A Short and Pithy Catechism Regarding the Lords Supper, Title page – Dedication
A very ſhort and pithie Catechiſme: verie profitable for all that will come prepared to the Supper of the Lord: VVith a forme of confeſſyon, prayer and thanks giuing, Very neceſſary and comfortable for all Chriſtian Families.
Made by Bartimeus Andrewes, Preacher of the word of God at great Yarmouth: Published at the requeſt of the vvorshipfull and godlie Magistrates there.
Deute. 6.6.7.8.
6 And theſe words which I commaunde thee this day ſhall be in thy hart.
7 Thou ſhalt rehearſe them continually vntounto thy Children, and ſhalt talke of them when thou tarrieſt in thy houſe, and as thou walkeſt by the way, and when thou lyeſt downe, & when thou ryſeſt vppe.
8 And thou ſhalt binde them for a ſigne vppon thine hand, and they ſhalbe as frontlets between thine eyes. &c.
1. Peter. 3.15.
15 But ſanctify the Lord God in your harts, and be ready alwayes to giuegive an anſwere to eueryevery man that aſketh you a reaſon of the hope that is in you, with méekenes and reuerence.
AT LONDON, Printed by I. Charlewood. 1586.
To the right worſhipfull and my deerelye beloued in the Lord, M. Baileifes of great Yarmouth, with the reſidue of the worſhipfull Brethren, & the whole congregation there, B. A. wyſheth increaſe of all true ioy, and peace, with the multiplying of all ſpirituall graces vponupon your ſoules, to the fulfilling of your ſaluation in Chriſt Ieſus. Amen.
HAuing drawne a verye briefe and ſmall Catechiſme (worſhipful M. Baileifes, and the reſidue of my deere Brethren) for the priuate inſtruction of the petites and families of this great congregation, for the better preparing of them to the reuerent vſe of the holy Supper of the Lord, and being required by your godly Paſtor, and diuers other, to hauehave it publiſhed for the more eaſie helpe of the ſimple and ignoraunt. I, your vnworthy Teacher, beeing ready to doo what duetie I can, for the furtheraunce of your ſaluation generally, which I wiſh and long for, from my verye heart roote in Chriſt Ieſus: hauehave thought good to prefixe theſe fewe words in way of dedication of this ſmall thing, to your worſhippe, and the reſidue: preſuming vppon your Chriſtian allowance of my well meaning, hauing added heerevnto a certaine forme of confeſſion, prayer, & thankſgiuing, though plaine, yet I hope neceſſarie, and comfortable for the vſe of the Chriſtian Families of your congregation. And ſith God hath by his owne hand, ſette your worſhips in the place of ciuill gouernment, in this your corporation, graunted by the noble progenitors of her Maieſtie, and continued ſtil, and vpholden by her gracious bounty. Let me bee ſo bolde with you, as in a word to put you in minde, and the reſidue of your worſhipfull cōpany eligible to that office, what thinges are moſt neceſſary for you to looke vntounto in that charge. God hath gyuen you a benefite and priuiledge of liberty, not common to all her Maieſties people, that you might the better bee fortified with meanes to further Gods glorie in your charge: and becauſe I perſwade my ſelfe of the readines of you, and the reſidue of your Brethren, to ſet your hands and helpe to each lawful thing, tending to Gods glory, agreeable to his word, which you all ſolemnly promiſed at my firſte entrie amongſt you, and hauehave ſomewhat approued the ſame, by your electing both of faithfull & helpfull miniſters of the word, as alſo of ſo wiſe and godlie a Steward among you, I reſolue my ſelfe of the good ſucceſſe of my labours, & of your willing obeiſance to the Lordes wyll propounded in his word. You muſt know that the burthen of this people lieth vppon your ſhoulders, and that their eyes looke at you, as thoſe by whoſe example the people either periſh and fall, or are preſerued and ſtaied vp, for the fall and vpryſing of manie dependeth vponupon publique perſons. Therefore in a Magiſtrate, firſt is required a religious minde, acquainted with