A SHORT Instruction unto Christian Religion, Briefly noting our profession, exercise, and obedience required of us in this Life.  
By Thomas Pearston.  1. Peter. 3. 15. & 16. 
Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you, with meekness and reverence, having a good conscience, that when they speak evil of you as of evil doers, they may be ashamed which slander your good conversation in Christ.  Romans'. 1. 16. 
I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation, to every one that believeth.  
LONDON Printed by john Wolf, 1590.   

REVERENDISSIMO IN Christo patri Domino johanni Londinensi Episcopo vigilantissimo.  
QVm ut inquit Apostolus, reverendissime Pater, non sublimitate sermonis vel sapientiae annuntiandum est Dei testimonium, nec persuasorijs humanae sapientiae sermonibus praedicandum, sed spiritus & potentiae demonstratione: id est probatione, quae fit certis & necessarijs rationibus, jesum Christum & hunc crucifixum, in infirmitate, in timore, & tremore multo agnoscere simulac profiteri oportet. Magnopere me haec atque his similia indesinenter animo involuere conducunt, quonam modo hac nostra aetate rudiores (qui quidem verba proferre, sed non intelligere possunt) jesu Christi mortem aliáque quae ad huius vitae normam, & ad futuram immortalitatem magnopere conducunt, intelligerent. Simplici igitur modo, attamen in Dei timore ad simplicium informationem edificationémque principalia quidem ac etiam particularia, tum fidei, tum Decalogi, orationisque dominicae parte● membráque breviter componere statui. Vestro igitur studio magnáque Dei Ecclesiae cura cognitis ac diwlgatis: ita vehementius tuae reverentiae has meas perpavas Questionum & Respontionun annotationes dedicare, subque tui honoris nomine promulgare, me (quasi calcaribus indigentem) stimulauêre. Hanc a tuo Honore meam industriam quamuis minutissimam, acceptá fore sperans ad Dei misericordiam, gratiam, pacémque qui omnium es● Creator, Gubernator, ac conseruator, Honorem tuum precibus mei commendo.  
Tui honoris obseruantissimus, Thomas Pearston.   

¶ A short instruction unto Christian religion, briefly noting our profession, exercise, and obedience required of us in this life.  
Question. WHat art thou?  
Answer. A creature of God.  
Q. Wherefore did God create and make you?  
A. To serve him.  
Q. When was your name given you?  
A. At my christening.  
Q. By whom was it given you?  
A. By my sureties which answered for me.  
Q. In answering for thee, what profession did they make?  
A. That I should be brought up in the fear of God, and so serve him.  
Q. Why was thy name given thee?  
A. Because I should always remember when I am called by my name, that I was christened to be Christ's member, God's child, and an heir of heaven:  
Q. Is it enough to acknowledge this?  
A. No. except we endeavour to come thereto.  
Q. Thou saidst that thy sureties did profess that thou shouldest be brought up in the fear of God, and serve him: which is the way to serve him?  
A. In obeying his commandments.  
Q. Which is the way to bring up one in the fear of God?  
A. To teach them to know jesus Christ.  
Q. What is jesus Christ?  
A. The end of the law.  
Q. How must jesus Christ be known?  
A. By faith.  
Q. How can one believe the Articles of faith, hath he power of himself to believe them, and all things contained in them?  
A. No verily, for of ourselves we can not do any thing.  
Q. How so? whence have we this faith then?  
A. From heaven, it is God's gift, and not our disposition.  
Q. Seeing thou sayest this gift of faith doth come from heaven, and that it is Gods. Tell me how we might get us this faith.  
A. By hearing God's word preached.  
Q. Is it enough to hear God's word to be preached, and so to go our way?  
A. We must both hear it and keep it.  
Q. How many things doth God's word teach us?  
A. First obedience to the law, secondly, faith in Christ, thirdly, the use of the sacraments, and four, prayer.  
Q. So then thou dost confess, that nothing can be done without prayer?  
A. Truth it is.  
Q. Who commandeth prayer?  
A. Christ himself.  
Q. Is there nothing else required of us, but only obedience, faith, the use of the Sacraments, and prayer: ought we not also to be thankful?  
