THE GROVNDS OF THAT DOCTRINE which is according to Godlinesse. Or A briefe and easie Catechisme, (gathered out of many other) with Graces and Prayers for them that want better helps.
By T. V. B. of D. Vicar of Cockfield in Southsex.
The second Edition.
LONDON. Printed by T.C. and R. C. for Michael Sparke, dwelling at the blue Bible in Greene Arbor. M.DC.XXX.
A Briefe Catechisme, with Prayers and GRACES.
CREATION.
Question.
WHo made you?
Answer. a God b Almightie, the c Maker and d Governour of all things.
[Page]2. Q. Wherefore did he make you?
A. To e serue him.
3. Q. How will God bee serued?
A. As he hath f appointed in his Lawes.
[...], The Doctrine of the Law.
4. Q. What be those Lawes of God?
A. The ten Commandements.
5. Q. Which bee they.
A. The same which God spake, Exod. 20.1. saying, I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Aegypt, out of the house of bondage:
1 Thou shalt haue none other gods but me.
2 Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any graven image, nor the likenesse of any thing that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth. Thou shalt not bowe downe to them, nor worship them. For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, and visit the sinnes of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate mee and shew mercy unto thousands in them that love me, and keepe my commandements.
3 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vaine: for the Lord will not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his Name in vaine.
[Page]4 Remember that thou keepe holy the Sabbath day. Six dayes shalt thou labour and doe all that thou hast to doe, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. In it thou shalt do no manner of work, thou and thy sonne, and thy daughter, thy man servant & thy maid servant, thy cattell, and the stranger that is within thy gates. For in six dayes the Lord made heauen and earth, the sea and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day. Wherefore the Lord bessed the seventh day, and hallowed it.
5 Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy dayes may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
6 Thou shalt doe no murther.
7 Thou shalt not commit adulterie.
8 Thou shalt not steale.
9 Thou shalt not beare false witnesse against thy neighbour.
10 Thou shalt not couet thy neighbours house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbours wife, nor his seruant, nor his maid, nor his oxe, nor his asse, nor any thing that is his.
[Page]6 Q. Canst thou keepe all these lawes without breaking them?
A. I desire to haue an eye vnto g all Gods Commandements, but such is the h wretchednesse of my sinfull nature, that i when I would doe good, evill is present with mee.
7. Q. What punishment is due for the breach of these Lawes?
A. The k curse of God, upon which followes l eternall destruction of body and soule.
REDEMPTION.
8. Q. HOw doe you escape this punishment?
A. By m Iesus Christ * alone, that eternall n Sonne of God.
9. Q. What hath Christ done to free thee from this punishment?
A. He hath suffered the torments of o death for mee.
[Page]10. Q. But seeing Christ was God, how could he die?
A. Christ Iesus was both p God and q man; and in that hee was God hee could not die; but being man he r dyed for my sinnes▪ and rose againe to make mee righteous.
[...], The Doctrine of Faith.
11. Q. Are all saved by Christs death?
A. No; none but s such as lay hold on him by a lively faith.
[Page]12. Q. What is a lively faith?
A. A lively faith is a t full perswasion of my heart grounded on Gods promises, that whatsoever Christ hath done for the salvation of man, hee hath done it as well u for mee as for any other.
[Page]13. Q. Where have you the summe of your faith?
A. In the Apostles Creed.
I. I beleeve in God, the Father Almightie, maker of heaven and earth.
II. And in Iesus Christ, his onely Son, our Lord.
III. Which was conceived by the holy Ghost, borne of the Virgin Mary.
IV. Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried, hee descended into hell.
V. The third day hee rose againe from the dead.
VI. He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almightie.
VII. From thence hee shall come to judge the quicke and the dead.
VIII. I beleeve in the holy Ghost.
IX. The holy Catholike Church, the Communion of Saints.
X. The forgiuenesse of sinnes.
XI. The resurrection of the body.
XII. And the life everlasting Amen.
SANCTIFICATION.
14. Q. HOw come you by faith?
A. It is the * gift of God, which the x Lord worketh by the secret operation of his Spirit in my heart, through the outward y preaching of the Word.
15. Q. How is faith increased in us?
A. By three meanes. z Preaching, a Prayer, and b Sacraments.
[...], The Doctrine of Preaching.
16. Q. What is Preaching?
A. Preaching is the c dividing of the Word aright by a d Minister thereunto e called.
[...], The Doctrine of Prayer.
