Manichâ—es and Marcion some haue reiected the Booke of Psalmes as the Nicholaitans and Anabaptists some the booke of Iob as some Rabbins and some Daniel as Porphyrius some haue reiected the Gospel of Luke as Cerdon some all but Marke as Cerinthus some the Gospel of Iohn as the Alogâ— some all Pauls works as the Ebionites c. Concerning the second some haue made the Apocryphall Books of equall authoritie with the fore recited Scriptures as the Papists and others haue more boldly long since obtruded for Canonical the fatherlesse brood of other books vnto these as the third and fourth of Eldras and Appendix of Iob a Preface to the Lamentation the third and fourth of the Macchabees a Booke called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Booke of Enoch the Gospel of Thomas and of Matthias the acts of Peter And in the yeare 1120 a certaine new Gospell called Euangelium aeternum the eternall Gospell was found out being full of blasphemies but all these and the like are damnable presumptions plainly forbidden by the Lord saying Deut 4.2 Ye shal not put ought vnto the word that I command you neither shall ye take ought there-from and grieuously threatned Reu. 22.18 19. If any man shall adde vnto these things God shall adde vnto him the plagues that are written in this Booke and if any man shall diminish any thing God shall take away his part out of the Booke of life Now that the Books first aboue named are all Canonicall Scriptures and part of the word of God Epist Tom. 3. hath been acknowledged in all ages by the Christian Church Ierome writing to Paulinus of the study of the holy Scriptures doth both reckon vp all these bookes in particular and adioyneth to euery one of them a seuerall pithy commendation And vnto Leta he prescribeth an order of reading them with most safetie and profit As for the other Bookes Epist Tom. 1. which our Church adioyneth to the volume of the inspired Scriptures they are both entertained and in part publikely read in our Churches not as authentike Principles whereon to ground any doctrine but as wholesome precepts of moralitie and declarations of the estate of the Church in those times very profitable for deuotion and heauenly meditation Quest. 146. What speciall proofe is there making manifest that those Bookes of Scripture are the word of God Answ The antiquity of those books some of them being before all other bookes sundry times oppugned and sought to be burnt vp by persecutors and yet wonderfully preserued and by miracles from heauen confirmed is a manifest proofe that they came from heauen and are not of mans inuention That the â—oly Scriptures are Gods word Explan Amongst all arguments there is none of that force in the conscience of man that this is of being taken from the diuinitie of the holy Scriptures For let it appeare that they are of God and what heart dares doe any other but yeeld vnto them Now that they are of God may bee plainely prooued by sundry reasons First by their Antiquitie for the first and most ancient writings in the world concerning Religion must needs be Gods but these are the first and most ancient therefore must needs be Gods 1. That the most ancient are Gods Scriptures is plaine because otherwise either some other Instructor must haue beene before God or else God the Ruler of the whole world must haue beene without any thing recorded whereby the world ought to be ruled till that man had inuented something to gouerne man by both which are most absurd That the holy Scriptures are most ancient appeareth by the most ancient humane writers Orpheus the first of all writeth of the two Tables deliuered to Moses Whence he saith that he learned what he knew of God Linus wrote of the Tower of Babylon described by Moses c. making plaine heereby that the Bookes of Moses were long before any of their writings and so the most ancient in the world Hence it is that Tacianus affirmeth that it appeareth out of Berosus a Caldee Writer Tatiani Oratio aduersus gentes Moses fuit Baccho antiquior plurimis diis gentium Clem. Alexandr out of the writings of the Phoenicians and Annales of the Egyptians that Moses wrote long before Orpheus Linus Amphyon Homer or the most ancient Ethnickes Now the Bookes of Moses are in effect the whole Scriptures all that followeth tending onely to the further explanation heereof Wherefore the Scriptures are most auncient and consequently the vndoubted word of God 2. This is further prooued by the preseruation of the Scriptures in all ages other ancient Bookes being perished either in part or in whole but the holy Scriptures though more oppugned then any by persecutors who haue sought to blot out the memory of them yet are wholly preserued without diminution or corruption of any part of them Had they beene of man certainly it would haue happened vnto them as vnto many other humane writings which are most ancient which if they haue not perished yet they haue been falsified yea one complaineth that hee himselfe yet liuing