written that we are therfore deliuered by Christ from our enemies Hell Death and Damnation that wee shoulde serue God without feare all the daies of our life in holines and righteousnes before him and in another place that wee should liue soberly Tim. 2 â„£ se 12. righteously and godlye in this presente worlde And in another place That if anye bee in Christ hee must be a new creature 2 Cor 5. And againe Follow peace with all men Heb 12. and holynesse without the which no man shal see the Lorde And to the same effecte there are infinite testimonies of holie Scripture But I would suche mocke-gods were once mindfull of their wofull state which maye rather bee tearmed incarnate Diuels then Christian meÌ„ or members of the holy body of Christ so long as they continue so desperately nought I would good reader either thine or mine admonition might doe some of them good Farewell in Christ and let vs pray in the spirit for the peace and prosperity of Zion our gratious Souereigne Thine in Christ Th. Settle A fardle of Christian duties needful to be taken vp and borne of all such as trauaile towards eternall life according as euery of their callings require 1. That all Christian men and women are bound to go to Church or the place appointed for Gods worship namely where Gods word is preached praiers and Sacraments ministred to ioyne themselues in fellowship in those holy exercises of religion that so they may growe vp in true Christianitie BVt yee shall séeke the place which the Lorde your God shall choose out of all your tribes Deut 12 verse 5. to put his name there and there to dwel thither thou shalt come This place was vnder the lawe Ierusalem or where Gods Arke and tabernacle was pitched And now since Christes birth is all places of the worlde where Gods word and sacramentes are truely preached and ministred It shall be in the last dayes Esay 2 ver 2. that the mountains of the house of the Lord shal be prepared in the top of the mountains and shall bée exalted aboue the hilles and all nations shall flowe vnto it And And many people shall go say Micha 4 1. Come and lette vs goe vp to the mountaine of the Lorde to the house of the God of Iacob and hee will teach vs his wayes and we will walke in his pathes And they that dwell in one Citie shall goe vnto an other Zachar. 8 â„£ 21 22. saying Vp let vs goe and pray before the Lorde One must prouoke another to go to the assembliâ—s and seeke the Lord of hostes I will go also Yea great people and mightie nations shall come to séeke the Lord of hostes in Ierusalem and to pray before the Lord. Blessed is the man whose strength is in thée Psal 84 â„£ se 5 6 7. whose heart are in thy wayes They going through the vale of Baca make welles therein c. They go from strength to strength till euerie one appeare before God in Zion Then a shower of rayne ought not to bee an excuse for any to absent himselfe from the holie assemblies as many a one of our daintie Christians doe in these dayes make it 2. Examples of the meetings of Christians for the hearing of the word prayer and administration of Sacraments ANd they continued in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship Acts 2 42. and fellowship breaking of bread and praiers And they continued daily with one accorde in the temple Acts 2 46. and breaking of bread at home And daily in the temple Acts 5 46. from house to house they ceased not to teach and preach Iesus Christ And the next Saboth day came almost the whole Cittie together to heare the word of God Acts 13 44. And the first day of the wéeke the Disciples beeing come together to breake bread Acts 20 7. Paule preached vnto them readie to depart on the morow continued the preaching vntill midnight When yée come togeather therefore into one place 1 Cor 11 20 this is not to eate the Lords Supper 3. Examples of the seruantes of God reioicing to go to the assemblies of God and to see others goe And of the seruants of God complaining sorrowing for the want of the holie assemblies when as by persecution they were hindered and of their desires to be there I Reioised when they said to me Psal 122 â„£ se 1 2. we wil go into the house of the Lord. Our féet shall stand in thy gates O Ierusalem O Lord of hostes how amiable are thy tabernacles Psal 84 verse 1 2 3. My soule longeth yea and fainteth for the courtes of the Lorde for my heart and my flesh reioice in the liuing God Yea the sparrow hath founde her an house and the swallow a nest for her where she may lay her young euen by thy altars O Lord of hostes my king and my God Blessed are they that may dwell in thine house they will euer praise thée As the Hart brayeth for the riuers of water Psal 42 verse 1 2 3 4. so panteth my soule after thée O God My soule lusteth for God euen for