THE FOVNDATION OF CHRISTIAN RELIGION GATHERED INTO SIXE Principles.
And it is to be learned of ignorant people, that they may be fit to heare Sermons with profit, and to receiue the Lords Supper with comfort.
The entrance into thy words sheweth light, and giueth vnderstanding to the simple.
Printed at London by Iohn Legate, Printer to the Vniuersitie of Cambridge. 1618.
To all ignorant people that desire to be instructed.
POore people, your manner is to soth vp your selues, as though you were in a most happy estate but if the matter come to a iust triall, it will fall out farre otherwise, For yee leade your liues in great ignorance, as may appeare by these common opinions which follow.
- 1 That faith is a mans good meaning and his seruing of God.
- 2 That God is serued by the rehearsing of the tenne commaundements, the Lords prayer, and the Creede.
- 3 That ye haue beleeued in Christ euer since you could remember.
- 4 That it is pitrie that hee should liue which doth any whit doubt of his saluation.
- 5 That none can tell whether he shall be saued or no certainely, but that all men must be of a good beliefe.
- 6 That howsoeuer a man liue, yet if hee call vpon God on his death bedde, and say, Lord haue mercy vpon mee, and so [Page]goe away like a lambe, hee is certainely ued.
- 7 That if any bee strangely visited, he is either taken with a planet, or bewitched.
- 8 That a man may lawfully sweare when hee speaketh nothing but the troth and sweares by nothing but that which is good, as by faith and troth.
- 9 That a preacher is a good man no longer then hee is in the Pulpit. They thinke all like themselues.
- 10 That a man may repent when hee will, because the Scripture saith, At what time soeuer a sinner doth repent him of his sinne, &c.
- 12 That it is an easier thing to please God, then to please our neighbour.
- 13 That yee can keepe the commandements as well as God will giue you leaue.
- 13 That it is safest to doe in religion as most doe.
- 14 That merry ballads and bookes, as Sk [...]ggin, Beuis of Southampton, &c. are good to driue away the time, and to remooue heart qualmes.
- 15 That yee serue God with all your hearts▪ and that you would be sorry else.
- [Page] 16 That a man need not heare so many Sermons, except hee could follow them better.
- 17 That a man which commeth at no Sermons, may as well beleeue, as hee which heares all the Sermons in the world.
- 18 That ye know all the Preacher can tell you. For hee can say nothing, but that euery man is a sinner that wee must loue our neighbours as our selues, that euery man must be saued by Christ: and all this ye can tell as well as he.
- 19 That it was a good world, when the old religion was, because all things were cheape.
- 20 That drinking and bezeling in the alehouse or tauerne is good fellowship, and shewes a good kind nature, and maintaines neighbourhood.
- 21 That a man may sweare by the Masse, because it is nothing now: and by [...] Lady, because shee it gone out of the countrey.
- 22 That euery man must bee for himselfe, and God for vs all.
- 23 That a man may make of his owne whatsoeuer he can.
- 24 That if a man remember to say [Page]his praiers in the morning (though he neuer vnderstand them) hee hath blessed himselfe for all the day following.
- 25 That a man praieth when hee saith the ten commandements.
- 26 That a man eates his maker in the Sacrament.
- 27 That if a man be no adulterer, no theefe, no murtherer, & do no man harme, he is a right honest man.
- 28 That a man neede not to haue any knowledge of religion, because he is not book-learned.
- 29 That one may haue a good meaning when hee saith and doth that which is euill.
- 30 That a man may goe to wizzards, called wise men, for counsell: because God hath prouided a salue for euery sore.
- 31 That yee are to bee excused in all your doings, because the best men are sinners.
- 32 That yee haue so strong a faith in Christ, that no euill company can hurt you.
These and such like sayings, what argue they but your grosse ignorance? Now where [Page]ignorance raineth, there raignes sin: and where sinne raignes, there the diuell rules: and where he rules, men are in a damnable case.