to see it Fratribus rogantibus vt scriberem Epistolas scripsi has Apostoli Diaboli Zizanijs alia eximentes alia adâ—icientes Dionysius Areoâ— pag. repleuerunt The Brethren requesting I wrote Epistles these the Apostles of the Deuill haue filled with tares adding some things and taking away othersome Now the holy Scriptures haue been singularly preserued heerein in the hands of the Iewes who haue misliked some things and forbidden them to be read as Daniel because he speaketh so plainly of the Messiah in the hands of the heathen as when at the request of Ptolomee they were translated by the Septuagint and in the hands of Heretikes who haue corrupted Fathers and Councels yet neuer durst but haue beene restrained from heauen from corrupting the Scriptures 3. This is further proued by the miracles which haue been wrought to confirme the Scriptures to be of God the Author of all true miracles of this sort are the miracles wought by Moses by the Prophets by Christ and by his Disciples For all these miracles doe plainly testifie of them that they were sent of God and if they were of God then the word by them set forth is the word of God 4. The same is proued by the prophesies contained in the Scriptures some being of things to come to passe many hundreds of yeares after as that the seed of the woman should breake the serpents head that Abrahams posterity should be numberlesse that they should be strangers 400. yeares that Josiah should burne the bones of Baals Priests where Ieroboam did sacrifice that the people of Israel should be in captiuity 70. yeares that Cyrus expressely forenamed should giue them leaue to returne and diuersly honour them c. From hence we may reason thus Those Scriptures which in their reuelations exceed all the vnderstanding of all creatures are vndoubtedly his who is aboue
Quest Which be those three concerning Gods glory Ans First Hallowed be thy name Secondly Thy Kingdom come Thirdly Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heauen 437 Quest In the first of these what desire you Answ That the name of God may be glorified in the vse of his Titles Word and all his Workes 437 Quest In the second Petition what desire you Answ That the number of true belieuers may be daily increased that Gods Kingdome of grace being inlarged his Kingdome of glory may be hastened 443 Quest In the third Petition what pray you for Answ That I and all the people of God vpon earth may as readily obey Gods will as the Angels and Saints in Heauen 452 Quest Which be the three Petitions concerning our selues Answ The first Giue vs this day c. 2. Forgiue vs our trespasses 3. Leade vs not into temptation c. 459 Quest What pray you for in the first of these Petitions Answ For all things necessary for this present life and therefore we aske but for bread and but for this day 460 Quest What pray you for in the second of these Petitions Answ That God would freely forgiue vs all our sinnes as we doe from our hearts forgiue the offences of men against vs. 471 Quest What pray you for in the third of these Petitions Answ That the Lord would not suffer vs to be carried a-away by the temptations of the world flesh or Deuill to the committing of sinne but that he would deliuer vs from the euill of all temptation both sinne and damnation 480 Quest Wherefore serueth the conclusion For thine is c. Ans It is added as a reason of all the Petitions to strengthen our faith that God being both able and willing doth certainely yeeld to our requests made vnto him therfore we adde a note of confidence and say Amen 487 Quest What is the other exercise of the faithfull Answ The right receiuing of the Sacraments 518 Of the Sacraments Quest The benefits being showed which we are to craue at Gods hands by prayer what further meanes haue we for the better assuring to our soules the promises of all spirituall blessings in Christ Answ The Sacraments of the new Testament which are the pledges of the Couenant betweene God and his people 492 Quest Wherein stands true repentance Answ In three things First in knowledge and acknowledgement of our sinnes past Secondly in godly sorrow and griefe of heart for them Thirdly in a godly purpose to forsake all sin and to lead a new life for all time to come 505 Quest What is faith Answ It is a certaine perswasion of the heart wrought by the Spirit of God grounded vpon his promises that al my sinnes are forgiuen me in Christ Iesus 508 Quest What is required in such as come to the Lords Supper Answ To be rightly disposed before and at the receiuing hereof 532 Quest What ought a man to doe before his comming Answ To examine himselfe for his faith in Christ 532 Quest How may a man know whether he hath true faith or no Answ By two speciall fruits thereof repentance for all his sinnes and loue towards his neighbour 534 Quest Wherein stands true repentance Answ In affection when it is the same towards our neighbour that it is towards our selues void of malice hatred and enuy and desirous of his