The Key of Knowledge, Catechism 2 – Title page 3
THE SECOND Forme of Doctrine, or the young mans Catechisme.
PAul.
Quest. 1What is Catechisme, & wherunto may it bee compared?
Gamaliel.
Answ.It cannot better bee defined then out of Heb. 6. 1. The principles of the doctrine of Christ: and it may be fitly compared to Sampsons haire, wherein was both strength and beauty, for so ought catechisme be strong in precepts, beautifull in order and method.
Paul.
Quest. 2What is Christian doctrine usually called, and how may it be defined?
Gamaliel.
Answ.It is most usually called either Religion, or Divinitie, and may bee defined to be the Art or science of beleeving aright, and of living well.
Paul.
Quest. 3How many parts are there then of Religion?
Gamal.
Answ.Two, which Saint Paul Titus 1. verse 1. calls TRVTH, and GODLINES, and they are the two pillars or supporters of Gods house, the shaking of either of which ruines the building.
Paul.
Que. 4.Where may bee found united, and gathered together those principall and fundamentall Truths, which a Christian is to believe to salvation.
Gamal.
Answ.They are abridged and contracted into the Apostles Creed, and are first, capable of this distinction, that they either concerne God, or the Church of God.
Paul.
Qu. 5.Which is the grand truth wee are to embrace concerning God?
Gamal.
Ans.That in regard of nature, essence, and being there is but one God, yet in regard of divine relation, and reall respects, in that one Godhead there are three persons.
Paul.
Qu. 6.Describe mee the nature and essence of God, so farre as he may (as it were through a glasse) he seene, and comprehended of our weake capacities.
Gamal.
Ans.God is that most absolute, and first being, whose proper Attributes are, 1 Simplicitie, 2 Eternitie, 3 Immensitie, 4 Perfection, 5 Immutability, 6 Immortality, 7 Goodnesse,8 Justice, 9 Truth,10 Holinesse,11 Omnipotency, 12 liberty or freedome, and lastly, glory and majestie.
Paul.
Qu. 7.What now is that you call a person of the God-head?
Gamal.
Answ.It is a relation or respect, which taketh nothing from, nor addeth any thing to the divine essence, but onelyonly distinguisheth the Father, Son, and holy Ghost among themselves, and one from another, every one of them having both his incommunicable propriety, or nature, and every one of them having his owne incommunicable worke, or Counsell.
Paul.
Qu. 8.Which is the incommunicable propriety or nature of the Father, the first of the three persons?
Gamal.
Answ.To beget, and not be begotten.
Paul.
Quest. 9What is the Fathers proper and incommunicable worke or counsell?
Gamal.
Answ.Creation, for by his Almighty power in making heaven and earth, hee cast out vacuitie and emptinesse, that great enemy of nature, and by his providence, which is a continued creation, hee keepeth it out still.
Paul.
Que. 10Which is the peculiar property of the sonne who is the second person in order, and manner of subsistence?
Gamal.
Answ.His relative propertie is to be begotten.
Paul.
Que. 11Which is his peculiar worke?
Gamaliel.
Answ.Redemption, which is a stisfaction made to the justice of God for the sinne of man: in which regard, he hath 4. stiles in the Creed, 1. Iesus to note his office of mediatorship in generall, 2. Christ, to denote his three particular offices, sacerdotall, propheticall, and royall, 3. Sonne, to note his order and manner of subsistence, fourthly and lastly, Lord, to note his purchase.
Paul.
Q. 12How is our Redemption wrought?
Gamal.
Answ.Partly by the Humiliation, and partly by the Exaltation of the sonne of God, the severall degrees of which twaine are accurately and punctually folded up in the very body of the said Creed, &c.
Paul.
Que. 13Which bee the severall degrees of his Humilation?
Gamal.
Ans.They bee sixe in number, and are thus to bee enumerated in order, 1. his Conception [hee was conceived by the holy Ghost] 2. his nativity [borne of the Virgin Mary] 3. his passion [suffered under Pontius Pilate] 4. his crucifixion, which was the extremity of his passion [was crucified] 5. his death [dead] 6. his buriall [and buried] through all which severall degrees of sorrow he passed, and was pressed with them as a cart with sheaves, that he might beare our sinnes, and heale our infirmities.
