Catechetical Exposition of Christian Doctrine, Catechism 1
A BRIEFE CATECHETICALL EXPOSITION OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE. Diuided into foure Catechismes, Comprizing the Doctrine of the
1. Two Sacraments.
2. Lords Prayer.
3. Ten Commandements.
4. And the Creed.
LONDON, Printed by G. M. for Robert Bird, and are to be sold at his shop at the signe of the Bible in Saint Laurence-lane. 1632.
THE FIRST CATECHISME TOVCHING the SACRAMENTS.
§ 1.
Question. HOw many wayes doth the word of God teach vsus to come to the Kingdome of Heauen?
Answ.aIer. 31. 1. 31, 32. 33. Two.
Q. Which are they?
A. bMar. 10. 17. 19.The Law and thecRom. 1. 16. Gospel.
Q. What saith the Law?
A. dDeu. 30. 16.Doe this and thou shalt liue.Ez. 20. 11. Gal. 3. 12.
Q. What saith the Gospel?
A. eMar. 16. 16.Beleeue in Iesus Christ, and thou shalt be saued.
Q. Can wee come to the Kingdome of Heauen by the way of Gods Law?
A. fGal. 3. 21.No.
Q. Why so?
A. gRom. 8. 3.Because we cannot doe i….
Q. Why can we not doe it?
A. hEph. 2. 3 Ioh. 9. 34. …Because we are all borne in sinne.
Q. What is it to be borne in sinne?
A. To be naturallyiCol. 1. 21 prone to euill, andk…. …3. 3. vntoward to that which is good.
Q. How commeth it to passe that we are all borne in sinne?
A. lRom. 5. 19.By reason of the sinne of our first Father Adam.
Q. Which way then doe you hope to come to the Kingdome of Heauen?
A. m…. Cor. …. 16.By the Gospell.
Q. What is the Gospel?
A. ThenEph. 1. 13 … Tim. 1. …. glad Tidings of Saluation by Iesus Christ.
Q. To whom is this glad tidings brought: To the righteous?
A. No.
Q. Why so?
A. For two reasons.
Q. What is the first?
A. o1. Ioh. 1. 8Because there is none that is righteous,1. Kin. 8. 46. and sinneth not.Iam. 3. 2.
Q. What is the other reason?
A. pMat. 9. 1….Because if we were righteous, that is, without sinne; we should hauehave no need of Christ Iesus.
Q. To whom then is this glad tidings brought?
A. q1. Tim … 15.To sinners.
Q. What, to all sinners?
A. r2 Cor. …. 3.No.Act 13. 40
Q. To whom then?
A. To such onelyonly ass1. Pet. … …, 8. beleeue and Rom. 2. 9.repent.
This is the first lesson to know the right way to the Kingdome of Heauen. And this consists in knowing the difference betweene the Law and the Gospel.
Q. What doth the Law require?
A. ThatuGal. 30 10. we should be without sinne.
Q. What doth the Gospel require?
A. That we should*Mat. 3. 6 1 confesse our sinnes,Ioh. 1. 9 xMa…. 1. 4amend our liues,Mat. 9. 13. and then yEph. 2. 8through faith in Christ, we shall be saued.
Q. The Law requires what?
A. zIam. …. 10.Perfect obedience.
Q. The Gospel what?
A. aMar. 1. 15.Faith,Heb. 6. 1. and true repentance.
§ 2.
Q. Where doe you learne this lesson, that Iesu… Christ came into the world to saue sinners?
A. b1. Tim. ….In Gods word.
Q. Where els?
A. In Gods Sacraments.
EueryEvery Sacrament teacheth vsus this lesson, as we shall easily perceiue, if we vnderstand what a Sacrament is?
Q. What is a Sacrament?
A. c…om. 4. ….A holy signe and seale of grace▪
Q. How many Sacraments hauehave you?
A. Two.
Q. Which are they?
A. dMat. 28. …9.Baptisme, andeMat. 25. …6. the supper of the Lord.
Q. What is the signe in Baptisme?1. Cor. 11. 23▪
A. Thef…. Pet. 3. 2…. cleansing of the childes face or body by washing it with water.…. Cor. 6. 11.
Q. What is the grace signified?
A. ThegAct. 2. 38 & 22. 16. cleansing of the childes soule from sinne byh1. Ioh. 1. 7. washing it with Christs bloud.
Q. Christ is in heauen, we are on earth: How can his bloud wash our soules?
A. iRom. 3. 25. & …. 9.By faith.
Q. HaueHave children faith?
A. No;kRom. 10. 17. for faith commeth by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Q. Why are they then baptized?
A. l1. Cor. 7. 14.God accepteth the faith of their parents.Gen. 17. 7.
Q. We are made cleane from sinne by baptisme: But are we made without sinne?
A. m1. Ioh 18No.
Q. Why then are we said to be made cleane from sinne?
A. For two reasons.
Q. What is the first?
A. nGal. 3. 10. 13.Because we are made free from the punishment o… sinne.1. Thes. 2. 10.
Q. What is the punishment of …inne?
A. oRom. 6. 23.Death.
Q. How are we made free from it?Gen. 2. 17
Q. pGal. 3. 13Christ died for vsus.
Q. What is the other reason?
A. qRom. 6. 6. 7. 12.Because we are made free from the power of sinne.
Q. What is it to be made free from the power of sinne?
A. That sinne shallrRom. 6. 14. not reigne ouer vsussRom. 7. 17. though it dwell in vsus.
Q. How doe you know whether sinne reigneth ouer you or no?
A. By repentance.
If we repent sinne doth nott1. Tim. 2. 26. reigne ouer vsus, otherwise it doth.
