Page images
PDF
EPUB

they have truth in their inward parts. It was necessary then, in order that we might speak comfortably to the children of God, that we should exhibit the work of God, which he had wrought in their souls, plainly by evidences, that they might behold it on every side, and as it were near at hand, and thus obtain assurance of heart before the Lord. We thought also that it was our duty to separate the vile from the precious, and that we ought therefore to show by evidences who also deceived themselves with false imaginations, that they might recover themselves out of the snare of the devil in which they are taken captive at his will, and might thus flee from the wrath to come. We are the less scrupulous about treating souls in this detecting manner, because we observe that the word of God precedes us in this method; for it calleth the sinner again and again to himself, and admonisheth him seriously to examine and prove himself: the holy prophets and apostles often proposed to the people, and earnestly insisted upon certain evidences of a person's good and evil condition. See only at present the eighth chapter of Paul's epistle to the Romans, and the epistles of John, which contain many evidences of this kind. We are not apprehensive that sinners will be driven by this method of instruction to an irrecoverable despair, like Cain and Judas, who after all did not arrive to that phrensy through a particular discovery of their graceless condition by evidences, but through their own enormous abominations, which rendered their consciences outrageous. Hast thou, reader, ever observed that any person was brought to such a total despair through a serious dis'covery of his condition to him. I ask not, whether thou hast ever seen any person, who attained to a conviction, that he was yet graceless, and was exceedingly troubled on account of this; for such trouble is salutary, and renders the sinner susceptible of the divine grace. See Matt. v. 3, 6, ix. 12, 13. It is also produced by the Holy Spirit, John xvi. 8, 9. and it rendered Peter's sermon profitable, Acts ii. 37. But I ask whether thou hast ever seen any person, who was reduced to an irrecoverable despair of the grace of God by such a serious discovery, and by exhibiting certain evidences to him? I have not: I have indeed seen only one person in all my life, who truly and entirely despaired of the grace of God, and that out of my congregation which person did not arrive to that despair by a serious and soul alarming sermon, and by an exhibition of evidences, but by his own wilful ungodliness. Truly we need not be afraid that we will render any person too uneasy by a frequent proposing of evidences, and by a particular address to him, in the second person; our people are indeed too insensible, they are not so easily influenc

ed to repentance. The prophets and apostles did not speak so generally to the people, and inform them that there were such and such wicked persons in the world, and in the church: but they used to address the guilty in a direct manner, and say, "Thou art the man" 1 Sam. xii. 7. "Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter," Acts viii. 21. "Thou child of the devil." &c. Acls xiii. 10, 11. "O foolish Galatians," &c. Gal. iii. 1, 3, 4. v. 2, 7. This is also required by the national synod of Wesel, holden in the year 1568, when it saith, "They shall direct all that they say to these two principal points of the gospel, to wit, faith and conversion: and the preachers, in doing this, shall aim at, as their only mark, and inculcate the true mortification and quickening of man: they shall endeavour to penetrate with their sermons, as much as possible, through all the secret veils, and into all the hiding places of the souls of their hearers; and not only dwell upon gross acts of iniquity, and public sins, but also expose the hidden hypocrisy of the heart, and bring forth thence to light, and remove in the most convenient manner, that seed-plot and sink of all manner of ungodliness, pride, untharkfulness," &c. In this manner have we also endeavoured not only to lop off certain unfruitful branches, which bear gall and wormwood, but also to penetrate, as much as we were able to the bottom of the heart, and so to the root of iniquity, and to lay it bare, that this evil tree might fall and die of its own accord.

Suffer me, my worthy reader, to detain thee yet a little, while I say something to thee concerning our excellent Heidelberg catechism. When, being yet a young man, I entertained a desire, and being doubtful of myself, I had a serious disposition to work out my salvation with fear and trembling, I presently set a high value upon this little book, because I perceived that it would contribute to the attainment of my object. I observed that it proposed in a very perspicuous manner the method in which God conducted sinners to salvation by discovering to them their misery, deliverance and gratitude: it shewed me the true nature of the exercises of miserable souls, of those who were seeking to be saved, and of those who were thankful; and what seemed exceedingly striking and beautiful to me was, that the instructor introduced his pupil, as speaking concerning the exercises of a convinced, believing, and holy person, as his own, and not proposing the heads of doctrine only as positive truths. The more I saw these things in this little book, the more I was enamoured with it. I was exceedingly grieved, when I heard Papists, Socinians, and Remonstrants, with whom I conversed much in my youth, speak reproachfully of it. But I do not regret it, it hath been of se

much the more service to me. I was also induced thereby to publish this treatise of mine upon that little book, that I might, if possible, edify others by it, heartily wishing that they may derive the same, yea, greater advantage from it, than I have derived. Let no man nevertheless be so ill natured, as to think that I, or any other of our denomination, look upon the catechism as a little bible. We would rather see it and all other good books banished out of the world, than that it should be equalled with the word of God, which was immediately and infallibly inspired by him. We believe the doctrines of the catechism, not on account of the catechism, but only on account of the word of God, out of, and according to which the catechism was composed. Do we esteem this little book, we nevertheless love the word of God still more. We commend this treatise, only because it explains the book of God clearly to us, and recommends it to us. They who report of us that we consider the catechism as our little bible, know better; at least they would know better, if they did not foster bitter envy and strife in their hearts. No man will speak disparagingly of the catechism, who knows how it was introduced into the world, for what purpose it was composed, in what manner it was received, combatted and established, and of how great advatange it hath been to the church.

