A Short Catechisme, or Playne Instruction (1553)
The Confession of Discipleship
The Teacher asks the Scholar whether he professes to be a follower of Christ, and the Scholar boldly affirms his faith, counting it his greatest glory.
Teacher. Do you, then, profess to be a follower of Christian godliness and religion, and a disciple of our Lord Christ? Scholar. Yes, I do confess that, and I plainly and boldly profess it. Indeed, I count the whole sum of all my glory as resting in that—as something both more honorable than my slender wit can reach, and also nearer to God's majesty than I can easily express by any skill of speech.1
Read the original English
Master. Do…st tho… then … fesse thy self to be a … of Christian godlinesse▪ … religion, and a … our Lorde Christ▪
Scholer. That forsothe … I coufesse, and play… … boldly pro… yea, … accom…t …the who… … al my …, as in the th… whiche is bothe of … …uour, then that the …nesse of my wytte maye …tayne … it▪ and also more approching to God des maiestie, than that I, by anye … of v…eraunce, may easely expresse it.
Notes
- 1 ↩The EEBO-TCP A18174 English leaf is badly illegible here. The translation follows the Parker Society English reading (Ketley, 1844), corroborated by the Latin parallel: 'Id equidem agnosco, atque ingenue et libere profiteor: quin et universe gloriae meae summam in hoc pono…'
John Ponet's Short Catechisme (1553) companion
Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat
Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.
Chosen Portion makes the mirror daily: the ruler-formation questions this collection preserves become a two-minute morning examination in the app.
- A daily formation reading drawn from centuries of counsel to those in authority
- One pointed examination question a day — two minutes, before the meetings start
- Track your practice over weeks and watch the examined life become a habit