Book of Christian Questions and Answers, Title page – Dedication
A booke of Christian Queſtions and anſwers. Wherein are ſet foorth the cheef points of the Chriſ… …ligion in maner of an …dgment. A worke right neceſſary and profitable for all ſuch as ſ…al hauehave to deale with the captious quarelinges of the wrangling aduerſaries of Gods truthe.
Written in Latin by the lerned clerke Theodore Beza Vezelius, and newly tranſlated into Engliſh by Arthur Golding.
Imprinted at London, by William How, for Abraham Veale, dwellyng in Paules Church yarde at the ſigne of the Lambe. Ano. 1574.
¶ To the Right honorable and his ſingular good Lorde Henry Earle of Huntingdon, Baron Haſtinges, Knight of the moſt noble order of the Garter &c. Arthur Golding wiſsheth abundance of Gods grace, increaſe of honour, and longe continuance of life in health and proſperitie.
MY very good Lord, it is daylie and in maner commonly to beſeene, (& I pray God that our vnthankefulnes cauſe vsus no more to feele it) that the peruerſe & through ſetled Papiſts, the profeſſed enemies of God & all goodnes, linking thēſelues in league with worldlinges, Epicures, Athieſtes, & Neuters, birdes of their own broode, do euen yet after ſo great light of the Goſpell and ſo manifeſt conuictiō of their Groſſe errors, ſtil boldly perſiſt in their wilfull wickednes: not only hardening their own ſtubborne hartes againſt the apparant truth, but alſo (as much as in thē lyeth) ſtealīg away the kie of knowledge frō others that would fain enter into the kingdome of heauen if they letted thē not & caſting ſtumbling blockes in the waies of the weake & vncircumſpect, of whoſe ſoules they make marchandiſe by their deceiuable and inuenimed ſpeeche. But certeſſe although long impunity hauehave made thē ouer bould, both to prate & to Practiſe, in maner what they lyſt: …et not withſtanding for aſ much as the general brightnes of Chriſtes Goſpell diſcouereth their groſſer ſorte of …ealinges vntoo moſtmen: they aſſaulte vsus not nowe ſo much with open & manifeſt vntruthes, (whiche were ordinary weapons of their warfare whē they had the ſwoorde of ſouereintie and the law of crueltie in theyr owne hand) as with ſecret inuaſions of ſophiſticall reaſons and crabbed queſtions, ſpecially where they finde hope of victorie, by meanes of other mens ſimplicitie & want of learning to withſtand them. And truly in that art, no folke are ſo cunning, as the children of darknes. For worldly wiſdome hauing bent hir ſelf to mainteine error, is a fruiteful moother of all ſortes of quiddities: and the olde ſerpent is both ſlie and vnſlothfull in trāſforminge himſelfe and his impes into all shapes to doo miſchiefe. For aſmuch therefore as there be many godly and welminded perſons who hauinge not yet mounted aboue the short reache of naturall reaſon, doo ſtill meaſure Gods miſteries (howbecit with a ſingle meaninge mind) by their ſlender capacitie of their ſmall vnderſtā dinge, dealinge in likewiſe as if a man that were iorneying by the firſt dawning of the day shoulde trip his foote againſt ſome ſtone which he woulde eſchew at the comminge of the cleere and open light: whoſe faith is often times ſhaken, yea and nowe and then craſed alſo, eyther by ſuch as ſtanding vponupon the reputacion of their owne ſkil, hunt for vainglory by ruſshinge vnaduiſedly into the diſcourſe of Gods deepeſt miſteries, whiche ought not to be ſpoken of without great reuerence and modeſty: or by ſuche as being wilfully blind, diffame the things that they know not: or by ſuch as being giuen vp too a hardened minde, blaſpheme the knowen truthe through malicious ſpitefulnes: or by ſuch as being giuen wholly to their belly & their bed, cannot abide to hecre of any thing that might make them goodmen: or elſe by ſuche as hauehave learned in Lucians ſchoole to ſcoffe at all thinges that like not their fantaſticall folie: too the intent that the godly perſos might alwaies hauehave at hand, as well wherwith to ſatiſfie themſelues and other well diſpoſed perſōs in doubtful caſes, as alſo to ſtop the ſlaū derous mouthes of the quarelinge aduerſaries, or at leaſtwiſe wherwith to aunſwere their captious cauelinges in the chiefe points of our religion: I hauehave tranſlaied this Chriſten treatiſe of the learned writer Theodore Beza, who by a certein modeſt queſtioninge & anſwering ther vntounto, doth in dialogwiſe briefely ſet forth vntounto vsus the true knowing of God & our ſelues, & the right vſe and end of the ſame. For taking his beginning at the intent of our creation, he declareth that God muſt be worshipped and ſerued in none otherwiſe, than hee himſelfe hath taught vsus by his worde written. The authoritie wherof being auouched by many profes, he ſetteth downe what the ſame teacheth vsus to beleeue, concerninge the Godhead & the three perſons therof. Then shewing vsus what we ought to conſider chiefely in God he