It is known, that it was composed by Zacharias Ursinus and Casparus Olevianus, both exceedingly famous divines and professors in the university of Heidelberg, at the command of Frederick the third, prince Palatine, surnamed the pious. The occasion of composing it, was, that the Ubiquitists, a sect of Lutherans, who held that the body of Christ was omnipresent, being desirous of introducing their opinion in a violent and furious manner, opposed the orthodox by every method: "The schools," says that famous prince Palatine, in the preface to the catechism, "were fallen into contempt, the tender. youth were neglected, there was no steady nor uniform method of teaching the doctrines of christianity. Hence it came to pass, that the unskillful youth were not rightly instructed, or according to any certain rule; but just as every teacher fancied; or they were not instructed at all, but remained entirely stupid and ignorant," &c. It was the design of that excellent prince to establish by this catechism a general form of harmonious doctrines for the churches and schools. Thus he speaks in his preface, "Therefore we ordered our divines, and the pastors of the churches in our electoral principality to compose a catechism, that is, a brief oral instruction in the principal doctrines of the christian religion, in German and Latin, from the word of God; that the preachers and schoolmasters might have a certain

and fixed form, according to which they might instruct the tender youth in the churches and schools, to the end that they might not bring in new doctrines, according to their own fancies, or propose such as agreed not with the word of God." See also Melchior Adams in the life of Ursinus, pag. mihi, 534.

Thus was this catechism composed, revised, and, as agreeable to the word of God, approved by the principal divines of the Palatinate, assembled for that purpose. It was printed first at Heidelberg, in the year 1563, and recommended to the churches and schools of the Palatinate, that it might serve for the maintenance of an uniform method of instruction, in order to prevent divisions and schisms, and to avert the reproaches, that were cast upon the doctrine of the Palatine churches. Moreover, the pious Prince Palatine sent this catechism to all the Reformed churches, in every part of Christendom, who approved of it, as appears from the answers of those churches, deposited in the archives of the Palatinate. See the ecclesiastical history of James Trigland, page 360. The light of evangelical truth, beaming forth with so much splendor in the Palatinate, shone too bright to remain within the limits of that country, it broke presently through to our dear Netherlands, where this catechism was also soon known, translated and printed, and, as agreeable to the word of God, adopted in the synod of Embden, in the year 1571 where it was also thought necessary, that we should use it in the churches of the Netherlands; this was further renewed, and enjo`ned in the national synod of Dordrecht in the year 1578. And once more in the national synod of Dordrecht, in the year 1618 and 1619, where it was revised, approved, and established, and highly commended by the foreign divines, who were invited to the synod, and especially by the divines of Great Britain. 'Hear what Trigland saith of this in his history of the church, page 1145. "I well remember," saith that learned man, " what I have also frequently, and upon different occasions related, that the divines of Great Britain highly extolled that little book, and said that neither their churches, nor the French had such a suitable catechism: that the men who had composed it, had been unusually assisted by the Spirit of God at the time, that they had in sundry other matters excelled several divines, but in composing that catechism, they had excelled themselves."

He who doth evil hateth the light: that which is opposed by none but evil men must be good: and we ought to have a higher opinion of this catechism as orthodox, because so many men of a corrupt mind have withstood and combatted it with all their might, that

they might, if possible, banish it out of the church, as though it were erroneous. This book was no sooner published, than it was fiercely attacked by the Ubiquitsts: see what Melchior Adams relates concerning this matter . the life of Zacharias Ursinus, page 534, 535, and not by those only, but also by the Papists. These stirred up the emperou against it, so that he ordered the pious Prince Palatine, without hearing him, to suppress his catechism, and threatened that if he refused, he should not be acknowledged an evangelical prince but should be excluded from the religious peace and from the empire. But this gallant hero, laying his catechism beside his bible, declared that he would defend that li tle book against any one, who would dispute with him which so affected the emperour, that he said to him, "Frederick, thou art the most pious of us all;" upon which he suspended, and annulled his decree, and tolerated the catechism: yea, some of the states, who were present, also subscribed it and this opposition added new lustre to the catechism. The Papists, thwarted in this manner, ceased not however to attack the catechism again and again, in order to extirpate it. A certain John Andrews Koppenstein, a Dominican monk and parish priest at Heidelberg, laboured in particular more than any of his party, to alienate the church of Heidelberg from her cateci ism, and seduce her unawares to follow the beast, and to worship him he showed for this purpose horns like those of the Lamb, but he spoke like the dragon, when he wrote against this catechism his "Uncalvinized calvinistic Heidelberg catechism." He was wonderfully skillful in showing the horns of the Lamb, while he spoke like the dragon, and in changing the language of the church in our catechism into the language of the whore of Rome, almost in every question; observe for instance our fifth question; "Canst thou keep all these things perfectly." He answers, "maxime," certainly, or exceedingly, or "very well with God." For I am by nature, although corrupt, "inclined with the help of grace, to love" God and my neighbour: And in this manner doth he sport with almost every question of our catechism. But he hath been completely answered by many, and particularly by Theodorus Strakkius

The Remonstrants opposed the catechism no less than these. When they proposed to introduce a new doctrine into the church, they fell presently upon this book; for they saw that they were condemned in it. They lay hid, and concealed themselves with secrecy when they were asked what fault they found with the docurine of the church, they would not declare it, except in a national synod, and they laboured in the mean while by every contrivance in

« PreviousContinue »