Ye will reply vnto me thus that yee are not so bad as I would make you. If neede be you can say the Creed, the Lords praier, & the ten Commandements: and therfore ye will be of Gods beliefe, say all men what they will, and you defie the dinell from your hearts.
I answer againe, that it is not sufficient to say all these without booke, vnles ye can vnderstand the meaning of the words, and be able to make a right vse of the commandements, of the Creed, of the Lords prayer, by applying them inwardly to your hearts and consciences, and outwardly to your liues and conuersation. This is the very point in which ye faile.
And for a helpe in this your ignorance, to bring you to true knowledge, vnfained faith and sound repentance, heere I haue set downe the principall points of Christian Religion in sixe plaine and easie rules: euen such as the simplest may easily learne: and hereunto is adioyned an exposition of them word by word. If yee doe want other good directions, then vse this my labour for your good instruction. In reading of it, first learne the sixe principles: and when you haue them without booke, and the meaning of the withall, then learne the exposition [Page]also: which beeing well conceiued, and in some me asure felt in the heart, ye shall be able to profit by Sermons, whereas now ye cannot: and the ordinary parts of the Catechisme, namely, the ten Commandements, the Creeds, the Lords prayer, and the institution of the two Sacraments, shall more easily be vnderstood.
The Foundation of Christian Religion gathered into sixe Principles.
The first Principle,
Question. VVHat doest thou beleeue concerning God?
A. There is one God, Creator and gouernor of all things, distinguished into the Father, the Sonne, and the holy Ghost.
Proofes out of the word of God.
1. There is a God.
For the inuisible things of him, that is, his eternall power and Godhead,Rom. 1.20 are seene by the creation of the world, beeing considered in his workes, to the intent that they should be without excuse.
Neuerthelesse, hee left not himselfe without witnesse, in thou be did good,Act. 14.17 and gaue vs rame from heauen, and fruitfull seasons, fulfilling our hearts with foode and gladnesse.
2. There is one God.
1. Cor. 8.4Concerning therefore meates sacrificed to [Page 2]idols, wee know that an idoll is nothing in the world: and that there is none other God but one.
3. He is Creator of all things.
In the beginning God created the heauens and the earth. [...]en. 1.1.
Through faith we vnderstand, that the world was ordained by the word of God: [...]eb. 11.5. so that the things which we see, are not made of things which did appeare.
4. He is gouernour of all things.
The eies of the Lord in euery place behold the euill and the good. [...]rou. 15.3.
Yea, and all the haires of our heads are numbred.Mat. 10.30.
5. Distinguished into the Father, the Sonne, and the holy Ghost.
And Iesus when hee was baptized, came straight out of the water:Mat. 3.16. and loe, the heauens were opened vnto him, and Iohn saw the Spirit of God descending like a Doue, and lighting vpon him.
And loe a voice came from heauen, saying, This is my wel beloued Sonne,Verse 17. in whom I am well pleased.
For there are three which beare record in heauen,1. Ioh. 5.7. the Father, the Word, and the holy Ghost, and these three are one.
The second Principle.
Q. What doest thou beleeue concerning man and concerning thine owne selfe.
A. All men are wholly corrupted with sinne through Adams fall, and so are become slaues of Satan, and guilty of eternall damnation.
1. All men are corrupted with sinne.
As it is written, There is none righteous,Rom. 3.10 no not one.
2. They are wholly corrupted.
Now the very God of peace sanctifie you throughout, 1. Thes 5.13. and I pray God that your whole spirit, and soule, and bodie, may bee kept blamelesse vnto the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ.
This I say therefore and testifie in the Lord, that yee hencefoorth walke not as other Gentiles walke in vanity of their minde.Eph. 4.17.
Hauing their cogitation darkened,Vers. 18. and beeing strangers from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardues of their hearts.
When the Lord saw that the wickednesse of man was great in the earth,Gen. 6.5. and all the imaginations of the thought of his heart were onely euill continually.
