What god is. / The … and the gos pell. / The scriptures preserued frō the begynnyng. / The cre…e
The Question of Faith
The Master asks what faith teaches about God.
Master. That faith which comes by hearing and reading the word—what does it teach you concerning God?✦1
What God Is
The Scholar affirms that God is one eternal, spiritual nature to be worshipped.
Scholar. This is its primary lesson: there is one certain nature, one substance, one spirit and heavenly mind—or rather, an everlasting spirit without beginning or end—which we call God. All the peoples of the world ought to worship Him with supreme honor and the highest reverence.2
The Written Word and the Creed
The Scholar explains that God's revelation comes through the Scriptures, preserved from Moses onward, and summarized in the Apostles' Creed.
Furthermore, I learn from the holy words of God, which were published in the holy books by the prophets and those beloved of Almighty God for the eternal glory of His name.34 I learn the law and its threats, as well as the promises and the gospel of God. These things, first written by Moses and other men of God, have been preserved whole and uncorrupted to this day. Since then, the chief articles of our faith have been gathered into a short summary, commonly called the Creed, or the Apostles' Symbol.56
Read the original English
Master. That fayth which is … bi hearing and readyng of the worde, … dooeth it teache the concernyng God?
Scholer. This doeth it principally teache: that there is one certayne nature, one substāce, one ghost and heauēly mynde, or rather an euerlastyng spirit, without beginnyng or endyng, whiche we call God: whom al the peoples of the worlde ought to worshyp, with souerayn honour, and the hyest kynde of reuerence. Moreouer oute of the holy wordes of GOD, which bi the prophetes and the beloued of almyghtye God, are in the holye …okes published, to the eternal glory of his name. I learne the lawe and the thretnynges therof: then the promyses & the gospel of god These thin ges fyrst wrytten by Moses and other men of God, haue bene preserued hole & vncorrupted, euen to our age: and sythens that, the cheife articles of our fayth, haue bene gathered into a short abrydgement, whych is comonly called the Creede, or Symbole of the Apostles.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Rom.10.17 — So then, faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
Notes
- 1 ↩Source has two lacunae marked '…' after 'is' and before 'dooeth', plus 'the concernyng' for likely 'thee concerning'. Rendered as 'comes by… what does it teach you concerning…' from the surviving wording, Rom 10:17 cadence, and the Scholar's following answer ('This doeth it principally teache…').
- 2 ↩Source 'ghost' is Early Modern English for 'spirit' (not a spooky specter); rendered 'spirit' to match contemporary usage while keeping the sense of an immaterial heavenly mind.
- 3 ↩Normalized source reads 'holye …okes'; the damaged word is almost certainly 'bookes' (holy books). Rendered accordingly.
- 4 ↩This unit ends mid-thought before the main verb; the following sentence begins 'I learn…' and continues the sense. Segmentation appears to have split one continuous answer.
- 5 ↩Source 'These thin ges' is a broken line-form of 'These things'.
- 6 ↩Kept 'Symbol of the Apostles' for source 'Symbole of the Apostles' (the Creed under its traditional alternate name, explained in the next chapter).
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