A Catholic Catechism, Title page – Table of contents
A. Catholick Catechiſm: SHEWING THE IMPOSSIBILITY THE CATHOLICK RELIGION Should be varied to the Degree of a Thought, from the Meaſures left Sealed by the Apoſtles, WITHOUT THE LOSS of TRUTH.
And therefore The Impoſſibility POPERY, or whatever elſe is not found in Scripture, ſhould be CATHOLICK.
Compoſed to the Capacity of the Meaneſt, that will but Conſider; that they may know and be ready, upon unmovable Reaſons, to give an Apologie, or Defenſive Anſwer, for the Catholick Religion, if they are indeed of it; and be ſecured from Temptation in Times of Danger.
2 Pet. 1. 12.
The Preſent Truth.
Prov. 22. 21.
That I might make thee know the Certainty of the Words of Truth, that thou mighteſt anſwer the Words of Truth to them that ſend unto thee.
LONDON Printed for Tho. Parkhurſt and Will. Miller at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapſide, and the Acorn in St. Paul's Church-yard. 1683.
THE PREFACE TO THE READER.
I Call this A Catechiſm, becauſe I deſign it a Familiar Inſtruction in Fundamental Truths, Reſounding the ſame Thing from Queſtion to Anſwer; the eaſieſt way of Conveying Truth, and Imprinting it upon the Minds of thoſe that are even of the meaneſt Capacity: But eſpecially, becauſe the Principles of it are to be daily ſo Meditated upon, Pondered and Applyed to uſe, as to be a perpetual ſound in our Ears, and ſo to be properly ſtiled Catechiſm.
For Things of ſuch great weight, as Principles are, muſt have as the moſt Advantageous Adm…ſſion, as the moſt Deep, and therefore Leiſurely Inſinuation; as the moſt Reſolved Adherence, when found True and Right, (which is Buying the Truth, and not Selling it,) ſo they muſt have the moſt Eaſy, and Ready Application to all their Uſes and Ends: They muſt therefore be bound continually about our Neck, that when we go, they may lead us; that when we ſ…eep, they may keep us; that when we wake, they may talk with us, Prov. 6. 21, 22.
I know the Things I have written cannot be duely received without much Thinking, and without that they will be in danger of a Cenſorious rejection from the moſt, or of a ſuperficial unintelligent Acceptance in the Kinder; which is as bad as the other, and therefore I preſent it as a Catechiſm, to thoſe that ſhall at all approve it, that they may be throughly verſed in it, and the Senſe of it grow Domeſtick to them.
I call it a Catholick Catechiſm, only with Relation to the Great Subjects it Treats of, the Catholick Religion, and the Catholick Church, in thoſe things wherein they are Catholick; or in which their Catholickneſs conſiſt: That is, that they are of God, and that the whole Society of Holy and Happy Spirits is by that Catholickneſs united, and cloſely banded with it ſelf. Catholick, as the Epiſtles called Catholick, that is, after ſome Doubt Aſſerted to be Divine, of the Publick Spirit of God, and giving that Publick Doctrine, in which the General Aſſembly is one.
I have endeavoured to contrive the Queſtions and Anſwers ſo, that the Anſwers may be an Apology, or Defenſive Anſwer of that Catholick Truth, giving a Reaſon, or a Rational Account, to any Demand that can be made upon it: And it is the Apology of that Truth it ſelf; the Apology it gives and furniſhes us with, for other can no Man give: Truth can need no other, than its Native Apology for it ſelf; no other will it accept.
To give this, and to be always ready to give it, to keep it within us, and to have it fitted to our Lips, is the proper Fruit of ſuch a Catechetical Inſtruction; and the Apoſtle aſſures us, it is the great Duty of Chriſtianity, and the greateſt Honour we can do to God, Firſt to Sanctifie him in our Hearts, by a full acknowledgment of him in his Divine Truth, by a Plerophory, or full Aſſurance of Ʋnderſtanding in the Myſtery of God, and of the Father, and of Chriſt. For a Devotion to the True God, without knowing him to be the True God, cannot thus Sanctifie or Honour him.
There is nothing we ſhould be more Rational in, than in the True Religion, the Account of which, and of its whole Content, ought to be ſo certain to us, that nothing of a Diverſe Spirit from it, can be added to it; nor any thing of its Integral or Eſſential Nature taken from it; but we may plainly ſee, it would change the Account; and ſo we need not make a Traverſe over all Falſehood to know Truth, but by having a Right underſtanding in, and Juſt Contemplation of Truth, the moſt even thing in the whole World; we come to know it ſelf, by it ſelf, and to be aſſured of it, although there were no other Falſe Religion in the World to compare it with, and ſet it off by, and withal to deſcry every falſe way offered to us, and to hate it: Yea we obſerve every thing that is but doubtfully Propoſed, and ſtay it its due time of Examination, and ſo either accept, or reject it, or if we ſee full reaſon for neither, ſtill ſuſpend.
