Christian Religion, Catechism · Part 1 – Part 2
CHRISTIAN RELIGION: SVBSTANTIALLY, METHOdicalli… …nlie, and profitablie Treatiſed.
BY PEACE PLENTY. BY WISDOME. PEACE
LONDON, Printed by Felix Kingston for Thomas Man, 1611.
CHRISTIAN RELIGION, SVBSTANTIALLY, methodicallie, plainlie, and profitablie treatiſed.
E… … …hap. 3. verſ. 13.14.15.
13 Then Moſes … vntounto God, Behold, when I ſhall come vntounto the children of Iſrael, and ſhall ſay vntounto them, The God of your fathers hath ſent me vntounto you: if they ſay vntounto me, What is his Name? what ſhall I ſay vntounto them?
14 And God anſwered Moſes, I AM THAT I AM. Alſo he ſaid, Thus ſhalt thou ſay vntounto the children of Iſrael, I AM hath ſent me vntounto you.
15 And God ſpake further vntounto Moſes, Thus ſhalt thou ſay vntounto the children of Iſrael, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Izhak, and the God of Iaakob, hath ſent me vntounto you: this is my Name for euer, and this is my memoriall vntounto all ages.
WHat learne you out of the 13. verſe?
In the thirteenth verſe in the queſtion of Moſes two things are to be obſerued: One, that we be carefull to be inſtructed in all things concerning our calling, thereby to be able to anſwere all doubts that may be moued.
Secondly, that asking any thing concerning God, as of his name or nature, we muſt aske it of himſelfe: duplicate page duplicate page who becauſe now he ſpeaketh not but by his Miniſters,2. Cor. 5.20. Hoſ. 12.10. Interpreters of the Scriptures, wee muſt hauehave our recourſe vntounto them.
What learne you out of the 14. verſe?
He ſheweth what is his proper name, ſaying: I am, &c.
I am that I am, or (as the Hebrew ſoundeth) I will be that I will be; ſauing that the Hebrewes vſe the future time for the preſent, as that which noteth a continuance.
What is meant by theſe words?
Hereby is ſet foorth the man… …f the Being and Eſſence of God, farre otherw… …en the proper names of men; which declare either nothing of their nature and being, or elſe not the whole and full thereof.
Is there nothing of God to bee knowne beſides his name?
Nothing as touching his Being, falling vnderunder our weake and ſhallow capacitie.
What names of God in the Scripture are deriued from theſe words?
Two: the name Iehouah, and the name Iah: both which being drawne from this deſcription of God, doe ſet forth the manner of his Eſſence and Being.
Is there nothing that hath a being but God?
Eſay 40.17.Nothing in compariſon, and therefore the Prophet ſaith that all nations before him are nothing, yea to him leſſe then nothing: and if men be nothing for whom the world was made, how much more are all other creatures in heauen and earth nothing before him, and to him leſſe then nothing?
Can you from hence define what God is?
He muſt hauehave the Art and Logick of God himſelf, that muſt giuegive a perfect definition of God; but hee may in ſuch ſort be deſcribed as he may be diſcerned from all falſe gods and all creatures whatſoeuer.
What is that deſcription?
God is a ſpirit, which hath his being of himſelfe.
What meane you by that addition, of himſelfe?
It hath a ſecret oppoſition to all creatures, which hauehave a Being, but not of themſelues:Acts 17.28. whereas God alone is he, in whom we liue, and moue and hauehave our being: which proueth that he alone hath his Being of himſelfe.
PSAL. 145.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. &c. to the end.
1 O my God and King, I will extoll thee, and will bleſſe thy Name for euer and euer.
2 I will bleſſe thee daily, and praiſe thy Name for euer and euer.
3 Great is the Lord, and moſt worthie to be praiſed, and his greatneſſe is incomprehenſible.
4 Generation ſhall praiſe thy workes vntounto generation, and declare thy power.
5 I will meditate of the beautie of thy glorious maieſtie and thy wonderfull works,
6 And they ſhall ſpeake of the power of thy fearefull acts, and I will declare thy greatneſſe.
7 They ſhall breake out into the mention of thy great goodneſſe, and ſhall ſing aloud of thy righteouſneſſe.
8 The Lord is gracious, and mercifull, ſlow to anger, and of graat merciemercy.
9 The Lord is good to all, & his mercies are ouer all his works.
WHat doe you meane by this word thy Name?
