family nor one person old or young would deny us this request which we make to our own Labour but for your Good First that you would take some pains to Learn over the Creed with out Expository Profession the Ten Commandments and the Lords Prayer our small Catechism and the Assemblies shorter Catechism Secondly that you would see that all your Children and Servants that are capable learn them especially on the Lords day Thirdly that you would not refuse to come when you are called to give your Teachers an account of your Knowledge and how little soever you have learned yet to receive Instruction by them And think it not too much that we desire you to come to us for as you know it is a more regular and certain way for all to come to one place then for us to go seek after every person not knowing where and when to find them so is it no more then you owe to your Teachers in order to your own good when God hath made them Stewards of his household to give them their meat in due season Luke 12.42 Tit. 1.7 1 Cor. 4.1 2. and hath Commanded you to obey them that have the Rule over you for they watch for your souls as those that must give account that they may do it with Joy and not with Grief for that is unprofitable for you And Mal. 2.7 For the Priests lips should keep Knowledge and they should seek the Law at his mouth for he is the Messenger of the Lord of Hosts If the Lord bow your hearts sincerely to yield to this our advice it will be the Joy of your Families the honour of your Towns Parishâ—s and Country a good example for the whole Nation to imitate and it will be the Comfort of your Teachers and a good preparative to your own everlasting Peace so great Benefits will follow a Small a Certain a Reasonable duty But if after all that we can say or do you unthankfully and obstinately refuse the help that is freely offered you your Blood will be upon your own heads and your Consciences shall bear us witness that we made you this offer and this our Exhortation shall rise up in Judgement for a witness against you And then Christ will have the glory of his Justice on all that set so light by the Riches of his Grace May 4th 1655. These are the Testimonies Warnings and Requests of us the servants of Christ for the saving of your souls whole names are before written The Ancient Western CREED I Believe in God the Father Almighty Maker of Heaven and earth And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord which was Conceived by the Holy Ghost born of the Virgin Mary suffered under Pontius Pilate was Crucified dead and buryed he descended into Hell The third day he rose again from the dead he ascended into Heaven and sitteth on the Right hand of God the Father Almighty from thence he shall come to Judge the quick and the dead I believe in the Holy Ghost the holy Catholike Church the Communion of Saints the forgiveness of sins the Resurrection of the Body and the Life everlasting The Lords Prayer Math. 6. OVR Father which art in Heaven Hallowed be thy Name Thy Kingdom come thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven Give us this day our daily bread And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from Evil For thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory for ever Amen The ten Commandments Exod. 20. GOD spake all these words saying I am the Lord thy God which have brought thee out of the Land of Egypt out of the house of bondâ—ge Thou shalt have no other Gods before me Thoâ— shalt not make unto thee any grauen Image or any likeness of any thing that is in Heaven above or that is in the eaâ—â—h beneath or that is in the water under â—he earâ—h â—hou shâ—lt not how down thy self to them nor â—erve hâ—m Fâ—â—â—â—he Lord â—hy God am a jealous God visitâ—ng â—he iniquiries of the Faâ—hers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my Commandments Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain For the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy six daies shalt thou labour and do all thy work but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God in it thou shalt not do any work thou nor thy son nor thy daughter thy man-servant nor thy maid-servant nor thy cattel nor the stranger that is within thy gates For in six daies the Lord made heaven and earth the sea and all that in them is and rested the seventh day wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it Honour thy Father and thy Mother that thy daies may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee Thou shalt not kill Thou shalt not commit adultery Thou shalt not steal Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour Thou shalt not covet thy neighbours house thou shalt not covet thy neighbours wife nor his man-servant nor his maid-servant nor his ox nor his ass nor any thing that