Selected quad for the lemma: sense_n
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A28383
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A plain and brief explanation upon the church catechisme different from what hitherto hath been extant : wherein the first elements and grounds of religion are reduced to such plain and familiar questions and answers ... : to which is added, a plain and useful tract of confirmation / by Nathaniel Blithe ...
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Blithe, Nathaniel.
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1664
(1664)
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Wing B3197; ESTC R5761
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48,274
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155
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was no other person that could bring to pass this great work of mans Redemption Q. Could none of the glorious Angels or blessed Saints have come down from Heaven to mannage this charitable design A. It was not in the power of any Angel or Saint nay not of all the Saints and Angels to Redeem lost Man Q. Why what was the reason A. In regard none of them was able to sustain so great a burden as the sins of the whole world He who was infinite in power as the Son of God was was only able to bear up under so heavy a load besides man by reason of sin was condemned to infinite torments and therefore no less than an infinite God could rescue man from those eternal torments Q. If none but the Son of God could effect this work why did he not bring it to pass by vertue of that Almighty power which appertained to his Godhead without taking any other nature A. The Godhead is of that infinite perfection that it cannot possibly be subject to any passion he therefore that had no other nature but the Godhead could not pay such a debt as this the discharge whereof consisted in suffering and dying Q. Why did he not then take some more excellent nature than that of mans A. Because it was fit that God's justice should be satisfied in the same nature that had offended Man onely had sinned and therefore it was but just that the same nature which had offended should suffer before it could be restored Q. Did not the fallen Angels Sin A. Yes they sinned but for them Christ died not and therefore they are reserved in everlasting chains under darkness Q. How comes it to pass that they an exempted from receiving benefit by his gracious sufferings A. In regard they beheld the utmost of their own blessedness but notwithstanding they fell from that glory and happiness into a rebellion against their Creator without the least provocation or temptation either from any outward assault or inward frailty Q. What was it that moved God 〈◊〉 send and his Son so willingly to come from Heaven for the sake of lost undone ma◠A. It was their infinite love an◠never failing mercies God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son to dye for it and Christ Jesus had such a tender compassion for the sinful off-spring of Adam that he came down from his everlasting habitation of glory to open the eyes of the blind to call them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan into his own most blessed kingdome Q. Did man contribute nothing towards the deserving so great a favour A. No far otherwise he was then in an open rebellion against the King of Heaven and instead of meriting his favour in strict justice he deserveb the utmost of his fury and displeasure Q. How did Christ bring to pass this great designe A. By suffering the punishment that was due unto us for sin and by conquering and subduing all our spiritual enemies Q. How did he undergoe this punishment A. By his humiliation He took upon him our nature was born of a pure Virgin suffered under Pontius Pilate by being crucified on a Cross where his hands and his feet were pierced with Nailes and his side with a Spear And by this his infinite condescention and humiliation he offered himself a Sacrifice for the sins of the whole world Q. How did he conquer all our spiritual enemies A. By his exaltation he arose again the third day a compleat conquerour over Hell and Death and all the powers of the grave and ascended into the highest Heavens where he ever liveth to make intercession for us Q. Do you believe then that Christ dyed for the whole world A. Yes I do believe that the eternal Son of God hath redeemed me and all mankind Q. How comes it to pass then that the greatest part of mankind shall perish A. Because they are preverse and obstinate they will not go unto him that they may have life nor embrace those conditions that he offers in his Holy Gospel Q. In which Articles do you learn to believe in God the Holy Ghost who sanctifieth you and all the elect people of God A. In this Article I believe in the Holy Ghost Q. What do you believe that the holy Ghost is A. I believe that he is very God the Third Person in the holy Trinity proceeding from the Father and the Son Q. What is the office of the Holy Ghost A. It is to sanctifie all the elect people of God Q. Why is he stiled the sanctifyer of all the elect people of God A. In regard he is the Author of all holiness and purity in them all our inward gifts and embellishments proceed from him he is the Lord and giver of life namely of that spiritual life which is requisite to actuate and enform every Christian Q. How doth he perform this his Office A. Both outwardly and inwardly Q. How doth he perform it outwardly A. By revealing the Will of God to the Prophets Evangelists and Apostles who by his assistance and inspiration have made it known to the world wherein is contained all things appertaining both to life and Godliness Q. How doth he perform it inwardly A. By renewing of us in all the parts and faculties of our soules working heavenly dispositions in them whereas before they were enclined to all manner of sin and wickedness As also by fearing directing and governing of us in our actions and conversations so that we may actually perform those things that are acceptable in the sight of our heavenly Father Q. Is there nothing else which the Creed propounds to you as the subject of your belief A. It also teacheth me to believe something concerning those persons that with true Faith and obedience worship the undivided Trinity Q. What doth it teach you to believe concerning these A. It teacheth me first to believe that there is a Church Holy and Catholick Q. What do you believe this Holy Catholick Church to be A. By the Holy Catholick Church I mean the whole congregation of Christian people professing one and the same Faith far and wide dispersed over the face of the whole earth Q. Who is the supream head and governour of this Church A. Christ Jesus the eternal Son of God he is the governour thereof the Rock whereupon it is built his holy Spirit is the preserver and sanctifier of it and his blessed Apostles and Evangelists together with those Bishops and Pastors that succeed them do keep and maintain it in the profession of the true Christian faith and religion Q. What number is there of these Churches A. There is but one holy Catholick Church Q. How 〈◊〉 that he when as in the Scripture we read of several Churches as the Church of Rome the Church of Corinth the Church of Ephesus with divers others A. These several congregations every one of which is in some sense a Church and may be