Gods counſel in his word, that hee exerciſing himſelfe therein day and night, Pſal, 1 2,might growe wyſe in the Lords cauſes: for this charge is laide vponupon you from the Lorde, to applie your ſelues to the worde of God, for ſo it is ſaide of the Magiſtrate, Deu. 17.Deu. 17 19, The word shalbe with him, and he shall reade therein all the dayes of his life, that he may learne to feare the Lord his God, and to keepe all the wordes of this Lawe to doo them. &c. Ioſu. 1.8,Alſo Ioſhua is ſtraightly charged: Let not this booke of the Lawe depart out of thy mouth, but meditate therein day and night, that thou mayſt doo according to all that is written therein, then shalt thou make thy way proſperous &c. So Iethro commaundeth Moſes, to chuſe men fearing God. Exo. 18.Exo, 18, 21 Prouide you among all the people men of good courage, fearing God, men dealing truely, hating couetouſnes, and appoint them to bee Rulers, &c. So as you ſee that Magiſtrates muſt be religious, and alſo men of courage, Ioſu. 2, 7, Exo, 18 21,to execute iuſtice in all cauſes, not corrupt with gyftes, nor accepting the faces of menne, without fooliſh pittie, or faint-harted feare, and without crueltie or reuenging affections, but of al meeknes & lenitie. They muſt performe all faythfulnes and truth with equitie, as thoſe that are members of the ſame bodie, appointed to ſee diſtributiue and equall iuſtice to bee adminiſtred to eache man accordinglie, for ſo Moſes requireth, that they shalbe men dealing truely, Exo, 18, 21,ſo as they muſt not looke to men, but to the cauſes, taking heede of that caueat that Moſes giueth. Exo. 23.Exo, 23 12, Thou shalt not receiue a falſe tale, thou shalt not follow a multitude to doo euill, neyther agree in a controuerſie to decline after many, and ouerthrow the trueth, &c. Neither muſt ſuch neglect the execution of iuſtice againſt the offenders, either for feare of reproche or rebuke, leaſt they countenaunce ſinne thereby, and beare the guylt of other mens fals.Eccl. 8, 11 For becauſe ſentence against an euyl worke is not executed ſpeedely, therfore the hart of the Chyldren of men is fully ſette in them to doo euill. Exo. 18 21.In all theſe thinges Couetouſnes muſt be ſhunned, the ſtepmother and ouerthrower of all iuſtice and truth, which throweth out the harts euen of the wiſe to manie noiſome luſtes, which drowne men in perdition: 1, Tim, 6, 9, 10verie daungerous to men of wealth or authority, and euer weighting vpō that degree of men. VVherefore I beſeeche you, good my worſhipfull Brethren, vouchſafe the accepting of theſe inſtructions written in haſt, with a minde vnfeynedlie wiſhing you all good. Be you preſidents in godly & ſober exāple to this great people, ouerſee your own houſholds firſt, that they may be patterns & lights of godlie diſcipline to others. Remember Ioſhua his proteſtation,Ioſu. 2.4 I and my houſholde wyll ſerue the Lord. Remember Nehemiah,Nehe. 5. who enforced hys owne example and his ſeruantes, to perſwade his brethren to iuſtice and louelove.Act. 10. Remember how Cornelius and his houshold feared God. Nowe then beloued, as you louelove the Lorde, as you tender your owne ſoules, and your charges, as you beare naturall affection to your common ſafetie, and happines, I beſeeche you in the bowels of Ieſus Chriſt, indeuour to theſe thinges, both ſmall and great, that you may profite in the worke of your ſaluation, ſo ſhall you be famous in the church of God & common weale, you ſhal glad the ſoules of vsus, that labor amongſt you in the word, you ſhal bring glory to God, & eternal happines to your ſelus in the day of Chriſt Ieſus. Let Gods boke be orderlie read with reuerēce, daily in your families, let prayer be exerciſed in your houſholdes and vouchſafe to helpe them in this ſmall Catechiſme, that they may be fitte for further inſtruction. GiueGive dilligence to harken to the word of lyfe, and to put in vre theſe fewe prayers in this little booke or other, with