The First Principles of the Doctrine of Christ, Title page – To the reader
The first Pinciples of the Doctrine of CHRIST; Together with stronger Meat for them that are skil'd in the Word of Righteousness. OR The Doctrine of living unto God, wherein the Body of Divinity Is Briefly and methodically handled by way of Question and Answer. Published at the desire, and for the use of the Church of Christ in Norwich in NEW-ENGLAND.
By JAMES FITCH Pastor of that Church.
Psal.34.11. Come ye Children, hearken unto me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
2 Tim. 1. 13. Hold fast the form of sound words which thou hast heard of me, in Faith and Love which is in Christ Iesus.
Boston, Printed by John Foster. 1679.
To the Reader.
COncerning the Necessity and Antiquity of that great Ordinance of Catechising, (which is a plain laying down of the Principles of the Oracles of God) there are many that have written. Plane tibi persuasum esse oportet, Ecclesiam Dei Catechesi carere non posse. Calvinus in Epist. Protect. Angliae.Nor was ever any man that had the true fear of God planted in his heart, or that had a sense of the worth of souls (if indeed the care of souls hath been committed to him) altogether neglective as to the practice of so great and necessary a duty. Abraham Instructed those that were born in his house. The Lord commanded his People of old that they should be diligent in teaching their Children, Deut. 6.7. v.Parai Prolog. in Ursini Catech.The Hebrew word there used (as is commonly and truly observed) signifieth to whet; so are the same precepts and principles to be inculcated even over and over again, as the knife upon the whetstone. Solomon speaketh much concerning the advantage he received in that he was well principled by his father in his tender years. And the Jews to this Day, although they have lost the power of Religion for above these 1600 years, yet keep up something of the form of it, being very carefull to instruct their Children in the Principles of the Jewish Religion. They have their Catechisms, Hotting. de jure Hebraeor, Buxtorf, Synag, Iud Cap.3.in special that of R Levi, much commended by some Christian Writers. And Buxtorf (who as to the Jewish Antiquities is esteemed the most learned Writer that the world hath known) giveth us a particular account of these matters, how the Jews have been wont to teach their children some select places of Scripture as soon as ever they can speak, and by that time they are thirteen years of age, they are able to give an account concerning their six hundred and thirteen precepts, which comprehend the sum of the Mosaical Law. And shall Christians come short of Jews, respecting diligence in a Religious Education of their Children? Those six Principles mentioned by Paul, MagdeburgensesHeb. 6. 1,2. are by some called Catechismus Apostoli, the Apostles Catechism, as supposing that the Apostles did reduce the Sum of the Christian Religion to those six heads. I shall not subscribe to that Notion; for I conceive (with due respect to Interpreters that have thought otherwise) that the Principles of the Doctrine of Christ there mentioned, Jacobus Gappellus in locum.are such Principles in Christianity as are owned by the Jews in common with Christians, who believe there must be Repentance from dead works, and Faith towards God, (albeit they deny Faith in Christ) and they acknowledge the Resurrection from the dead, and eternal Judgement, and also the Doctrine of Baptisms,& of the laying on of hands. Nevertheless, it is certain that the Apostles did feed their hearers with Milk as well as with strong meat. Egesippus relateth that by virtue of Catechising, all the Kingdoms in the then known world, received an alteration as to their heathenish Religion, within forty years after Christs ascension. Nor were the famous Teachers in the Christian Church, who flourished in the Ages neer to the Apostles, ashamed to be called Catechists. Optatus was a Catechist at Carthage; Origen at Alexandria, Clemens Alexandrinus had his Poedagogus; Lactantius his Institutions; and Austin his Tract de Catechizand is Rudibus. Eusebius reports that of old one was set apart on purpose for this work, in the primitive Churches, who did bear the name of The Catechist. It is true that those Primitive Catechists did not (all of them) instruct their Auditors by way of Question and Answer, Kata & echeo resono.only they caused the Truth respecting the main Principles in Religion to be often resounding & Ecchoing (according to the Notation of the word Catechize) in the ears of those that were so instructed by them, yet had they of old, a particular day appointed, when those that had been instructed were examined concerning their proficiency. Pelargus.And that form of procedure by way of Question and Answer, was observed by Iunilius, who lived Anno 545. And it is a course that doth necessitate the Auditor to attend and profit. When Sermons are preached, men are sinfully apt to sleep and wander, which under this way of Catechising they cannot easily doe.Bucer de vera Eccles. reconcil. Sr. Edw. Sandys. 88. & Dr Andrews. This Ordinance was indeed in a manner lost (both name and thing,) as Bucer testifies, when Popish Antichristian darkness covered the earth, but (as a worthy Person in his Speculum Europae hath well observed) the first Reformers by diligence in Catechising, caused the light of the Gospel to spread and prevail wonderfully. Yea the Authors of the Tridentine Catechism complain that it was so. in PraefatWhence the Papists have in policy set up a course of instructing Children in the destructive Principles of their Religion, as hoping thereby to outdoe the Protestants, who by their Catechisms had gained so much ground above an hundred years ago. Moreover, by diligence in this way, the Truth of the Gospel hath been preserved as well as propagated. Thus purity of Doctrine successively continued amongst the Waldenses from Generation to Generation. When certain Jufuites were sent amongst them with a design to corrupt their Children, they could not doe it, because they had received contrary Principles of Truth, from those, under whose nurture and admonition they had been educated; so that the Jesuites returned with amazement, professing that among the Waldenses Children of seven years old understood more in the Scriptures, and in the matters of Religion, then could be said of many of their learned men And experience doth sadly confirm the truth of this, inasmuch as they that embrace Heresyes of this or that kind, have (many of them) been found wofully ignorant as to Fundamentals in the Doctrine of Christ,Principia sunt minima quantitate, maxima virtute. so that the reason of their being so seduced is, because they never throughly learned and understood their Catechisms: of so great concernment is it to be well grounded in Principles.
