A NEW CATECHISME: Very usefull for persons of meanest capacity and shortest memory, and for them onely composed:
And since fitted to the Directions concerning suspension from the Lords Supper, in case of ignorance, and published.
Precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, and there a little.
That the minde be without knowledge, it is not good.
The Lord Iesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty Angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Iesus Christ.
By T. Mocket, Master of Arts.
London, Printed by A. M. for Christopher Meredith, at the Crane in Pauls Church-yard, 1647.
A NEW CATECHISME.
Question. WHat think you of the Bible or holy Scriptures?
A. They are the very Word of God, and most infallibly true, 2 Tim. 3.16, 17.
Q. What is God?
A. He is Almighty, the maker [Page 2]and governour of all things, Gen. 11. & 17. 1. Psal. 103.19.
Q. How many Gods be there?
A. Only one God and three persons, the Father, Sonne, and Holy Ghost, Eph [...]s. 4.6. Mat. 28.19.
Q. How did God make man?
A. Marvellous holy and happy, Eccles. 7.29 or 31.
Q. Why say you man was made holy?
A. Because he was made after the image of God, in knowledge, righteousnesse, and true holinesse, Gen. 1.26. Col. 3 10. Ephes. 4.23, 24.
Q. Did man continue in that good estate?
A. No, but he fell away by the inticement of Satan, Gen. 3.1, &c. 1 Tim. 2.14.
Q What was the sinne he did commit?
A. Disobedience against God, in eating of the forbidden fruit, Gen. 3.6. Rom. 5.12, 14.
Q. What is the estate of all men by nature?
A. Exceeding sinfull and miserable, Ephes. 2.1.2.
Q How came we to be so?
A. By Adams sinne and fall, for we were all in his loyns, Rom. 5.12. 1 Cor. 15.22.
Q. How else?
A. By our own transgressing the Commandements of God. And so do all that are of years of discretion.
Q. Which be they, and how many?
A. Ten, Exod. 20.1. Deut. 10.4.
1. Thou shalt have none other gods but me.
2. Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven image, nor [Page 4]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 bow down 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 me, and shew mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandements.
3. Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his Name in vain.
4. Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath-day. Six [Page 5]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 doe no manner of worke, thou, and thy sonne, and thy daughter, thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, thy cattel, and the stranger that is within thy gates. For in six dayes the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; Wherefore the Lord blessed 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 murder.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8. Thou shalt not steal.
9. Thou shalt not beare false witnesse against thy neighbour.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbours house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbours wife, nor his servant, nor his maid, nor his Oxe, nor his Asse, nor any thing that is his.
Q. Can you keep these Commandements?
A. No, I break them daily, in thought, word and deed, Iam, 3.2. Eccles. 7.20.
Q. What punishment is due unto you, and all men by reason of sin?
A. Everlasting damnation both in soul and body, beside all the miseries of this life, Rom. 6.23.
Q. How shall you escape this misery?
A. Onely by Jesus Christ, Act. 4.12.
Q. What is Iesus Christ?
A. The Eternall Sonne of God, Matth. 17.5. Ioh. 1.18.
Q. What did he doe that you think to be saved by him?
A. He suffered death to satisfie Gods justice for mans sinnes; also he did perfectly fulfill the Law of God for us, Rom. 4.25. Mat. 5.17.
Q. Being God, how could he dye?
A. He was both God and man in one person, Ioh. 1.14.
Q. How shall you be made partaker of Christ and all his benefits, and so be saved?
A. By faith alone, Ioh. 3.16. Mark. 16.16.
Q. Being guilty of sinne, and therefore subject to eternall damnation, how doe you think to be justified, and [Page 8]so freed from sinne and damnation?
A. By the righteousnesse of Christ alone, Rom. 3.20, 24, 28.
Q. How shall we be made partakers of Christs righteousnesse?
A. By Faith in Christ, Rom. 3.28.
Q What is Faith?