A. We can not render too high thanks unto God.  
Q. When we have given thanks, is it enough that God hath put us in mind so once to do?  
A. As we begin so ought we to continue in praying for the increase of faith.  
Q. Say the sum of faith or creed.  
A. I believe in God the Father almighty, etc.  
Q. What be the chiefest points of the belief?  
A. The first is of God the Father, the second of God the Son, the third of God the holy Ghost, the fourth and last of the Church and benefits thereof.  
Q. As we have the chief parts of the belief, so let us consider the particulars: and to begin, tell me what ye learn in the first word of the creed, what is it to believe in God?  
A. By this I learn to put my full trust and confidence in him alone.  
Q. What learn ye in this: maker of heaven?  
A. That God made me and all the world.  
Q. Why is God called almighty?  
A. Because he hath all might and power to rule all things according to his will.  
Q. What learn you in these words? And in jesus Christ his only Son?  
A. I learn that Christ is the only natural son of God.  
Q. Why call you him Lord.  
A. Because he is my redeemer and saviour.  
Q. Why do you say our Lord and not my Lord?  
A. For that he is not only my Lord, but also the saviour of all the faithful.  
Q. Thou sayest in the belief, that Christ was borne: by whom was he borne?  
A. Of Mary a pure and perfect virgin.  
Q. How was Mary Christ's mother, in that he is God, or in that he is man?  
A. In that he is man.  
Q. How is he the only son of God, in that he is man, or in that he is God?  
A. In that he is God from the beginning.  
Q. Seeing Christ is the second person in Trinity▪ and equal to the Father in the Godhead: why did he humble himself so low to take on him man's nature in the womb of the Virgin?  
A. For this cause, that sin which reigned in our flesh, might be punished in his flesh.  
Q. How was Christ conceived in her womb.  
A. By the power of the holy Ghost.  
Q. What was Pilate?  
A. The ruler of the jews.  
Q. Why did Christ suffer under an earthly judge or ruler?  
A. To declare his innocency.  
Q. What profit have we by Christ's innocency and righteousness?  
A. We are made righteous by it in the sight of God.  
Q. Why was he crucified?  
A. For our sins.  
Q. Why did Christ die?  
A. To deliver the faithful from eternal death.  
Q. Why was he buried?  
A. For an assurance of his death.  
Q. Who buried him?  
A. joseph and Nicodemus.  
Q. There were many called joseph, as joseph foster father to Christ, and joseph which dwelled at a place called Aramathea, and divers others, which of these was he that did help to bury Christ?  
