A BRIEFE SUMME OF Christian Religion.
Collected for a preparation to the Lords Supper.
Published for the benefit of the simpler sort of people of the Parish of Saint Lawrence.
BY THOMAS SANDERSON Doctor in Divinitie.
Teach a Child in the trade of his way, and when he is old he shall not depart from it.
As new borne Babes desire the sincere milke of the Word, that yee may grow thereby.
London, Printed by E. P. for F. Coules, at his shop in the Old-Bayly, neere the Sessions-house. 1640.
AN INTRODUCTION to the Lords Supper.
Question. WHo made you? Gen. 1.1. &c. Esay. 66.2. Acts 17.24. Iohn 4.24. Iohn 1.18. 1 Tim. 6.16. Exod. 33.20. Iob 11.7. Esay 40.12.13. &c. Esay 57.15. Rom. 1.20. Gen. 17.1. Iob 37.23. Esay 54.5. Deut. 4.35. & 6.4. Mat. 3.16.17. and 28.19. 1 Iohn 5.7. Pro. 16.4. Psal. 104. and 145.146. and 148.
A. GOD that made Man and all things in the beginning.
Q. What is God?
A. A Spirit, Invisible, Incomprehensible, Infinite, Eternall, and Almightie, One in nature and substance, but distinguished into thrée persons, namely the Father, the Sonne, and the holy Ghost.
Q. Why did God make all things?
A. For his owne glory.
Q. Why for his glory?
A. Because he is most worthy to be glorified, that onely was and is able to give glory to all things.
[Page] Q How doth man glorifie God?
A. By beléeving in him, and kéeping his Commandements. Iohn 15.1.
Q. What is to be beléeved of God?
A. The Articles of the Christian Fath comprehended in the Apostles Créed, which is, I beléeve in God, &c.
Q. Which are Gods Commandements, Exod. 20.1. Deut. 5.6. and how many be they?
A. Ten The same which GOD spake unto Moses and Israel, in the twentieth Chapter of Exodus, saying, I. I am the Lord thy God, &c.
Q. Can you kéepe these Commandements?
Rom. 2.9. Gal. 3.22. A. I cannot.
Q. What is due unto them that doe not keepe Gods Commandements?
Deut. 25.26. Rom. 4.15. Deut. 23.22. A. The Curse of the Law, the wrath of God, and therefore the vengeance of eternall fire.
Q. How will you then escape these things? Gal. 3.13. 1 Thes. 1.10. Ephes. 1.7. Acts 4.1.2.
A. By Iesus Christ, mine onely Redeemer and Saviour.
[Page] Q. Why, what did Christ for you?
A. Hée dyed for my sinnes, and rose againe for my justification. Rom. 4.25.
Q. What is Christ?
A. The Sonne of God. Mat. 16.16. and 17.5. Luke 4.14. Heb. 1.5. 1 Pet. 3.18.
Q. Why, how could the Sonne of God suffer death?
A. Hee suffred in his Man-hood: for hee is both God and Man in one person.
Q. How can that be? Rom. 1.3.4. Phil. 2.6, 7.
A. Yes very well: for as the bodie and the soule doe make but one Man: so God and man are but one Christ. A [...]hanas. Symb.
Q. How doe you know that Christ dyed and rose againe for you?
A. By Faith, because I verily beléeve it.
Q. Whence commeth faith?
A. It is the gift and worke of God, Phil. 1.29. Iohn 6.29. wrought in my heart by the Holy Ghost, who sanctifieth me and all GODS chosen Children. Iohn 12.13. Rom. 8.11. 1 Cor. 6.11. 2 Thes. 2.13.
Q. By what meanes doth the Holy Ghost worke faith in you?
[Page] A. By the Word of GOD, called the Old Testament and the New.
Q. How by the Word of God?
Iosu. 2.8. Iob 5.19. Acts 17.11. Esay 1.2. A. By reading and meditating, and conferring upon it: But most especially by hearing it preached and expounded unto me: as Saint Paul saith in the tenth Chapter to the Romans: ‘Faith commeth by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.’ Rom. 10.17.
Q. How is Faith strengthned and encreased?
A. By the same Word, and by the Sacraments. Acts 2.42.
Q What is a Sacrament?