is thy neighbours The fuller profession of our Faith taken out of Scripture for the better understanding of the Creed I Believe that there is One only God * or in three Persons the Father The Son and the Holy Ghost The Father Infinite in Being the Father The Son Wisdom Goodness and Power the Maker Preserver and Disposer of all things and the most Just and Merciful Lord of all I Believe that Mankind being fallen by sin from God and Happiness under the wrath of God the curse of his Law the Power of the Devil God so loved the world that he gave his only son to be their Redeemer who being God and one with the Father did take to him our nature and became man being conceived of the Holy Ghost in the Virgin Mary and born of her and named Jesus Christ and having lived on earth without sin and wrought many Miracles for a witness of his truth he gave up himself a sacrifice for our sins and a Ransome for us in suffering death on the Cross and being Buried he rose again the third day and afterward Ascended into Heaven where he is Lord of All in Glory with the Father And having Ordained that all that truly Repent and Believe in him and love him above all things and sincerely Obey him and that to the death shall be saved and they that will not shall be damned and commanded his ministers to preach the Gospel to the world He will come again and raise the bodies of all men from Death and will Judge all men according to what they have done in the body and the Righteous shall go
publike worship of God and preaching of the word with those private duties which are necessary in our Families though we reserve Catechizing at least of the aged to another day especially in the Winter when the days are short 6. By this means we shall better know the state of our hearers and better know how to speak publikely to their necessities and how to pray for them and how far either to be moan them or rejoyce over them and we shall better understand their capacity and fitness for Communion and Sacraments 7. If we appoint not a stated time and place for this work we cannot tell how to have any fit opportunity for it because we know not when to finde people at leisure together and prepared thereto nor can every weak Minister endure the attendance and inconvenience of some of their houses for so long time without apparent injury to their health or lives 8. The diligence of Papists and Sectaries will condemn us if we will not do half so much in a right way to save mens souls as they will do in a wrong way to pervert them The Papists will bring all the people to confess their most secret sins in secret to their Priests and we have heard of some that have approved of their Church rather then ours because it is more strict in such practises The Sectaries of other Sects creep into houses and lead captive the silly people by their smooth deceiving words and industry If we then that have a better work to do shall betray mens souls by lazie negligences all these might rise up against us and condemn us 9. The work that we agree upon is of unquestionable necessity it is not of the controverted matters where some godly men are of one minde and some of another we know of no party reputed sober and pious among us but are all agreed of the usefulness and excellency which is more then the lawfulness of this Catechizing and familiar instruction and we observe them all as with one minde and mouth complaining of the neglect of it and commending the performance we think it therefore a sad and unexcusâ—ble thing that while we contend about controversies most should neglect that necessary work which all approve of even while they thus neglect it 10. It is a work wherein we have the countenance of authority Former Rulers commanded Catechizing and the present do not discountenance it but encourage us to such works It hath been the constanâ— practâ—ce of the Primitive Church who had oft their Catechists to teach these principles and all Ages have allowed it without any considerable contradiction And the Catechism which we agree to use was approved by the Church Assemblies of England and Scotland as a part of the Uniformity 11. We receive the publike maintenance to this end that we may be enabled to lay out our endeavour for the good of the whole Parishes from which we do receive it and therefore we are further obliged in Justice to do our best for the salvation of them all Upon these plain and pressing Reasons among others we finde our selves called to lament our former negligence and more diligently to perform this needfull work and to exhort our Parishioners to encourage us by their submission and willingness and we do resolve upon a more faithful discharge of this duty to those that shall thus submit Subscribed by RIchard Baxter Teacher of the Church at Kidderminster