In that the name of God is diſtinguiſhed from God himſelf in this verſe, the Prophet thereby ſetteth forth the things whereby God doth manifeſt himſelf, amongſt which the chiefe and principall are his properties.
What are the properties of God?
They are eſſentiall faculties of God according to the diuers manner of his working, which are vncommunicable with the creatures, notwithſtanding that there are ſome ſhadowes and glimpſes of them in men and Angels.
How may they be conſidered?
Either in themſelues as they are eſſentiall, or in their works or effects which are all perfect.
What are the principall prope… in God?
Ioh. 4.24.Simplenes and infinitenes, a… …ſe which are not only vncommunicable themſelues, but which make all other properties of God incommunicable.
What is ſimplenes in God?
Exod. 33.19.20.It is an eſſentiall propertie in God, whereby eueryevery thing that is in God is God himſelfe. Therefore vncompounded, without parts, inuiſible, impaſſible, all eſſence: whereof it is not only called holy, but holineſſe; not only iuſt, but iuſtice, &c.
What learne you thereby?
Comfort vntounto the faithfull, for ſtrength of their weake faith: whileſt they conſider that the merciemercy and clemencie of God is in all perfection and without change vntounto them: as alſo terror vntounto the wicked, whileſt they conſider his wrath and ſeueritie againſt them to be in moſt full meaſure; the one and the other being God himſelfe.
What doe you ſay of his infinitenes?
It is either in quantitie and greatnes, or in time and eternitie.
What is his infinitenes in quantitie and greatnes?
It is an eſſentiall propertie in God whereby hee containeth all things,Pſal. 139.7. Iob 11.7. Eſay 66.1. 1. Kings 8.17. Eſay 40.12. and is contained of nothing that either is or may be imagined.
What learne you from hence?
That conſidering the infinite greatneſſe of God, wee ſhould be put in minde that nothing which is vile and baſe ſhould bee offered vntounto God, in the worſhip of him.
What is his infinitenes in time or eternitie?
It is an eſſentiall propertie in God,Reuel. 1.8.11. Eſay 44 6. Pſal. 90.2. 1. Tim. 1.17. whereby he is the firſt and the laſt.
What learne you hereby?
Wee are ſtren…ned hereby not only in the immortalitie of our ſoule, but alſo in the immortalitie of our bodies after the reſurrection; conſidering that by his euerlaſtingnes he giueth continuall being, to ſuch of his creatures as he is pleaſed to giuegive a continuall continuance vntounto.
What is the life of God?
It is an eſſentiall propertie of God whereby he liueth of himſelfe, whereof he is ſaid only immortall:Pſal. 36.9. Iohn 5.26. 1. Tim. 6.16. 1. Tim. 6.16.
What is the knowledge of God?
It is an eſſentiall propertie of God, whereby hee knoweth himſelfe, and of, and by himſelfe, all which is, and which is not.
Is not the knowledge or foreknowledge of God the cauſe why they are done?
No: but his will.
What is the will of God?
It is an eſſentiall propertie of God,Pſal. 139.11. Heb. 4.13. Ioh. 21.17. 1. Tim. 6.16. whereby of himſelfe moſt freely he approueth or diſapproueth whatſoeuer he knoweth.
What learne you hereby?
Firſt, that nothing commeth to paſſe by meere hap or chance, but as God in his eternall knowledge and iuſt will hath decreed before ſhould come to paſſe.
Secondly, that whatſoeuer commeth to paſſe, though we know not the cauſes thereof, and that it be contrarie to our willes, yet wee ſhould beare it patiently, and therein ſubmit our willes to the good will and pleaſure of God.
What is the power of God?
Iob 42.2. Luke 1.37.It is an eſſentiall propertie in God whereby he is able to doe all things.
What inſtructions doe you dr… from the power of God?
Firſt, that we ſhould not deſpaire of the things that God doth promiſe, either in reſpect of our owne weakneſſe, or in reſpect of the apparent weakneſſe of the things, that God hath ſanctified for our good.
