A short and faithful Instruction, gathered out of holy Scripture, composed in Questions and Answers, for the edifying and comfort of the simple Christianes'; which intend worthily to receive the holy Supper of the Lord. 1. Corin. xi. ¶ Who so ever shall eat of this Bread & drink of the Cup of the Lord unworthily, Shallbe guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 2. Corin. 4. ¶ I believe, and therefore I speak. ¶ To the faithful congregation of the Dutch Church at London. Grace and peace from God the father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ. Forasmuch as our Lord Jesus Christ hath commanded all true Christians to observe, hold and use his holy Supper in remembrance of him till his coming again: & seeing also that all they which according to the rule of holy scripture neither do examine, try nor prove themselves rightly before the receipt of the said holy supper, neither yet do truly judge & discern the difference of it from other profane banquets, are guilty of the body & blood of Christ: and seeing also that no man can accordingly other try & prove himself, or rightly judge & discern the body of the Lord, except he first know and understand the foundation & ground of the christian faith and religion: Therefore have we (as they which are careful for the health of your souls) written this brief & short summary of the most needful and principal parts of the christian religion, to your most profitable instruction & comfort to th'intent that no man other through ignorance should despise that commandment of Christ: or else through stubbornness should 〈◊〉 not regard the receipt of that holy ●upper, or in any wise slanderously or unworthily abuse it. In consideration whereof we humbly beseech you of charity and for Christ Jesus sake, that you will thankfully take this my labour, and with all diligence embrace it, to the furtherance of your own salvation, and our joy in the day of the Lord. Given in London by your welwylling Minister. Marten Micron. 8. Decemb. 1552. Question. Well-beloved brother or sister N. seeing that thou intendest to receive with us the holy Supper of the Lord Jesus Christ, so before all things (if otherwise thou wilt not make thyself guilty of his body and blood) thou must be a christian: therefore we ask of thee. Whereby knowest thou, that thou art a Christian. Answer, Rom. 8. 2. Cor. 1. Two manner of ways: first because the holy ghost by the witness of faith certifieth me in mine heart & sealeth my conscience, that I am the child of God alonely through the merit of Jesus Christ. secondarily, because that I thorough the same spirit (as touching the inward man) am moved willingly and gladly to the due obedience of gods holy commandments. Question. Which are the commandments? Answer. Those which God himself commanded, & Moses in the twenty Cham of Exo. wrote, in manner and form following. ¶ The. ten commandments. I Am the Lord thy God, which brought the out of the land of egypt out of the house of bondage: Thou shalt have none other Gods but me. commandment 2 Thou shalt not make unto thyself any graven image, nor the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, nor in the water under the earth, thou shalt not bow down to them nor worship them: For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, and viset the sins of the fathers upon the children unto the third & fourth generation of them that hate me, & show mercy unto thousands in them that love me and keep my commandments. commandment 3 ¶ Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. For the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. commandment 4 ¶ Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day. Six days shalt thou labour and do all that thou haste to do, butthe seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God. In it thou shalt do no manner of work, thou and thy son, & thy daughter, thy man servant and thy maid servant, thy cattle, and the stranger that is within thy gates, for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the Sea and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day. Wherefore the Lord blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it. commandment 5 ¶ Honour thy father & thy mother, that thy days may be long in the land, which the Lord thy God giveth the. ¶ Thou shalt do no murder. commandment 6 ¶ Thou shalt not commit adultery. commandment 7 ¶ Thou shalt not steal. commandment 8 ¶ Thou shalt not bear false witness against commandment 9 thy neighbour. ¶ Thou shalt not covet thy neighbours commandment 10 house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbours wife, nor his servant, nor his maid, nor his Ox, nor his Ass, nor any thing that is his. Question. How are these commandments divided? Answer. Ex. 23. 