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TO THE

Right Reverend Father in Go D,

GEORGE,

Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells.

My LORD,

T

HE following Difcourfes having receiv'd their Birth in your Lordship's Diocess, humbly prefent themselves for your Lordship's Bleffing; which will give them the greater Grace, and make them appear abroad with better Success. The Subject treated of in the Second Part of the Catechifm, is, the three great Models of the Christian Religion, the Creed, the Commandments, and the Lord's Prayer; which are that Form of found Words, we are commanded to hold fast without wavering: the keeping whereof, is that Sacred Depofitum committed first to the Charge

of

of the Fathers, and by them to the Sons of the Church.

They who have laid afide the Ufe of thefe Divine Forms in their folemn Worfhip, as too many in our Age have unhappily done, are fallen into fuch a Giddinefs and Inftability in Religion, as to run into divers Sects and Parties; who not receiving these Truths in the Love and Practice of them, have been given up to believe Lyes, and are carry'd away with ftrong Delufions.

To prevent thefe great Evils, all Chriftians are requir❜d to learn and adhere to thefe Forms of found Words, to preserve them from the Contagion of Errors and Herefies, and to fecure them from all Corruptions both in Faith and Manners.

MY LORD,

What is here written on thefe excellent Models to thofe Ends, is humbly submitted to your Lordship's Candour and better Judgment; of whofe Acceptance I cannot doubt, from fo kind and worthy a Diocesan.

That your Lordship may live long to be an Ornament to the Church, and a Support to the Clergy; and that your prefent Endeavours of that kind may be crown'd with an ample and glorious Reward hereafter; is the hearty Prayer of,

MY LORD,

Your Lordship's Obedient and

Humbly Devoted Servant,

MATTHEW HOLE.

The PREFACE.

T

HE Reader, upon the first fight of this Book, may be apt to fay, What! more Expofitions of the Creed yet? Have we not already Bishop Pearfon's, Dr. Barrow's, Dr. Towerfon's, with many others, and what need can there be of any more? Is there any Addition to be made to the Creed? and are not all the Parts of it fufficiently explain'd? 1 fhall not reply to this, by making any Comparisons, which as in moft Cafes, fo especially in this, would be very odious; nor Shall I in any meafure detract from the Honour due to thofe great Men, who have fo highly oblig'd the World by their elaborate and learned Writings, and to whom I must own myfelf not a little beholden.

All that I hall fay in answer to it, is, that this may Serve as an Epitome or brief Abridgment of their larger Volumes; that they who have neither Money to buy, nor Leifure to read greater Books, may be hereby eas'd and affifted in both. Befides,

Some of the foremention'd Authors may, perhaps, be too profound and learned for vulgar Readers, who may be dif courag'd from perusing what they find above their Capacity. Others may be too long, and thereby apt to weary and burden the Memories of weaker Perfons. Others again, may be too short, and so not fo plain and practical as fuch a Divine Subject requires.

If I have done any thing towards a Remedy of these Inconveniencies, and gone a middle way between the Profoundness and Prolixity of fome, and the Conciseness and Obfcurity of others; I hope the Reader will have no reason to complain; and whether it be fo or no, I must leave him to judge. Moreover,

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Having

Having undertaken the Expofition of the Church-Catechifm, I could not answer the Defign, nor fulfil my Task, if fo great and necessary a part of it were omitted; which being the Foundation of the Chriftian Religion, ought to be well laid, in order to our being built up in our most Holy Faith: to which end I have endeavour'd to remove that Hay and Stubble which fome have built thereupon, and likewife to preserve that Gold and Precious Stone which alone is able to ftand the Trial; that having this Touchstone of found Doctrine always by us, we may be enabled to try the Spirits whether they be of God, and to continue stedfaft in the Faith, in an Age wherein fo many Errors are broach'd to infeft and corrupt it.

If any by the enfuing Difcourfes fhall be better enlighten'd in the Knowledge of Divine Truths, or more confirm'd in the Faith once deliver'd to the Saints, let him give God the Praife, and the Author his Prayers.

Farewel.

I

The Apostles Creed.

Believe in God the Father Almighty, Baker of Heaven and Earth :

And in Jelus Chrift his only Son our Lozd : Who was conceived by the Holy Ghoff, Bom of the Wirgin Mary: Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead and buried : he defcended into hell, the third day he role again from the dead: He afcended into Heaven, and fitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty: From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost: the Holy Catholick Church: the Communion of Saints: the Forgiveness of Sins ; the Resurrection of the Body: and the Life Everlafting. Amen.

A

145

A PRACTICAL EXPOSITION of the Second Part of the ChurchCatechifm.

DISCOURSE I.

2 TIM. i. 13.

Hold faft the form of found Words, which thou haft heard of me, in Faith and Love, which is in Chrift Fefus.

H

AVING in a former Treatife explain'd the First Part of the Church-Catechifm, which contains the Baptifmal Covenant; that is the Bleffings and Privileges promis'd and beftow'd on God's part in our Baptifm, together with the Conditions engag'd to be perform'd on ours: I proceed in this to the Second Part of the Catechifm, which contains the particular Duties and Conditions of the Baptifmal Vow. And because there can be no Failure on God's part, we are hereby directed in the right Performance of ours. Now the great Things requir'd to entitle us to the Benefits of our Baptifm, are these three:

First, To believe aright, for which we have a Rule of Faith, fumm'd up in the Apostles Creed, VOL. I.

L

Secondly,

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