17. Q. What is Prayer?
A. Prayer is the f opening of the hearts desire g unto God in the h name of Christ.
18. Q. After what manner ought you to pray?
A. As Christ taught his Disciples in that forme, commonly called the Lords Prayer. Our Father which art in heauen,
[Page]I. Hallowed be thy Name.
II. Thy kingdome come.
III. Thy will bee done in earth as it is in heaven.
IV. Giue us this day our daily bread.
V. And forgiue us our trespasses, as we forgiue them that trespasse against us.
VI. And leade us not into temptation, but deliver us from evill.
For thine is the kingdome, and the power, and the glory, for ever, and for ever. Amen.
[...], The Doctrine of the Sacraments.
19. Q. What be Sacraments?
A. Sacraments are i signes and k seales ordained l of God, for the strengthning of the faith of the remission of our sinnes, and of our salvation in Christ Iesus.
[Page]20. Q. How many Sacraments bee there?
A. Two onely in the new Testament, m Baptisme and the Lords Supper.
21. Q. What profit have you by Baptisme?
A. I beleeve, that n in Baptisme my sinnes are forgiven mee, for that as the water washeth away the filth of my [Page] body; so the o bloud of Christ p sprinkled upon my soule, doth q cleanse mee from all sinne.
22. Q. What profit have you by the use of the Lords Supper?
A. As I receiue the r bread and wine into my body, to become wholly mine: so I beleeve that my soule receiveth withall the s body and bloud of Christ Iesus, with his t righteousnesse to the u sealing up of my everlasting salvation by the holy Spirit.
[Page]23. Q. Seeing thou receivest such great benefits by the use of the Lords Supper, how oughtest thou to prepare thy selfe, that thou mayest be thought worthy to be partaker of those great blessings?
A. I must diligently sift and x examine my selfe.
[Page]24. Q. Of what things oughtest thou to examine thy selfe?
A. Of three things especially. 1. As concerning my faith, whether I y stand strongly in the true faith. 2. Concerning my repentance, which consists of z contrition and sorrow for sinne, with a hearty a confession and acknowledgement of it, an utter detestation and b forsaking of sinne, with a c resolution and purpose to liue godly hereafter. 3. Concerning my charitie, desiring to d reconcile my selfe to them whom I have offended, and e forgiuing from the f heart those that have offended me.
The Summe of the Catechisme, shewing most manifestly how one Question dependeth on another, all throughout.
GOd made mee, & he made mee to serve him, and I must serve him as he hath appointed in his Lawes; and those Lawes are commonly called the ten Commandements of God. These Commandements of God I confesse I am not able to keep, but by reason of the sinfulnesse of my nature doe breake them continually: and I acknowledge that for the breach thereof, the punishment due is the curse of God and eternall destruction. But my hope is, though I doe violate and breake Gods Precepts, to escape this punishment by Iesus Christ, that Emanuel, God and man in one person, who to free mee from this curse and destruction, hath, as hee was man, suffered the torments of death in my [Page] steed. Of these his sufferings I [...]eape the benefit, because I lay hold thereon, by a true and a lively faith, as belonging unto me. By this faith I liue as I am a Christian, and I acknowledge it not to spring from mine owne power or free-will, but to be the gift of God wrought in my heart by the secret operation of the Spirit through the ministery of the Word. And as it is thus wrought in my heart, so it is also increased and made strong by Preaching, which is dividing of the Word aright; by Prayer, which is the opening of the hearts desire to God, especially in that forme Christ hath taught me; and by the Sacraments, which are signes and seales ordained of God for the confirming of faith. Of these Sacraments I acknowledge onely two, to wit, Baptisme, wherein my sinnes are forgiven mee, and whereby I am entred and admitted into the Church; and the Lords Supper, whereby I am nourished up as a member of the Church, by eating of Christs body, and drinking of Christs bloud spiritually, to the sealing up [Page] of my everlasting salvation. These so great benefits that I receiue by the use of the Lords Supper, doe teach mee to prepare my selfe to come with all due reverence to the partaking of those holy mysteries; and that preparation is performed by examining of my selfe; and that examination must be especially about three things: 1. As concerning my faith: 2. As concerning my repentance: 3. As concerning my charitie.
- [Page] [...] The Doctrine of the Law.
- [...], The Doctrine of Faith.
- [...] The Doctrine of Preaching.
- [...], The Doctrine of Prayer.
- [...], The Doctrine of the Sacraments.
PRAYERS.
A Prayer in the morning at your rising.