John Boraston Pastor of Ribâ—ford and Bewdly Richard Eades Pastor of Beckford Glocestershire Charles Nott Minister of Shelsly James Warwick Minister at Hanley Castle Thomas Eavans Minister at Welland Thomas Wright Teacher at Hartlebury John Nott Teacher at Sheriff Hales Staffordshire Henry Oasland Teacher of the Church at Bewdly John Hill Minister at Clifton upon Teame Thomas Baldwin Minister at Wolverley Richard Wolley Minister at Salwarp John Freeston Minister at Hampton Lovet Richard Sergeant Preacher at Kidderminster Andrew Tristram Pastor of the Church at Clent Thomas Bromwich Minister at Kemsey Thomas Franck Teacher at Nanton Beachamp John Taylor Minister at Dudley William Spicer Minister of Stone Humphry Waldern Minister of Broom Samuel Bowater Rector of Astley Benjamin Baxter Minister at Vpton upon Severn William Lole Minister at Pyrton Thomas Francis Minister at Doderhil Thomas Jackman Minister at Burrough William Durham Pastor of Tredington Thomas Easton Pastor of Batesford Glocestershire Giles Collier Pastor of the Church at Blockly George Hopkins Ministers of the Gospel at Evesham Thomas Matthew Ministers of the Gospel at Evesham John Dolphin Pastor of the Church at Honniborn Joseph Trebel Pastor at Church Lench William Willes Preacher at Littleton Richard Beeston Preacher of the Gospel at Breedon William Kimberly Minister at Ridmarley Joseph Baker Preachers of the Gospel in the City of Worcester Richard Fincher Preachers at the Gospel in the City of Worcester John Willnot Preacher aâ— Parshore Francis Hyat Minister at Eckington Robert Brown Minister at White-Lady Aston Jarvis Bryan Pastor of the Church at Old Swinford and Sturbridge John Dedicol Preachâ—r at Abbotsley Richard Dowly Minister of Stoke Pryor An Exhortation to all our Parishioners to submit to this Necessary work of Catechizing and personal Instruction which we have Agreed on for the furthering of their own Salvation To all the Inhabitants of our several Parishes Grace and Peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ DEarly beloved Brethren whose souls are precious both to Christ and us and whose Peace and Salvation we do earnestly desire It hath pleased the God of all the Earth to call out this poor unworthy Islâ—nd in the utmost parts of the world to make it his garden while others remain a wilderness and a Land of lighâ— while others live in horrid darkness Here hath he Proclaimed the Gospel of his dear Son and made plain to us the way to everlasting felicity He hath not dealt so with every Nâ—tion nor have they heard and seen what we have done Most of the world do lie in the darkness of Heathenish Idolatry Infidelity and Mahometanism and too much of Christendom in the darkness of Popery and Heresie It haâ—h pleased the Lord of the Harvest to send forth Labourers into this part of his Harvest though we confess too weak and imperfect yet more numerous and faithful and diligent then most of his Churches elsewhere Proportionably can shew He hath wonderfully dispelled the mists of Popery and many of his servants have laid down their lives in the flames in witness against it and with a mighty hand hath he hitherto hindred its return We have the holy Scriptures faithfully translated into our own Language and Bibles so common that every family may have one or more at a small price and may make them the matter of their daily exercise We have this Scripture weekly at least read and preached to us publikely we have the living examples of many that fear God in whose hearts his Law is written though imperfectly and in whose lives
into life eternal and the rest into everlasting Punishment I Believe that God the Holy Ghost the Spirit of the Father and the Son was sent from the Father (*) or and by the Son to inspire and guide the Prophets and Apostles that they might fully reveal the doctrine of Christ and by multitudes of evident miracles and wonderful gifts to be the great witness of Christ and of the truth of his holy word and also to dwell and work in all that are drawn to believe that being first joyned to Christ their head and into one Church which is his body and so pardoned and made the sons of God they may be a peculiar people sanctified to Christ and may mortifie the flesh and overcome the world and the Devil and being zealous of good works may serve God in Holiness and Righteousness and may live in the special Love and Communion of the Saints and in Hope of Christs Coming and of Everlasting life I do heartily take this one God (*) In the Trinity of Persons for my only God and my chief good and this Jesus Christ for my only Lord-Redeemer and Saviour and this Holy Ghost for my Sanctifier and the Doctrine by him revealed and witnessed by his Miracles and now contained in the holy Scriptures I do take for the Law of God and