Short Questions And Answers Containing The Sum Of Christian Religion, Title page – To the reader
¶ Short questions and answeares, conteyning the summe of Christian Religion.
Deut. 6.6.
6 These wordes which I commaund thee this day, shalbe in thy heart:
7 And thou shalt rehearse them continually vntounto thy children, & shalt talke of them when thou tariest in thy house, & as thou walkest by the way, and when thou lyest downe, and when thou risest vp.
¶ Imprinted at the three Cranes in the Vinetree, by Thomas Dawson. 1579.
¶ To Christian parentes, and Housholders, grace, and merciemercy in Christ.
THe blessings of God powred vponupon this Realme, in so great abundance, as the preaching of the Gospell, peace, prosperitie and wealth, vnderunder the rule and gouernement of our merciful Queene, causeth me in thankesgeuing to ioy. But the contempt and abuse of these blessinges, mingleth my ioy with greefe and causeth Gods children for sorow to mourne and lament. And this greeuing of Gods Spirite in his children, shall fathers of children, and maisters of housholdes (though manie other do greeuously offend) especially answeare for before GOD. The great blessinges sent of God, the lawes made by the Prince, the woorde preached by the Ministers, take small effect, and bring foorth little fruite: because parentes and maisters shew such examples of loose libertie in them selues, and throwe the raines of licentiousnesse into the neckes of others. They remember not the honourable calling whiche they hauehave of the Lorde, that he hath placed them as it were in his owne roome, and geuen them his own names, that they might gouerne, teache, and direct others, to honour and serue him, vppon whom their preeminence doeth wholy depende. But (alas) they do not their duetie in gouerning, they applie not themselues in teaching them that are committed to their charge: and therefore youth not gouerned, nor taught, nor praying at home, can not pray, nor learne in the congregation. But as the deuises of men are ready to find excuses, so seke they vp figge leaues in this, to couer their shame. First they wil say, We geue thē meate & mony for their worke, what should we do more? So do you bestowe vponupon your beasts, in buying & feeding them: but your seruantes are more pretious in the eye of the Lord, & you are charged in the fourth commaundement, to see that they serue GOD. Some say, they sende them to the Church on the Sabbaoth, and so answeare that charge: But the Lorde cōmaundeth you your selues also to rehearse his lawes to your children and housholdes. Deu. 6.7. If they plead ignorance, it wil be but a weake answeare to the Lord. Some say, they are ashamed to teache and pray with their housholdes. I say, because it is good, they are ashamed, else euerie thing they are ready to performe with brasen browes in open places. Some say, it is hypocrisie to performe their dutie: let such pray for new hearts: for if their owne consciences condemne them of hypocrisie, God is greater than their consciences. Some say, it will let and hinder their seruantes from worke, as Pharaoh obiected to Moses. Exod. 5.4. But our Sauiour answeareth such, in his answeare to Martha, Luke. 10.41. (This I speake, not to nourse anie in idlenesse, for such should not eate, 2. Thess. 3.10.) Some say, they shalbe scorned by worldlinges: If you seeke to please men, you are not the seruantes of Christ, Galat. 1.10. Yet this was Christes portion, and they are but faint souldiours that flee for a woorde, for we must buckle with the diuell hande to hande, who will not leaue vsus, till death, except by Apostasie we yeelde to him both bodies and soules. Some say, that they cannot bring the vnlearned in letters to this knowledge: but they do not remember, that God geueth knowledge of his mysteries, euē to the simple that feare him, Psalme. 25.14. And in foure monethes space, I hauehave seene these principles and answeares learned by Gentlemen, Yeomen, Horsekeepers, Shepheardes, Carters, Milkemaides, Kitchen-boyes, & al in that houshold (where these orders were obserued) excepting three or foure whose capacitie was but meane & simple, & yet the simplest went not without some profite. Some say, youth are so stubborne, that they will abide no such orders: I say, better is the roome of suche then their companie, for if admonitiōs appointed by the Lord, winne them not, auoyde them: and so shalt thou auoyde the infecting of the rest of thy householde by them, so shalt thou make others to feare, so shalt thou by making them ashamed of their sinnes, driue them to repentaunce, & principally thou shalt auoyde Gods iudgement against thee and thy houshold. If thou knowest that thou keepest an ignorant & superstitious Papist, a blasphemous swearer, a disobediēt subiect, to God, Prince, & Ruler, a licentious and loose liuer, which giueth his bodie to fighting, whooring, and stealing, & his tongue to quarelling, filthie talking, and lying, & thou seeke not to refourme him by the order of God, doest thou not make thy house his stewes, & thy selfe his bawde? Remoue such, lest God remoue thee. Is it writtē in vaine, that the plague shall neuer goe from the house where the swerer is? & that it shalbe full of plagues? Will not the Lord perfourme that which he hath spokē by his prophet Zacharie. 5.5. That there shal remain a plague in such houses, to consume them with the timber & stones therof? I would they would cō sider what God saide to Elie in the like case, Thou honorest thy children aboue me, therfore I wil cut thee and them off. The comfort he had of his youthes in the ende, was this, the Arke (the witnesse of the Lordes pre…ence) was lost, thirtie thousand of the people slayne, his two sonnes killed, this liued he to heare, and so in sorrow fell backward, and brake his necke: then his daughter in lawe fell in trauell, and in trauell died: the remnant of his house were glad to crouche and begge for a small peece of siluer, and a morsell of bread, If our Englishmen could beholde these plagues, the remouing of Religion to a people that shall bring foorth fruit of it, the taking away of our Queene, the wayling of their wiues, the murdering of their children, and the cutting of their owne throtes by straungers: they woulde looke better about them. O Fathers of children and housholdes, if you woulde before hand arreigne your selues before Gods iudgment seate, and there finde your selues endited readie to be condemned, for sending your posteritie to begge at straungers doores, for spoyling your children of their liues, this realme of religion, Queene, and peace, and that you shoulde see there your children, wiues, countrie, Churche of GOD, and Queene, accusing you for murtherers, and traytoures, what will you answeare? what can you say? Turne your musicke to mourning, your feasting to fasting, your riotting to repenting: and say with Dauid, and with Daniel. 2. Sam. 12.13. Dan. 9.5. We hauehave sinned, and committed iniquitie, done wickedly, & hauehave rebelled against thee, O Lorde: righteousnesse belongeth vntounto thee, and vntounto vsus open shame and confusion of faces. Say with the men, Actes. 2.37. and with Paule, Act. 9.6. say, Lorde what shall we doe? And you shall be taughte to ioyne amendement to repentance, you (I say) which were woont to aske how you shoulde passe the long Winter euenings without gaming, shall learne to turne your playing at Cardes, and Dice, and Dansing, to singing of Psalmes, teaching your housholde, and praying with them. It is enough (as Paule sayeth. 1. Ephe. 4.3.) that you hauehave spent the times past after the fashion of the world: and how yll, madde, or straunge, …hey account of the matter, that you runne not with them to the former excesse of riot, say you and performe with. Iosua. 24.15. We and our housholds will serue the Lord. And you O Ladies, Mistresses, and Dames, say eueryevery one of you with Hester, I & my maides will do the like. Hest. 4.16. And howsoeuer the world cōdemne you, the Lord will reuele himselfe vntounto you, powre his blessinges of knowledge, of peace, of religion, of good rulers, and will continue the same vntounto the remnant of our children and posteritie, which shall come after vsus, which he graunt for his Christes sake. Amen.