The summe of Christian religion: deliuered by Zacharias Vrsinus in his lectures vpon the Catechism autorised by the noble Prince Frederick, throughout his dominions: wherein are debated and resolued the questions of whatsoeuer points of moment, which haue beene or are controuersed in diuinitie. Translated into English by Henrie Parrie, out of the last & best Latin editions, together with some supplie of wa[n]ts out of his discourses of diuinitie, and with correction of sundrie faults & imperfections, which ar [sic] as yet remaining in the best corrected Latine.

3 Why the knowlege of this doctrine concerning Gods prouidence is necessary.

* 1.1THis doctrin is necessarily to be known, 1 For the glory of god. For he wil haue vs to ascribe vnto him most great liberty, goodnes, wisedome, power & iustice: & this he wil haue vs to acknowlege & profes against the dreams & do∣tings of Epicures, Manichees, and Stoicks. But if the proui∣dence of god in mouing & guiding al things, euen the least, both good & bad, be denied, these also his properties are denied. And if these bee denied, god is not worshipped and magnified of vs, but denied.

* 1.22 For our own comfort & saluation, that by this means there maie bee stirred vp in vs, First, patience in aduersitie: be∣cause all thinges come to passe by the most wise, iust, and most auaileable counsell and will of our heauenlie father. And whatsoeuer either good or bad god sendeth vs, in thē

we consider the fatherly will of god towardes vs. Whatso∣euer commeth vnto vs by the counsel and will of god, and is profitable for vs: that we ought to beare patiently: but all euils come vnto vs by the counsell and will of god, and are profitable for vs: Therefore wee ought to beare all e∣uils patiently. Secondly, That wee may bee thankefull for benefites receiued of god. Wee ought to bee thankeful, be∣cause of whom wee receiue all good thinges both corporal and spirituall, great and small, to him wee ought to bee thankefull, and to serue and worship him: But from god the author of all good thinges we haue all thinges. There∣fore wee ought to bee thankefull vnto god, and to wor∣ship him. Nowe thankefulnesse hath two partes. 1. Truth, to acknowledge his benefite, and to be thankefull both in worde and minde vnto him. 2. Iustice, to remunerate and make recompence. Or, Thankefulnesse consisteth. 1. In acknowledging of the benefit. 2. Jn celebrating it. 3 In remu∣nerating it. Thirdly, That we may conceiue a good hope and confidēce of things to come, when as god by his prouidēce deliuereth vs out of euils: He that hath decreed vnchangeablie to saue & is able & will saue beleeuers, doth neuer suffer thē to pe∣rish. Hope here signifieth such a hope, as resolueth al things so to be gouerned of god, as that also they shall hence for∣ward be profitable for our safetie, & that he will neuer suf∣fer vs to be pulled away or withdrawen from his loue; nor will euer so forsake vs, that we perish: Because his will and power in preseruing & sauing vs is vnchangeable & far a∣boue the forces of al his enimies. Fourthly, the desire & stu∣dy of godlines, praier, and labour, because although god indeed alone giueth all good things, yet he giueth them with this rule and order, that they bee desired, and expected from him, and sought by our labour and study, which must bee guided by his word.

By this it appeareth,* 1.3 that all the grounds and founda∣tions of godlines or religion are pulled asunder, if the pro∣uidence of god be once denied, such as before it hath been described out of the scripture. For, 1. We shall neuer be pati∣ent in aduersitie, except we know it to come from God our Father, vnto vs. 2 Wee shall neuer bee thankefull for his benefites, except wee acknowledge them to bee giuen vnto vs from aboue.

3 Wee shall neuer haue certaine hope of our future deliuerie from all euill both of crime and paine to be perfected and accom∣plished, except we resolue, that the will of God, of certainelie sa∣uing all the elect, is vnchangeable. 4 Wee shall neuer with as∣sured confidence craue of God his blessings promised vs, especiallie those which are necessarie to saluation, neither shall wee striue thereto with right indeuours and agreeable to Gods word, except we be assured that God both hath from euerlasting decreed for vs those blessinges themselues, and hath destined and appointed the meanes, whereby they are receiued, and doth also most certainely bestow those decreed and promised blessinges vpon all to whom hee giueth those meanes and the lawfull vse of them.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The causes why this doctrine is to bee knowen. 1 The Glorie of God.
• * 1.2

  2 Our comfort and saluation.
• * 1.3

  Al the groundes of religion sha∣ken in peeces, if the prouidence of God bee de∣nied.