Milke for children, or, A plain and easie method teaching to read and write together with briefe instructions for all sorts of people ... : as also an appendix of prayer / by Lambrocke Thomas.

Applic.

That first the holy Ghost is thus God, as God let us love and honour him, by faith and obedience make our selves fit Temples for him d, by sin not to grieve or reject him e. And then secondly, that he is the Author of hol••nesse, may teach us, faithfully to acknowledge that Author, not to any power of our own, but to him to ascribe the working of it by the ener∣gy of his word and working to accost still our Christianity, to come to Christ by him f, by them both to God g. And thus much of the third part: the fourth and last followes in the following Articles, of which next.

Or otherwise, we may consider this Creed (being as saith a Father the Rule how to order our faith concerning God and the Church of God) as divided into these two Parts first of God, secondly of the Church of God. 1. Of God that (as already explained) there are three per∣sons and but one God: 2. Of the Church of God, we are now next to explaine that next unto God the Father of blessings ought we to fix our Faith on the Church of God, as being the fruitfull Mother that brings forth Children unto God. When now in this Part are to be considered, first

the Church it selfe, secondly the blessings God bestowes upon it. That Church, as in the first clause of the ninth Article, those blessings as in the lat••er clause, and the three following Articles. Two of those blessings, to wit, first the Communion of Saints, in the latter clause of the ninth Article, and secondly the forgivenesse of sins in the tenth, being blessings of God to his Church in this life: and the other two, to wit, first the Resurrection of the Body in the eleventh Article, and secondly the life everlasting in the twelfth and last, bles∣sins in the life to come. Of all which next in their order, and first of the

IX. Ninth Article, The holy Catholicke Church the Communion of Saints: and there∣of first the Church it selfe, (both that tri∣umphant in heaven h, and this militant on earth i this as a doore or entrance in∣to that, this of Grace here, that of Glory hereafter) where we are to consider our Creed as to the Church, 1. What to be∣leeve of it, then 2. What it is be∣leeve we must and that againe 1. Not in this or that other particular Church, as this sect or that faction or the like, in this or that Country, or the like, but that God hath a Church in generall, and that is the whole company of the godly, wherever in

the whole world, that this Church hath beene from the beginning, in all the world, whence it is called Catholique. Then 2. That this Church as partly we have said is the whole Company of the godly, of all Gods faithfull ones wherever and every where called out of or from among the faithlesse k, that of Children of wrath by nature l, are by grace m made heires of God in Christ n, and beating downe the reigning contagion of sinne, study and practice holinesse of life o, whence it is called holy. Secondly, as the first blessing God bestowes on his Church, is that as said in the latter clause of this Article, the Communion of Saints, which is the blessed company of the godly wherever that have holy fellowship and communion both with God and among themselves, with God of enemies and them afar off, made friends and nigh by the blood of Jesus Christ p: then with and among them∣selves, by holy exhortation q to well-do∣ing r, by wise Counsels and admonition s, by comfortable discourses of God and godlinesse t, by frequent u an•• mutuall w prayer. And as fruits of all these, not onely thus well toword it, but also to shew this communion by good works, not only to speak well to & fo•• one another,

but to do wel also to & for one another x.

Applic. That (as to that latter division of the Creed) as in the first part considered there are three persons y in the Trinity, & in unity but one God: why, so should we labour though many persons we be, yet to be all of one mind z. That unity in God pointing (as 'twere) to the unity should be among the people of God. As to this second part the Church of God, she be∣ing the faithfull Mother that brings forth Children unto God, how should we la∣bour that we may become the Children of God, to become her children? Consi∣der the Appellations in Scripture given to the Church as the house of God a, the spouse of Christ b, the City of God c, the Bo∣dy of Christ d, the Pillar and ground of truth e, and the like. And what is all this for? but that they that will be saved by Christ and be members of that body whereof he is the head, must also be members of his Church, which is his body, and which he is the Saviour of f: and therefore confers on it blessings, both here and hereafter, here the Communion of Saints, the Remissi∣on of sins, hereafter a glorious Re••urrection, and an eternall life of glory.

