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A59771 The principles of holy Christian religion, or, The catechism of the Church of England paraphrazed for the use of Borwick-Hall. Sherlock, R. (Richard), 1612-1689. 1656 (1656) Wing S3246; ESTC R33882 21,051 65

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THE PRINCIPLES OF Holy Christian Religion OR The Catechism of the Church of England paraphrazed For the use of Borwick-Hall Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering Heb. 10.23 LONDON Printed by E. Cotes and are to be sold by R. Royston at the Angel in Ivie-lane 1656. The Preface Touching the necessity of Catechizing the authority usefulness and general Heads of our Church Catechism AS all tender conscienc't men do sadly lament the manifold Sects and divisions and various opinions in Religion amongst us so all wise and prudent persons do withal consider and observe the causes thereof that such disorders and confusions may be remedied and prevented And the greatest cause of so much Jam. 1.6 giddiness in the mindes of men why so many waver like a wave of the sea Jam. 1.6 driven to and fro with every winde of Doctrine and tossed is for want of a good bottome or sure foundation to stand upon which consists in being well Catechized or throughly instructed in the principles of the holy and true Religion There is no want of Preaching or Hearing Sermons nor can this be the source and original of so much inconstancy in Religion it may be the cause of ignorance but not of error since we see by experience that the most fickle and giddy people are commonly the most eager hearers of many Sermons and several Preachers and what 's the reason but that such Sermons as men ordinarily hear being not first well Catechized render their mindes like a ship without ballast which cannot keep a steady course but tosses rolls and tumbles and is by every gust of winde overthrown For Preaching without Catechizing first is as if a man should go about to build a house without a foundation which can prove no other but some Castle in the air or as if we should think to be perfect men and never passe through the state of infancy and youth or as if sucking Infants in stead of milk should feed upon strong flesh and this too often raw 1 Cor. 3.2 Heb. 5.12 13. and indigested also Hence it comes to passe that there are so many 1. Upon whom that Prophesie of Isaiah is fulfilled Mat. 13.14 By hearing ye shall hear and not understand and by seeing ye shall see and not perceive and that of S. Paul also Ever learning 2 Tim. ● 7 and never able to come to the knowledge of the Truth Hence 2. Prov. 26.12 so many become wise in their own conceits Prov. 26.12 who really are but fools in the knowledg of saving truth Rom. 1.21 22. who wax vain in their imaginations their foolish hearts are darkned through the glimmerings of conceited knowledge who will take upon them to talk of this and that point in Religion argue against such and such doctrines practises of the Church and yet understand nothing of what they say or whereof they affirm Hence 3. it is That the holy Word of God which is in it self rightly understood the pure fountain of truth is made by many uncatechized unprincipled men now a daies the very sink of errors being misinterpreted and misapplyed to the maintenance of false opinions and even doctrines of Devils Whereas undoubtedly were there a sure foundation laid in the true and thorough understanding of the principles of Christianity there could not be possibly either so much ignorance and blindness besotting the mindes of men so much giddiness and wavering in Religion or so much abuse and wresting of holy Scriptures to the ruine of souls for holding fast the foundation the minde of man like a house built upon a rock Mat. 7.24 stands firm against the shock of every temptation and is not tossed to and fro with every winde of doctrine by the sleight of men Eph. 4.14 and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive For the practise therefore of this duty of Catechizing we have many both commands and examples in holy Scriptures see amongst many others Gen. 18.19 Deut. 6.6 7. Psal 34.11 Psal 78. from the 1. to the 8. vers Prov. 22.6 2 Tim. 3.14 15. Sect. 2 The great necessity and usefulness of being well Catechized being thus apparent and by all wise and knowing men considered hath occasioned the penning and printing of several Catechisms many of which though they may be good in themselves and usefull in their kinde yet none of them are to be ranked with or to be esteemed of equall authority and usefulness with our Church Catechism because 1. 'T is not of private but publick authority and consequently to be preferred before all others as much as the Lawes and Statutes of a national Councel before the conceptions and dictates of private persons 2. Ephes 4.13 For the maintenance of unity in the Faith 't is necessary that there should be one common form of sound words 2 Tim. 1.13 which all should hold fast and stick close unto that as we are all members of one Church or should be so at leastwise so we should all stand upon one ground be built upon one foundation and steer our course towards the land of Promise in one and the same bottome 3. There is no other Catechism can be more exact and compleat more beneficial and useful then this of our Church which will appear by considering the order and general heads thereof Sect. 3 And first to prevent the general objection which is made both against this and all other Catechisms 't is confessed That the holy Word of God or the inspired writings of the Prophets and Apostles are the ground and foundation all holy and true Religion is built upon Ephes 2.20 We are built upon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles c. But because the holy Scriptures are both spacious and difficult containing many things some more some less necessary to salvation and these both intermixedly and diversly delivered here and there respersed in several books and chapters and expressed both by way of command and counsel of exhortation and admonition of promise and threatning of history and example under many Metaphors Types and Allegories which render them both hard to be understood aright and as hard to be rightly distinguished and reduc't to their several heads for the more clear understanding and firm memory thereof therefore it seemed good to the wisdome of the ancient Fathers of the Church to reduce the pith sum and marrow of all saving Doctrine contained in the Scriptures under so many several waies of expression to four several heads viz. 1. The Apostles Creed 2. The 10. Commandements 3. The Lords Prayer 4. The Doctrine of the Sacraments To one of which 4. general heads all that the whole book of God contains absolutely necessary to salvation is reducible For 1. All that we are bound to believe in general and in the gross is sum'd up in twelve Articles by the Apostles or Apostolical men and is commonly known by the name of