34 Into two tables, whereof the first pertaineth to God, Deute. 9 and the other to our neighbour. Question. What learnest thou in the four first commandments which belong alonely unto God? Answer. Esa. 44. That I shall set my faith, trust and confidence upon no creature, Psal. 115. but up on God alone. Mat. 15. And him, Exo. 25. not with image service or any other counterfeit worshipping, 1. Reg. 15. but alone in spirit and truth shall worship and serve, joh. 4. & shall also daily praise his holy vame, Esa. 48●. and exercise myself diligently not only in hearing his holy word, Ephe. 5. but also in the use of his Sacraments, Luk. 8. 10. Question. What learnest thou in the six commandments following, which belong to our neighbour? Answer. That I shallbe obedient unto them, whom God hath set over me, and that I shall by no manner of means be hurtful to my neighbour in his body, wife family, goods, honour, name, fame, or estimation, no not so much as with any evil luit, but in all godly and honest things shallbe to him an help & furtherance. Question. Haste thou these commandments in all points so perfectly fulfilled, that thou art able to stand in the judgement? Answer. Och nay: for seeing that the law is spiritual, and I am carnal, I can not but confess myself in many things against that holy law to have offended, not only in leaving undone that that is therein commanded, but alsoin doing that, Deute. 27. that is therein forbidden. Question. Gala. 3. Seeing that man because of one sin by the sentence of the law is condemned and excluded out of the kingdom of God, jaco. 2. how shalt thou then be saved, for asmuch as in many things thou haste sinned, and because that no man can enter into Gods kingdom unless he be clean from all sin? Answer. My salvation dependeth only of mere mercy and grace thorough Jesus Christ, which without all my deserving hath taken and accepted me for one of his members, & also hath made me partaker of all his gracious merits & good deeds, because with a repentant heart I believe undoubtedly to be saved thorough him. Question, Seeing the ground of thy faith is set alone upon Jesus Christ, wilt thou shortly declare, what thou believest on Christ? Rom. 1. 9 Answer. joh. 1. 3. I believe that Jesus Christ in one person is very God of God: 1. joh. 2, & very man of man: 1. Tim. 2. and also that he is my only mediator, Heb. 7. 8. advocate, intercessor, high Priest, Deute. 18. King and Prophet, which hath taken upon him my curse and condemnation, Act. 3. 7. and hath to me again re-restored freely his holiness and righteousness, Gala. 3. as it is most briefly comprised in the chief articles of our Christian faith. Roma. 8. Question. Which are the chief articles of the Christian faith? Answer. ¶ I believe in God the father almighty, maker of heaven and earth. etc. Question. What understandest thou by that word (I believe) as thou confessest saying: I believe in God the Father: I believe in God the Son: I believe in God the holy Ghost. Answer. I mean this, that I set all my faith, trust and confidence in God the Father, who hath made me and all the world: In God the Son, who hath redeemed me and all mankind: and in God the holy Ghost, who sanctifieth me and all the chosen people of God. Question. believest thou then, that God the father, the son, and the holy Ghost are one true God? Answer. Yea most surely, for so all the holy scripture teacheth us, and thereof are we admonished in our baptism wherein we are baptized in the name of the father and of the son, and of the holy Ghost. Question. Hath Christ ordained no sure outward exercises and certain marks and tokens whereby his congregation may be known and discerned from all other churches and sects? Answer, Yes doubtless, and that because of our weakness, that we thorough them may be exercised and strengthened in a sure faith, & also by the due administration of them may so much the better be stirred up to the due obedience of the foresaid commandments of God. ¶ Sure marks and tokens of Christ's true Church. Question. What are the sure exercises, marks & tokens, of the true church of Christ? Answer. The first is, the sincere preaching of God's holy word. The second is, the right use of the Sacraments instituted and ordained of Christ. And the third is, the christian correction of the congregation. In which three things all true Christian ordenarely with all diligence and obedience ought to exercise themselves, whereby also they are separated & dissevered from all other sects. Question. Wherein standeth the sincere preaching of the holy word of God. Answer. In the right declaring of the law, and of the holy gospel, whereof hitherto I have made my confession. ¶ Of the Sacraments. Question. What are the Sacraments? Answer. They are holy exercises, seals & effectual tokens of remembrance, ordained of the Lord himself for the comfort of his congregation. In which exercises the free forgiveness of sins in and by Christ Jesus, before our eyes, and that most clearly and evidently is set out and sealed. And beside that, we are thereby admonished of our duty both towards God, and to our neighbour. Question. How many such Sacraments are there? Answer. Two, that is: baptism. And the holy Supper of the Lord. ¶ Of baptism. Question. What is baptism? Answer. It is an holy ordinance of Christ in the receipt whereof all the membres of his congregation (in which young children are contained also) are baptized which water in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Ghost. Question. What comfort hast thou of thy baptism? Answer. Great comfort. For albeit of nature I am unclean & the child of wrath, yet nevertheless by faith in the promises of mercy am I fully persuaded, ●ala. 3. that thorough Jesus Christ I am assuredly & certainly accepted and taken into the grace and favour of God, as my body in the receipt of baptism is besprenkled and washed with water. Question. What more comfort hast thou of baptism? Answer. Forsooth this: that I may all my life long have a continual forgiveness of my sins, into the which thorough the devils temptation & mine own weakness and frailness I may chance to fall: whensoever I with a repentant heart in spirit and faith thorough Jesus Christ do pray and ask pardon and forgiveness of the same. Question. Whereof moreover art thou admonished in thy baptism? Answer. Truly, that I shall all my life long forsake the devil, the world, and all the filthy lusts of my flesh, and with all diligence continually walk in a new and godly life. ¶ Of Christ's holy Supper. Question. What is the holy Supper of the Lord? Answer. It is an holy soul banquet, Math. 26. ordained of Jesus Christ, 1. Cor. 10. for an effectual remembrance of his death, Herald 7. 10. especially that he upon the cross once for all offered up his innocent body, and there also shed his most precious blood for the forgiveness of sins. Question. Wherefore intendest thou to receive the holy Supper of our Lord Jesus Christ? answer. Math. 28. Because my Lord and Master Jesus Christ hath willed, Mar. 14. ordained and commanded it to be received in remembrance of his death, 1. Cor. 11. for the singular comfort, profit and commodity of me, and of all the worthy receivers of it. Question. What profit and comfort findest thou in the due and worthy receipt thereof. Answer. Truly, in the right ministration thereof, it is lively and effectually set out to me miserable sinner as it were before mine eyes, beaten into my remembrance, yea witnessed and sealed to my feeble conscience through the holy Ghost, that Christ hath once for all upon the cross made an everlasting full and perfit oblation and sacrifice for my sins, Heb. 7. 10. and that I also believing in him have through his death and oblation once made, forgiveness of my sins with comfort and full trust of everlasting life as verily, truly and certainly as I at his table eat of the bread broken and drink of the cup of the Lord, which (after the use of holy scripture & manner of Sacraments) he calleth his body & blood. Question. What form, manner, and property of speaking useth the holy scripture in all Sacraments? Answer. verily, that the outward parts or matter of the Sacraments in the holy scripture are decked, beautified and adorned with the names of the mysteries and hid things, which they signify: to th'intent it might be known where unto they were properly ordained, & wherefore they should be received. Gen. 17. As circumcision is called the covenant of God: Exo. 12. the Paschlambe is entitled the passover or pass by: Tit. 3. baptism is named the washing away of sin or bath of the new birth. Actu. 22. Even so the holy Supper is called the body of Christ broken for us, 1. Pet. 3. and his blood shed for us. 1. Cot. 10. and, 11. Questi. Is the very natural body & blood of Christ necessarily present here upon earth, so that in the supper it may be eaten & drunken. Answer. Nay truly: For first it were utterly contrary to the nature & property of all Sacraments. 