The Chief Grounds of Christian Religion
The source for this document is https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo2/A91930.0001.001
Project Note
This is licensed under Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND. This license allows reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.
The source of this document is the Early English Books Online (EEBO-TCP) website. Those books were transcribed in a character for character manner and can be very cumbersome to read since there was no standard spelling during that time. Many spelling variations such as "unlesse", "vnlesse", and "vnles" regularly appear.
This project was conceived to clean up those books as much as possible and make them more accessible to the interested reader, leading to the creation of a massive list of variant spellings and their corrections. This was used to clean up the text, but is of course only as complete as the list itself. Because of the nature of the original transcription, some words have missing characters or places where the original language (e.g., Greek) was not transcribed. This effort does not change that. Be aware that the original transcription can also be faulty and in some cases entire sentences may be missing.
Although this is no substitute for a properly compared, proofed, and scholarly edition, I believe that the result is a document which is far more accessible, particularly for searching for terms using standard spelling. The document has been cleaned and presented in what I hope is a pleasing and useful format for the vast majority of Christian brothers and sisters who just want access to read these spiritually nourishing works.
However, a word of warning: The Puritans were a very diverse group of people and their age was characterized with godliness, but also much upheaval, disputation and strife. They disagreed on many doctrines and some of these works contain less orthodox or Scriptural views than others. The reader is strongly advised to read with discernment, particularly if it is unknown whether author is trustworthy.
This project took a huge amount of time and skill to bring to fruition. I would particularly like to thank David Jonescue for the initial list of Puritans he found on EEBO and the concept behind this project as well as the continuous, unceasing efforts toward seeing this complete. Without his labor, this would not be available. Alex Sarrouf was invaluable in providing the initial list of over 7,000 spelling variations he had identified and corrected, as well as continuing to review more than 16,000 additions to that list for any typos.
Logan West
(with David Jonescue and Alex Sarrouf)
www.puritansearch.org
THE CHIEF GROUNDS OF Christian Religion, Set down by way of Catechizing.
Gathered long since for the use of an Honorable Family.
By EZEKIEL ROGERS, Minister of God's Word, sometime of Rowly in York-shire, now in New-England.
GEN. 18.17, 19.
Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do? for I know him, that he will command his sons and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord.
LONDON, Printed by I. L. for Christopher Meredith, at the sign of the Crane in Paul's Church-yard, 1648.
THE CHIEF GROUNDS OF Christian Religion.
The first general head; of God.
Q Which be his chief properties
A. Three, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
A. His purpose or appointment with himself, how all things should be, before anything was made.
A. That which the Scripture calleth Predestination.
A. The making of all things of nothing, very good.
A. The upholding and b governing of that which he had made.
The second general Head, of Man.
The first Estate,
Q. How did God govern man in this estate?
The second estate, of misery.
Q. Did man continue in this happiness and Covenant?
A. No, for he fell away from God.
Q. What was Adams sin?
Q. What followed hereupon?
A. A miserable condition on himself, and all the creatures.
A. No, all we being in his loins, were partakers of his sin and punishment.
A. Every transgression or swerving from the Law.
A. The fruit of original, in evil thoughts, words, and deeds.
Q. Are we able to bear or avoid that fearful punishment of sin?
The third estate of Grace.
Q. Is it the same Covenant in the Old and New Testament?
Q. What was this Jesus Christ?
Q. Why must he be both God and man?
Q. Which be the parts of his office?
Q. What were the degrees of his humiliation?
Q. What did Christ in this estate?
Q. What were the degrees of his glorification?
A. Our full Redemption, and doth still make intercession for us.
Q. What doth Christ as he in our King?
A. He governs the Church, both visible and invisible, and shall be judge of the world.
Q. What is the visible Church?
A. A company of men professing the worship of God.
Q. What is the invisible Church?
A. First, by a general calling of all; Secondly, by an effectual calling of the Elect, whereby the benefits of his mediation are applied to them.
Q. By what means doth he apply these benefits to the Elect?
Q. What doth the Spirit work in them, by the preaching of the Law.
Q. What worketh it by the Gospel?
Q. What is that grace whereby we apply Christ?
Q. Which be the chief lets of faith?
Q. Is the greatest measure of faith wrought at the first?
Q. Which be those graces or affections that accompany Faith, more or less, as it is stronger or weaker?
Q. What are those benefits or privileges that we receive by Faith in this life?
A. It is that whereby God accounts us righteous through Christ's merits.
Q. How is that done?
A. By laying our sin and punishment on him, and imputing his righteousness to us.
A. That whereby we are made the children of God, and heirs with Christ.
Q. How is our nature purified?
Q. How the soul?
Q. What is the sum of the 1. Commandment?
A. That we worship him only, and that with his own worship.
A. That we use his Name reverently at all times, as well as in his solemn worship.
A. That we worship him more specially on the Sabbath.
A. That we maintain our neighbors and our own, 5. Dignity. 6. Life. 7. Chastity, 8. goods, 9. good-name; yea, even in our, 10. first thoughts.
Q. What helps and means have we to grow in godliness?
A. Either extraordinary, as holy Fasting and Feasting, or ordinary, as the use of the Word preached and read, the Sacraments, prayer and discipline.
Q. What are the Sacraments?
Q. How many Sacr. are there in the Gospel?
A. Two only, Baptism, and the Lord's Supper, as under the Law were Circumcision and the Passover.
Q. How many parts of prayer are there?
Q. What pattern of prayer have we?
Q. For the Prayer itself, how many petitions are in it?
Q. What learn we by this Prayer?
Q. Which be the private helps?
Q. Which be the lets of a godly life?
A. They are many: but for the most part, they are either from the weakening of faith, or the neglect of the means.
Q. But what if a true Christian fall into sin after he hath repented?
A. He must then renew his Repentance, and Covenant with God.
The fourth estate of immortality?
Q. What becomes of a man at his death?
Q. Who shall be the Judge of the world?
A. The Resurrection of the dead, and change of the living.
Reve. 20. • .
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first Resurrection: for on such the second death hath to power.