good as of our owne and in action when wee are readie to doe good vnto others as vnto our selues and to keepe away hurt as from our selues 537 Quest What shall he doe that finds not these things in himselfe after due examination Answ Hee may not keepe away from the Lords Supper for this were a prouoking of God to wrath neither can hee come vnto it without offending in a higher degree 539 Quest What may a man doe then in this case Answ Hee must humbly sue vnto God for the pardon of his sinnes to ftrike his hard hart that he may melt into teares for them and constantly cleaue to his commandement and if there be any dissention he must goe and bee reconciled to his brother 540 Quest What ought a man to doe at the Lords Supper Answ He ought thankfully to remember the inward graces of God towards him by seeing the outward signes 541 Quest What are these graces Answ First the Lords giuing of his sonne Iesus Christ to death for vs set forth by the Ministers taking of the bread wine breaking powring out offering them to vs all Secondly our neare vnion vnto Christ and how wee haue all our spirituall food from him set forth by our taking eating and inward digesting the Bread Wine that become nourishment vnto vs. Thirdly the neare vnion that God hath made by Christ betwixt all the faithful set forth by the same bread being made of many graines of corne and by the same wine made of many grapes 541 Quest What is to be done after the receiuing Answ We must meditate of the couenant of new obedience renewed by this Sacrament that we may more carefully performe it and flie sinne and vice all the dayes of our life 543 Appendix Quest What is the Word of God Answ Whatsoeuer is contained in the Bookes of the old and new Testament and not any other Bookes or writings whatsoeuer 545 Quest How many and which are these Bookes Answ The Books of the old Testament are seuen twenty Genesis Exodus Leuiticus Numbers Deuteronomie Ioshua Iudges Ruth the first and second of Samuel the first and second Kings the first and second of the Chronicles Ezra Nehemiah Ester Iob Psalmes Prouerbs Ecclesiastes Canticles Isaiah Jeremiah Ezechiel Daniel and the Booke of the twelue small Prophets The Bookes of the new Testament are 26. Matthew Marke Luke Iohn the Actes of the Apostles the Epistle to the Romans first and second to the Corinthians Galathianss Ephesians Philippians Colossians and two to the Thessalonians and two to Timothy to Titus the Hebrewes the Epistle of Iames and two of Peter first second and third of Iohn of Iude and the Reuelation of Iohn 545 Quest Are not the Apocrypha Bookes part of the word of God Answ They are not neither haue been euer so accounted in the Church of God but are annexed as being full of good instructions and histories declaring Gods wonderfull Prouidence ouer his people Israel 546 Quest What proofe is there that the other are Gods Word Answ It is proued by their antiquity some of them being before all other bokes sundry times oppugned and sought to be burnt vp by persecutors and yet wonderfully preserued and by miracles from Heauen confirmed which shewes that they came from heauen and are not of mans inuention 547 Quest Hauing this word written is it not sufficient for our saluation without any helpe by preacking Answ It is not sufficient but it must also bee set forth by preaching that the hard places may bee rightly vnderstood we may be kept from errors and haue our dull
nature of man were abolished after the Vnion he was mis-termed a man or the Sonne of man and hee could not possibly haue beene subiect to sufferings And on the other side it is absurd to hold two persons in Christ for so hee must not bee one Mediatour and one Iesus but two the Idioms and properties of the diuine nature where falsely in the Scriptures ascribed to the humane and those of the humane to the diuine Ioh. 3.13 as in these sayings Who hath ascended vp into Heauen at any time but the Sonne of man which is in Heauen The Sonne of man was not then in Heauen but God vnto whom man being vnited might be said by the communicating of properties Heb. 6.6 to be in Heauen They crucifie againe to themselues the Son of God The Sonne of God cannot be crucified nor his blood shed it is a property of the man-hood and by reason of the Vnion ascribed vnto God To conclude this errour breakes the Vnion of two natures in Christ and makes his suffering without merit or efficacy Quest 15. What neede was there that the Sonne of GOD should thus abase himselfe to become man Answ Great need on our behalfe who could not be ransomed from our sinnes by Angels or earthly Treasures but onely by his precious bloud 1. Ioh. 1.7 Explan It is the bloud of Iesus Christ saith S. Iohn that clenseth from all sinne and Saint Peter excluding all other things of greatest worth sets downe this alone 1. Pet. 1..8 Yee were not redeemed with corruptible things as gold and siluer but with the precious bloud of Iesus Christ as of a Lambe vndefiled Q. 16. Doth sinne deserue