sin Rom. 7.14 The natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God because they are spiritually discerned 1 Cor. 2.14 Q By what means then may you obtain Gods special Grace A. By diligent that is by daily fervent prayer Catechist Of the efficacy of our prayers to obtain Gods special Grace Our Saviour assures us and that by way of Argument which gives us much stronger consolation Luk 11.13 If ye being evil know how to give good gifts to your Children how much more will your heavenly Father give his Holy Spirit to them that ask him But then Our asking must be thus qualified that it may obtain it must be daily we must pray continually or without ceasing 1 Thes 5.17 and fervently Jam. 5.16 The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much Ask therefore and so ask and it shall be given you seek and ye shall find knock and it shall be opened unto you Matth. 7.7 Q. In what bodily posture must you pray A. Kneeling or at least with the greatest reverence possible Catechist For in this posture of kneeling have Gods Saints always made their solemn prayers or for the most part And as we cannot use too much reverence in our Addresses to so great a God so unto this are we daily invited in the words of the Psal 95.6 O come let us worship and fall down and kneel before the Lord our maker Q. What things must you pray for besides Gods Grace A. Only for things agreeable to Gods will Catechist 1 Joh. 5.14 This is the Confidence that we have in him that whatever we ask according to his Will he heareth us Q. In whose Name and Mediation must we put up our prayers A. Neither of Saints nor Angels but only that of our Lord Jesus Christ Catechist So he himself directs us For he the is one Mediator betwixt us and the one God 1 Tim. 2.5 Therefore he saith Joh. 14 13.14 Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name that will I do that the Father may be glorified in me If ye shall ask any thing in my Name I will do it And he assures us even with an Oath that his Father will do it chap. 16.23 Verily Verily I say unto you whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my Name he will give it you And he seems to solve the doubt why he saith he will do it and his Father will do it too ver 26. Ye shall ask in my Name and I say unto you that I will pray the father for you c. For Heb. 7.25 He is able to save to the ultermost seeing he liveth for ever to make intercession for us With great reason therefore doth our Holy Church conclude all her prayers with these words Through Jesus Christ our Lord. And praying in Christs Name we cannot pray better or more acceptably than in his words too Q. Which is the best form of prayer and most perfect pattern to direct you in praying A. The Prayer Christ taught his Disciples called The Lords Prayer Q. Let me hear you then say the Lords prayer A. Our Father which art in heaven Hallowed be thy name c. Catechist It is rightly called the Lords prayer as the Eucharist is called the Lords Supper because he composed it as he instituted and ordained this his Supper Now observe when Christ taught his Disciples this prayer it is said in Luk. 11.2 When ye pray say plainly making it Our duty as his Disciples as we will owne ourselves to be Christians to use this form of prayer at all times for it is a most perfect and Comprehensive prayer containing all that is needful to be prayed for and therefore supplying the defects of all other our prayers But at another time Matth. 6.9 He said After this manner pray ye as plainly there making it a pattern to all other our prayers And so doing Our prayers cannot be other than according to Gods will and being so we are sure he will hear and grant our petitions Now tell me what your Catechism teacheth you of this Q. What desirest thou of God in this prayer A. I desire my Lord God our Heavenly Father c. Catechist This is a very solid answer and teacheth you a great deal in a little Compass My part is to help you to understand to what part and petition of your Lords prayer every clause in this answer is to be referred and to make these and all other needful things concerning it as plain as I can In the mean time Let me give you this instruction It will be very good and profitable for you Good Children to get some other good and godly prayers by heart for your daily use out of some or other good books such as those sometimes annexed to your Bibles or those in that excellent Book called The Whole duty of man or the like And till you can do that let me tell you you may make a very good prayer of this your answer and using it devoutly and with understanding it will be acceptable to God Instead of saying I desire my Lord God Our heavenly Father c. it is but altering it thus and it will be a very good prayer O Lord God Our Heavenly Father who art the Author of all goodness I desire thee I beseech thee that thou