It is not the Laws of our Country, our Church, our being Baptiz'd, or Educated in it, that will juſtifie our Religion to be the True: It is not the High Reverence of it, the Devotion we uſe in it, our hating of thoſe that ſpeak Blaſphemouſly of it, will make good our Religion, what Religion in the World may not be juſtified upon ſuch Topicks? It is not that we find many great Principles of Truth in a Religion, that will juſtifie it: There is no Religion, that can be called Religion, that does not eſpouſe many True Principles: And in Chriſtian Religion, Antichriſtianiſm vies with Chriſtianity it ſelf upon the Fundamental Creeds, which it ſelf Confeſſes with True Chriſtianity, but hath Built upon them New Creeds of its own, and ſo Corrupted all: For what is ſo pure, and perfect, as True Religion is, muſt needs be Corrupted by any Addition: All that is Pure and True, is already its own; who then can add to it, and not be found a Lyar?
Nothing therefore, as I have already intimated, can be our ſecurity for True Religion, but the Juſt Divine Meaſure, the Common Faith, the True Catholick Standard, which in all things neceſſary to the main End, is moſt evident, and in entertaining nothing that is not ſo evident, till it becomes ſo upon this Great Teſt, this is our Security?
For it is very plain, there is leſs danger when our Underſtandings are not yet extended to the breadth of Divine Truth, (if none of the Vital Principles are unknown to us, unſenſed by us, which are ſo exceedingly plain, that we cannot be, except willfully, ignorant of them,) for no Injury is done to Truth, that we do not underſtand its whole Compaſs; nor to our ſelves, if we do not hate knowledge, offering it ſelf to our notices, but in adding to Truth, ſeeing we can have nothing to add, but what is of no worth, we muſt needs defile it; in having only Truth, though we have not all Truth, we yet are under the Influence of Truth only, but when we add, we enſlave our ſelves to Lying Vanities:
Now hereunto have I levelled the whole enſuing Catechiſm, or Diſcourſe; againſt which I know many prejudices will lie, except full Conſideration be allowed: I know too many things raiſe a Deteſtation at the firſt, which being Examined and Weighed by their Reaſon, gain not only the Diſcharge of theſe Angry Paſſions, but much Acceptance and Aſſent: And I muſt take the Confidence to ſay, in relation to any ſuch Doubt upon the enſuing Apology for Catholick Truth, that it is ſettled upon ſuch unmoveable Reaſon, and Weigh'd out by ſuch exact attendance to it, that I may write upon it without Immodeſty; Loe this, we have ſearched it, ſo it is, hear it, and know thou it for thy good; for good in the Quiet and moſt Peaceable Courſe of Chriſtianity, wherein to know the True Grounds upon which it reſts, alone makes the Soul both Wiſe and Good, and determines it to the Square and Juſt Rules of that Holy Religion; for Good in times of Temptation to a Falſe Religion, eſpecially that which calls it ſelf Catholick. For the truly Inſtructed Chriſtian, in that which is indeed Catholick, is even Impregnable againſt that Deluſion of Catholick, falſely ſo called; Laſtly, for good, in the midſt of great Differences, and Diverſities of Opinion and Practice, in relation to leſſer things, pertaining more Circumſtantially, or Doubtfully to True Religion, wherein the Rational Chriſtian carrying it as Inoffenſively and Communicatively as he can with all, centers in that which is Catholick, as to his Faith, Love, Inward Eſteem, and Practice, and unmoveably fixes there, deteſting all Animoſity, and much more rigour or ſeverity towards others in Relation to ſuch differences, than which nothing can be more ungenerous, more unchriſtian, more irreligious, more unworthy.
THE CONTENTS.
CAP. I. OF the Perfect and Firſt State of Humane Nature, with relation to Catholick, or Publick Religion. page 1
CAP. II. Of the Violation of this Catholick Order of Religion, and the Means provided by God to reſtore it. 7
CAP. III. Of the Ʋncontroverſible Laws of Natural Religion. 10
CAP. IV. Of Revelation, and the Reaſons of ſo great Miſcarriages againſt both the Light of Nature and Revelation, with the Means of Cure. 14
CAP. V. Of the Publick or Divine Original of Sacred Writing, or Scripture. 23
CAP. VI. Of the Proof of Scripture, That it is of God; and that the Proof alſo is Publick and Divine. 27
CAP. VII. Of the Publick Interpretation of Scripture. pag. 36
CAP. VIII. Of Tradition and Antiquity. 52
CAP. IX. Of the Church Catholick. 65
CAP. X. Of the Officers appointed by Chriſt in his Church. 82
CAP. XI. Of every Man's Obligation to be wiſe for himſelf to Salvation. 89
CAP. XII. Of Schiſm and Scandal. 93
CAP. XIII. Of the Anti-Church, and its Oppoſition in every thing to the True Church. 109
CAP. XIV. Of the Power of Magiſtrates in Religion, and of National Religion. 128