so ill that wee could not by any other satisfactory meanes bee deliuered heerefrom but by the death of the Sonne of God Answ Yet it deserues the infinite curse of the Law that is all iudgement in this world and euerlasting damnation in the world to come Rom. 6. Deut 27. Explan The Sone of God did not needlesly submit himselfe to the curse of the Law for without this we had all perished The wages of sinne is death and the Lord pronounceth all them accursed which continue not in all things that are written in the booke of the Law to doe them Now God will bee iust of his word not one tittle shall fall to the ground And therefore that Law supposed to stand in force without remission there must bee reall and equiualent satisfaction made either by the person offending or by some other in his stead which supply and suretiship cannot bee conueniently performed otherwise then by the same nature which offended nor can temporary satisfaction bee sufficient for the acquitting of an eternall punishment vnlesse performed by a sacrifice of infinite worth and power Wherefore Christ being God must take the nature of man that hee might repaire and restore man Certainly no creature was able to performe this for creatures are finite and cannot beare an infinite burthen such as is the curse of God due vnto sinne it must then be the Prince of Heauen alone the Sonne of God who could not vndergoe this as meerely God for God cannot suffer nor atchieue this as meere man for man cannot conquer Therefore hee must needs become man remaining God and so he reconciled God and man Q. 17. If hee must needs bee made fit to beare the curse why did he not to this end take vnto him some other nature more excellent Answ Man hauing sinned it was most agreeable to the iustice of God to receiue the payment of the debt of sinne in the same nature which committed it Canes 2. Explan It is true the euill Angels also sinned but they are without redemption kept in chaines of darknesse as witnesseth S. Iude Of other creatures man onely needed a redeemer man onely hath sinned and man onely must by the iustice of God dye the death according to that The same day that thou shalt eate thereof thou shalt dye the death and for that thou hast done this cursed art thou viz thou O man therefore the suffering of any other nature could not bee so pertinent nor kindly satisfactory Obiect If Gods law and absolute iustice bee vrged this due satisfaction must bee made not onely in the nature offending but also by the person offending for the direct Law is Amima quae peccat morietur The soule it selfe which sinneth that must dye for its owne sinne Solut. I answer The Law of God and so his Iustice may bee said to stand two wayes in rigore and in vigore If wee consider it in the vtmost rigor and strictnesse of the letter surely it doth not admit of any pledge or surety but requireth that euery singular man offending must beare his owne personall burthen Can you say that the Kings Law is satisfied if a condemned Traytor being to bee executed shall hire his friend to vndergoe that lot for him like a Damon for a Pithias But if wee consider Gods Law as remaining in vigor and vncancelled in regard of a full weight of debt or penalty to bee payed without remission of any the least graine of it then is it capable of a surety or pledge As for example if a man owe mee a summe of money I am no lesse satisfied if another pay me it for him then if himselfe should bring it with his owne hands This is the admirable temper of Gods mercy in admitting a deputy or pledge in a capitall debt and of his iustice in receiuing the vtmost mites of the debt Thus that hee might spare vs hee spared not his onely Sonne O yee Angels admire and adore this wisedome Quest 18. How came it to bee thus with vs men were wee created sinners Answ No. God at the first made man righteous but by yeelding to the Deuils temptation hee made himselfe a sinner Explan This hath beene already further explained Qu. 3. Quest 19. Wherein did man yeeld to the temptation of the Diuell Answ In eating the forbidden fruit and not contenting himselfe with all other fruits of which the Lord had allowed him to eate Explan Reade of this in the third Chapter of Genesis and you shall see how craftily the Deuill comes to the woman vnder colour of wishing her well yea better then God himselfe whereupon shee yeelds to eate and offereth of the forbidden fruit to her husband who did also eate Now what this fruit was it is vncertaine and it is but lost labour to enquire after it Quest 20. Was God so angry that hee would curse man for eating an Apple or Figge or such like Answ That was not the cause of Gods anger but his vnthankfulnesse pride disobedience and crediting rather the Deuill then God Adams sinne in disobeying Gods commandement Explan In that one sinne of eating the fruit forbidden did concurre many sinnes all very great First disobedience when there was but one commandement and man so qualified as that he could easily haue kept the
