Catechismus, that is to say, a short instruction into Christian religion for the singular…Catechismus, that is to say, a shorte instruction into Christian religion for the synguler…

Even as the schoolmaster doth oftentimes commit his scholars to his usher, that he in the schoolmasters absence may teach and govern them, and him they ought to reverence and obey. And as the schoolmaster doth sharply correct & chastiseth those scholars that will not be ruled by his usher, so God will grievously punish those children, that doeth not obey their fathers & mothers. For he hath appointed them to be his deputies & ⟨p. xliiii⟩ushers in the education & governance of us his children. For God is the chefest worker and maker of all things, he is the highest scholemaker, and our fathers & mothers are the instruments and toils, whereby God doth work us, make us and fashioneth us. For God is the eternal and most marvellous creator, and he daily doeth create. But when he intendeth to make man, he maketh him not now of a glod of earth (as he did when he first made Adam) but he useth our parents to this strange & wonderful work & maketh us by them. And this is the first and greatest benefit, that God by our parents, doth give us both body and soul. And after that young children be borne into this world, we see how they lye certain years crying in their cradles, not able to help ⟨image 68⟩themselves. At what time except God did nourish us by our fathers and mothers, there were no remedy but that we must needs perish. And when god doth intend to feed us in our cradles he doth not send down bread from heaven (as he did Manna) but he wonderfully filleth our mothers dugs full of milk, wherewith she may give suck to us, and also he sendeth to our fathers sufficient riches whereby they may bring up their children. And this is the second benefit, that God, by our parents doth nurse us, feed us, and bring us up, more tenderly then the hen doth her young chickens. Furthermore God sendeth us Christian parents, which cause us to be baptised and grafted into Christ, and to be made the children of God. For if our parents ⟨p. xlv⟩were not christened we were like to be wrapped in continual blindness and errors.

Euen as the scholemaster doth oftentymes commyt hys scholers to hys vscher, that he in the scholemasters absence maye teache and gouerne them, and hym they ought to reuerence and obey. And as the scholemaster doth sharpely correcte & chastiseth those schollers yt wyl not be ruled by his vscher, so God wil greuously punyshe those children, yt doeth not obey their fathers & mothers. For he hath appoynted them to be his deputies &