like himself Immaculate By th' Holy Ghost whose over-shadow'd power Being graciously vouchsaf't unto her Impregnated Oh Heavenly bridal-groom A chast unspotted Virgins womb Born of the Virgin Mary mother she To him that gave her first to be Happy to be his Mother happier far That he his Daughter counted her Whose sinless chast conception did bring forth A Sin-Curse-Free a painless birth Fourth Article S. James the Great Suffer'd not for his own but for the Sin Of hopeless helpless wretchless men Vnder a Governor a Zealous pleaser Of the Ambitious jealous Caesar Pentius Pilate who his death Commands And washes then his guilty hands Was Crucified Condemned and forc't to be Hang'd on the Cross the Cursed tree Where while nails pierc'd his sacred plants and palms his wounded side dropt healing balms Blood that might pay the score to justice then Water to wash and make us clean To evidence redemption finished Water from 's heart to prove him dead Dead truly dead the Lord of life and breath Fast-fetter'd in the Chains of death And buried buried in a Tomb obscure And guarded too to make him sure Yet was the Guest not common and the grave No common entertainment gave A Rock receiv'd him and the Scriptures say A Rock where never man yet lay Fifth Article S. Thomas He whom the heav'n and heav'n of heav'ns in vain Might have endeavour'd to contain Descended into Hell Content to have His lodgings in a six-foot grave Thence to th' infernal pit where Satan lurks To triumph over him and 's works The third day ere his sacred body saw Or yielded to corruptions law He the first fruits of life which he in spight Of Death and Hell would bring to light Rose again from the dead and shew'd it plain That man being dead can live again Sixth Article S. James the Less He then his work being done redemption wrought Hells works destroy'd and man rebought Ascended into Heaven his first abode The only proper place for God And sitteth not till now his labour ceas't And not till now he sits to rest At the right hand of God to signifiâ— As well his pow'r as dignity Where now in our behalf he dayly pleads And with the Father intercedes For such continual and benign supplies As suits our wants and miseries The Fath'r Almighty who can all things do But to his dearest Son say no Who as Almighty can his sute fulfill And as a gracious Father will Seventh Article S. Philip. From thence when judgments Trump shall sound a Call And to the Barr shall summon all And not before to raign as some mean dream A thousand years on earth with them He but not such as formerly was he Cloath'd with disgrace and poverty But he such as he is eye-dazling bright With Majesty and heav'nly light Shall come attended as he truly merits With Legions of Scraphick Spirits To Iudge impartially according to The works that in this life they do The quick who though in death they sleep not shall Be changed in a moment all And the dead too whose perish'd bodies then Shall by his pow'r be rais'd again And re-united with the soul together With that shall live and live for ever Eighth Article S. Bartholomew I Believe in him who proceeds as third Both from the Father and the Word Proceeding as the Godheads Emanation Yet coeternal in duration The third yet equal person in the One Both with the Father and the Son The Holy Ghost the blessed Lord and giver Of life whose lease bear's date for ever Who by his various gifts dispenc'd abroad So edifies the Church of God And by his works upon the hearts of men So lively influences them That they who thus the seeds of grace inherit Brings forth the gracious fruits o' th' Spirit This is the sum of what my faith doth gather Of God my gracious heav'nly Father Ninth Article S. Matthew Another part of my belief remains And that the Church my Mother Claims And here I do believe not in nor on Such faith respecteth God alone But with a faith Historically meant Which does to truth reveal'd assent The holy Cath'lick Church that lovely spouse For which her Lord his life did lose Holy as builded up and founded on Christ the most holy corner stone Whose Constitutions Principles Profession Teach us her Sons this holy Lesson That holy as he is holy we must be Or never hope his face to see Catholick as all those it comprehends Whom our dear Lord accounts his friends Whether they Militate for him below Or having conquer'd triumph now A Church truth's rocky pillar and firm ground ' Gainst which Hell-gates no force have found Tenth Article S. Simon The sweet communion of the Saints that high And most Angelick harmony Which they have first with God Christs father and theirs As his beloved sons and heirs With God the Son as branches with the vine As members with the head combine With God the Spirit who in them as God Within his Temple keeps abode This bond of Charity does kindly move Their hearts and souls in mutual love And keeps the Church of God by this Communion A City in it self at Vnion Not tainting her nor truth perverting by Blind and