A. It is an outward signe ordained by Christ, to signifie an inward and invisible Grace.
Q. How many Sacraments be there?
2 Cor. 11.12. Iohn 5.6. 1 Cor. 11.23. Mat. 28.16. Acts 8.38. & 10.47. A. Two: Baptisme, and the Lords Supper.
Q. What is Baptisme?
A. It is both an eternall or outward washing of the body with water: and also an inward and spirituall [Page] washing of our soules and bodies from sinne in the blood-shed and merits of our Lord IESVS Christ. 1 Cor. 12.13. Ephes. 5.26. Titus 3.5.
Q. So then the signe in Baptisme is Water: and the invisible Grace, is Regeneration or New birth, which we have of Iesus Christ. Is it not so?
A. It is so. For by Iesus Christ wee have both remission of our sins, and Sanctification from them, Col. 1.14. 1 Iohn 1.7. 1 Cor. 1.30. and that is Regeneration or New-birth.
Q. What is the Lords Supper?
A. It is the representation of his death and passion, under the visible signes of Bread and VVine. Luke 22.19. 1 Cor. 11.24.25.
Q. Why is it called the Lords Supper?
A. Because it was ordained by the Lord immediately after Supper, as a second banquet or spirituall Supper: Luke 22.29. 1 Cor. 11.25. For as our bodies doe feed upon naturall food: So our soules and bodies both are spiritually nourished with the spirituall Manna that came downe from [Page] heaven, which is our Lord Iesus Christ. Iohn 6.41. 1 Cor. 10.3.4.
Q. What is then received by you in this Supper?
A. Outwardly by the Mouth, Bread and Wine: But inwardly by faith in my heart, Mat. 26.2. 1 Cor. 10.21. Verse 16. the Body and Blood of Christ: and therefore it is also called the Lords Table, and the holy Communion.
Q. How can you doe this?
Mat. 26.27. & 27.26.29. Iohn. 19.34. Heb. 9.28. & 1.10. A. Thus: I doe stedfastly beleeve, that Iesus Christ the Sonne of God, is God and Man, and that his Body was broken, that is to say, whipped, scourged, and buffetted, and crucified, and pierced with a speare, and many wayes afflicted: and that his Blood gushed out, and flowed from him, to make a sacrifice to God, and satisfaction for my sinnes: and so féeding upon my Lord and Saviour spiritually by faith, I eate and drinke his body and blood.
Q. Then doe you not thinke that in this Bread and Wine there is present the very naturall Bodie [Page] and Blood of Christ, as hée was borne of the Virgin Mary?
A. No. God forbid. For his naturall Body is now ascended up into Heaven, and is glorified, Acts 1.9. and [...]itteth at the right hand of GOD the Father, Ephes. 7.55. Ephes. 1.10. Colos. 3. Acts 3.25. and from thence hée [...]hall not come till the end of the world.
Q. Is not Christ then present in the Sacrament?
A. Yes: Hee is truly and indeed represented unto our saith. For the breaking of the Bread signifieth his tormented body, and the powring out of the Wine, the shedding of his most precious Blood. 1 Cor. 10.16.
Q. Then me thinks there is a difference betwéene our common bread and wine which wee receive for our daily sustenance, and this Bread and Wine?
A. No doubt there is.
Q. What is that?
A. The Bread and Wine which wée commonly receive, doe nothing differ from these in substance, but onely in the use and end.
[Page] Q. How so?
A. For these wee take and use, to the end that our bodies onely may bee nourished: But these wee receive, to signifie the great mysterie of our Redemption purchased by Iesus Christ. And therefore they are called holy mysteries, because they lively set forth and seale the same unto us.
Q. Doe all that receive the Bread and Wine, also partake the Body and Blood of Christ?
A. No verily: For they that receive unworthily, eate and drinke their owne damnation, as Sain [...] Paul saith. Cor. 12.9.
Q. How then shall wee bee worth [...] receivers, and come to this Table a [...] wée ought to come?
A. If wee examine and prepare ou [...] selves. Ibid verse 28.
Q. How shall wée come prepared?
A. Observing foure things. First If wée have true repentance for ou [...] sinnes past. Secondly, If wee hav [...] a lively Faith in the death of ou [...] Lord Iesus Christ. 1 Repentance. 2 Faith. Thirdly, I [...] [Page] wée bée in love and charitie with all [...]uen, Fourthly, 3 Charity. 4 Thankfulnesse. If wee bee thankfull to our Almighty Saviour, for his great goodnesse declared in his holy Supper, as a sure pledge of his love: In respect of which duty of ours, it is called the Eucharist or Sacrament of thanksgiving.