wilt send thy grace to me and to all people that we may worship thee serve thee and obey thee as we ought to do and I pray unto thee that thou wilt send us all things that be needful both for our bodies and our Souls and that thou wilt be merciful unto us and forgive us our sins and I humbly beg that it will please thee to save us in all dangers Ghostly and bodily and that thou wilt keep us from all sin and wickedness and from our Ghostly Enemy and from Everlasting death And I trust and beg of thee that I may always trust that thou wilt do this of thy own mere mercy â—nd goodness through our Lord Jesus Christ Amen Say this your answer in such a form of â—â—ayer upon your knees every day morning and evening â—ith understanding and from your hearts and Souls and doubt not God who delights not in quaint words nor in the multitude of them will graciously accept it both till you have furnished yourselves with some larger forms and afterwards Now for our further understanding of our Lords prayer and of this account your Catechism gives of it I ask you Q. How many parts are there in the Lords prayer A. Three a Preface the Petitions and the Doxology or Conclusion Catechist See what you may learn by the Preface first Q. To whom must you pray that you may be sure to speed A. To our Father in Heaven only Catechist A very necessary Observation since we know the Papists practices of making their prayers to Saints and Angels nay to very Images and especially to the Virgin Mary Which if any Christians can lawfully do it is marvellous that our
Lord and Saviour should direct us so strictly to pray to God and him only to no other whom we cannot call by this title Our Father which art in heaven Religious prayer and Invocation is a Divine Honour it is proper to God who saith Psal 50.15 Call upon me in the day of trouble and we cannot give Gods glory to another without the guilt of Idolatry To pray unto Saints or Angels implies an adoring them as Omnipotent able to help us Omnipresent and Omniscient capable of hearing us wherever and whensoever we call upon them And can we he sure of either of these or are they possible where have we any precept or direction in all the Scriptures to make our Addresses and Supplications unto them or any example of any Saints that have done it before us or any promise of their hearing our prayers or helping our necessities or of our obtaining what we ask of them or by their Mediation And having none of these how can we pray to them in duty or in Faith But this we can do to God and to him only Our Father which is in Heaven For being Our Father he is gracious and of great kindness having Fatherly bowels ready and willing to hear and help us and being Our Father in Heaven He is Almighty the Great giver of all goodness and therefore able to hear and help us And therefore to him alone let us make our prayers and supplications saying with Holy David Psal 25.1 Vnto thee O Lord do I lift up my Soul Psal 121.1 2. I will lift up mine eyes to the hills from whence cometh my help My help cometh from the Lord who made Heaven and Earth Q. What is the meaning then of this Preface Our Father which art in Heaven A. It teaches me to call upon God as my Lord God Our Heavenly Father who is the Giver of all Goodness and so assures me that he both will and can hear and help me Catechist Your Catechism here gives you a very short but pithy explanation of this Title of the Great God as the Hearer of prayers Psal 65.2 Our Father which art in Heaven Therein every one calls upon God in such words as S. Thomas expresseth his faith in Joh. 20.28 My Lord and my God Thou in whom I have a special interest as my God Yet mark it not so mine but that he is also others Our heavenly Father For I am in Charity to look upon others as my Brethren having a filial relation also to God as well as my self Now as I said in that He is our Father This assures us that he is ready and willing to hear and help us as any Father will do for his children for so Christ argues Matth. 7.9 10. If a child ask bread of his father will he give him a stone or if he ask a fish will he give him a Scorpien Will he not give him all good things and things needful and profitable for him Hon much more will God as a Father give us all good things that we ask him For Psal 103.13 As a Father pitieth his children so doth the Lord them that fear him And then that he is Our Heavenly Father this assures us of his power and ability that he can help us For Psal 99.1 The Lord is great in Sion and he is high above all people Psal 97.1 The Lord reigneth let his Children rejoyce For nothing then can harm them without his leave and providence Psal 2.1 Even when the Heathen rage and the Kings of the Earth bandy together against the Lord and against his Anointed he that setteth in Heaven shall laugh them to scorn The Lord shall have them in