THE CATECHISME IN THE BOOK OF Common-Prayer EXPLAINED The Third Edition Corrected and Amended 1 Pet. 3.15 Sanctifie the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear London Printed by T. R. and N. T. for Richard Thrale and are to be Sold under St. Martin Outwich in Bishopsgate Street 1672. THE CATECHISME IN THE Book of Common-Prayer EXPLAINED Quest Is set before many of the longest and hardest Questions c. * Is a mark of Explanation Question WHat is your name A. N. or M. Q. How many names have you A. Two a Christian and a Sirname Q. What may they put you in mind of A. Of a twofold Parentage Natural and Spiritual Q. Who are your Natural Parents A. My Father and Mother Q. Who are your Spiritual Parents A. God and his Church Q. Which of these two names are demanded of you A. My Christian name Q. Why so A. That by this name I may be put in remembrance of my Baptism wherein it was given me Q. Why was your name given you in Baptism A. That thereby I might be distinguished from other men and that I might be put in mind as often as I hear my name of the Covenant then ratified between God and me Q. VVho gave you this name A. My Godfathers and Godmothers in my Baptism wherein I was made a member of Christ the child of God and an inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven Q. What benefit did you then receive by Baptism A. Three First I was made a member of Christ Secondly the child of God Thirdly an inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven Q. What hath a Member relation unto A. To a Body Q. How many bodies hath Christ A. Two a Natural as we have and a Mystical Q. of which are you a member A. Of his Mystical Body Q. What Body is that A. His Church Col. 1.18 Q. What is Christ to his Church A. He only is the Head thereof Q. What doth Christ the Head for his Body the Church A. He giveth it Spiritual Life motion and direction as a head doth to the body Q. What must you feel in you to be sure that you are a true member of Christ A. That I live by him to God am mooved by his Spiriâ— and directed by his Word 2. Q. How are you made the child of God A. By the Grace of Adoption Q. How knowest thou that thou art the child of God by Grace A. Because he hath given the earnest of the Spirit into our hearts crying Abba Father which Spirit witnesseth to our spirits that we are the children of God Rom. 8.15,16 Q. Is Baptisme of that virtue that by the only outward washing thereof every one is made a member of Christ the child of God and an inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven A. No for unless a man be born again of water and also of the Holy Ghost he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven John 3.5 Q. Why then saist thou that by Baptism thou art made a member of Christ A. Because Baptisme is the laver of Regeneration by the power of the Spirit * And therefore we may rightly say that we are thereby made the Members of Christ and the children of God and believe the same touching all others that are baptized Q. Why is it added That we are Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven A. Because being sons by Adoption we are heirs and heirs of God and heirs annexed with Christ Rom. 8.17 1 Pet. 1.3,4 Q. What did your Godfathers and Godmothers then for you A. They did promise and vow thrée things in my name First That I should renounce the Devil and all his works the pomps and vanities of the wicked world and all the sinful lusts of the flesh Secondly That I should believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith And Thirdly That I should keep Gods holy Will and Commandments and walk in the same all the days of my life 1. Q. How are you to renounce the Devil A. By refusing to hearken to any of his wicked suggestions Q. How are you to renounce the world A. By withdrawing mine affections from the honors riches pleasures and other contentments which the world affordeth as they are a means to draw me from God 1 John 2.15 Q. How are you to renounce the lusts of the flesh A. By denying satisfaction to my own natural desires and affections so far as they are any way repugnant to the Word of God Rom. 13.14 Q. Dost thou think that thou art bound to do as they have promised for thee A. Yes verily and by Gods help so I will and I heartily thank our Heavenly Father that he hath called me to this state of Salvation through Iesus Christ our Saviour And I pray God to give me his Grace that I may continue in the same unto my lives end Q. Art thou able to perform all these things A. Not of my self but in some measure I am enabled thereunto by Gods Grace Phil. 4.13 Q. What dost thou chiefly learn out of the Articles of your belief A. First I learn to believe in God the Father who hath made me and all the world Secondly in God the Son who hath redéemed me and all mankind Thirdly in God the Holy Ghost who sanctifieth me and all the elect people of God 1. Q. What is God A. God is a Spirit invisible incompreâ—…ensible infinite eternal and Almighty one in nature and substance but distinguished into three persons the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost John 4.24 John 1.18 Job 11.7 Isa 40.12,13 Deut 6.4 Mat. 3.16,17 1 John 5.7 Q. For what end did God make all things A. For the praise of his great power goodness wisdom perfection and glory Rev. 4.11 Prov. 16.4 Q. What was man especially made of A. Man consists of Body and Soul the first mans body was made of the dust of the earth but our Bodies come by generation and are with his mortal and both his and all our Souls by inspiration and are immortal Q. How can our Souls be sinful that come not by propagation but by inspiration A. 1. For that Adams Soul was deputy for all Souls of men naturally begotten 2. Because man sinned and man is not man before body and soul be knit together which being conjoyned become together as man partakers of mans fall and corruption Q. In what state was man first created A. In the Image of God that is to say holy and righteous enjoying the favour of God and all happiness Gen. 1.27 Eph. 4.14 Q. How did man fall from this estate that is deface the Image of God and lofe his favour A. By the transgression of our first Parents who eating of the forbidden fruit both themselves and in them all mankind became first guilty of eternal death and liable both to temporal and spiritual miseries Secondly deprived of original righteousness Thirdly corrupt in