the liuing God when shall I come and appeare before the presence of God My teares haue béene my meat day night while they daily say vnto me where is thy God WheÌ„ I remeÌ„bred these things I poured out my verie heart because I had gone with the multitude and ledde them into the house of God c. And he said that is Dauid vnto Saule Wherefore doth my Lorde thus persecute his seruant 1 Sam 26 18 19. for what haue I done or what euill is in my hande Nowe therefore I beseech thée lette my Lorde heare the wordes of his seruant If the Lorde haue stirred thée vp against mee lette him smell the sauour of a Sacrifice But if the children of men haue done it cursed be they before the Lorde For they haue cast mee out this day from abyding in the inheritaunce of the Lord God saying goe serue other Gods Hezekia hearing the message of death from the Lorde Esay 38. â„£ se 1 2 3 18 19. praied and wept not for feare of death but as the whole chapiter doth euidently declare because he should no longer liue to praise God in his sanctuarie and to growe vp among the people of God in more graces to promote Gods glorie For sayth hee after hee had promise of life The graue cannot confesse thée death cannot praise thée they that goe downe into the pitte cannot hope for thy truth But the liuing the liuing hée shall confesse thée as I doe this day the father to the children shall declare thy truth One thing haue I desired of the Lorde that I will require Psal 27 4. euen that I maye dwel in the house of the Lord all the daies of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord to
was free from any such purpose But as they in studie and care I do not doubt to further religion and godlinesse did take libertie vnto themselues in forme as they be extant to frame and set foorth theirs so haue I done They haue written some largely some briefly and some haue kept a meane betweene long and short and I haue laboured if not to bee the briefest yet to come as neere it as I might They some haue quoted for confirmation in their margent some haue omitted quotations and some haue prooues set forth at large by directions alphabeticall as euery one of them thought best so haue they proceeded I haue made proofe of euerie answere immediately vpon the answere and almost made the wordes of the text the answere hoping thereby the more to allure the reader and hearer God make me partaker of my hope and my godlie brethren of theirs And thou good Reader remember in the bowels of Christ I beseech thee that the more paines I my brethren bestow for thine instruction by preaching writing the more and greeuous shal be thy condemnation if thou profit not by it which thing would be our griefe Consider what I say the Lord giue thee vnderstanding Thine in Christ Th. Settle ¶ A CATECHISME briefly vnfoulding the mysterie of our redemption by Christ with other necessary points of Diuinitie thereunto annexed Question WHO made you and to what end were you made Answere God for his glory as saith the Prophet Esay chapiter 43. I created him for my glorie Esay 43. â„£ se 7.21 formed him and made him Quest What is God Ans Euen as proclaiming his owne name in Exodus 34. be describeth himselfe Exod. 34. â„£ s 5.6 saying The Lord the Lord strong mercifull and gratious slowe to anger and abundant in goodnes and truth reseruing mercie for thousands forgiuing iniquitie transgression and sinne and not making the wicked innocent In the fourth of the gospell after Iohn he is said to be a spirit Iohn 4.24 Exod. 6.3 Iehoua what it doth signifie In Exodus the sixt he calleth his owne name Iehouah which is as much to say as one that hath his béeing of himselfe which name importeth his euerlastingnes Qu. What can you say further concerning God An. Verily that he is thrée distinct persons that is Father Sonne and holie ghost and yet in substance one God onelie As Iohn the Apostle euidently teacheth in the fift chap. of his first Epistle saying 1. Iohn 5. v. 7. For there are three which beare record in heauen the Father the worde and the holy Ghost and these three are one Qu. How doe you proue that the holy Ghost is God An. In 28. of Mathew Math. 8.19 Christ coÌ„mandeth to baptize in the name of the holie Ghost Now this is certaine the baptisme is to be ministred in no name 1. Cor. 1. vers 14.15 but in the name of God But it béeing coÌ„manded to bee ministred in the name of the holy ghost doth manifestly proue that the holy Ghost is God In the 5. of the Actes Peter saith vnto Ananias Act. 5. vers 3.4.5 Why hath Sathan filled thine hart that thou shouldest lye to the Holy Ghost c. How is it thou hast conceiued this thing in thine hart Thou hast not lyed vnto men but vnto God This place also proueth in plaine words that the Holie ghost is God Qu. You