Изображения страниц
PDF
EPUB

manie in the reigne of Queen Mary. He was the first of English Exiles, that returned in the dayes of Q. Elizabeth. And I have read how in a Parliament he was chosen Burgess of a town in Cornwall: But his election pronounced void, because he was a Deacon. A man of a most Angelicall Life, and Deep Learning. A great Defender of Justification by Faith alone, and yet a great Practiser of Good Works; witnesse two hundred pounds a year rent, for the maintenance of thirteen students bestowed on Brazen Nose College wherein he had his education. A great honourer of the marriage of the Clergie, and yet who lived and died single himselfe. An aged man of 90 yeares of age, yet fresh in his youthful learning; yea like another Moses, his eyes were not dimme, nor did he ever make use of Spectacles to read the smallest print." B. x. 10. Strype states some of these particulars, and also that he was of the ancient family of the Nowells of Lancashire, that he preached the first and last Lent sermons before Queen Elizabeth for thirty years, "and that with a great freedom becoming one that was delivering God's message.' He made provision for the support of thirteen students at Oxford, where he was himself admitted at thirteen years old, and studied thirteen years. "He was," says Strype, Exciter to Piety by his Sermons and his threefold Catechism. He was Forty-two years Dean, and died at Ninety, when neither the Eyes of his Mind nor of his Body were yet grown dim: Dying Anno 1601, February 13." An. Ref. xxi.

[ocr errors]

66

an

In the reign of James I. an important and valuable addition was made to the Church Catechism. At the Hampton Court conferences, in the year 1603, it was noticed by Dr. Reynolds among the subjects which required attention. "That," he said, "in the Common Prayer Book is too brief, and that by Mr. Nowell, (late Dean of St. Paul's,) too long for novices to learn by heart. I request, therefore, that one uniform Catechism may be made, and none other generally received."* The Catechism was accordingly enlarged by the addition of the part on the Sacraments, which was written by Bishop

*By which seems to be meant the versions in Latin, Greek and English. † Fuller.

Overall,* Of this writer, who is entitled to the most respectful and grateful remembrance for his admirable performance of this duty, Fuller says, "I cannot attain the exact date of the death of John Overall, carrying superintendency in his surname, the Bishop of Norwich; first Fellow of Trinity Coll., then Master of Katherine Hall, and King's Professor of Divinity in Cambridge. One of a strong brain to improve his great reading, and accounted one of the most learned controversial Divines of those daies." Bishop Overall was one of the translators of the English version of the Bible now in use. The books assigned to him and nine others were the Pentateuch and the historical books to 1st Chronicles. His associates were Dr. Andrews, afterwards Bishop of Winchester, Dr. Saravia, Hooker's most intimate friend, and other men of like character.

The Catechism of the Church of England has undergone no change since this period. It has been adopted by the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States, with some few alterations, the most important of which are, the change of the expression "who sanctifieth me and all the elect people of God," into "all the people of God;" and the substitution of "spiritually" for "verily and indeed" in that part of the Catechism which treats of the Lord's supper. It now stands a monument of the wisdom and piety of former ages, not less honourable to the venerated men who educed its principles from beneath the accumulated rubbish of ages, than invaluable to us, who enjoy the fruits of their toils and sufferings. May we duly appreciate the inheritance, of which this brief" form of sound words" forms a small but not unimportant part, and be enabled to transmit it unimpaired and unsullied, to our latest posterity.

*Wheatly.

INDEX.

A

Adam, state before the fall, 2.

After the fall, 2. Consequences

of the fall to him, 3. To his posterity, 4. In what his sin
consisted, 2.

Adoption into the family of Christ, 11, 184.

Amen, meaning of, 111, 204.

Angels, communion with, 43, 95. How they perform God's
will, 192.

B

Baptism, what it is, 6.
ments for infant, 7.
ward sign, 10, 205.
of, 10. Promises made for us at, 23, 30.
Baptism of infants, 10.

Answers to circumcision, 8. Argu-
A sacrament, 8, 205. What the out-
What the inward grace, 9. Benefits

Baptized persons not all partakers of inward grace, 10.
Birth, new, unto righteousness, 9.

Bishop, office of, 81, 82.

Bread, what meant by, 194. Why ask for it daily, 194.

C

Catechism, meaning of the word, 1. Compiled by the Refor-
mers, 1, 223.