hath made to cease by the liberty which hee hath brought vs insomuch as we are not vnder the lawe but vnder grace So that now we may challenge this our greatest and most terrible enemy with the Apostle â— Cor. 15. Rom. 6. Death where is thy sting hell where is thy victory Death of it selfe indeede is most fearefull as being the wages of sinne and the passage to eternall pangs but Christ by dying hath altered the nature of death of a curse he hath made it a blessing of the passage to hell he hath made it the entry of heauen to all the faithfull Againe though our griefe in our sicknesses be great his pangs were greater Heb. 4.15 and so he hath had experience of our miseries and so cannot but haue compassion and prouide that we shall not be tempted aboue our power and in good time deliuer vs out of all our troubles Quest 26. Which is the third degree of his humiliation and in which words Answ Thirdly hee descended into Hell that I might he deliuered from Hell and euerlasting death to these words he descended into Hell Rus in Exposit Symbol Explan This clause was wont of olde to bee inserted into most of the confessions of faith as Rusâ—â— saith 〈◊〉 est quod in ecclesiae Romanae Symbâ—lo non habetur additum W. must know that it is not added in the Creed of the Church of Rome and neither saith hee is this speech had in the Churches of the Past yet the meaning hereof seeme to be the same with this He was buried It is not in the Creed councell of Nice nor in the Creed of Athanasius nor in the Sirmian nor in the Sardian nor in the first Toletan nor in the Ephesine nor in the first nor sixt Constantinopolitan nor in the Calcedon councels nor in many other ancient confessions and tractates written by the learned Fathers for the space of foure hundred yeeres and vpward See Pirk nemonstr problematis page 129. Notwithstanding it is now and may well bee an article of our faith or at the least this third degree of Christ his humiliation set downe vnder it About the meaning of these words great disputations are held and whole bookes written to leaue all which onely signifie briefely that these words are interpreted fiue manner of wayes Of Christs descent into hell diuers opinions Some holding them meerely literally He descended into hell that is went into the place of the damned or some lower places thereabout They which vnderstand it literally of the place of the damned say that he went thither to triumph ouer all the damned Ghosts and Diuels his enemies They which vnderstand it of some place thereabout say that hee went thither to free the Patriarks that were detained for their originall sinne in Limbo The grounds common to both are both that to the Ephesians Ephes 4 9. 1. Pet. 3.19 He descended into the lower parts of the earth and that of Peter By which Spirit he went and preached to the spirits that were in prison which were disobedient in the dayes of Noah that of the Psalmist Psal 16.10 Thou wilt not leaue my soule in Hell But the last sort that stand for Limbo haue some speciall allegations besides as that to the Hebrewes Heb. 9.8 The way into the holiest of all was not yet opened whilst the first Tabernacle was standing And againe speaking of the Patriarkes he saith All these dyed and receiued not the promises Heb. 11. Secondly others againe hold them literally but expound 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the graue saying that He died and was buried that is annoynted to the buriall and descended into the Sepulcher Thirdly others interpreting 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the graue make the descent to be figuratiue thus he descended into Hell that is remained in the graue vnto the third day Fourthly some others interpret it as an Idiom or phrase peculiar to the Greekes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He descended into Hell that is was in the estate of the dead for thus the Greekes were wont to speake of a man departed whether good or bad Lastly some others hold it to bee meerely figuratiuely spoken He descended into Hell that is suffered the torments of Hell viz. the anger of God against the sinnes of all the elect powred forth vpon his soule driuing him into that bloody agony in the garden and making him cry out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Now of all those that which stands for Limbo is to be exploded as by other sound positiue reasons drawne from Scriptures so in regard also of the impertinency of the places alleadged for in that to the Hebrewes The way into the holiest was not yet opened is meant nothing else but that which in more words is there expressed viz. heauen and happinesse the redemption of man as verse 12. was not obtained by the seruice done in this tabernacle and in the other these dying receiued not the promises is meant the incarnation of Iesus Christ so long before and so often promised but not sent in their times The second interpretation seemeth to mee too much strained