Secondly, it ſerueth both for a ſpurre to doe well, conſidering that God is able to ſaue: and a bridle to reſtraine from euill, ſeeing he hath power to deſtroy.
What is Gods goodneſſe? verſ. 7.
Marke 10.18. James 1.17.It is an eſſentiall propertie in God whereby he is infinitely good, in, and of himſelfe.
Is nothing then good but God?
Nothing of it ſelf; howbeit by him, and from him doe come good things,Gen. 1. which hauehave not their goodneſſe of themſelues.
What learne you hereof?
That whatſoeuer he doth is good, yea it is perfectly good whatſoeuer men iudge of it: yea that by this goodneſſe of his hee vſeth all things well: and that ſeeing God is good to vsus, wee ought to be good one towards another.
What is his iustice?
It is an eſſentiall propertie in God, whereby he is infinitely iuſt in himſelfe and of himſelfe.
What is the rule of this iuſtice?
His will: for becauſe he willeth it,Epheſ. 1.11. Pſal. 115.3. Matth. 20.15. therefore it is iuſt, not becauſe it is iuſt therefore hee willeth it: and theſe things may be applied to other the properties of God?
What is the graciouſnes of God? verſ. 8.
It is an eſſentiall propertie, whereby he is of himſelfe moſt gracious and amiable.
Is he only gracious?
Only, in and of himſelf: for that whatſoeuer is gracious and amiable it is from him.
What learne you from this?
That we ought to louelove and reuerence God aboue all. For ſeeing gracious and amiable men doe winne louelove and reuerence from others, in whoſe eyes they appeare gracious and amiable: who is able more to winne this at our hands then God, who is the fountaine of all graciouſnes and amiablenes?
What is his louelove?
It is an eſſentiall propertie in God, whereby he loueth himſelfe aboue all, and others for himſelfe.
What learne you from hence?
That we ſhould louelove him dearely, and other things for him.
Seeing his merciemercy followeth of his louelove, what is his merciemercy?
It is an eſſentiall propertie in God, whereby he is meerely ready of himſelfe to helpe.
Why adde you this word [meerely?]
To put a difference betweene the merciemercy of God, and that merciemercy that is in men: for their merciemercy is not without ſome paſſion, compaſſion, or fellow-feeling of the miſerie of others; but the merciemercy of God is moſt perfect and effectual, ready to help at all needs.
What is his holineſſe? verſ. 21.
Holineſſe is an eſſentiall propertie in God, as he is full of truth, iuſtice, merciemercy, &c. and is a generall attribute of God in reſpect of all the ſpeciall proprieties of his nature. For this holineſſe hee moſt iuſtly loueth, liketh, and preferreth himſelfe aboue all.
What learne you from hence?
Firſt, that as eueryevery one commeth neerer vntounto him in holineſſe, ſo they are beſt liked and loued of him; and conſequently it ſhould breed a louelove in our harts, of holineſſe and hatred of the contrary.
Secondly, that this ought to kill in vsus all euill thoughts and opinions which can riſe of God in our heart, ſeeing that in him that is holineſſe it ſelfe, there can be no iniquitie.
What properties of God ariſe from all theſe before ſpoken of?
Gen. 17.1. Pſal. 50.12. & 16.2. Rom. 11.35.36.Perfection and Happineſſe.
What is perfection?
Perfection is an eſſentiall propertie in God, wherby whatſoeuer is in God is perfect.
What learne you from hence?
That hee is to ſeeke his owne glorie, and not the glorie of any, in all that hee willeth or willeth not, doth, or leaueth vndone.
What gather you thereof?
They are confuted, that thinke God is moued to will or nill things in reſpect of the creatures: as men that ſeeing a miſerable man are mooued to pitie; whereas God of himſelfe and in himſelfe,It is to be vnderſtood of reprobation, not of condemnation. is moued to ſaue or reiect, to receiue ſome, and to caſt away others.
What elſe?
That all which he doth is perfect, howſoeuer hee deale with vsus.
Hitherto of the perfection of God: what of his felicitie?
It is the propertie of God whereby hee hath all fulnes of delight and contentment in himſelfe.