Derision He that dwells in Heaven Pray how dwells the Lord there Surely not so there but that he is in all places Omnipresent Jer. 23.23 Am I God at hand and not afar of saith the Lord Do not I fill heaven and Earth saith the Lord But he is in Heaven because there is the Habitation of His throne of Majesty Psal 97.2 And there and from thence he more especially manifesteth his exceeding great power and glory So is he Our Father in heaven in that sence and as our Catechism adds by way of explanation He is therefore the Giver of all Goodness of all good things Jam. 1.17 Every good and every perfect gift comes from above even from the Father of lights with whom is no variableness neither shaddow of turning So much of the Preface now to the petitions Q. How many petitions are there in the Lords prayer A. Six Three with relation to Gods glory and three to our own benefit Q. Why are we taught to pray first for what respects Gods Glory before we pray for things relating to our own benefit A. To teach us that we ought to make Gods Glory the great end of our prayers as well as of all our Actions and in all cases to prefer it before all things whatsoever Catechist Gods glory is the great end of our Creation and of whatever God doth that the whole Earth may be full of his Glory Isaiah 6.3 Solomon saith Prov. 16.4 The Lord made all things for himself yea even the wicked for the day of evil that is to glorifie his justice in them Now what is Gods end in all his doings should be Our great end and aim in all our prayers and all our actions 1 Cor. 10.31 Whether ye eat or drink or whatsoever ye do do all to the glory of God For the first Petition then Hallowed be thy name You may observe in the first place that your Catechism explains Hallowing Gods Name to be as much as worshipping him which we often also express by glorifying or honouring him and taking due notice thereof I ask you first Q. Are we able to Worship Honour or Glorifie God as we ought to do A. No. Q. How ought we to Worship or Honour or Glorify God A. Above all Beings in heart word and deed Catechist Do but remember the Apostle's expression to this purpose 1 Cor. 6.20 We must glorifie God with our Bodies and with our spirits which are his Now alas this we sinful corrupt degenerate mankind are in no wise able to do until he regenerate and renew us in the words of his Covenant his Covenant of Grace Ezek. 11.19 Put a new heart and a new spirit within us take from us the stony heart and give us an heart of flesh In a word till he put his Spirit his Spirit of Grace within us to cause us to walk in his Statutes and in his Judgments Q. What desirest thou therefore in this petition Hallowed be thy Name A. I desire God to send his Grace to me and to all people that we may worship him as we ought to do Q. Dost thou desire this or any other Blessing of God for thy self only A. No I desire it for all people and whatever Blessing I desire for my self in any petition in Christian Charity I pray the same
or renounce your Baptism as many do A. Then shall I be much worse for being Baptized This Apostacy will aggravate my Damnation Catechist True for as Matth. 10.21 He only that endureth to the end shall be saved so Matth. 12.40 Wo unto them whose latter end is worse than their beginning who as the Apostle Heb. 10.30 expresseth Apostacy draw back to the perdition of their Souls Q. What means must you then use to prevent this A. I will pray continually that God will give me his Grace that I may continue in the same unto my lives end Catechist And I beseech and exhort you Good Children learn thus to pray betimes and exercise your selves in prayer daily in some or other good forms of prayer for this great thing that you may continue in Christs words and so be his Disciples indeed John 8.29 Ask and seek and knock as your Saviour teacheth you by prayer by continual prayer and he assures you then of the help of his Holy Spirit to enable you to keep your Baptismal Vow that having entred into the way of life you shall never forsake it and of this he assures you by an excellent similitude which you cannot chuse but understand Luk. 11.13 If your natural parents be ready to give you bread and clothing and all good things you stand in need of upon your begging them How much more will your Heavenly Father give his Holy Spirit to them that ask it Q. What are the General Heads of Catechism A. The Creed the Decalogue the Lords prayer and the Doctrine of the Sacraments Catechist I would bespeak you in St. Peters words you and the whole Congregation 2 Pet. 1.2 13. I say unto you I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things although I may hope many of you know them already and are established in the Truth For even they that know them already have yet great need to be put continually in remembrance of them and therefore I think it not only meet but