1. Syxe reasons against the 2 corporal presence of Christ in the supper 1, Cor. 10. Again, the opinion of corporal presence obscureth the spiritual eating & drinking of the body and blood of Christ, which all the old fathers (as S. Paul sayeth) did: which spiritual eating and drynkyug alone in holy scripture is required unto salvation. Beside that, it defaceth and in a manner blotteth out the very true nature & property of Christ's body, which was made of the substance of the virgin Mary his mother, and not of bread. Further it maketh the preestly office of Christ of none effect, or at the least unsufficient. For in that office he once for all offered his body and shed his blood for our redemption, and doth not yet daily separate & divide his blood from his glorified body again Moreover, this corporal presence is contrary to the article of his ascension, and our continual looking for his return at the last day. Finally, this fond imagination of Christ's bodily presence setteth out & describeth to us such a Christ as in the writings of the prophets & apostles is utterly unknown. Question. Whereof else art thou admonished in the use of Christ's holy Supper? Answer. Truly, that I with all mine heart shall thank my Lord Jesus Christ for this great benefit of my redemption. And this thankfulness by his gracious favour, with patience, love, mortification of carnal desires, soberness of life and conversation, and finally with a continual and free confession of his holy name, shall I signify and declare unto my lives end. ¶ Of Christian correction. Question. Where is the correction of the Church commanded of Christ? Answer. verily in the .18. than. of S. Mat. gospel under these words: Math. 18. if thy brother trespass against the. Go & tell him his fault between him & thee alone. If he hear thee, thou hast won thy brother. But if he hear the not, then take yet with thee one or two, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every matter may be stablished. If he hear not them: tell it unto the congregration. If he hear not the congregation, let him be unto the as an heathen man, & as a publican. verily I say unto you: what so ever ye bind on earth shallbe bound in heaven: and what so ever, ye lose on earth, shallbe loosed in heaven. This ordinance of Christ S. Paul also confirmeth & putteth in use as appeareth in the i epistle unto the Corinth's. 1. Cor. 5. Question. What is the correction of the Church of Christ. Answer. Math. 18. It is an ordinance of Christ, through which every christian is bound orderly after the word of God, Luke. 17. lovingly to admonish his brother of his fault: Rom. 15. & also again willingly & gladly to receive and take admonition, Collo. 3. warning & charitable rebukes for the same. Heb. 3. 12. Or else if he refuse and utterly despise all such godly admonitions and warnings (so that according unto Christ's rule they be orderly done) then by the authority of god's word he ought to be excommunicated & put out of the congregation & delivered to sathan: jaco. 5. and as an heathen & publican to be esteemed, 1. Cor. 5. reputed & taken, 1. Thes. 5. unto such a time he return, amend & reconcile himself again unto the congregation. Question. 1. Petri. 5. Seeing that subtle sathan seeketh always & means to pluck away man from his faith and obedience to Jesus Christ, how shalt thou then be able to stand in thy profession? Answer. Mar. 13. By the only grace of God & such means as he hath ordained, Ephe. 6. which are: watching, jaco. 4. resisting and praying. etc. Question. To whom prayest thou? & how? Answer. To God only thorough Jesus Christ, in spirit and truth. Question. For what thing prayest thou? Answer. I pray first for those things that are to the preferrment and advancement of god's glory & our own soul's health. And then for such things as are profitable and necessary for the sustaining of this life, but so as they agree and stand with the will and pleasure of God: And finally, that it may please god to deliver and defend us from all things that are to the hindrance of his glory & to the decay of the health of our souls. All which things are comprised in the prayer which Christ taught his disciples: which is: Our father which art in he. etc. Question. Wilt thou according to this confession of thy faith live: And with all diligence observe the discipline of the church, and bond of charity: & also (all envy, malice & hatred of heart set apart) will thou reconcile thyself & be at one withal men with whom thou art at variance? Answer. Yea by the grace of God, so far as is possible to this mine infirmity & weakness, the which I shall earnestly pray unto God to strengthen me daily more and more. Amen. ¶ Translated out of Dutch into english, By T. C.