orders A. Because she findes no meere men allowed to do it in the New Testament but only the Apostles and Bishops their Successors And she keeps close to Scripture Q. Have Bishops this Power of Ordination conferr'd upon them in Scripture A. It is evident they have l At the end of the second Ep. to Timothy Timothy was the first Bishop of the Church of the Ephesians And upon him S. Paul layes this charge m 1. Tim. 5.22 Lay hands suddainly on no man n At the end of the Ep. to Titus Titus was the first Bishop of the Church of the Cretians And to him the same Apostle speakes thus o Tit. 1.5 For this cause left I thee in Creet that thou should est ordaine Presbyters or Elders in every City Q. Is not this power given to Presbyters A. Not any where in the New Testament Q. Why doe you say I beleive the Catholique Church and not J beleive in the Catholique Church A. Because it is a part of my Creed to beleive that there is one Catholik Church but it is no part of my Creed to beleive in or to put my confidence in the Church since the Church is a Congregation of reasonable Christian Creatures and p Hâc praepositionis syllabâ IN Creator a Creaturis socernitur divina seperantur abhumanis Rufin in Symb. n. 〈◊〉 this is a peculiar which belongs only to the Creator God blessed for ever And I will beleive the Church so long as she contradicts not God in his word But if she doe I shall forbeare to credit her in such things I will beleive God who is truth it selfe and believe in that God who is able to undeceive her and to lead her into the way of all truth I will only beleive in him who cannot deceive or be deceived who cannot be overtopped or crossed Q. Why say you one Catholique Church A. Because * Vniversa Ecclesia ex multis constat Ecclesiis sicut universa terra ex multis terris Aug. de civit Dei l. 13. c. 12. though there be many particular Churches yet there is but one Catholique or universall Church which is not bounded but with q Psal 2.8 the uttermost parts of the earth and all these are but one in faith and Government as our Saviours Body though consisting of many Members is but one knit together by sinewes and quickened with the same Soule Q. The tenth Article A. I beleeve the forgivenesse of sins Q. Why doth this Article follow immediatly after mention of the Church A. Because it is a blessing which God bestowes only in the Church and upon the Members of the Church Q. Is Salvation to be hoped for in the Church only A. It is so by the joynt consent both of the Ancient and Moderne writers Q. What 's the reason A. Because r Eph. 1.22 23. The Church is the Body of Christ As therefore no Member that is seperated from the body receives life by or with the body neither doth any Christian partake of the life of grace or forgivenesse of sinnes that is divided or cut off from the Church which is Christs Body Observe the body receives life from the head and distributes it to all the members that it hath ſ Ib. Col. 1.18 Christ is the head of the Church from him the Church receives life and comfort and conveies them to every particular member that so they may live and discharge their severall duties But divided from the body the members can receive no life or comfort from the head Q. Is this remission of sinnes to be found in all Churches A. Yes without question in all such Churches wherein t Art 19. the pure word of God is preached and the Sacraments be duly ministred according to Christs ordinance but in no other Q. To whom is this forgivenesse promised A. To all those u Absolution that truly repent and unfeignedly beleeve his holy Gospell * S. Mat. 11.28 He calls to all he is mercifull to all he hath given us a tast of his goodnesse in pardoning the greatest and fowlest sinnes Not that we might imitate or practice them but that we might understand that our gracious God is ready to pardon the greatest sinner if so he turne unto the Lord humbly with unfeigned sorrow and repentance and bring forth fruits worthy of amendment of life Q. May the sinne against the holy Ghost be pardoned A. This sinne is raised to the full height it is made up by finall impenitence Take away finall impenitence and the sinne is pardonable x S. Mat. 4.17 Repent saith the Scripture and the Kingdome of Heaven is at hand but y S. Luc. 13.3.5 unlesse you repent ye shall all perish Q. This is comfortable doctrine but what reason have you for it A. My faith rests upon Gods goodnesse and gracious promises z De remissione peccatorū sufficere deberet sota credulitas Quis enim cansas aut rationem re quirat ubi indulgentia principalis est Rufin in Symb. n. 171. When God hath spoke the word reason must submit Q. Which is the eleventh Article A. J beleeve the Resurrection of the body namely that this very body in which I live and move shall be raised out of the dust in the last day Q. What this very body A. Certainly this selfe same body For doth not Job say a Job 19.26 27. I shall see God in my flesh and not with other but with THESE EYES shall I behold him And S. Paul THIS CORRVPTIBLE shall put on incorruption and THIS MORTALL b 1. Cor. 15.53 shall put on immortality This and no other c Rufin in Symb. n. 182. In the Church of Aquileia therefore at the rehearsall of the Creed every man when he came to this Article signed his