A. joseph which dwelled at Aramathea.  
Q. What meaneth Christ's descending into hell?  
A. That he by humble suffering of torments overcame hell.  
Q. Is the wrath of Cod so fully contented and paid?  
A. Yea. for God is welpleased in him.  
Q. What was the cause of his rising again the third day?  
A. To justify us.  
Q. And doth it not assure us of the great triumph and victory over sin, death, the devil, and the power of hell?  
A. Yea forsooth.  
Q. Why did Christ after his rising from death, go to heaven?  
A. To prepare places for us.  
Q. Hath God the father hands?  
A. We may not so grossly imagine.  
Q. Why then dost thou say that Christ sitteth at the right hand? what dost thou confess this hand to be?  
A. The power of God.  
Q. So, than thou dost confess that he is God equal with the father.  
A. Truth it is.  
Q. Shall not Christ come again in the end of the world?  
A. Yes, that I do believe.  
Q. What is the cause of his coming?  
A. To judge the quick and dead.  
Q. What will he say to the faithful in that day?  
A. Come blessed of my father.  
Q. What will he say to them that contemn his word and Sacraments?  
A. Go ye cursed.  
Q. Whether doth he call the faithful?  
A. To heaven.  
Q. Whether doth he send the wicked?  
A. To hell.  
Q. What is the holy Ghost?  
A. The third person in Trinity.  
Q. Why is he called holy?  
A. Because he maketh us holy in the sight of God.  
Q. What is the Catholic Church?  
A. Those that believe in Christ of what nation soever they be.  
Q. What are the saints?  
A. The believers.  
Q. What is this Communion?  
A. Communion is fellowship.  
Q. Wherein have the believers a fellowship?  
A. In the death of Christ.  
Q. What signs and tokens he there of this fellowship in Christ his death?  
A. Two signs and tokens.  
Q. What be they only called signs and tokens, are they not also named Sacraments?  
A. Yes, that is the more apt name.  
Q. What is a Sacrament?  
A. A sign seen, declaring God's grace which we can not see.  
Q. Who ordained these Sacraments?  
A. Christ our Saviour.  
Q. Why did he ordain them?  
A. To declare Gods good will unto us.  
Q. God in his word hath made many promises to his Church: how are these promises sealed unto us?  
A. By the use of the Sacraments.  
Q. Where must we lay up this jewel and treasure offered in the Sacraments?  
A. Io ur hearts.  
Q. Which be the two Sacraments?  
A. Baptism and the Lords supper.  
Q. What is the sign seen at Baptism?  
A. Water.  
Q. The use of water is to wash, but in the Sacrament, the use of it is not to wash, but to signify the grace of God by some spiritual washing. Tell me therefrre what this water signifieth?  
A. The washing away of our sins.  
Q. How are our sins washed away?  
A. By the sprinkling of the blood of jesus Christ once shed for all.  
Q. Must that sign of this sprinkling or washing be often done?  
A. No, but once for all.  
Q. What is the sign seen at the Lords supper?  
A. Bread and wine.  
Q. Which is the grace which it declareth?  
A. The body and blood of Christ.  
Q. Seeing the Lord hath given but one sign in Baptism, why hath he given us two in the supper?  
A. To declare that he feedeth not us to the half meal but wholly.  
Q. Then, by this he is both our meat and drink?  
A. Even so is he.  
Q. You before did confess that Christ went up to heaven, there to remain until the day of judgement: how should he then be our meat and drink, is he carnal meat?  
A. No truly.  
Q. How then is he meat or nourishment unto us?  
A. By his word he nourisheth us.  
Q. how do we receive him to be our meat?  
A. By faith to feed our souls.  
Q. Who doth give him unto us?  
A. God the Father.  
Q. How did God the Father give him?  
A. In sacrifice on the cross for us.  
Q. What are we that God gave his son to be slain in sacrifice for us?  
A. We are miserable & wretched sinners.  
Q. Should we therefore continue in sin, because the sacrifice is made for sin?  
A. God forbidden.  
Q. What is then required of us?  
A. Faith and Repentance.  
Q. Cannot faith be without repentance?  
A. No, if it be true faith.  
Q. May repentance be without faith?  
A. True repentance can not be without faith.  
Q. What was judas repentance?  
A. Desperation.  
Q. Why was it desperation?  
A. Because he hanged himself & sought his own death.  
Q. Shall our bodies rise again to life after they be dead and buried?  
A. I believe they shall rise again.  
Q. How shall this our sinful body rise at the day of judgement?  
A. Without corruption?  
Q. Why is this clause of life everlasting, set to the end of the belief?  
A. To assure us of immortality.  
Q. What is meant by this word, Amen, in the end of the creed?  
A. By it I desire the increase of faith, & the subversion of sin in me.  
Q. How cometh the knowledge of sin?  
A. By the law.  
Q. What is the law?  
A. Our schoolmaster to drive us to Christ.  
Q. How did God deliver this law unto his servant Moses?  
A. Written in two tables of stone.  
Q. How many commandments are there in the first table?  
A. Four Commandments.  
Q. What do these four commandments teach us?  
A. Our duty towards God.  
Q. How many Commandments are in the second table?  
A. Six Commandments.  
Q. What do these six commandments teach us?  
A. Our duty to our neighbour.  
Q. Why is the duty to God, set before the duty to our neighbour?  
A. Because we should serve him above all things.  
Q. And why art thou taught thy duty to thy neighbour?  
A. That it might be known whether I do my duty to God, or no.  
Q. How many Commandments be there?  
A. Ten.  
Q. Which be they?  
A. God spoke these words and said.  
Q. Is this a commandment?  
A. No. but a preface unto them.  
Q. What learnest thou by these words then?  
A. I learn that God was the author of them.  
Q. So, than I perceive thou dost confess it to be God's word?  
A. Yea that do I.  
Q. What dost thou gather in those words? I am the Lord.  
A. By this word, Lord, I gather that he is of power to punish the offenders.  
Q. What comfort have we in these? which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.  
A. I gather this comfort, that God is the deliverer of me and all the faithful from hell, as he delivered Israel from Egypt.  
Q. What dost thou learn by this commandment? Thou shalt have none other Gods but me.  
A. I learn hereby to rejoice only in the Lord God, and to rest in him only.  
Q. What shall we say of those that trust in saints and Angels, and make them as interecessors to God for them? do they fulfil this commandment?  
