A SHORT CATECHISME FOR HOVSEHOLDERS.
By T. P.
LONDON, Imprinted by F.K. for George Winder, and are to be sold at his shop in Saint Dunstons Church-yard. 1624.
A SHORT CATECHISME FOR HOVSEHOLDERS.
Question.
WHat should bee the chiefe desire and indeuour of euery Christian in this life?
A. To seeke the glory of God, and to obtaine happinesse and saluation of his owne soule.
Q. How may we obtaine that?
A. By keeping Couenant with God the Lord?
Q. Who is God the Lord?
A. That infinite and almighty Spirit, who is the maker, preseruer and gouernour of all things.
Q. How many Gods be there?
A. Three persons, yet but one God.
Q. How many couenants hath that [...]e God made with vs?
A. Two: the first is the Couenant of workes: the second is the Couenant of grace.
Q. Where hath God reuealed his will about these Couenants?
A. In the books of holy Scriptures, wherein all things needefull to saluation are contained.
Q. What is the Couenant of workes?
A. That which promiseth life, vpon condition of perfect obedience to the Law.
Q. What doth the Law of God require of you?
A. To loue the Lord our God, with all our might: and our neighbour as our selues.
Q. Are you able to keepe this Law of God?
A. No: I breake it in thought, word, and deede.
Q. Did God create man vnable?
A. No, for in the Image of God created he him.
Q. How commeth mans nature to be disabled?
A. By the sinne and disobedience of our first parents Adam and Eue.
Q. What is sinne?
A. The breach of Gods Law.
Q. What is the punishment of sinne?
A. The curse of God, both on bodie and soule in this life, and that which is to come.
Q. Wherein then doth the misery of man consist?
A. First, in this, that by nature hee doth nothing, nor can doe nothing but sinne: Secondly, that for sinne hee lyeth vnder the wrath and curse of God.
Q. Is there then no hope to be saued by the Couenant of workes?
A. No, for by the workes of the Law shall no flesh liuing be iustified.
Q. What is the Couenant of Grace?
A. That which promiseth saluation to all penitent sinners, vpon condition of faith in Christ Iesus.
Q. Who are penitent sinners?
A. Those that finde, feele, and grieue that they are miserable by sinne.
Q. By whom are penitent sinners to looke for life and saluation?
A. Onely by Iesus Christ, who being God, became man, that he might bee a fit Mediator betwixt God and man.
Q. Why was he to be man?
A. That he might dye for vs.
Q. Why to be God?
A. That he might ouercome death, and that his death might bee a sufficient ransome for the sinnes of the whole world.
Q. What did Iesus Christ for you?
A. He did fulfill the law, & indure the curse of God for vs.
Q. Why did he so?
A. That we may bee iustified, [...]ti [...]ed and glorified.
Q. What is iustification?
A. Gods freeing vs from the guilt of [...]r s [...]es, for the merit of Christ, and his accepting vs as righteous vnto life i [...] him.
Q. What are the fruits of Iustification?
A. Reconciliation and Adoption.
Q. What is Reconciliation?
A. Our admittance into Gods loue and fauour.
Q. What is Adoption?
A. Gods accepting vs into the place and state of f [...]e [...].
Q. What is Sanctification?
A. Gods purging our hearts from the corruption of sinne: and his re [...]e [...] [...]g vs with holy qualities.
Q. What are the parts of Sanctification?
A. Mortification, which is the killing a subduing our corruptions: and vinifi [...]tion, which is the quickening in vs of [...]oly affections.
Q. What is Glorification?
A. Gods iudging our bodies and [...]les with euerlasting glory in heauen.
Q. Shall all men be made partakers of these benefits by Christ?
A. No, none but the true members [...] the Church?
Q. What is the Church?
A. The whole company of them that [...]e predestinate and called to life.
Q. How are the members of the Church to partake of these benefits?
A. Onely by a true and liuely fa [...]ith.
Q. What is faith?
A. A beliefe of the Gospell, whereby [...]e receiue and rest vpon Christ, offe [...] in the same for our saluation.
Q. What are the signes of faith?
A. Peace of conscience, hungring [...]er the Word; Newnesse of heart and [...].
Q. What are those publike ordinances thereby faith is wrought and increased [...] the heart?
A. The ministery of the Word, Sacraments, and Prayer.
Q. What is the ministery of the Word?
A. The Word of God read and preached by one called and appointed therevnto by God.
Q. What is Prayer?
A. The calling vpon God in the name of Christ Iesus.
Q. How many Sacraments hath Christ ordained in the Church?
A. Two onely, as generally necessary to saluation: that is to say, Baptisme and the Supper of the Lord.
Q. What meanest thou by this word Sacrament?
A. I meane, an outward and visible signe of an inward and spirituall grace giuen vnto vs, ordained by Christ himselfe, as a meanes whereby we receiue the same, and a pledge to assure vs therof.
Q. How many parts be there in a Sacrament?
A. Two: the outward visible signe, and the inward spirituall grace.
Q. What is the outward visible signe or forme in Baptisme?
A. Water: wherein the person baptized [Page]is dipped or sprinkled with it, in the Name of the Father, and of the Sonne, and of the holy Ghost.
Q. What is the inward and spirituall grace?
A. A death vnto sinne, and a new birth vnto righteousnesse: for being by nature borne in sinne, and the children of wrath, wee are hereby made the children of grace.
Q. What is required of persons to be baptized?
A. Repentance, whereby they forsake sinne: and faith, whereby they stedfastly beleeue the promises of God made to them in the Sacrament.
Q. Why then are infants baptized, when by reason of their tender age, they cannot performe them?
A. Yes, they doe performe them by their Sureties, who promise and vow them both in their names, which when they come to age, themselues are bound to performe.
Q. Why was the Sacrament of the Lords Supper ordained?
A. For the continuall remembrance of the Sacrifice of the death of Christ, and the benefits we receiue thereby.
Q. What is the outward part or sign [...] of the Lords Supper?
A. Bread and Wine; which the Lord hath commanded to bee receiued.
Q. What is the inward part or thing signified?
A. The body and blood of Christ, which are verily and indeede taken and receiued of the faithfull in the Lords Supper.
Q. What are the benefits whereof we are partakers thereby?
A. The strengthening & refrshing of our soules by the body & blood of Christ, as our bodies are by the Bread & Wine.
Q. What is required of them which come to the Lords Supper?
A. To examine them selues whether they repent them cruely of their former sinnes, stedfastly purposing to lead a new life, haue a liuely faith is Gods mercy through Christ, which a thankefull remembrance of his death, and [...]ee in Charitie with all men.
Q. How are those, who haue receiued so to beleeue, to walke as they may glorifie God?
Q. By the dayly practising of the duties of repentance and obedience.
Q. What is repentance?
A. A griefe of heart that wee haue [...]spleased God, with a stedfast pur [...]se and endeauour of amendment of [...].
Q. What is new obedience?
A. A constant desire and indeuour to [...]ow and performe all the Commandements of God.
Q. What shall bee the estate of those [...]hat thus walke, at the last day?
A. Their bodies being raised from the graue, shall be ioyned to their soules, [...] both shall liue in euerlasting happinesse and glory.
Q. What shall bee the estate of vnbeleeuers, impenitent and disobedient persons?
A. Their bodies also being raised from the graue, shall bee ioyned to their soules, and they both cast into euerlasting fire.