A. It is a grace of God, whereby we beleeve and trust in God for remission of sinnes and everlasting life, according to the promise of the Gospel.
Q. What is the promise of the Gospel?
A. He that beleeveth shall be saved: and he that beleeveth not shall be damned, Mark 16.16. Ioh. 3.16.
Q. What are you to beleeve? Rehearse the summe and articles of your faith?
A. I beleeve in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven [Page 9]and earth. And in Iesus Christ his onely Sonne our Lord, which was conceived by the holy Ghost, borne of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried, he descended into hell, the third day he rose again from the dead, he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Allmighty, from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I beleeve in the holy Ghost, the holy Catholike Church, the communion of Saints, the forgivenesse of sinnes, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
Q. What is meant by descended into hell?
A. Not that he went down into hell, but that he remained a while in the state of the dead, the body in the grave, and the soul in Paradise or Heaven. Or, that he suffered torments aequivalent to the pains of hell, and such as no meer mortall man could suffer.
Q. How come men by faith? is it borne and bred in us?
A. No, the holy Ghost doth worke faith in the heart by the preaching of the Word. Rom. 10.14, 17.
Q. What means hath God appointed to increase faith?
A. The preaching of the Word, the Sacraments, and earnest prayer.
Q What is a Sacrament?
A. A seal of the Covenant of grace, Rom. 4.11.
Q. What is the covenant of grace?
A. It is a covenant of saving man, by Faith in Jesus Christ, [Page 11]wherein God promises to be our God, and we do binde our selves to be a faithfull, obedient people unto him, Ier. 31.33.
Q. How many Sacraments are there?
A. Two only, Baptisme. and the Lords Supper, Mat. 28.19. & 26.26.
Q. What doth Baptisme signifie?
A. The washing away of sinne from the soul by the blood of Jesus Christ, and so our justification and sanctification, Mark. 1.4. Act. 2.38. Tit. 3.5.
Q. What doth Baptisme binde you to doe?
A. To beleeve in Christ, to leave all sinne, and live holily, according to the commandements of God, Act. 8.37. Mat. 3.8. Rom 6.4.
Q. What doth the bread and wine signifie in the Lords Supper?
A. The body and blood of Christ [Page 12]crucified, and all the benifits of his death and suffering, Mat. 26.26. and 28.
Q. What doth the breaking of the bread, and pouring out of the wine in the Sacrament signifi [...]?
A. That his body was broken, and his bloud shed for our sinnes, Rom. 4 25. 1 Cor. 11.24, 25.
Q How must we receive Christ and all his benefi [...]s in the Sacrament?
A. Only by faith, as the hand and the mouth of the soul to receive and feed upon Christ spiritually, Iohn. 1.12.
Q What is the danger of unworthy receiving?
A. Vnworthy receivers are guilty of the prophanation of the body and blood of Christ, and so make themselves guilty of damnation, 1 Cor. 11.27. [...]9, 30.
Q. What then is required to the right receiving of the Lords Supper?
A. Five things, Knowledge, Faith, Repentance, Love to God and our neighbour, and a hungering after Christ in the Sacrament.
Q What must you do when you rae to come to the Lords Table?
A. Examine my sinnes, also whether I have saving knowledge, faith, repentance, love, and an hungring after Christ in the Sacrament, 1. Cor. 11.28
Q. How may you know that you have aright knowledge of God, and of your self?
A. When I see and feel my self to be a lost creature without Christ, desire Christ above all things in the world, and am carefull to obey God in all things out of conscience to his command.
Q How shall you know whether you have true faith or no?
A. My faith is a saving faith. 1. If I prize Christ above all things. [Page 14]2. If I love God sincerely for himself, and 3. be carefull to live holily according to the will of God.
Q. How shall you know that you do truly repent of your sinnes?
A. 1. When I am heartily grieved for my sins, because sins, and displeasing to God, 2. When I hate and abhorre them, 3. Doe also leave them, 4. By my feare to sin against God, and 5. By my care to live holily in all my wayes.
