Selected quad for the lemma: sense_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sense_n	doctrine_n	scripture_n	tradition_n	1,725	5	9.4842	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A80842	Catechizing Gods ordinance: or A short treatise concerning that [brace] ancient approved soul-edifying singularly necessary [brace] exercise of catechizing. Delivered in sundry sermons at Botolphs Aldgate, London. / By Zach. Crofton minister of the word.	Crofton, Zachary, 1625 or 6-1672.	1656 (1656)	Wing C6990; Thomason E1665_1; ESTC R208381	52,670	171

that they were not yet fully instructed in the Doctrine of Christ Adv. 6 Sixthly It puts into a present capacity of communion at the Lords Table it prepareth the heart unto the right and worthy receiving of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper and thereby delivers the soul from the great danger of eating and drinking judgement to himself whilest that by Catechizing they are fully informed and convinced of that faith and Doctrine openly professed and sealed by the Lords Supper and therefore necessary to be known before the participation of this ordinance whilest hereby they are invested with that necessary qualification of knowledge concerning mans misery by sin recovery by Christ Gods Covenant with man established in the hands of a Mediator the author end and institution of this Ordinance all which being Catetheticall heads must needs encourage the desirous communicants readily to submit themselves to the trial of the Church with their desire of admission to the Lords Table with an assured confidence that their communion cannot be denied on the account of ignorance whilest hereby they are enabled to the discharge of that necessary duty of self-examination required by the Apostle in the Name of the Lord 1 Cor. 11.28 in that by Catechizing they come to know all those necessary qualifications requisite to render the soul sutable for communion with God at this Table whilest they are made capable of discerning the Lords Body in a Christian way to distinguish the outward sign from the inward grace and thing signified whilest hereby being delivered from Popish darknesse they are well taught that outward elements are set before their outward senses to resemble and represent to the inward man the body and bloud of Jesus Christ nay in a word whilest hereby they have in readinesse matter of contemplation sutable to such an Ordinance to the affectation of their hearts and excitation of their affections in their enjoyment hereby they are in a good capacity of renewing their covenant with Go● of receiving the sealing efficacy of that Ordinance to the soul and with the Jewes to render an accompt to any that shall demand of them the ground and end of their so frequent celebration of their Christian Passeover whereas through the want of this exercise men are in danger of rushing unworthily and unpreparedly to the receiving of this Sacrament to presse unreverently to take those things they do not know or understand the ground end or meaning of to taste those dainties that belong not to them and take in hand those duties they know not how to manage in this regard the primitive times alwaies by their Cry of holy things for holy men sent away among the common hearers and penitentiaries the Catechumeni or such as were learning their Catechism as men not yet sutable for this Sacrament Hence also it is that the Canons and constitutions of the Church of God in all ages even in the most corrupt times require that every one be Catechized before they receive the Sacrament and this is the cause why the Discipline of the Church in this age and time requires an accompt of the knowledge of every one desirous of the Lords Supper that if any be found ignorant by reason of the past neglect of this duty they may by diligent Catechizing be made fit for it and so be admitted to it Adv. 7 Seventhly It puts on a man a powerful disposition of discharging his duty towards God and man in that by Catechizing they are not only taught to know the several Commandements of the first and second Table but also are well instructed to distinguish duties appertaining to God from such as belong to man and to discern the several sins forbidden and duties therein commanded Isaac's prayer and meditation his submission in all things to his father and the servants prayer to the God of his Master Abraham and faithfulnesse concerning his Master's Oath was before noted to be the fruit of Catechizing and it is to be observed on experience that such are most apt to rebellion and disobedience towards men who are not Catechized in the Doctrine of God and therefore Constantine when he would select to himself such of his Court Officers as he would confide in to be trusty Counsellors and defenders of his person and Kingdome tryed which of them were best instructed in the faith and fear of God declaring such only were worthy to be about a Prince as servants that being true to their God would be loyall to him Reas 5 The fifth and last reason why Catechizing should be used in the Church of God is the easinesse thereof which is very much and so found upon experience for it suiteth the Doctrine of Christ to the weakest capacity that is and puts words into the mouth so as that by diligence in this exercise the soul that is most ignorant knowing nothing of God may be able in a short time to give an account of his faith to any that shall aske it because of the facility of it Children are in Scripture declared to be the subjects thereof and it is called rudiments in which children not men of years are wont to be instructed milk with which babes and not men of strength are to be nourished and although at the first it may seem as all other ordinances of God something difficult yet a willing and diligent minde will prove it very easie for it being a piece of the Lords yoke which is all of it easie to be borne cannot but be pleasant to the willing spirit although the flesh may be found weak in submission to it Having thus briefly past the Reasons of the point which I hope upon serious thoughts may clearly convince any of the divine stamp of this exercise and so justifie the use of it in the Churches of God we come in the next place by way of illustration to the truth to consider what must be the matter and manner of this exercise of Catechizing And First then of the subject Matter to be taught by Catechizing which must not be as the Papist wickedly corrupting this exercise and Ordinance of God do make to teach matters altogether unprofitable nay vain false and frivolous as the traditions of Fathers the Canons of the Councel and constitutions of the Church inconsistent with the Doctrine of Scripture nay in many things directly contrary thereunto neither yet must it be nice and curious points though true yet fruitlesse and unprofitable tending more to tickle the brain and affect the sense then to take with the heart and inform the judgement but the matter of Catechizing must be all and only the chief heads and standing verities of the Christian Religion summarily extracted out of the Scripture and solidly grounded upon the same that they may be propounded as infallible rules for the triall of the assertions as standing principles whence may naturally flow all conclusions conducing to the profession of Christ with stedfastnesse and comfort and as a sure foundation upon