also necessary to stir you up by putting you in remembrance of them as long as I am in this Tabernacle as long as I live that you may be always thinking of them and never forget them Credenda Agenda Oranda What you must believe what you must do and practice and what you must pray for and Gods Covenant and Promises sealed to you in the Sacraments these are the great things in Christian Doctrine necessary to be known that you may be saved and upon these four General Heads depend all the Questions in your Catechism Either by way of Introduction shewing you when by whose means upon what terms and conditions you became Christians together with the great Benefits that belong to you as Christians if your conversations be such as becomes the Gospel and the Profession of Christianity and those things you have had and I hope have learnt in our Explanation of the four first Questions and their Answers or else they serve to Connect and joyn together the great Doctrines taught you in the Catechism in an orderly Method for the help of your Memories or to help you to a clear and full understanding of them To come then to the main points to be learnt by Catechism I ask you in the first place Q. Why is the Creed the first part of Catechism A Because to believe aright is the very ground work of all Religion and then must I shew my believing heartily by my good works of Obedience Catechist Yea so it is certainly A right belief is the Foundation of Religion Thereforewhen the Jaylor asked Paul and Silas Act. 16.31 Sirs what shall I do to be saved To this they directed him in the first place Believe in the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved thou and thine house But then it is a lesson I would take all occasions to teach you That there is no resting in a dead Faith without good works of Obedience And for this time I only offer to you for proof hereof the tenour of our Saviours Commission to his Apostles when he sent them forth to convert the world Matth. 28.19 20. He bad them whomsoever they should by Baptism admit into the Church and the Confession of Christianity to teach them to observe all things whatsoever he had commanded them And you have an eminent instance of the necessary Conjunction of Obedience with Faith in that grand Doctrine of Christianity that of the Trinity into which we are expresly Baptized as the next Questions and their Answers instruct you Q. Which is the great Fundamental in the Faith of Christians A. The Doctrine of the Trinity that is to believe in God the Father as Creator in God the Son as Redeemer and in God the Holy Ghost as Sanctifier This is the Grand Mystery in Christianity Catechist In my mind your Church-Catechism propounds this Doctrine with a very becoming Gravity and no man can deny this Doctrine so propounded but he must withall deny and reject plain Scripture Q. In the first place then Rehearse the Articles of thy Beliefe A. I Believe in God c. Q. What dost thou chiefly learn in these Articles of thy Belief A. First I learn to believe in God the F. c. Catechist Whosoever will own himself a Christian He must profess his Christian Faith in this tenor To believe in God first as Creator who made me and all the world according to that 1 Cor. 8.6 To us there is but one God the Father of all things and we in him and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things and we by him 2 In God the Son our L. Jesus Christ as Redeemer who redeemed me and all Mankind For 1 Tim. 1.15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners 1 Tim. 2.5 6. There is one God and one Mediator between God and man The man Christ Jesus who gave himself a ransome for all to be testified in due time 3 In God the Holy Ghost as Sanctifier who Sanctifieth me and all the elect people of God For 2 Thes 2.13 Whosoeve are chosen to Salvation it is through Sanctification of the spirit and belief of the Truth Now you are taught in your Answer to my next Question what an influence this Doctrine of the Trinity hath to good life and obedience if it be believed aright and I shall have occasion hereafter to prove every particular in it by the Scriptures For the present therefore I shall content my self with hearing you rehearse it Q. In what manner must we believe in these persons A. So as to pay each person his respective Duty for example to love fear and serve God the Father as my great Creator and most Gracious preserver To trust in God the Son and obey his Gospel as my only Lord and Saviour and to follow the motions and directions of God the Holy Ghost and to make Use of his Grace and