said euen now that God made you and you shewed to what end shew now in what state he made you An. According to his owne image that is to say in righteousnes and true holines as Paule expoundeth it in the 4. to the Ephesians Ephes 4.24 calling it béeing repaired in Gods electe by the spirite in other words the new man Qu. Doe you continue in that state of righteousnes and true holinesse wherein you were at the first by God created An. No verily For Paule witnesseth in the 3. to the Romaines Rom. 3.25 that all haue sinned and are depriued of the glorie of God And in the second to the Ephesians the same Apostle saith Ephes 2 3. that they as wel as others were by nature the childreÌ„ of wrath And as Dauid in the 51. psalme confesseth so may all others â—sal 51 5. that they were conceiued and borne in sinne Qu. You said euen nowe that you were made after the Image of God righteous and holy and nowe yee confesse that ye were borne a sinner how can this be Ans Adam the first man was created after the Image of God righteous holie and so I and al other in him our first parent were created righteous and holie But when he by his sinne in eating the forbidden fruite made himselfe vnrighteous and vnholy then I and all the world béeing then in his loines for who saith Iob in the 14. chapiter of his booke can bring a cleane thing out of filthinesse were made vnrighteous and vnholy Iob. 14.4 And to proue that man was made righteous at the beginning the Preacher saith in the 7. of his booke Onely loe this haue I found Eccles 7.27 that God hath made man righteous But they haue sought many inuentions Qu. Do you then affirme that the sinne which Adam committed is also your sin An. Yea verily for so affirmeth holie Scripture in the 5. to the Romaines By one mans disobedience many that is all became sinners Rom. 5.19 And againe in the same chapiter By the offence of one the fault came on all men Rom. 5.18 Yea a little before in the same chapter the apostle saith that Death raigned from Adam to Moses euen ouer them also that sinned not Rom. 5.14 after the like manner of the transgression of Adam he meaneth euen the very babes and young sucking children to bee by Adams sinne subiecte vnto death and damnation Qu. Doe you thinke that if your sinne in Adam in eating the forbidden fruite were not laid vnto your charge that you should bee righteous and holie and free from sinne An. No verily for the scripture crieth out euerie where to the contrarie Our nature was so poisoned thorow Adams sinne that we can do nothing but sinne As it is written in Genesis the sixt The Lorde sawe that the wickednesse of man was great in the earth Genes 6.5 and all the imaginations of the thoughts of his heart were onely euill continually And Paule confesseth saying in the 7. to the Romaines Rom. 7.12 I knowe that in mee that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing for to will is present with mee but I find no meanes to performe that is good And againe in the 8. to the Romaines it is saide Rom. 8.3 that The Lawe is weake thorowe the flesh that is to say that the flesh by reason of the corruption thereof No free will in man since Adams fal or abilitie to do good and weaknesse is not of abilitie to performe the Lawe
visite his temple Dauid by the beautie of the Lorde in this place meaneth neth nothing else but the hearing of Gods holy word praiers praises thanksgiuing the vse of other Gods ceremonies for that ministration appointed For a day in thy courts is better then a thousand other where Psal 84 10. I had rather be a doore kéeper in the house of my God then to dwell in the tabernacle of wickednes 4 That al must heare receiue Gods worde REceiue with méekenes the word that is grafted in you Iames 1 21. which is able to saue your soules As newe borne babes desire the sincere milke of the worde 1 Pet 1 2. that you may growe thereby He that is of God heareth Gods word Iohn 8 47. ye therefore heare them not because yee are not of God Hee that turneth away his eare from hearing the lawe Prou. 28 9. euen his praier shal be abhominable Despise not prophesiyng 1 Thes 5 20 Prou. 13 13. He that despiseth the word shall be destroyed 5 That Gods worde is effectuall and full of power to conuert men and to alter their mindes and cleanse their hartes THe lawe of the Lorde is perfect Psal 19 7. conuerting the soule Now are ye cleane through the worde which I haue spoken vnto you Iohn 15 3. Sanctifie them with thy truth Iohn 17 17. Thy word is truth For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ Rom. 1 16. for it is the power of God vnto saluation to euerie one that beléeueth For the word of God is liuely Heb. 4 12. mightie in operation sharper then anie two edged sword entreth through euen vnto the