Meaning of the title, 41.
The only Son of God, 43,
Spoken of as God, 49.
Worshipped as God, 53.

Children, of God, 13, 184. Sin of parents visited on, instanced,
135. Duty of parents, 149. Duty of parents to, 152.
Christ, what to be a member of, 11.
Why applied to the Saviour, 41.
53. Proofs of his divinity, 49, 53.
Divine attributes ascribed to, 51.
His resurrection foretold, 54. Typified, 54. Proofs of, 55.
His ascension foretold, 57. His office in heaven, 58.
Christian life, a life of faith, 19.

Church, meaning of the word, 77._Visible, and invisible, 77,
88. Why called Holy, 78. Why called Catholic, 79.

INDEX.

Order of the Jewish, 79. Apostolic model of, to be followed,
79, 85. Order of primitive, 80-84.

Circumcision, answerable to baptism, 8.

Commandment, what first forbids, 127. How Christians break
it, 130.
What it requires, 128. What second forbids, 131.
What it requires, 133. How enforced, 134. What third
forbids, 137. What it requires, 140. How enforced, 141.
What fourth requires, 144. What fifth requires, 149. Pro-
mise annexed to it, 153. What sixth forbids, 151. What
it requires, 157, What seventh forbids, 160. What it re-
quires, 161. What eighth forbids, 162, 165. What it re-
quires, 164. What ninth forbids, 167. What tenth forbids,
171, 174.

Communion, of saints, 91. With God through the Bible, 93.
Uses of this article, 95, 96.

Contentment, enforced, 172, 174, 195.

Covetousness, instances of, 172.

Creation, account of, 37.

Deacon, office of, 82.

Dead raised, instances of, 107.

D

Death, the wages of sin, 98. What it is, 103.

sleep, 103.

what it is, 201.

Compared to

Change on the body by, 103. Everlasting,

Devil, his names, 23. His works, 24. Prayer to be delivered

from his power, 201.

Doxology, 203.

E

Evil speaking, 167, 168.

F

Faith, nature of, 16, 20.

Illustrations of, 17. Examples of, 17.
Why necessary for all, 18. How to be obtained, 19. Signs
of true, 19, How evidenced, 213.

Fall of man, proved from Scripture, 4, 40.

Forgiveness of sin, through Christ, 98, 101. Assurance of it,
100. Cannot be merited, 201. Why to be daily asked, 198.
Forgiving temper required, 198.

Glory, degrees of, 108.

G

God, children of, 12. His will, where summed up, 27. What
it is, 190. How made known, 191. How to be done, 192.
Obedience to it required, 27. Who he is, 31. Knowledge

of him necessary, 32, 127. His attributes, 30, 88, 125. Cre-
ated all things, 37. Illustration of his mercy, 15. Displays
of his power against his enemies, 33. In behalf of his peo-
ple, 34.
What meant by his name, 137, 187. Reverence
of his word required, 140. In what sense Our Father, 183.
His help how to be obtained, 202.

Grace, meaning of special, 176. Given in answer to prayer,
28. Kingdom of, 189.

Heathen, gods of, 126.
Heaven, inheritors of, 12.

H

Hell, descent of Christ into, 47.

Holiness, how kept alive, 93.

Holy Ghost, meaning of, 66. Why called a Person, 66. Proofs
of his divinity, 66-69. Names of, 68. Necessary to men,
68. Promised, 70. Work of, 70—72, 74. Witness of, 71,

76. Blasphemy against, 72, 73.

I

Idolatry, forbidden, 131. God's abhorrence of, shown, 135.
Covetousness, why called, 171.

J

Jesus, meaning of the name, 39. How he redeemed us, 40,
112. Took our nature, 40, 93. His life, sufferings, and
death, 43, 44. Proofs of his death, 45. Why he suffered,
46, 99. His burial, 46. His descent into hell, 47. Will be
our judge, 62. His second coming described, 63. Types
of, 98.
Judgment, certainty of, 59. Intimated in Old Testament, 60.
Foretold in the New, 61.

K

Kingdom, God's, of grace and glory, 188. Its coming pro-
mised, 189.

L

Law of God, obligation of the Jews to keep it, 117. Equally
binding on us, 119. Circumstances under which given, 120.
What it requires of us, 121. Extent of its requirements,
123. None can be saved by it, 123. Its uses, 123. All
have broken it, 174.

Liturgy, excellencies of, 86.

« ПредыдущаяПродолжить »