A. They can not.  
Q. How so?  
A. Because they rest not only in jesus Christ.  
Q. In the second commandment why doth God forbid the making of Images, and the likeness of any other thing?  
A. Because they dishonour him.  
Q. In that he forbiddeth us to kneel before them or to worship them: what would he have us to do?  
A. To worship the Lord God only and serve him.  
Q. How should he be worshipped?  
A. In spirit and in truth.  
Q. Why doth God call himself a jealous God visiting the sins of the fathers?  
A. To show his anger against Idolaters  
Q. What call you Idolaters?  
A. Those which maintain superstitious doctrine.  
Q. How doth the Lord promise to show himself to such as love him, and endeavour themselves to keep his commandments?  
A. He will be merciful to such.  
Q. What art thou commanded in the third commandment?  
A. I am commanded reverently to use the name of God, in all my doings that I go about.  
Q. What are you forbidden to do?  
A. All swearing, cursing and banning of any thing that he hath made.  
Q. If a man or woman, whether it be, call God to record in a false matter: doth he use God's name reverently?  
A. No, but calleth him to be his condennor.  
Q. How is the Sabbath day kept holy?  
A. In hearing & learning the holy word of God.  
Q. It is apparent that in this fourth commandment is expressed to kinds of labour, the one of the body, the other of the mind, the one earthly the other heavenly, are both these labours forbidden in this commandment?  
A. No, but the one.  
Q. Which is forbidden?  
A. The bodily labour.  
Q. Then thou confessest that the spiritual & heavenly labour ought to be done: what should we seek for in this heavenly labour?  
A. The kingdom of heaven and the righteousness thereof.  
Q. What shall we say of those that will not come at the Church to learn the way to heaven and to understand the right points of God's law?  
A. Such regard not God's commandment.  
Q. In the fift commandment what meaneth this word honour?  
A. To honour, is to obey, fear, relieve and serve.  
Q. What meaneth this word? father and mother.  
A. By father and mother I understand all that have any office or authority over us.  
Q. As how for example?  
A. As the Prince over the people, the magistrates over the places where they rule, the ministers over their charge or parish, the masters and dames over their servants, fathers and mothers over their children.  
Q. Dost thou hereby acknowledge that those that are over others, should teach them that are under them?  
A. They ought to learn God's word to the end they might teach others the same.  
Q. Ought not the subjects, townsmen, servants, and children to be diligent in learning of God's word?  
A. Yea, if not, they disobey Gods commandemet.  
Q. Why is the promise of long life added to this commandment?  
A. To encourage us unto the better performance of our duty in obeying.  
Q. In this sixth commandment, Thou shalt do no murder, doth God only forbid the outward act of murder, and not also the consent unto murder?  
A. Yea, he forbiddeth the consent unto murder.  
Q. Doth it forbidden nothing else?  
A. It also forbiddeth us anger & malice.  
Q. What do those that revile, mock & despise others be they never so simple?  
A. Such do also against this commandment.  
Q. What say you of pride, surfeiting and drunkenness, whether be they murder or not?  
A. They be the greatest kind of murder.  
Q. How so?  
A. Because they hurt the soul and do great dishonour to God which made us to set forth his glory.  
Q. In the seven. commandement, Thou shalt not commit adultery, what doth the Lord require at our hands?  
A. To keep our bodies as fit vessels for the holy Ghost to dwell in.  
Q. Doth he only forbidden the outward fact of whoredom and adultery?  
A. He forbiddeth us the very thought and enticement to such lewdness, as well as the outward fact.  
Q. What meaneth this eight commandment, Thou shalt not steal.  
A. That I should refrain from hurting any, by taking from them that which is theirs.  
Q. Doth this word steal signify nothing but taking away and robbing?  
A. Yea: if I keep from another that which he hath laboured for, I steal because I give him not his duty.  
Q. What are we commanded?  
A. To live a contented life.  
Q. What shall we say of those that keep the knowledge of God's word from the simple and ignorant, which Christ would have to be taught?  
A. Such also steal, because they do withhold the truth. joh. 10. 10.  
Q. What art thou taught by this ninth commandment, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour?  
A. I am taught to speak nothing but truth, neither for the love nor hatred of any.  
Q. What do you say of liars, slanderers, and such as are busy bodies, meddling of such things as they have nothing to do withal.  
