The Principles of Christian Religion, Title page – Preface
The Principles of Christian Religion, necessary to be knowen of all the faythfull: set forth to the great profite in trayning vp of all youth, by Tho. Becon.
Iohn. xiij.
If ye know these thinges, blessed are ye if ye doe them.
Imprinted at London by Iohn Daye, dwelling ouer Aldersgate.
AN. 1569.
¶Cum Priuilegio Regiae Maiestatis, per Decennium.
THOMAS BECONVS SACROSAC TAE THEOLOGIAE PROFESSOR.
Ora expressa vides, viuos imitantia vultus,
Quod potuit calimo, pictor, & arte vides:
Mentis quā nullus potuit tibi reddere pictor,
Effigiem scriptis, … ipse suis.
¶The Contentes of this Booke.
Of fayth.
WHat fayth is.
What benefites we receiue of God through… fayth.
The Articles of the Christian fayth, with confirmations of the same out of the holy Scriptures.
Of prayer.
What prayer is.
What benefites we receiue of God by prayer.
The Lordes Prayer called the Pater noster, with confirmations of eueryevery peticion out of the holy Scripture.
Of the law.
What the law is.
To what vse the law was geuen.
The x. commaundementes of God, with confirmations of eueryevery commaundemēt out of the holy Scripture.
Of Repentaunce.
What repentaunce is.
Of the fruites of repētaunce declared by the word of God.
Of Baptisme.
What Baptisme is.
For what vse Baptisme was ordained.
Of the Lordes Supper.
What the Lordes Supper is.
To what vse Christ did institute it.
The duty of all estates and degrees, accordyng to the doctrine of Gods holy word.
The dutie of the hye powers and of the other temporall Magistrates.
The dutie of Subiectes toward the hi… powers.
The dutie of Byshops and Ministers of Gods worde.
The duetie of Parishioners vntounto the Ministers of Gods word.
The dutie of Husbandes vntounto their wiues.
The duetie of Wiues vntounto their Husbandes.
The duetie of Fathers and Mothers vntounto their children.
The duetie of Children towardes their Fathers and Mothers.
The duetie of Maisters to their Seruauntes.
The duetie of Seruauntes to their Maisters.
The duetie of Widowes.
The duetie of Olde men.
The duetie of Olde women.
The duetie of Young folke.
The duetie of all degrees and estates generally, both toward God and their neighbour.
FINIS.
To the most gentle and godly disposed childe, M. Thomas Cecill, sonne to the right honourable Syr Williā Cecill Knight, and Secretary to the Kings Maiestie, Thomas Becon wisheth the fauour of God, with the encrease of vertue and learning.
II of holy letters we be not sleepie nor vaine readers, but diligētly marke what we read, we shall easilie perceaue that among other commaundementes of God, this is not the last nor the least, which he geueth cōcerning the bringing vp of youth in y• knowledge of his blessed will. For y• godly wisedome knoweth right well, that except the younglinges of a common weale be vertuously brought vp, and faithfully framed, according to the right rule of Gods holy appointment, it can not come to passe, but that his glory (the good parentes being once deceased) must needes bee obscured in thys world, the inuocation of his name cease, and all godly religion decay: yea the men them selues (if they bee worthy that name) must needes become brutelike, and be caryed about with eueryevery straunge doctrine, cōtemne all laudable lawes, breake all good orders, follow their fleshly appetites lyke vnreasonable beastes, & so at last bring both thēselues & their realmes vntounto vtter destruction.