[Page 4] 3. Through Adams fall.
Wherefore as by one man, sinne entred int [...] the world, and death by sinne, and so dea [...] went ouer all men, [...]om. 5.21. for so much as all men hau [...] sinned.
4. And so are become slaues of Satan.
Wherein in times past ye walked according to the course of the world,Eph. 2.2. and after the Princ [...] that ruleth in the aire, euen the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.
For as much then as the children were partakers of flesh and blood,Heb. 2.14. hee also himselfe likewise tooke part with them that he might destroy through death, him that had the power of death, that is, the diuell.
In whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds,2. Cor. 4. that is, of Infidels, that the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, which is the image of God, should not shine vnto them.
5. And guilty of eternall damnation.
For as many as are of the workes of the law,Gal. 3.10. are vnder the curse: for it is written, Cursed is euery man that continueth not in all things, which are written in the booke of the law, to doe them. Likewise then as by [Page 5]the offence of one, the fault came on all men to [...]ondemnation: so by the iustifying of one, the [...]enefit abounded toward all men to the instifi [...]ation of life.Rom. 5.1
The third Principle.
Q. What meanes is there for thee to escape this damnable estate?
A. Iesus Christ the eternall Sonne of God, being made man, by his death vpon the crosse, and by his righteousnes, hath perfectly alone by himselfe, accomplished all things that are needfull for the saluation of man.
1. Iesus Christ the eternall Sonne of God.
And the word was made flesh, and dwelt among vs, and wee saw the glory thereof,Ioh. 1.14. as the glory of the onely begotten (Sonne) of the Father, full of grace and truth.
2. Being made man.
For hee in no sort tooke the Angels, but hee tooke the seede of Abraham.Heb. 2.16.
3. By his death vpon the crosse.
But he was wounded for our transgressions,Esa. 53.5. hee was broken for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was vpon him, and with his stripes weare healed.
4. And by his righteousnesse.
Rom. 5.15For as by one mans desobedience many [Page]were made sinners, so by the obedience of one sha [...] many also be made righteous.
For he hath made him to be sin for vs, which knew no sinne,Cor. 5.21 that we should bee made the righteousnesse of God in him.
5. Hath perfectly
Wherfore he is also able perfectly to saue them that come vnto God by him, [...]eb. 7.27. seeing hee euer liueth to make intercession for them.
6. Alone by himselfe.
Neither is there saluation in any other for among men there is giuen none other name vnder auen, [...]ct. 4 12. whereby we must be saued.
7. Accomplished all things needfull for the saluation of mankinde.
And he is the reconciliation for our sinnes: and not for ours onely,1. Ioh. 2.2. but also for the sins of the whole world.
The fourth Principle.
Q. But how maiest thou be made partaker of Christ and his benefits?
A. A man of a contrite and humble spirit, by faith alone apprehending and applying Christ with all his merits vnto himselfe, is iustified before God, and sanctified.
1. A man of contrite and humble spirit.
For thus saith hee that is high and excellent, Hee that inhabiteth the eternitie,Esa. 57.1 [...] whose name is the holy one; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to reuiue the Spirit of the humble, and to giue life to them that are of a contrite heart.
The sacrifices of God, are a contrite spirit,Psal. 51.1. a contrite and a broken heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
2. By faith alone.
As soone as Iesus heard that word spoken, he said vnto the ruler of the Synagogue,Mark. 5.3. Bee not afraid, onely beleeue.
So Moses made a serpent of brasse, and set it vp for a signe,Numb. 21 19. and when a Serpent had bitten a man, then hee looked to the Serpent of brasse, and liued.
And as Moses lift vp the Serpent in the wildernesse,Ioh. 3.14. so must the Sonne of man bee lifted vp.
That whosoeuer beleeueth in him,Verse 15. should not perish, but haue eternall life.
3. Apprehending and applying Christ with all his merits vnto himselfe.
But as many as recciued him,Ioh. 1.12. to them hee gaue