and maketh this short Creed needlesly to labour with tautologie for what else can this import He was buried that is laid in the graue and descended into hell that is went downe into the graue as if it had beene said He was buried and was buried The third not much different from this and onely sheweth that this his buriall was not a meere transeunt act or passion but had a due continuation by his body so remaining in statis quo till his resurrection which me thinkes is sufficiently implyed in the specifying of his buriall and rising the third day importing that for that interim his body lay still in the Sepulchre The fourth interpretation hath farre more probability this Creed being composed by those who fitted it not onely to the Greeke stile in which language it was written but also to the Hebrew ordinary phrase which soundeth in this fashion speaking of a dead man namely that he is dead and gone downe into Sheol which whether you translate hell or the graue or some place of blisse it doth not heereby specifie any of these distinctly but onely pointeth at the state and condition of the dead in generall and considereth them by a confused motion as opposite to the state of the liuing heere vpon earth So that by this construction heere is to bee meant that our Sauiours not body onely but soule also did for this meane space vndergoe the common lot of separation the one from the other and so remained in the ordinary estate of others departed this life Howsoeuer it bee yeelded that this phrase may well beare this sense yet because both thus much is implied in the generall word of Christs being dead which must needs meane a true death putting him in the common condition of other deadmen and forasmuch as these words of
powers but of God and the powers that are are of God Euen as the riuers come from the sea and runne into the sea so all mens greatnesse and that they are men commeth from God and ends in God If God commandeth any thing he is to be heard for his commands sake if man commandeth any thing he is to be heard for Gods sake which if it were so sinne should not so much haue the vpper hand but this is turned amongst the men of this age into the contrary man is heard and obserued for himselfe God for man a plaine euidence whereof is the obedience of the most vnto great persons and gouernours and neglect of Gods poore Ministers armed only with the Word the Sword of the Spirit 2. That the first and maine thing by the Lord intended in creating all is his owne glory and whatsoeuer is good for man is subordinate vnto this and onely so farre forth to bee sought after as it maketh for Gods glory The heauens are made to shew his glory the earth and seas are for his glory al men are made for his glory yea the vessels of wrath for of him for him and vnto him are all things to him be glory for euer Rom. 11 36. Amen This made Moses to neglect his owne soule rather then God should be dishonoured and Paul to lay open himselfe to the curse that God might haue glory by the conuersion of the Iewes And this will make euery one that is an obedient subiect to the King of heauen with ioy to beare any crosse so that God may haue glory to account all losse which is gotten with his dishonour For if the maine estate of any man bee safe he is the lesse troubled at small losses but much lesse if hundreths of pounds bee daily added hereunto and his losses be but some few pence no more ought wee to be much troubled at our owne losses or crosses seeing the maine Gods glory is hereby greatly increased 3. That the glory of the Lords name is so deare as that hee did not only make it his marke in the creation but in euery particular dutie done by man hee setteth it still as his marke as here in prayer in giuing the law he beginneth with his owne maiesty in the Gospell at the very natiuity of that blessed one the Angels are heard lauding and glorifying God And in like manner ought wee to bee affected to Gods glory in euery duty seeking this first and chiefely and not to be seene of men as the Pharisees For if a man doth fast pray heare the word giue almes deale iustly in some other respect chiefely he breakes this rule of Christ he pleaseth not whatsoeuer or how oft soeuer his deuotion bee hee can haue no thankes at Gods hands Quest 122. Which bee the three petitions concerning Gods glory Answ The first is Hallowed be thy name the second Thy Kingdome come the Third Thy will be done in earth as it is in heauen Quest 123. In the first of these petitions what do you desire Answ That the holy name of God may bee glorified in the vse of his titles word and workes Explan In handling these petitions more particularly I will obserue first the order secondly the sense thirdly the scope of euery petition For the first Hallowed be thy name this is placed before thy Kingdome come to teach vs that no man can bee a true subiect of Gods kingdome vnlesse that in his heart hee maketh principall account of Gods glory For then onely maist thou