vnfoldeth the miſterie of the vniō of the two natures in the one perſon of Chriſt, (whereby hee confuteth the hereſie of the Manichees,) and layeth forth the order of our ſaluatiō by Chriſts incarnation, death, reſurrection and Aſcentiō. Here vponupon he taketh occaſion to …hew the maner of Chriſts being preſent & abſent, and thereby condemneth the errors of popishe tranſſubſtantiation, & of the vbiquitie or euerie where being of Chriſts mā hod mainteined by Brentius and certeine others. After this he paſſeth forth to Chriſtes mediation & interceſſion, where he diſproueth the hereſie of Arrius, the opiniō of ſurmiſing three Gods, the dotages of Samoſatene, & the forgeries of the Papiſts in praying vntounto ſaincts. Frō thence he deſcendeth to the laſte iudgement: and anſwering by the way to an obiection of the foreiudgemēt that eche ſeuerall perſon receiueth at his departure out of this life, he procedeth to the generall riſing again of the flesh, & to the rewards of the godly, & the punishment of the wicked: whereby he taketh occaſion too inquire of the way to eternall life, which is Chriſt taken holde on by fayth. There sheweth he what faith is and whence it cōmeth: and ſo diſcourſinge largely of mans corruptiō, he diſproueth the Pelagians freewyll, & declareth in what wiſe mans naturall will woorketh together with Gods preuentinge grace, and how the continuance of Gods graces inſewinge, is the cauſe of the effectuall working of the former graces, wherby he vtterly ouerthro weth the merit or deſeruing of mēs owne workes. Afterward hauing firſt ſhewed the maner of the ſpreding of originall ſin into al mankind: he returneth to the …emedie therof by being greffed into Chriſt: the maner wherof he deſcribeth at large. and there agein confuteth the hereſie of Tranſsubſtantiation, and declareth faith to be the free gift of god through chriſt by whom wee obteine wiſedome, Rightuoſnes, Holines, and Redemptiō, which are the fruites of beinge greffed into him: by the benefite whereof we begin alſo in part to vnderſtand aright, to will aright, and to woorke a right, whiche is as muche as to liue after the ſpirite. In the layinge forth of theſe things, he rippeth vp the feeblenes of mans naturall reaſon, & waſsheth away the excuſe of his vnhablenes to fulfill Gods law bycauſe he cannot but ſin, and disfeateth him of challendging any peece of rightuouſnes to himſelfe. Here vponupon is brought in an expoſition of the rewarding or recompencinge of good workes, together with a declaration from whēce they ſpringe, and of the difference in punishements and rewards By occaſion wherof he diſproueth the fond obiection of ſuch as holde opinion that Chriſt hath abolished but the merites of the ceremoniall la we, and defaceth the works of Papiſticall preparatiō, shewing wherfore works be called good. And ſo he concludeth that all things needfull to ſaluation, are founde in Chriſt alone to whom wee cleaue by faith, ſo as there is no dampnation for them that be greffed in Chriſt: and that the ſam knowledge is the only knowledge of Saluatiō, and that the ſaid faith or knowledge is the free gifie of God, put into vsus by Gods mere grace, and not bred in vsus by nature, or purchaſed by our owne power or deſeruinge. By …his meanes he leadeth vsus to the headſpringes of Gods eternall prouidence and predeſtination: in the diſcourſe wherof, after he hath aunſwered to all obiections, and modeſtly and learnedly shewed what a Chriſten man ought to think or ſpeake in that behalf with reuerence of Gods maieſtie: laſt of all, he ſetteth forth a godlye and neceſſary remedy, againſt the perlous temptation of particular predeſtination, for ſuch as are deſirous to know whither they be ordeined to ſaluation or no. And thus your L. Wiſedome perceiueth that although this boke be but ſmall in volume: yet conteineth it right profounde miſteries: and great ſtore of matter very neceſſary to be perfectly knowen, and to be had at the fingers endes of all men, ſpecially which shal hauehave occaſion to encounter with the impes of the olde ſerpent, namely with the adders broode of the Romish Antechriſt, & with the children of this world, who bee much more politike, wylie and forecaſting in their kinde, then the childrē of light bee. Wherefore I thought it not an vnmeete peece of worke wherby to teſtifie ſome maner of remembraunce of your L▪ moſt honorable courteſie to wards me: according wherunto it may pleaſe you too giuegive this my labour leaue to paſſe forth vnderunder your fauorable acceptation, as a hanſel… of ſome greater worke her after too the more benefite of my natiue coūtry, and the further commendation of your L. goodneſſe who are ryght well knowen to be an earneſt fauorer of Gods glory and a diligent furtherer of the welfare of his church written at London the. 12. of Iune. 1572.
Your good Lordſhips moſt humble to commaund Arthur Golding.