Paul.
Que. 14Which be the severall degrees of his Exaltation?
Gamal.
Answ.They be five in number, and are thus to bee reckoned; 1. his triumph over Hell [hee descended into hell] 2. his Resurrection [hee rose againe the third day] 3. his Ascention [hee ascended into heaven] 4. his session at his Fathers right hand [there he sits at the right hand of God] 5. his office of judicature [from thence hee shall come to judge both the quicke and the dead]
Paul.
Que. 15What is the relative property of the Holy Ghost, the third person in manner of subsisting?
Gamal.
Answ.To proceed.
Paul.
Que. 16What is his proper worke?
Gamal.
Answ.Sanctification, or application, for Christ having prepared the remedie leaves it to bee applied by the sanctification of his spirit, and as hee justifies us by his merit, so hee sanctifies us by his Spirit.
Paul.
Que. 17Having seene those fundamentall truths which concerne God, and being now come to those which concerne the Church of God, tell mee what a Christian is bound to beleeve concerning the Church?
Gamal.
Answer.That it is a company of beleevers united to Christ by faith here, and by vision hereafter: and that the said company is invested with a double property, to wit, first, it is holy in regard of the holinesse both of the outward meanes, and inward worke of the Spirit: and secondly it is Catholique and universall in regard both of time, persons, and places.
Paul.
Que. 18What are the benefits which arise to us from our being members of this holy Catholike Church?
Gamal.
Ans.Foure, two whereof accrew in this life, to wit first, Communion of Saints, that is, that fellowship wee have both with Christ, and all his members, in grace, and glory; secondly, Remission of sinnes, both incovering and curing them: and other two in the life to come, first Resnrrection of the body, when that which is sowne in corruption riseth againe in incorruption; secondly, Life everlasting, when there shall be a necessary absence of all evill, and a necessary presence of all good.
Paul.
Qu. 19Having learned the TRVTH of Religion, I desire now to goe on to the second part, the GODLINESSE of it, tell mee first therefore I pray you, how it may best be divided.
Gama.
Answ.Into three heads, first, our walking with God, in holy obedience, according to the ten precepts of the decalogue. Secondly, our Talking with him in devout prayer, according to the seven petitions of the Lords prayer. Thirdly; our Receiving from him in the two Sacraments of the new Testament.
Paul.
Qu. 20How is our walking with God according to the Law distributed?
Gama.
Answ.Either into Holinesse, which is our immediate worship of God required in the first table of the law, or into Righteousnesse, whereby God is mediately served through the love to our neighbour, as is required in the latter table.
Paul.
Que. 11.On how many feet stands the first table of the Law, which concernes our duty towards God?
Gamal.
Answ.On foure;for it enjoyneth 1. that wee place and bestow divine worship on none, but the onelyonly true God, choosing him to be our Jehovah, and to set our heart upon. Precept 1. 2. that we worship him with his owne prescribed worship, and not after our owne Imaginations or devices, Precept 2. 3. that wee shew him due externall reverence also, in transacting his worship and service, Precept 3. 4. in regard of the time, that wee performe it especially, and more solemnely on the Lords day, Precept 4.
Paul.
Que. 22On how many feet doth the second table stand, which concernes our duty to man?
Gamal.
Answ.On sixe, for it enjoyneth, 1. that wee be diligent in all offices, and duties towards our superiours, inferiours, and equals, Precept 5. 2. that wee preserve life and health, both of our selves, and our neighbour, to Gods glory, and the good both of Church and Common-weale, Precept 6. 3. that wee preserve and keepe both inward chastity of heart, and the outward of the body, Precept 7. 4. that wee preserve the estate and livelyhood both of our selves and neighbour, to our owne comfort, and the good of others, Precept 8. 5. that wee beare up, and maintaine our owne and others fame and credit, accompting it as a precious ointment, Precept 9. Lastly, that we resist and suppresse in the first risings thereof, all concupiscence, and evill motions, though they bee before consent of will, Precept 10.