erroneous heresie Nor yet with Schisms Rents dividing one And making many so make none The full and abs'lute free and gracious No way deserv'd or earn'd by us Forgiveness Pardon plenary remission Indempnity and abolition Of Sins of whatsoever kind degree Whether in thought word deed they be Granted to such as having faith that 's true Are by repentance born a-new Eleventh Article S. Judas Thaddeus The Resurrection of the fleshly part To share the spirits joy or smart The body to corruption now inclin'd But then more purer and more refin'd Whose scatter'd ashes erst base earth and clay And bones with drought consum'd away New-fram'd and reunited shall restore The self-same man that was before So though those crawling Cannibals the worn Destroy these bodies in their urns Yet in the flesh with these not other eyes We shall to see the Lord arise Twelfth Article S. Matthias And as the end the Crown and recompence Of this my faith and patience The Life not frail as this whose every breath Brings the man one step nearer death But everlasting such a life as when Thousands of years and after them Miriads are spent by millions multiply'd Though each brought forth an Age beside Shall have when this is spent and ten times morâ— As long to last as 't had before And so shall still roll on without conclusion In an Eternal revolution In which all Souls Eternally shall dwell As Kings in Heav'n or Fiends in Hell Ravish'd with Musick in the Angels Quire Or Brands of Everlasting Fire Amen this was is will be true till when My Faith and Expectation say Amen Question I 've gladly heard you word by word explain This sacred Symbol great might be the pain To learn this young but greater sure the
THE CATECHISM OF THE Church of England POETICALLY PARAPHRASED BY JAMES FOWLER LONDON Printed by Tho. Hodgkin 1678. Imprimatur Guil. Jane Jan. 4. 1677. TO My Worthy and much HONORED FRIEND EPHRAIM SKINNER Esq SOMETIMES His MAJESTIES CONSUL IN LEGORN SIR AS I know you have a natural aversness to being passive so I find in my self no temptation to be active in those lofty Praises that commonly stuff up Dedications Let your works themselves not my Encomium's praise you in the Gates Enjoy your self in that Noble and Christian principle of sparing the Trumpet for securing the Reward Only thus much I must say in Apology for this boldness That the Catechism of the Church knows not better where to seek for Patronage than at those hands that have been exemplarily liberal in beautifying the Temple May you go on and Prosper in so pious a Design and since it cannot be accounted a Digression to your Progress with your favourable acceptance encourage these Papers which are written for their Instruction that ought to be the Polished Corners of it that when nothing of you shall remain but the memory of your actions they may rise up and call you Blessed Which blessedness as you plenteously sow it in this life that you may reap abundantly in a better is the hearty Prayer of Your most Obliged and humble Servant JAMES FOWLER TO THE READER READER THat indifferency in Poetry which one that was a Stranger to it thought unattainable hath here been aimed at This Paraphrase was intended for the benefit of Youth and as near as I could Calculated for that Meridian I have studied to approve my self a Divine that may Delight and a Poet that may be Understood If by tying my self to Scripture-phrase and the expressions of the Church I come short of that Poetick strain that may be expected I desire it may be remembred that it was design'd for Children and not for Criticks If it be read with that simplicity of heart that it was written I hope though it was fitted to the Capacities of the Younger yet it will not so nauseate the more Intelligent and Judicious but the performance may be accepted for the honesty of the Design THE CATECHISM OF THE CHURCH of ENGLAND Poetically Paraphrased Question OF all the gifts that serve delight or grace The humane nature knowledge first takes place Knowledge which to the mind at once supply's Enlightning beams and light-discerning eyes That heav'n-born faculty which man invest With God-like nature differs man from beasts That blessed object of the souls desire That does at once content yet skrew it higher Of which a maxime it hath always stood That Souls to be without it is not good Now since of Knowledge that that is divine Does that that 's meerly humane far out-shine Since knowing of our selves was always found In this great Science the Foundation ground Since what does this Self-knowledge first proclaim Is that the busie tatling Child can frame It s yet unpractised tongue to tell its Name To give some proof how well thou hast begun To get this knowledge What 's thy Name my Son Answer The name first given me when I became A Christian and thence call'd my Christian Name Which aided by that Epithete gives check To sinful deeds crys sinful thoughts stand back And bids the soul walk worthy of the honour And grandeur of that name that 