Front matter
THE
SUBSTANCE
OF Christian Religion:
OR A plain and easy draft of the Christian
CATECHISM
IN 52 Lectures, on chosen Texts of Scripture, For each Lord's Day of the Year, Learnedly and Perspicuously illustrated with Doctrines,
Reasons and Uses.
By that Reverend and Worthy Laborer in the Lord's Vineyard,
WILLIAM AMES
(1576-1633) Doctor in Divinity, And later Professor of it at Franeker in Friezeland.
LONDON Printed by T. Mabb for Thomas Davies, and are to be sold at his shop at the Sign of the Bible over against the little-north-door of Paul's Church,
Scanned Text Source: http://books.google.com/books/about/The_substance_of_Christian_religion.html?id=PkidO6LTQvkC
AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF AMES'
CHRISTIANAE CATECHESEOS SCIAGRAPHIA
Latin edition published 1627
This work was included in Ames' COMPLETE LATIN WORKS, Vol 1 (Joannes Jansson press, Amsterdam, 1635, 1658) ed. Matthias Nethenus (1618-1686), Prof. of Theology at Utrecht, who was Ames' Biographer.1
The editor of this English Translation (1642), though unnamed, was likely Hugh Peter (1598-1660), heir to Ames' papers,2 and co-pastor with Ames at the English Church of Rotterdam.
Hand-typed, modernized, corrected, and annotated by William H. Gross www.onthewing.org © Jan 2014.
Original page numbers are in brackets; many English spellings are maintained; slight formatting changes have been made for readability.
A Biographical Sketch has been added from Portraits, at prca.org, chap. 37.
Scripture in the footnotes is taken from the NKJV (Thomas Nelson Publishers © 1982).
Last updated: Apr 21, 2014
Nature and scope of changes: The terms, "thee, thine, hast," etc. have been modernized; archaic and cumbersome syntax has been simplified; obsolete words and phrases have either been revised, or annotated. The original text was inconsistent in spelling, capitalization, numbering, formatting, and use of terms. I took the liberty to standardize and correct such things.
Some Scripture citations were incorrect, or taken from an alternate translation where the verse numbers differed from the KJV. Those are standardized according to the NKJV. Additional citations have been footnoted for your convenience; and where helpful, the full text of the verse has been included.
W.H.G.
February 26, 2014
1 J.B. Mullinger, University of Cambridge, (Cambridge Univ. Press, London, 1884), Vol 2, p. 510.
2 John Platt, Reformed Thought and Scholasticm (Studies in the History of Christian Thought, vol 29, Leiden, The Netherlands, ed. J. Brill, 1982), p. 99 (fn 193 cites K.L. Sprunger, The Learned Doctor William Ames, Chicago, 1972, p. 251).
CONTENTS Biographical Sketch ................................................................................................ i To the Reader.......................................................................................................... v The First Lord's Day ................................................................................................ 1
Psalm 4 verses 6-8. ........................................................................................................................................... 1
There are many that say, Who will show us any good? Lord, lift up the light of your countenance upon us. 7. You have put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased. 8. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for you Lord, only, make me dwell in safety. . 1
The Second Lord's Day ............................................................................................ 7
Romans 7.7 ....................................................................................................................................................... 7
What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Indeed, I would not have known sin except by the law. For I would not have known that concupiscence or lust was a sin unless the law had said, You shall not covet. ............................................................................................................................................... 7
The Third Lord's Day ............................................................................................ 10
Romans 5.12 ................................................................................................................................................... 10
Therefore as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, so death passed upon all men, in whom all have sinned. ................................................................................................................................. 10
The Fourth Lord's Day .......................................................................................... 14
Ephesians 5.6 .................................................................................................................................................. 14
Let no man deceive you with vain words; for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the children of disobedience. .............................................................................................................................. 14
The Fifth Lord's Day .............................................................................................. 18
Rom 8.3 ........................................................................................................................................................... 18
For what the Law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh. ................................................................ 18
The Sixth Lord's Day ............................................................................................. 22
1Tim. 3.16 ....................................................................................................................................................... 22
And without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness; God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by Angels, preached to the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. .. 22
The Seventh Lord's Day ........................................................................................ 28
Act 16.31 ......................................................................................................................................................... 28
And they said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved and your house. ...................... 28
The Eighth Lord's Day .......................................................................................... 34
Mat. 28.19 ...................................................................................................................................................... 34
Go therefore, and teach all Nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. ............................................................................................................................................ 34
The Ninth Lord's Day ........................................................................................... 38
Rev 4.11 .......................................................................................................................................................... 38
You are worthy, O Lord, that you should have glory, and honour, and power; because you created all things, And for your pleasure they are, and were created. ....................................................................... 38
The Tenth Lord's Day ........................................................................................... 43
Rom 11.36 ....................................................................................................................................................... 43
For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things. .......................................................................... 43
The Eleventh Lord's Day ...................................................................................... 46
Act 4.12 ........................................................................................................................................................... 46
Neither is there salvation in any other. For there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. ........................................................................................................................ 46
The Twelfth Lord's Day ........................................................................................ 49
Act 2.36 .......................................................................................................................................................... 49
Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made that same Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. .................................................................................................................. 49
The Thirteenth Lord's Day .................................................................................... 54
Mat 16.16 ........................................................................................................................................................ 54