but the flesh in the best of us weak Matth. 26.41 For we have to wrastle not with flesh and blood like ourselves but with principalities and powers against the Rulers of the darkness of this world and against Spiritual wickednesses in high places Eph. 6.12 And now this Confidence we have in putting up this petition That it is exactly agreeable to Gods will and promise and therefore God will hear us For what we here pray for is just what the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 10.13 There hath no Temptation overtaken you but what is common to men but God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able but will with the temptation make you a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it Q. How doth your Catechism express this A. I pray unto God that it will please him to save and defend us in all dangers Ghostly and bodily and that he will keep us from all sin and wickedness and from our Ghostly enemy and from Everlasting death Catechist In this answer the evils we pray to be delivered from are enumerated particularly Dangers Ghostly that is Spiritual and bodily and all sin and wickedness and our Ghostly that is Spiritual enemy the Devil and from all evils for sin especially Everlasting death And that which I would further observe here is only this to the Glory of God that whatever the evil or danger be or of what sort soever our Enemies Ghostly or Bodily Temporal Spitual or Eternal God is the only the Great deliverer we can rely upon to save and deliver us from and defend and preserse us in them all Isaiah 49.26 I the Lord am thy Saviour and Redeemer Hos 13.4 There is no Saviour besides me Isaiah 63.1 He alone is mighty to save 2 Pet. 2.9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust unto the Day of Judgment to be punished So have you what your Catechism teaches you concerning all the petitions in your Lords prayer there only remains the last part thereof The Doxology or Conclusion For thine is the Kingdom and the power and the Glory for ever Amen to lead you to understand the true importance whereof I ask you first Q. Ought we not to praise God also when we pray unto him A. Yes To all our prayers we must joyn praises and Thanksgivings Catechist The Apostle Phil. 4.6 joyns them closely Be careful for nothing but in every thing by prayer and supplications with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God And his precept is 1 Thes 5.18 In every thing give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you Eph. 5.20 We must give thanks always for all things unto God 1 Tim. 2.1 I exhort that first of all Supplications Intercessions and giving thanks be made for all men c. And so Col. 4.2 we are directed to watch unto prayer with thanksgiving The defect whereof I hope you remember was what Christ taxed in the lepers Luk. 17.17 Were there not ten cleansed but where are the nine for but one of them returned to give thanks Q. What are those Attributes and Excellencies in God which we are especially to praise magnifie and adore A. His Eternal Sovereignty Power and Glory Q. What is it that assures you besides what you learnt in the Preface that God will hear and can give you what you pray for A. Those and other his Attributes and especially his own Mercy and Goodness for the merits of Christ Catechist It is the very scope of both the Preface and of this Doxology to assure us hereof and to strengthen our Faith in prayer that he both can and will hear and help us For Mark 9.23 All things are possible to him that believeth Now as his being our Father and our Heavenly Father in the Preface gives good assurance to our Faith in prayer so here in the Doxology we are assured he takes care of us and doth not will not utterly neglect us in any Condition we are in or can be in during this Life no more than any natural and Gracious King will neglect the safety and welfare of his Subjects for his is the Kinddom and Supreme Soveraignty Psal 95.3 He is a great King above all Gods Psal 103.19 His Kingdom ruleth over all And that he can help relieve and deliver us we are sure because his is the power Ps 62.11 Power belongeth unto God and nothing can be too hard for the Almighty 1 Chron. 29.12 In his hand is power and might which none is able to withstand And lastly we are assured that he will do it if we seek unto him because His is the glory For so run his promises often That He will do and work for his own names sake and even for his own glory Ezek. 36.22 And to all these I may add his Eternity that is these are for ever so that he who hath delivered doth deliver and will deliver For He is the same to day yesterday and for ever Heb. 13.8 For with him is no variableness neither shadow of turning Jam. 1.17 I pray you then Q. To what end or use serves this third and last part of the Lords prayer The Doxology or Conclusion for thine is the Kingdom c. A. Both to give God the praise of these his glorious Attributes and to confirm my Faith to expect the things prayed for for herein I declare that I trust he will do it of his own mercy and goodness through Jesus Christ our Lord. Catechist I would only upon this answer