The principles of Protestant truth and peace in four treatises : viz. the true state of liberty of conscience, in freedom from penal laws and church-censures, the obligations to national true religion, the nature of scandal, paricularly as it relates to indifferent things, a Catholick catechism, shewing the true grounds upon which the Catholick religion is ascertained / by Tho. Beverley ...

THE PREFACE TO THE READER.

I Call this A Catechism, because I design it a Familiar Instruction in Fundamental Truths, Resounding the same Thing from Question to Answer; the easiest way of Conveying Truth, and Imprinting it upon the Minds of those that are even of the meanest Ca∣pacity: But especially, because the Principles of it are to be daily so Meditated upon, Pondered and Applyed to use, as to be a perpetual sound in our Ears, and so to be properly stiled Cate∣chism.

For Things of such great weight, as Principles are, must have as the most Advantageous Adm••s∣sion, as the most Deep, and therefore Leisurely Insinuation; as the most Resolved Adherence, when found True and Right, (which is Buying

the Truth, and not Selling it,) so they must have the most Easy, and Ready Application to all their Uses and Ends: They must therefore be bound conti∣nually about our Neck, that when we go, they may lead us; that when we sleep, they may keep us; that when we wake, they may talk with us, Prov. 6. 21, 22.

I know the Things I have written cannot be duely received without much Thinking, and without that they will be in danger of a Censori∣ous rejection from the most, or of a superfici∣al unintelligent Acceptance in the Kinder; which is as bad as the other, and therefore I present it as a Catechism; to those that shall at all approve it, that they may be throughly versed in it, and the Sense of it grow Domestick to them.

I call it a Catholick Catechism, only with Rela∣tion to the Great Subjects it Treats of, the Catho∣lick Religion, and the Catholick Church, in those things wherein they are Catholick; or in which their Catholickness consist: That is, that they are of God, and that the whole Society of Holy and Happy Spirits is by that Catholickness united, and closely banded with it self. Catholick, as the Epistles called Catholick, that is, after some Doubt Asserted to be Divine, of the Publick Spirit of God, and giving that Publick Doctrine, in which the General Assembly is one.

I have endeavoured to contrive the Questi∣ons and Answers so, that the Answers may be an Apology, or Defensive Answer of that Catholick Truth, giving a Reason, or a Rational Account, to any Demand that can be made upon it: And it is the Apology of that Truth it self; the Apology it gives and furnishes us with, for other can no Man give: Truth can need no other, than its Native Apology for it self; no other will it ac∣cept.

To give this, and to be always ready to give it, to keep it within us, and to have it fitted to our Lips, is the proper Fruit of such a Catecheti∣cal Instruction; and the Apostle assures us, it is the great Duty of Christianity, and the greatest Ho∣nour we can do to God, First to Sanctifie him in our Hearts, by a full acknowledgment of him in his Divine Truth; by a Plerophory, or full Assurance of Ʋnderstanding in the Mystery of God, and of the Fa∣ther, and of Christ. For a Devotion to the True God, without knowing him to be the True God, cannot thus Sanctifie or Honour him.

There is nothing we should be more Rational in, than in the True Religion, the Account of which, and of its whole Content, ought to be so certain to us, that nothing of a Diverse Spirit from it, can be added to it; nor any thing of its Integral or Essential Nature taken from it; but

we may plainly see, it would change the Account; and so we need not make a Traverse over all Falsehood to know Truth, but by having a Right understanding in, and Just Contemplation of Truth, the most even thing in the whole World; we come to know it self, by it self, and to be as∣sured of it, although there were no other False Religion in the World to compare it with, and set it off by, and withal to descry every false way offered to us, and to hate it: Yea we observe every thing that is but doubtfully Proposed, and stay it its due time of Examination, and so either ac∣cept, or reject it, or if we see full reason for nei∣ther, still suspend.

It is not the Laws of our Country, our Church, our being Baptiz'd, or Educated in it, that will justifie our Religion to be the True: It is not the High Reverence of it, the Devotion we use in it, our hating of those that speak Blas∣phemously of it, will make good our Religion, what Religion in the World may not be justified upon such Topicks? It is not that we find many great Principles of Truth in a Religion, that will justifie it: There is no Religion, that can be called R••ligion, that does not espouse many True Prin∣ciples: And in Christian Religion, Antichristia∣nism vies with Christianity it self upon the Fun∣damental Creeds, which it self Confesses with True

Christanity, but hath Built upon them New Creeds of its own, and so Corrupted all: For what is so pure, and perfect, as True Religion is, must needs be Corrupted by any Addition: All that is Pure and True, is already its own; who then can add to it, and not be found a Lyar?

Nothing therefore, as I have already intimated, can be our security for True Religion, but the Just Divine Measure, the Common Faith, the True Catholick Standard, which in all things necessary to the main End, is most evident, and in enter∣taining nothing that is not so evident, till it be∣comes so upon this Great Test, this is our Secu∣rity?

For it is very plain, there is less danger when our Understandings are not yet extended to the breadth of Divine Truth, (if none of the Vital Principles are unknown to us, unsensed by us, which are so exceedingly plain, that we cannot be, except willfully, ignorant of them,) for no In∣jury is done to Truth, that we do not understand its whole Compass; nor to our selves, if we do not hate knowledge, offering it self to our notices, but in adding to Truth, seeing we can have no∣thing to add, but what is of no worth, we must needs defile it; in having only Truth, though we have not all Truth, we yet are under the Influence of Truth only, but when we add,

we enslave our selves to Lying Vanities.

Now hereunto have I levelled the whole en∣suing Catechism, or Discourse; against which I know many prejudices will lie, except full Con∣sideration be allowed: I know too many things raise a Detestation at the first, which being Exa∣mined and Weighed by their Reason, gain not only the Discharge of these Angry Passions, but much Acceptance and Assent: And I must take the Confidence to say, in relation to any such Doubt upon the ensuing Apology for Catholick Truth, that it is settled upon such unmoveable Reason, and Weigh'd out by such exact atten∣dance to it, that I may write upon it with∣out Immodesty; Loe this, we have searched it, so it is, hear it, and know thou it for thy good; for good in the Quiet and most Peaceable Course of Christianity, wherein to know the True Grounds upon which it rests, alone makes the Soul both Wise and Good, and determines it to the Square and Just Rules of that Holy Religion; for Good in times of Temptation to a False Re∣ligion, especially that which calls it self Catholick. For the truly Instructed Christian, in that which is indeed Catholick, is even Impregnable against that Delusion of Catholick, falsely so called; Lastly, for good, in the midst of great Differen∣ces, and Diversities of Opinion and Practice, in

relation to lesser things, pertaining more Cir∣cumstantially, or Doubtfully to True Religion, wherein the Rational Christian carrying it as Inoffensively and Communicatively as he can with all, centers in that which is Catholick, as to his Faith, Love, Inward Esteem, and Practice, and unmoveably fixes there, detesting all Animosity, and much more rigour or severity towards others in Relation to such differences, than which no∣thing can be more ungenerous, more unchri∣stian, more irreligious, more unworthy.