As to this ninth Article, and thereof as to the first part: or clause of it, that first we

are to beleeve not in ••his or that particu∣lar Church, but that God hath this Church in generall, the whole company of the godly wherever, and therefore cal∣led Catholique, may teach where to resort to, to heare and have the glad tidings of salvation, not by adhering to any parti∣cular sect or conventicle, but to the whole Church of God in generall, by that Mili∣tant here to have accesse to that Trium∣phant hereafter. That secondly, this Church (as Catholique, so) is holy too, as consisting of the whole company wherever, of the faithfull, may teach our care to become faithfull, holy g by what∣ever debosherie not to defile it h, nor by whatever wicked meanes to annoy it i, in as much as the inj••ry offer'd unto it is as offered unto God k: and that he that shall any wise injure it deserves not the Name of a Christian l. Then as to the se∣cond clause, that the Communion of Saints which is the first blessing God here be∣stowes on his Church, is only the where∣ever Company of the godly, may hint unto us of what Company we ought to be, of this faithfull society, if in Christ we meane to attaine Salvation: these onely faithfull being that little Flock on which Christ hath promised to bestow a King∣dome m.

Which Flock are they that are of this Fold the Church, of which Christ himselfe is the Shep••erd, he the one Shepherd, and this Church the one Fold he speakes of n. The Unity whe••e of as it was his worke, so should it be our endea∣vour, we to unite us to him, and to unite us among our selv••s. Thus of the first blessing here in this Article: the second have you in the next which is the

X. Tenth Article, and that this, The forgivenesse of sins: Though other bles∣sings there are as appertaining to this life, yet these two are the main blessings, that of the Communion of Saints, which we have expounded, and this of the Remission of sins, we come next to expound or explain, A maine blessing tis o, a blessing of this life p. No other mean to free us from sin, for being by nature all sinners▪ dead in trespasses and sins q: Gods free grace in Christ, which is this forgivenesse, is that onely must revive us r. That had, will doe: and that if sought, is a certaine meane to be had s. But will we know how? God tis gives it t: but ever upon this condition that we repent u. Remission never comes but by the way of Repentance w. And by that way it ever comes x.

Notes

• d

  1 Cor. 6, 19.
• e

  1 Cor. 3. 16. Eph. 4. 30.
• f

  1 Cor. 12, 3.
• g

  1 Jo. 4. 12, 13, 14 15.
• h

  Heb. 12, 22,
• i

  1 Tim, 6, 12,
• k

  1 Cor, 1 16, 1 Tim, 1, 12, 13,
• l

  Ep 2, 3,
• m

  verse 5, & 8,
• n

  Rom, 8, 17,
• o

  Ep, 1, 4, 1 Pet, 1, 15, 2 Pet, 1, 5, 6, 7,
• p

  Rom, 5, 6, 7, 8, Ep. 2, 12, 13, & 19,
• q

  Heb, 3, 13,
• r

  Heb, 10, 24,
• s

  Gal, 6, 1, Col, 3, 16,
• t

  1 Thes, 4, 18, & chap, 5, 11. 14.
• u

  1 Thes. 5. 17.
• w

  Jam. 5. 16.
• x

  Mat. 23. 3. Act. 2. 44. Heb. 13. 16. 1 Jo. 3. 17,
• y

  1 Io, 1, 7,
• z

  Jo. 17 21 Act. 4, 32, Ro. 15, 6. Eph, 4, 5,
• a

  Psal, 84, 10,
• b

  Cant, 4, 8, 9,
• c

  Ps, 87, 3,
• d

  1 Cor, 12 27,
• e

  1 Tim, 3, 15,
• f

  Act, 2, 47 Eph, 5, 23
• g

  1 Pet, 1, 16,
• h

  1 Cor, 5, 1, & 13,
• i

  Psa. 105, 15,
• k

  Zech, 2, 8.
• l

  1 Cor. 1••. 9.
• m

  Luk. 12. 32.
• n

  Jo. 10. 16.
• o

  Is. 33. 24 Psal. 32. 1.
• p

  Eccle. 9. 10. Mat. 5. 25.
• q

  Eph. 2. 1. 3.
• r

  vers. 5. 8.
• s

  Ps. 32. 5. Is. 55. 7.
• t

  Is. 43. 25 Mark. 2. 7
• u

  Luk. ••3. 3. ••. Act. 3. 19.
• w

  1 Jo. 1. 9
• x

  Ps. 32. 7.