forhead with the signe of the Crosse and said I beleive the Resurrection of THIS FLESH this very flesh that he touched with his finger Q. Js not this a wonderfull thing A. It is so and so are the rest of the Articles if strictly scanned all above the eye of Reason d 1. Cor. 15.36 c. S. Paul gives us a simily of a grain of Wheat how it is buried and dies and rots and then riseth again far more fresh then it was cast into the earth Were this but rarely seen it would seem most wonderfull Q. What if the body be burned to ashes A. e Clem. ep 1. ad Cor. p. 34 35. S. Clement f Phil. 4.3 of whom S. Paul makes mention Phil. 4.3 in that Epistle which in the primitive times was usually read in all Churches to prevent this question gives us the example of the Phenix which every 500 yeares is burnt to Ashes and out of those Asnes ariseth the same Phenix againe young fresh and vigorous Q. Have we no such example in Scripture A. We have Ezek. 37.1 where the dead dry scatter'd bones come together bone
Q. What doest thou believe in this Article A. That the body and soule of Christ ascended together into Heaven the highest place of blisse where they never were before and Å¿ Te Deum at that time he opened the Kingdome of Heaven to all believers Q. Doest thou understand these words in the litterall sense A. I doe so Q. Can we say according to the Letter that God hath a right hand A. No we cannot But both Scripture and Creed in this phrase or manner of speech stoop to the capacity of man and expresse unto us hereby that height of glory which is otherwise unexpressible to our understanding For it is that glory which no other eye hath seene nor care hath heard neither hath it enter'd into the heart of man to conceive And how can the tongue utter what the heart hath not conceived what is unconceivable is unutterable Q. Thou believest then that he is ascended into the highest place of glory A. I doe so and that not only in place but in power for t S. Mat. 28.18 to him is all power given both in Heaven and in Earth And yet in this height of glory he is in himselfe so humble and to us so gracious that u Ro. 8.34 he makes continuall intercession for us Q. What is the seaventh Article A. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead Q. Is this certaine A. As certain as he is God And herein is a main comfort for us that he who suffered for us and died for us and continually prayes for us shall be our Iudge Q. Shall he judge us as he is man A. He shall for * S. Io. 5.27 the Father hath given him Power and Authority to execute judgement BECAVSE HE IS THE SONNE OF MAN And as man x Heb. 4.15 he is touched with the feeling of our infirmities y Heb. 5.2 that so he may have compassion upon us weake wandring silly men and apt to be deceived For z Heb. 4.15 16. in all poynts he was tempted like as we are yet without sinne Let us therefore come boldly unto the Throne of Grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need Q. The eight Article A. I believe in the Holy Ghost a Nic. Creed the Lord and giver of life who proceedeth from the Father and the Sonne who with the Father and the Sonne together is worshipped and glorified who spake by the Prophets These are three Persons and but one God Thus b Athan. Creed we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Vnity neither confounding the Persons nor dividing the Substance Q. We may not indeed say there be three Gods but may we not say there are three Lords A. We may not for though c Ib. we be compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by himselfe to be God and Lord yet we are forbidden by the Catholike Religion to say there be three Gods or three Lords Q. Why so A. Because Lord in respect of the three persons is a name of substance not of relation or property And in God there is but one Substance though threerelations Q. What meanest thou by relations A. God is called Father with relation to his Sonne or because he hath a Sonne The second person is called the Sonne because he hath a Father And the Holy Ghost is called so with relation to them both because he is the Spirit both of the Father and the Sonne for he proceeds from both Q. We have now the three Persons in the Trinity doe we not ascribe to every one of these a severall worke concerning man A. We doe so to the Father we ascribe our Creation to the Sonne our redemption and to the Holy Ghost our Sanctification As the Father created all so the Sonne redeemed all and the Holy Ghost sanctified me and all the elect people of God Q. Why to the Father is ascribed the Creation A. Because though the other two persons did joyntly and equally create with the Father yet the originall of that power is in and from him And yet d Athan. Creed none is afore or after other none is greater or lesse then another Q. Why to the Sonne our Redemption A. Because by his blood we are redeemed from death and Hell Q. Why to the Holy Ghost our sanctification A. Because it is his speciall worke to e 1. S. Pet. 1.2 Sanctify us by his guifts and graces Hence is it that we call him the holy Spirit because he is the Spirit that makes us holy Q. We acknowledge that the Sonne of God redeemed all mankind why doe we not also confesse that the Holy Ghost Sanctifies all mankind but the elect people of God