You are Christ, the Son of the Living God. ................................................................................................. 54
The Fourteenth Lord's Day .................................................................................. 58
Mat 1.20 ......................................................................................................................................................... 58
But while he thought on these things, behold the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying,
Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife; for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. .................................................................................................................................................. 58
The Fifteenth Lord's Day ...................................................................................... 63
1Pet 3.18 ......................................................................................................................................................... 63
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit. .......................................................................................... 63
The Sixteenth Lord's Day ...................................................................................... 67
Joh 10.17-18 ................................................................................................................................................... 67
Therefore the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it up again. None takes it from me; but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again.
This commandment I received from my Father. ....................................................................................... 67
The Seventeenth Lord's Day .................................................................................. 71
Joh 10.17-18. ................................................................................................................................................... 71
I lay down my life, that I may take it up again. None takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority or power to take it up again. This commandment I received from my Father.............................................................................................................................. 71
The Eighteenth Lord's Day .................................................................................... 74
Mark 16.19 ...................................................................................................................................................... 74
So then after the Lord had spoken to them, he was received up into heaven, and sat at the right hand of God. .............................................................................................................................................................. 74
The Nineteenth Lord's Day .................................................................................... 78
Mat 25.31-39 .................................................................................................................................................. 78
31 When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 "And before him will be gathered all Nations, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 "And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 "Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 'for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 'I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' 37 "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 'When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe
You? 39 'Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' .................................................... 78
The Twentieth Lord's Day .................................................................................... 83
1Cor 6.19 ......................................................................................................................................................... 83
What, do you not know that your body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have from God, and you are not your own? ....................................................................................................... 83
The Twenty-first Lord's Day .................................................................................. 87
Eph 5.25-27 .................................................................................................................................................... 87
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the Church, and gave himself for it. 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word. 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing: but that it should be holy and without blemish. .......................................................................................................................................... 87
The Twenty-second Lord's Day ............................................................................ 90
Phil 3.20-21 .................................................................................................................................................... 90
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also look for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will change our vile body, that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. .............................................................................. 90
The Twenty-third Lord's Day ............................................................................... 94
Rom 3.24-25 .................................................................................................................................................. 94
24 Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ, 25 whom God has set forth to be a propitiation, through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God. .............................................................................. 94
The Twenty-fourth Lord's Day ............................................................................. 98
James 2.22 ..................................................................................................................................................... 98
Do you see how faith was wrought with his works, and by works, faith was made perfect? ................. 98
The Twenty-fifth Lord's Day ................................................................................ 102
Rom 4.11 ....................................................................................................................................................... 102
And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith, which he had while yet uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those that believe, though they are not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed to them also. ................................................................................. 102
The Twenty-sixth and seventh Lord's Days ......................................................... 106
Mat 28.19 ..................................................................................................................................................... 106
Go therefore and teach all Nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. .......................................................................................................................................... 106
The Twenty-eighth and ninth Lord's Days ............................................................ 111
1Cor 10.16 ....................................................................................................................................................... 111
The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? ............................................................................... 111
The Thirtieth Lord's Day ...................................................................................... 115
1Cor 11.28-29 ................................................................................................................................................ 115
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 29 For he that eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. . 115
The Thirty-first Lord's Day .................................................................................. 119
Mat 16.19 ....................................................................................................................................................... 119
And I will give to you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. And whatever you bind on earth, shall be bound in Heaven; whatever you loose on earth, shall be loosed in Heaven. .......................................... 119
The Thirty-third Lord's Day ................................................................................ 122
Eph 4.20-22 .................................................................................................................................................. 122