observe the practice of Gods Saints for your imitation In all their prayers recorded in Scripture we find they used to recite Gods Attributes which was both to give God the praise thereof and also to shew upon what grounds they built their Confidence of Gods hearing and granting their petitions which was nothing of their own no worthiness or good deservings in themselves but only Gods power and mercy and goodness It would be endless to give you the particular instances hereof you cannot miss of observing it your selves in those prayers you read in the Scriptures And it is good to follow such footsteps and patterns There is nothing remains now to teach you belonging to your Lords Prayer but only the Word Amen and in one of these sences is it always used and to one of those ends it is always intended wherever it is used which you have in your Answer to my next Question Q. Why dost thou say Amen after your prayers A. To express my stedfast Belief that God can and will and my Earnest desire that he would grant them For Amen is as much as to say so be it Catechist Come we then to the last General Head of Catechism The Doctrine Of the Sacraments Q. How many Sacraments hath Christ ordained in his Church A. Two only as Generally necessary unto Salvation that is to say Baptism and the Supper of
Catechetical Exercises OR QUESTIONS and ANSWERS For Youth to Learn THAT They may better understand THE CHVRCH CATECHISM WITH THE CATECHISTS Enlargements upon them Ps 34.11 Come ye Children hearken unto me I will teach you the fear of the Lord. By Jos Briggs M. A. and Vic. of Kirkburton in the County of York CAMBRIDGE Printed by Joh. Hayes Printer to the University for Edw. Hall Bookseller there And are to be sold by Luke Meridith at the Star in St. Pauls Church-Yard London 1696. Imprimatur Thomas Browne Procan Jo. Beaumont Hen. James The Epistle DEDICATORY TO THE Most Reverend Father in God JOHN By Divine Providence Lord Arch-Bishop of YORK PRIMATE of ENGLAND AND METROPOLITAN May it please your Grace IT was a Mighty Veneration the first and better Ages had for their Governours The Guides of their Souls agreeably to the Rules of Christianity and even to the common sense of Mankind And that quite contrary now-a-dayes the Holy Orders are vilely esteemed by Abundance of Men and those sometimes pretending a High Zeal for Religion is to be imputed very much to their bad Education in their tender years and perhaps to no one thing more But it is not against this Evil alone that a good Education of our Youth would provide an effectual Remedy but in my opinion against a Multitude of Epidemical Errors and Immoralities It is certain True Religion thrives best when planted betimes having its Foundation in an early Piety Happy are those Children whose Lot is to be begotten of Godly Parents careful to season their Minds with vertuous and sober Principles and while they are Children to acquaint them with the Scriptures of Truth and Godliness None start with greater Advantages in the Christian Race nor usually persevere with a more vigorous Constancy therein then they who are taught to remember their Creator in the Days of their Youth the first Fruits of their Time being Consecrated to God and Religion before corrupt affections have clapt a Bias upon their Inclinations and a Train of Vices hath depraved and in great measure laid a sleep the Natural Notions of Good and Evil in them To this great purpose Catechizing and Diligence in teaching the Catechism is continually and very appositely urged upon Us of the Parochial Clergy by our Ordinaries in their Annual Visitations according to the Royal Injunctions And loth I am to say or even to think any of my Brethren so culpable as either to be so ignorant as to need my Instructions or so negligent as to want my Excitements in so necessary and as is Universally acknowledged so profitable an Office of their Ministration It is for the common People's sake therefore that I expose these Specimens of my Labours in this kind to a publick View I think it a great Blessing to them that they may have the Advantage of being taught by both their senses their Eyes as well as their Ears What is taught by the Ear may affect and pierce more but the Letter written endureth longer and the Souls of men have the Advantage of a more deliberate Consideration and a longer continuance therein Having therefore a Desire to do good both ways according to my poor Abilities not so much fearing Censures as endeavouring to Edifie I submissively offer these my Labours to your Graces Patronage as justly yours being performed in your Charge by one under your Fatherly Jurisdiction who unfeignedly prayeth for the Peace and Prosperity of Gods Holy Catholick Church and the continual dew of his Heavenly Blessing upon the Bishops and Clergy thereof and particularly a double Portion of his Spirit upon your