Paul.
Qu. 23.Tell me now what prayer, or holy talking with God is, which was proposed to be the second part of Godlinesse?
Gamal.
Answ.It is a moving of God the father,in the name of his Sonne, by the power of his holy Spirit, for such things as are agreeable to his will! the best president and platforme whereof is the Lords prayer.
Paul.
Que. 24How is this prayer divided?
Gamal.
Answ.Into 4. parts, 1. the preface or preparation to prayer, Our Father which art in heauen. 2. the petitions or things asked, Hallowed be &c. 3. the doxologie, or thanksgiving, for thine is &c. 4. the seale, or conclusion, Amen.
Paul.
Que. 25The petitions being the chiefe part,how many are they in number, and how are they to be divided?
Gamal.
Answ.They be six, and are usually referred to two heads, namely those that concerne God, which are the three first, and those which concerne our selves, which are the three last.
Paul.
Que. 26How doe you subdivide those 3.first which concerne God?
Gamal.
Answ.They either concerne his glory (1 Petition) where we pray that his name (which is himselfe) may be magnified, and hallowed: or else they concerne the meanes of his glory (Petition 2 and 3) where wee pray for the comming of his Kingdome, both of power, grace, and glory, and for the doing of his will, both by us in active obedience, and upon us in passive.
Paul.
Que. 27How doe you subdivide the three last petitions, which concerne our selves.
Gamal.
Answ.They are either such as concerne this life, (petit. 4.) as the asking of daily bread, under which is comprehended all thinges necessary for our naturall life: or else they concerne the life to come, as the asking remission of sinnes, in regard of what is past (petit. 5.) and deliverance of temptation, and the evill thereof, in regard of what is to come (petition 6.)
Paul.
Que. 28Wee are now come to the third and last piece of Pietie, the receiving the Sacraments, tell mee therefore what a Sacrament is, and how many there bee?
Gamal.
Answ.A Sacrament cannot better bee defined, then out of Romans 4. and 11. a seale of the righteousnesse by Faith: of which there are onelyonly two, properly so called, Baptisme, and the Lords Supper.
Paul.
Que. 29What is Baptisme?
Gamal.
Answ.A Sacrament of entring us into Christianitie or of engrafting us into Christ, consisting of the outward signe, which is dipping in, or sprinckling with water; and of the inward grace, which is washing away of our sinnes, by our sanctification in the blood of Christ.
Paul.
Qu. 30What is the Lords Supper?
Gamal.
Ans.A Sacrament of our continuance and growth in Christianitie, consisting also of the outward visible signes of bread and wine proportionate to the inward and invisible Grace of Christs blessed body and blood eaten, and digested by faith.
Paul.
Que. 31At the first you compared Catechisme to Sampsons haire, which was strong and faire: as therfore you have given mee a sufficient tast of the strength of it, in being the very pith and marrow of the Oracles of God, so now I pray you shew mee the beauty and fairenesse of it, in the order and method thereof.
Gamal.
Answ.First wee did begin with Faith, by which wee live; secondly we did come to the Law, by which wee walke; thirdly we proceeded on to Prayer, least wee should faint in faith, or waxe weary of good works; Lastly, finding faith but weake, obedience imperfect, and prayers cold and distracted, wee have the obsignation of the Sacraments which are as Gods seales to secure our estate in him: which also is observed to bee the very methode and oeconomie of th' authorized Catechisme of the Church of England.
FINIS.
A Theologicall Circle, OR THE WHOLE BOdy of Divinity, cast into the mould of the yeere, that is into 52. Questions and Answers, according to the number of Lords Daies.
Whereby the Catechumenoi, learning one onelyonly Question and Answer every Sunday, shall in the revolution of one yeare be instructed after a manner more then vulgar, and come to know all the grand and necessary truths of the Christian Religion.
The Speakers are
1. Mnason, an old disciple, Acts 21. 16.
2. Apollos, one mighty in the Scriptures.
1 Iohn 2. 13. I write unto you, Fathers.