Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
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
|
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. â— 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
8 6. 1 Tim. 4.8 Heb. 4.8 9. The promises under the Gospel to those that shall be obedient to Gods commands are greater and more full or at least more clear then under the Law 4. Ier. 31.31 Heb. 8. Ioel 2.28 Act. 2. Ioh. 1.16 17. Iam. 4.6 More grace is communicated to us Christians under the Gospel for the observation of Gods commands then was given to the Jewes under the Law Quest How many Commandements are there Answ The words God himself delivered on Mount Sinai consist of ten Commandements Deut. 5.22 Mat. 22.40 Rom. 13.9 10. and the text saith he added no more Because all that is through the whole Word of God enjoyned besides may in some respects or other be reduced to one of these ten words of command Quest What general rules are to be observed to understand the full meaning of each Commandement Answ Two most especially 1. That where any duty is commanded the contrary thereunto is forbidden and where any sin is forbidden the contrary duty is commanded 2. That in all duties commanded and sins forbidden the means conducing thereunto are commanded and forbidden also Quest What is the first of these ten Commandements Answ Thou shalt have none other Gods before me Quest What is herein commanded and what forbidden you Answ 1. Prov. 3.6 1 Chr. 28.9 Deut. 6.13 14. 10.12 20. Mat. 4.10 Deut. 6.4 5. Joh. 14 15. Rom. 10.14 Psal 32.6 50.15 ult I am herein commanded to acknowledge the God of Israel for the only true God and accordingly to serve and worship him as God viz. To believe in him to put my whole trust in him to fear him and to love him above all and to express my inward faith hope and love towards him by the reverent performance of all external acts of divine worship commanded by him and most especially by my daily prayers unto him and praises of him 2. Exod. 24.14 Deut. 6.14 Isa 42.8 48.11 Mat. 6.24 Rom. 1.25 Rev. 22.9 I am forbidden to acknowledge any other god besides him or to pay any such divine worship to any other neither yet to prefer the love and service of any creature before the love and service of my Creator who is God blessed for ever Quest What is the second Commandement Answ Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven Image nor the likeness of any thing that is in the heaven above or in the earth beneath or in the water under the earth Thou shalt not bow down to them nor worship them For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God and visit the sins of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me and shew mery unto thousands of them that love me and keep my Commandements Quest What is herein commanded and what forbidden you Answ 1. Exod. 34.11 Deut. 4.2 12.32 Mat. 28 20. Ioh. 4.24 Psal 95.6 132.7 Rom. 12.1 1 Cor. 6.20 I am herein commanded to worship this only true God after an holy and true manner that is after such a manner as himself hath prescribed in his holy Word And that I do it not only internally in spirit and in truth but also externally with all lowly humble and reverent prostration of body before him 2. Lev. 19.4 26.1 1 Cor. 10.14 Ezek. 14.4 6. 2 Cor. 10.5 Rom 2.22 I am forbidden to worship the true God after a false manner not to worship him by an Idoll nor by an Image neither yet according to the fond imaginations of my own heart And that as I must avoid Idolatry and all false worship on the one hand so I must also take heed of sacriledge which is to rob God of the maintenance of his true worship on the other side And the reason of this Law is given Deut. 4.24 5.9 6.15 2 Cor. 11.2 Deut. 23.2 Rev. 2.6 because God is so jealous of his worship and glory lest we should give it to any other or to our selves that he will severely punish all such as deprave his worship Exod. 34.7 Deut. 5.10 Dan. 9.4 Ioh. 15.14 15. even to the third and fourth generation accounting of them as his enemies but he will mercifully reward them that obey and serve him according to his will as being his friends and promoters of his interest Quest What is the third Commandement Answ Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his Name in vain Quest What is herein commanded and forbidden you Answ 1. 1 Cor. 10.31 Psal 93.5 Ezek. 22.8 Psal 105.15 Luk. 10.16 Ezek. 44.23 I am herein commanded to propose to my self the honour of Gods holy Name in all my actions both divine and moral And to have a separate and distinct respect for all such such things and persons as have the name of God called upon them and more immediately relate to his service 2. Lev. 18.21 19.12 21.6 22.2 15 32. Mat. 23.16 20 22. Hos 10.4 Lev. 24.14 Jam. 3.9 Prov. 30.9 2 Tim. 2.19 2 Sam. 12.14 Rom. 2.24 Psal 5.7 Heb. 12 28. Prov. 13.13 Isa 62.2 1 Cor. 11.22 c. I am herein forbidden all rash unadvised wilful profanations of Gods ever blessed Name by oathes perjuries execrations cursings of the creatures of my neighbors or of my self not to use the name of God slightly idly foolishly and vainly much less to cover any deceits falshoods or what is in any respect unlawful or sinful not unadvisedly or irreverently to entermeddle with Gods holy Word Sacraments or any parts of his holy worship neither yet to slight undervalue or despise either things or persons wherein and whereby God is honoured and whereupon his holy Name is called And the reason is given Zach. 5.3 4. Deu. 28.58 59 Heb. 12.28 29. because God will never excuse such irreligious profanations of his Majesty but will assuredly punish all offenders in this kinde 7. Quest What is the fourth Commandement Answ Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day fix daies shalt thou labour and do all that thou hast to do but the sebenth day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God In it thou shalt do no manner of work thou and thy son and thy daughter thy man-serbant and thy maid-serbant thy cattell and the stranger that is within thy gates for in six daies the Lord made beaven and earth the sea and all that in them is and rested the sebenth day wherefore the Lord blessed the sebenth day and hallowed it Quest What is herein commanded and what forbidden Answ 1. Col. 2.16 17. 1 Pet. 2.5 Heb. 4.10 Exod. 31.15 35.2 Luk. 23.56 Heb. 10.25 I am commanded in general to dedicate every day of my life a spiritual Sabbath unto God that is a rest from sin and vacancy to his service And in particular that I devote every seventh day or one day in seven to the publick