Therfore as God in his holy law requireth of parentes nothing more earnestly thē to bring vp their children vertuously, and according to his word: so likewise all godly fathers and mothers, hauehave euer from the beginning done their vttermost endeuour to traine vp their younglinges, euen from the very cradells, in the nurture, feare, and doctrine of the Lord, supposing them selues then best to please God, and most to doe the true office of godly and naturall parentes, when they studie how to garnish, not theyr childrens bodies with gay and sumptuous vestures, but their mindes with noble and precious vertues, not bow to lift them vp to transitory dignities & worldly honours, which as dayly experiēce teacheth, are more brittle then glasse, and fade away lyke the grasse, but how to make them honourable and prayse worthy in the sight of good mē, and profitable to the cōmon weale, through vertue, learning, wisedome, and counsell. And the more the parentes them selues did excell other in knowledge, wisedome, and learning, the greater desire had they to bring their children vntounto the lyke perfection, bearing heauily, that theirs shoulde in any poynt degenerate from their fathers vertues, and not orderly aunswere to the godly qualities of their noble parentes. Histories both godly and Ethnicke, doe minister vntounto vsus examples aboundantly in this behalfe, which I would here gladly recite, if I had not attempted the lyke enterprise already in my preface to the Gouernance of Vertue. Againe, if I were not fully perswaded, that you hauehave heretofore both red and also heard of your teacher the same, or els the like histories.
Your right honourable and most worthy father, knowing the good pleasure of God in thys behalfe, hath also after the example of all other noble & godly parentes, painfully trauailed, both by him self and by learned teachers, to bring you vp, euen frō your cradell, in the knowledge of Gods will, and of good letters, that you might, as in age, so likewise in vertue and learning, grow and encrease vntounto hys comfort, vntounto your owne commendation, & vntounto the profite of the common weale hereafter. And as your father is learned, and hath a brest stuffed with all godly vertues, so is hys desire to hauehave you both learned & vertuous, that when he shall geue ouer to nature (God so disposing) hee may leaue behinde hym hys owne image, yea, as I may so speake, hym selfe, not onelyonly in lineamentes of body, but also in vertue, in godlines, in wisedome, in knowledge, and by thys meanes bee counted of hys posteritie, a worthy member of the common weale, both in him selfe and … hys sonne. It is your dutie therfore to satisfie the good desire of so naturall a father, and to aunswere the expectation of many, which looke to finde in you hereafter, that vertue, learning, wisedome, and grauitie, that is euidently perceaued in your most worthy father. Thys shall bee brought to passe, if according to your beginning ye goe forth diligently to call on the name of God, to applie your mind to good letters, to giuegive eare to the wholsome admonicions of your most deare father, and to take heede to the daily exhortations of your teacher, euer framyng your life according to your knowledge. And that ye may do this the more cō ueniently, I geue you thys little treatise, which shall aboundauntly instructe you in those pointes of Christian Religion, which at thys present do most of all become your age. In it are cōtained the principles of our profession, which I hauehave so opened with the conference of the other scriptures, that they may worthily seeme to striue with large Cōmentaries: I hauehave also set forth the duties of all estates and degrees, as they bee …aught in Gods word, that all ages, and all kindes of people, may here learne to know their dutie, both toward God & hys neighbour. Neyther is any thyng taught in thys treatise, that is not sufficiently fortressed with the authorities of the holy scriptures: so that I doubt not, but the godly learned which louelove to heare the voyce of their shepheard Christ, wil not disallow this my diligence. Let other intreate of hie misteries, & clime vp to the hiest heauen, I shall be content to write of thinges according to my knowledge, and your capacitie, & to creepe vponupon the ground. Let other talke of the vnknowen secretes of the blessed trinitie, of predestination, of the state of the soules departed. &c. I will speake of the Articles of the Christian …ayth, of the Lordes prayer, of the x. Cōmaundementes, of the Sacramēts of Christes church. &c. Let other be counted y• flowers of learning, for opening, I know not how secrete mysteries, I force not to be called vnlearned, so y• I may know Christ crucified, and in teaching him, eyther by my writinges or sermons, winne some vntounto God. But to end, embrace vertue, louelove learning, garnish your brest with the fruites of Gods spirite, be not idle, flie vaine and too much childishe pastimes, spend your tyme fruitfully, exercise your self in reading gods worde: so shall God blesse you, multiplie your yeares on earth, and geue you ioyfull dayes, vntounto the great comfort of your self, and the singular ioy of your honourable parentes, whō with you I wishe alway prosperously to do.
Fare ye well.