's call'd upon her Live a true Christian or renounce that name Lest that which honors her she basely shame And that profession that she should adorn Expose to censure obloquy and scorn This glorious name the mark and badge of him Whose Service makes me free is N. or M. Question Who gave it you Answer My sureties who because When I submitted to the Christian Laws They answ'ring for me did my soul beget Into the faith my self not able yet To make confession on 't are therefore styl'd Parents in God to me their Christian Child The scene of my receiving thus from them This Christian favour was my Baptism That mystick Military Sacrament In which by Covenant I did indent The great Captain of my souls salvation Fighting his battle to maintain my station Thus at my first enrolement into grace I wretched I till then whose woful case Angels condol'd God piti'd Christ bemoan'd For whose lost state the whole creation groan'd While devils did with spiteful joy and pride Gods image so transform'd to theirs deride I from the body erst lopt off and dead My soul a Bastard and disherited I thus to misery by sin betray'd By this blest means Oh blessed means was made A noble member of the noblest high'st And wisest head my Lord my Saviour Christ A Child of God the most august or rather The onely great and honourable Father And an inheritor undoubted heir To an estate as truly rich as fair No soil so fruitful nor the purest air So wholesom for the sp'rits no prospect is So ravishing no title safe as this So safe the heir can never be bereaven For 't is a Kingdom and that plac't in Heaven Question What did your undertakers then for you Answer Thrée things they did engage for me by vow First that I should forsake abhor detest That Enemy to mans eternal rest That Serpent-hypocrite who though he can Transform himself about to ruin man Into an Angel of most glorious light Is prince of darkness king of blackest night That roaring Lyon whose Apostate power Ranges the world to seek souls to devour That Crest-fal'n King of pride that pride-fal'n star And metamorphos'd Angel Lucifer Who for his tempting first and then accusing For his ungodlike property in chusing What-ever's evil and what 's good refusing And in a word his aptness to do evil Fitly obtains his proper name the Devil This is that Lord whom they did undertake I should together with his works forsake Nor should it strange appear that he which lurks And rules in sloathful bosoms only works Slack rains in duty is the Devils bridle 'T is work enough for him to make men idle Whom he can wean from God himself has won Let men their work omit and his work 's done Sin then 's his work and fitly titled his Who is not Gods the Devils servants is And does his work nor does he serve for nought Vengeance his wages is that sin hath wrought Poor wages for hard service let that Lord Do his own work and take his own reward With him I must forsake what by his care Is of a blessing made a curse and snare The painted gewgaws of this cheating prize This wicked world it's pomps and vanities So perfect from the Makers hands it came That from its beauty it deriv'd the name And he which good exactly understood Approv'd of it when made as very good But all-inverting sin which could it dwell In Heav'n would make ev'n Heaven it self be Hell This from its purity the world estrang'd And perfect good to perfect wicked chang'd 'T was this that set
gain Add yet to this a more concise and brief Account of what you learn from hence in chief Answer Then as three persons in the God-head be The parts of Faith are like it's objects three First I believe in God the great Creator Who when there was as yet nor form nor matter Did by his word make men and all the World Of empty substance in Confusion hurl'd First from a Vacúum from a darksome mist He bids a goodly beauteous world exist Then of the dust the baser part of that Did man the glorious Lord thereof create And then t'enlighten and adorn the whole Stamps a Divine impression on his Soul Making in 's mind his better part to dwell The chief perfections that in God excel Creates him his own image in a Will Perfectly free to chuse or good or ill Gives him a pow'r of Standing but withal To make it truely free a pow'r to fall And this was Paradise but envious Hell Ne're ceas'd till glorious man from glory fell He shews him beauty richly guilded o're That fruit where God had show'd him death before The look gives God the lye and man believes And tast's the tast the man of bliss bereaves He plucks the fairest fruit yet eates but leaves He ate t'tain to knowledg and thereby Deep knowledg gain'd but 't was of misery Whence to redeem t' a second life and bliss The Son of God for ransome paid down his So next I do believe in God the Son Who God of God is God with God but one Stand here my Soul admire the matchless love Which Strong as death it self the Lord could move To leave th' Eternal seats of bliss above To cloath himself with shame and misery To