Spirit and breath of God blowing freely where it listeth and working spiritually for manner means and matter where it pleaseth John 3.8 Acts 2.2,3,4 Q. Why is the third person called holy A. Not only because of his essential holiness as God but because he is the author and worker of holiness in men 1 Cor. 6.11 IX Art Q. Why do you say I believe the Church not in the Church A. We do believe that there is a Church but we do not believe in the Church but in God the Church here below at the best is but a company of men called justified sanctified in part and therefore may erre Q. What is it then to believe the Church A. 1. That there is and always shall be a Church 2. That I am one of the Church 3. To believe the doctrine of the Church wherein it followeth Christ the Prophets and Apostles the onely sure pillars and ground of truth Q. How many sorts of Churches are there A. Two sorts Triumphant and Militant Q. What is the Church Triumphant A. The company of Gods children in Heaven Heb. 12.23 Q. VVhy is it so called A. Because they are all out of danger and so do triumph Rev. 21.4 Q. VVhat is the Church Militant A. The company of Gods Children here on Earth Q. Why are they thus called A. Because they fight the Lords battles against the world the flesh and the Devil 2 Tim. 2.3 Eph. 6.12 Q. What Church is here meant A. The Church Militant Q. What do you learn hence A. That God hath a Church and will have to the end of the world Q. Is there but one Church A. No there is but one true Church of Christ though there may be many particular visible Churches which are parts thereof yet there is but one Catholick and Vniversal Church of which not one shall be lost and out of which not one shall be saved Eph. 5.23 John 17.12 Q. Why is it called Catholick or Universal A. It is called Catholick or Vniversal 1. In respect of time because it hath been and shall be in all ages Acts 2.39 2. In respect of persons it consists of all sorts of men high and low rich and poor Acts 2.10,34 3. In respect of place it hath been gathered from all parts of the earth Rev. 5.9 Rev. 7.9 Q. Why is the Church called Holy A. Because it is made holy by justification in Christ and Sanctification of the Spirit Rom. 3.24 Cant. 4.7 Q. What is the Communion of Saints A. That holy and sweet fellowship which all the members of Christs Church have one with another as they make all but one body in Christ so communicating of all good things unto one another whether spiritual or temporal as their mutual necessities do require 1 John 1.3 2 Cor. 8.14 Q. Why are all believers called Saints A. Because they are partakers of Christs holiness daily growing and increasing in the same And to let us know that none shall be Saints in Heaven but such as are first Saints on Earth Heb. 12.10 3 Cor. 7.1 Q. What duty doth this communion of Saints require of us A. To renounce all fellowship with sin and sinners to edifie one another in Faith and Love to delight in the society of the Saints and to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace X. Art Q. What is meant by the forgiveness of sins A. Forgiveness of sins is that great blessing of God which Iesus Christ by his death and passion procured for all that believe in him whereby God esteems of their sins as no sins or as never committed by them Q. What duties are required of us that find our sins pardoned A. To sin no more lest a worse thing come unto us to forgive others as God hath forgiven us to renew our assurance by prayer repentance and new obedience XI Art Q. What professest thou to believe in the eleventh Article The resurrection of the body A. That the bodies of the wicked shall be raised by the power of Christ as he is Iudge and joyned to their souls so to continue together without separation for evermore in the torments of Hell but the bodies of the faithful and so mine among others shall be raised by virtue of Christs resurrection to enjoy in body and soul together life everlasting 1 Cor. 15.20 1 Thes 4.14,16 John 5.28,29 XII Art Q. What is life everlasting A. That glorious estate of absolute holiness and happiness in the Heavens which all the elect shall for ever enjoy with Christ in the presence of God and his Angels 1 Thes 4.17 Q. What assurance have we of this estate A. It is prepared by the Father purchased by the Son confirmed by the Holy Ghost entred upon here and inherited hereafter Mat. 25.34 Eph. 1.13,14 Col. 1.5 1. Pet. 1.3,4,5 Q. What profit dost thou get by believing all these things A. 1. By this means I am justified before God even by faith alone in Christ Acts 13.39 Phil. 3.9 2. By faith I shall overcome the enemies of my Salvation 1 John 5.4 3. Being justified and overcomming I shall inherit eternal life Rom. 8.38 Tit. 3.7 Q. What is justification A. It is Gods accepting and accounting of a sinner as guiltless not for any righteousness of his own but upon the frée remission of his sins and the imputation of Christs righteousness and obedience Phil. 3.9 Rom. 3.24 Q. How is faith wrought and confirmed in our hearts A. 1. Inwardly by the Spirit the fountain of all Spiritual Graces Acts 16.14 1 Cor. 14.1,2 2. Outwardly by the Word of God which containeth the promises the ground of Faith Rom. 10.17 3. By the Sacraments which are seals of those promises Rom. 4.11 4. By prayer which addeth strength to Faith Luke 17.5 The Third Part of the CATECHISME concerning the COMMANDEMENTS Qu. HOw many Commandements are there A. Ten. Q. Into how many Tables are the commandements divided A. Into two * and no more because all righteousness is reduced to two Heads namely towards God or towards man Mat. 22.39,40 Q. What doth the first Table concern A. Our duty to God contained in the four first Commandments Q. What doth the second Table concern A. Our duty to our Neighbor contained in the six last Commandments Q. In this order of the Tables that the Duty to God is set before the duty to our neighbour how many Lessons do you learn A. 1. I learn to serve him before all thing and not to regard worldly things no nor life it self in respect of his glory Mat. 6.33 2. If I render my duty truly to God I must do my duty also to my Neighbour for if I neglect it to my neighbour whom I see daily it is evident that I do so to God 1 John 3.17 Q. How many Lessons learn you out of the Preface or Introduction to the commandements God spake these words and said I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the Land of Egypt out of the house