hope to be accepted as a good subiect vnder Gods kingdome when thou first desirest Hallowed bee not mine but thy name The name of God When thou settest vp not thy selfe thy pleasure profit or glory to be chiefly sought after in professing the Christian religion but the honouring of Gods name so that such as seeke for aduantage by their profession 1. Tim. 6.6 thinking that gaine is godliness as was the manner of some whom the Apostle challengeth that vnder the colour of religion deceiue and inueagle others to their owne commoditie are not of Gods Kingdome but are puffed vp knowing nothing doting in stead of going the right way Verse 5. or hauing any true wisdome 2. For the sense of the words By the name of the Lord here we are to vnderstand that whatsoeuer it is whereby the Lord is made knowne vnto vs according to his most glorious attributes wisdome power mercy c. 1. God is knowne by his name And this is first by his titles God Lord Iehouah Lord of hosts the Almighty c. for by these God hath made himselfe knowne vnto vs and thâ—se do serue most properly to set forth God for which cause though for their office sake being Gods Vicegerents some haue been called Gods and Lords yet neuer any man presumed thus to bee called as by his proper name that we can reade of amongst all Gods people â—n the booke of God but Iesus Christ who was truly Emmanuel God with vs. Let no man therefore aspire after such names but leaue them off rather as too high for mortall man 2. By his word Iohn 1. 2. Cor. 3.18 Secondly God is made knowne by his word and therefore Christ hath the title of the word of God being the fountaine from whence the word of wisedome sloweth and hee that knoweth the word written knoweth God his face being visibly and gloriously reflected to our open faces there as by a glasse Thirdly by his works the heauens the earth the seas 3. By his workâ— infinite number of creatures herein contained which doe also set forth God vnto vs For the inuisible things of him that is Rom. 1.20 his eternal power and God-head are seene by the creation of the world considered in his workes And as these lasting workes of God do set him forth vnto vs so doe his transient workes acts of iudgement mercy prouidence and goodnesse Let thy name be hallowed or sanctified 1. This doth first signifie To Sanctifie what the purifying of a thing which before was corrupt and vnholy thus mystically it was shewed to Peter that God had sanctified the Gentiles when hee being inuited to eate of the creatures appearing in the sheet and refusing them as vncleane was the second time commanded The things which God hath sanctified Acts 10.15 pollute thou not 2. The separating of any thing common to an holy vse thus Aaron and his sonnes are said to be sanctified and their vestments and vessels of the Temple and all things dedicate and thus are the houses of God now a dayes to bee counted holy and glebes and tithes of the Church 3. The acknowledging of a thing to be holy and declaring it by giuing all due obseruance and respect hereunto so that the holines thereof may be made more famous and notable amongst all men and thus principally doe wee pray hollowed bee thy name as it is holy and glorious make vs to
of so great dignity to be so ioyned vnto him that I should be made coheire with him of the heauenly Kingdome How can I doe lesse then put away all basenesse of mind whereby I cleaue to the world and the flesh and bee like minded to my deare Sauiour to whom I am ioyned in fellowship though most vnworthy being holy as he is holy It is also to bee considered how our soules are fed heere euen as the Israelites with Manna from heauen in the wildernesse where they must otherwise haue perished and as Dauid flying from Saul by Abimelech with the hazard of his owne life so God spared not his sonne but gaue him as bread from heauen vnto vs without which wee must needs haue perished for euer and in our greatest need that wee might haue strength to flie away from the danger of Satan inraged against vs he spared not though with the hazard of his life to giue vs the true Shew-bread Oh how should my heart be affected towards thee O Lord therefore and resolued to abide alwaies with thee vowing with Dauid to Abiathar Hee that seeketh my life shall seeke thy life also those that are thy enemies shall be mine and as if they hated me Thirdly let the Communicant consider of the neere vnion that the Lord hath made by Christ betwixt all his Saints into the which hee is also receiued that faithfully partaketh of the Lords Supper which should effectually suppresse all exorbitant affections and worke an holy loue in him as towards members of the same body Quest 142. What is to be done after the receiuing Answ We must meditate of the Couenant of new obedience with the Lord renewed by this Sacrament that we may be more carefull to performe this obedience and to flee sinne and vice all the dayes of our life Explan The receiuing of the Lords Supper is not a transient