།

ON

THE CATECHISM

OF THE

CHURCH OF ENGLAND:

WITH A

Discourse on Confirmation.

BY THOMAS SECKER, LL.D.
LATE LORD ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY.

PUBLISHED FROM THE ORIGINAL-M.SS.

BY BEILBY PORTEUS, D.D. AND GEORGE STINTON, D.D.

HIS GRACE'S CHAPLAINS.

DUBLIN:

PRINTED FOR A. & W. WATSON, CAPEL-STREET.

R. BEERE & Co. Printers, 28, Little Strand-street.

CONTENTS.

LECTURE I. Introduction,

Lect. II. Privileges of Baptism,

Lect. III. Renunciation in Baptism,

Lect. IV. Obligation to believe and to do,

Lect. V. Grounds and Rule of Faith,.
Lect. VI. Creed. Article I. 1 believe in God, the

~

Father, &c.

Lect. VII. Article II. And in Jesus Christ, his only Son,

our Lord,

Lect. VIII. Article III. Who was conceived by the Holy

Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary,

Lect. IX. Article IV. Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was

crucified, dead and buried; he descended into Hell,

Lect. X. Article V. The third Day he rose again from

the Dead,

Lect. XI. Article VI. He ascended into Heaven, and

sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty,

Lect. XII. Article VII. From thence he shall come to

tion of the Body, and the Life everlasting,

judge the quick and the dead,

Lect. XIII. Article VIII. I believe in the Holy Ghost,

Lect. XIV. Article IX. The Holy Catholic Church, the

Communion of Saints,

Lect. XV. Article X. The Forgiveness of Sins,

Lect. XVI. Articles XI. XII. Part I. The Resurrection

2

of the Body, and the Life everlasting,

Lect. XVII. Articles XI. XII. Part II. The Resurrec-

Lect. XVIII. The First Commandment,

Lect. XIX. The Second Commandment,

Lect. XX. The Third Commandment,

Lect. XXI. The Fourth Commandment,

Lect. XXII. The Fifth Commandment, Part. I.

Lect. XXIII. The Fifth Commandment, Part II.

Lect. XXIV. The Sixth Commandment,

Lect. XXV. The Seventh Commandment,

Lect. XXVI. The Eighth Commandment,

Lect. XXVII. The Ninth Commandment,

Lect. XXVIII. The Tenth Commandment,~

Lect. XXIX. Of Man's Inability, God's Grace, and

Prayer to him for it,

Lect. XXX. The LORD'S PRAYER.

no

~

A Sermon on Confirmation,

"

"

ments,

Lect. XXXV. Of Baptism,

Lect. XXXVI. Of the Lord's Supper, Part. I.

Lect. XXXVII. Of the Lord's Supper, Part II.

Lect. XXXVIII. Of the Lord's Supper, Part III.

Lect. XXXIX. The Conclusion,

Our Father which

art in Heaven, hallowed be thy Name,

Lect. XXXI. Thy Kingdom come, thy Will be done,

Lect. XXXII. Give us this Day our daily Bread; and

forgive us our Trespasses, as we forgive them that Tres-

pass against us,

Lect. XXXIII. And lead us not into Temptation; but

deliver us from Evil: for thine is the Kingdom, and

the Power and the Glory, for ever and ever. Amen,

Lect. XXXIV. The Nature and Number of the Sacra-

PAGE

162

172

182

190

200

210

220

229

241

252

262

272

282

291

298

307

311

321

331

340

347

353

364

LECTURE I.

INTRODUCTION.

IN all matters of importance, every one that wants information, should first seek for it, then attend to it; and the more our happiness depends upon judging and acting right in any case, the more care and pains we should take to qualify ourselves for both. Now, the happiness of all persons depends, beyond comparison, chiefly on being truly religious. For true religion consists in three things; reasonable government of ourselves, good behaviour towards our fellow-creatures, and dutifulness to our Maker; the practice of which will give us, for the most part, health of body and ease of mind, a comfortable provision of necessaries, and peace with all around us; but, however, will always secure to us, what is infinitely more valuable still, the favour and blessing of God; who, on these terms, will both watch over us continually with a fatherly kindness in this life, and bestow on us eternal felicity in the next.

Since, therefore, whoever is religious must be happy, the great concern of every one of us is, to know and observe the doctrines and rules which religion delivers. Now, we all come into the world ignorant of these; and our faculties are so weak at first, and gain strength so slowly; and the attention of our early years to serious things is so small; that even were our duty to comprehend no more than our own reason would teach us, few, if any, would learn it sufficiently without assistance; and none so soon as they would need it. They would come out into a world full of dangers,

B