But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if it is so that you have heard Him, and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 That you put off, concerning your former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts. ................................................................................................ 122
The Ten Commandments .................................................................................... 126
The Thirty-fourth Lord's Day .............................................................................. 126
Exo 20.1-3 ..................................................................................................................................................... 126
And God spoke all these words, saying, "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the Land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me." ...................................... 126
The Thirty-fifth Lord's Day ................................................................................. 131
Exo 20.4-6 ..................................................................................................................................................... 131
You shall not make for yourself any graven image, or the likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 You shall not bow down yourself to them, nor worship them, nor serve them; for I the LORD am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me. 6 And showing mercy to thousands of those that love my, and keep me commandments............................................... 131
The Thirty-sixth and seventh Lord's Day ............................................................. 134
Exo 20.7 ........................................................................................................................................................ 134
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that takes his name in vain. ............................................................................................................................... 134
The Thirty-eighth Lord's Day .............................................................................. 137
Exo 20.8-11 .................................................................................................................................................... 137
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shall you labour, and do all your work. 10 But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work — you nor your son, nor your daughter, your man-servant, nor your maid-servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made hallowed it.
..................................................................................................................................................................... 137
The Thirty-ninth Lord's Day ................................................................................ 142
Exo 20.12 ....................................................................................................................................................... 142
Honour your Father and your Mother: That your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God gives you. .................................................................................................................................... 142
The Fortieth Lord's Day ...................................................................................... 145
Exo 20.13 ....................................................................................................................................................... 145
You shall not kill. ........................................................................................................................................ 145
The Forty-first Lord's Day ................................................................................... 148
Exo 20.14 ...................................................................................................................................................... 148
You shall not commit Adultery. ................................................................................................................ 148
The Forty-second Lord's Day ............................................................................... 151
Exo 20.15 ....................................................................................................................................................... 151
You shall not steal. ..................................................................................................................................... 151
The Forty-third Lord's Day ................................................................................. 154
Exo 20.18 ....................................................................................................................................................... 154
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. ....................................................................... 154
The Forty-fourth Lord's Day ............................................................................... 157
Exo 20.17 ....................................................................................................................................................... 157
You shall not covet your neighbour's house; you shall not covet your neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbour's. .... 157
The Forty-fifth Lord's Day ................................................................................... 160
Eph 6.18 ....................................................................................................................................................... 160
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching to this end with all perseverance, and supplication for all Saints. ......................................................................................... 160
The Lord's Prayer ............................................................................................... 163
The Forty-sixth Lord's Day .................................................................................. 163
Mat 6.9-13 ..................................................................................................................................................... 163
After this manner therefore pray: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. ....................................... 163
The Forty-seventh Lord's Day ............................................................................. 167
On the first petition of the Lord's Prayer ..................................................................................................... 167
Hallowed by thy Name. ............................................................................................................................. 167
The Forty-Eighth Lord's Day ............................................................................... 170
On the second petition of the Lord's Prayer ................................................................................................. 170
Let thy Kingdom come ............................................................................................................................... 170
The Forty-ninth Lord's Day ................................................................................. 173
On the third petition of the Lord's Prayer .................................................................................................... 173
Thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven. ........................................................................................... 173
The Fiftieth Lord's Day ....................................................................................... 175
On the fourth petition of the Lord's Prayer .................................................................................................. 175
Give us this day, etc. ................................................................................................................................... 175
The Fifty-first Lord's Day .................................................................................... 178
On the fifth petition of the Lord's Prayer ..................................................................................................... 178
Forgive us our debts, etc. ........................................................................................................................... 178
The Fifty-second Lord's Day ................................................................................ 181
On the sixth petition of the Lord's Prayer .................................................................................................... 181
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. .............................................................................. 181
On the conclusion of the Lord's Prayer ....................................................................................................... 184
For thine is the Kingdom, power, and glory, etc. .................................................................................... 184