A20762:1177
A guide to godliness or a Treatise of a Christian life showing the dutiesA guide to godlynesse or a Treatise of a Christian life shewing the duties
A guide to godliness or a Treatise of a Christian life showing the duties wherein it consisteth, the helps enabling & the reasons persuading unto it the impediments hindering the practise of it, and the best means to remove them whereunto are added divers prayers and a treatise of carnal security by John Douname Bachelor in Divinity and minister of Gods Word.A guide to godlynesse or a Treatise of a Christian life shewing the duties wherein it consisteth, the helpes inabling & the reasons parswading vnto it ye impediments hindering ye practise of it, and the best meanes to remoue them whereunto are added diuers prayers and a treatise of carnall securitie by Iohn Douname Batcheler in Diuinitie and minister of Gods Word.
London: printed by Felix Kingstone and William Stansby for Ed, 1622
Book 3 › Chapter 31 › Section 9: §. Sect. 9 Of the great profit of this exercise of catechizing.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
§. Sect. 9 Of the great profit of this exercise of catechizing.
Lastly, let the profit & manifold benefits which accompany this duty, be an effectual means to persuade us unto it. For they only are saved who 1have faith, and they faith alone, who have knowledge, both which come by hearing, as the Apostle teacheth us, How shall they call upon him, in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom, they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a Preacher? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. And this the Apostate Julian well knew, and therefore to root out the Church, he thought it the most effectual way, to put down Christian Schools, and Religious exercises, that being deprived of all means of knowledge, he might lead them in their ignorance which way he listed. Secondly, it is a notable means to free them from errors and heresies, when they are grounded in the knowledge of the truth, and the analogy of faith, that will serve them as a touchstone and rule, according to which doctrines must be examined; which whoso want, may easily be led even into fundamental errors. For as the Apostle saith, there must be heresies in the world, unto 2which men naturally are more inclined then unto the truth; and therefore we must not hand over head hearken unto every spirit, nor when we hear, judge of them according to our natural reason, but we must, as the Apostle John exhorteth us, try them whether they be of God or no, by 3bringing them to be examined by the touchstone of his Truth. The which we shall be utterly unable to do, if we be not acquainted with the Scriptures, and have no knowledge of the main principles, and the analogy of faith contained in them. Where, by the way we may note the cause why Popery so much increaseth amongst us, namely, because for want of catechizing in many places, the people remain ignorant of the principles of Christian Religion, and so upon the alleging of any carnal reason, plausible to corrupted nature, they become an easy prey to the Priests and Jesuits. Thirdly, It helpeth notably to the hearing of Sermons with profit, both because being grounded in the principles and main parts of divinity, we shall be able to refer all things we hear to their heads, and also to examine Doctrines according to the analogy of Faith.