraham Isacke and Iacob euery faithfull member of the Church militant shall rest and with the triumphant Church triumphantly raigne in heauenly tranquilitie in eternall felicitie and in vnspeakeable glory shine as the starres in heauen And sing with the Angels of heauen that holy and heauenly song of triumph Aleluiah all honour glorie and prayse be to God world without ende Amen ⸫ FINIS A Prayer to be sayd at the end of this third part O Lord our God and gratious Creator which of thy loue before the worlde or man was created diddest in thy sacred secret decree appoynt and ordaine out of mankinde a holy Church and chosen Congregation eternally to be saued in Iesus Christ and with him and by him to be made Co-heires in thine euerlasting kingdome The testimonie of which thine eternall loue being left by thy deare Sonne to his members generally he vouchsafed in Sacraments as perpetuall pledges to ordaine and institute publikely of which holy ordinance we bee nowe made partakers we humblie beseech thy blessed Maiestie to grant vs participation of all those sauing graces and promised blessinges which appertaine to faithfull receiuers by spirituall receiuing those holy pledges so that by our faithfull feeding on him thy deare Sonne we may feele the fruites of his In carnation the benefits of his bitter Passion the power of his glorious Resurrection and receiue by faith assurance of the Celestiall possession that hee hath obtained by his Ascension And after this life is ended with him we may enjoy celestiall triumph and triumphantly with his victorious Church in heart triumph when sinne and Sathan are conquered we may euerlastingly with the Crowne of eternall life bee Crowned by and through Christ our Captaine and blessed Conquerour Amen ⸫ FINIS Printed at London by Thomas Dawson dwelling neere the three Cranes in the Vine-tree and are there to be solde 1617.