I Laid me down and slept, and rose vp againe, for the Lord sustained me▪ Now I beseech the same Lord, even for Christs sake, who of his good grace hath preserued me this last night, and brought me safe to the light of this day, to keep me in his feare, that I may loue him heartily, and serve him since [...]ely from this time forth for evermore. Amen.
Or thus.
A short Meditation or Prayer, for the whol
[...] fore-noone, which you may often revolve in your minde, as you are at worke, or going about your businesse.
PSALME 119.5.
O Lord that my wayes were made so direct, that I might keepe thy Statutes; so should I not be confounded whilest I have respect unto all thy Commandements.
Or thus.
Grace before meat for one person.
LOrd blesse these good creatures of thine to my use, and sanctifie mee ever to thy holy service, through Iesus Christ my Lord and onely saviour.
Or thus,
Grace before meat for moe persons.
LOrd blesse us and these good gifts that we are about to receive of thy bounteous liberality, through the merits of our Lord & Sauiour Christ Iesus.
God save his Church, our King and Realme, God send us peace of conscience and life everlasting. Amen.
Or thus.
Grace after meat for one person.
LOrd I praise thy holy name for this good refreshing; I beseech thee good Lord make me truly thankfull for all thy loving mercies in Iesus Christ.
Or thus.
Grace after meat for moe persons.
THe Lord of heaven and earth, who hath created, redeemed, and presently fed us, be blessed and praised both now and evermore.
God save his Church, preserve the Kings Majesty, grant the Gospell a free passage, and hasten the comming of our [Page] Lord Christ Iesus. Amen.
Or thus.
A short Meditation or Prayer for the whole afternoone, which you may often say as you are at your worke, or going about your businesse.
PSAL. 143.10.
TEach me (O Lord) to do the thing that pleaseth thee, for thou art my God: let thy loving Spirit leade me forth into the land of righteousnesse. Quicken mee (O Lord) for thy names sake, and for thy righteousnesse sake bring my soule out of trouble.
Or thus.
A Prayer in the Evening at your going to bed.
MY bed is as a grave, and my sleepe is the image of death. Thou LORD, who onely knowest whether I shall awake againe, vouchsafe of thy gracious goodnesse, even for Christs sake, to receive mee to thy mercy; that, whether I wake or sleepe, I may bee thine. And in this confidence I will lay mee downe in peace and take my rest, for it is thou Lord onely that makest me dwell in safetie.
Or thus.
A Prayer to bee said before Catechizing.
OPen our eyes (O Lord) that wee may see the wonderous things of thy law: that by them, as by a glasse, wee may see our owne weaknesse, and by our weaknesse our wickednesse, & by them both, our wretchednesse. Then cause the sweet comforts & consolations contained in thy Gospell to shine into our soules by a true and a lively faith in Christ Iesus; beseeching thee to blesse all those thine own holy ordinances which thou hast given us for the increasing of that faith. And Lord grant that our dry and stony hearts may, by the sweet dewes & showers of thy heavenly Spirit effectually working in those ordinances, be so moistned and softened that as good ground they may be ever yeelding forth good fruit to the glorifying [Page] of thy Name, to the suppressing of sinne, and to the increasing of vertue, through Iesus Christ our Lord: to whom with the Father and the holy Spirit, be all glory and praise, now and for evermore. Amen.
Or this Psalme, which is all one in effect with the Prayer, may bee sung by the company, the master of the family beginning it
A Prayer to be said after Catechizing.
O Almighty Lord God, which hast taught us in thy holy Word how that thou hast Created us for thy service: wee pray thee give us grace to remember thee our Maker, even all our dayes, committing our soules unto thee in well-doing, as unto a faithfull Creator. Lord knit our hearts unto thee, that we may for ever feare thy Name.
[Page]And thou, most gracious Saviour, which hast wrought such a plentifull redemption for us: wee pray thee give us grace to live so much time as remaineth in the flesh, not to our selves, but to thee that hast redeemed us; knowing that wee were delivered out of the hands of our enemies, that wee might serve thee in holinesse and righteousnesse all the daies of our life.
And thou, O blessed Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, which bestowest that precious gift of faith upon us by which we live, and for the confirmation of that faith, hast set up the holy ordinances of Preaching, Prayers and Sacraments in the Church: wee humbly besech thee give us grace to make such a conscience in the use thereof, that our faith being thereby setled, we may have peace towards God through our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ: that so waiting upon thee in those holy means thou hast afforded us for our growth in pietie here, wee may for ever enjoy thy comfortable presence in that everlasting kingdome of glory hereafter. Amen and Amen.
The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the holy Ghost be with us all evermore. Amen.