A. Such regard not this law of God.  
Q. What is this tenth commandment, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, wife, goods, servant, nor any thing else which is his?  
A. It is a bridle unto my mind.  
Q. What learnest thou to do by it?  
A. To resraine from wishing any thing at all to my neighbour's hurt or hindrance, be it never so small.  
Q. What is the short sum and effect of the ten Commandments?  
A. To love God above all things, and my neighbour as myself ..  
Q. Art thou able to keep these commandments of thyself?  
A. Of myself I am not able to keep the least of the ten, if I could tell which it were.  
Q. How shall we then satisfy the law?  
A. By Christ, for he hath fulfilled it for us.  
Q. Should we live careless because Christ hath fulfilled the law?  
A. God forbidden.  
Q. What must we do then?  
A. Learn to pray unto the Lord God in the only name of his son Christ jesus our Lord.  
Q. How must it be then that we pray?  
A. Thus, Our father which art in heaven, etc.  
Q. Why dost thou call God father?  
A. Because by faith in Christ we be chosen for the children of God. john. 1. 12.  
Q. Why sayest thou our father, and not my father.  
A. Because he is not only my father, but also the father of all the faithful.  
Q. Is God no where but in heaven?  
A. Yes, he is in all places at once, and therefore in our creed, we call him almighty.  
Q. Why doth our master Christ teach us to say heaven?  
A. Because in praying we should lift up our minds to heaven whether he is gone before.  
Q. What desire you in this petition? Hallowed be thy name.  
A. Here we desire God to give us grace that we may reverently esteem of his holy word which teacheth him unto us.  
Q. What more do we pray for?  
A. That we might live a holy life agreeable to his word.  
Q. What doth Christ teach us to pray for, in this petition? Thy kingdom come.  
A. That the love of God might be among us, and that his word which teacheth him unto us, might freely of us be received.  
Q. How should this be known, that God's love is among us?  
A. By this, if we have love one to an other.  
Q. What more are we taught?  
A. We are also taught to pray for a patiented waiting for of his coming to judgement.  
Q. Are we not also in this petition taught to pray for the increase of faith?  
A. Yea, for the more that our faith increaseth, the more doth God's kingdom increase.  
Q. In that Christ teacheth us to pray that Gods will may be done, in earth as it is in heaven: what doth he seem to forbid?  
A. In teaching us so to pray, he would not have us to seek our own wills, or to stick to our own wisdom.  
Q. Then it followeth that we pray against pride, covetousness, extortion, usury, bribery, excess, drunkenness; whoredom, theft, lying & such like vices, for these be the will of man, & contrary to the will of God.  
A. We do so I confess.  
Q. If we pray against those sinners, and to be endued with righteousness, and yet take a delight in them: what do we?  
A. Even mock with God, and so do heap punishment upon ourselves for it.  
Q. Because I see this to be against me, should I not therefore pray?  
A. If we should not pray, we were the despisers of his commandment. Mark. 14. 38.  
Q. What are we here taught to ask? give us this day our daily bread.  
A. All things necessary to this present life.  
Q. Why doth he teach us to pray daily for daily bread?  
A. Because without his daily blessing our food could give small nourishment unto us.  
Q. What desire ye in this petition: Forgive us our trespasses.  
A. Here I desire his mercy: for unless he be pitiful unto us, we are ready to fall into utter destruction.  
Q. What meaneth the condition? As we forgive them that trespass against us.  
A. Here we desire, that it may be his pleasure to give us grace that we may be ready to pardon those that have offended us.  
Q. Why do you say? Lead us not into temptation?  
A. Here we pray that God will not suffer us to be overcome of temptation: but that being for our profit or trial, we might boldly be strengthened in him to abide that which his pleasure is to lay upon us.  
Q. Why is this added? For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory for ever.  
A. This doth teach us to confess that all rule and authority doth come from God, and ruleth all things according to his will.  
A. Why sayest thou, Amen, in the latter end of the prayer?  
A. By that word I desire the Lord God to grant all things which before I prayed for.  
Q. Tell me the effect in few words of all that thou hast said upon the lords Prayer?  
A. I desire God's grace to do his will, and things necessary both to body and soul.  

A Prayer.  
THe Lord give us grace to lay these things up deeply in our hearts, and always to be mindful of them, as it behoveth his true and faithful Children in Christ jesus. So be it.  
FINIS.