These last Ages have abounded in labours of this kind; one speaketh of no less then five hundred Catechisms extant: which of these is most elegible,v. Mr. Philip Nye Beams of former Light. I shall leave unto others to determine. I suppose there is no particular Catechism, of which it may be said, it is the best for every Family, or for every Congregation. Nevertheless it must needs be acknowledged, that those Models of Divinity (whether Catechistically composed or otherwise) wherein Scriptural Definitions and Distributions, expressing the Sum of the only true Christian Religion, are methodically disposed, according to the golden Rules of Art, have a peculiar excellency and usefulness attending them. In this way that great and famous Martyr of France, Peter Ramus held forth the light to others. After him succeeded the profoundly learned and godly, Alexander Richardson, of whom Mr. Hooker was wont to say, that the Lord would not suffer Richardson to live unto old age, or to finish what was in his heart & head to doe, for the same reason that he would not permit more then three hundred Souldiers to goe with Gideon, even lest the English Nation should glory too much in their own strength, because such a mighty man was once theirs. Mr. Yates his Model of Divinity, Catechistically composed, (a very profitable Book) is as to the method, definitions, & distributions, wholly Richardsons, and a great part of his explications also, so far as they are solid and demonstrative. A judicious Reader may easily perceive which are Richardsons and which Yates his Notions, though in the Book it is not mentioned. About the same time the Lord raised up that great Champion, Dr. Ames of whom one too truly complaineth, that there might be written over his Grave as once over Scipio's,Mr. Jeanes. Ingrata Patria, ne ossa mea quidem habes. He in his Medulla Theologiae hath improved Richardsons method and Principles to great advantage. And truly I concur with that worthy Divine, who said, that next to the Bible, D. Thom. Goodwin.he esteemed Dr. Ames his Marrow of Divinity as the best Book in the world.
These things considered, the Reader may expect, and will undoubtedly find, that which will be well worth his serious perusal in the following Catechism. As for the worthy Author, although the Lord hath seen meet to fix his present station not only in a wilderness, but in one of the obscurest places therein, yet is his praise in the Gospel throughout all the Churches. And by what is here presented, (as well as by other things formerly published) it doth appear that the Author is a Workman that needeth not to be ashamed. For here is not only Milk for Babes in respect of Principles, with much solid dexterity asserted; but strong Meat in respect of rational explications, and Demonstrations of those Principles, that the ablest men, who have their senses exercised in discerning things of this nature, may be edified. Luther did profess himself to be Discipulus Catechismi, a Learner of his Catechism, all his dayes. The work then of a Catechist is not unbecoming or unsuitable to the ablest Teachers. And if endeavours of this sort were more diligently attended, it would be one good means to prevent Degeneracy in the succeeding Generation.
Now the Lord bless this faithfull undertaking for that end, and grant that the earth may be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the Sea.
Boston. 4. m. 23 d. 1679. INCREASE MATHER.
Q.WHat is Religion?
A. Religion is a Doctrine of living unto God, and consists of two parts, Faith and Observance.
The thing defined is Religion, it may be called Divinity, as it cometh from God, and leadeth to God, and to a divine life, and some have thought it is called Religion by occasion of mans fall, man at first was bound to God, but he by his sin loosened himself, and by the Rule of Religion he is bound again; Religion is a word compounded of re and ligo to bind again, Jam. 1. 26.
Religion is] for if there were no Religion none could be Irreligious, if no Law then no transgression, many seem to be Religious, few are indeed Religious, Jam. 1. 26, 27.