who when they came to years of discretion were taught how great things the Lord had done for them and for their forefathers in receiving them into his covenant the which things when they had learned and were able to render a reason of the same they were brought into the Congregation and made a profession of their Faith promising obedience thereunto and so in their own persons renewed covenant with God and were confirmed members of the Church as Deodate infers from Heb. 6.2 Laying on of hands and so also Calvin Beza Hemingius and others on the place Having thus shewed who were accustomed to be Catechized in the primitive times and Churches we may take notice amongst us all being baptized in their infancy we are not in capacity of admitting that difference and therefore we must in generall resolve that those and all those that are ignorant of or not well instructed in the main and fundamental grounds of Religion and the Christian Doctrine must be Catechized whether they be young or old rich or poor high or low married or unmarried for ignorance is alwaies the ground of this exercise and therefore whilest age quality and condition cannot expell or dispense with ignorance in any they cannot exempt any from this instructing ordinance of God but if indeed we might conclude those that are of years to have been Catechized then we only make youth the subject of this exercise who would be put to it by their parents as soon as they are capable of any thing else and be presented in the Church so soon as they can quietly abide and give a reasonable account of their capacity to be instructed that so being betime seasoned with this spiritual liquor they may alwaies retain the savour of it and trained up in it in the daies of his youth they may not depart from it when they are old Prov. 22.6 that thereby the Word of God may grow up with them as a light unto their feet and lanthorn their paths in directing them to mortifie lust betimes to avoid disobedience to parents unthristinesse idlenesse and vanity and other profanenesse to which youth is very prone and subject and to teach them to remember their Creator betimes know their duty to God their parents and others and when inflamed with youthful lust to consider that for all things they must come to Judgement But more particularly children and youth ought to be exercised in this ordinance of Catechizing and approve themselves the subjects of this exercise for these speciall reasons That 1. Covenant to them confirmed in Baptism may be understood and improved want of Catechizing makes Baptism ineffectual the Jewes by Catechizing made their children to understand the nature of Circumcision and the Passeover and covenant thereby sealed Confirmation of children was used when by Catechizing they were able personally to claim and engage in the covenant 2. Counsell unto duty may be ready at hand Children as soon as they can act their reason are ingaged to duty to God Eccles 12.1 Remember thy Creator in the daies of thy youth and Catechizing acquaints them with it I have before noted Isaac's meditation and Abel's sacrifice to be the fruit of Catechizing how could King Josiah at sixteen year old seek the God of David and at twenty years old zealously destroy Idolatry if he had not been well Catechized and how should King Edward the sixth his zealous resistance of Popish superstition have proclaimed more Divinity in his finger then in Bishop Cranmer's head if he had not well studied the Catechism And as they owe duty to God so to men to their parents obedience to their elders in age or office reverence which they are counselled in by Catechizing 3. Curbe may grow up with their corruptions a mention of coming to judgement gives a check to youthfull lust to the young mans rejoycing in his youth and taking his pleasure Eccles 11.9 A well Catechized Joseph will in childhood out of enmity to impiety complain of brethrens miscarriages Gen. 37.9 an inlightned conscience will be able to dispute with the Devill and silence suggestions unto sin 4. Change in their nature and disposition may be wrought the work of grace is not in any by natural generation nor infused by any extraordinary inspiration it must therefore be effected in the use of ordinary means whereof none sute infant capacity as Catechizing by this the word that incorruptible seed by which we are born again 1 Pet. 1.23 is implanted in them to the informing judgement perswading the will and transforming nature 5. Capacity exercised in Christianity may be enlarged We are most capable of the art or trade in which we were trained young our children can best apprehend judge discourse of and invent those things about which they spent their youthfull years if then they were but exercised in principles of Religion and Doctrines of Christianity they would more readily understand discourse and judge of them when they come to years the great dexterity of the Jewes in the doctrines of the Scriptures was the result of their Catechism the ready answers of the children of Merindoll and the renown●d childe which suffered with Romanus was no other then the effect of capacity exercised in Catechizing 6. That they may continue a stable course in profession and practise of Christianity A vessell when old retains the savour of the liquor with which it was seasoned when new Horace Quae semel est imbuta recens servabit odorem c. saith the Poet as the reason why youth must be instructed in best things and God teacheth us to train up a childe in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it custome doth obdurate in any way and in waies of piety enables to withstand temptation the tree when it is old stands against all strength and stormes as it was bent when young Paul perswades Timothy to continue in the things he learned his perswasive is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from a sucking childe he had known the Scriptures 2 Tim. 3.14 15. I have shewed you ought to be Catechized and why children are in special to be the subjects of this exercise I shall briefly shew how they must carry in it and so passe to the application As to their carriage that are to be catechized note these rules 1. They must with all cheerfulnesse and constancy sit under Catechizing as an ordinance of God appointed for their eternal good not being discouraged by any reproaches of the wicked nor diverted by any temptation whatsoever 2. They must with all eager diligence commit to memory all the principles and heads of Christian Doctrine commended and committed to them not breaking off from the work on any sense of difficulty in or indisposition to the exercise 3. They must be alwaies ready with an holy boldnesse to give a reason of the hope that is in them to every one that asketh 4. They must with all reverence and modesty