Grace that we may be long happy in your Wise and Active Conduct and one who earnestly begging your Graces Prayers for him heartily desires to approve himself upon all Occasions Your Graces in all humble Duty and Observance Jos Briggs THE PREFACE To Every CHRISTIAN READER Particularly to my Brethren the Younger of the Reverend CLERGY OF THE Church of England c. Reverend Brethren WHAT Place and Figure the Catetechist had in the Primitive Churches is well known and the Diligent Discharge of this part of our Ministry being most strictly required by the Canons of that Holy Church whereunto by all manner of right we ow the most sincere Obedience which being also so frequently urged upon our practice by our Ordinaries at every Visitation and there being perhaps nothing we do or can do that can be more beneficial to our Flocks Nothing which if rightly performed can more conduce to a thorough Reformation of Christians or to the comfort and Satisfaction of the Pastors Consciences It seems strange to me That it is so much neglected at least most cursorily and insipidly performed in many Parishes especially in Market Towns where nothing pleaseth but the Minister's sett and solemn Discourses on some particular Texts in Scripture commonly called Preaching as if there were no other preaching but this God forbid I should pass the least undecent Reflection upon those but this I am bold to say Whatever good Man will take the pains as every one ought to examine his Children and Servants of what they have learnt by them and to assist them to his utmost power to profit thereby He will soon find it a very slender Account they are able to give of an hours Discourse and must from a constant Experience hereof conclude an absolute Necessity of both Ministers and Masters of Families greatest Diligence in this easie and Familiar way of instructing them in matters of Religion and that it is very little good which Sermonizing without Catechizing can do and therefore hath not the least appearance of justice for thrusting it out of the Church That we ought to Catechize I hope I need not say much to convince any thinking Man the stress lies in finding out such a course as wherein it may be done to purpose that if it be possible We may save ourselves and them that hear us even the most ignorant of them that are willing to learn And I would gladly be confident of your charitable construction of this my publishing my own Method so as by no means to interpret it a self-conceited or presumptuous prescribing it to others Give me leave only to shew you how I fell into it and then be it at your own Discretion how far you will accept or reject it imitate alter or wholly decline it I account it to my self a great Blessing that being by a sickly Constitution of Body forced from the Breasts of my Mother that Famous School of the Prophets the Vniversity of Cambridge a very good Providence cast me under the Wings and Guidance of an aged Divine Grave Learned and pious a truly Loyal Subject to and sufferer for his Sovereign a most Orthodox Son of the Church From him I had this Advice in my studies and it would be Envy to others Good to conceal it to fix my Theological Studies in the first place upon the Creed The Lords Prayer and
Assistance as my Guide and Sanctifier and Comforter Catechist That you may well understand your Belief as a Christian and particularly what you profess to believe of each person in the Blessed Trinity and every word in it I ask you in the first place Q. Why do you say I Believe rather than we or they believe A. Because Though the prayers of others may avail much yet every man must be saved by his own Faith Catechist And Think not sleightly of this lesson for it levels directly against the Papists implicite Faith We are often taught to pray for one another saying Our Father which art in Heaven Give us and forgive us c. as S. James saith chap. 5.6 The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much i. e. for others as well as for himself for of such prayer he there speaks But no man can believe for any but himself Habak 2.4 By his Faith shall the just live i.e. lead his life here according to Gods will revealed in his word and so be saved at last for ever So is every one therefore by his Creed taught to say not we believe for others but I Believe for himself as the man in the Gospel whose Son was dumb Mat. 9.17 23. Lord I believe Lord help mine unbelief Q. In whom dost thou believe A. In God only Catechist Believing in is more then bare believing for besides Credence or Assent it implies Trust and Affiance and is a Divine Honour proper to God only and therefore we say in the Creed I believe in God we do not say alike I believe in the Holy Gatholick Church but I believe the Holy Catholick Church For Cursed is the man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arm and whose heart