Q. What is required in true Repentance?
A. Chiefly foure things: Confession, Contrition, Faith, and purpose of amendment. First, That wee acknowledge our selves sinners. Secondly, Psal. 32.5. 1 Iohn 1.9. Ioel 2.13. 2 Cor. 7.10. that wee be heartily and sincerely sory for our sins. Thirdly, that wee beleevee stedfastly for the merits Iesus Christ, they shall bee forgiven. Fourthly, Acts 10.13. that wee fully resolve, and purpose with our selves, never to commit them nor the like againe, but to lead the rest of our lives according to Gods holy will and commandements. Mat. 3.8.11. and 4.17. Ephes. 4.28. 2 Pet. 1.20. Heb. 10.26.
Q. What faith is heere required of you?
[Page] A. A speciall and peculiar faith, th [...] applyeth to my soule and conscien [...] the Body and Blood of Iesus Christ crucified and shed for me as truly [...] my mouth receiveth the Bread that broken▪ Iohn 6.47.48. &c. and the Wine that is powr [...] out.
Q Why is charity so necessary?
A. For these causes: first, becaus [...] our Saviour Christ commandeth it secondly, Mat. 5.13. because if we doe not from our hearts forgive one another, n [...] more will our heavenly Father fo [...] give us: thirdly, because the Supper doth signifie unto us, Mat. 61.8.5. and 18.35. first the unspeakeable love of Christ towards us, that gave himselfe fo [...] us. Gal. 1.4. Secondly, the uniting of u [...] all that are Gods Children, bot [...] with him our Head, and amon [...] our selves: And for that reason it i [...] called by the Apostle Paul, Iohn 1.3. 1 Cor. 10.16.17. Ibid. the Communion.
Q. Well, how shall we be thankfull
A. If we worship and serve God.
Q How ought GOD to be worshipped?
[Page] A. In spirit and truth. Iohn 4.25.
Q. How must we serve him?
[...]. With all our heart, and all our [...]ule, and all our minde, and all our [...]trength, and that not so much for [...]are as for love. Deut. 6.5. Mat. 22.27. Luke 1.74. Rom. 8.15.
Q. Are we able of our selves to per [...]rme these things?
[...]. No truly: But onely by the [...]rée Grace of GOD in Iesus Christ our Lord, without whom [...]ee can doe nothing: for whose [...]ke, 1 Iohn 15.5. whatsoever is done amisse [...] pardoned, and whatsoever is [...]eft undone, is supplied: 2 Cor. 5.22. For when wee have done all that we can [...]oe, wee are but unprofitable ser [...]ants. Luke 17.10.
Q. How will you obtaine the grace [...]f God?
A. By true and hearty prayer in the [...]ame and mediation of his Sonne Iesus Christ. Mat. 7.7. Luke 11.9. Iohn 14.13. & 16.23. Mat. 21.22. Marke 11.24. Iames. 1.6. Luke 1.81. Iames 5.16.
Q. How ought wee to pray that we may obtaine?
A. First, faithfully, with an assured trust in GODS mercies. Secondly, fervently, with an [Page] earnest desire and zeale to obtain [...] Thirdly, Rom. 12.12. Ephes. 5.18. 2 Thess. 5.17. continually, with godly perseverance and importunity, neve [...] fainting till wée be heard.
Q. What is the best forme of Prayer?
A. The same which is called th [...] Lords Prayer, because the Lord him selfe devised and delivered it t [...] his Disciples in the Gospell, saying When yée pray, pray thus:
Mat. 6.4. Luke▪ 11.2. ‘Our Father which art in heaven hallowed be thy name, &c.’
A Prayer.
ALmighty God, most gracious and loving Father, vouchsafe wee beseech thee, to lighten our minds with the knowledge of thy Truth, to mollifie our hearts with the dew of thy grace, to subdue our affections to the obedience of thy heavenly will: Forgiving our sinnes, and making us thankfull for all thy benefits, that we may live and dye in thy faith, feare, & love, through Jesus Christ our Lord and onely Saviour, Amen.
Laus Deo semper.