diuiding a sunder of the soule the spirite of the ioints and the marrowe and is a discerner of the thoughtes and the intents of the hart Neuerthelesse though wee walke in the flesh 2 Cor. 10. ℣ 5 6 7. yet we war not after the flesh For the weapons of our warfare are not carnall but mightie through God to cast downe holdes casting downe the imaginations and euerie high thing that is exalted aboue the glorie of God bringing into captiuitie euery thought to the obedience of Christ And hauing readie the vengeance against al disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled Is not my worde euen like a fier saith the Lord Ierem 23 29 and like an hammer that breaketh the stone Surely as the raine commeth downe and the snowe from the heauen Esay 55. ℣ 10 11. and returneth not thither but watereth the earth and maketh it to bring foorth and bud that it may giue séede to the sower and bread vnto him that eateth So shall my word be that goeth out of my mouth it shal not returne vnto me voide but it shall accomplish that which I will and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it 1 Cor. 14. vers 24 25. But if all prophesie and there come in one that beléeueth not or one vnlearned he is rebuked of all and is iudged of all and so are the secretes of his heart made manifest and so he wil fal downe on his face and worship God and say plainely that God is in you indéede These places then considered it will appeare that they which neglect and despise the hearing of the worde preached cannot be saued though they trust neuer so much to secret reuelations they shall shall assoone come to heauen as hee to Fraunce that will passe the sea without a shippe 6 That for euerie thing that a Christian man doth hee ought to aske councell at the worde of God and make that the rule of al his doings TAke héede therefore that yée doo as the Lord your God hath commanded you Deut 5 32. turne not aside to the right hande nor to the left Whatsoeuer is not of faith that is of knowledge from the word is sinne Rom. 14 verse 23. And when they shall say vnto you enquire at them that haue a spirit of diuination Esay 8. verse 19 20. at the southsayers which whisper and murmur Should not a people enquire at their God From the liuing to the deade to the lawe and to the testimony if they speake not according to this word it is because there is no light in them Wo to the rebellious children saith the Lord that take councell but not of mée Esay 30 ℣ se 1 2 couer with a couering but not by my spirit the they may lay sin vpon sin which walke foorth to goe downe into Egypt haue not asked at my mouth Examples of Dauid Thy word is a lanterne vnto my féet Psa 119 105 and a light vnto my path Also thy testimonies are my delight Psal 119 24 my councellers 7 That the worde of God conteineth all things necessary vnto saluation THe Law of the Lorde is perfect Psal 19 7. conuerting the soule And that thou hast knowne the holie scriptures of a child 2. Tim 3. ℣ 15 16 17. which are able to make thée wise vnto saluatiō through the faith which is in Christ Iesus For the whole scripture is giuen by inspiratiō of God is profitable to teach to improue to correct to instruct in righteousnesse That the man of God may bee absolute being made perfect vnto all good woorks Receiue with méekenes the word that is grafted in you Iames 1 21. which is able to saue your soules Search the scriptures Iohn 5 39. for in them yee thinke to haue eternall life Then if eternal life saluation of our soules bee obteined by the scripures and doctrine of the worde conteined therein much good doe the Papistes with the rest which they get more by the meanes of traditions and vnwritten verities 8 Of Magistrates and first what men are to be chosen MOreouer prouide thou among al the people men of courage Exod. 18.21 fearing God men dealing truly men hating couetousnes appoint such ouer thē to be rulers ouer thousāds rulers ouer hundreds c. 9 That Magistrates are to execute Iustice vprightly towards all ANd I charged your iudges that same time saying Deut. 1 16. Heare the causes of brethren and iudge righteously betwene euery man and his brother the stranger that is with him ye shal haue no respect of persons but shall heare the small aswell as the great ye shal not feare the face of man for the iudgment is Gods Ye shal not do vniustly in iudgement Deuitie 19. verse 15 thou shalt not fanour the person of the poore nor honour the person of the mighty but thou shalt iudge thy neighbor iustly Thou shalt not estéeme a poore man in his cause Exod 23.3 Iudges officers shalt thou make thée c. and they shall iudge the people with righteous iudgement Deut. 17 18. 10. That Iudges and magistrates must take no rewardes nor bribes nor wrest the Lawe ANd he set