court infirmities and poverty To live inglorious and inglorious dy And all to rescue from the worst of dangers Poor us no more than men no more than strangers Unless 't were more his goodness to despise And spight of favours turn his Enemies Lord what attractive What could win thine eye Is there magnetick pow'r in misery To drawn down mercy What dear God had woo'd The Suff'rers grace t'espouse th' offenders good And write his love in characters of blood Thanks to thy Image and thy mercy Lord One crav'd the help which t'other did afford Thy Image suff'ring in us cry'd to Heav'n For pity pity by thy grace was given Where Heav'n is once ally'd it never can Like unrelenting like unnat'ral man Forget Relation though deserts bespeak His anger he can love for Kindred sake Unfathom'd love that claims abus'd relation And further to endear that obligation First takes mens nature makes himself like them Then gives his Spirit to make them like him That Spirit which the third but equal place In my belief as in the Godhead has God in creating did a Father prove Christ in redeeming shew'd a Brother's love But both these God-like works would be defeated By Nature's counter-works unless repeated Which God the Spirit day by day effects By frequent iterated gracious acts 'T is he preserves us and that preservation May well be call'd continual Creation He daily Sanctifies what daily sin Profanes and so as oft redeems agen This does the Spirit for all that chosen be And in that number as I hope for me May he go on to do it till this State Of humane frailty shall be out of date When this our mortal shall be cloath'd upon With immortality this corrupt put on Such incorruption that like Angels we Shall live from need of all such succours free Question Did you not tell me that your Sureties vow'd That you their charge with pious conscience shou'd When thus instructed in the Christian faith Observe God's Laws and tread an even path In all his holy Precepts bind your hands To execute sincerely his Commands Of these divine Commandments therefore say How many are there Answer Ten. Question And what be they Answer The same which God the great and wise Law-giver Sole Judge of fit and just God blest for ever That Israel rescu'd from Egyptian traps Spake in a dreadful voice of Thunder-claps When his shrill Trumpet Heavens great Axel shook His fiery presence made all round him smoke And at his word the very Mount did quake Then to his ransom'd people thus he spake The Preface I am the Lord thy God O Israel That with a mighty hand Freed thee from that tyrannick Law Of making bricks and seeking straw In cruel Egypts Land Between the Sacred Cherubims I dwell Thine Christian Israelite thy God am I For when thou wast a slave Condemn'd lust sin and Hell to serve And for thy wages only starve My helping hand I gave And set thy slavish Soul at liberty The first Table First Commandment Thou shalt not worship other Gods before me Nor others shalt thou have Worship religious and divine I challenge rightfully as mine No hand but mine can save Let him that would be safe alone adore me Comply not with vain Mortals fond Opinions With them to deify Departed Saints that are at rest Or sue for help to Angels blest Which Creatures are like thee Nor have such Garden-gods as Leeks and Onions Thou shalt not in thy treacherous heart create Temples to serve thy lust Nor set up Honor Ease or Pleasure Belly-delights or Eye-bright Treasure In them as Gods to trust My jealous eye such Idols will detect Second Commandment Thou shalt no image nor resemblance fashion In carv'd or graven matter Of ought that is in Heav'n above Or in the Earth below doth move Or subterraneous Water Nor bow to them nor give them veneration For I th' Eternal God thy Lord Supreme I am a God most jealous I who my glory never gave To others will not yield to have Worship-dividing fellows Nor count that honor mine that 's done to them Vpon the Sons I visit Fathers sins To third and fourth degree Such is my justice to the Creature But so much is my mercy greater To them that honor me I shew 't on thousands of succeeding kins Third Commandment Thou shalt not take the Name of God in vain Nor in discourses idle Usurp it in thy mouth when yet Thy heart perhaps ne're thinks of it Learn well thy tongue to bridle And not that Great and Holy Name profane If by the dreadful Name of God thou swear To honor me thereby For by my Name to swear it shall Be lawful at a lawful call Beware of Perjury Remember whom thou call'st upon to hear The God of Truth who never promise brake Will not for guiltless hold The man that promises by vow Or takes an Oath the truth to show Yet false in heart makes hold God's venerable Name in vain to take Fourth Commandment Remember kéep the Sabbath consecrate For rest 't is only fit Six days thou hast to work beside The seventh is God's and sanctified Thou shalt not work in it Thy servant child nor guest within thy gate For in six days God made the glorious Heav'n And