A Plain and Brief EXPLANATION UPON THE Church Catechisme Different from what hitherto hath been Extant Wherein the first Elements and grounds of Religion are reduced to such plain and familiar Questions and Answers as are obvious to the meanest Capacity To which is added A plain and useful TRACT OF CONFIRMATION The second Edition corrected By Nathaniel Blithe M. A. Rector of Dowesby in Lincolnshire London Printed for Edw Millington at the Bible in Little Brittain 1674. Imprimatur Samuel Parker May 11. 1672. The Reader is desired to take notice that that gross Error Page 16. line 7. with which the Author hath been divers times Charged was a mistake of the Printer which is now Corrected in this Second Edition according to the Original Copy The preface to the READER WHen I consider what care the Church of England hath taken for the instruction of her Children in the mattters of Religion both by Preaching Catechizing and reading of the Holy Scriptures whereby plentiful provision is made for all capacities it is matter of very great wonder that so considerable a number of Christians should live and dye in that Ignorance as our own experience too sadly informs us Many amongst us who although they attain to the full age of Man yet they are almost as Ignorant even in the fundamentals of Religion as if they had all their time conversed amongst Pagans Possibly they can rehearse the Creed the Lords Prayer and the Ten Commandments by rote but they are very ignorant of the true sense and meaning of them Perhaps also they may know at large that Christ dyed for Sinners and they hâ—pe to be saved by him but they understand not that vow and promise they made when they were received into the number of his members and hereby are ignorant of those conditions which must be performed by all those that can receive benefit by his meritorious undertakings this and much more which would be too long to insist upon is the ignorance that divers aged Christians groan under And I know no one reason whereto this wretched ignorance can so justly be attributed as either to the utter omission of that so necessary duty of Catechizing or to the irregular and indiscreet performance of it And to the very same cause I am apt in a great measure to assign that wickedness and lewdness which is so confidently and universally practised amongst us Neither is it strange that many should walk so disorderly when they understand not those Laws and Precepts that require strictness and sobriety in their Conversations and if we do but duly consider how apt young and tender natures are to receive any impressions whether verâ—uous or vitious we cannot not but imagine it to be a business of very great moment by Catechizing to instruct the younger sort betimes in the grounds of Christianity for when vitious habits are by a continued practise rooted in their natures and grown customary it will be almost as difficult to eradicate them as to remove a Mountain and we shall hear divers persons when they fall into daily gross miscarriages they will presently be complaining of their own natural weakness and blaming their original guilt whereas the main cause of these their vices proceeds from a corrupt and ill Education they are so accustomed to the committance of evil that according to the expression of the Prophet it is as hard for them to decline their vitious courses as for the Blackamore to change his skin or the Leopard his spots and therefore to prevent these early corrupt inclinations Solomon adviseth us to train up a Child in the way wherein he should walk to season his tender years with the sound knowledge of Religion and betimes to sow the seeds of goodness and vertue in his heart before it grows hard and impenitrable this is the only way to give him a right understanding of his whole Duty whether relating to God his neighbour or himself to inform him what he is to believe and what he is to do in reference to his happiness and well living in another world And this also is the most compendious way to implant in him such Orthodox and sound knowledge as may fortifie him against all the Juglings and Delusions of cunning Impostors for when they rightly understand their Baptismal vow what they are to belive and that duty they are to perform both towards God and Man as also the Doctrine of both the Sacraments which our Church Catechism plainly and fully treats of when they have a thorough knowledge of these matters engrafted in their minds it will be impossible for them to be imposed upon by every peevish Schismatick As unjustly as the Papists make ignorance the Mother of Devotion so truly may we call it the Mother of Faction It was the opinion of the learned King James that the cause of the miscarriage of our people into Popery and many other destructive errours was their ungroundedness in points of Catechism neither can it at all seem strange that those Souls should be carried about with every wind of Doctrine who are not well ballassed with solid information in the first principles of Religion And upon an impartial enquiry we shall find that the great promoters of those idle false opinions amongst us are ignorant in a very great measure I confess they may have a form of Godliness and a mysterious form of words by which to express it that is stuffed with unintelligible nonsense but they are very far to seek in the knowledge of the great intendment and design of the Christian Religion they wholly busie themselves in prying into the Mysteries if Heaven things which neither are profitable nor possible for them to know and in the mean time let slip the plain necessary duties of Religion and this renders them unstable in all their wayes embracing every sudden fancy as an inspiration from Gods Spirit and delightfully entertaining every fond opinion which a hot-headed Zealot shall broach And therefore if Gatechizing was duly and rightly performed it would lay a good foundation and implant the wholsom truths of Religion betimes in our natures and so consequently our knowledge would encrease with our years and hereby we should be capable of examining opinions before we embrace them rejecting whatsoever is contrary to our Creed or repugnant to that duty God requires of us There is also another great advantage we shall receive by the due exercise of Catechizing this will prepare us for the better understanding of Sermons and the holy Scriptures when by this means a good foundation is layd then we have some Reason to hope that whatsoever is built upon it will prosper when we are hereby established in the plain necessary truths of Christianity this will give us a good insight into the more difficult mysterious truths of the Gospel which are frequently delivered in Sermons It was a complaint which the Author to the Hebrews made of that Church that they were dull of hearing the deep