A. Because Christ redeemes all that they may be sanctified but the Holy Ghost Sanctifies only those that believe in Christ or are baptised into Christ that so they may be his elect For we are f 1. S. Pet. 1.2 elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Iesus Christ So both these workes must concurre to our election Q. Which is the ninth Article A. I believe the Catholike Church the Communion of Saints Or g Nic. Creed I believe one Catholike and Apostolike Church Catholike for time and place Apostolike for faith and government Q. Why call you this Church a Communion of Saints A. Because it is a society of men that are Sanctified in Baptisme by Faith in Christ through the operation of the Spirit Q. What is a Church A. h Art 19. The visible Church of Christ is a Congregation of faithfull men in the which the pure word of God is preached and the Sacraments be duely ministred according to Christs Ordinance in all those things that of necessity are requisite to the same Q. What doest thou collect from hence A. These three things 1. That the Church consists of Faithfull men that is of such who professe the Christian faith 2. The word of God must be sincerely Preached And thirdly The Sacraments must be duely ministred to the Congregation according to Christ's Ordinance Q. Js it lawfull for every Christian that will to preach the word and administer the Sacraments A. No i Art 23. it is not lawfull for any man to do so unlesse he be lawfully called and sent to execute the same Q. Whom judge you to be lawfully called and sent A. All those k Ibid. who be chosen and called to this work by men who have publike authority given unto them in the Congregation to call and send Ministers into the Lords Vineyard Q. Who have publike authority given them to call and send Ministers into the Lords Vineyard A. Onely Bishops in the Church of England as is to be seen Article 36. and in the Book of Ordination Q. Why doth this Church allow no other but Bishops to give
his Spirit that we may make good this promise Q. Is it not enough to receive the Holy Ghost once A. No r S. Joh. 3.34 Eph 4.7.1 Cor. 12.11 for God gives his Spirit and his graces according to measure some at one time and some at another some by one meanes and some by another as is to be seen in Baptisme Confirmation the Lords Supper and Orders Q. Did the Apostles receive the Holy Ghost more then once A. It is evident they did That the Apostles were baptized no man I hope questions And that they received the Holy Ghost in Orders and Confirmation is manifest in Scripture In Orders S. Joh. 20.22 23. In Confirmation Act. 2.4 And at each time they received a severall measure or grace of the Holy Ghost and for a severall end Q. Did the Apostles make use of this Rite or Ceremony A. They did as is to be seen Act. 8. and Act. 19. In the one place ſ Act. 8.17 S. Peter and S. John laid their hands on the baptized Samaritans and they received the Holy Ghost In the other t Act. 19.6 S. Paul laid his hands upon the baptized Ephesians and the Holy Ghost came on them u Prayer in Confirmation This then is done by our Bishops after the example of the holy Apostles and * Hic unus locus abunde testatur huius Ceremoniae originem fluxtsse ab Apostolis Calvin in Heb 6.2 is the same with that Heb. 6.2 Q. Is this Rite necessarily to be continued in the Church of Christ A. Not of necessity to salvation but of necessity for the obtaining of certaine gifts of the Spirit x Act. 19.2.6 which cannot ordinarily be acquired but by this meanes Q. Why is not more care taken that it be continued A. Our Church hath taken order that y Rubricke in publique Baptisme and after the Catechisme Children so soon as they can say the Articles of the Faith the Lords Prayer and the ten Commandements and be further instructed in the Catechisme set forth for that purpose be brought to the Bishop to be confirmed of him z Ib. And the Bishop shall confirme them Besides it is ordered that a Rubricke after Confirmation None SHALL be admitted to the holy Communion untill such time as he be confirmed Our Church conceives it to be necessary at least by way of preparation for all such as repaire to the Lords Table Q. Who are the Ministers of this blessing A. Bishops and only Bishops The reason is because the Apostles only did it in their time and Bishops are the only successors of the Apostles Q. Was it not an extraordinary act A. No but such a blessing as is to be retained in the Church of God for the good of his people that so we may increase in his holy Spirit more and more untill we come to his everlasting Kingdome AMEN Haec non praecipiendi authoritate sed proficiendi exercitatione scribuntur à nobis Aug. Cont. Faust l. 11. c. 5. A praesenti saeculo maligno salvi fieri non possumus nisi nos ad salutem proximorum nitentes etiam ore profiteamur fidem quam corde gestamus quae fides ne fraudulentis calliditatibus haereticorum possit in nobis aliqua ex parte violari piâ cautaque vigilantiâ providendum est Aug. de fide Symbolo c. 1. Tractatio fidei ad muniendum Symbolum valet non ut ipsa pro Symbolo gratiam Dei consequentibus memoriae mandanda reddenda tradatur sed ut illa quae in Symbolo retinentur contra haereticorum insidias authoritate Catholicâ munitiore defensione custodiat Ibid. FINIS