holy duty as it is by most men vsed who put some holinesse vpon them for the time afterwards returning as the dogge to the vomit and as the swine to the wallowing in the mire but it is a sealing of couenants betwixt God and his people and the grace of God for the pardon of all our sinnes and our dutifulnesse to God in forsaking all our old sinnes and liuing according to his holy lawes For as God doth hereby giue himselfe vnto vs to become our God and gracious Father so we giue our selues vnto God to become his people and obedient children There be these two parties in all couenants otherwise they cannot stand something assured and giuen and something taken and receiued therefore So betwixt Princes and Subiects the Prince giueth and assureth his care in ruling and prouiding well for the good of the Subiect hee receiueth tribute custome and obedience so betwixt masters and seruants betwixt sellers and buyers lenders and borrowers In like manner in this Couenant God for his part assureth and giueth himselfe to be our gracious God forgiuing all our trespasses and on our part he must receiue tribute subiection and obedience otherwise the bond is forfeit and if it hath bin so once twise or often and the forfeit hath not yet been taken take heed of the next time for if thou still remaine vnreformed not better keeping couenants hauing renewed them so many times there is no hope for thee to bee dealt withall but as with a desperate person that thou shouldst suddenly be deliuered to some infernall spirit the Taylor and so be imprisoned in Hell whence thou canst neuer come out againe If thou hast therefore neglected to pay God the duties of praise and prayer of obedience and performance of holy duties both publike and priuate now bee negligent no longer but be rather officious redeeming the time with double diligence if thou hast loued and liued in sinne and disobedience keepe couenants by feare of offending any more hereafter and if thou hast no way answered that loue which the Lord tieth thee vnto towards thy neighbour for his owne sake but hast hated such as haue shewed any enmity against thee for offences hast been vnaduisedly prouoked and through an immoderate loue of thy selfe and of the world hast denied food vnto the hungry and hast sought to beguile thy neighbour learne of Christ to be meeke and gentle in holinesse follow Paul as he followeth Christ and for bounty imitate Zacheus conuerted giuing liberally to the poore and satisfying where thou hast done wrong to any man for thus and thus onely mayst thou haue comfort of the Lords Supper and shalt in his good time sit downe in the Kingdome of Heauen and be feasted with Abraham Isaak and Iacob for euer and euer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 An Appendix to the Catechisme FOrasmuch as the holy Scriptures are the ground and foundation of all diuine Teaching and it auayleth not a little for setting men in the Trueth to vnderstand rightly both which bee the Bookes of holy Scripture and how wee may bee assured that they are the Word of God and by whom and how this Word is to be preached and heard for our further building vp in grace I haue thought it expedient here to annexe these short Questions and Answeres following Quest 143. What is the Word of God Answ Whatsoeuer is contained in the books of the old and new Testament and not any other bookes or writings whatsoeuer Quest 144. How many and which are these Bookes The Books of Canonicall Scripture Answ The Bookes of the Olde Testament are twentie and seauen Genesis Exodus Leuiticus Numbers Deuteronomie Iosua Iudges Ruth the first and second of Samuel the first and second of the Kings the first and second of the Chronicles Ezra Nehemiah Ester Iob Psalmes Prouerbs Ecclesiastes Song of Songs Esay Ieremiah with his Lamentation Ezechiel Daniel and the Booke of the twelue small Prophets The Bookes of the New Testament are twentie and sixe Matthew Marke Luke and Iohn the Actes of the Apostles the Epistle of Paul to the Romanes the first and second to the Corinthians to the Galathians Ephesians Philippians Collossians the first and second to the Thessalonians the first and second to Timothie to Titus to the Hebrewes the Epistle of Iames the first and second of Peter the first second and third of Iohn the Epistle of Iude and the Reuelation of Iohn Quest 145. Are not the other Books called Apocryphall part of the Word of God also as Esdras Tobit Iudeth c. Answ They are not bookes properly called Canonicall but are annexed to the word as being full of good instructions and histories declaring Gods wonderfull prouidence ouer his people Israel Explan Diuers haue beene and are the errours of men about Gods Word some denying diuers parts of the Old and New Testament to bee his Word and some Canonizing other writings also Concerning the first some detestable Heretiques haue receiued none for the word of God but the fine Bookes of Moses as the Sadduces some none but the New Testament as the