departeth from the Lord Jer. 17.5 And therefore Christ avoucheth himself to be God when he said John 14.1 Ye believe in God believe also in me Q. What is it to believe in God A. To believe there is a God and to believe that what God saith is undoubtedly true and to depend upon him in Hope for the accomplishment of his promises Catechist The First Principle in Religion against Atheists is that there is a God Heb. 11.6 He that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek him And the next Principle is the certainty of his Word That it is as Gold tryed seven times in the fire Psal 12.6 For Numb 23.19 He is not as man that he should lie Luk. 16.17 It is easier for heaven and earth to pass than one jot or tittle of his Word to fail And then from these we infer the safety of trusting in him for the fulfilling of his promises For Heb. 11.23 Faithful is he that hath promised who also will perform We may therefore take up the Prophet Micahs words chap. 4.5 All people walk every one in the name of his God But we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever Q. How many Gods are there A. One God only therefore I profess to believe in God Singularly and not in Gods Catechist You know what the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 8.4 The Heathens have Gods many and Lords many but we know they are all but Idels and an Idol is nothing and therefore to us Christians There is no other God but One Eph. 4.6 One God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all Q. How is this One God distinguished A. Into three Persons God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Ghost Catechist These three Persons in the Godhead were apparently distinguished in Christs Baptism at the river Jordan For the Father spake from heaven saying This is my Beloved Son and the H. Ghost descended upon him like a Dove And so are they manifestly distinguished in our Baptism For we are expresly Baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost And S. John 1 Ep. 5.7 affirms both the distinction of the persons and their Unity of Essence saying There be three that bear record in Heaven The Father the Word and the spirit and these three are one More I need not to say of this great Mysterious Doctrine at this time whoso would better understand it let him study the Creed of S. Athanasius Let us now see what the Apostles Creed teacheth us to believe of each person in this Blessed Trinity Q. What dost thou believe of the First person A. That he is God the Father Almighty maker of Heaven and Earth Q. God the Father whose Father is he A. The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and ours in him Catechist Christ is the only begotten Son of God Joh. 1.14 And by this Title is God especially owned and honoured by us Christians Rom. 15.6 We are with one mind and one mouth to glorifie God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ And then God is our Father and we are his Sons by Adoption in Christ 1 John 3 1. Behâ—ld what manner of Love the Father hath bestowed up nâ—w that we should be called the Sons of God For Eph. 1.5 We are predestinated to the Adoption of Children by Christ Jesus And as to his Sons He hath appointed us an Inheritance For Rom. 8.11 If Sons then heirs Heirs of God joynt heirs with Christ Q. What is God A. A most pure Spirit a Being absolutely perfect Catechist We have this definition of God from Christs own mouth John 4.24 God is a spirit having no bodily parts or members or passions and all whatsoever perfections and excellencies are in him and derived from him Q. What is the great Attribute of God A. Omnipotency or Almightiness that is that he can do whatever pleaseth him Catechist So speaks the Psalmist Ps 135.6 Whatsoever the Lord pleaseth That doth he in Heaven and in Earth and in all deep places And hence Job said ch 42.2 I know that thou canst do every thing For in his hand saith Jehoshaphat 1 Chron. 20.6 is such power and might that none is able to withstand Q. What other Essential Attributes are there of God besides Almightiness A. Eternity that he neither hath beginning nor will have an end Immutability that he changeth not Omnipresence that he is in all places Omniscience that he sees all things and knows them perfectly And the most perfect Goodness and Holiness that he is neither Author nor approver of evil Catechist Let these Scriptures sink into your hearts for all these Eternity for so the Heavenly Congregation sing Rev. 4.8 Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty which was and which is and which is to come Immutability Jam. 1.10 He is the Father of Lights with whom is no variableness nor shaddow of turning Heb. 13.8 He is the same yesterday and to day and for ever Omnipresence for Am I a God at hand saith the Lord and not a God afar of Jer. 23.24 Can any hide himself in secret places that I should