¶ A brief Catechism, containing the most principal, grounds of Religion.  
Question. WHo created you, and all creatures?  
Answer. God.  
Quest. What is the duty of you and all creatures unto God?  
An. To set forth his glory.  
Quest. How is that done?  
An. By keeping his word and commandment, whereby we declare that he is our sovereign Lord, and have authority ever us to command us obedience.  
Quest. How do the dumb creatures keep God's commandment?  
An. By continuing in that order and state, whereto the Lord by his word first assigned them.  
Quest. Hath man done so from the beginning?  
An. No. For our first parents broke God's commandment in eating the forbidden fruit.  
Quest. What befell of that?  
An. They became sinful, and have left unto us being branches of the same root, the inheritance of sin, which we call Original sin, or sin which we have by nature and kind.  
Quest. What evil come thereof?  
An. This Original sin is a very plague infecting all our deeds, so that they be all transgressions of God's Law.  
Quest. What doth the Law of God require of us?  
An. That we should love the Lord with all our heart, with all our soul, and strength: and our neighbour as ourself.  
Quest. Are we not able to perform this?  
An. No, In no wise.  
Quest. Why was it then commanded of God?  
An. Because it is the rule of perfect righteousness, agreeing unto the nature of God, able in itself to be observed and to give life: but of us unable, because of our sinful inability.  
Quest. What profit receeyve we then by it?  
An. This, that we being convict of our sin more manifestly by the Law, wherein as in a glass, we behold the same, we might be ashamed of ourselves, and fear God's wrath, and so be constrained to seek for remedy of our misery other where, namely in Christ.  
Quest. You say that in all our doings we transgress God's Law, what call you that transgression?  
An. Stane.  
Quest. what is the desert of sin?  
An. God's curse and fierce wrath, to the utter spoiling of soul and body by everlasting death, whose justice thereupon calleth for the execution of this punishment.  
Quest. What followeth thereon?  
An. Then they whose eyes God do open to see their misery, behold themselves lost, and confounded: yea even plunged with the waves of woe unto death. Then they repent and loath their former sin, which have brought upon them this condemnation, and humbly crave pardon, appealing from justice to mercy. Then do Christ jesus take them by the hand, give them ease of their burden, & quicken them by his comforting spirit, restoring them from death to life. So are they then made new borne children.  
Quest. By what means can Christ rescue us from his father's justice?  
An. Because he offered a sacrifice of his own body & blood to his Father, to make the atonement for us. And he being perfect man, suffered death: and being perfect God, sustained himself to break the bands of death.  
Quest. And how do we attain to everlasting life, having escaped death?  
An. Christ also hath fulfilled perfect righteousness, which he doth impute to us: and of the fullness of the spirit which he have received, he sanctifieth us, and so present us to his Father, craving that we may be partakers of his glory with him.  
Quest. How do we receive and apply to us Christ jesus, and all this which he have done for us?  
An. By faith.  
Quest. What is Faith?  
An. A spiritual gift given of GOD, even the hand of our soul which we reach out, to draw unto us, all good things which are offered and promised.  
Quest. How is this Faith wrought in us?  
An. By the inward means of the spirit, and the outward means of the hearing the word taught.  
Quest. What outward means hath the Lord given, for the strengthening of our faith, that we may with more full assurance receive▪ his promises?  
An. The two Sacraments, Of Baptism, and the Lords Supper, which we call seals unto the handwriting of the Lords promise of our salvation.  
Quest. What is a Sacrament?  
An. It is an outward visible sign, by the confirmation of the word applied thereto representing spiritual graces unto us, for the testifying of God's goodness towards us, and confirming our Faith.  
Quest. What is Baptism?  
An. The seal of our receiving into God's house, being before the heirs of hell: and this is done by a great alteration in us, namely, dying to sin, and living again unto righteousness, which is our new birth. Which grace this Sacrament do represent, both in that it signify a spiritual washing from our sin by Christ his blood: And also a drowning and passing through death, that we might escape a more grievous death, and live for ever.  
Quest. What doth the Lord's Supper represent unto us?  
An. Our continual nourishing, after we be received into God's family, with the living bread, and the living water, the body and blood of Christ, whereon we feed by faith, and grow together into one with him.  
Quest. What seal and mark can we find in ourselves that we have this faith and be in Christ? For all can say, they believe.  
An. The spirit which Christ jesus do give, as a pledge of our adoption, is a certain seal. Which spirit it it dwell in us, the fruit thereof, as the heat of a tornate, will break forth Love to the Lord and his word will appear, And charity to our neighbour. Generally a full alteration we must spy in ourselves, that we are dead to sin, wherein we lived in times past, and now we have pleasure to exercise ourselves in meditating the Law of God, in Prayer, thanks giving, and all the exercises of Christianity, wholly leading a new life, and holding the agreement of godly fellowship with the rest of the members whereof Christ is the head. And always having our conversation in heavenly things, that our light may shine, and our life may express the praise and glory of him, and our thankfulness towards him, who have redeemed us unto the hope of eternal life.  
FINIS.