Q. What lesson doth this sacrament teach vsus?
A. As truely as the water dothu1. Pet 3. …. wash the childs face,2. King. 5. 13. and make it cleane; so truely doth the*1 Ioh. …. …. bloud of Christ wash our soules and make them cleane.
§. 3.
Q. What is the signe in the Lords Supper?
A. ThexMat. 26, 26. 27. eating of the bread, and drinking of the wineyPs. 104. 15. to the nourishing of the body.
Q. What is the grace signified?
A. The eating of Christs body, and drinking of Christs bloud to the nourishing of our soules.
Q. Christ is in heauen, we are on earth; How can we eate his body and drinke his bloud?
A. By faith.
So saith our Sauiour, Ioh. 6. 35. He that commeth to me shall neuer hunger; He that beleeueth in mee shall neuer thirst. Therefore to bel…eue in him is to drinke him. And consider in reason.
Q. What is the hunger and thirst of a Christian, as a Christian?
A. An appetite after that which conserues the life of a Christian.
Q. What is that?
A, zPs. 4. 6. 7 & 32. 3, 4, 5.The fauour of God to the par…oning of our sinnes, and to the sauing of our soules.
Q. What is the next way to satisfie this hunger, and to quench this thirst?
A. aIoh. 6. 54 35.To beleeue that Iesus Christ gaue his body to be crucified,Ioh 4. 14. and his bloud to be shed for our sinnes.
Q. What lesson doth this Sacrament teach us?
A. As truely as the bread that wee eate, and the wine that we drinke …oth nourish and comfort our bodies; bIoh. 6. 27. 33. 35.so the body, and bloud of Christ, if we eate and drinke themcIoh. 6, 40 by faith, shall nourish our soules vntounto euerlasting life.
Q. How many things are required to prepare vsus to the worthy receiuing of the Lords Supper?
A. Foure things.
Q. What are the two first?
A. d1. Cor. 11. 28. 29.Knowledge andeLuk. …2. 19. 20. faith.
Q. Where is that taught vsus?
A. In our Creed, and Catechisme.
Q. What are the two last?
A. fLuk 22. 11.Repentance,1. Cor. 11. 30. 31. andgMat. …. 23. LoueLove.
Q. Where is that taught vsus?
A. In the ten Commandements.
Q. Why is knowledge required to the Lords Supper, and not to Baptisme?
A. Because baptisme is the sacrament of our birth in Christ: the Lords supper is the sacrament of our growth in Christ.
Q. What is this faith that is required?
A. hCal. 2. 20To beleeue that Iesus Christ gaue his body to be crucified, and his bloud to be shed for our sinnes.
Q. Why is faith required?
A. Because well we may eate the bread, and drinke the wine without faith: but weiIoh. 6. 35. cannot eat Christs body, and drinke his bloud without faith.
True; for the eating of his body is a spirituall eating, and the drinking of his bloud is a spirituall drinking, consisting in meditation of the wonderfull louelove of God the Father, who, to saue our soules, spared not his owne Sonne: The wonderfull louelove of God the sonne, who to saue our soules, spared not his owne selfe, but gaue himselfe to suffer a shamefull death, a bitter death, and an accursed death for our sinnes:kEph. 3. 19. 18. Here is the louelove of Christ that passeth knowledge: such is the breadth and length, and depth, and height of it, that we are not able sufficiently to comprehend it.
And like as the body by feeding and drinking, doth gather strength for the better performance of all actions of nature: so the soule of a Christian by meditation on this louelove of Christ in giuing his body to be crucified, and his bloud to be shed for our sinnes, doth gather more and more strength continually for the better performance of all actions of grace; whether they be actions of dependance, to depend vponupon him, and put our trust in him in all states, in all conditions, euen in the time of affliction, and persecution, and at the very hou…e of death; Or whether they be actions of conformitie to his will, in obeying him, and walking in the wayes of his holy commandements vntounto the end?
Q. Why is repentance required…
A. lGal. 5. 5. Luk. 17. 47. 50.Because faith is required.
For by faith we beleeue that Christ died for vsus.
Q. What ought we then to doe for him?
A. Tom1. Cor. 6. 20. serue him all the dayes of our life: And sith we cannot serue him by perfect obedience; to serue him as we can, by true repentance.
Q. How many parts be there of repentance?
A. Foure parts.
Q. What are the two first?
A. TonMar. 1. 5 confesse our sinnes, and to beo2. Cor. 7 11. sorry for them.
Q. What are the two last?
A. TopLuk. 18. …. pray to God to forgiue them for Christs sake,qMat. 3. 8 and to amend our liues: desiring God to giuegive vsus grace that we may amend them.
Q. How many offices be there of louelove?
A. Three.
Q. What is the first?
A. To doe ourr1. Cor. 13 …, 5, 6, 7. neighbour no wrong.
Q. What is the second?
A. To doe him good if wee can.
Q. What is the third?
A. If he doth vsus wrong to forgiue him.
Q. Why must we hauehave this louelove?
A. sEph. … 32.Because we looke that God for Christs sake should forgi…e vsus.