Q. How shall you know that you doe truly love God?
A. By my care to keep his Commandements, and by my hearty love to the godly, 1 Ioh. 5.1, and 3.
Q. How shall you know that you love the godly as you ought?
A. VVhen I love them chiefly for their godlinesse and holinesse.
Q. How shall you know that you truly love, and are in charity with your neighbours?
A. By this, 1. That I do from my heart forgive my neighbour that hath wronged me. And 2. Am ready to do any office of love for him.
Q. How shall you know whether you hunger after Christ in the Sacrament?
A. By this, that I see my want of Christ, and therefore do desire to receive the Sacrament, that I may be farther partaker of Christ and his grace, Mat. 5.6. Rev. 22.17.
Q. Why was the Sacrament ordained? and why do you desire to receive it?
A. 1. To confirm and increase faith and all saving grace in me. 2. To keep in remembrance what Christ hath done and suffered for me, and his great love to me, and 3. To testifie my love to others, 1 Cor. 11.24, 26. & 12.13.
Q. What must you doe after you have received?
A. I must endeavour to finde in me an increase of faith, love and all saving graces, and to abound more and more in all well doing, Prov. 4.18.
Q. Whence have we all the grace we have?
A. From that fullnesse that is in Jesus Christ, by the right use of his ordinance.
Q. What shall become of those that do not beleeve in Iesus Christ, and also sorrow for their sinnes, turne from them to the Lord, & live holily?
A. They shall surely perish for ever Mark 16.16. Luk. 13.3 5.
Q. What becomes of the soule after death?
A. The souls of all the faithfull after death, do goe immediately to heaven, and there live with Christ in blessednes, Luk. 16.2 [...]. & 23.43.
Q. What becomes of the souls of the wicked after death?
A. The souls of the wicked after death goe immediatly to hell fire, and must suffer there for ever with the divels. Luk 16.22, 23. Mat. 25. ver. 41 & 46.
Q. What shall become of the bodies of all men?
A. The bodies of all men shall by the power of God, be raised up again at the last day.
Q. And what shall then become of them?
A. They shall all appeare before the judgement seat of Christ, to receive according to that they have done in the body, whether it be good or evil, 2 Cor. 5.10.
Q. What shall become of the bodies of the Godly?
A. They shall goe into everlasting life and blessednesse, Mat. 25.34 & 46.
Q. What shall become of the wicked?
A. They shall goe into everlasting punishment, Matth. 25.41, and 46,
Q. What rule of direction is there according to which all ought to pray?
A. The generall rule is the Word of God, the more speciall is the Lords Prayer, Mat. 6.9.
Q. Rehearse that.
A. Our Father which art in heaven. Hallowed be thy Name. Thy Kingdome come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespasse against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver usfrom evil, Amen.
Q. What doth this prayer contain?
A. Three parts, 1. a preface, the [Page 19]prayer it self, and the conclusion.
Q. Which words are the preface?
A. Our Father which art in heaven.
Q. Which are the prayer it self?
A. Hallowed be thy name, &c.
Q How many parts doth the prayer it self contain?
A. 1. Six petitions, whereof the three first concern God, and the three last our selves, and 2, a thanksgiving.
Q. In which words is the conclusion?
A. In the word Amen: which signifies so be it, and so it is.
Q. Is it enough to serve God in publike only?
A. No, but all must serve God in private also, by praying unto him, thanking him for his benefits, and reading of his Word: also meditation on his word and works, and singing of Psalms, are godly [Page 20]Christian private duties, Psal. 55.17. Dan. 6.10. Deut. 17. 19. Col. 3.16.
Q. And will you promiseto doe your true endeavour, to grow in knowledge, to leave all sinne, and walk according to the commandmnets of God as it becomes a true Christian?
A. I will, God inabling me.