the Rule of my Faith and Life And Repenting unfeignedly of my sins I do Resolve through the grace of God sincerely to obey him both in Holyness to God and Righteousness to men and in special love to the Saints and Communion with them against all the temptations of tht Devil the World and my own Flesh and this to the death Note that the first eight Articles of the following Caâ—echism do contain â—he foregoing Profession and the four last do express the particulars â—ontained in the two words Holiness and Righteousness and in the ten Commandments The CATECHISM Qu. 1. What do you believe concerning God 1. There is one only God in three persons the Father 1 Cor. 8.4 6. Mat. 2â— 13 1 Joh. 5.7 1 Tim. 1.17 Psal 1. â—9 7 8 9. Isa 40.17 Rev. 4.8 Psal 147.5 Neh. 9.6 Psal 135 6. Rev. 15.3 Exo. 34 6. the Son and the Holy Ghost Who is infinite in Being Power Wisdom and Goodness the maker preserver diâ—poser of all things and the most Iust and Merciful Lord of all Qu. 2. How did God make man and what Law did he give him 2. Pro. 16.4 Gen. 1.26 27. 2.16 17. Rom. 6.23 God made man for himself in his own image and gave him a righteous Law requiring perfect obedience upon pain of Death Qu. 3. Did man keep or break this Law 3. Man being tempted by Satan Gen. 3. Rom 5 1â—.28 3.23 6.23 Eph. 2.12 Hos 14.1 Eph. 2. â— 3 5. Gal. 3.10 â—â— Act. 26.18 Gen. 6.5 2 Tim 3 15. Hos 11.7 13.2 Psal â—8 17 did wâ—â—fully sin and so fall from God and Happiness under the wrath of God the Curse of the Law and the Power of the Devil so that a e are bâ— nature dead in sin and prone to do more evil continually to grow worse â—o depart yet further from God Qu. 4. How was man Redeemed 4 God so loved the world Joh. 3.16 â—7 1 Joh. 2.2 Ioh. 4.22 Rom 9.5 10.12 Joh. 10.30 17.11 Heb. â— 14 16. 1 Tim. â— 5 Luâ— 1 2â— â—1 35. Mat. 1.22 25.20 Heb. 4.15 7 26. Heb. 2 3.4 Act 2.22 7.36 T it 2.14 Heb. 9.26 1 Tim 2.6 Mat. 27.31 35. â—0 1 Cor. 15 3 4 5 6 7 12. Act. 1.9 Eph. 4 8 9 10 11. Act. 10.56 2.36 Râ—m 14.9 Mat. 28.18 Eph. 1.20 21 22 that he gave his onlâ— son to be their Redeemer who being God and one with the Father did take to him our nature and became man being conceived by the Holy Ghost in the Vâ—râ— in Mary and born of her and called Iesus Châ—ist and having lived on earth without sin and wrought many Miracles for a witness of his truth he gave up himself a sacrifice for our siâ—s and a ransom for us in suffering death on the Cross anâ— being buryed he rose again the third day and afterward ascended inâ—o â—eaven where he iâ— Lord of all â—n glory with the Father Qu. 5. How and on what â—e â—â—s is â—alâ—ation offered in the Gospel 5 Our Lord Iesus Christ hath ordained in his Testament that all they that receive him by a tine effectual faith 1 Cor. 9.14 Heb 9.15 Col. 2 6. Joh. 1.12 Mar. 16.15 16. Gal. 5.4 Jam. 2 24. Act. 26.18 â—n 24 47. Act. 5.31 11.18 20.21 3.19 2.38 8 2â— 26.10 〈◊〉 13.3 Mar. 4.12 Isa 55.7 2.16 Ezeâ— â—8 21 â—0 â—2 33 11. to 20. Mat. 19 2â— 29. â—0 3â— Lâ—k â—4 26 27 3â— Tâ—t 3 â— 7 Heb. 3 14. Câ—l â— 23 Joh. 15 â— to 12. 8 31. Roâ— 1.22 Heb 10.26 38. Rev. 2 1â— â—â— Mar. 16.15 16. Mat. 28.19 20 21. and that by true Repentance do forsake the Devil the world and the Flesh and heartily turn from them unto God shall freely receive the Pardon of their sins and become the sons of God and Heirs of everlasting life * The conditionality of the promise denyâ—th not the certainty of faith and perseverance and that if they sincerely love and obey him to the death they shall be glorifyed and that they that will not do all this shall be damned And this he hath commanded his Ministers to preach to all the world Joh. 14.26 15.26 1 Pet. 1.10 11 12. 2 Pet. 1.21 2 Tim. 3.16 Joh. 16.13 Ep. 3.3 5. 2.20 4.11 12 13. Mat. 28.20 â— Tim. 6.14 Isa 8 20. Rev. â—2 18 19. Heb. 3.2 â— 2.3.4 Acts 2.22 19.11.10 19. Gal. 3.1.2 3 5. Joh. 14.12 3.2 10. 25 37 28 1 Cor. 14. Qu. 6. How did Christ reveal and prove his doctrine 6. The Holy Ghost was sent by the Father and the son to inspire and guide the Prophets Apostles and Evangelists that they might truly and fully reveal the Doctrine of Christ and deliver it in Scripture to the Church as the Rule of our Faith and Lise And by multitudes of evident uncontroled miracles to be the great witness of Christ and of the truth of his holy word Act. 26.18 Joh. 6.44 Rom. 8. â— 10 11 Act. 16.14 Ezeâ— 36.16 Act. 15.9 1 Cor. 6.11 19. Col. 1.18 2.19 Eph. 5.30 31.32 3.17 1 Cor. 12. 13.27 Rom. 3.24 Gal. 4 6. Joh. 1.12 Gal. 6.26 Tit. â— 14 1 Pet. 2.9 1 Cor. 6.11 Rom. 8.1.10 14. Gal. 5.17 24. 1 Joh. 2.15 Gal. 6.14 1 Joh. 3.8 Luk. 1.74 75. 1 Pet. 1.22 Joh. 12.34 35. Eph. 2. â—9 Heb. 10 25. â— Cor. â— 9 â— Pet. 3 11 12. Tit. 1.2 3.7 Qu. 7. How are men brought to partake of Christ and life 7. The same Holy Spirit doth by the word enlighten mens