humilitie, reuerence, a liuelie ſence and feeling of your miſerie, faith, thankfulnes, hope, and with vnfained deſire of profiting in all dueties, of fayth and louelove towards God & your brethren. For I liue if you stande in the fayth: and ſith God hath vouchſafed the bleſſed tidinges of ſaluation vppon you in the miniſtrie of hys word, embrace it with thankfulnes, and ſtudie for all chriſtian peace and vnitie among your ſelues, fearing God, furthering his holye religion, and all dueties of louelove among men, that ſo our Towne may flouriſhe and proſper in all thinges, otherwiſe wee can hope of no bleſſing at the hand of God. There is great cauſe why care ſhould bee hadde heerein. Your Towne bordering vppon the ſea, is in perrill to forraine inuaſions, and to be ſteyned with the corrupt manners of other Countries, to drinke in iniquitie euen as water, therefore the more care to be hadde ouer it. Chriſt ſawe ſuch Townes bordering on the Seas to be in moſt daunger ſundrie wayes, and therefore frequēted them moſt, & vouchſafed his preſence & doctrine chieflieſt amongſt them. This is my ſute to your worſhippes, this is my ſute to the whole company, to the whole congregation, yea to eueryevery ſoule amongſt you,Phil, 2, 1, If ye euer receiued comfort in Chriſt, if euer you had louelove to the brethren, if euer any felowship of the ſpirit, if any compaſsion & mercy, that you fulfyll my ioy, Euen in this, to be of one minde in doctrine, of one conſent in a godly and chriſtian life, to apply all dueties of Gods worſhip, to hauehave care of your families, inſtructing, teaching, and calling vponupon them to be catechiſed, to reade & heare the word, bee your ſelues forward therein, exerciſyng prayer, reading and hearing of the word, in faith & good conſcience, that ſo by chriſtian exerciſes, your faith and obedience may be increaſed, your families reformed, your Towne happily gouerned, that others may take example by you, God may be glorified, all ſpirituall bleſſings may be heaped vponupon you, and continued to your poſterity after you, vntounto many generations, your ſelues may in the ende receiue the poſſeſſion of euerlaſting life, with Chriſt Ieſus in the kingdome of God: to whoſe bleſſed tuition I commend you, and yours, praying the Lorde to multiplye all hys graces, and mercies vppon you, and the whole people, to keepe you in ſafetie from the daunger of enemies, to ſanctify you in his trueth, to bleſſe you in your gouernment, the people in obeying, and to make you perfitte in all good workes, to doo his wyll, working in you that which is pleaſant in his ſight, thorough Ieſus Chriſte. To whome with the Father and the holy ſpirit be all prayſe and honor for euer and euer. Amen.
Your worſhips to vſe in in the Lord, hartely deſirous of your good and ſaluation in Chriſt Ieſus. B. Andrewes.
An order of prayer, or a preparation to the reading of the word in your families. Let vsus prepare and stirre vppe our mindes by prayer, that we may reade the word of God with profite.
O Lord our God, who in thy wiſedome and mercy haſt appointed thy holie worde as the wholeſome nouriſhment of our ſoules, that by reading, hearing, and muſing thereon, we might growe vppe vntounto ſaluation: Wee beſeeche thee to pardon all our ſinnes, for Ieſus Chriſte his ſake, take away the corruption of our nature, purge and ſanctify our harts, that we may read thy word at all times with reuerent mindes, ſo as we may daily be borne againe, confyrmed in faith, reformed in our manners, furthered in knowledge and obedience, ſtrengthened againſt all temptations, furniſhed with patience againſt all tryals, and fynally be made fruitfull in al good workes, reſembling thy Image, and growing vppe into full holines & righteouſnes in thy ſight, til we are perfited in the heauens with Chriſt Ieſus our Lord. Amen.
Let vsus harken with reuerence to the holie word of the Lord our God written in ſuch or ſuch a Chapiter and Booke. &c.